A reboot of Battlestar Galactica interrupted by terrorism

Pa Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 second ago

A reboot of the classic and cult sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica was in the works, but Peacock canceled the rerun. Fans have mixed feelings about the situation. It would be great to get another reboot as awesome as The Ronald D. Show. Moore in 2003, but that show was of such high quality that any new series would have a hard time touching the hem of his clothes (spicy red dress, of course). What too many fans don’t realize, however, is that there was an earlier reboot helmed by the legendary X-Men director. Bryan Singer originally wanted to create his own Battlestar Galactica rebooted in 2001, but the project was canceled due to the 9/11 attacks.

The singer was originally signed to create a Battlestar Galactica reboot for Fox, a project that rose from the ashes of a failed feature film first conceived in 1999. Secret materials established Fox as an unexpected home for weird genre television and a reboot of something as culturally significant as Galaxy would most likely be a big hit with the audience. However, after the 9/11 attacks, the network was hesitant to continue production due to how much the American climate (culturally and politically) had changed since the terrorist attack.

Apparently, Fox didn’t kill immediately Battlestar Galactica reboot. They were concerned about how audiences would perceive the show’s ethical and moral messages, ideas that network executives worried would no longer resonate with post-9/11 audiences. However, they considered continuing the project if enough of these major differences could be resolved. But Bryan Singer had an earlier commitment to being a director X2: X-Men Unitedcontributing to delays with its potential Battlestar Galactica reboot until it goes silent.

However, there is an element of irony in being Singer Battlestar Galactica the reboot was ultimately canceled thanks to the 9/11 attacks. When Ronald D.’s own famous reboot came out in 2003. Moore, many critics have praised it as a kind of metaphor for America after 9/11. Just as the country was left reeling from a surprise terrorist attack, the series focused on the survivors of an even more devastating covert attack by the Cylons. The show soon explored the delicate balance between security and liberty (such as how much power a military commander should have compared to a civilian president) even as America struggled with the Patriot Act after 9/11.

For many, it was impossible not to notice how Moore Battlestar Galactica the reboot also felt like a commentary on America’s strange anti-Muslim insanity after 9/11. Just as countless American citizens worried that terrorists could be lurking in their communities and could be spotted by everything from skin color to religious affiliation, the show depicted survivors struggling with the idea that the Navy could be harboring secret cylon agents. At times, the parallels became problematically confusing, such as when we were supposed to root for our heroes using IEDs, even though those weapons were being used to kill American soldiers in the Middle East.

In short, anxiety over the parallels of 9/11 was enough to kill Bryan Singer Battlestar Galacticathese same parallels helped Moore’s reboot thrive. There may be a lesson here for networks that audiences aren’t as valuable as they think they are, and are willing to reward great creative hesitancy even if (perhaps especially if) they include controversial content. And one big sweep after another helped Moore create television we’ll never forget.