Post by B5Erik on Aug 26, 2015 4:47:38 GMT
One of the biggest, "Controversies," regarding the reimagined series was the changing of Starbuck to a woman.
In the original series Starbuck was played (and very well) by Dirk Benedict as a rogue-ish, Han Solo-esque kind of character. Just one with more depth (an actual backstory and some real feelings). He was an orphaned child who learned to protect his feelings by never getting really attached to anyone. That made him the ideal Viper pilot as he was less concerned about getting killed than he was about completing the mission and protecting his fellow pilots. He smoke cigars too much, he drank too much, and he was a womanizer.
So to reinvent the character as a woman was a pretty radical idea. Fans of the original series boycotted the show for a time due to the changing of their favorite character (and Starbuck was the most popular character on the original series).
But it worked. No, it wasn't quite the same character, but Starbuck still smoked cigars and drank too much and had a disregard for her own safety and well being. Katee Sackhoff was well suited for the role and she became one of the more popular characters on the new show.
There are still some people who believe that the change was unnecessary, and that the change wasn't for the better. That's debatable. What most Science Fiction fans will agree on is that the new series was a very well written and acted show that turned the original family friendly series into a deadly serious adult level show. Part of what gave the show it's own identity was the new version of Starbuck.
In the original series Starbuck was played (and very well) by Dirk Benedict as a rogue-ish, Han Solo-esque kind of character. Just one with more depth (an actual backstory and some real feelings). He was an orphaned child who learned to protect his feelings by never getting really attached to anyone. That made him the ideal Viper pilot as he was less concerned about getting killed than he was about completing the mission and protecting his fellow pilots. He smoke cigars too much, he drank too much, and he was a womanizer.
So to reinvent the character as a woman was a pretty radical idea. Fans of the original series boycotted the show for a time due to the changing of their favorite character (and Starbuck was the most popular character on the original series).
But it worked. No, it wasn't quite the same character, but Starbuck still smoked cigars and drank too much and had a disregard for her own safety and well being. Katee Sackhoff was well suited for the role and she became one of the more popular characters on the new show.
There are still some people who believe that the change was unnecessary, and that the change wasn't for the better. That's debatable. What most Science Fiction fans will agree on is that the new series was a very well written and acted show that turned the original family friendly series into a deadly serious adult level show. Part of what gave the show it's own identity was the new version of Starbuck.
