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    Battlestar Galactica’s Spiritual Successor Needs A Return Way More Than The 2003 Show

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    Battlestar Galactica’s Spiritual Successor Needs A Return Way More Than The 2003 Show


    Although Battlestar Galactica is beloved, the 2003 show’s spiritual successor, which was released on Amazon, deserves to return to the silver screen more. The Battlestar Galactica franchise began in 1978 when the original sci-fi series debuted on ABC, garnering the 1979 People’s Choice Award for Best New TV Drama Series. However, the better-known version of the show is the iconic reboot, which ran from 2003 to 2009. The show helped redefine sci-fi, pushing the genre in a new direction and appealing to a broader audience.

    Since it went off the air in 2009, Battlestar Galactica has maintained its passionate fanbase, with the franchise garnering a prequel and a web series. In 2019, rumors started about another reboot, which was confirmed in 2020. The prospect of another revival might excite some fans, but The Expanse, a show like Battlestar Galactica, should have a chance to return instead.

    The Expanse Needs A Return Just As Much As Battlestar Galactica (If Not More)

    The Expanse Didn’t Recieve The Proper Ending That Battlestar Galactica Had

    The desire for more Battlestar Galactica is completely understandable, as it’s unquestionably one of the best sci-fi franchises of all time for a reason. The narrative and characters are complex, and the 2003 TV show pushed the sci-fi genre forward in multiple ways. Four seasons of the show just didn’t feel like enough, and it’s exciting to think about continuing that legacy. However, The Expanse deserves to return to the silver screen just as much as Battlestar Galactica. Both shows were, unfortunately, canceled due to insufficient ratings and high production costs.

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    The newer show has all the strong points of its predecessor, but it’s missing one thing Battlestar Galactica has – a satisfying ending. Even though the Battlestar Galactica finale is divisive, the story had a conclusion that felt complete and consistent with the show’s themes. The character arcs wrapped up reasonably, leaving very few unanswered questions. The Expanse ending left multiple questions open-ended, feeling more like a pause than an actual conclusion. For this reason, it would feel more satisfying to see The Expanse return than Battlestar Galactica.

    The Expanse Had A Great Run (But It Should Have Lasted Much Longer)

    The Expanse Only Adapted Two-Thirds Of The Source Material

    Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi (Dominique Tipper), and Amos (Wes Chatham) inside the Rocinante in The Expanse

    Over the course of six seasons, The Expanse made the audience invest in the passengers of Rocinante as they navigate the burgeoning war in the Sol System. The Expanse started on Syfy Channel but was canceled after three seasons. After its cancellation, fans started a campaign to revive the show. Luckily, Amazon picked up the series. This might seem like a long time at first glance, but The Expanse should have actually lasted longer based on the source material. The sci-fi show is based on a series of nine novels and numerous novellas by James S.A. Corey.

    The Expanse’s ship Rocinante is named after Don Quixote’s horse in the book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.

    The seasons maintained a steady pace with the books, adapting six books over the course of The Expanse’s six seasons adapt six books. Since the novellas are supplemental rather than part of the core narrative, the sci-fi show should have lasted three more seasons in order to reach the actual conclusion. Without those seasons, audiences are left to wonder about Duarte’s plan, the motivation of the Ring Entities, and what happens to multiple characters in The Expanse. The Sol System is also unstable at the end of The Expanse, raising questions about how the Belters and Inners maintain peace.

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    The series returning, whether on Amazon or another streaming site, would allow viewers to get answers to the biggest questions. Luckily, a return of The Expanse isn’t on a ticking clock like most other shows due to the source material. The story includes a 30-year time jump between books 6 and 7, so actors aging won’t be an issue for a potential return.

    How The Expanse Became The Perfect Spiritual Successor To Battlestar Galactica

    The Expanse And Battlestar Galactica Share Narrative Elements, Themes, and Styles

    Even though Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse have no direct connections, the two series feel like they’re cut from the same cloth. Battlestar Galactica changed the sci-fi genre in many ways, and its influence is evident when looking at The Expanse. The earlier show might fall into the sci-fi genre, but the series carries elements of gritty dramas like The Sopranos. Instead of using veiled references to social issues, the show is unapologetically political, making commentary that’s simultaneously timely and timeless. Similarly, the Amazon series centers on the politics within the Sol System, addressing topics like war, power, and poverty.

    The Amazon show certainly wouldn’t have looked the same without its predecessor, but it has enough unique elements to feel substantial without the comparison.

    Rather than taking an episodic approach, both shows have a continuous storyline from start to finish, sprinkling in subplots instead of making contained episodes. While most sci-fis make aliens the villains, Battlestar Galactica’s antagonists are humans or humanoid Cylons, while The Expanse’s villains are humans and protomolecule soldiers. The science part of the science fiction label also feels more grounded in realism in these series, incorporating real science and tech when writing and choreographing the space battles.

    Steven Strait as James Holden and Dominique Tipper as Naomi Nagata in The Expanse.

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    The parallels are unending. Still, despite having similar narrative approaches, tones, and styles, The Expanse feels like a spiritual successor to Battlestar Galactica rather than a ripoff or parody. The Amazon show certainly wouldn’t have looked the same without its predecessor, but it has enough unique elements to feel substantial without the comparison.

    What We Know About The Battlestar Galactica Reboot (Is It Still Happening?)

    Peacock’s Battlestar Galactica Reboot Is Officially Dead

    Battlestar Galactica's Last Supper poster

    Before the streaming platform’s 2020 launch, Peacock promised potential viewers a Battlestar Galactica reboot as one of its original shows, and fans have waited with bated breath since then. In the time since then, small announcements have come out about a writer and showrunner on the show. Unfortunately, Peacock stopped developing the Battlestar Galactica reboot in August 2024 after five years. Universal Cable Productions, the studio that signed on to produce the show, plans to shop the reboot out to other streaming platforms, but there’s no guarantee that any other companies will pick up the show.

    Ultimately, the Battlestar Galactica reboot dying might not be the worst thing because of the cyclical nature of society. The sci-fi show relies heavily on current political commentary, but the significant issues addressed in the previous Battlestar Galactica reboot still exist in 2025. A reboot talking about artificial intelligence, political unrest, individualism vs collectivism, and war could’ve felt redundant. If the reboot removed social commentary, it wouldn’t feel like Battlestar Galactica. As such, it’d be better for production companies to shift focus to bringing back a show, like The Expanse, which has something more to say.



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