Although it retained many of the characters from the original series, Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reboot had one notable exception – Muffitt the Daggit – and with good reason. Moore’s BSG reboot was a more grounded approach to the sci-fi action-adventure style of Glen A. Larson’s original. At its core, the 21st century BSG was still a battle between good and evil in space, but in Moore’s reboot, that line between good and evil was harder to define.
The Battlestar Galactica reboot also excised the more overt science fiction elements of Glen A. Larson’s original. Moore changed the Cylons’ origins to be aligned with the progression of contemporary technology, rather than the fantastical alien origins of Larson’s show. To the delight of actor Edward James Olmos – who threatened to quit if aliens ever appeared on the show – Moore also removed any suggestion of outlandish extraterrestrial species, ensuring that his BSG was a more human story that ensured its crossover success. One of the casualties of Moore’s more stripped back approach was one of the original series’ stranger characters – Muffit the Daggit.
Muffit Wouldn’t Have Worked In The Battlestar Galactica Reboot
Muffit was the beloved pet dog – or daggit – of Boxey, the adopted son of Apollo (Richard Hatch). When the Cylons attacked Caprica, the animal was killed by falling debris, leaving the child devastated by the loss of his beloved pet. To help Boxey cope with the loss of Muffit, Apollo requested that Dr. Wilker recreate the beloved pet as a robotic daggit, named Muffit II. As well as the sentimental benefits for the young Boxey, there was also a need for daggits in Colonial society as pets, trackers, and security dogs.
While Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica reboot did tackle the needs of a society in the wake of a devastating attack, he largely ignored the role of animals. This meant that the reboot never attempted a similar storyline with his own Muffit the Daggit. It makes sense because, in the original series, Muffit looks less like a dog and more like a giant teddy bear with metal cuffs and a robotic visage. The cute creature would never have fitted into Moore’s grimier, grittier look at a society attempting to rebuild after an attempted genocide. Given Olmos’ noted disdain for overt sci-fi elements, the appearance of an oversized cuddly toy would surely have led to the actor quitting the show.
The BSG Reboot Did Have Animals (But Not As We Know Them)
In a 2005 interview first published on the Battlestar Galactica website, and reposted on the Battlestar Wiki, Ronald D. Moore explained why he didn’t include Muffit in his reboot. Moore stated that discussions were had about the role of animals in the wake of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, but the storyline was largely abandoned. In response to a question about whether viewers could expect to see similar robotic animals in his reboot, Moore said that he felt the Cylons aren’t “creating animals as we would define them“. He pointed to the relationship that the Cylons have with their crafts, like the Cylon Raider that was salvaged by Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff).
The Cylon that saved Starbuck’s life in Battlestar Galactica in season 1 was presented much like a bird of prey. The organic components of the Cylon Raider, and Starbuck’s empathy with the downed ship allowed her to rejoin the fleet. The presentation of the Cylons’ ships as living, thinking animals was emblematic of Moore’s approach to rebooting Glen A. Larson’s classic sci-fi adventure show. The empathic connection between Starbuck and her Cylon Raider was, therefore, a more grounded version of the connection between Boxey and Muffit in the original Battlestar Galactica.
