Clear up the timeline for me

Belisarius

The new TV series makes reference to a previous war with the cylons ,Is this supposedly the one from the previous series. I only ask because from my memory *which is admittedly a handful of random episodes from bbc2,about 5 years ago* they had already lost the twelve colonies of man and all that.Anyone clear this up?

ixoy

I think it's meant to imply that some of the events from the original took place but not its entirety. However, I'm not sure because I'm drunk.

Haruspex

I think this has been deliberately kept ambiguous by the writers. There were numerous nods to the original series in the mini-series/pilot, namely the "chrome toaster" Cylons on display in the Galactica museum and of course the Mark II Vipers. Galactica was about to be retired from active service prior to the Cylon attack on the Colonies. The crew, and most notably Commander Adama, seem battle-hardened, so I take it that a previous battle against the Cylons has occurred but the Colonies were not annihilated then. This pivotal plot event was obviously kept over for this particular timeline of events. Remember, according to the mini-series, no one had seen the Cylons for years prior to their re-emergence on the space station, so they have had a prior history, even if it doesn't exactly tally with the original series.

c0y0te

The mini series refers to the 'war' which raged for years, and then a peace was agreed, and the armistace space station was arranged between cylon space and human space as a method of ensuring communication between both sides.

For 20 odd years Humans sent a poor sod to this station to await a cylon ambassador, and for 20 odd years the cylons ignored them. Obviously they were building their forces, developing new (human) models etc. in the background.

The opening of the mini series (quite well dont imho) has one of the georgous number 6 models arriving on the station, just ahead of a base station - which then results in the destruction of the armistance station, and the commencement of war again against humankind, all of which happens right before the nukes go off on Caprica.

In the intervening years, Galactica has become a relic to that old war. Just as the cylons spent the time developing their technologies, humans also built bigger, fast, better, smarter ships (both battlestars and vipers etc.). Thats the premise for Galactica about to be 'retired', when all hell breaks loose.

The majority of the other ships were all shiny, new and networked - hence the cylon effectiveness in shutting them down. Hope this explains things for you, but if you have any more questions - post away.

c0y0te

forbairt

er ... just a little point ...

given that the original series contained the characters ...
Apollo ... Starbuck ... Adama ... ??

this would be a remake so to speak ... and not a continuation and considering they are looking for earth ?? on this one as well .. and they found earth in the original series I think ... I seem to remember episodes set in 80's earth

sorry if someone else mentioned that

ixoy

error9 wrote:

given that the original series contained the characters ...
Apollo ... Starbuck ... Adama ... ??

this would be a remake so to speak ... and not a continuation and considering they are looking for earth ?? on this one as well .. and they found earth in the original series I think ... I seem to remember episodes set in 80's earth

Well I think what we're trying to establish is whether some of the events of the original took place in the same univse. Obviously, if they did, these original BSG events would have been done by people other than Apollo, Adama, etc.

Closest comparison is 'Stargate: SG-1'. The events of the movie "Stargate" took place in that universe but not 100% the same as in the movie - i.e. O'Neill was O'Neil and looked different, Sha're was Sha'uri, the Goa'uld was more like an Asgard, etc. However the primary events - travelling through the Giza gate, Abydos, Ra, etc. still took place. That's what we're wondering here.

Mantel

It's a remake of the old series. The cylons wheren't made by man in the orginal, they where just a cybernetic race that wanted to kill humans.

They've just taken the general idea and put a modern twist on it. Better stories, better effects, different actors and no aliens (so far), actors in different roles (baltar is different but is still a traitor of sorts) and a few other things.

The start is basicly the same, execpt the space station and 20 years peace. The cylons attacked the 12 planets and only the Galactica escaped with a fleet of survivours.

Plot of the orginal pilot:

A treaty for peace is being negotiated between the robotic cylons and the human colonies spread throughout the cosmos. One human named Baltar serves as a human ambassador of sorts representing the good will of the Cylons. The Cylons however have a plan of their own and launch a sneak attack on the massive Battlestar ships that protect the colonies of humanity. Baltar comforts the human colonies as Cylon ships approach. The Colonial Council is slow to respond as they believe that peace truly has been found with the cylons. Only a single Battlestar, the Galactica is able to launch its fighters and survive. The other Battlestars are destroyed. Cylon forces then travel to the colony planets of man and annhilate all human establishments that they can. This was to be known as the great Holocaust. After this massive tragedy, the commander of the Battlestar Galactica, Adama organizes the survivors of this great Holocaust into an assortment of 220 ships and vessels of all sorts known as the rag tag fleet. Adama seeks to take these human survivors to their legendary home world, Earth. The fleet stops on the planet Carillon to replenish the fleet's fuel supply. There the Colonials discover a vast gambling play ground where everyone seems to win and no one ever seems to lose. Colonial pilot Starbuck wonders why he has never heard of this place since everything appears almost as if you can't lose. The planet is run by reptilian like creatures called the Ovion. The reason everyone wins at gambling on the planet is because the planet is a trap; a trap to obtain human prey to be used as food. The Cylons also have a deal with the Ovions wherein the Cylons leave the planet alone provided the Ovion's provide the Cylon empire with fuel. Once this becomes apparent Colonial Warriors battle there way out against the Ovion's and their Cylon protectors.

Mantel

Sorry, it seems the new buzz word for remake is "re-imagined". So it's a re-imagined version of the old series.

Fenster

There's been 40 years between the Cylon war and the current one. Adama was a Viper pilot then (c'mon, don't tell me all of you have forgotten the scene in the pilot where they unveil the Viper?!).