Europa Report: a highly-satisfying, slow-building space thriller

"Fear. Sacrifice. Contact."

The near-future. A privately-funded, international team of astronauts set off on a mission to search for life on Europa, Jupiter's largest moon. Despite a systems failure that leaves the spacecraft out of communication with Earth, the mission goes on, leading to a surprising discovery. But at what cost?

Told in found-footage style, the film is a pretty convincing look at what a real-life, deep space mission might look like. To my knowledge, this is the first movie to capitalize on the possibility of life on Europa, something that's long been believed but never confirmed. Is Europa Report a bit science-heavy? Yes. Is it slow-moving? Yes. Is it a horror movie about evil aliens on a distant world? Most definitely not. Instead, Europa Report is more of a chilling 'what-if' film that leaves you wondering about the possibilities.

Almost all the footage is shot using wall-mounted or hand-held cameras, interspersed with earth-based scenes of scientists later analyzing the mission. This aspect really adds to the movie's feeling of 'authenticity', since no real space mission has room for a full-fledged camera crew. In true found-footage style, Europa Report doesn't really feel like a movie, but instead like a collection of roughly-edited clips from the ship's data recorders chronicling the mission. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done.

Despite the movie's modest budget, the special effects are more than adequate. The visuals aren't quite on-par with other sci-fi films that have come out recently, but fit the context of this movie well. It's nice to see a movie that's not so heavily reliant on special effects for a change -- that's obviously a major trend lately, but would have ruined the 'feel' of the film had it been done that way.

Verdict: Europa Report is a very well done and scientifically intriguing movie, much more so than what I was expecting from a (fairly) low-budget production. It's especially worth checking out for those of you who want to put the 'science back in science fiction', or are looking for a more realistic portrayal of near-future space exploration. In addition, fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact will feel right at home with the movie's pace and feel.

I'd love to see something like this happen for real someday, but for now, we'll all just have to settle for films like Europa Report. Don't miss it!

Ender's Game: a worthy adaptation of a classic tale?

"This is not a game."

Set a century in the future, an unusually brilliant young man, Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin, is recruited and trained to lead Earth space forces in a final battle against an alien race.

For those of you unaware, Ender's Game is based on the 1984 military sci-fi novel of the same name by author Orson Scott Card. The highly-successful book spawned several sequels following Ender's later exploits as an adult. These dealt with the ramifications of Ender's actions in the original novel and his taking on the role of 'speaker for the dead'. I was originally introduced to the series by my seventh grade English teacher, and after a pretty long hiatus, I started re-reading them in anticipation of this movie. If you're looking for something new to read with really well-developed characters and a highly-engaging story, check out this series.

As far as book adaptations go, Ender's Game is surprisingly close to its source material -- it probably helped that the original author co-produced the film, but even so, it's unusual to find 'good' adaptations of even the best novels. For example, for those of you familiar with Burroughs' classic novel A Princess of Mars and it's recent Disney film adaptation, you know what I mean.

As close an adaptation as it is, Enter's Game does condense the plot considerably to fit a two-hour window, but manages to do so without loosing too much of the original story. I'm pleased to say, though, that in the process of condensing, few plot details where altered to fit the faster-paced story. The only major tradeoff is a story that feels a bit rushed and forced at times.

Aspects of the story such as Ender's time at the Battle School is (somewhat) glossed over in favor of focusing on the latter half of the novel. Other elements, like Ender's empathy for the alien queen and his relationship with Valentine, are only touched on. The book's Earth-based sub-plot involving Valentine and Peter's political writing endeavors and Peter's rise to power are completely absent. There are others, but suffice to say, it's impossible to fit a few hundred pages worth of material into a one two-hour movie. Overall, the producers did a decent job of finding compromise.

Like many sci-fi movies this year, Ender's Game is pretty special effects-heavy. Although the story involves very little space travel, much of the computer technology talked about in the book was updated for a 21st century audience and looks quite stunning. The film, for instance, replaces references to dots on a radar screen (in the simulator scenes) to completely immersive holographic displays controlled by hand movement. This was clearly an excuse to show off cool starship designs and space combat, but I'm definitely not complaining. It's unfortunate this movie wasn't released in 3-D since the visuals could have benefited from it.

If you're looking for a sci-fi action film, Ender's Game probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're a fan of the book series or like military sci-fi films, definitely check out this movie. It's taken nearly 30 years, but we finally have a fairly solid, big-screen adaptation of this classic tale and a good sci-fi film in its own right.

