Deadline reported Tuesday that Mr.Robot creator Sam Esmail is resuscitating a beloved sci-fi property: Battlestar Galactica. The series will air on NBC's recently-announced streaming service, Peacock, which will launch in February 2020. Reportedly, Battlestar Galactica was the property Esmail most wanted to explore when he signed a four-year deal with NBC earlier this year. This will be the third iteration of Battlestar Galactica (BSG) under the umbrella of NBC.
The original BSG aired from 1978-1989. Its spinoff series, Galactica 1980, ran for one season in 1980. Battlestar was created by Glen Larson, the producer behind hits like Magnum P.I. and Knight Rider. Inspired in large part by the recent successes of Star Wars and Star Trek, the series mined the same sci-fi vein while also also incorporating narrative elements inspired by Larson's own experiences with Mormonism.
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Battlestar Galactica 1978.
Photo Credit: Alchetron
In 2003, Star Trek producer and writer Ronald D. Moore revived BSG with a three-hour mini-series. Like the 1978 series, the miniseries opens with robotic Cylons decimating the human colonies. The surviving members of the Twelve Colonies escape on a fleet of ships, headed by the decommissioned battlestar Galactica. Pursued by the Cylons, the remnants of humanity must search for the mythical Thirteenth Colony, Earth. The miniseries was followed by four seasons, one short-lived spinoff series, Caprica, and three made-for-TV movies. Moore's 2004 series reboot was critically acclaimed, earning Emmy nominations as well as a Peabody Award and Television Critics Association's Program of the Year Award. The series featured iconic performances from a dynamic ensemble cast, including Edward James Olmos as the beleaguered Admiral Willim Adama, Mary McDonell as President Laura Roslin, and Katee Sackhoff as Kara Starbuck.
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The 2004 BSG remake is still beloved by fans, and Esmail was quick to clarify on social media that his series will not be a direct reboot but instead an original story set within the Battlestar mythology. There are still very few details available as to what Esmail's vision of BSG will be — but Deadline does report that Ronald D. Moore was impressed by Esmail's passion for the show, and gave his blessings to the new series. So say we all.
Featured still from "Battlestar Galactica" via NBC
