Another Clash Of Battlestar-sized Egos

Here we go again.

We thought we had settled the classic-versus-new "Battlestar Galactica" feud, but it's crept back.

Richard Hatch, the original Apollo from the 1978 series may have resolved his differences with the new regime, but now we're left with the battle of the Starbucks.

All of this dissension is making the BSG set look more like the Middle East and less like a television production. (We can only hope the old and new Boomers--Herb Jefferson and Grace Park, respectively--don't decide to start their own battle royale.)

In this latest controversy, Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck on the new show, apparently said she won't consider appearing with Dirk Benedict, who played the original version on the original series.

"If Dirk pitched up to work on the show, I'd probably quit," she's quoted as saying in a magazine interview. "I met him in Los Angeles, and I thought we'd really hit it off. He was a great guy. He was very complimentary and very un-Hollywood."

"Then he turned around a month later and talked complete crap about the show and the actors on it," she continued. "He wrote an article saying the network sold out and my character was more brash than his character."

"I felt like he'd stabbed me in the back. I know that sounds like me being very sensitive, but I felt very befriended by him, then I read that about a month later," she added.

Actors are famous for their big egos; it's one of the reasons such folks are drawn to the profession. (To be fair, the egos of scifi columnists are only proportionally smaller.)

On the one hand, Sackhoff's comments are refreshingly honest.

On the other, one hopes that on reflection, she can rise above those off-the-cuff remarks.

After all, Hatch was able to put aside his earlier barrage of criticism for the new SciFi Channel series come to such a truce with the new series' producers that a new part was written for him.

Tricia Helfer, who plays Cylon Number Six, earlier this year described how Hatch and the new "Battlestar" crew were able to end their acrimony and create a positive relationship.

After the success of the "Battlestar" miniseries at the end of 2003, Hatch a had "heart-to-heart" talk with executive producers Ron Moore and David Eick, and obviously, they came to a truce, she said.

"When that happened, when [Hatch] arrived on set for the table reading for the first day, I think as actors the rest of went, 'Okay, they've arrived at a truce. We have nothing against him, so let's all be open-minded and friendly,'" Helfer said.

"And that's what it was. He was great, he came in great. And we all welcomed him with open arms and it's been a great working relationship since,” she added. “I think as adults you can say, 'Okay, we've had our differences but let's move forward.' I'm happy to say that was a good case of that."

Sackhoff may or may not have a big ego, but she's paid a wage many would envy to also be a professional. It would be nice that, after her initial anger, she could put any ego aside and do what's in the interest of the series overall and at least make an effort to move forward from her own differences with Benedict.

Perhaps a talk to clear the air over a cup of coffee, dare I suggest it, at the local Starbucks?

A former entertainment journalist, Scott Nance is a member of the USS Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, D.C., area. He is a columnist for SyFy Portal, and can be reached at scottnance@syfyportal.com.

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