Realism and space drama collide in Cuarón's 'Gravity'

"Don't let go."

Gravity has been praised ever since it's initial release, and rightly so. It's difficult to tell from the trailer what the movie's about, but in retrospect, the trailer does say it all. What do you do if a disaster leaves you stranded with no hope of rescue?

The near future. A shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope goes terribly wrong when a massive, fast-moving debris field destroys both spacecraft and everything else in its path. The two surviving astronauts, a rookie mission specialist (Bullock) and a veteran mission commander (Clooney), must mount their own rescue or face imminent death in the cold vacuum of space.

The plot of the movie is a classic survival story about rising above adversity. Because of this, Gravity really isn't an action film, but when things do get exciting, they do so very rapidly and on a big scale. Bullock's character is clearly not ready to deal with the situation she's facing, yet she must since failure really isn't an option. Like other survival movies, the characters perform one dangerous maneuver after another to reach their ultimate goal of getting home. This aspect of the plot provides some decent character development, giving Bullock some backstory to help explain why she's acting the way she is.

One of the film's most-discussed aspects is its realism. In short, it's pretty close to the real thing, much more so than most Hollywood space disaster movies. Are there issues with the science and physics? Of course. The producers went to great lengths to get the majority of the details right, from astronaut jargon to physics, but also had to take creative liberties to sustain the story. It's rare to find movies that aim for realism, especially in a sci-fi setting such as this, so kudos to the producers for getting that right.

The visuals are simply extraordinary, especially in 3D. Much like Avatar, Gravity utilized a huge amount of CG to create the world our two surviving astronauts float around in, and had to develop revolutionary new techniques to do it (for example, in many shots, only the faces of the actors are real). This adds quite a bit to the film's sense of realism, since nothing looks, well, fake. It's one of those films that you can't truly appreciate unless you've seen it on the big screen of a movie theater.

If you're looking for a breath-taking space drama that's a bit closer to home, check out Gravity. Just don't watch it as your in-flight movie to the International Space Station :-)

Ark: unravel the mystery in this 9-part web series

Ark is an incomplete, nine-part web series following two people, Connie and Daryl, who wake up aboard a mysterious ship in deep space. With no knowledge of how they got there or why, the pair begin exploring the vacant vessel in an attempt to discover its secrets. I recently watched through the entire 'series' -- it's unfortunate production didn't continue since the show had quite a bit of potential.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a web series, each 'webisode' is only a few minutes in length and always ends on a cliffhanger (also see BSG: Blood & Chrome). Therefore, each episode picks up exactly where the previous one left off without any gaps.

All nine webisodes are available for viewing on Hulu. It's definitely work checking out -- just don't be too disappointed when the show abruptly ends and there's still lots of unanswered questions.

'After Earth' - A Review

"Danger is real; fear is a choice."

Only a few weeks after seeing Star Trek Into Darkness, I found myself at the theater once more for another summer blockbuster: Will Smith's After Earth. After recently reviewing Oblivion, I remembered writing this article but never posting it, so here it is (albeit a bit late).

Will Smith plays a strict, high-ranking military general, Cyper Raige, who rarely sees his family and, therefore, has been unable to build a strong relationship with his son Katai (Smith's real-life son Jaden). The pair soon find themselves crash-landed on Earth, long-abandoned a millennium prior after Humanity managed to destroy the environment and pollute the air. Katai soon finds himself on a dangerous mission to retrieve a device to signal for rescue, battling fear, the elements, and predatory creatures along the way.

 In some ways, I can see why some people didn't like this movie. It's definitely not the sci-fi action films Independence Day or I, Robot were, but more of a drama/survival film about a father and son bonding. Even so, this really wasn't a bad movie at all; I think it's just not what people were expecting from a summer sci-fi blockbuster. Kudos to the producers for trying to do something a little original and different from mainstream sci-fi movies.

The producers of the film did an interesting job depicting technology 1,000 years from now. For example, while the interiors of the transport ship definitely has a military feel to it, the technology and aesthetics almost feel 'non-human' or alien. But then again, we have trouble predicting where technology will be in a few years or a decade, let alone ten times that. Overall, I think this gave the setting an interesting flare that's not typical of sci-fi movies set in the far-flung future.

