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[Kugai]

The mastermind behind such TV classics as the original Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider and Magnum P.I. passed away today from the complications of esophageal Cancer at the age of 77.

http://www.nerdist.com/2014/11/battlestar-galactica-creator-glen-a-larson-dies-age-77/

[jwhouk]

EDIT: Whoop, I thought QL was one of Larson's. My bad.

But the list - wow:

• Battlestar Galactica (in practically all of its forms)
• Knight Rider
• Magnum P.I.
• The Fall Guy
• Quincy M.E.
• BJ & The Bear
• The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
• Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
• The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
• McCloud
• Alias Smith & Jones

He was so old, he actually wrote an episode of The Fugitive. The ORIGINAL TELEVISION SERIES.

[BenRG]

Goodbye, Glen. You gave my childhood some of its crowning moments of heroism, excitement and adventure. The increasingly bland world of TV is poorer from your passing.

[Kugai]

He, Gerry Anderson and Irwin Allen brought us some of the most unique and entertaining shows which most of us grew up on.

He'll be missed indeed.

[BenRG]

Watching the original BSG opening reminded me of how our fiction follows our society. When the show was created, the great uniting fear of Western society was a 'Red Storm' overwhelming military assault by a faceless, collectivist enemy without individuality or true humanity and aided by foolhardy and self-obsessed traitors (the Communist block, or at least the popular view of it). Whereas, when Ron Moore wrote his own version of the show, the West's overwhelming fear was destruction that came primarily from within in the form of fifth columnists, disguised as fellow citizens, driven by a murderous religious ideology (Islamicist terrorism).

A similar popular awareness is visible in seasons 8-10 of Stargate SG-1 with their new enemy - the religious fundamentalist followers of the Origin religion.

[Aziraphale]

Watching the original BSG opening reminded me of how our fiction follows our society. When the show was created, the great uniting fear of Western society was a 'Red Storm' overwhelming military assault by a faceless, collectivist enemy without individuality or true humanity and aided by foolhardy and self-obsessed traitors (the Communist block, or at least the popular view of it). Whereas, when Ron Moore wrote his own version of the show, the West's overwhelming fear was destruction that came primarily from within in the form of fifth columnists, disguised as fellow citizens, driven by a murderous religious ideology (Islamicist terrorism).

A similar popular awareness is visible in seasons 8-10 of Stargate SG-1 with their new enemy - the religious fundamentalist followers of the Origin religion.

I think Larson's Mormonism goes farther in explaining the initial version of Battlestar (though I think you're right that the reboot was very much influenced by current events). I didn't notice the theological aspect to it initially (I was six years old when the first one came out, and I don't think I gave it much thought beyond, "Spaceships! Cool!"), but years later, having read up on the theology and especially the history of Mormonism, it made a lot of sense.

[Kugai]

Hey, at least he wasn't L. Ron.

[Aziraphale]

Hey, at least he wasn't L. Ron.

Or Orson Scott Card.

To clarify, neither man's Mormonism bothers me. In Larson's case, it's just an added dimension to his storytelling, and in Card's case... well, he's just a colossal prick, but that has nothing to do with the fact that he's a Mormon.

And L. Ron... that there's a level of cynicism that'd make Ayn Rand blush.

[Kugai]

The sad thing about L. Ron is he's one of the Sci-Fi authors of that era known as 'The Golden Age'.  A contemporary of such lights as Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke et-al, yet he seriously lost the plot at some stage and started believing in his own hype and started Scientology.