languatron
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Life could be this beautiful without NBC-TV in it.
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One of the fun things about looking forward to a new Science Fiction movie or tv show, is seeing the imagination demostrated in production design, art direction, costume design, spaceships, laser guns, creatures, etc. This imagination combined with visual credibility first took root in 1966 with Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" series. At the time it premiered, the visual look of "Star Trek" was state of the art "outer space." You had a convincing "Bridge" set with flashing lights. Hell, Mr. Sulu even had a nifty little, motorized view finder that popped up out of his console everytime "Red Alert" was sounded. (Showcased in the episode "Friday's Child"). With the limited budget they had, the 1966 "Star Trek" production crew led by Matt Jeffries built a credible Starship inside and out showcased with IMAGINATIVE set design, spacecraft designs, phaser weapons, etc. Perhaps most importantly, the 1966 "Star Trek" series had a totally UNIQUE, ORIGINAL, DISTINCTIVE, and VISUAL LOOK to it.
Imagination in outer space productions went light years beyond "Star Trek" with the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." Again, we had a totally UNIQUE, ORIGINAL, IMAGINATIVE, and DISTINCTIVE look in this movie. The concept of minute detailing of models was introduced in this movie, giving the illusion of great size to spacecraft models never seen before. As in "Star Trek", the production crew of "2001: A Space Odyssey" had such imaginations, that their designs from spaceships to spacecraft interiors became a part of our pop culture.
IMAGINATION CONTINUED with the premiere of "Space: 1999" in 1975. Though "Space: 1999" was accused of being a "Star Trek" clone and having ridiculous scripts, the IMAGINATION DEMONSTRATED in art direction, production design, spacecraft design, and props shows that once again, a production crew came together endowed with the most UNBELIEVABLE IMAGINATIONS demonstrated since "2001: A Space Odyssey."
George Lucas took the credible intergalactic looks of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Space: 1999", turned outer space into a loud, flashy amusement park; and made spaceships hot rods in "Star Wars." Whatever criticisms may be directed at George Lucas lately, are irrelevant when discussing "Star Wars." At the time he made "Star Wars" in the mid-1970's, George Lucas had the most uninhibited IMAGINATION ever seen in cinema. When viewing the opening scene of "Star Wars" for the first time in 1977, audiences were seeing what they had always hoped they would see in cinema. An issue of "Amazing Fantasy" magazine come to life with the technology to do it. The production design, art direction, set design, spaceships, and props (LASER SWORDS)!! indicated that the PRODUCTION CREW of "Star Wars" led by George Lucas were blessed with the types of IMAGINATIONS necessary for outer space movies.
This type of IMAGINATION was manifested AGAIN in the 1978 "Battlestar Galactica" series. "The "Galactica" crew caught lightning in a bottle a second time around (right after "Star Wars") with SPACECRAFT DESIGNS and overall production design that was just as IMAGINATIVE and BRILLIANT as "Star Wars."
Ending this discussion on a SAD NOTE, Ronald D. Moore's 2004 television production called "Battlestar Galactica" is neither a worthy heir to the "1978 Battlestar Galactica" series, nor does it build upon the PROUD visual legacy of the productions I have discussed. THERE IS NOT ONE ORIGINAL, BRILLIANT IDEA IN THIS ENTIRE PRODUCTION. It is a LOW BUDGET, ANTI-IMAGINATIVE HODGE PODGE of SCRAPS & PIECES from a thousand Science Fiction productions that have come before. Every individual production department associated with this tv series SUFFERED FROM THE SAME LACK OF IMAGINATION:
1) Art Direction - NO IMAGINATION
2) Production Design - NO IMAGINATION
3) Costume Design - NO IMAGINATION
4) Spacecraft Design - NO IMAGINATION
5) Musical Score - NO IMAGINATION
6) Characters - NO IMAGINATION
7) Format - NO IMAGINATION
Ronald D. Moore RAMMED his production into existence, without thinking about the IMAGINATION REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY to bring such a production to life. For the first time in television history, a Science Fiction television series DOES NOT HAVE A DISTINCTIVE, IMAGINATIVE, UNIQUE, and ORIGINAL look to it. And Ronald D. Moore will have this SAD FACT HANGING OVER HIS HEAD for the rest of his PATHETIC CAREER. The visual look of Ron Moore's "Trekkie Star: Galactica" series ironically matches his style of scriptwriting:
1) Boring
2) Lethargic
3) NO FRESH IDEAS
4) DERIVATIVE
5) INSTANTLY FORGETTABLE
Ronald D. Moore and the production crew who worked on his series HAVE NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF IN THEIR WORK. Their work is INSTANTLY FORGETTABLE.
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