The movie isn't without its flaws, the biggest of which is the writers do a poor job of providing any substantial back story. Many modern films seem to be like that, but it can make the movie a bit difficult to understand. We learn very little about the war humanity is fighting in this future and the alien creatures who are somehow able to 'smell fear'. Fear plays a big role in the film, as Katai is forced to overcome it to complete his mission. The movie is clearly trying to drive home the point that fear is an allusion, something that can be overcome if we work hard enough and are willing to face that which scares us. If nothing else, that's a great take-home message we can all benefit from.

Is After Earth worth seeing? I think so. It's by no means a summer blockbuster, but if you like survival films and sci-fi dramas, I'd definitely say check it out.

'Oblivion' - A Review

"Earth is a memory worth fighting for."

Sixty years after a fierce war with alien invaders, the remnants of humanity prepare to leave a devastated Earth for Titan, a moon of Jupiter. One of the last remaining men on Earth, Jack Harper (Tom Cruise), soon finds his whole life turned upside-down when the crash of a pre-war spacecraft challenges all he believes.

Oblivion is probably one of the best sci-fi movies I've seen in quite a while. It's not a reboot or remake, and beyond the post-apocalyptic setting and alien invasion back-story, it has considerable originality. The visuals are petty spectacular and the story-line complex. It's the kind of movie that leaves you wanting answers until the end. To have all those 'pros' in one film these days is unusual, so it's nice to see the studios get it right for a change. Why the movie didn't get higher marks at the box office is a mystery to me.

Despite being just over two hours long, the film-makers do an excellent job of keeping up the suspense; the movie doesn't at all drag, since the complex and thought-provoking plot has enough substance to fill that entire block of time. It's really one of those movies that deserves more than one viewing to catch all the subtle details. Character development is limited (with the exception of the main character), but for a good reason. Overall, the plot is a nice mix of sci-fi, action/adventure, drama, and even a little romance.

From a technology standpoint, Oblivion does a nice job of portraying futuristic tech, but without being too flashy (for example, the designers stick to using lots of large touchscreens as opposed to holographic displays). The few spaceships we see are practical-looking and well-designed (with the usual dose of futuristic elements, of course).

This movie also has plenty of subtle bits from other sci-fi franchises, but succeeds in using them without being too obvious.You'll have to catch them yourself to see what I mean.

Definitely give Oblivion a try if you haven't already. It's probably the best of the sci-fi films I've seen so far this summer. Maybe there is hope for modern sci-fi after all...

Star Trek Into Darkness: A Review & Comparison

Sorry for the lack of posts this past month. Things have started to heat up (pardon the pun) in the midst of Summer, and I've also been focusing my blogging efforts on building a second blog for a musical ensemble I work with. Stay tuned for several more backlog posts over the next few days.

Star Trek Into Darkness has been a bit of a controversy among hard-core Trekkies and new fans alike. Having seen the movie in 3-D about a month ago, I decided it was time to throw in my two cents. The film is the first sequel to JJ Abrams' Star Trek, the 2009 movie that rebooted the franchise. Much more action-oriented and fast-paced then past Trek films, we follow a still-inexperienced Kirk going after a new and powerful threat to the Federation.

Like many Trekkies suspected from the beginning, the film is essentially a retelling of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), considered by many of us to be the best of the films based on the Original Series. If you're new to Star Trek and haven't seen Wrath of Khan (or the Original Series episode it was a sequel to, "Space Seed") check them out for some perspective. Of course, there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot of STiD to not make it a total rip-off.

The producers definitely went out of their way to replicate some of the most iconic scenes from TWoK, but didn't copy the film line-for-line or plot point-for-plot point. Some may still consider that a cheat, but on the same token, there aren't too many truly original sci-fi films out there these days. I have to give the producers credit for taking some classic scenes and remaking them (mostly successfully) for a modern audience.

The writers also try to show some evolution of Kirk's character in the process, depicting him as a cocky, brash young starship commander who's probably not ready to sit in the Chair. For example, at the beginning of the film, we see Kirk's rather...unique and reckless handling of a Prime Directive situation that nearly looses him his command.

Additionally, the movie introduces us to the new-universe counterpart of Carol Marcus, who, strangely enough, resembles Dr. Elizabeth Dehner (from TOS 'Where No Man Has Gone Before') far more closely than the TWoK Marcus. Why two unrelated characters were essentially merged is a mystery to me. Other than the familiarity of Dehner to TOS fans, there was really no reason to do this.

