The latest attempt to revive the Battlestar Galactica has received some disappointing news. The sci-fi series originated as a one-season series that ran from 1978 to 1979, with a continuation titled Galactica 1980 airing ten episodes in 1980. The most popular incarnation of Battlestar Galactica was the Syfy Channel Original series from Ronald D. Moore, which originated as a miniseries in 2003 before becoming a series that aired from 2004 to 2009. That series breathed new life into the franchise, and in the years since it went off the air, NBCUniversal has attempted to relaunch the franchise, bringing on Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail.

Sadly, it looks like the Battlestar Galactica revival has hit a major speed bump. Or is it more like a brick wall? According to Deadline, NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock has decided not to move forward with the series. Reportedly, the series was never given the green light and has been in development since it was first announced in 2019, despite bringing in Derek Simonds to serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series production company, Universal Cable Productions, aka UCP, will sell the series to other networks and streamers.

What’s Next for the Battlestar Galactica Reboot?

Sam Esmail was brought on board the Battlestar Galactica revival in 2019 with the intention of airing the series on Peacock to boost the value of the company’s streaming platform with an original series based on one of their biggest IP. At the time, Universal was looking to branch out their various franchise with Peacock’s original series, attempting to make the streaming platform a worthy competitor to Disney+, Max, and Netflix. Peacock turned to successful franchises like Pitch Perfect and Ted for Peacock’s original series and even considered turning the notable box office bomb Waterworld into a streaming series.

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Yet, in the five years since the Battlestar Galactica revival was announced, Peacock has struggled to keep up with the major streaming platforms and cuts have been made across the board. With how popular the 2000s reimaging of Battlestar Galactica was and Sam Esmail’s series intending to be set in the same continuity, it seemed like a new series was a no-brainer. Yet the world is a very different place than the one that Ronald D. Moore’s dramatic reimagining arrived in, and that series was very much of its moment, including being a prestige cable television for the Syfy Network.

There is still a chance that the Battlestar Galactica revival could return to the Syfy network like its predecessor, or a streaming platform like Netflix or Prime Video could pick it up. AppleTV+ is reportedly scaling back on spending, yet a popular IP series like Battlestar Galactica would certainly draw more viewers to their streaming platform. While this is a troubling development for the series, hopefully, Battlestar Galactica can find a way to return. So say we all.

Battlestar Galactica Release Date December 8, 2003 Main Genre Sci-Fi Seasons 4 Creator Ronald D. Moore, David Eick Expand