MovieChat Forums > Battlestar Galactica (1978) Discussion > Why is the quality so bad?

Why is the quality so bad?

posted 10 years ago by Psilio
83 replies | jump to latest

I'm a big fan of BSG 2004, and decided to try to watch this original BSG, but had to quit after a few episodes, as it was so bad.

I've read that this show had 100,000 dollars per episode as a budget - which was a record for any TV-show at the time - and still it sucked big time. It looks like something from the 50's or 60's.

The special effects were horrible and they kept re-using the same shots in all the episodes I watched (for instance when the fighters were launched).

For comparison, Star Trek: The Next Generation had the same budget (100,000 dollars) per episode when it first started, and it was 10 years later! Estimating inflation, Battlestar Galactica probably had 200,000 dollars or more to spend on each episode compared to ST:TNG.

Granted, there were several technological advances in that decade, but not enough to compensate for this huge difference in quality.

Where did all the money for BSG go? Up the producers's noses?

[–] mz7740 8 years ago

Actually is was a million ($1,000,000) per episode. When it was cancelled, it was around 24th in the ratings. That rating would not have normally killed a series, but at that price tag, it was not good enough to warrant the expense.

The main reason Galactica 1980 came about was the reduced expense by setting it on Earth, and not as much need for $$$$ to film.

ST:TNG was, to my understanding, a million per episode as well, not $100,000. But at that point, it was more in line to the then present day expenses and it survived for seven seasons.

By the time ST:Enterprise came about, the cost was about $5,000,000 per episode, and it was not doing well enough to continue at that price tag, so it was cut after 4 seasons.

[–] Psilio 8 years ago

Thanks for the info.

I really liked Enterprise, so I was sorry when it was cancelled. I still watch it regularly about once a year.

And wow... 5 million dollars per episode is a lot of money 

What we do in life echoes in eternity Russell Crowe as General Maximus in Gladiator (2000)

[–] captgage-1 7 years ago

It's kind of refreshing to find one of the viewers who prefer the remake. I don't think the original show had such bad effects for its budget. Buck Rogers started out with not-bad effects, and it slipped. It may have played more like something out of the '50s or '60s, but I'd say it looked more like it was: a '70s show.

I suspect a lot of people hate on the remake because it is a remake. And because it doesn't emphasize action as much. And for some, you just can't remake anything without "ruining" fond memories of the original series. So much more thought went into the remake, and some even complain to the contrary.

Still, the old show was a guilty (and lesser but better than nothing) pleasure. I wanted it to be better, but the writing just didn't quite work. Gotta love John Steed...er, I mean Patrick MacNee as Satan though. The cosmic mysticism aspect was about my favorite thing about the show.

[–] throw-41 7 years ago

It was my favorite show back in its day and I was a huge fan. But after watching the reimagined series it has become hard to watch – it is just too campy. The FX don’t bother me too much. The issue that bugs me more is that the mood of the show often doesn’t fit the dire situation the characters are in. The new BSG did a far better job in that regard.
The real difference is that the original was a show primarily geared towards kids while the 2003/2004 version is clearly for an adult audience.

[–] Psilio 7 years ago

From the poster above:

The real difference is that the original was a show primarily geared towards kids while the 2003/2004 version is clearly for an adult audience.

More or less, those quotes or emotions seems to go around. Everyone have their own opinions.

It's really interesting to see all the reactions from my original post, though. It's a well known and loved show for everyone involved. Good memories is the most important thing from any experience. Try to remember that, everyone. Don't make any bad memories.

(I just noticed that I started this thread almost 3 years ago to the day today, btw, so I felt I had to answer.

Thank you all for a good and long discussion :D )

What we do in life echoes in eternity Russell Crowe as General Maximus in Gladiator (2000)

[–] pferreira86 7 years ago

For me there's no contest. The original series has better characters and more interesting storytelling than the remake.

[–] Psilio 7 years ago

Wish I felt the same way :)

Guess it doesn't really matter now that the IMDb message boards are going offline :(

What we do in life echoes in eternity Russell Crowe as General Maximus in Gladiator (2000)

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

I would imagine that a pretty big chunk of that went to Lorne Greene. He was kind of a big deal. Ben Cartwright and all.