Battlestar Galactica Review

"See the face of the shape of things to come"

As a young child at the dawn of the 80s, I ravenously devoured any film or TV show that would show me space-fights. Star Wars had shown us what was possible, but with home entertainment generally being limited to television, the only shows offering space-fights on a regular basis were Buck Rogers, and Battlestar Galactica. Buck Rogers has, understandably, not held up over the years (who in the world would want to watch a stuttering robot midget named "Tweeky" outside of children's entertainment these days?) however, Battlestar Galactica has still retained a strong following, mostly due to concept, not necessarily execution.

In 2003, Ronald D. Moore brought us a re-visioning of Battlestar Galactica. Although there were many changes from the original 1978 television series (including switching the genders of some of the main characters), the concept remained the same: Following a genocidal attack by the robotic Cylons, a rag-tag band of surviving ships searches for the last remaining (possibly mythical) colony of humanity - Earth.

My friends, the concept has held up over time, and now it's not just about the space-fights. There's also sex. But more about that in a minute.

Battlestar Galactica has become an ongoing television series, and is currently the top-rated program on the Sci Fi network. "But Darren," you may ask, "Why are you reviewing this show now? It's already in the middle of its second season!" Yes, this is true. But I believe that many, like myself, had not taken the time to give this series the chance it deserves. It's about time that they discovered what they're missing out on.

Battlestar Galactica (hereafter referred to as BG) builds on lessons learned from the past 20 years of sci-fi television. Most notably, what didn't work on Star Trek, and what did work on shows like Babylon 5. BG avoids the pages of exposition that bogged Star Trek down, and more thankfully, takes place in a world where technology does not place too many limitations on storytelling. No more having to find fancy excuses for why using the "transporter beam" won't magically solve the problem. No more boring updates on what level the shields are at as an attack is taking place.

On the other hand, much like Babylon 5, BG builds long, intriguing story arcs which take many episodes to resolve. BG also does not hand you an explanation for every tidbit of info you come across; Rather, as an adult, you are expected to make logical inferences and think for yourself. It's nice to finally have some television that doesn't talk down to its viewers. There's also an effort made to portray the physics of space in a realistic manner, as was first pioneered by Babylon 5.

And did I mention sex? Yes, this show is definitely more sexual than any sci-fi television before it, but in its defense, let me say this:

1. The sex is not gratuitous, and is actually an important element to the story itself.

2. Whenever people were having sex on this show, my thought always was "This can only lead to trouble", and it always did.

3. This was designed to be an adult character drama, not a cute kids' show.

4. The women are all beautiful.

Finally, let me mention something about the way BG is produced. The entire show is filmed using hand-held cameras, and hence, has a sort of "documentary" feel to it. This (for me) creates an extra element of realism and tension, especially during scenes of crisis. Even the CGI shots of the ship exteriors use the same camera techniques.

Is this show perfect? No. In many ways it's still in its infancy, and we have yet to see if it can maintain this level of quality long-term. But the acting is solid, the stories are intriguing, and thus far it's been the only sci-fi show (in my mind) to rival Babylon 5 in terms of quality and scope, and coming from me, that says a lot. Plus, I love the spacefights.