Olmos transports from 'Family 'to 'Battlestar Galactica'

Pittsburgh Post Gazette ^ | April 29, 2003 | Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV Editor

[RayBob]

The first season of PBS's "American Family," in which Edward James Olmos plays the conservative patriarch of a Hispanic Los Angeles family, comes out on DVD today.

But it's his role as another patriarch that's bound to get TV viewers in their 30s and 40s talking. Olmos is filming Sci Fi Channel's miniseries remake of the late '70s TV show "Battlestar Galactica." Olmos takes over the role of Commander Adama, originally played by the late Lorne Greene.

[Future Snake Eater]

LOL! How many names did they come up with for that moron? And you gotta love the Bill Murray lookalike whose skull is about to explode out of his face at any second!

[BenLurkin]

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" was on the other day. I was trying to explain to my teenager how the Galactica spin of used the same bit of the alien finishing the equation on the blackboard.

BTW, IIRC that show starred Kent McCord, formerly of Adam-12. It had a very different feel than the original but it was pleasant and harmless. I don't remember the name of the actress.

[Kieri]

BTW, IIRC that show starred Kent McCord, formerly of Adam-12. It had a very different feel than the original but it was pleasant and harmless.

Kent McCord went on to guest star in - TA-DA - Farscape! He plays John Crichton's father, Jack (and an alien that looked like Jack, an "Ancient"), a former astronaut.

[7thson]

I remember the Cyclons being referred to as walking pinball machines.

[epluribus_2]

TechTV runs it with cool commentary about show info at the bottom.

[Charles Martel]

Space:1999? Now THERE was a show - Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, the Moon going FTL because of nuclear explosions? TV doesn't get any cheesier than that.

Yep, that show *was* cheesy. However, they did pull off a decent episode every now and again. The one that stuck with me is called Dragon's Domain. That was probably the most horrific, nightmare-inducing bit of television that I can recall from my youth.

[Lee'sGhost]

"Now, BSG was always cheesy, . . ."

Amen. Almost as bad as Lost in Space. The new version sounds much more promising.

Speaking of crummy scifi, have you watched Enterprise? Man, they had the opportunity of a lifetime, and blew it. They could have had all kinds of story lines about testing the first starship with warp, meeting all kinds of new beings, episode after episode of being amazed and thrilled with new discoveries. This shake and bake crap has a pretty good ensemble of actors acting like space travel and meeting new alien beings is as exciting as driving to Ohio in a Buick. Geez, what a waste of of an opportunity.

[Grampa Dave]

DUH, W H Y?

[Michael Barnes]

re #96

I had foregotten about the Srandon gig. Didn't see it anyway..

[Kieri]

Speaking of crummy scifi, have you watched Enterprise? Man, they had the opportunity of a lifetime, and blew it. They could have had all kinds of story lines about testing the first starship with warp, meeting all kinds of new beings, episode after episode of being amazed and thrilled with new discoveries. This shake and bake crap has a pretty good ensemble of actors acting like space travel and meeting new alien beings is as exciting as driving to Ohio in a Buick. Geez, what a waste of of an opportunity.

I had to stop watching that dren after the first couple of episodes. My forehead kept putting holes in the wall.

[Charles Martel]

Bring back Quark! I still chuckle over the Ficus mating scene. Bee, bee, bee, bee, bee, bee, bee.

Oh my God... someone else remembers that show (and episode)!

[Lee'sGhost]

"Because she was my childhood fantasy woman and I'll have to kick your @**"

Wow. I always assumed "Psycho Bunny" was a chic name. Or maybe it is . . .

[Not Insane]

""[The new 'Galactica'] is more character-driven, which is exactly what 'American Family' is," Olmos said. "It's character-driven, not plot-driven.""

Character driven. That reminds me. I was a Star Trek fanatic as a kid. I watched the first "sneak preview" episode in 1966 about the salt sucking monster and was hooked.
When Star Trek The Next Generation came out, after watching a few episodes I said, "This is 'Star Trek' for women."

The original series was a western set in outer space. "Next Generation" was a soap opera set in outer space and WAY TOO PC. I quit watching after a few episodes and never went back.

Sounds like this new BG is the same sort of thing.

[strela]

Space 1999 was way ahead of it's time, as was UFO. Anyone remember the Moonbase Interceptors? Or the Skydiver submarine?

(raises hand)

The Interceptors were a joke. There were always three of them, but they carried only one missile apiece. Once that was gone, they were defenseless while the bad guys had collimated energy weapons (multiple shots). (And why the UFOs never blew the crap out of them AFTER they flipped their one missile apiece remains a mystery to me).

The Submarine rocked. At least the Sky part of Skydiver could shoot more than once.

Yes, blue hair and silver catsuits - the stuff that pornographic dreams are made of.

[epluribus_2]

I can beat you all on old show happiness - how about...

RED DWARF!!!

[Charles Martel]

How about a not-as-old-but-even-worse show:

SALVAGE. Andy Griffith in space.

[strela]

It was called "SALVAGE 1", and I thought it was quite good.

(miffed expression)

[Charles Martel]

I wonder what ever happened to that Hawaiian looking actress who had black hair and blue eyes. She was unusually pretty but seemed to drop off the face of the earth after Galactica.

Ah, yes. Maren Jensen. Hawaiian mom, Danish father - nice combination! I read that she moved to Europe to pursue (or resume) a modeling career.

[Charles Martel]

Ah, you're quite correct. It was made-for-television and spun off the "Salvage" TV series. And you're right, it was okay as such movies go. I really loved the spacecraft built from the drum of a concrete mixer truck!

[Kieri]

We all know what happened to Jane Seymour (Serena), don't we? ;-)