(no subject)

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

There's an awesome list of self-recced stories and vids at yesterday's post. Go check that out or add yourself if you haven't gotten a chance to.

At one point, Joss Whedon (of writer/creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dollhouse, etc) was invited to write a s4 episode of Battlestar Galactica. Ultimately he declined, but what would his episode have looked like if it had gotten written?

What if other well-known tv writers had taken a stab at writing for BSG?

Here's a list to get you started:

Russell T. Davies (Doctor Who, Queer As Folk UK, Torchwood)
Mindy Kaling (The Office)
Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Sherlock)
Josh Schwartz (Chuck, Gossip Girl, The O.C.)
Kurt Sutter (The Shield, Sons of Anarchy)
Rob Thomas (Cupid, The Education of Max Bickford, Party Down, Veronica Mars)
Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek, Scream, Vampire Diaries)

Feel free to think about your own favorites as well!

Comments

Joss Whedon writes the Mutiny

[kag523.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure the Gaeta/Zarek mutiny would have had canon-consistent levels of violence. Whedon's vision would, however, provide more internal insight into both of them, leaving the viewers disturbed by their fall. There'd be flashbacks to Zarek's life and the reason he feels so strongly about democracy. Gaeta's disillusionment regarding the NC events would also feature.

The episode - in regards to Lee and Kara - would also have several more close and touching moments with the two of them FINALLY admitting feelings for one another after the kiss. Then, when they were running through the hallway (Sam and the others in tow), the same gunshots would ring out.

This time, the one dead would be Lee. End of story. No return. No angels or poof or anything else.

Aside: I actually admire Whedon's willingness to kill of characters - and leave them dead. I think my single biggest issue with BSG is that they 'undid' Kara's death. I would have been fine with her being a cylon, or a hybrid, or having NOT died to begin with (and being saved by the cylon raider whose lights Lee sees AFTER the explosion). For me, the second we "know" she's an angel, then she's no longer Kara. Some viewers are able to accept her as literally herself, deified, but I can't. Most importantly because I believe - truly - that if she WAS Kara, there is no way she'd simply leave everyone she loved who was left alive (Helo, Athena, Lee, Bill, Laura etc.) behind.

Re: Joss Whedon writes the Mutiny

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether to lol or cry at this:

This time, the one dead would be Lee. End of story. No return. No angels or poof or anything else.

SO TRUE. (and taking into account the fact that she'd succeeded in saving Lee from that fate just one episode/ a few hours ago casts Kara's guilting over Sam getting shot in an entirely new light).

Re: Joss Whedon writes the Mutiny

[onlyariana.livejournal.com]

Yes to the backstory and insight. So Jossy.

And I can tell you've hit the nail on the head wit killing Lee because it makes me feel just like how I feel when most of my favorite Whedon characters died. Not even favorite. Just the ones whose death would gut the most.

And I think everything you said is WHY he didn't write an ep. They weren't going to let him write one the way he wanted.

Re: Joss Whedon writes the Mutiny

[kdbleu.livejournal.com]

This time, the one dead would be Lee. End of story. No return. No angels or poof or anything else.


Lee should have died for so many reasons.

I think my single biggest issue with BSG is that they 'undid' Kara's death. I would have been fine with her being a cylon, or a hybrid, or having NOT died to begin with (and being saved by the cylon raider whose lights Lee sees AFTER the explosion).

The other thing that Joss really gets about world building is that once that world is built it has to have rules and those rules can't be changed. Kara's death (and for me even the Final Five to a certain extent) rewrites the rules of the BSG universe when there were perfectly usable "in universe" explanations. I would have much rather Kara had been a cylon than a plot device and a wandering one at that.

Re: Joss Whedon writes the Mutiny

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

This time, the one dead would be Lee. End of story. No return. No angels or poof or anything else.

...yeah. My first thought about Joss and season four was KEEP HIM AWAY FROM MY PILOTS...


UGH WHEDON. *SHAKES FIST*

[word-vomity.livejournal.com]

ohhh back later with actual 'thoughts' and all, but what about a Bryan Fuller ep! Lol. Pushing Daises, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me. That would've been total cracktastic mayhem!

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

OMG. Picturing them all talking to the Aurora Statuette. Chamalla trips for everyone!

Joss, answers and Destiny

[winegums.livejournal.com]

adding to kag523's point about Joss, there's another trait of his as a writer that BSG could REALLY have used, especially in the later seasons - his tendency to plan ahead.

I'm all for freewheeling stories, but if Joss had ever come on board, I can bet there would have been ANSWERS to some questions. He wouldn't have killed off Kara without leaving a clear route for her return, at least in his head.

Also (and most importantly for me) I very, VERY much doubt he would have been behind the decision to make Kara cease to exist after "her task was done". He has many flaws as a writer/showrunner, but generally doesn't fall into the trap of treating protagonists as subservient to their "destiny"/fit to live only to carry out a task at the end of the story.

He might have killed Kara and/or Lee off permanently at the end, but there is NO WAY AT ALL he'd have backed the poof or (given his avowed atheism) the "God did it" half-assing in Daybreak.

Oh, and there would also have been a lot more jokes.

Re: Joss, answers and Destiny

[kag523.livejournal.com]

There's another trait of his as a writer that BSG could REALLY have used, especially in the later seasons - his tendency to plan ahead.

I'm all for freewheeling stories, but if Joss had ever come on board, I can bet there would have been ANSWERS to some questions...

That would have been AMAZING!

