In 2003, the Sci Fi Channel rebooted the late-70’s camp space opera Battlestar: Galactica as a dark, gritty series that tackled grand philosophical issues and topical stories. But prior to that, original series star Richard Hatch had been lobbying for a revival for years and he even produced a proof-of-concept trailer for his idea.
Richard Hatch–playing Commander Apollo–was considered the series lead, receiving first position in the credit intros (though Dirk Benedict was more of the breakout star), and has long been associated with the original BSG. Following its cancellation after one season, Hatch went on to many guest star appearances and recurring roles on television (though he did not reprise his Apollo character in Galactica: 1980), but never found another lead role like the one he had in BSG. By the late 90s, Hatch had developed an interest in reviving his previous series (probably inspired by the success of the Star Trek sequels) and he even wrote or co-wrote several books that acted as a continuation of the story.
During that time, he also engaged in a full-fledged effort to revive the television show and funded a short pilot film titled Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming that he hoped would convince Universal (owners of the property) to bring it back. The new story takes place twenty years after the events of the original series (and wisely ignored the Galactica: 1980 diversion) as the remaining fleet finds itself once again threatened by destruction from the Cylons. It had a darker tone than the original series, though it did not venture into the same gritty territory as the 2003 reboot. Hatch reprised his role as Apollo (and also directed the film) and several other stars from the original series returned such as John Colicos and Terry Carter.
He took the film around to several conventions and it received mostly positive feedback from fans, but apparently not from Universal as they showed no interest in greenlighting his revival. BSG was eventually re-imagined by the Sci Fi Channel, starting with the 2003 mini-series and then becoming an ongoing series. Hatch was at first disappointed in the direction of the new series, but eventually decided to bury the hatchet (pun intended) and joined up in a recurring role as Tom Zarek. The actor would also continue to write BSG novels based on his own timeline, with seven completed.
Sadly, Richard Hatch passed away in 2017, but his legacy is well-remembered by fans of both incarnations of BSG. Yet another reboot of the franchise is on the way, though that will not follow the direction that Hatch spear-headed. You can read more about the new version currently in the works for the Peacock streaming service at this link. And you can read more about the original series at this link.
