BGR: What are your first recollections regarding Battlestar Galactica?

CF: Battlestar has always been one of my favorite Sci-Fi series. I loved the concept and my heroes growing up were Apollo and Starbuck. Unlike Star Trek and Space 1999, Battlestar was on TV for the first time when I was 8 or 9 and I was excited to see the next episode each week. I was crushed when it went on hiatus and when it returned as Galactica 1980. I was confused as to why they had gotten rid of my two favorite characters and even at that age, I thought the show had become silly. I quickly lost interest in the show and by the time the episode "The Super Scouts" aired I had given up on it. I later saw all the episodes as a teenager when the show was re-run on a local station for a few years in syndication. I appreciated it even more and grew to despise the Galactica 1980 debacle. Since then my appreciation for the show has grown and I still try to catch it periodically on the Sci-Fi channel, video, and the recently released movie DVD.

BGR: How, in your opinion, does it hold up against other sci-fi shows?

CF: Production wise it was very impressive back in the late 70s. At the time it was the most expensive TV show ever produced and in the first couple of episodes it really shows. I am a huge Star Trek and Star Wars fan and I have been going to conventions for over 15 years. I was always disappointed that some of the less well known or forgotten shows never really had a showing at them. I think Battlestar's first season far surpasses the original Star Trek in production value and emotion. Given a chance and more than one good season, it could have been a truly great show. Its downfall was network politics and it is sometimes forgotten because it did not have enough episodes to be effectively syndicated. Star Trek had a fan base that grew upon its syndication and that helped create the franchise we see today. Since then I think Star Trek has made for some great television, its premise and focus has always been strong, but I believe Battlestar's premise was strong as well. I am a fan of Star Trek Voyager and one of the reasons is that the premise is a journey to Earth. They have no idea what they are going to encounter or how they will get there in a reasonable amount of time. I had flashbacks of Adama's speech from "Saga of a Starworld" when Janeway gave her speech in the Voyager pilot about getting to Earth. I think Battlestar Galactica is a classic and deserves a chance to be brought back with the original cast and themes of the show in-tact.

BGR: What was your motivation in starting a Battlestar Galactica site?

CF: I consider myself a very web savvy guy as well as a computer geek, I am always checking up on new developments, and technologies and I use the internet as my main source of information. Somehow the efforts to revive Battlestar Galactica escaped my view until November of 1998 when I read an article about Richard Hatch's trailer being made. My interest was peeked and my excitement grew. I check for weeks on different sites I had found searching the net like the Pegasus, BGResurrection, and others to get the latest info. I was checking different sites daily and I was trolling various entertainment sites to get the latest scoop. When the Glen Larson story broke about his proposed project and when he partnered with that imbecile Todd Moyer, I felt I had to start getting more involved and do what I could to help the Hatch camp. Larson's ludicrous ideas including using Commander Cain, his false claims to the rights, and his apparent lack of care to what the fans wanted to see was simply appalling. I also started watching the show again on the Sci-Fi channel and on tape from the Sci-Fi channel marathon in 97' for inspiration. I decided at first just to create a page with my views and links to additional information. As I started collecting information on where to write, I realized many sites had outdated or incorrect information and sample letters were hard to find. After some research and uncovering some additional addresses and I thought it would be a good idea to post this info and make a sample letter available for people to use. As I searched different sites I also collected some graphics and other materials I wanted to make available in one place. When the DVD was released it also provided a wealth of high quality images to display on the page and it demonstrated the continued interest in the show. I also scanned my collection of cards, articles, and other photos for use on the page. I added menus for easier navigation, a revival vote, the Yahoo club, a mailing list, and even a Online BSG store to help pay for the site and my efforts. The page just kept expanding, it now contains over 1100 files and over 40 html pages

BGR: Regarding your site...how do you think it impacts the revival campaign?

CF: I hope it has made an impact an inspired people to get more involved in our efforts to bring back the show. The whole initial purpose was to inform fans of the show about where to send letters to and what was happening with the revival. If it has accomplished that I am very satisfied with the site and my efforts. I also hope my site makes it easy to get started writing revival letters. I have spent a lot of time researching contacts at Universal and Studios USA and creating the sample revival letter available at the site. I also worked with you and Michael Faries on revamping the Revival Flyer and making that available as well to distribute at conventions. Hopefully my site is informative, inspiring, and a great resource for folks who want to see Battlestar Galactica return.

BGR: How long have you been designing websites?

CF: I have been doing different sites in my spare time as a hobby for about 7 years. The first site was just my CureMode page, and I picked up different skills over the years relating to HTML editing and graphic creation and manipulation. Due to the limited free time I have I still create relatively simple pages so they are easy to update with the latest information. I usually just use Notepad or a basic HTML editor and PhotoShop to create and manipulate graphics. I luckily now have a Cable Modem connection at home so updates and large file transfers are much easier now. I am always learning and experimenting with new techniques and programs to continually improve my websites. I really enjoy creating them especially when they are for something I am excited about.

