Edward James Olmos Would Have Left Battlestar Galactica Over One Condition

• Television
• Science Fiction Shows

Science fiction is as malleable as any genre, but not every type of sci-fi attracts the same taste. Some sci-fi can be gritty, social commentary-heavy, and philosophical, while other examples feature lots of space battles, goopy creatures, and people with funny ears. This is likely why Edward James Olmos, upon being asked to lead a remake series of "Battlestar Galactica," was cautious enough to include an escape clause in his contract when asked to join the series in 2003. As he explained to the AV Club in 2021, he informed the show's producers about his hesitation in no uncertain terms:

"'I don't want things that are out in outer space; you get to this world and all the sudden they have these creatures, giant creatures.'"

In fact, Olmos went one better than just voicing concerns. He told the show's producers exactly what he would do if he ever saw, in his words, "some kind of science fiction-type idea of some weirdness out in space" while making the series:

"I am going to look at whatever it is that I'm looking at on camera, and I'm going to faint. And I said, 'You're going to have to write, 'Adama died of a heart attack.' You're going to have to write me out. Because I'm out.'"

Olmos wasn't the only "Galactica" actor to have doubts; Jamie Bamber was hesitant, as well. It's possible that Olmos and Bamber might've experienced pause given the original 1970s "Battlestar Galactica," which had a history of featuring so-called "weirdness out in space."

Battlestar Galactica helped change the stigma surrounding sci-fi television

With the benefit of hindsight, Edward James Olmos' comments and insistence on that special clause in his contract could sound a little closed-minded. Yet, odd as it may seem now, genre movies and television used to carry a surprising amount of cultural and social stigma, one that had the ability to negatively affect the careers of those who worked on them because of typecasting. It's for this reason why so many actors used to be trepidatious when asked to sign on to genre projects, especially a series.

Additionally, Olmos was coming from a place where the network behind "Galactica," the Sci-Fi Channel, was then primarily known for original programming that was the very definition of weird. Shows like "Farscape," "Lexx," and others prized themselves on their bizarre creatures of the week, and while those two examples were often very adult in their themes and characterizations, the aesthetics were understandably odd. Then there's the fact that, as previously mentioned, the original "Battlestar Galactica" involved the titular ship encountering various other planets or ships along their way, which contained the odd creature or two. Given all this, Olmos was understandably unsure what showrunner Ron Moore and company had planned for the future. However, they put it in terms most familiar to Olmos to reassure him:

"...they chuckled and said, 'No, we're more to the understanding of Blade Runner.' I said, 'Now, that's really good. There was no monsters in that, they were all human beings.' Well, it was replicants and Cylons, but you know."

While "Battlestar Galactica" ventured into its own brand of weird during its 5-season run, there never were any big extraterrestrial monsters. The series helped legitimize sci-fi TV, and Olmos never had to exercise his "heart attack" clause.