Being human on New Caprica isn’t easy, especially with the oppressive forces of the Cylons threatening lives at every turn. But there is hope for humanity yet! Dynamite’s Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command tells the story of a group of freedom fighters beyond Cylon-controlled territory ready to fight back once and for all.
The new series written by Michael Moreci (Flash, Suicide Squad, Roche Limit) and drawn by Breno Tamura (12 Reasons to Die, Pigs, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey) hits comic shops in February. With colors by Diego “Dijo” Lima (Doctor Who, Assassin’s Creed) and letters by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood and the Outlaws, Bettie Page) the book promises to fill in a time jump that occurred on the show and explain what happened to humanity and New Caprica during that gap in the narrative. The Beat chatted with Moreci about the upcoming project and what inspired him to tell this tale.
Deanna Destito: As a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica, why was telling this story important for you and for the world’s canon?
Michael Moreci: Well, I think the best part, for me, was telling a story that extends the boundaries of the BSG mythos. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, as most people know, and I loved Rogue One to death. One of the best things about it was seeing how other people played a vital role in the rebellion. That’s always been assumed and in the background, but making those other roles real was really big, in my opinion, and I approached my BSG in the same way. I wanted to show that the war against the Cylons touched more than the Adamas and Starbuck and Chief, etc. A lot of hands went into raising up this effort, and that’s what I went in trying to depict.
Destito: I’m a big fan of stories like this that fill in gaps, add characters to the world etc. How long has this story been cooking in your head?
Moreci: No joke, I’ve wanted to tell a story in this timeframe (during the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, between seasons 2 and 3) forever. Probably since I watched the show. It always felt to me–particularly with the jump in time that occurs–that we only saw a slice of this very important story, and I’ve always wanted to know more of what happened to the colonists during this time. And now, I get to show some of this very thing!
Destito: What will old fans like about this and what is there for new readers who may know nothing about this universe?
Moreci: I think old fans will enjoy that, while not a BSG story involving the main cast (directly, at least–we see many of our favorites, Adama in particular, along the way), this story is thoroughly BSG, top to bottom. I worked really hard to maintain the spirit of BSG–I spirit I adore–and put it into a new context. This show’s been off the air for years, after all; I, as a dedicated fan, would be craving something just like this. As for new readers, since this is an all-new cast, I think the series can work as an introduction to what BSG is–how it functions, how it feels. It’s an existential war story, in space, with robot overlords. It’s gritty, it’s smart, and it’s deeply human. If you walk away getting even some of that from my series, I don’t know how you could resist going back and exploring the entire run.
Destito: Of the new characters, who has been your favorite and why. Who is your favorite classic character?
Moreci: Flores, for sure. I think she gives a human component that we haven’t seen before, but one that’s really appropriate for the series. She’s a military commander who lost everything in the Cylon nuclear attack, and this loss has changed her as a person–it’s changed so many of the colonial survivors. She’s the anti-Adama, in a sense; instead of doubling down on what he did best, Flores had a crisis of faith, of existence, and this story I’m telling is mainly about her trying to reclaim her former sense of self. My favorite classic character, on the other hand, is Adama. I mean…he’s Adama! Tough, fair, compassionate, and cool–and who wouldn’t want to write Edward James Olmos?
Destito: Would you be interested in further expanding the world of Battlestar Galactica with more stories and characters in the future? Do you have other ideas already in mind? Any you could tease?
Moreci: Yes. YesYesYes. I’d do anything to keep telling BSG stories and expanding this world, and I have a ton of ideas that I’d love to explore. One would involve the Cylons prior to the mini-series. Another, if I’m being really ambitious, try to stitch Caprica, a show I loved, into the BSG continuity more closely, somehow. Maybe one day…
Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command #1 goes onsale February 6. Also available are two covers: one by Tamura and another by Brent Schoonover.
