by Chris Snellgrove
| Published
There were many things that attracted science fiction fans about Battlestar Galactica The reboot, including the fact that (unlike the original series) it did not include any alien races. This helped highlight the conflict between humanity and the Cylons even while making it clear that humanity and its rebellious creatures are more similar than different. As it turns out, this clever creative decision was due in part to Edward James Olmos, who claims that it was in his contract that Commander Adama's character would have to be killed off if he encountered any aliens.
No aliens for Adama
The tale of Edward James Olmos not wanting his character to encounter aliens on the show is a story the actor shared with The AV Club. He was very excited “to be a part of” the show because it was “amazingly written by Ron Moore,” but in his first meeting with Moore and the show's producers, he warned them that “I don't want to see any four people.” People with eyes, or weird jellyfish people, or weird outer space people. The xenophobia was so strong that it was written in his contract that if Adama encountered anything… Aliensthe writers would have to have his character die from a heart attack.
If you are a fan Science fiction In general or old Battlestar Galactica In particular, you might think that Edward James Olmos's aversion to the idea of his character encountering aliens is pretty weird. However, this makes more sense when you consider the actor's own background with science fiction… in this case, starring in Ridley Scott's groundbreaking film Blade Runner. I actually felt relieved when… Galactica The producers reassured him that the new show would be like Scott's film because, as Olmos put it, “there were no monsters in it, they were all people.”
Reading between the lines a little, it seems obvious Edward James Olmos He prefers the idea of his on-screen characters interacting with humans or human-like characters rather than aliens. The big reveal Blade Runner is that the alleged evil replicants were not in fact all that different from their creators, and this idea is deeply rooted in the themes and narratives of Battlestar Galactica. After playing an unforgettable human in a world where murderous replicants are revealed to be victims fighting against their oppressors, it would have been easier for Olmos to play Commander Adama, a man fighting genocidal aliens who blame humanity for their past oppression.
As an added side effect, fulfilling Edward James Olmos' “no aliens” request meant just that Battlestar Galactica It can better separate itself from other sci-fi franchises like Star Trek. This was probably very important to showrunner Ronald Moore since he got his start writing television for him star trek: The next generation He went on to become one of the most talented writers in the franchise. Moore knew full well that his own show would have to differentiate itself from its predecessors, and making his hyper-realistic sci-fi series alien-free was one of the best ways to do that.
Looking back, Edward James Olmos's story about Adama not wanting to encounter aliens proves how fortuitous the world is. Battlestar Galactica It was a reboot really… Just when the famous actor was ready to take on a big sci-fi trope, he discovered that he and the producers were actually on the same page. From top to bottom, this show was packed with actors and other creators who wanted to redefine what televised science fiction could be. And they succeeded so well that, to this day, nothing has been able to beat the ambition and scope of a series that boldly went where no Star Trek had gone before.
