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 O’Donnell and Steve Parady, joined the Great War of Magellan forum, hosted by Richard Hatch in the Regency V Ballroom of Atlanta’s 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 Lucian’s - 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 didn’t 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, “Don’t 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 Steve’s 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 Richard’s comments were very insightful.
While he didn't really say this, Richard’s 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, we’ve got to fire off some more letters to those folks in the studio to convince them that we need his involvement!

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