Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome is a ten episode web series currently airing on Machinima. It's a slick look at the events that made William Adama a man for the first time. It begins with his first day on the Galactica as a young, hot-headed pilot and through his first mission.
The show looks fantastic and lives up to the legacy of SyFy's Battlestar Galactica series in all the right ways. It's at once familiar, but everything is turned on its head, newer. And we're given a young, new Adama, setting foot on his ship for the first time.
It's well paced, tense, and takes you in places you'd never expect to go.
And the best part? It's available for free on Youtube.
Playing young William Adama is one Luke Pasqualino. I had a chance to talk to him briefly about the new series and his take on the character that Edward James Olmos made iconic.
Bryan Young: As you were preparing for the role, I mean, clearly you've made it your own and it's completely different from anything Edward James Olmos did. Did you go back and look at anything he did and try to incorporate it for yourself?
Luke Pasqualino: I actually didn't. I saw a couple of episodes, but after a bit of thought, I really wanted to stay away from watching Eddie [James Olmos]'s work. Not for any other reason. I think he's great, and he's a true gentleman. I didn't want Eddie's work to sway my interpretation of the material I was given.
I thought the script was great, I think being a man at 22-years-old, and being a man at 40, 50, are two completely different journeys and two completely different stories in a man's life, and I do believe that there are some parallels between the ages, but ultimately, I'm kind of a different person. You grow up so much in 20 years, you become wiser, you become more of a man, and I just wanted to play a completely almost different character than what Eddie portrayed.
Bryan Young: If you were able to step into any other science fiction, or franchise all together, what do you think that would be?
Luke Pasqualino: James Bond. To be a part of that franchise would be great; it's every young man's dream. But sci-fi? Battlestar and Battlestar only. I have to say that. But really, I had a great time shooting it, and I feel truly honored to be the Chosen One, to play such an iconic role, and I hope things go further so I can give the fans what they deserve really which is a young Adama, and I know there is a lot more story to give.
I also had a chance to speak with David Eick, the creator, producer, and writer of the show about the possibility of seeing more than just this 100 minute web series:
Bryan Young: With the concept then, as developed specifically for this kind of distribution pattern, and, testing the waters, as you say, is this an intimation that there is more to come if this proves popular enough?
David Eick: I certainly have been told that, and I certainly wouldn't have embarked on this to do a one off, 100 minute story to be divided into 10 parts.
I mean, that would have been fun if I didn't have anything else to do, but honestly, I really value my time, and I really wouldn't have chosen to dive back into the Battlestar mythology if there wasn't a tremendous upside from the standpoint of providing a whole new world of stories, and this was always, for me, the first of many stories to tell in the world of a young Adama and the early evolution of the Cylons, and how we came to the character that would become Edward James Olmos and how that character was born and christened by fire.
If I could tell those stories for the next 10 years, I would do it. That's my favorite thing to do. Battlestar Galactica is my favorite thing to do, so given the opportunity, I'll always chase it, but it has to be the right opportunity, and I felt this was, and I certainly believe that with success, we'll continue to make more.
Talking to both of them, their enthusiasm for the project came right through the phone. You can tell they love the project and are incredibly proud of it.
You can watch the first episode here, and through the portal below, you'll be led to the rest of the parts that have currently been released of the show.
Trust me, you won't regret it.
(Bryan Young is an author and the editor of the geek news site Big Shiny Robot!)