DPP: A Day Of Thanks for the fact that THIS Didn't Happen

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I was planning a lazy Sunday post but some non-BSG-related browsing brought me to an April 7, 2003 piece of news about casting for the miniseries, which went as follows:




Katee Sackhoff …. Kara Thrace, callsign ‘Starbuck’
Ronny Cox …. William “Husker” Adama
Mary McDonnell …. Laura Roslin
Michael Shanks …. Lee “Apollo” Adama


Just to be clear, this linked pic is Michael Shanks (aka Daniel Jackson from Stargate: SG-1).

And this, instead (as we all know, and to my eternal gratitude) is who ended up playing Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama:




We've discussed the possibility of pilots being played by people other than Jamie and Katee before, but I never knew just how close it was to being a done deal and us never getting to see Jamie as Lee.

If he hadn't got the part, chances are I (and several others among us) would never have shipped pilots and we'd probably have been spared the pain that came with it. We'd also never have got the supernova-level chemistry between Jamie and Katee that made us fall in love with them to begin with, not to mention the countless eyefraks, camaraderie and years worth of squee. We also probably wouldn't have this comm and each other.

So this Sunday, let's just celebrate and be grateful for the existence of pilots as we know and love them, and here's a pic for the purpose (even after a near-death experience and covered in broken glass, they look so post-coital, don't they?)



PS: The weekend reccing post is still open.....if you liked anything piloty lately, tell us about it!

Comments

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

That casting news is weird, not for the Apollo thing, but because I'd always had the impression that RDM had EJO pegged for Adama right from the very start! Interesting! Ben Browder was also in the running for Apollo, as was James Callas and Aaron Douglas, right? Maybe Trucco, too? Can't remember.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

He got Mary first, I think Ron wanted EJO but he came on board later - Jamie said something about Mary being attached to the project when he began auditioning but EJO not being confirmed yet.

Browder, Aaron and Trucco were in the running for Apollo iirc, but not Callis - I think it's the Paley festival where he said that he wanted to try out for Apollo, but Jamie'd already been cast by the time he got the script.

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

I think it's the Paley festival where he said that he wanted to try out for Apollo

i'm pretty sure about this. at least that's where i got that information.

[kl-shipper1.livejournal.com]

That casting news is weird, not for the Apollo thing, but because I'd always had the impression that RDM had EJO pegged for Adama right from the very start!

It is weird, because I know I've looked at an interview (Paley Center, maybe?) where RDM or David Eick said that they had EJO in mind when they created Adama's character.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

Yeah, EJO and Mary McDonnell were the actors they pictured as the characters when they were writing I think - but they also said that you don't often get to fit the actor to the part that way.

I know Susan Sarandon (!!!) was one of the alternatives they considered for the part of Laura, it shouldn't be so surprising to me that they had more actors than just their first choice lined up for the role of PapAdama.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Yeah I'm way surprised about a different name than EJO too!

This could've been Adama:

ETA: If they cast this guy instead, I imagine we would've had a different Saul Tigh too. Because Hogan looks a lot like this guy.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

He's also at least 10 years older than EJO.

We lucked out so spectacularly with this cast, it's unbelievable.

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I don't think this guy is half the actor EJO is. Ugh. So glad they didn't cast him. YAY for Eddie!

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

don't get me wrong, i loved Daniel Jackson but i don't see Michael Shanks as Lee. i just can't. don't ask me why.

i could've probably been able to live with Browder (even if in that case the age difference between the actors playing pilots would've been sort of.... big) but Shanks? nop.
I can even imagine James playing the part but... ok, i'm going offtopic here.

If he hadn't got the part, chances are I (and several others among us) would never have shipped pilots

idk about shipping the pilots (they're sort of made for it) but i would not relate to Lee as much i do. and that's a fact. so much of what he ended up being comes from Jamie that makes it hard to imagine Lee without seeing the character through JB's eyes.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

For the bits of SG-1 that I did sit through, I liked him too. But yeah, I just can't see him as Lee. Or anyone else, really - though in the prev. post someone said John Barrowman was also a candidate for the role, and no matter how I loved him as Captain Jack I just can't see him as Lee.

As for shipping, idk - pilots are brilliant and compelling as characters, but so much of that came from body language and plain old chemistry and Jamie and Katee playing off each other.
My falling in love with them was as much down to the actors as to the way they were written, and individually J and K would have chemistry with anyone but if I hadn't taken to the actor, chances are they wouldn't have become my OTP (and who knows, I might even have become a Sam/Kara shipper if that was the case).

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

if I hadn't taken to the actor, chances are they wouldn't have become my OTP

this for sure. i forgot to mention this in my previous comment. i might have shipped them but not as my OTP. no, a big no.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

Also, re: age difference between pilots, reimagined Starbuck was supposed to be thirtysomething as of the miniseries, they only revised that when Katee was cast. Most of the actresses who tried out for the role were around that old anyway, it mightn't have amounted to a May-December romance if Katee hadn't got the part. And I definitely wouldn't have ended up shipping then, because most May-December romances make me squick *shudders*

But James Callis as Lee? I just can't see it. Man is brilliant as Baltar, but as Apollo....no way.

[anamarya.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the May-December thing.
well, with thirty-something for Kara's character and Ben being forty at the time of the mini... it might've worked. but with Katee being so young it would have been a little too much for me. i mean, for a lot of us some of the attraction comes from the fact that the pilots seem to be on a sort of equal footing most of the time.

i guess in the end they ended by casting people younger than they planned (or at least looking younger) and we can only be happy for it.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

I love that picture so much. That's kind of my happy place where pilots are concerned.

(Tried to watch Scar last night and had to turn it off because it was so wrong. :( DNW.)

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I go *rolleyes* so hard at Kat there. Brat is hopped up on stims and being babied by Kara what, six episodes ago, and now she's suddenly gone all pupil-surpassing-master on her? *snort* And the Anders thing, whatever.

It still has the almost-frak hotness, though, and Lee putting it all aside to be her friend. That and Kara/Helo cuteness alone make it worth my while.