Actress Katee Sackhoff was a part of the highly acclaimed 2003 version of ‘Battlestar Galactica’, which has been rated as one of the best 100 shows of all time, so needless to say she didn’t sound enthusiastic when the subject of the rebooted movie came up….
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
The news that Universal was working on a ‘Battlestar Galactica’ feature film was welcomed by long time fans of the popular sci-fi series, but expectations were immediately dashed when it was revealed that the movie would be a complete reboot and reimagining with a new story and cast.
While ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was originally a show released in 1978, it wasn’t until a 2003 version produced by Ronald Moore that aired on SyFy did the series really hit a new level of popularity. By the time the series came to an end four seasons later, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ has become a cultural phenomenon and was listed at No. 38 on the Writer’s Guild of America‘s list of the top 100 written shows in TV history.
Now it appears original show creator Glen Larson wants back in the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ business after the success of the SyFy series as he will produce the new reboot film along with ‘Transcendence’ writer Jack Paglen on board to handle script duties.
Considering the critical and commercial success of the SyFy ‘Battlestar Galactica’ series, it’s hard to imagine a rebooted movie released just a few years after the show ended would be very well received especially considering the visibility of many of the actors and actresses still working on high profile projects today.
Katee Sackhoff, who played Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace, in the 2003 version of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ still holds a real fondness for the series especially with all the hard work the entire team behind the show put in to make the show such a success. While she’s moved on to a very successful career outside of ‘Battlestar Galactica’, there’s no doubt it’s one of her proudest achievements and something she holds very near and dear to her heart.
“We’re incredibly proud of that show,” Sackhoff told Nerdcore Movement in an exclusive interview. “We took a campy show from the 70’s and made it emotionally, politically important in a time where our society was going through, and still is, at a time we were going through a really hard time and turmoil and struggle with right and wrong. Battlestar Galactica perfectly fit and answered a lot of questions and posed some more questions. Something that you would have never expected this campy show from the 70’s to have done. I’m incredibly proud of it.”
According to Sackhoff, when ‘Battlestar Galactica’ was optioned to Moore and SyFy, part of the restrictions in place were that they could never produce a feature film for the series. Instead, Moore and his team opted for several television movies including the original three-hour ‘miniseries’, which eventually served as the launching point for the entire series. Once the show was picked up, Moore and the team behind ‘Battlestar Galactica’ turned the series into one of the most popular and well-received shows in SyFy history, not to mention across all of television. Time Magazine also named it one of the best 100 television shows of all-time when the series concluded.
“Part of what we understood from the very beginning and we still understand to this day is that the rights were never given to our producers to make a feature film. Had they been given over we would have made one a long time ago instead of doing the television movies that we’ve done,” Sackhoff explained.
Needless to say the idea of a rebooted movie being produced just five years after the show ended its run on television wasn’t very well received. Sackhoff held back from saying anything bad about the idea of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ being remade into a movie, but it was clear she wasn’t the biggest fan of the reboot either.
“So many ways that are not appropriate for the public to hear,” Sackhoff responded when asked about her feelings on the movie. “As far as how I feel about it, no comment.”
Considering the work and effort Sackhoff and the other actors and actresses on ‘Battlestar Galactica’ put in over the course of four seasons and six years, it’s understandable why they would be so protective. It’s also hard to imagine a film that would be superior or even equal to the television show so rich in creativity, outstanding acting, and well plotted storylines.
It’s hard to imagine the last on screen Starbuck will be standing in line to see the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ reboot, but Sackhoff wishes them well in their endeavors.
“My job as an actress is not to judge other people and their intentions and it’s all art and have fun,” Sackhoff said.
As for Sackhoff, she’s not crying over spilled milk by any means because she’s keeping very busy these days filming the third season of the popular A&E series ‘Longmire’ as well as her named still be tossed around as a possible star in a future Marvel project.
