Galactica novelisation review

[Captain Seafort]

Or, more accurately, a run through of the key differences between the novel and the film. Given the significance of some of them, I strongly suspect the novel was written first.

• The various replacement measures of time and distance don't exist - years are years, minutes are minutes, etc
  
  The Cylons are the original species, not robots. The novel goes into great detail about their society, biology and command structure, from the perspective of the Imperious Leader.
  
  Zac isn't on his first patrol, but is an experienced Warrior.
  
  A lot more attention is paid to the implications of the Galactica bugging out during the ambush of the fleet, not only from the perspective of the pilots left behind, but from Adama's.
  
  It's made clear that Serina is a very well known figure on Caprica, explaining Adama's recognition of her. She isn't Boxey's mother, but simply found him during the attack. Muffit also appears to be a far more realistic copy of a dog (still referred to as a Daggit in this case), and is destroyed during the final battle (and gets fixed).
  
  Adama is initially President of the Council after the holocaust, but resigns. His resignation is "lost" by the council following the final battle.
  
  Cassiopeia does more than scream to generate tension. Indeed, it turns out that she's a qualified tylium hauler pilot while Starbuck isn't.
  
  Galactica leaves most of the fleet (that portion without FTL) behind, protected by what appears to be a form of area-wide cloaking device, while she and the remaining third head to Carrilon.
  
  Much more time is given to developing Apollo and Serina's relationship.
  
  The approach to Carrilon is completely different - in this case the minefield is laid around the planet itself, rather than through the nova straights. The pilots are still flying with blanked-out cockpits, as the minefield includes a type designed to blind sensors and people. This later causes problems during the battle, as Galactica and the fleet have to escape through the same passage they came in through.
  
  The Ovions play a much great role, with part of the novel writen from their point of view, and with them being present assisting the Cylons in the final action.
  
  Adama's plan is different, keeping most of the pilots and all the Vipers (or "Starhounds") on Galactica, rather than sending the fighters down to the surface.
  
  Apollo and Starbuck's run that led to the destruction of the Imperious Leader's baseship does not occur.

So, has anyone else read this, and what do you think of it?

[Graham Kennedy]

I read it a long time ago, and remember thinking that it was rather good. It avoided a lot of the cheese factor in the series.

Oh, one thing I remember - Baltar was executed and his body disposed of by the Cylons right after the attack.

Another thing was the idea that the Cylons have multiple brains, with second and third brain cyclons having higher status. Intriguing.

[Captain Seafort]

Oh, one thing I remember - Baltar was executed and his body disposed of by the Cylons right after the attack.

That was in the original version of the film as well - they changed it for the series because they wanted him back. One interesting change, however, was that Baltar wasn't on the council - he was just a merchant. A rather shady one if Adama's opinion of him is anything to go by.

[Graham Kennedy]

Yes, he acted as something of a go-between for the talks, but he wasn't the guy in charge or powerful in any way, really.

[Mark]

I vaguely remember this book way back when.....but I'm not sure how close is was.

I have been reading the relaunch series though. Set 18 yahren in the future, and leads off with the death of Adama. What blows me away with that is was written by Richard Hatch, (Apollo oBSG, Tom Zerik nBSG), and you'd imagine that he'd get some details right. He seems to have forgot that Cylons are robotic, and has them as humanoid reptiles stuffed into armor, then just keep adding brains to hit the level of Lucifer and then the Imperious Leader.

I love certain aspects of hit, but he definitely wanked out Apollo (hmm...I wonder why) but Cain's reappearance in "Warhawk" was worth it

I'm slowly ordering them via Amazon

[colmquinn]

I'm slowly ordering them via Amazon

Well get soeone younger to work the mouse for you and it'll go quicker

[Mark]

ROLF

touche'

[Captain Seafort]

He seems to have forgot that Cylons are robotic, and has them as humanoid reptiles stuffed into armor, then just keep adding brains to hit the level of Lucifer and then the Imperious Leader.

That's exactly what the Cylons were in the novel.

[Mark]

Huh, odd.

Yet in "Saga of a Star World" they were specified as being the robotic servents of the original reptillian Cylon race, which died out, leaving the robots to claim the Cylon name.

I wonder why they went two completely different directions??????

[Graham Kennedy]

Novelisations are often based off quite an early version of the script, a version which is likely to change considerably after the author gets his copy to work from. Then throw in that scripts are often thinn on detail anyway, and that when a show is being made they usually have no idea how many aspects of it will pan out. In the new Galactica series, for instance, when they made the pilot miniseries they had no idea that Helo or Caprica would ever be seen again.

So an author basically has little choice but to fill in the backstory and details themselves, often without a whole lot of input from the producers since the novelisation isn't terribly important in the grand scheme of getting the show up and running.

They could order the show to stick to the novel, but the last thing writers want is to be bound by the ideas of some other writer, especially one who isn't really even a part of their show.

It can lead to some interesting changes... for instance I read the Alien novelisation and it describes the alien as having very large luminous eyes! Also it had Dallas captured and impregnated by the alien, something that would go completely against the whole concept of the queen brought in for Aliens.

[Mark]

Good point.

So, I'm up to book four in the relaunch series, and now I've seen it all. Cylons and Colonial Warriors engaged in hand to hand combat. Boomer smashes a Cylon with the butt-stock of a rifle. Starbuck rips off anothers arm and beats a third to death. And then....the Cylons surrender! Wow....never thought I'd see the day.

Not to mention, it seems like the author hadn't even read the proceeding book (Richard Hatch has a "co-writer" for each book), and even seems to have forgotten some of what they wrote in the beginning of the book.

Its really odd.......parts of it piss me off like I listed above, yet I still find myself captivated by the story.