Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar GalacticaI know this is not a movie, but I just finished watching the show finally, and wanted to write a review. I came late to the BSG party, mostly because I couldn't believe that the network responsible for such shlock as Mansquito (about a half-man, half-mosquito monster) could create a good TV show. Then I tried to watch the miniseries and was pretty uninspired. But I was convinced to give the show another chance, and I'm glad I did. BSG is hands down one of the best science fiction shows to ever grace the small screen.

The non-spoiler synopsis is mankind is on the brink of extinction. After a surprise attack by the enemy Cylons, only maybe 40,000 or so humans are left. A ragtag fleet of ships led by Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) and President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) now roam the galaxy, trying to avoid their Cylon pursuers and find a new home - a long lost planet named Earth. He is helped by his son Apollo (Jamie Bamber) and hotshot pilot Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff). This is the same basic plot as the original Battlestar from the late 1970s, but there is nothing silly about the re-invention. This is a Battlestar for the 2000s, a dark and gritty drama that focuses more on characters and ideas than space battles and aliens.

I am definitely not one of the BSG fanatics. There were A LOT of problems on this show - the plot arcs are sometimes clunky. Though they had a clear ending in mind, the producers admitted they had to sort of make parts of the journey up as they went along. This produces an endless stream of plot holes and odd character moments. Sometimes they succeed in covering up the plot holes and sometimes they drop the ball. As good as the dialogue often is, I also felt that they sometimes had trouble handling personal relationships - for example, the big Apollo-Starbuck-Dee love triangle in Season 2 was really poorly done (though I'll give them credit - that triangle really became a helluva lot more interesting in Season 3).

There was also a smattering of bad episodes in every season, usually filler episodes like Season 2's atrocious Black Market. The show could be wildly inconsistent.

But what about the good? For every poorly done personal relationship, there was another that was handled masterfully - Helo and Athena come to mind. The political material was superb, with nary a misstep in all four seasons. With events that often mirrored today's headlines without placing judgment, BSG encouraged viewers to open a dialogue on issues such as torture, abortion, military vs. civilian rights, and even the question of what it means to be alive. The mature handling of such weighty material led to a first - the UNITED NATIONS of all places held a symposium on Battlestar Galactica, inviting the producers and actors to speak to the show's relevance in the today's world. That's a level of respect never achieved by a science fiction show that I know about.

I also greatly admire the daring of the writers. This is not a happy show and over four years, it seemed like things just kept getting gloomier and gloomier. That, combined with some shockingly bleak plot turns, really earns my respect. They also did remarkable work with minor characters - those familiar faces in the background have their own continuity and you find yourself rooting for pilots like Hot Dog and Kat, even though their screen time probably did not exceed more than 45 minutes during the show's entire run.

The whole cast put in the work of their careers. Olmos and McDonnell kept the show on a steady keel. Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer (Number Six) were the fan favorites, but just as good were Grace Park (Boomer), James Callis (Baltar), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), and...well, shoot, I can't name every cast member. Everyone really does challenging work, pushing their characters to the limits and never embracing caricature (which they easily could have done). I have to give special mention to Jamie Bamber as Apollo. He was my least favorite character in the miniseries. He was whiny and annoying, and I thought he would continue along that route, especially since it seemed like the writers weren't sure what to do with him. I was wrong. Apollo's character arc is superb and Bamber's performance is the true heart of this show.

I don't want to make this review too long. Is Battlestar the best science fiction show ever? No. Star Trek: the Next Generation was way more consistent (especially from the third season onward, when there was hardly a weak episode). BSG is also nowhere near as fun and rewatchable as Joss Whedon's Firefly. But despite the bad episodes, questionable moments, and certain lame plot points, Battlestar made me think. And there were moments that rocked me emotionally to my core more than any show I've watched. Just like mankind whose path it traces, BSG is imperfect and flawed. It's almost a masterpiece.

TRIVIA: The signature "So Say We All" cheer that continues throughout the whole show was ab-libbed by Edward James Olmos in his passionate speech at the end of the miniseries.

MVP: Definitely Ronald Moore, the writer and executive producer (who also worked extensively on Star Trek: the Next Generation). His brainchild, his vision, his MVP award.

NOTE: I tried to keep this spoiler free for people who have not seen the show. I hope it encourages them to Netflix it.

But I know a lot of you are reading the review because you did watch the show. You will be interested in reading my next entry, which is my top ten BSG moments (along with the 5 lamest moments). Check it out HERE!