Drawing on Imagination: Picturing a Future ‘Battlestar Galactica’
ByThis month we are tackling something that has been a hot topic of debate once again: Battlestar Galactica. 
Recently it was announced that producer and Galactica creator Glen Larson was teaming with A-list director Bryan Singer to bring Battlestar Galactica to the big screen. The new feature, though, will be based on the premise of the original ’70s TV series, as opposed to Ron Moore’s critically-acclaimed re-imagined series that recently completed its run on Syfy Channel.
The paintings further down this page are an interpretation of how a Larson/Singer Galactica could look.
When I first wrote Battlestar Galactica De-Imagined…?, it became apparent from the feedback that there are still passionate members of the fan community on both pro-original series and pro-re-imagining sides. However, the overwhelming majority of people agreed that, regardless of the direction…the original cheese had to go.
Many of you know me as the designer responsible for the look of much of the hardware in Ron Moore’s Syfy series, but what you may not realize is that many of the radical design changes were borne out of the circumstances of the time. It may interest you to know that many of my first attempts were updates on the look established in the original series. However, that approach had to be rethought as Syfy handed down its mandate: jettison any visual connection to the original show.
Whether Larson and Singer are planning a remake or a continuation, there is no doubt that the feature will draw very closely from the Battlestar Galactica so many of us grew up with. Design-wise, this presents a unique challenge (as I found out from my first attempt at updating a beloved property in Drawing on Imagination: ‘UFO – The Movie’ Concept Art): how does one maintain the look and feel of the original without being beholden to it? A few cosmetic changes here and there might be fine for some, but insufficient for those who are accustomed to the kind of sophistication that digital technology now affords us.
On such a project, the concept designer is asked to take into account the legacy that has come before when coming up with sketches. It is very easy — but creatively stifling — to simply do a superficial touch-up, yet a radical departure would alienate those who maintain a nostalgic attachment to the original. The trick is to find the “essence” of the design, those elements that identify the original and rework it so that the new version still subconsciously evokes the past while being a believable evolution of it.
In the case of the Cylons, it is relatively easy to distill the basic feature unique to its design: the red scanning eye. Everybody knows that one. However, I still kept some hint of Centurion armor and the grilled mouthpiece in the painting you see below. And as you can also see, the Vipers still maintain the same basic dart-like shape, however, everything has been swept back for a “faster” look. The markings remain largely unchanged as they are an important identifying feature.
At one time I did a sketch of the Galactica for Moore’s mini-series that closely resembles this new update. The basic alligator shape was still present but the rear strut arced over the body as opposed to being attached to its side. This gave the impression of shoulders that are hunched over, ready to attack… a more aggressive feel akin to some contemporary stealth and VTOL aircraft with which you might be familiar (actually, it would have made a terrific Pegasus too!).
The Raider was always a difficult nut to crack in the mini-series, but this time around, I returned to the disc-like shape and kept the black grill feature—although now it does not serve as a canopy, which never made sense in the original series. (Perhaps that was the one fatal flaw in their design that made the Cylons such ineffective pilots… See? Design IS important!)
Lastly, I took one aspect of the show that was closely identified with its cheese factor and threw in my own twist. I envision using state-of-the-art audio-animatronics rather than a monkey in a suit this time. Still cuddly, IMHO.
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