An Alternately Conceptualized Battlestar Galactica

The subject of Ron Moore’s Syfy Battlestar Galactica resurfaced for me the other day, much like a bad meal when you have the flu; a sort of violently bad moment that doesn’t end quickly enough. Rather than continuing to take cheap shots at this staple Science Fiction piñata, I’ll actually pass along some advice for the inevitable remake of the reimagined series.

Really this boils down to one suggestion: human Cylon sympathizers. The show toyed with this when the colonists were living on the mud planet under Cylon rule, but what I’m suggesting is that they should have started with that. Some people liked BSG because it was really dark and sort of mirrored real life. Well let’s take it all the way then.

The Cylon invasion started because they had evolved human-like Cylons and were able to comprise Baltar and others, thus creating a huge hole in the colonial defenses. Let’s start instead with a generation that had never been at war with the Cylons and didn’t understand the conflict. Let’s say some of these people feel that the Cylons may have been unrighteously oppressed, perhaps even that Cylon rule would have been a good thing. Certainly it would have been better than the current group of xenophobic, big defense spending, hopelessly corrupt individuals running the government now. All the money that’s been wasted over this Cylon “boogey man.” They didn’t even really win the war the first time anyway.

Essentially, there’s a developed “Fifth Column” inside the colonies. Elitists in several areas of society, such as some politicians, academics, celebrities and the news media subtly or vocally support this theory. Some actually covertly make contact with the Cylons, pledging support for their cause.

In this concept, the Cylons are nothing but sentient machines bent on domination. Humans were their progenitors, but now they’re nothing but a hostile competing species. (This is a change from the original series.) As superior as the Cylons believe themselves to be, the human defenses are too strong for them to overcome by overt force. Further, Cylon “evolution” has hit a dead end. They need human imagination and resourcefulness to improve themselves. The Cylons are willing to deal. As long as these humans acknowledge Cylon supremacy and aid in the destruction of the colonial government, they will be spared and even allowed to rule in the Cylon’s name. This isn’t too far off from the original series. Baltar thought he was going to be charge.

Speaking of Baltar, he’s the leader of the conspiracy and the most outspoken and accomplished member of the Quorum. He’s a hardcore ideologue who’s convinced he can run humanity much better it’s been run up to this point. Baltar is a major critic of the colonial military/industrial complex and even something of an admirer of the Cylons. He has many supporters in the media, who keep him in the news constantly with lots of positive spin. Unfortunately, his more radical views don’t play well with most colonists. The party bosses have outright told him, he’ll never be president. Here’s the impetus for his betrayal. Yes, this story really can’t start with Cylons just bombing stuff, you’ll have to lead up to it.

Part 2