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.