Meet the New Hunks of Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome 

You don’t need the superior senses of a Cylon to see the queer appeal of the modern Battlestar Galactica (BSG) universe.

From the moment the reimagined BSG debuted in 2004, the space saga’s underlining theme of acceptance and diversity resonated with many LGBT viewers.

While the initial modern series offered few LGBT characters, its first spin-off, Caprica, charted a bold new direction for a high-profile sci-fi series by not only including LGBT characters as a part of the show’s primary cast, but also depicting sexuality in the BSG universe as fluid.

Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome, is a welcome addition to the sci-fi franchise. The new spin-off film, which lands on Blu-ray and DVD February 19, follows the adventures of young William Adama and is filled with action, eye candy, and a new Battlestar bromance.

We caught up with the film’s stars Luke Pasqualino (William Adama) and Ben Cotton (Coker Fasjovik) to chat about the spin-off’s future, the franchise’s inclusion of LGBT characters, and overcoming the challenges of working in a green screen environment.

The Advocate: Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome was initially released as mini webisodes online.  As actors, how did you feel about the movie being released in this unique manner?
Ben Cotton: I had never heard of anybody doing it like this before, but I think it’s great.

Luke Pasqualino: I agree. So many people are are using the Internet now to watch movies and TV shows online. As I heard a guy say a few weeks ago, “The Internet is the new TV,” so I think people being able to watch it online first is fantastic. Especially for people over on my side of the pond in England because we don't have the Syfy channel over in the U.K.

Caprica set a new standard for the way sexuality is depicted in a high-profile sci-fi series, but the reimagined Battlestar Galactica’s underlining theme of accepting diversity was something that resonated with LGBT fans as well. Was that something you were aware of when you joined the cast of Blood and Chrome?
Cotton: I’ll be honest, I hadn’t thought of that at all. But why not? The show deals with humanity and human issues, so I don’t see why any group would be excluded from that or should be.

Pasqualino: I wasn’t a Battlestar fan before I was involved in it, but people like to see action. People like to see relationships. People like real life stories and Battlestar offers that. The only difference between Battlestar and any other show is that it’s set in space, but we’re dealing with real life situations here whether it’s love, it’s hate, or whatever. I think we’re lucky to have so many fans who appreciate it.

Unfortunately, Blood and Chrome wasn’t picked up for a full season, but if it had been, would you like to have seen new LGBT characters introduced to the Battlestar universe?
Cotton: Were it to have gone to a series, yes, it would be great to see more [LGBT characters] in there.