Josh Schwartz

[winegums.livejournal.com]

Going by his previous soaps, if he ever did an episode of BSG everyone would have completely OTT/fabulous clothes, he'd have a field day with Six fanservice, Laura's hair would never be sacrificed to chemo (and Kara would have got a few blowouts of her own and way more makeup), and people would forget plot points/events from five minutes ago.

By the end of the episode (as with most Schwartz shows) everyone will be left wondering how these dimwits remember their own names managed to survive a genocide in the first place.

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure this is entirely fair.

I actually think Josh Schwartz would have done a good job of giving Lee a plot and direction in later seasons. Yeah, it probably would have involved a girl & a bromance, but he knows what to do with awkward male protagonists (see Chuck Bartowski, Seth Cohen, Ryan Atwood...)

Re: Josh Schwartz

[ninety6tears.livejournal.com]

As someone who is very unhappy that a couple of my favorite novels have been picked up for adaptation by his production company, this amuses me.
And I say that as someone who LOVED The OC for a time.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Not TV but I am sad we never got to see a Kevin Smith-written/directed episode of BSG as was bandied about.

[word-vomity.livejournal.com]

AHHHHHH MAZING! I would watch the hell outta that.

[kdbleu.livejournal.com]

I'm wonderign how he woulld have specifically handled the romances differently for some reason though.

(Possibly because I think Chasing Amy is one of the most perfect romantic comedies ever.)

[kdbleu.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about Rob Thomas now.

While Veronica Mars is probably more well known, what I'm struck by are the possibilities spinning off from Cupid, which relied heavily on what could have been supernatural interventions and the debate between believers and skeptic/non-believers. I feel like he would have done a really nice job with that balance.

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

Oooh, you're right!

I was thinking more about his ability to craft a mystery and think long-term, but he does do a nice job of setting up supernatural vs realism.

He's also pretty great at setting up sexy tension between romantic leads although he's hit or miss when it comes to showing couples.

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I love Steven Moffat's writing very much, and Joss Whedon also has given me many hours of joy, but I don't think that BSG would particularly play to their strengths. Moffat loves constructing puzzle-box plots, and both of them have a gift for clever, intricate dialogue. Those elements didn't really belong on BSG.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I'd agree with you on Joss if I hadn't seen Dollhouse - he is capable of doing BSG-esque levels of darkness quite well.

And it's not so much the wit and quips I'd look for him to bring to BSG (though Chief, for one, would probably get a few good lines out of the dialogue gods if Joss had come on board), it's the capacity to plan ahead and know where his story is going to go/have explanations for things. BSG could have REALLY used those in the latter half of the show.

[winegums.livejournal.com]

And I also agree on Steven Moffat. The tone of Doctor Who/Sherlock , and what we know as his strengths, those don't quite work with BSG.

Oh wait, I have a good one - JJ Abrams!

[winegums.livejournal.com]

how "good" his shows are/he will would have been for BSG is debatable, but he did have the capacity to spin some suspense out of things. Maybe that could have been useful when it came to the Cylons?

(also, after Alias - though that was just stupid - LOST and Fringe, cracktastically weird things happening on BSG might even have been made to work. Even if it's only in a camp way). He might have made the Final Five's backstory with all that singing on nuked!Earth less of a letdown, too.

Re: Oh wait, I have a good one - JJ Abrams!

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about him after I made this post. Silly me.

He also wrote Felicity, remember. So he's good at character driven as well as cracktastic.

Jason Katims ! !!!!!

[winegums.livejournal.com]

Ron Moore did work with him on Roswell (which I loved).

I would have loved to see Katims's take on pilots, especially since he did lovers' angst quite well, and as most people know from Friday Night Lights, the relationships on his shows are usually quite well-handled. I'd have loved to see him handle PapAdama and Lee, PapAdama and Laura, and of course, pilots, especially in the phase where they chose to walk away from each other/ were separated.

Aaron Sorkin writes Colonial Day....

[workerbee73.livejournal.com]

AND The Son Also Rises. And Sine Qua Non. And Revelations.


And pretty much anything else. ; )

Re: Aaron Sorkin writes Colonial Day....

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

YES, PLEASE.

The man does have a gift for writing ensemble casts, which I think was part of the problem later seasons of BSG had. By the end it was almost like 4 different shows crammed into a 45 minute slot.

[useyourlove.livejournal.com]

Moffaaaat. (Pardon me, I have a love affair with Moffat recently.)

I feel like Moffat would've handled the whole Jesus!Baltar thing much better--as in actually maintaining the narrative consistency of survival-at-all-costs, rather than just blanket "oh well, I guess I'm the Messiah now! Let's redeem humanity!" Although, honestly, Moffat strikes me as too ultimately optimistic to write for BSG at all.

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that Moffat could have run the whole show, but I think he could have done some great and deeply creepy things with BSG.

Can you imagine his version of Black Market, all twisty-turny and genuinely suspenseful?

[ninety6tears.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty late to this party, but Matthew Weiner, anyone? The way Mad Men carries a lot of emotional subtlety would have suited well to the relationships on the show, which often have to feel omnipresent even when the story doesn't give room for them to be directly addressed. Though I find myself less interested in how he would have handled pilots and more with the different tone he may have set with the politically significant characters.

[pressdbtwnpages.livejournal.com]

I confess to having only seen the first season and a half of Mad Men, I find it very slow, but I can see how the quiet angst and internalized politics of Mad Men could suit BSG. Especially if BSG focused more on the crew of the Galactica, beyond pilots, CIC, and a few deck crew.