There are also hints of other previous Trek movie plots in the film, such as the destruction of the Enterprise (the poster above), the death and resurrection of a main character, conflict with the Klingons, etc. It makes one wonder where the producers plan to take the film series from here -- they've already managed to use many of the best elements from past films, already had an origin story and a movie focusing on a villain. Modern film-making won't allow another light-hearted movie like Star Trek IV, or a Cold War story like Star Trek VI. Despite all this and Abrams' commitments to Disney's new Star Wars trilogy, Star Trek 3 has recently been green-lighted for release in 2015.

Overall, STiD is a good action/adventure sci-fi film as long as you're not expecting some of the deeper messages (life, death, sacrifice, friendship, etc.) found in TWoK or a menacing villain like the original Khan. It's definitely worth seeing in 3-D if you don't mind the expense.

Star Trek continues.

Babylon 5: How One Show Changed the Face of Sci-Fi

"It was the dawn of the third age of mankind – ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call – home away from home – for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal… all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5." 

-- Season 1 opening (Commander Jeffrey Sinclair)

I know I'm a bit late, but February 22nd marked the 20th anniversary of the revolutionary sci-fi series Babylon 5. Originally launched as a television movie (The Gathering) in 1993, the series premiered the following year, setting a higher stand for all future sci-fi programs.

For those of you unfamiliar, Babylon 5 was unique for many reasons. First off, it was the first mainstream TV show to feature series-long story arcs. Those arcs were designed to run for no more than five years (plus a few movies in between) and tell the complete story of the main characters and the station. Because of this, the show is often described as a 'novel written for television', especially in an era were TV was still very episodic in nature (ever wonder why practically every show on TV these days has story arcs?).

Babylon 5 was famous for its visual effects, which were created exclusively using CGI. In a time where CG was only used selectively and often in concert with traditional model effects, this was a huge leap forward. In fact, the first major film to use CG extensively was released the same year as The Gathering, proving computer-generated effects were both practical and could be realistic-looking on any budget. What was the film -- the special effects-heavy Jarassic Park (1993).


Even 20 years later, the visuals on Babylon 5 look quite good, if not a bit too 'CGI-ish' by modern standards.

It's also interesting to note that Babylon 5's creator J. Michael Straczynski was the first to use the Internet (then in its infancy) and what we would now call a blog to promote the show during its run. Now a very common practice, it was unheard of in the mid-'90's when the show went on the air. The 1996 moderated spinoff of Straczynski's original newsgroup (rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated) is still online today.

There have also been reports that the network execs for Paramount actually stole ideas from B5 and introduced them to the production team for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Straczynski actually pitched Babylon 5 to Paramount initially; the network rejected the proposal, later picking up DS9 instead. When Babylon 5 later hit the airwaves on a different network, similarities apparently cropped up in both storyline and characters, making some wonder 'who stole from who'. Of course, for any true B5 or Star Trek fan, both programs eventually developed their own identities, so to speak, making the similarities irrelevant. And besides, I have no desire to start a debate on the legitimacy of this bit of information.

Babylon 5 is just one of those shows one must watch in its entirety to fully appreciate it. The show may be set in mid-23rd century, but many of the political and social problems could very well be happening today. Because of this, it holds up amazingly well 20 years after its inception. If you have some time (and I mean, some time), sit down and watch it from beginning to end (and in order). It's a lot of TV to work through, but like a good book, you don't want to stop once you start.

Also check out this well-written article from i09 revealing some little-known facts about the show's production.

The Strange, Secret Evolution of Babylon 5

BSG: Blood & Chrome - A Review

Two years in the making, Syfy's reimagined Battlestar Galactica prequel/web series Blood & Chrome is finally here!

Set ten years into the First Cylon War and 40 years prior to the 2003 series, Blood & Chrome follows a young William Adama on his early missions as a viper pilot for the newly-commissioned Battlestar Galactica.

In the first episode (which is broken into ten segments), Adama and two others are sent on what appears to be a simple milk run, but the mission ends up being far more than they bargained for when the trio finds themselves on a frozen world deep within Cylon-controlled space. Adama's command abilities are tested and his and preconceptions of the War challenged.

Blood & Chrome is an interesting addition to the BSG universe since it gives us some much-needed background on Commander Adama and the First Cylon War. Adama is portrayed as being a very cocky but highly-skilled pilot who sees the War as a chance for glory. We see a Galactica that's brand new and bristling with guns and heavy armor, Cylons who are still more machine then man (or woman, rather), and raiders that are right out of the 1978 series. For those of you who are fans of that classic show, the homages in this web series are pretty obvious, right down to the music used when we see the Cylon War-era Galactica for the first time.

