ABC Wanted To Cast Don Johnson As One Of Battlestar Galactica's Main Heroes

"Battlestar Galactica" has always brought seriously ambitious sci-fi storytelling to the small screen. A genre-defining sci-fi series, the show was anchored in the human drama of a tight-knit band of heroes — one of whom almost looked very different from how fans would come to know him.

The original series' Lieutenant Starbuck was a roguish combat pilot, seen flying the iconic Vipers and revered as "the best pilot in the fleet" by other crew members of the Galactica. Known for smoking cigars, playing cards, and womanizing when he wasn't flying into battle, he was the epitome of a 1970s macho action hero: Perhaps taking some inspiration from Han Solo of "Star Wars" fame. Starbuck was brought to life by the later star of "The A-Team," Dirk Benedict, though ABC had wanted to go in a different direction with the role.

According to "Battlestar Galactica Vault: The Complete History of the Series, 1978-2012," by Paul Ruditis, while Benedict had impressed Universal Studios and series creator Glen A. Larson — enough that Larson started to write Starbuck to fit him — ABC executives were of a different opinion. The network was not sold on the actor, who only had few TV roles to his name at this point, pushing instead for Don Johnson. 

Johnson would later go on to make his name on "Miami Vice" and appeared in movies such as "Django Unchained" and "Knives Out." It was only after a series of grueling screen tests, dispelling every complaint the network could concoct, that Benedict landed the role.

While the original "Battlestar Galactica" only ran for a single season, (plus a short-lived follow-up, "Galactica 1980"), the series returned to television in a far more successful reboot in 2003. The newly reimagined series replaced Dirk Benedict's devil-may-care action hero with a more nuanced female Starbuck, played by Katee Sackhoff in a career-defining performance.

Just as Benedict before her had been forced to screen test multiple times for the network, Sackhoff completed multiple auditions in order to land the part. "Before I got 'Battlestar,' I was really playing stereotypical blonde, 18, 19-year-old girls that were angsty and whined a lot," Sackhoff said in an interview with ScreenRant, explaining she was looking for a role that would change her career trajectory. She decided "Battlestar Galactica" could be it. "And I literally didn't take no for an answer. I think I auditioned seven times. I just kept going back."

Benedict was, sadly, not a fan of Starbuck's recasting or of the new take on the series. In a 2004 essay for sci-fi magazine "Dreamwatch" (via Dirk Benedict Central), the actor described the reboot as "a show of despair, sexual violence, and family dysfunction," while also sharing some less-than-enlightened opinions on Starbuck's gender switch. Over time, his heated opposition to the reboot seemed to cool down and he at least appeared to harbor no ill will towards Sackhoff. The two eventually met for a photo op at — where else? — a Starbucks.