Creators: David Eick and Ronald D. Moore
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff
Ok; I get it now.
A few weeks back, I wrote a blog about my frustration with the 21st century remake of Battlestar Galactica, at which point I was about halfway through the second season. And while I stand by my initial assessments, the series did get a whole lot better in the last two seasons.
To get you up to speed, the series, based on the short lived series of the same name from 1978, is about the far off world of Caprica, which is part of twelve unified colonies, and populated by humans. Their world is not so different from ours, with a few sci-fi touches. One such element, the Cylons, former robotic slaves of humanity, return from a forty year holiday in space and nuke all twelve of the colonies, essentially wiping the human race from existence. Only the space battleship, the Battlestar Galactica, and a handful of other ships carry what's left; about 50 thousand people. In order to save the human race, they set off in search of the legendary lost 13th Colony. . . Earth.
While that was essentially the same premise as the original series, one of the main differences here is that the Cylons can now look like humans (In their original form, they look like giant metal monsters), and sometimes the Cylons themselves aren't even aware of their own nature; sleeper agents, in essence. While the concept of robots, or aliens, imitating humans is as old as sci-fi itself, it isn't often addressed in a long-form story such as this, particularly with such gravity.
This is a sci-fi show that I might recommend to people who don't generally watch sci-fi, since it's more character based and less conceptual than most sci-fi entertainment. Instead of Patrick Stewart learning something from the alien civilization of the week, we learn more about the characters that we come to know and care about. You have President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the former Secretary Of Education who is suddenly thrust into the position of leader of the survivors. Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos), entrusted with the defense of the fleet, but carrying the guilt of his son's death, who joined the military to make his father proud. Boomer (Grace Park), a pilot aboard Galactica, is slowly made aware that she is one of the sleeper agents, and has to figure out what to do with herself. Lastly, you have Gaius Baltar (James Callis), who is a coward, a hero, a prophet. . . and indirectly responsible for the Cylon invasion.
The first season and a half are a slow build, with a lot of silly dialogue and ridiculous plots. Thankfully, by Season 2.5 they have a handle on what the show is all about, with some interesting moral conundrums thrown into the mix. For example; Abortion is outlawed on Galactica. Why? Not for religious reasons (Though those do factor in), but simply to ensure propagation, and thus the survival of humanity. There is no single, moral voice on the show, so the writers leave it up to the audience to decide what is right or wrong. Other episodes deal with the moral gray areas of things such as terrorist attacks; are they wrong, if you're acting on the side of "good"? Is it ok to kill innocent civilians for the greater good? Are there innocent civilians, if they refuse to fight tyranny? Add to this the fact that the humans are polytheists, and the Cylons worship a singular god who seems to greatly resemble the god of Abraham.
On the downside, for a show as progressive as this with it's female roles, they often come off as shrill, whiny or lovestruck (Even the Cylon women!). The use of "Frak" instead of "Fuck", and "Gods" instead of "God" are cute. . . once. Then they get fucking annoying/laughable. I don't even like the word "fuck" being used that much, since unless you're David Mamet it usually shows a lack of imagination on the writers part.
Continuity wise, after watching the entirety of Lost this was a godsend. There's a beginning, middle, and end, and what isn't resolved at the conclusion is meant to be left slightly mysterious (Note: A major subplot that I thought was left unresolved was apparently explained in a Webisode. Oh, you modern shows with your multimedia!). Worth a watch for sci-fi fans, obviously, but also for people who would enjoy an allegorical, character rich exploration of our post-9/11 world.
FREDERICK OPINES: GOOD
SEASON 1: MIDDLING
SEASON 2.0: BAD
SEASON 2.5: GOOD
SEASON 3: GREAT
SEASON 4.0: GOOD
SEASON 4.5: GOOD
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]
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