Battlestar Galactica (1978)
I grew up on Star Wars, Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica. My
friends and I would fight over who got to be Starbuck and who got to be
Apollo in our recreations of battles against the Cylon "tin cans."
Which is why I was absolutely appalled to find out the recent remake of
the Battlestar Galactica television series featured a female Starbuck.
What's worse is the sexual tension depicted between Apollo and Starbuck.
That whole situation is so far removed from the original characters
that it changes the whole dynamic of the series.
I recently started re-watching the original series and, given the sex change, was surprised by how much of the original carried over into the remake, right down to the use of "frak." I actually gained a little more respect for the new series.
As I watched the pilot episode, I immediately became aware of the mind, body, and spirit symbolism in the characters. The dynamic may be different in the remake, but here is what I saw in the original Battlestar Galactica series.
Starbuck is first shown with his shirt off, puffing on a cigar. Apollo's younger brother, Zac, wants to take Starbuck's place on an upcoming mission, but Starbuck is reluctant, at first. We soon discover that Starbuck is happy to let him take his place so he can go to the armistice parties being held in honor of the upcoming peace with their enemies, the Cylons.
Starbuck is an ace pilot, but his favorite pastimes include gambling, smoking cigars, and womanizing. When the alert goes off in the officer's quarters, all the other pilots run to their fighters, but Starbuck rushes to gather up his winnings from a card game that was interrupted. Later, at a casino resort on an outlying planet, Starbuck gets caught up in the winning and never questions why the odds were perpetually in his favor. Others do, and a dangerous secret comes to the surface, despite Starbuck's lack of interest.
Apollo's sister, Athena, is in love with Starbuck. He doesn't share the sentiment, but that doesn't stop him from spending excess time with her, including walking into her quarters when she is changing clothes. It also does not stop him from trying to juggle a second "relationship" with Cassiopeia, a "socialator" (registered, legal prostitute - think "companion" from Firefly).
When flying a particularly dangerous mission to help save the fleet, he is more worried about the excess heat making its way into his cockpit, complaining about it multiple times.
Apollo is proud of his little brother when they go out on Zac's first patrol together and encourages Zac when he gets his first kill. When it looks like Zac isn't going to make it back to the Galactica due to battle damage, Apollo wants to stay with him, despite the need to warn the fleet of their impending doom.
Comforting others is a critical part of Apollo's character, something completely lacking in Starbuck. When he returns to their home planet with his father, he tries to comfort him by suggesting his mother might not have been at home when the attack that destroyed the planet occurred, even though they both know it isn't true.
When a young boy from the planet becomes depressed over his lost dog, Apollo goes out of his way to comfort him. He goes so far as to have a scientist create a mechanical dog-like creature that is programmed to respond to the young boy's commands. His relationship with the young boy ultimately leads to Apollo marrying the boy's mother in later episodes.
When Apollo and Starbuck are on a planet looking for fuel for the fleet, they get into a fire fight with the Cylons in a mine beneath the planet's surface. Apollo is torn between warning the people on the surface and staying to fight with Starbuck. His guilt about leaving Zac is still strong and Starbuck has to convince him to warn the others.
Commander Adama is Apollo, Athena, and Zac's father, as well as the commander of the Battlestar Galactica and a member of the "Council of Twelve," the governing body of their society. He is introduced questioning the logic of the armistice proposed by the Cylons. He doubts that two societies with diametrically opposed ideologies could ever live in peace.
When the president orders Adama to stand down and not launch fighters against the forces that were attacking his patrol ships, Adama follows the order, but then orders a "battle stations drill." This puts his ship on alert against attack while not actually violating any rules or higher orders.
When Apollo left Zac behind, Zac was killed by the Cylons before he could make it back to the fleet. When the president asks about the unexpected explosion, Adama coolly replies, "That was my son." He shows similar emotional detachment on his home planet. He briefly mourns the loss of his wife and son, but he then turns to the nervous crowd that has gathered and calmly but directly tells them to escape the planet in whatever ships they can find.
There was another candidate for the mind character - Lt. Boomer (who is a completely different character in the remake, in all respects). Boomer is another fighter pilot who interacts frequently with Apollo and Starbuck. He exhibits a lot of the characteristics of a mind character, but I felt Adama was more critical to the overall plot structure in the series. Boomer is a mind character, but I feel he is secondary to Adama in that role.
