Crossmedia narratives in the Science-Fiction television discourse. The case of Battlestar Galactica (2003-2010)

Abstract

This article explores the Science Fiction crossmedia television narratives and their key uses for the promotion and the creation of entertainment in the current television system. Henry Jenkins and others have pointed out to the genre of science fiction as the most suitable for crossmedia narratives (Tulloch and Jenkins, 1994; Hills, 2004; Jenkins, 2009). This article will examine the specific case of Battlestar Galactica, which is considered a paradigmatic example of transmedia narrative, taking its starting point with the original television series in 1978. Following the contributions to the field of three authors (Beeson, 2005, Davidson 2008; Scolari, 2009), this paper proposes a methodology for analyzing the crossmedia narratives based on four vectors: 1) The relationship between story and medium 2) Narrative aspects (setting, characters, theme and plot), 3) Intertextuality and 4) Distribution and accessibility. The analysis of Battlestar Galactica will show the encouraging future of the transmedia narratives in the current television industry, while concluding that the effectiveness of the expansion of the fictional universes will appear finding a balance between the diversity and autonomy of the plots in several media and formats, and the complementarity and narrative unity to build solid and strong universes that contribute to the creation of fandom.