Battlestar Galactica Reboot Stole From Classic Sci-Fi Series
When the Battlestar Galactica reboot first came out, part of what made it so popular was that it felt so fresh and completely unlike other science fiction shows. In particular, showrunner Ronald D. Moore wanted to make his new show feel distinct from the Star Trek shows that he had previously written for. However, on his old SyFy blog, Moore admitted that he did copy one thing from another influential show: specifically, he stole the technique of putting part of the current episode in its opening credits from the series Space: 1999.
Teases In Every Opening Credits Sequence
If it’s been a hot minute since you’ve watched the Battlestar Galactica series, you might need a refresher on this whole opening credits thing.
Like most shows of that era, Galactica had brief, catchy opening credits–in this case, ones that memorably ended with a warning about the robotic Cylons: “And they have a plan.”
However, each set of opening credits was slightly different because it included snippets from the episode that fans were about to watch.
Fan Reaction
When the Battlestar Galactica reboot was new, the fandom was divided over this technique: some audiences enjoyed getting a sneak preview for the episode while others disliked getting potential spoilers.
One fan wrote to showrunner Ronald D. Moore to ask where he got the idea and whether he could stop doing it.
The showrunner used his SyFy blog to answer the fan, and while he declined to stop tweaking the credits, he did reveal that “This is a trick that Space: 1999 used to do and I proudly stole it from them.”
Space: 1999
Younger fans of the Battlestar Galactica reboot have likely never watched or even heard of Space: 1999. This was an influential British sci-fi show that originally aired from 1975-1977 and focused on the 311 inhabitants of a special base on the moon.
Their lives are thrown in disarray in the year 1999 (which felt very futuristic back in 1975) when nuclear waste stored on the moon detonates, sending both the moon and the moonbase inhabitants hurtling into the unknown depths of space.
A Big Influence On BSG
This high-concept show served as an inspiration for the 1978 Battlestar Galactica show, but things came full circle when Ronald D. Moore began working on the BSG reboot.
He was a huge fan of Space: 1999 and later admitted he was tempted to try to reboot the show. That reboot never happened, but Moore still showcased his love of the older show by copying its opening credit technique for Battlestar Galactica.
A Good Decision
While we can understand why some fans didn’t like microdosing spoilers for each episode right in the opening credits, we’re happy that Moore shamelessly stole this opening credits idea from Space: 1999.
This was a creative decision that allowed the showrunner to showcase his love for the classic series while making his own show feel like Star Trek or any other mainstream science fiction show.
And even if the nefarious Cylons never really had a plan like the opening credits promised, it’s rewarding to know that Moore himself had a plan for even the smallest and most subtle moments of his hit reboot.
