Following on from Mary’s recent thread on the subject of re-makes, I found this article in Dreamwatch on the subject of revisiting certain franchises. Certainly it gives some good examples of shows that have benefited from a reimagining with a whole new creative team, namely, of course, Battlestar Galactica. I’ve long wondered what the point was in keeping the title when so much of the show was different. I can’t, however, deny the success of such an approach. By having a whole new creative team come in and create their version of the show, relevant to today’s audience, the team behind Battlestar Galactica has certainly created quite the success. Conversely, the article points to Star Wars as a good example of a franchise that really did need new creative input to make the new trilogy as much-loved with audiences as the original was. The article definitely makes some interesting points on how fresh blood can change the direction of a show. Star Trek: TNG was another example of a show that once Roddenberry relinquished control of, took on a whole new identity separate from the original series. Don’t believe me? I refer you back to the TNG pilot where most of the female members of Starfleet still wore miniskirts and go-go boots. It seems that re-makes, both for television and film, give a certain recognition factor which are an instant audience draw, which I’m sure is true, but I still find it a little sad. While it’s undeniable that Battlestar Galactica’s very title helped with bringing audiences in initially, for television, that will only hold an audience’s attention for so long. See how much of a flash in the pan Flash Gordon was! In the end, it’s the solid television that holds audiences attention with Galactica, which I suppose is the Catch-22. You can’t hold an audience’s attention until you get an audience’s attention, and a re-make of a seventies TV show will certainly do that. I still wish Galactica had gone with a different title, but I suppose that I am a little closer to understanding the decisions involved.
