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In the newly rebooted Battlestar Galactica TV series, references are made to the previous version of Battle Star. For instance the original Cylon design shows up in the new Battle Star's Museum and there is a reference to events occurring in a cycle.

Is this how they tried to adapt part of the old series into the new series?

Are their any similarities?

Or is the new Battlestar Galactica a complete restart of the old universe?

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    Should be closed as general reference. From the Battlestar Galactica Wikipedia article: "Despite attempts to revive the series over the years, none came to fruition until it was reimagined in 2003 by Universal Television as a miniseries."
    – user366
    May 3, 2011 at 18:41
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    Your quote doesn't help my question. I'm asking about the similarities of the 2 series, not why BSG was revamped. May 3, 2011 at 18:46
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    your question asks point-blank if it's a complete restart of the old universe. It is. It's a re-imagining/restart/reboot. The original doesn't have any shared continuity with the new series. That's the entire premise of the show. It doesn't need to be answered here. These questions bring SciFi.SE really close to a content farm.
    – user366
    May 3, 2011 at 18:50
  • @Mark: We haven't decided whether specialized wikis are reason to close as general reference. But the Wikipedia article explains this well enough, with links to the BSG wiki for further information, so I agree with closing as general reference.
    – user56
    May 3, 2011 at 18:51
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    After the edit, this seems like a different question, about whether the new series has any continuity with the old series, and the Wikipedia article doesn't address that in any obvious way. So, I agree to reopen.
    – user56
    May 3, 2011 at 19:49

6 Answers 6

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It wasn't incorporating the original series. It was a way for them in include the original Cylon designs, or at least a variation on them, as a sort of callback to fans of the original. In the new series, all the metal Cylons are entirely CGI, so they were able to make even the old Cylons look more imposing than a guy in a shiny suit.

But there were no inclusions of the canon or continuity of the original series, that civil war of the older Cylons in the new series was not the old series happening. It was backstory to establish the new universe.

Although if you've seen the final episodes of the new series, you know that

all this has happened before and will happen again. So you can consider the original series as one of those cycles, but it would have to be a future one or one that's older than the cycle that resulted in humans settling on Kobol. It didn't leave any traces that were seen in the new series.

I've never seen the original, so I can't speak to similarities and differences between the two.

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    Yes, I try hard not to remember the final episode of the new BSG. One of the 10 stupidest series endings (plot-wise) ever.
    – BBlake
    May 3, 2011 at 15:46
  • It was quite disappointing to see the writers write out the original earth. I was hoping for a better opinion of earth, but it makes sense in the universe to abandon everything that's killed several civilizations (over and over again). Grant it I was hoping that the 2 "Angel" like characters (Baltar and Caprica's twin) at the end were saved all these years by Cylon resurrection technology... but that's just me. It was "good enough" not as "award winning" as I would have licked (like 33 minutes was! (second episode of season 1). May 3, 2011 at 16:00
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    It's possible that the Angels are the original series' beings of light, but that's pure speculation.
    – user1027
    May 3, 2011 at 16:28
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    If you're going with the idea that "all this has happened before and will happen again," then the 1970s version would have to happen later than the newer series for a couple reasons. 1) At the end of one episode of the original Apollo is watching for transmissions and just he leaves, the monitor displays the original Moon landing video. And 2) I know we wall want to forget it, but "Galactica 1980" that showed they reached Earth in 1980. (But there are consistency issues: the 1969 Moon landing video was received more than 11 years before they reached Earth in 1980.)
    – Tango
    May 3, 2011 at 20:46
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    Another problem with that is that the ending of the new BSG shows the modern day, i.e. the 2000's without a Battlestar Galactica having arrived 20 years prior. So that means the Earth they reached in "1980" is not our Earth and not our 1980.
    – user1027
    May 3, 2011 at 20:53
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For those of us who watched the series finale we know that:

Both human and organic Cylon helped form what we know as the human race on earth. They also freed the Cylon Centurions and gave them control over the basestars. The Centurions leave and head out into space. Earth is colonized and humanity grows and prospers for 150,000 years.

Now here's the link (my theory and my own opinion):

The original BSG takes place between the 1960s and 1980s (earth standard time) The humans have been in a 1000 year war with the Cylons, created by a reptilian race. The original trek to earth took place around the time of the first moon landing and finished in 1980.

Now if we subtract 1000 years (for the war) and approximately 40 years (from the exodus in the original to 2009 reimagined series finale) we still have 148,960 years separating.

Many years after the fall, survivors made their way back to the 12 colonies. In that time the radiation on the planets eventually dissipates and become habitable again. The survivors carry with them stories of the ones who went to Earth, the stories dissipate and change (there are 140,000 years for this to happen).

Eventually the Cylons return thus starting up the 1000 year war (all this has happened and all this shall happen again).

That's the short short version of how I see it.

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They're two separate shows. This is a bit like trying to fit "Casino Royale" into the 007 canon or "Batman Begins" into the previous franchise. If you think of them separately, but appreciate the inherent references (ahem, Richard Hatch) then you'll have a better time of it. You're pounding a square block into a circular hole.

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  • Lol for a second their I didn't get what you were saying but ya I understand. They just kept the idea and created something better... well in their opinion. Jun 4, 2013 at 1:27
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On at least one occasion, storylines and characters from the 70s series are reworked into the plot of BSG.

One great example is Admiral Cane, who appears in the 70s series, and a force of will begins, between Cane and Amada.

Pretty much what occurs in the start of Razor, in fact the plot is very similar, just turned on its head, and of course the goodies win

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This is a little off topic, but I've always been fascinated by the similarities and common threads between the two story lines. Things such as the angels/beings of light, Terra/Earth, transversing the nova blindly, Pegasus, Kobol, religious struggles, and much more. I've always loved how TRS told the exact same story as TOS but in a completely different way.

Although it makes sense. BSG is basically just the retelling of the Mormon flight west, which itself is just the Book of Exodus, so similarities are expected.

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    I think that this should be re-worded a bit. The second paragraph is the most interesting/important information in your answer. Do you have a reference (e.g. some critical article etc...) tying it to Mormon journey? +1 to get you started and motivate to edit to make even better :) Feb 15, 2012 at 21:56
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    There is this: home.comcast.net/~billotto/Mormon_N_BSG.html
    – Ashterothi
    Feb 15, 2012 at 22:03
  • Karl, that's pretty much the definition of "reimagining". :-) Dec 12, 2013 at 3:50
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Actually there are TONS of similarities. For example, the Pegasus shows up in episode 12 of the original and in season 2 in the reboot. Male Starbuck tests a new ship with a 'thinking' computer in episode 7 and chief makes a cool new ship with Cylon stealth for Starbuck in the reboot. I know col. Tigh declares martial law which also happens I think in the old series. Oh, and the prisoners rioting happens in both. Although lasting only 24 episodes, the reboot makes much use out of the original.

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