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Galactica is done and gone
Saturday, February 11, 2006So, if you're reading this blog, you probably already know that I do the occasional "media project." The next one out from Gardner Central will be the first original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA novel from TOR, due out this August. The title of this opus is THE CYLONS' SECRET, and it's a prequel to the events on the show, delving more deeply into the background of three of the show's regular characters.
Well, once you finish a media project, it has to clear the production people at the studio/comics company/gaming company. I've had to totally rewrite a project at the last minute (and over the course of a weekend!) But that's another story, and had to do with a copy-editor that thought he/she was a far better writer than yours truly (he/she wasn't). But mostly you get comments like "Batman would never use that language!" or "We can't do that because we're doing something else in season two."
With something as suspenseful and tightly written as GALACTICA, I was a bit worried that I'd step on some taboo that I didn't even realize existed. So I was pleasantly surprised when the folks from the show let me know they had only one small problem with the manuscript (it had to do with the Cylons, natch) which I was able to correct by changing one word! So the manuscript is finished. Done, I tell you! Wending its way through the publishing process.
So I guess they liked it. When it shows up in bookstores in a few months, I hope you guys like it too.
Goodman, 12:10 PM | Story
Did the "folks from the show" include Ronald D. Moore? He seems to be the guy who has the final say on the show's scripts.
Craig Shaw Gardner, 1:35 PM | Story
Yep. Ronald Moore is very much involved. My editor, Mr. Moore and I had a 3-way conversation early on in the approval process which lasted the better part of an hour, and the final book edit came from his office. Unlike some other media projects I've been a part of, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Moore seems to be very hands-on in order to assure the quality of the finished project. He's definitely in charge, and I think the books will be better because of this.
Pedda, 5:34 PM | Story
I'm happy to learn that one of the show's developers actually talked to you - instead of the studio just selling off the licence and let the buyers do with the material whatever they want.
So can we assume that TCS will have some sort of semi-canonical status? Will future episodes build on the developments in your book or at least not contradict them?
Thanks
-Pedda
Craig Shaw Gardner, 3:53 PM | Story
Well, it's possible. In this situation, I'm essentially a "hired hand," working from the GALACTICA "bible" (the proposal used to sell the show) and the existing episodes. In my discussion with Mr. Moore, we agreed basically on what the universe was like before the war (which most definitely would carry over to the show) and what I could and couldn't do with existing characters. Whether the show will build on the events in the novel is up to the show's producers. (In the many media projects I've been involved with in the past, my input has actually changed a project once, so it does happen.)
Craig