GALACTICA 6551: A fan-made virtual 2nd season of BSG by Revell-Fan
- Thread starter Revell-Fan
- Start date
Episode 3: "The Value of Life" has been completely revised and it available here. Brand-new translation, fewer mistakes, two enhanced scenes and a full color cover added. One of the most obvious issues was the short timeframe. I edited this and replaced the chapter titles so that the story expands over a longer period of time which makes the story more believable. Enjoy! 
Episode 7: "Tactical Preparations" has been revised and is available here.
Episode 9 is still WIP. I have several possible plot lines which are somehow lacking. I still can't figure out what it is but the spy plot is too complicated and annihilates itself half way through. The episode is great in setting everything up but there is absolutely no way to bring the mini arc to a satisfying conclusion. However, yesterday I had another idea which might bring everything together but in an entirely different way. We'll see if it works. 
Working on Episode 10, I found a major issue. I don't know what I was smoking when I made the first translation BUT the translation missed a MAJOR plot point! After the first encounter with the landing party the amazons decide not to attack immediately but to wait till the rescue party has arrived. That way they are able to seize TWO teams at the same time, doubling their gain. This fact was completely missing in the first version!
I was thinking about those double letters and missing words in my scripts. I may have an explanation: The first version was written in WordPerfect. A few years ago I switched to LibreOffice and converted the files accordingly. I guess that those issues were created during the conversion. Ah well. The new versions will even be better than before, so nothing to worry about!
Working on Episode 10, I found a major issue. I don't know what I was smoking when I made the first translation BUT the translation missed a MAJOR plot point! After the first encounter with the landing party the amazons decide not to attack immediately but to wait till the rescue party has arrived. That way they are able to seize TWO teams at the same time, doubling their gain. This fact was completely missing in the first version!
I was thinking about those double letters and missing words in my scripts. I may have an explanation: The first version was written in WordPerfect. A few years ago I switched to LibreOffice and converted the files accordingly. I guess that those issues were created during the conversion. Ah well. The new versions will even be better than before, so nothing to worry about!
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UPDATES!!!
Episode 10 "Close Encounters" is available here.
Episode 11 "Reflections" is available here (new cover and minor grammar and spelling fixes).
Episode 12 "A Hero's Ballad" is available here. It features a brand-new cover. This version will be updated again shortly to feature the complete notes of the song.
Episode 10 "Close Encounters" is available here.
Episode 11 "Reflections" is available here (new cover and minor grammar and spelling fixes).
Episode 12 "A Hero's Ballad" is available here. It features a brand-new cover. This version will be updated again shortly to feature the complete notes of the song.
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Episode 13 "Voice of the Serpent" has been revised and is available here. It features a brand-new cover and a new expanded novelization.
I finally had some time to bring the German versions of the episodes up to date. They now feature the same formatting, including the scene descriptions which make everything much easier to read and to follow. While comparing the English version with the German verion I noticed that there were several goofs in the descriptions which I eliminated on-the-fly. I am pretty please with the results so far, so I think the current versions will be the ultimate ones. Watch out for more updates and more new episodes.
Alright folks, here we go again!
It is so frustrating to have so many ideas but so little time to bring them to life. However, as my dear friend @Rhaven Blaack likes to say, you can eat an elephant - one bite at a time.
SO. After several months of hard work I have finally managed to complete one of the (surprise!
) formerly incomplete episodes: 14. World's End. The story started as an episode of "Seal Our Fate" called "Revelations" and was heavily inspired by the Persian Gulf War from 1991. I was going to school back then and one of the most prominent topics was the fight for resources in the future. It was said that future wars would not be fought for gold, oil or power but for water. So I took this topic and turned it into a science fiction episode.
The "Seal Our Fate" episode was pretty basic but had all elements which are present in the "Galactica 6551" rework: a crashed spaceship in the (Iraqi) desert, the crew was dying of thirst, an away team would investigate covertly (including K.I.T.T., Turbobikes and forcefields making them invisible), and in the end the Galactica would come to the rescue. Even the prophecy was there but instead of the beings of light it was the Grey who spread the news of the End of the World (hence, the new title). The drama was there but it was very cliché and a bit cringe, but in 1996 it was the best I was able to come up with. The explosion at the end was caused by a burning piece of wood which was pretty far-fetched, even at that time. But there was ONE image which was too good to let the idea die. So I took it and brought it up to date for a modern audience, with more action, drama and THIS ONE IMAGE which you will never forget once you see it.
The "Galactica 6551" version takes us to Elfasia on the planet Sorathu.
The story needed aliens which were totally different from humans in order to show two species which have never met before. I chose reptiloids because they would fit best in a scifi desert enironment and made some preliminary sketches like these:
This started as a pencil sketch; Gemini brought it to life 25 (!) years later.
Then I thought about something else. Why not use one of the most interesting designs of a Galactica series that unfortunately did not make it to the screen: the organic Cylon design by Vincent Guastani. So I took this instead as a base for the look of the inhabitants. Meet Tokran Sai and Sontar:
A Sorathan aide and a soldier. Yes, they do not look very friendly. And they aren't.
A big influence in the rewrite was the "Enterprise" episode "The Communicator", followed by "TNG"'s "Chain of Command" (yaknow, the four lights!) and "DS9"'s "The Siege of AR-558".
First draft of a "Kharuun" (sandhorn).
