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Erm, the newer one is, anyway, not the original which is almost 36.
Anyway:
Ten years ago, on 8 December 2003, the first part of a new Battlestar Galactica mini-series aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States. In response to strong ratings and rave reviews, an ongoing series was commissioned. The series eventually concluded in 2009 after four seasons, 75 episodes, two TV movies, a Hugo Award, a Peabody and a slew of technical Emmies.
BSG was an attempt by its writers to rejig TV science fiction for an adult, mainstream audience. Most of the creative team - most notably showrunner Ronald D. Moore - had previously worked on the Star Trek franchise and had grown frustrated at the limitations on realistic human conflict they could portray on those shows. BSG threw out a lot of the rules of TV SF by featuring no aliens, more realistic spaceflight physics (the first show since Babylon 5 to do it on a large scale), being more ruthless and featuring more morally ambiguous characters. However, the series also focused on the classic SF trope of humans versus AI, and if it is possible for biological and machine intelligences to co-exist.
The series was also notable for its more relatable aesthetics: no jumpsuits or impractical onesies here but shirts and ties and more convincing military uniforms. The Galactica didn't stay in the same shape each episode but got more broken-down and damaged as time passed. Its stock of Viper fighters and trained pilots dwindled (despite a handy mid-series resupply). Each episode gave a count of how many survivors there were from the Cylon attack, and this number dropped (sometimes by quite a lot) as casualties were sustained. Characters died, sometimes heroically in battle or guiding stranded ships through radioactive clouds, but sometimes committing suicide after reaching tragic breaking points. It was a series that - for the most part - did not pull its punches.
The characters were familiar archetypes turned into more realistic human beings: hotshot pilot Starbuck has family problems; executive officer Colonel Tigh is an alcoholic; President Roslin is suffering from a terminal illness; Apollo is a great pilot but is unsure of his future; and scientist Baltar is the biggest walking collection of neuroses you will ever see on TV. Even stoic, unflappable Commander Adama finally breaks down from the pressure at the worst possible moment. The actors, from seasoned hands like Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell to newcomers like Katee Sackhoff and former model Tricia Helfer, relished their complex, unpredictable roles and the meaty storylines they could get stuck into.
In terms of visual effects, the show was a substantial step forwards in quality. One of the earliest shows to take advantage of HD, it featured astonishing, imaginative space battles and some excellent spacecraft design, sometimes drawing on the original 1978 show for inspiration and at other times going its own way. The use of CGI to convincingly portray beings who were supposed to be physically present in scenes, such as the robotic Cylon centurions, was ahead of its time as well.
Of course, not all great things last. From the opening part of the mini-series to somewhere around the fifth episode of the third season, the show was almost flawlessly excellent. The writing was tight, the actors were great and the show had a real sense of momentum and purpose. The long-running story arc unfolded logically and even sub-par episodes, like Black Market or Sacrifice, were still eminently watchable. Some problems appeared during the confused 'New Caprica' arc, with the decision to jump forwards some sixteen months from the end of the previous season creating a disconnect in character development which was never really fixed: the behaviour of some characters, most notably Roslin and Apollo, became random and lacking in motivation following that point. The New Caprica arc, though visually exciting and featuring some strong moments of drama and characterisation, also seemed to trip up on the show's own press. The apparent desire to invoke comparisons with the contemporary war in Iraq was laudable, but also confused: were the colonials the Iraqi insurgents or the Cylons? Or vice versa? As an analogy, it lacked substance.
In terms of the plot, the series and ongoing storyline also seemed to lose coherence as it went along. The Kobol arc, which dominated no less than nine episodes, was completely forgotten about within a few weeks and the revelations from that story that was supposed to lead to Earth were disregarded, or referred to only in a very confused manner, in later episodes. Listening to Ronald D. Moore's commentaries, it is shocking how often hugely major story points were developed 'because they were cool' with no regard for how they fitted into the big picture. Sometimes these storylines were begun only for the writers to lose interest and get rid of them as quickly as possible. Lame retcons and wince-inducing continuity errors came to dominate the last two seasons, sometimes minor and easy to ignore but sometimes major. The show remained extremely well-acted to the end, and great episodes still cropped up towards the show's finale, but BSG's once-unassailable quality level dipped quite alarmingly in those last two seasons. The finale summed up these issues with some terrific moments of acting and some brilliant effects and space battles, but an actual ending that ranks amongst the stupidest ever put to screen. For a show that, at its best, never shied away from complexity and having different points of view, the resolution was far too pro-Luddite for it ever to convince.
Still, these major dips in quality aside, BSG was a great show. During those first two-and-a-bit seasons it was easily batting on the same level of quality as contemporary shows like The Wire, Rome and Deadwood, and was a lot better than the likes of Lost or the relaunched Doctor Who. It couldn't quite sustain that quality level to the end, but when BSG was on top form, it was the best space opera ever made. We're still waiting for the space opera that will come along and build upon BSG's successes, but until then revisiting the original is still, warts and all, worthwhile.