Minimalistic physical sets representing Galactica's CIC...

...were combined with greenscreen effects to create the final shot.

Blood & Chrome's special effects are what one might expect from a web series. The CG is good enough, but looks a bit too 'video gamey' in places. Even the live-action shots have an almost animated look to them due to the extensive use of greenscreen effects (for example, the Galactica's CIC was created almost exclusively as a digital model). Even so, the visuals are more than adequate and really don't take away from the story once you get into it. Considering the large number of effects that had to be created, the VFX staff did quite an impressive job on what I'd guess to be a relatively low budget. 

I wasn't exactly a huge fan of the reimagined series when it first came out, but programs like this have made it grow on me in recent years. It's obvious Syfy is milking the franchise for all it's worth (since they really have no other new sci-fi programming...), but at least they managed to produce a quality show that actually lives up to the name. Overall, Blood & Chrome is a worthy addition to the BSG universe, and well worth watching. It's a fast-paced story with plenty of action, space battles, and an interesting look into a very young and different Adama.

Although the first episode has come to an end, all ten installments are available for viewing on the Machinima Youtube channel.

The complete episode will air as a movie on Syfy early next year, and a DVD release containing extra/unrated materials will come out around the same time.

Welcome to the 24th Century, Now in Glorious HD!

It's been 25 years since Star Trek: The Next Generation hit the silver screen to initially mediocre reviews. "There can't be Star Trek without Kirk and Spock!" they said. But after the first two seasons, TNG finally got its 'space legs' and became one of the best Trek incarnations of them all. Now, us Trekkies have the opportunity to see TNG receive a similar remastering/high-definition conversion treatment as the Original Series did back in 2006, but in a manor that I think preserves the original show even better.

Earlier this year, CBS brought on-board several important members of the old TNG production team to bring the classic series into the 21st century, most notably, Doug Drexler and Michael and Denise Okuda. The team is now using modern technology to not only convert the show to HD, but also show off the highly-detailed Enterprise-D miniature like its never been seen before. For the Original Series, the old, grainy model shots and special effects footage was, as Okuna put it, "reinvented, [using modern CGI], pulling you out of the show". This time, the remastering will be 100% true to the original; the only difference: it'll look like the show was produced yesterday.

The Next Generation was originally recorded using natively-high definition 35mm cameras and with highly-detailed miniatures and then-state-of-the-art visuals, which grew much more complex as the series progressed. In fact, the visuals for the pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" were provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the same company that created the revolutionary effects for Star Wars. All live-action and model footage was then transferred to standard-definition video tape for editing, with a significant loss in quality. However, since SD was truly standard TV quality back then, no one worried about the quality loss.

Today, the difference is quite clear:

The original SD shot ("Farpoint")...

...and the recomposited HD shot.

Currently, a team at CBS Digital is pain-painstakingly reconstructing each episode from the original elements in exactly the same arrangement as the originals. The already-high definition live-action footage will be combined with newly recomposited VFX footage, both of which were preserved almost in their entirety by the studio. Elements such as starfields, planets, phasers, transporters, and shields will be recreated in CGI, since the original effects only exist on SD video tape. In the rare case that model footage is missing elements, deemed of too poor quality, or can't be located all-together, those shots will also be recreated in CG, matching the originals exactly.

At the same time, CBS Digital has also been known to correct minor VFX and 'equipment visible' errors, but these corrections are not always consistent throughout a given episode (hectic production schedule, anyone?). For instance, in "Farpoint", the Enterprise was shown firing its energy beam from the location of the Captain's Yacht (coincidentally, the same place Kirk's Enterprise fired during in the Original Series), rather then the 'correct' location along the lower phaser strip. The HD version corrects this error and is also a complete CGI reconstruction since the original shot was missing elements and deemed unusable:

Original VFX Shot ("Farpoint")...

...and its corrected CGI counterpart.

Many planets are made to closely resemble the old ones, but without the blurriness or distortion typical of planets early in the series. Thus far, many of the worlds in Season 1 are much more faithful recreations then the totally redesigned ones used in TOS-R. In the case of Ligon II in "Code of Honor", the original planet map was actually scanned and digitally wrapped onto the surface of the CGI planet, creating an almost perfect duplicate. Although this isn't always the case, it shows how meticulous the production team is when it comes to recreating elements as close to the originals as possible:

Original planet model ("Honor")...

