Seattle ‘Battlestar Galactica’ convention pink-slips celebrities

UPDATE: Galacticon 4 executive producer Daniel Allan resigned from the beleaguered fan convention late Tuesday.

“I have been asked to resign from Galacticon,” he wrote on the convention’s Facebook page. “In the best interests of Galacticon and the fans I have accepted this request. Effective immediately Control and Leadership of Galacticon will be transferred to the leadership of the Battlestar Galactica Fanclub and Battlestar Raven.”

Director of operations Michael DeVault told The News Tribune and Olympian that insurmountable logistical challenges led to the 11 celebrity cancellations.

“Tough decisions had to be made in order to give the fans the best experience possible,” DeVault said. He would not elaborate on what the logistical challenges were.

“We are as disappointed as the fans who are planning on attending. We are fans too,” DeVault said.

DeVault said “accommodations” would be made for fans who are seeking refunds but would not comment on what those would be. He noted that lineups often change prior to comicons such as San Diego Comicon and Emerald City Comicon.

DeVault urged fans to still attend the convention.

“We have several impressive, historical moments taking place at this convention and while the lineup has changed I think we’re going to make history.” Those include the 50th anniversary of “Lost in Space,” the 40th anniversary of “Land of the Lost” and several stars from the original “Battlestar Galactica” series.

EARLIER STORY:

Galacticon 4, a Seattle convention built about the “Battlestar Galactica” TV series, has canceled a third of its celebrity guests just before the start of the convention.

Attendees vented their anger on Galacticon’s Facebook page.

Among the cut list is original cast member and Galacticon co-founder Richard Hatch.

“It took me by surprise and I’m still reeling,” Hatch wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday. Hatch played Capt. Apollo in the original series. He was scheduled to host a “Battlestar Galactica” screening, give a workshop and attend panels. while in Seattle.

Also cut from the roster: Edward James Olmos, Michael Hogan, Kate Vernon, Grace Park, Aaron Douglas, Tahmoh Penikett, Kandyse McClure, Luciana Carro, Rehka Sharma and Noel Guglielmi

The three-day (July 31-Aug. 2) fan extravaganza is devoted to both “Galactica” series: the 1978 original, its 21st century reboot and its numerous multimedia spinoffs. It also dips in to other classic sci-fi fodder like “Land of the Lost” and “Lost in Space”.

Galacticon announced the sudden celebrity purge on its Facebook page Tuesday evening. Operations manager Michael DeVault would not state a reason.

“While the reasons for these decisions were multiple, this post is not about those reasons,” DeVault wrote. “Instead, at this time, all I will say is that the decisions were necessary, they were unavoidable, and they were not made without great consideration to the Battlestar Galactica community.”

Fan reaction to the post was swift and critical.

“It looks like we have been GalactiCONNED,” wrote Clinton Robert Mills. His was just one of dozens of angry responses.

Close to 20 celebrity guests are still attending Galacticon 4, which is being held at Seattle Center.

Both Hatch and his “Galactica” co-star Dirk Benedict were in Tacoma in 2014 for the Jet City Comic Show.

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Seattle ‘Battlestar Galactica’ convention pink-slips celebrities."