BGR: What sites do you currently run?

CF: I created and run my main site www.CureMode.com that has info about my interests, my resume, and my online stores. I also created and run The Clan Of The Caveman website. For those of you who may not know about these types of organizations, a Clan is a club or team of people who play the id software game Quake online and at LAN parties together. Quake is a multiplayer 3D shot'em up game that is played on the net and has spawned 2 sequels (QuakeII and Quake III Arena) as well as countless variations such as CTF (Capture the Flag) and other modifications. The Clan uses Captain Caveman as our mascot and we were one of the first officially recognized Clans. I have been running the Clan site for almost 4 years and it has expanded with more members, LAN party photos, and other information about the game. We regularly attend LAN parties (photos at site) and play online with Quake III Arena and other games like Half-Life, Sin, Unreal, and many others. I also run a site for my cousin Andy Cooney (http://www.andycooney.com). He's well known Irish music singer and he has constant updates with new CD sound clips and appearances across the country. I have been doing his site for nearly 3 years and it has helped keep him in touch with his fans. I run the Battlestar Galactica Homepage and I have devoted most of my time to it over the past year. Recently I have also been helping others with their BSG sites, I contributed to the Battlestar Callisto and re-designed and help maintain this site (bgresurrection.homepage.com).

BGR: Do you have any particular favorites?

CF: The Battlestar Homepage is the one I am most involved with currently and my current favorite. It has been around for almost a year now, and the number of visitors has been substantial. I have been doing everything I can to help bring back the show and get others involved. I also have devoted more time to it and the revival effort than to all my other sites combined. I have made a lot of friends in the Battlestar Galactica community and met some of the stars of the show. The highpoint so far has been covering the GoMainLine show with 6 of the original cast members. I took tons of photos and posted them on the site for the fans that were not able to attend. I was also proud to be recognized in January by BattlestarGalactica.com as the featured site that month. It's a real labor of love and I hope it has an impact in helping bring back the show.

BGR: What is your motivation for the CureMode site?

CF: I had always been online since the early 80s with Compuserve and later with AOL. I had even played early multiplayer games like id software's Doom on a dial up server system called DWANGO before the internet really matured into what it has become. When I signed up with AOL 7 years ago I was offered free webspace and I took that opportunity to create my first site. I learned the basics of HTML and threw up my site CureMode's Homepage (more on the name later). I wanted to share some of my interests in alternative music, entertainment, my resume (I was still in college), and be the first on the block with a website. Since then the site has grown with some design improvements, graphic improvements, my student films (Fried and Cured), and an updated resume. I really enjoy sharing my interests with others and I hope some vistors discover a band they never heard of or found a website devoted to their favorite show. I eventually got a real web hosting service and registered my domain name to get the http://www.curemode.com address. My online stores are the most recent addition to the site and they just went online this year. They include CureMode's Universe (Books, Movies, and CDs), CureMode's Computers (PCs, Laptops, PDAs, and Peripherals), and Irelands Own (Irish Items). It's my first attempt to try and make the site profitable, I would just be happy if it was enough to cover hosting and connection costs. So far unfortunately it has yet to be profitable (unless making 20 cents an hour is considered profitable).

BGR: Speaking of that...where does the name CureMode come from?

CF: It is a very odd reason really, in College I wanted a vanity plate for my car. I am a huge alternative music fan (I actually prefer the term New Wave) and two of my favorite bands are The Cure and Depeche Mode. In NY you have to put three choices for the plate you want so I put down THE CURE, CUREMODE, and DEPECHED (an inside joke between my friends we made up after a DM concert, ex "We have been Depeched"). Needless to say I got the CUREMODE plate and still have it on my car. When I switched from Compuserve to AOL I needed a username, so I used CureMode and the rest is, as they say, history. As I did more and more things online the name stuck and became my online name for everything I do online. Just a side note, you can see the plate in one of my BattleLan pictures on my Caveman Clan site and on my old Camaro in my college student film "Cured" on my Films page of my CureMode site.

BGR: Getting back to Galactica..what's your plans for the revival site once the Battlestar gets flying again?

CF: I hope to convert it to a site covering the production, release, and review of the new movie or TV series. I have expanded the Homepage site and created teh new Battlestar Galactica Fan Club with your help Shawn. I will continue to add to the existing site, but I will be glad when the Revival information can be removed, with that kind of content in its place. I will not rest until the show is brought back and I hope it will return the way most of the fans want to see it, with the Original Cast and Themes.