Ye gods, ten years.
I still remember like it was just a couple of years ago hearing about the pilot, and thinking to myself how horrible it was yet another classic series was getting a modern reboot that couldn't hope to live up to the original.
Then I watched it and found out how terribly mistaken I was. I came to love the new BSG for the sheer grittiness and refusal to adhere to such tired old concepts as heroic characters that always do the right thing and have no personal flaws. Kinda how I like to run my games, too :)
Ten years and I still haven't seen the whole thing. The pilot was laughably terrible and put me off the series immediately. Even when I went back and finally started watching reruns a few years ago, I never got invested enough in the show to see the whole thing.
Honestly, I was much more drawn to Caprica, which as per my usual luck when I find interesting new shows, was never renewed.
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Y'know, I never got why people dumped on the last couple of seasons so hard. Yes, the mystical was given greater emphasis, but the Human Condition (TM) is filled with religion/spiritualism/mystical elements. "There are more things, Horatio..." and all that. The original BSG embraced this aspect of humanity, turning the show from space opera towards the myth suggested by its opening credits. To see the reinvisioned show do the same seems fitting to me. Perhaps it would have annoyed some viewers less if that aspect was more prevalent right from the get-go; I think some people felt like "you got space opera in my SF military show".
And as for the ending, I don't see why a 'Luddite' conclusion is so unimaginable, considering that the show was at least in part a cautionary tale about advancing technology. 'Going native' is something many buccaneers have done to avoid detection and capture, for example. Perhaps some fan outrage at the 'Luddite" ending reflects more on *our* addiction/love affair vis-a-vis technology, i.e. we can't imagine any circumstance where it would be discarded/rejected?
And as for the ending, I don't see why a 'Luddite' conclusion is so unimaginable, considering that the show was at least in part a cautionary tale about advancing technology. 'Going native' is something many buccaneers have done to avoid detection and capture, for example. Perhaps some fan outrage at the 'Luddite" ending reflects more on *our* addiction/love affair vis-a-vis technology, i.e. we can't imagine any circumstance where it would be discarded/rejected?
You know, similar thoughts have gone through my head in the time since the ending. At the time, I hated how it ended (admittedly there was more than a little "but this means they can't go on to have any new adventures in space!" in there too), but over the past couple of years I've been able to detach myself from my initial emotional response and have come to appreciate it a lot more.
Wow, ten year...I feel old! This one is still my favorite sf series of all time, and the only one I'll recommend to non-sf lovers.
I think the quality dipped somewhere in the middle, with those episodes about domestic stuff like labor strikes, but I loved when the show got all mystical near the end. Which, as an atheist, might be ironic of me, but whatever!
Logistically, the last episode makes no fracking sense:
But emotionally...WOW! The finale hits all the right notes, and ties up the series in probably the only way possible. I still tear up when I watch Adama and Roslin's last flight.
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The show was ok, but maybe I am too nostaligic but I never lost the sense that I preferred the original 1978 version, hokey and filled with Glen A Larson tropes, such that is was.
And maybe that is why the character I liked best in the new series was Tom Zarek..as I liked to see Richard Hatch finally get to be back in the universe he loved so well.
Oh yeah, the actress who played Racetrack, Leah Cairns, is incredibly hot.
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Honestly, the original BSG is still my favorite of the two as well, cheese and all. Guess I like my SF *not* so grim and gritty--
I think the quality dipped somewhere in the middle, with those episodes about domestic stuff like labor strikes, but I loved when the show got all mystical near the end. Which, as an atheist, might be ironic of me, but whatever!
Interesting--I briefly dropped the show at that very episode--only went back and got caught up when the pace quickened towards the end.
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I think I would have respected the last episode more if it ended with 20 minutes of every named character still living putting a gun in his or her mouth and pulling the trigger. That would have been a fitting, even kind of beautiful, end to the series. It certainly would have been more honest than the version we got, where everyone went off camping.
But I do have a soft spot for Adama & Roslin's final bit.
Man, that was quick.
I personally loved the new series. Yes, I was the first to admit they lost their way at times, and there were some times when I missed a new episode and was not exactly brokenhearted about it.
But for the most part, they routinely managed to rope me in and keep me glued. Great drama. I think another great example of the power of Science Fiction to tell compelling stories and sometimes ask powerful questions that other dramas would rather avoid, or dumb down to fit into a weekly resolution.
I compare it to The X-Files and The Twilight Zone (original) and Star Trek in that regard (though the latter did manage to find weekly resolutions in most cases.)
To Werthead's opening paragraph:
I too was a bit puzzled in how the New Caprica storyline was intended to reflect in Iraq; but I wonder if it was deliberately left vague so we could relate to the issues from more than one angle? (as an aside, I thought that Enterprises' third season response to 9/11 was much more heavy handed).
