Battlestar Galactica (the latest one, that is) has already been off the air for more than a decade. It’s on this day, however, at the opening of NYCC 2021 (New York Comic Con), that two of the show’s stars took the stage to reminisce about the iconic science fiction series.
Stars Mary McDonnell (President Roslin) and Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama) recollected fondly about their time among the stars aboard the Battlestar Galactica. As noted, the show was, in some ways, at its heart a love story. It was the writing of that story, and the series in general, that wooed Olmos to the production. “By doing Blade Runner, I kinda felt that I had touched that world in way that was enough,” Olmos recalled of working in science fiction. “But I read the script… it was one of the finest pieces of work I’d read… I was very fortunate to be a part of it.”
Battlestar Galactica comes to NYCC 2021
“This became so much more than any of us anticipated,” said Olmos. “It allowed growth, and surprise,” added McDonnell. Each used those words to describe the progression of the Roslin/Adama relationship over the course of the Battle Galactica series. One of the greatest strengths of the show was its roots in realism, despite clearly being a work of science fiction. The way in which Olmos and McDonnell recalled the series to the NYCC 2021 crowd is a testament to how real it was for the actors as well.
“It’s deeply personal,” McDonnell said of embodying and portraying a fictional character. Michael Hogan doing so on Battlestar Galactica as Colonel Tigh was, for both her and Olmos, one of the true highlights of the show.
For those in attendance at NYCC 2021, and all the rest of us fans of the show, knowing how much it also meant to the actors is a comforting notion.
So say we all.
