...a thought that crept into my mind the other day. Was the
Galactica: 1980 character Colonel Sydell (Allan Miller) named after Eddie Seidel, Jr.? Eddie Seidel, Jr. was a huge fan of
Battlestar Galactica who tragically committed suicide in August of 1979 when he learned that ABC had cancelled the series. Sadly, only a few weeks later ABC announced that
Battlestar Galactica was coming back for a second season - as
Galactica: 1980. And of course,
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century premiered only a month after his death. I won't comment on the absurdity of anyone committing suicide over a TV show (clearly there were other factors at work), but I bet that Eddie would have enjoyed both
Galactica: 1980 and
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Was Colonel Sydell named after Eddie Seidel, Jr.? I doubt if anyone knows. In the newspaper clipping below, Mrs. Seidel (Eddie's stepmother) expressed her hope that
Battlestar Galactica would never be seen on TV again. It seems to this reviewer that having a character on
Galactica: 1980 named Sydell (different spelling, but presumbaly the same pronunciation) is in very poor taste.
Read the tragic story of Eddie Seidel, Jr. in the newspaper article below (click to enlarge).
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Newspaper article about
the tragic suicide of Eddie Seidel, Jr. |
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Allan Miller as Colonel Sydell -
Galactica: 1980 |
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| Galactica: 1980 |
" I won't comment on the absurdity of someone committing suicide over a tv show". Congrats you did with that comment. Perhaps he was suicidal before BSG was on the air, and maybe it was what stopped him from harming himself earlier. I doubt they named the character after the boy. Even if they did, I would say it would have been a tribute to a fan. However I doubt it, as I think there would have been some message to ask for help. Jog on now, and write something actually relevant.
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