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Battlestar Galactica (1978 - 1979)
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Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 16594
Location: North Carolina
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pow wrote:
Reminds me of what Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski said when he was creating his B5 TV show, "No funny robots, no cute kids."

Okay, so how 'bout cute robots and funny kids? (No, that's no good either . . . Sad)

Ah-ha, I've got it! A cute, funny robot kid! Very Happy
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Pow
Galactic Ambassador


Joined: 27 Sep 2014
Posts: 3277
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2023 1:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just read an interview with the late Richard Hatch discussing plans about BSG had it been renewed for another year (not that BSG 1980 mess). According to Richard, none other then famed author Isaac Asimov was to have come on board the production as head story editor. If true, he might well have been able to take a mediocre series and transform it into something quite remarkable.
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Krel
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Joined: 19 Feb 2023
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2023 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
BSG had a problem, in that it was never intended to be a TV series. ABC looked at the mini series and ordered a TV show for the fall season. There was no lead time, and they were working on the story-line as the show was being broadcast.

The show did okay in the ratings, but it cost around a million dollars per episode. A great amount for a TV series back wen TV episodes had a budget of around 45,000 dollars. Even with the huge budget, they still had to rely on stock footage. The show did well, just not a million dollars per episode well. If the episodes hadn't cost that much, the show probably would have gotten a second season. That would have given the production staff time to work out the kinks.

I like the show and have the DVDs, it was a fun Space Opera with likeable actors and characters.

Richard Hatch was left-handed and had to used a right hand holster mounted on the left side of the belt.

When the miniseries came out the Daget handler came on "The Tonight Show". He walked onto the stage, layed the Daget on it's side. He started operating a remote control and the Daget stood up, it's ears and mouth moving. He put the Daget through it paces, then revealed the truth. The robot Daget was a chimpanzee in a costume with remote controlled mouth and ears. He took the head and front paws off the costume, and had the chimp sit next to him. The chimp was given a mug to drink from.

David.
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orzel-w
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Joined: 19 Sep 2014
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I thought it was rather obvious the Daget was a chimp in costume.
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Krel
Space Ranger


Joined: 19 Feb 2023
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It wasn't a secret, I remember a TV Guide article on the Daget costume with several photos. But this was done in front of a live audience that probably hadn't see the TVG article.

David.
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Maurice
Mission Specialist


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 431
Location: 3rd Rock
PostPosted: Wed Nov 15, 2023 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Krel wrote:
BSG [...]The show did okay in the ratings, but it cost around a million dollars per episode. A great amount for a TV series back wen TV episodes had a budget of around 45,000 dollars.

I think you dropped a zero there.

Most US hour-long network shows in that era cost about $400K (see this). Long running ones, over $500K. BSG (beyond the first five hours) averaged about $750K, as did Buck Rogers the following year.

BSG didn't rely on stock footage only because of budget. Dykstra's group was signed up to do the VFX for the miniseries, and when ABC put in a full series older there was a scramble to set up a VFX plant to do the work. Stock footage was standard procedure on TV (hell, the leads on Bonanza always wore the same clothes so that stock footage could be used all over the place). The problem with Galactica's VFX repetition was that they had so many space battles that the re-use was super apparent, especially week after week.

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