The most difficult part was to merge and intertwine four story threads which take place and evolve simultaneously. In fact, this was the reason why it took me at least ten years to bring everything together. At first, I had no idea how to do this. I knew the places A, B, C and D, but I had no idea how I would get to them. Finally I started making some sort of spread sheet, wrote everything down which happened where, and then broke it up into scenes. Then I moved those scenes around till they made sense - more or less. There were so many open ends that I put the episode on hold and continued with the next episodes 15 and 17. It really feels weird to finish the conclusion before the beginning, but that's how things were. Ah well.
Disaster on the Corvus.
At the end of last month I began sorting things out and getting everything into shape. Surprisingly the loose ends, logistic and logical issues solved themselves by writing. This is always the best way. I let the characters decide what to do next and they brought themselves from A to B to C and D. Marvellous. Every thread remained and was put to good use, the stakes were high, the action tense and the outcome reads like a charm. What more do you want.
The Corvus out of control.
The result is even better than anticipated. The prophecy got a bit more punch than intended but I thought it would not be too bad to give the audience something to think about. Things will get clearer as the series progresses, especially in episodes 20 ans 21. (The finale of the series is complete but needs to be prepared and polished a bit before it can be released, so rest assured, I will not let you read this without giving you a proper conclusion later. )
One thing of note: This episode is gritty. It is adventurous, it is fun (sometimes), it has THIS ONE IMAGE which will blow your mind, but it has consequences. Bad consequences for a main character. Some may not like what I have done but I felt it necessary to pick one main cast member to make the punch work. It will shake you, that's for sure. War is not nice. It leaves scars. And the scars you do not see are the worst.
I'm currently finalizing the formatting of the German version and will proceed with the English translation after that. Stay tuned, both versions will be released soon!
It is so frustrating to have so many ideas but so little time to bring them to life. However, as my dear friend @Rhaven Blaack likes to say, you can eat an elephant - one bite at a time.
SO. After several months of hard work I have finally managed to complete one of the (surprise!
) formerly incomplete episodes: 14. World's End. The story started as an episode of "Seal Our Fate" called "Revelations" and was heavily inspired by the Persian Gulf War from 1991. I was going to school back then and one of the most prominent topics was the fight for resources in the future. It was said that future wars would not be fought for gold, oil or power but for water. So I took this topic and turned it into a science fiction episode.The "Seal Our Fate" episode was pretty basic but had all elements which are present in the "Galactica 6551" rework: a crashed spaceship in the (Iraqi) desert, the crew was dying of thirst, an away team would investigate covertly (including K.I.T.T., Turbobikes and forcefields making them invisible), and in the end the Galactica would come to the rescue. Even the prophecy was there but instead of the beings of light it was the Grey who spread the news of the End of the World (hence, the new title). The drama was there but it was very cliché and a bit cringe, but in 1996 it was the best I was able to come up with. The explosion at the end was caused by a burning piece of wood which was pretty far-fetched, even at that time. But there was ONE image which was too good to let the idea die. So I took it and brought it up to date for a modern audience, with more action, drama and THIS ONE IMAGE which you will never forget once you see it.
The "Galactica 6551" version takes us to Elfasia on the planet Sorathu.
The story needed aliens which were totally different from humans in order to show two species which have never met before. I chose reptiloids because they would fit best in a scifi desert enironment and made some preliminary sketches like these:
This started as a pencil sketch; Gemini brought it to life 25 (!) years later.
Then I thought about something else. Why not use one of the most interesting designs of a Galactica series that unfortunately did not make it to the screen: the organic Cylon design by Vincent Guastani. So I took this instead as a base for the look of the inhabitants. Meet Tokran Sai and Sontar:
A Sorathan aide and a soldier. Yes, they do not look very friendly. And they aren't.
A big influence in the rewrite was the "Enterprise" episode "The Communicator", followed by "TNG"'s "Chain of Command" (yaknow, the four lights!) and "DS9"'s "The Siege of AR-558".
First draft of a "Kharuun" (sandhorn).
The most difficult part was to merge and intertwine four story threads which take place and evolve simultaneously. In fact, this was the reason why it took me at least ten years to bring everything together. At first, I had no idea how to do this. I knew the places A, B, C and D, but I had no idea how I would get to them. Finally I started making some sort of spread sheet, wrote everything down which happened where, and then broke it up into scenes. Then I moved those scenes around till they made sense - more or less. There were so many open ends that I put the episode on hold and continued with the next episodes 15 and 17. It really feels weird to finish the conclusion before the beginning, but that's how things were. Ah well.
Disaster on the Corvus.
At the end of last month I began sorting things out and getting everything into shape. Surprisingly the loose ends, logistic and logical issues solved themselves by writing. This is always the best way. I let the characters decide what to do next and they brought themselves from A to B to C and D. Marvellous. Every thread remained and was put to good use, the stakes were high, the action tense and the outcome reads like a charm. What more do you want.
The Corvus out of control.
The result is even better than anticipated. The prophecy got a bit more punch than intended but I thought it would not be too bad to give the audience something to think about. Things will get clearer as the series progresses, especially in episodes 20 ans 21. (The finale of the series is complete but needs to be prepared and polished a bit before it can be released, so rest assured, I will not let you read this without giving you a proper conclusion later.
)One thing of note: This episode is gritty. It is adventurous, it is fun (sometimes), it has THIS ONE IMAGE which will blow your mind, but it has consequences. Bad consequences for a main character. Some may not like what I have done but I felt it necessary to pick one main cast member to make the punch work. It will shake you, that's for sure. War is not nice. It leaves scars. And the scars you do not see are the worst.
I'm currently finalizing the formatting of the German version and will proceed with the English translation after that. Stay tuned, both versions will be released soon!
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