...and its CG counterpart

In the case of live-action footage, it is generally left unaltered. However, due to the much higher picture quality of the original negatives, the footage looks crystal-clear. Compared to the originals, which actually look faded and unclear in comparison, the picture is far sharper and the colors vibrant and really well balanced. It really does look like the footage was filmed yesterday! What if live-action footage is missing? In that case, the team resorts to up-converting SD video tape footage to fill this void. Thus far, there has only been once instance of missing live-action footage (a brief 13-second clip from season three's "Sins of the Father"), but that missing segment was recently rediscovered. The team plans to reinsert that footage into "Sins" for the Season 3 Blu-ray release.

The Enterprise away team ("Justice")...

...and the same shot in HD.

With the overall sharper picture quality, many previously-blurry background details have become quite visible, which isn't always a good thing for the production staff. for example, some previously-unclear computer graphics, which were sometimes filled with production in-jokes or incorrect information (mainly because such things wouldn't have been visible when the show originally aired), had to be fixed by the remastering team. A few examples include a graphic depicting the wrong version of the Kirk's Enterprise ("The Naked Now"), an on-screen Captain's Log that was simple a mirrored image ("The Battle"), or a family tree filled with the names of the production staff and dates that didn't match spoken dialogue ("The Neutral Zone").

The movie-era Enterprise...

...replaced by the correct TOS version.

In addition to the amazing picture quality and visual effects, the soundtrack has also been converted to 7.1 surround sound. Unfortunately, just six days after the release, customers began reporting sound problems with three discs in the set. CBS later put out a press release stating that some episodes of season one "inadvertently had their front channel designations incorrectly mapped, resulting in an undesired playback experience when listening to them in a 7.1 or 5.1 Surround Sound environment". To correct this, CBS has set up a program to replace the damaged discs free of charge.

Initially announced late last year (November, 2011), a Blu-ray sampler pack containing the episodes "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Inner Light", and "Sins of the Father" was released on January 1, 2012. Before season one was released, two special episodes ("Where No Man Has Gone Before" and "Datalore") were shown theatrically on July 23rd. The complete first season was released on July 24, selling over 95,000 copies in the first five days (US sales only)

Recently, it was announced that season two is due to be released on December 4th, and will also contain extensive bonus features. Besides these bonus features, the set will included an extended cut of the fan favorite "The Measure of a Man".

Finally, pending the success of the TNG remastering, CBS has expressed their willingness to do the same with DS9 and Voyager...

Although I'm not yet convinced that Blu-ray is the wave of the future (I've yet to see anyone with a Blu-ray player..), I am quite impressed with the extensive work CBS has done on a 25-year-old series. It still amazes me that we can take something made over two decades ago (and even something made 40+ years ago) and use modern technology to make it look like brand new. One can only wonder what these shows will look like in another 20 years...

For complete coverage and continued updates on the TNG remastering project, make sure to check out TrekCore, one of the greatest sources of Trek multimedia on the Internet. Also, huge thanks to the folks at TrekCore for the amazing screencaps and much of the information found in this article. Additionally, don't forget to visit the 'Observations' index of Ex Astris Scientia (EAS) for detailed information on exactly what was done in each episode.

Until next time, live long and prosper :)

The "Battlestar Galactica" that Never Was: The Desanto-Singer Project

 I've always enjoyed classic Battlestar Galactica, despite its flaws. Although the reimagined series portrayed events in a far more realistic light, the old series was simply a lot of fun. It's unfortunate, though, that the series' expensive price tag and sometimes too-family-friendly plots (a result of meddling by ABC network execs) eventually led to the show's downfall after only one season. Even so, Galactica still makes for some enjoyable '70's sci-fi, filled with space battles, obvious villains, action-driven plots, and an excellent soundtrack, to say the least. Definitely recommended!

Originally announced in the early 2000's, the studio and Glenn A. Larson-endorsed Desanto-Singer Project was one of only three Battlestar Galactica revival attempts (the other two being Glenn A. Larson's Battlestar Atlantis and Richard Hatch's Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming) proposed since the series' cancellation in late 1979. Although the series did have a short-lived spin-off, Galactica 1980, the show was generally panned by fans and critics alike (except the final episode) due to it's questionable writing, which, amongst other things, was filled with a boatload of science fiction cliches. Some have even gone as far as to forget it ever happened, leaving the door open to future stories involving Galactica discovering Earth.

