Richard Hatch (BSG, Axanar) Dead at 71
- Thread starter 137th Gebirg
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R.I.P. Apollo…
So say we all.
So say we all.
^^^ Yep, me too. In fact, the first time I heard Hatch (as Zarek) say "Captain Apollo" and "Commander Adama" in the NuBSG dialog, I felt this odd wave of nostalgia. It just sounded so "right" when he spoke those particular words.
BSG was my first childhood favorite movie (although I was more a Starbuck than Apollo fan). Hatch is, however, one of the only celebrities from whom I have an autograph. I got him to sign my Battlestar Galactica Scrapbook at a comic expo about 20 years ago. I asked him how confident he was in a BSG revival, given his work on the subject. He said "We always have to hope, friend!"
Having had two opportunities to meet and interact with Richard Hatch in the past four years due to him being a convention guest at the Salt Lake Comic Con and its spin-off Fan Xperience event, this news saddens me more than any of the other celebrity deaths that have happened recently because it's more personal to me.
Tom Zarek is and will remain one of my favorite characters from the new Battlestar Galactica, which is the role for which I will always personally remember Mr. Hatch even though I know that many others will always see him as the original Captain Apollo (and that's okay).
Knowing that he's gone now will make me cherish the cell phone picture I took of myself and him the first time I met him and the autographed photo I bought the second time I met him all the more.
Tom Zarek is and will remain one of my favorite characters from the new Battlestar Galactica, which is the role for which I will always personally remember Mr. Hatch even though I know that many others will always see him as the original Captain Apollo (and that's okay).
Knowing that he's gone now will make me cherish the cell phone picture I took of myself and him the first time I met him and the autographed photo I bought the second time I met him all the more.
Though the original BSG may have been a little cheesy at times, it certainly had a great cast, with Hatch being one of the best of that group. I was happy to see him in nu-BSG years later.
Who are Commander Straker and Admiral Nelson? I know the rest of the names, but I don't remember ever hearing those two.Rest In Peace, Richard Hatch.
From my '70s boyhood, among my science-fiction heroes Richard Hatch's Captain Apollo was important as Captain Kirk, Commander Koenig, Luke Skywalker, Commander Straker, John Robinson, Admiral Nelson and Buck Rogers.
I think a large part of that may be that as Nu BSG went on, Jamie Bamber's character became thought of as Lee Adama more than as Apollo. Definitely by season 4 I was thinking of him as Lee a lot more than I thought of him as Apollo. Meanwhile, Hatch's classic BSG character was known as Apollo all throughout the series, so, yeah, I think regardless of which BSG you watched first it's very common to think of Richard Hatch when you hear "Captain Apollo" than Jamie Bamber.
Ironically, with Starbuck it's probably the opposite, more people think of Katee Sackhoff these days than Dirk Benedict.
The best part is, Richard wasn't so upset about his BSG idea not getting picked up that we were able to enjoy him as Tom Zarek.
I'm glad he was a part of both series'.
I'm glad he was a part of both series'.
Absolutely! He really put passion into the Zarek character that made him quite compelling. It's easy to label him as a radical terrorist (which he was), but he definitely added some shades of gray in there to flesh him out and make him so much more than a two-dimensional mustache-twirler of the week for Adama and Roslyn. I remember when many of the TOS purists condemned him as a sell-out for bending the knee to RDM's vision. They just never really "got it", I think, and IMO, BSG as a whole benefitted greatly from his involvement and activism in supporting both versions.
I'm actually kind of surprised with myself that I'm still quite distraught over his passing. I don't think I've felt this way before about any actors that I liked in the past. Makes me really kind of apprehensive how I'm going to react when William Shatner goes. Might have to sequester myself away for a couple weeks on that sad event.
I'm actually kind of surprised with myself that I'm still quite distraught over his passing. I don't think I've felt this way before about any actors that I liked in the past. Makes me really kind of apprehensive how I'm going to react when William Shatner goes. Might have to sequester myself away for a couple weeks on that sad event.
Rest In Peace, Richard Hatch.
From my '70s boyhood, among my science-fiction heroes Richard Hatch's Captain Apollo was important as Captain Kirk, Commander Koenig, Luke Skywalker, Commander Straker, John Robinson, Admiral Nelson and Buck Rogers.
Battlestar Galactica was before my time, but one of the local channels aired the reruns after school so I got to watch that and Buck Rogers all the time.
First David Banner, now Apollo. once Starbuck/Faceman, Michael Knight, Buck Rogers, Bo and Luke Duke, and MacGyver are gone, that's my childhood.
Did anyone see the written tribute that SyFy gave to Hatch on two different occasions during The Expanse?
Richard was originally vehemently opposed to the BSG reboot, but changed his mind after he had an opportunity to actually meet RDM and David Eick and hear from them firsthand their reasons for approaching the property the way that they were, which is what led to him joining the show as Zarek, a character who, in his own words, ultimately ended up meaning as much to him as Apollo.
R.I.P. Mr. Hatch.