by Scott A. Mantz
Ask any member of the so-called Gen-X crowd
about their first great experience with sci fi, and they’ll most likely tell you the
same thing. It was that fateful day back in 1977 when they saw Star Wars on the
big screen, and it changed their lives forever.
At least, that’s what most people would say. While I certainly
remember where I was (The Eric Fairless Hills) and who I was with (my father) when I saw
the movie, I was just a little too young (8 years old!) to appreciate its significance.
My first real appreciation for sci fi didn’t happen until about
a year later, when some new and over-hyped TV show called Battlestar Galactica
premiered on the ABC Television Network. From the beginning, the show was unfairly
criticized as being some lame Star Wars ripoff, but I saw it a little
differently.
Instead of watching some 2-hour movie and having to wait 3 more
years to find out what happened next, Galactica was on every week! Obviously, I
was (and still am) blown away by the special effects, but Galactica appealed to
me because of the intense friendship between Apollo and Starbuck, and also because of the
close father-son relationship between Apollo and Adama.
Every Sunday for the next 8 months, I sat in front of my TV watching
Galactica, but then came the news that the show was going to be canceled. I was
devastated! Now what? Desperate for another outlet, I stumbled upon the original Star
Trek, and thus began my lifelong passion for that show. I found a new hero in Captain
James T. Kirk, and I grew to admire how he handled everything from dire situations to
getting along with women (which would probably explain why I’m still single!).
But I missed my show! I missed Battlestar Galactica! As we
all know, ABC made some lame attempt to revive the show with Galactica 1980, but,
hey, that show never happened, right?
Fast forward a decade, and now I’m working for Creation
Entertainment, a company that got its name—among other things—by running Star
Trek Conventions. In addition to my financial responsibilities, I hosted a number of
conventions around the country every year. I knew my Trek well, but once in a
while, I would connect with fans about Galactica. I couldn’t believe how
many passionate fans there still were, and it actually got to a point where I enjoyed
talking more about Galactica than about Star Trek.
My hosting gigs eventually led to my being cast as co-host of Sci
Fi Entertainment, a sort of Entertainment Tonight-style TV show that aired
on the Sci Fi Channel (if you didn’t see it, don’t worry—you didn’t
miss anything!). During my short-lived stint as co-host, I met Richard Hatch, and we
immediately hit it off. I was pleasantly surprised by how gracious he was, and at future
conventions, he would always remember my name. I also got to have great conversations with
his girlfriend Sophie.
Last Summer, I got a call from Sophie, and she told me that the Sci
Fi Channel was doing a new show called Sciography. She described it as being a
sci fi version of Behind the Music, and it would focus on classic sci fi TV
shows. The premiere episode was about Battlestar Galactica, and in order to
complete the show, they needed a fan’s perspective. Remembering that I had on-stage
and on-camera experience, Sophie thought I would be a good candidate, and she put me in
touch with the producers.
I spoke to a gentleman from the production company (who shall remain
nameless), and he told me they only needed about 20 minutes of my time. I went to the
Universal Hilton, where they took out a room to do the interviews. I got there, got miked
up, answered questions for about 30 minutes, and I was on my way. I was told that the show
was practically finished, and they weren’t really sure how much of my commentary they
were going to use.
I saved the date, but since I was warned that I might not even be on
it, I didn’t tell too many people about it. When I sat down to watch the show, I was
amazed when my face came up on the screen! That amazement turned to horror when I read the
chyron under my face, which read “Galactica’s #1 fan!”
Now as we all know, sci fi fans are the most passionate—and the
most opinionated—fans in the universe. I knew that they were going to have gripes
about the show (as I did), but I didn’t realize that they were going to have a field
day with the “#1 fan” chyron. I got used to harsh criticism when I was hosting Sci
Fi Entertainment, but some of the online postings about my Sciography
appearance were downright brutal. I mean, here I was, honored to represent a great TV
show, and I didn’t get any respect for it.
For what it’s worth, I thought the end result was OK, but I had
some gripes. In a nutshell, half the cast wasn’t even interviewed (or they were
ignored completely), the producers tried to cause some controversy by pitting Dirk
against Richard, Richard against Glen, and Glen against the chimp in the Muffit suit! The
show seemed rushed and could easily have filled up two hours, and most of all, there was
no mention about what happened to Maren Jensen (and if anyone knows, I’d
like to know)!
The day after the show aired, I actually had a great conversation
with Richard. He was understandably upset over the tabloid nature of the show, and they
obviously didn’t get their fact straight. I went back to watch it, and I realized
just how much of a missed opportunity it was. Just like with my own show, the Sci Fi
Channel took the cheap approach, and it showed.
OK, enough complaining. What I find particularly amazing is that
even now, I still get a huge thrill out of watching Battlestar Galactica. The
effects still hold up, the characterization is still strong, and the writing is much
better than most people give it credit for. The two-part episodes are like mini-movies
unto themselves (War of the Gods is my personal favorite), and it serves as a
reminder about what might have been.
As the saying goes, “That’s show business.”
�2001, Scott A. Mantz