A quick disclaimer to begin with, this is in no way an endorsement or
agreement with any political beliefs that have been stated or endorsed
by Mr. Benedict. This piece is purely about the work that Mr. Benedict
did 4 decades ago, and has nothing to do with any statements made by him
in the last several years. I fully believe that we can disagree with
someone, even hold their views abhorrent, and still appreciate
contributions they have made.
The other day I watched a couple
of episodes of the original Battlestar Galactica followed by a couple
of episodes of The A-Team. Both were popular shows from my childhood,
both stand up for me now, and both feature Dirk Benedict in a prominent
role. This made me start to wonder how Benedict has not gained a cult
following in the way that William Shatner, Bruce Campbell, or even David
Hasselhoff has.
In 1978, Benedict got his big break when he
was cast as Lieutenant Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica was the story of a group of humans fleeing from
robot attackers bent on wiping them out. Their twelve colonies have been
destroyed, so they go in search of the legendary thirteenth colony,
which is of course Earth. The show had a very strange religious overtone
to it, and of course had the limitations of 70s television. Yet somehow
it remained fun and action packed. Starbuck was the flyboy womanizer
who liked to drink, smoke cigars, and play poker. He always had a
wisecrack at the ready, and was ready to risk everything to protect his
fellow man from the villainous Cylons. Despite being a blatant Star Wars
copy, it was a good show. There was a second series of Galactica in
1980, but it did not include Benedict (or most of the rest of the
original cast.)

In 1983, The A-Team hit the airwaves. In this show Benedict plays
Templeton "Faceman" Peck. He is part of an elite combat unit who were
framed for a crime they didn't commit. They escape from prison and live
on the run as soldiers of fortune. The team usually is hired to protect a
family or small town from a gang of thugs who are working to take their
property for one nefarious reason or another. In spite of all the guns
and explosions, no one ever gets killed, and rarely even seriously
injured. This is the show that helped make Mr. T a household name.
Faceman is the con artist, using his charm and wit to procure materials
the team needs to get the job done. Besides the rank of lieutenant,
Faceman shares a penchant with Starbuck for chasing women and smoking
cigars. Faceman also enjoys sports cars and luxury apartments. There is a
good gag in one episode, later in the opening credits, where Faceman
sees a Cylon at a studio. Now most actors, especially from that era, go
their whole career without being in a show which is popular enough to
remain in the public consciousness 30 years later. However, Battlestar
Galactica was popular enough to get a remake series in 2004. The A-Team
was made into a feature film in 2010. Both shows are currently available
online. I know I am not the only kid who loved both these shows. So it
seems that for the amount of entertainment that Dirk Benedict
contributed to our childhoods, he gets short shrift these days. I don't
see him making ironic cameos on "nerdy" T.V. shows.

He doesn't appear to have a big presence on social media or at
conventions. Is it because he willingly avoids the public adulation?
Hard to believe that for an actor. Is he just not as good at playing the
public relations game as Shatner and Takei? Quite possible. The few
recent interviews I've been able to find indicate that he might still
take himself a tad too seriously, while the two Trek alumni have become
masters at poking fun at themselves. Is it because he lacks the overly
campy, train wreck qualities of Hasselhoff? Despite kicking off a minor
controversy when he complained about Starbuck's gender swap in the
remake, this also appears to be true. Whatever the reason for his being
apparently overlooked, I say that Dirk Benedict has contributed to the
Sci-Fi and action genre, pop culture, and the childhoods of all the boys
in my generation. Let us recognize his contributions and thank him for
providing us with not one, but two morally questionable childhood
heroes. So in closing, here is toast to you Mr. Benedict. You took us to
the outer reaches of space and showed us not only how to con a luxury
apartment, but how to use that skill for good. Thanks for the fun, sir.
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