SALT LAKE CITY — The buddy and the heartthrob.
That's how veteran TV actor Jack Stauffer described himself and his good friend and fellow "Battlestar Galactica" actor Richard Hatch, who passed away in February of this year.
"Richard and I always had a synergy that I always kind of laughed at," Stauffer said. "Richard was the leading man and the hearthrob. I was the best friend. It’s sort of the way it worked out. I accepted it very early on, and it allowed us to remain friends."
Stauffer will host a tribute to the late Battlestar Galactica actor and superfan at the 2017 Salt Lake Comic Con on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the panel "So Say We All: A Tribute to Richard Hatch."
Hatch, who played Captain Apollo in the original 1978 "Battlestar Galactica" series and Tom Zarek in the reimagined 2004 series, was originally slated to appear alongside Stauffer at Salt Lake Comic Con this year, but passed away Feb. 7.
Stauffer, best known for his role as Lieutenant Bojay in the original "Battlestar Galactica," will recall memories and experiences the two shared over their 40-plus years as friends.
'The Second Coming'
Stauffer said Hatch was likely Battlestar Galactica's greatest advocate — writing seven original novels based on the series and pushing for the series' return to TV in 2004.
"Richard had a passion for Galactica," Stauffer said. "He wrote the books — he wrote the comics — and in 1998, Richard came to me and said, 'I want to try to make a trailer to see if we can get somebody interested in remaking the show. Would you help me?'"
The two quickly began work on the fan trailer "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming."
The trailer premiered in 1999 as Hatch and Stauffer criss-crossed the country showcasing it at conventions, hoping to drum up support for the return of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaBZYn6dV-k"Believe me when I say Richard spent every dime of his own money on this — he did," Stauffer said with a chuckle. "Because he borrowed a couple thousand bucks from me."
Stauffer said the trailer was essential in helping the reimagined 2004 series return to TV.
"This is how the new 'Battlestar Galactica' got made — because Richard and I went to the convention circuit, and people were amazed at the amount of people who loved 'Battlestar' and hated the fact that it was taken off the air," Stauffer said. "There was no resolution to the show. There was no closure to the show. People wrote in by the tens of thousands. It was only then that Universal looked around and said, 'Wow, maybe there’s a market for this.'"
Coming back to conventions
In 2007, with science-fiction moving toward zombies and vampires and away from space shows, Stauffer said his theory about conventions like Salt Lake Comic Con was that "anybody who might want an autographed picture of me from the original series probably had it," and whichever way Stuaffer looked at it, "the convention world started to completely change."
It was around this time Stauffer simply stopped going to conventions altogether.
"You have literally hundreds of shows with much newer, much more prominent young actors all vying to go to conventions," Stauffer said. "Us old goats? Our time came and went."
Other changes in the convention world saw the introduction of fan films and cosplay, Stauffer said. Whereas fans used to attend conventions to see the actors and buy autographs from them, the focus now rests more on the fans.
"So, how did I get back to Salt Lake Comic Con? I threatened Dan Farr that I’d sic the AARP on him," Stauffer said with a laugh. "And because Richard and I were going to go together. Richard and I were notorious for our antics together."
After Hatch passed away, Stauffer expected his slot at Comic Con to be taken away because of the high demand for guest stars in Salt Lake City. Speaking to the directors, Stauffer was pleasantly surprised to hear them say, "No, we want you to come."
"So I am incredibly excited," Stauffer said. "I will host the tribute to Richard. I'll be there to tell stories, and I'll have a pile of pictures of when I had a lot of hair."
If you go …
What: "So Say We All: A Tribute to Richard Hatch"
Where: Salt Palace Convention Center, Room 150G, 100 S. West Temple
When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 1 p.m.
How much: Saturday Comic Con admission is $45 online or $50 (limited quantity) at the door.