Writing exclusively for Dreamwatch back in 2004, Battlestar Galactica star Richard Hatch candidly outlined his initial thoughts on the reimagined series and revealed why he agreed to appear in what was then Galactica’s upcoming first season…

In the past, I have championed many causes and ideals. I’m a passionate believer in the right to free expression, and have fought many battles for the underdogs in our society. In particular, I have spent the past few years fighting to bring back and continue the original Battlestar Galactica series.

This has been a true labour of love for me, as I fell in love with the original Battlestar Galactica story and believed that this beloved and underrated series was never given a real chance of fulfilling its immense potential 25 years ago. I spent a tremendous amount of time, energy and money on bringing this message to the attention of studios. To be honest, I had never committed myself so completely to any endeavour in my entire career, and regardless of the outcome, this life-changing experience has inspired me to accomplish things I never thought possible with my company’s new Great War of Magellan project.

Battlestar Wars

When The Powers That Be finally got excited about Battlestar after a succession of pitches from series creator Glen Larson, X-Men movie producer Tom DeSanto, director Bryan Singer and myself, I found that I had to learn some very difficult lessons about the entertainment industry. These included the problems that accompany attempting to revive a project that is owned by someone else. It’s like falling in love with something that doesn’t belong to you.

The truth is that everyone has their own ideas and concepts about how to bring back a classic, but in the end we all have to accept that whoever owns the project will make the final decision concerning the style, tone and direction it will take. I believe the lesson here is if you really want to explore your own vision you have to do it with your own creation, and not someone else’s. Other concepts can inspire us, but eventually we have to find the courage to create our own world or universe.

I have slowly come to realise that I am just one of many voices in the wilderness, and it is now apparent to me that there are many valid ways to bring back or continue the Battlestar Galactica story, even if they do not fit my particular vision. Glen Larson, Tom DeSanto and Ronald D. Moore are all very talented men who have their own unique take on Galactica, and they have all earned the right to exercise it. At this time, Ron Moore and David Eick are the captains of the Galactica, and I humbly honour their prerogative to explore their vision.

This doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with them or share their vision, or that I no longer care. I do care, immensely, and this entire process has been extremely painful to me. I told Ron Moore that I hadn’t realised how emotionally attached I had become to Galactica and that I now understand more fully how series creator Glen Larson must have felt when he saw me trying to bring back his show a few years ago.

I’m not the author or creator of Battlestar Galactica, and regardless of how much I love this wonderful story, I don’t own it. So I’ve had to force myself to step back emotionally and let those who are in charge follow their own dictates. I have my personal feelings (as do we all), but who am I to judge or invalidate others?

Whoever is involved or whatever direction a new Battlestar Galactica series goes in, the fact remains that in the end the people who will have the final say in determining the ultimate success of the show are the fans. They will make the final determination on whether what the new producers decide to do with the series is liked or accepted.

So instead of trying to invalidate or undermine it or manipulate people to my way of thinking, I have learned to empower people to have the courage to speak their own truth and to give honest but constructive feedback on what they like or dislike about the new series.

I’ve also learned that it’s better to work towards something than to work against it. I love the heart and spirit of the original Galactica story, along with its extended family of flawed and endearing characters, and I will always work towards bringing back the original vision one day. But taking sides and trying to undermine or harshly judge the new version is counterproductive, and a waste of valuable energy. It doesn’t help anyone and certainly won’t help to bring back the original. And the fact remains that there are a lot of wonderfully talented people on the new series, and they all deserve a fair chance to succeed and make their mark in the world.

Once I got over the shock of seeing just how different the new series was, I came to realise that it’s impossible to compare the old and the new show. They are nothing alike, aside from the amount of talent that is apparent in both shows. The characters, the back-story, the style, tone and essence of both series are as different as night and day.

In my heart, I will never understand why they chose to re-imagine this epic story instead of continuing it. But this is the direction they chose to go in. It seems to me that our only positive option is to find a way to move beyond our personal bias and help make this work in the most viable way possible.

Relaunch When Ready

This is not easy for me, but I’m tired of seeing Galactica misjudged and unappreciated. If we can’t honour Tom’s, Glen’s or my version of Galactica at this time, then I want this new reimagined version to become the best it can be, regardless of my personal feelings. A successful Battlestar Galactica series helps everyone, regardless of whether it fits anyone’s particular vision.

As with any new series, there are things we like and things we don’t like. But there are seeds of possibility and inspired creativity here, and hopefully they will have time to develop and take root. The original Galactica had great potential but never got the chance to fly, so I sincerely hope the new producers can find a way to reach out to fans of all generations and create a series that will eventually capture not only our imaginations but expand our minds and hearts, much like the original Battlestar Galactica did.

In answer to the question concerning why I’ve decided to guest star on the new series I can only say this: Ron Moore graciously offered me a very compelling role on the show and I was most appreciative that he was reaching out to some of the original actors of the series in a meaningful way. Even though we never discussed options, I was surprised and very pleased when he outlined the role of a Nelson Mandela-style political prisoner, who had been jailed on the prison barge for over 20 years for challenging The Powers That Be. It sounds like a role I have been playing for most of my life! I had previously turned down a cameo role in the Battlestar Galactica mini-series, as I felt that as an actor, a cameo wouldn’t offer me anything that was meaningful or challenging.

After sitting down and speaking with Ron, I realised that he cares about his work and truly loves what he does: his passion and commitment to doing something unique, provocative and thoughtful was inspiring to me. You can’t ask more from anyone, and I have come to a place in my life where I want to only involve myself in projects that are a labour of love for those I work with.

I have worked hard to overcome my personal feelings and bias towards the new re-imagined Galactica series and to judge it on its own merits, and this process continues. But I do appreciate being invited to play a guest-starring role in the new series. I know Glen Larson would love to make his version of Galactica as a movie, and the same apparently goes for X-Men producer Tom DeSanto.

I hope that one day there can be room for all of these unique visions of the Galactica universe – including mine – to be realised. Just like Star Trek, there is a lot of room in the Galactica universe for everyone to play.

This article originally appeared in Dreamwatch Issue 117 (June 2004).