DRAGONCON REPORT
By LucianG
(Battlestar Galactica Fan Appreciation Day was celebrated September
1, 2001 worldwide with the main event at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia. The following is a
report by one of the attendees. Originally published on battlestargalactica.com and used
by permission.)
At 5:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, the New
Galactica forum, hosted by Shawn ODonnell and Steve Parady, joined the Great
War of Magellan forum, hosted by Richard Hatch in the Regency V Ballroom of
Atlantas Hyatt Regency Hotel. It was standing room only, with several hundred fans
in attendance, including several in Warrior uniforms.
Shawn and Steve opened the session with a
welcome to all, and they noted that today is Fan Appreciation Day. They read notes from a
number of actors, actresses, and others associated with Battlestar Galactica, including
Tony Schwartz (Jolly), Jean Pierre Dorl�ac (the original costume designer), Mona Colicos
(widow of the late John Colicos, who portrayed Baltar), Sarah Rush (Rigel), Jack Stauffer
(Bojay), Stu Phillips (the composer), Dirk Benedict (Starbuck), and Anne Lockhart (Sheba).
They also passed along regrets on behalf of Michael Faries, the Webmaster of www.battlestargalactica.com and www.battlestarpegasus.com, and Chris Feehan,
Co-President of the Battlestar Fan Club. They also read a brief note from Debbie Bailey
from British Columbia and Commander of the Battlestar Columbia.
They gave an update on the new show, stating
that Fox TV has ordered it in conjunction with the Sci-Fi Channel, with Bryan Singer and
Tom DeSanto heading the project. Unfortunately, contrary to earlier announcements,
Mr. DeSanto had been unable to supply any new information to release at this time, which
disappointed the panelists as well as the fans present. (emphasis mine, not
Lucians - SJP)
Shawn briefly discussed the Battlestar Fan
Club, and announced the Regional Directors present, including Allyson Hanson, the Eastern
Canadian Director, Charlene Donatello, the Florida Director and head of the Rag Tag Fleet
organization, Eva Wirth, the Director for Germany and Austria, Dan Bollinger, the South
Carolina Director, and Al de Lachica, the North Carolina Director. He then was about to
announce that Richard Hatch must be running late, when Richard, who had been spotted by
some sharp-eyed fans, stepped out of the shadows at the side of the room and took to the
stage to a great round of applause.
Richard spoke to the crowd, stressing the
importance of building on the past of Battlestar Galactica, rather than tearing
it down and starting over. If the new show were to borrow only a token few of the original
actors and not stay true to the original concepts, he didnt think it would really be
Battlestar Galactica. He said he felt the key is to start with the original
family, and let it grow
with new people born in space. He also stressed how
important and powerful cards, letters, and e-mails from the fans are in shaping the course
of the new show. Since it is going to be on Fox TV, one of the networks, it will have to
make it on its own in the early going, or it potentially faces quick cancellation. If the
producers stay true to the original, they will retain the original fans, add new ones, and
this will be reflected in the ratings.
Richard stated that the original show had never
really been given a chance to succeed. Universal could not produce it fast enough or
inexpensively enough at the time, which led to its cancellation. Now, both factors are in
place, which should give it a good chance of success. He stressed that he wants it to
succeed, whether or not he is a part of it. He urged the fans, Dont give up.
They [the production team] are listening
Keep writing. Keep e-mailing them. Let them
know how you feel.
Richard said that he felt the casting for the
new show would be announced in a couple of weeks. Some information regarding some scripts
has leaked out, but he warned that scripts often change, often for the better. He urged
the fans, Stay with Battlestar. Help them grow it to success.
After a short question and answer session, he
briefly discussed the Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming trailer, and
introduced Richard Lynch, who had guest-starred in both Battlestar Galactica and Galactica
1980, and appeared in both the Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming and The
Great War of Magellan trailers. He said that The Great War of Magellan
trailer still needed some editing, so it would not be ready for an estimated four to six
weeks. For today, he showed The Making of the Great War of Magellan short film,
which gave the fans some concept of the new production. It was received with a great deal
of interest by many of those present, who look forward to seeing more in the not too
distant future.
The Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming
trailer, which had already been seen by approximately three-fourths of those present, was
shown and again received a very good response. To this writer, a first time viewer of the
trailer, the special effects were excellent, and the excitement of what Battlestar
Galactica could and should be was present. Following conclusion of the short film,
the session ended, but Richard, Steve, and Shawn all fielded questions and met many of the
fans present. Models of the Galactica, a Cylon Raider, a Viper, and Steves
Scarlet Viper were also on display.
Overall, I had a great time, and got to meet
Richard for the first time, along with a number of folks who frequent this board or the
Sci-Fi Channel bulletin board and other Battlestar Galactica fans. Shawn and
Steve did a great job hosting, and Richards comments were very insightful.
While he didn't really say this, Richards
comments seemed to reflect those of Baltar4 (a SciFi.com bulletin board
participant with some insights into the production) in the last couple of posts. Now,
weve got to fire off some more letters to those folks in the studio to convince them
that we need his involvement!