I recently started re-watching the original series and, given the sex change, was surprised by how much of the original carried over into the remake, right down to the use of "frak." I actually gained a little more respect for the new series.
As I watched the pilot episode, I immediately became aware of the mind, body, and spirit symbolism in the characters. The dynamic may be different in the remake, but here is what I saw in the original Battlestar Galactica series.
The Body Character: Starbuck (Dirk Benedict)
Starbuck is first shown with his shirt off, puffing on a cigar. Apollo's younger brother, Zac, wants to take Starbuck's place on an upcoming mission, but Starbuck is reluctant, at first. We soon discover that Starbuck is happy to let him take his place so he can go to the armistice parties being held in honor of the upcoming peace with their enemies, the Cylons.
Starbuck is an ace pilot, but his favorite pastimes include gambling, smoking cigars, and womanizing. When the alert goes off in the officer's quarters, all the other pilots run to their fighters, but Starbuck rushes to gather up his winnings from a card game that was interrupted. Later, at a casino resort on an outlying planet, Starbuck gets caught up in the winning and never questions why the odds were perpetually in his favor. Others do, and a dangerous secret comes to the surface, despite Starbuck's lack of interest.
Apollo's sister, Athena, is in love with Starbuck. He doesn't share the sentiment, but that doesn't stop him from spending excess time with her, including walking into her quarters when she is changing clothes. It also does not stop him from trying to juggle a second "relationship" with Cassiopeia, a "socialator" (registered, legal prostitute - think "companion" from Firefly).
When flying a particularly dangerous mission to help save the fleet, he is more worried about the excess heat making its way into his cockpit, complaining about it multiple times.
The Spirit Character: Apollo (Richard Hatch)
Apollo is proud of his little brother when they go out on Zac's first patrol together and encourages Zac when he gets his first kill. When it looks like Zac isn't going to make it back to the Galactica due to battle damage, Apollo wants to stay with him, despite the need to warn the fleet of their impending doom.
Comforting others is a critical part of Apollo's character, something completely lacking in Starbuck. When he returns to their home planet with his father, he tries to comfort him by suggesting his mother might not have been at home when the attack that destroyed the planet occurred, even though they both know it isn't true.
When a young boy from the planet becomes depressed over his lost dog, Apollo goes out of his way to comfort him. He goes so far as to have a scientist create a mechanical dog-like creature that is programmed to respond to the young boy's commands. His relationship with the young boy ultimately leads to Apollo marrying the boy's mother in later episodes.
When Apollo and Starbuck are on a planet looking for fuel for the fleet, they get into a fire fight with the Cylons in a mine beneath the planet's surface. Apollo is torn between warning the people on the surface and staying to fight with Starbuck. His guilt about leaving Zac is still strong and Starbuck has to convince him to warn the others.
The Mind Character: Commander Adama (Lorne Greene)
Commander Adama is Apollo, Athena, and Zac's father, as well as the commander of the Battlestar Galactica and a member of the "Council of Twelve," the governing body of their society. He is introduced questioning the logic of the armistice proposed by the Cylons. He doubts that two societies with diametrically opposed ideologies could ever live in peace.
When the president orders Adama to stand down and not launch fighters against the forces that were attacking his patrol ships, Adama follows the order, but then orders a "battle stations drill." This puts his ship on alert against attack while not actually violating any rules or higher orders.
When Apollo left Zac behind, Zac was killed by the Cylons before he could make it back to the fleet. When the president asks about the unexpected explosion, Adama coolly replies, "That was my son." He shows similar emotional detachment on his home planet. He briefly mourns the loss of his wife and son, but he then turns to the nervous crowd that has gathered and calmly but directly tells them to escape the planet in whatever ships they can find.
There was another candidate for the mind character - Lt. Boomer (who is a completely different character in the remake, in all respects). Boomer is another fighter pilot who interacts frequently with Apollo and Starbuck. He exhibits a lot of the characteristics of a mind character, but I felt Adama was more critical to the overall plot structure in the series. Boomer is a mind character, but I feel he is secondary to Adama in that role.
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