Of the three revival attempts, the Desanto-Singer Project, headed by producer Tom Desanto and director Bryan Singer respectively, was the only one to come even close to production, only hampered by what would later become the 'reimagined' or rebooted Battlestar Galactica, which premiered in 2003 to technical and popular acclaim. In fact, the show was only eight weeks away from filming when the news came.

The basic storyline of the Desanto-Singer Galactica pilot was as follows:

"The continuation, built from the events of the episode "The Hand of God", tracks the Fleet after Galactica and Pegasus shake off the Cylon pursuit. The opening depicts a Colonial classroom where a teacher reviews the history of the Fleet, 23 years prior. Pegasus is confirmed as lost, and the Cylons themselves paid a high price in the battle. 

The quest for Earth continues, but Commander Adama has died, and Colonel Tigh assumes command. The citizens of the Fleet tire of spacefaring life, and, after a civil uprising, convince their leaders to settle the Fleet in an asteroid field that is rich in resources. The new colony, named New Caprica, builds new ships, settlements and facilities from the asteroids.  

The Cylons themselves reflected on their failures and determined that free will was a serious issue that caused problems in their logic-based civilization. When Baltar is found marooned, the Cylons initially held him up as a perfect example of their failures. Baltar convinced the Cylons that some qualities of humanity are useful, and underwent a cybernetic transformation into a new Cylon model to prove this. More dissent arose among the Cylons as a result, leading into a civil war. Out of the ashes of their war came a new Cylon race that, instead of obliterating the remnants of humanity that it finds, begins instead to assimilate the conquered humans as Cylon cyborgs.    

The character known as Boxey has grown up and assumed command of Galactica under the name of Commander Orin who faces the loss of his command from political pressure to decommission the battlestar as it has become outmoded and difficult to maintain. The political pressure becomes a command. The Colonial president, a woman named Mara, visits the battlestar in her shuttlecraft to attend the battlestar's decommissioning ceremonies.
 
Just as the battlestar's systems are powered down, the Cylons, who have studied New Caprica in secret and devised an elaborate plan for success, strike." 

 
   










 








 The project was green-lighted in June, 2001, with Fox on-board to host the two-hour pilot. Construction of viper mockups and sets began shortly thereafter in less-expensive Vancouver, Canda. Scripts were drafted and revised, ships were redesigned and modeled in CGI, and the cast was assembled. Both Dirk Benedict (Starbuck) and Herb Jefferson (Boomer) were signed on to reprise their original roles, despite the producer's original intent to not include any of the original actors.

Then, after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, major flight delays and heightened security forced Singer to leave the production in order to meet deadlines for his new X Men film. Production on Galactica was halted for roughly a month after the attacks as the network searched for a new director to take Singer's place. The execs were also understandably nervous about using the concept of a Cylon sneak attack only a month after 9/11, a fact which probably contributed to the project's cancellation. With Singer's departure, support for the project quickly fell apart, eventually leading Fox to pull out in favor of pursuing Josh Weadon's space-western series Firefly instead (another very good, but short-lived series, by the way).

Unbeknownst to Desanto, who was still optimistic that the production would move forward with a new director, the Sci-Fi Channel began work on a totally new version of Galactica, which eventually evolved into the 2003 reboot. The producers of the reimagining (amongst them, veteran Star Trek writer Ronald D. More) intentionally distanced themselves from the concepts developed by Desanto and Singer, taking a completely different approach to the series while still retaining the basic premise of the '70's version. With the project effectively dead, the nearly-completed sets and mockups were placed in long-term storage. However, when the studio's storage lease ran out, these items were broken up with sledgehammers and disposed of, effectively ending any hopes of a continuation of classic BSG.

Despite all this, the Desanto-Singer Project met it's end in the face of a new beginning for the Battlestar Galactica franchise. Although not all are happy with the new direction and darker done of the reimagined series (I'm a bit on the fence myself...), it's here to stay, and ended up being one of Syfy's most successful shows. There's been talk of bringing back the old show for years, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if another attempt is made in the future. And if someone were to combine the best elements of both the classic and reimagined series...well, then they'd really have something. Hmmmm....

For further production details and a full plot synopsis, check out The Tombs of Kobol as well as the Battlestar Galactica Wiki. For more production concept art, including redesigned interiors, ships, and Cylon centurions, check out this link and this link.