Working with the Daggit of 'Battlestar Galactica' (2004) Online

Way back when I was just a little Chip watching the original Battlestar Galactica each Saturday night there was no doubt that Boxey and Muffit were my favorite characters. Boxey was the only character on the show the same age as me and he had the best pet possible: a mechanical dog (or Daggit as they call them on Caprica) with a mind of it's own. I'm sure that's why these two were included in the show, and a lot of children my age must have felt the same. But when browsing the world wide web many fans seem to have developed an unhealthy hatred for the boy and his Daggit, just like Star Wars fans grew to dislike the Ewoks over the years and Short Round has become an object of spite for Indiana Jones fans. Well, I'm not afraid to admit nor remember that I loved all these characters when they first came out. And although there was a short period in the nineties when I felt I had outgrown theses staples of my childhood, I'm glad to say that soon passed as I remembered how much I enjoyed them way back (and of course I also really emphasize with the grown up characters nowadays).

This short documentary does not reveal who's idea it was to cast a 3 year old chimp in the part of Muffit the Daggit, but it sure was an inspired choice. The cast and crew of Battlestar Galactica are obviously having tremendous fun reminiscing about Evie the chimpanzee (or as Herb Jefferson Jr. calls her, a 'minkey'). Dirk Benedict who always relishes the opportunity to tell a funny anecdote, even goes as far as to do vocal and facial impressions of the chimp. And Noah Hathaway, who obviously had the most scenes with the chimp, sincerely recounts his love and friendship with Evie (and his trainer Boone Narr) despite having been bitten by the doggone Daggit at least once. Every one seems to have his own funny anecdote about Eve, whether it was the time she climbed up into the rafters after being spooked by explosions or her tendency to tear Muffy's head off when she had had enough for the day. It's amazing how much outtakes and behind the scenes footage from the one season show still survives. So much in fact that there is hardly any need to use footage from the finished episodes in any of these featurettes. By the way, outtakes from the epic three part pilot episode 'Saga of a Star World' seen elsewhere on the same disc reveals Boxey's original pet (Muffit the first) was played by a dog named Peanuts.

8 out of 10