Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome could have launched another prequel series for the franchise, but Syfy had moved in a different direction by that point.
What Is It?
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is a ten-part web series that was originally planned as a pilot for a prequel series to the Sci Fi Channel’s 2003 BSG reboot. It follows a young William Adama who has been assigned to the Galactica during the First Cylon War. If the show had continued, it would have tracked the events relating to the war and leading up to Cylon surprise attack that decimated the colonies.
Aired: November to December 2012 as a Ten-Part Web Series
Starring: Luke Pasqualino, Ben Cotton, Lili Bordán, John Pyper-Ferguson
Created by: Michael Taylor, David Eick
Why Didn’t It Fly?
The web series had its moments and established characters that could have helped carry the story if allowed to continue. But it had its flaws as well and definitely fell short of the hard-hitting drama fans had become accustomed to with BSG. Not that it was a complete disaster, just not quite up to expectations for the much-lauded franchise. Had it been given the chance to continue on, though, there was plenty of potential for the prequel to rival the parent series if guided correctly (and if no angels were involved). It also could have picked up some of the storylines never fully explored in the Caprica prequel if it stuck around long enough.
Syfy originally gave the greenlight for a two-hour pilot, apparently with the intention of carrying it on as a series if the network executives liked what they saw. Then they decided to air it as a ten-part web series (approximately twelve minutes per ep) with the potential that it could continue in that format. When it was released in November 2012, the web series drew plenty of attention, and Syfy later aired it as a two-hour movie. But the network decided not to go forward with an ongoing series.
BSG: Blood & Chrome arrived several years after the Sci Fi Channel had rebranded as Syfy and shifted to “sci fi lite” fare such as Warehouse 13, Haven, and Being Human. The network had lost interest in the more expensive, space-based productions like those from the fan-favorite Battlestar: Galactica and Stargate franchises (Caprica and Stargate Universe had both been cancelled the prior year). So the new BSG show did not fit well with the new direction the network was following and was not given a chance to prove itself as an ongoing series.
Should It Be Revived/Rebooted?
Blood & Chrome did not generate much excitement from the BSG fanbase, so it seems unlikely that the property would be revived. Currently, another Battlestar: Galactica series is in the works for Peacock with Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail attached. It will allegedly take place in the same universe as the BSG reboot, so perhaps it can pick up on some of the storylines touched on in this failed pilot and left unresolved by Caprica. But beyond that, it seems unlikely that a revival of the Blood & Chrome idea will pick up the torch for the franchise.
Where Can You Watch It?
The web series has been compiled and released on DVD and Blu-ray and it is also available to purchase VOD. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services that I am aware of.
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