I do think the 'Final Five' thing, while interesting, came off as a way to make use of the fact that we had not seen five Cylon chassis. Still, it truly finished the last lap of blurring what is human/what is Cylon/who is the enemy. A very interesting move for this series, as I'm sure the reason Cylons were robots in the first BSG was so our heroes could shoot them w/o moral questions being raised, as would be the case if the enemy were a standard alien race.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Amusingly just watched the 1978 pilot last night.
Couple of thoughts comparing the two.
All in all, I liked the reboot better (of course).
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In YOUR opinion there was a "major dip" in quality. I saw none, and loved the series from start to finish, as does everyone I personally know. The ending was, to me, the logical conclusion in lieu of an endless space convoy.
Obviously everyone has their own opinion. But it should be noted that the ratings went down a lot in the last two seasons and caused the show to end a year early (originally Moore had planned five seasons). Apathy towards how the show ended also seemed to negatively impact both CAPRICA and BLOOD & CHROME.
Crashdown :(
Here's to you, buddy
I liked it when Chief Tyrell led the workers on strike.
Vive le Galt!
I liked it when Chief Tyrell led the workers on strike.
Vive le Galt!
I really, really hope you've seen the Babylon 5 episode "By Any Means Necessary" :)
I remember making up a song about Samuel T. Anders that mainly consisted of me singing "Samuel T. Anders!" in a loud baritone everytime he appeared in a scene
my wife demands I sing it whenever the actor has appeared in something we watch anytime since then
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I really, really hope you've seen the Babylon 5 episode "By Any Means Necessary" :)I liked it when Chief Tyrell led the workers on strike.
Vive le Galt!
No, but I'll clench my fist and salute just based on the title.
Anyway, re: BSG: I already used this line a couple of years ago in a FAWTL thread but, if I ever get a chance to go back in time and visit my younger self, I will tell him to stop watching BSG and Lost at the end of Season Two.
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Anyway, re: BSG: I already used this line a couple of years ago in a FAWTL thread but, if I ever get a chance to go back in time and visit my younger self, I will tell him to stop watching BSG and Lost at the end of Season Two.
You should take a look at Babylon 5. Easy contender for best Sci-fi series of the 90s. Some of the acting was a little hammy at times, but the overarching story was amazingly well done and the effects hold up even today.
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Not to derail the BSG discussion, but I really hope the Captain Marvel movie rumors are true, and that they pick Katee Sackfoff to play Danvers.
Anyway, re: BSG: I already used this line a couple of years ago in a FAWTL thread but, if I ever get a chance to go back in time and visit my younger self, I will tell him to stop watching BSG and Lost at the end of Season Two.
Maybe I'm just a completionist, but I think it's all worth watching once. A little dip in quality doesn't make something a total waste of time.
...Insomuch as tv isn't already a waste of time. :/
Re: Labor strike episode: I was cheering on the strikers while wishing the show would get back to cylons and space battles. I appreciate the show's commentary on real social issues, but it's not why I watch sf.
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OK, I know I'm in the minority here, but this show was incredible drivel. While the Pilot and a few first season episodes gave me some hope of a good series, they were quickly dashed by any number of amazingly stupid inconsistencies. I'll not list them all, but one that stands out is...glowing spines. I'm fairly sure humans don't do that. SOMETHING in the Cylons is WAY different than us. But humans still can't tell the difference? Sure....we can Jump across interstellar space, but we can't detect 'glowing spines'? Or computer arm jacks? The tech seemed really inconsistant. Plus, you've been like fighting the Cylons foreve and don't have anything related to an EMP weapon? Bullets? Really? Not even apparently armor piercing bullets? Really? And don't start me on Ron Moore plagarizing himself with the same magic blood trick he used on Star Trek Voyager...
Yeah, not a fan. Can you tell?
All that having been said, I love the late 70's version, cheese and all. Did it have problems, sure, but I just preferred the Star Wars feel over the Oz feel any day. BUT, if it is your cup of tea, more power to you. As they say, YMMV.
I actually liked the New Caprica storyline and the fallout that accompanied it. The gut-punch that was finding Earth the first time - and Dualla's suicide - was just as good as anything from the early seasons. The reveal of the Final Five (minus #5) was great, but the potential was a little squandered. I'd say that the show stumbled towards its finish, but I still hold the series as a whole in truly high esteem.
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Anyway, re: BSG: I already used this line a couple of years ago in a FAWTL thread but, if I ever get a chance to go back in time and visit my younger self, I will tell him to stop watching BSG and Lost at the end of Season Two.
Truer words have never been spoken.
For both shows.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Not to derail the BSG discussion, but I really hope the Captain Marvel movie rumors are true, and that they pick Katee Sackfoff to play Danvers.
So say we all!