The Battlestar Galactica reboot was canceled due to terrorism

The author Chris Snelgrove
| Published 1 second ago

A reboot of the classic and iconic sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica was in the works, but Peacock has now canceled the remake. Fans have mixed feelings about the situation. It would be great to have another reboot as amazing as 2003's Ronald D. Moore Show, but that show was of such quality that any new series would be hard-pressed to touch the hem of its clothes (spicy red dress, of course). However, too many fans don't realize that there was an even earlier reboot helmed by the legendary X-Men director. Bryan Singer originally wanted to create his own Battlestar Galactica reboot in 2001, but the project was canceled due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The singer was originally signed to create a Battlestar Galactica Reboot for Fox, a project born from the ashes of a failed feature film first conceived in 1999. The X-Files had made Fox a surprise home for weird genre television and something as culturally huge as Galactica most likely it would have been a big hit with the audience. After the 9/11 attacks, however, the network hesitated to continue production because the American climate had changed (culturally and politically) since the terrorist attack.

Apparently, the Fox didn't kill him right away Battlestar Galactica reboot. They were worried about how viewers would perceive the show's ethical and moral messages, ideas that network executives worried weren't resonating with viewers after 9/11. However, they considered going ahead with the project if they could eliminate enough of these key differences. But Bryan Singer had already committed to directing X2: X-Men Unitedfurther hindering his possible Battlestar Galactica reboot until it goes silent.

However, there is a lot of irony in it for Singer Battlestar Galactica the reboot was eventually canceled thanks to the 9/11 attacks. When Ronald D. Moore's own famous reboot came out in 2003, many critics praised it for serving as a sort of metaphor for post-9/11 America. Just as the country was reeling from an unexpected terrorist attack, the show focused on the survivors of an even more devastating Cylon covert attack. The show soon explored the delicate balance between security and liberty (such as how much power a military commander should have compared to a civilian president), even as America grappled with the Patriot Act after 9/11.

It was impossible for many to ignore how Moore was doing Battlestar Galactica the reboot also felt like a commentary on America's strange post-9/11 anti-Muslim madness. Just as countless American citizens worried that terrorists might lurk in their communities and notice everything from skin color to religious affiliation, the show depicted humanity's survivors grappling with the idea that secret Cylon infiltrators might be hiding within the fleet. At times the parallels became problematically blurred, such as when we were meant to root for our characters using IEDs, even though those weapons were used to kill American soldiers in the Middle East.

Long story short, though concerns about 9/11 parallels were enough to kill Bryan Singer Battlestar Galacticathose same parallels helped Moore's reboot flourish. There may be a lesson here for networks that audiences aren't as valuable as they make them out to be and are willing to reward big creative swings, even if (perhaps especially if) they contain controversial content. And one big swing after another helped Moore create a television experience we'll never forget.