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Why Katee Sackhoff Can't Watch OG Episodes of Battlestar Galactica: "How Do You Take That Seriously?"
She's got a point: TV shows were just campier in the '70s.
If there's one asteroid field Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace can't maneuver through, it's the original iteration of Battlestar Galactica.
During an interview with Esquire all the way back in 2007, actress Katee Sackhoff (who starred in SYFY's acclaimed revival of the classic sci-fi series) explained why she found '70s-era episodes of BSG more repellent than a Cylon armada. Okay, maybe "repellent" is too strong a word here, but Sackhoff's reasoning was sound: TV shows — especially science fiction shows — were just campier in 1978.
RELATED: Katee Sackhoff, Tricia Helfer & Edward James Olmos Reunite 14 Years After Battlestar Galactica
You can't really blame a person for failing to take them seriously in the 21st century.
Why Katee Sachkoff can't watch original episodes of Battlestar Galactica
"I can't even watch an old episode of Battlestar Galactica without cracking up because that stupid dog shows up," she said, referring to the canine-adjacent daggit. "It's right up there with Alf. I mean, how do you take that seriously? I loved it when I was 12, but come on."
Developed for the small screen by Ronald D. Moore, SYFY's modern take on Battlestar Galactica ran from 2003 to 2009, encompassing a miniseries, four full seasons, and two made-for-TV movies (plus a 2012 web series prequel). The series was one of the most critically- acclaimed sci-fi shows of the modern era, nabbing Emmy wins, TCA awards, and finding itself on plenty of "Best Of" lists along the way.
Moore basically took the base concept of the original Battlestar series and used those elements to create a gritty, grounded and compelling series about the last tattered bits of humanity trying to surviving on the run against an enemy that has them out-gunned at every turn. Which, as Sackhoff notes, is a far cry from the campy, sometimes silly original that inspired it.
"Science fiction fans are awesome — they love you so much that they'll watch anything you do, even if it's complete crap," Sackhoff added. "I never dreamed that I would go to conventions and sit down and have coffee with a Klingon. It's so weird, but it's my life. I get recognized so much. It happens mostly when I'm in Starbucks. I always hear some guy behind me go, 'Dude you're never going to believe this: I'm at Starbucks, and Starbuck's here!'"
Want more SYFY Originals? Head over to Peacock for Chucky, Resident Alien, and The Ark!
