Battlestar Galactica Reboot Shut Down By Terrorism
A reboot of the classic and iconic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica had been in the works, but Peacock has now canceled the redo. Fans have mixed feelings about the situation. It would be great to get another reboot as mindblowing as the 2003 Ronald D. Moore show, but that show was of such high quality that it would be difficult for any new series to touch the hem of its garment (a spicy red dress, of course). However, what far too many fans don’t realize is that there was an even earlier reboot, one led by a legendary X-Men director. Bryan Singer originally wanted to create his own Battlestar Galactica reboot in 2001, but the project was canceled due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Singer was originally signed on to create a Battlestar Galactica reboot for Fox, a project that emerged from the ashes of a failed feature film first conceived in 1999. Shows like The X-Files had established Fox as the surprise home for weird genre television, and a reboot of something as culturally huge as Galactica would likely have been a major hit with viewers. However, after the 9/11 attacks, the network was hesitant to go forward with production due to how much the American climate had changed (culturally and politically) since the terrorist attack.
By all accounts, Fox didn’t immediately kill the Battlestar Galactica reboot. They were concerned with how audiences would perceive the ethical and moral messages of the show, ideas that network execs worried would no longer jibe with post-9/11 audiences. Still, they considered moving on with the project if enough of these major differences could be hammered out. But Bryan Singer had a prior commitment to direct X2: X-Men United, furthering delays on his would-be Battlestar Galactica reboot until it quietly fizzled out.
There’s plenty of irony, though, in the fact that Singer’s Battlestar Galactica reboot was ultimately canceled thanks to the 9/11 attacks. When Ronald D. Moore’s own celebrated reboot came out in 2003, it was praised by many critics for serving as a kind of metaphor for post-9/11 America. Just as the country was left reeling after an unexpected terrorist attack, the show focused on survivors of an even more devastating Cylon sneak attack. The show soon explored the delicate balance between security and freedom (like how much power the military commander should have vs. the civilian president) even as America struggled with the post-9/11 Patriot Act.
For many, it was impossible to ignore how Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reboot also seemed like a commentary on America’s weird anti-Muslim insanity in the wake of 9/11. Just as countless American citizens worried if terrorists could be hiding in their communities and spotted via everything from skin color to religious affiliation, the show portrayed humanity’s survivors struggling with the idea that there may be secret Cylon infiltrators hidden in the fleet. At times, the parallels became problematically muddled, like when we were meant to root for our heroes using IEDs even as these weapons were used to kill American soldiers in the Middle East.
Long story short, though anxieties over 9/11 parallels were enough to kill Bryan Singer’s Battlestar Galactica, those same parallels helped Moore’s reboot flourish. There may be a lesson here for networks that audiences aren’t as precious as they imagine and are ready to reward big creative swings even if (perhaps especially if) they involve controversial content. And one big swing after another helped Moore create a television experience that we’ll never forget.
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