How Edward James Olmos Changed Battlestar Galactica’s Best Line
Edward James Olmos was famous for his time on the hit series, Battlestar Galactica, and in 2010 he recounted a time in which he cultivated the show's most famous line.
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Edward James Olmos is one of the most recognizable actors, especially for his time in Battlestar Galactica. Speaking about the show’s revival, Olmos gave a charming story about how he cultivated the famous line, “So say we all.” This story was told during a convention that took place in Seattle in 2010. The actor recounts the time that the mini-series had first used the famous line from the series. According to Olmos, “[W]e had just finished going through 9/11, and it was really not a healthy time. And so to be going into this world, this way, we’re all kind of trying to get our footing. And our footing, it was really — nobody knew each other, so we’re all kind of very depressed that we’ve been standing around for a couple of hours waiting to do this scene.”
This was the first time in which there were hundreds of extras being used, and more so because the production was using a hangar for the first time as well. Edward James Olmos and the rest of everyone on set were depressed from the 9/11 event, and it was reflected in the faces and performances of everyone around. Though the line “So say we all” was merely a line, the actor used it to bring everyone together at that moment. It was a combination of wanting everyone to break out of the depression of real-world events, but mostly to get more of a reaction as well. Olmos explains that when he said the line, no one reacted, so he shouted it back, still, no one reacted. After a few times of him shouting it back and hearing it back, the line became this famous moment and line that echoed throughout the series. You can see a video of the famous speech below:
Sometimes actors invoke such a spirit within people that it’s not known until after that moment passes. While the world was still healing from the tragedy of 9/11, Edward James Olmos used that to help to rekindle the passion between all who were there on the set, and in the process, he turned a run-of-the-mill line into one of the most famous moments in television history. Improvisation can be a wonderful thing sometimes. Even years after that moment happened, Olmos recounted it in 2010, and now it is being written about in 2022. That is how famous that line and moment became.
The Battlestar Galactica mini-series in which this famous Edward James Olmos line was taken is currently streaming on Peacock. Fans who have not had the chance to see this fan-favorite science fiction show should take the time to watch it and feel that same passion that Olmos brought to the crew on set that day. His line and spirit that he was attempting to awaken are as exciting as Bill Pullman’s presidential speech in the film, Independence Day. Completely fictionalized moments can sometimes echo throughout history and still be used to bring people some kind of hope. Olmos was attempting to do just that while at work, but also to show people that things were going to be ok after the tragic events of 9/11. Everyone just had to come together at that moment and feel alive again. Shouting out a mundane line in unison might be just what the world needs sometimes. Earth did find its way again. So say we all.
