When I heard the news from a friend today, I was absolutely gutted. I still am. I can’t believe Richard Hatch, the magnificent actor who played Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica and Tom Zarek from the newer re-imagined version, has passed away today, he was 71.
It’s strange. Today I was chatting with my friend (the same friend who informed me), about the time I met Richard Hatch at WonderCon in 2014. I had walked up to his table as he sat there and just started chatting with him. It was such a wonderful conversation as we talked about my interest in the original Battlestar Galactica as a child growing up in England. We talked about moving to California and about his journeys as an actor. It was like talking to a friend at home. I’ll never forget it.
We later took a photo and I’m so glad I have a picture to remember the wonderful day I meet Richard Hatch.
I wrote about him last year too when I listened to his memoir, From Apollo to Tom Zarek – The Battlestar Galactica Memoirs by Richard Hatch. It’s certainly a wonderful memoir that I recommend any fan to listen to, and tomorrow, I’m going to listen to it again.
Godspeed, Richard Hatch. So Say We all.
