Copyright 2009, Universal StudiosYep, it's time for another round of "Josh misses the new classics, TV-style!" Just like with The Wire, SCI FI's Battlestar Galactica is another widely praised show I've missed, though the latter program is far more buzzworthy and popular, as unfortunate as that might be. Still, I'm just now catching up on season 1 (and avoiding spoilers for the final 10 episodes like the plague, while trying to forget the big twists I read about when I didn't have any interest in watching the show) and wanted to reflect on a show that starts out slow but ends up much the opposite.
To be fair, about two years ago, I did try to start up watching the revamped version of Battlestar Galactica, by starting out with season 1 on Netflix. I knew that a miniseries had preceded the main show, so my wife and I watched it. Our consensus? The miniseries was...well, kind of boring. We made it through the three hours but without any interest in finding anything out. However, I tried again recently, partly because of the hullabaloo about the final half-season and partly because I'd always felt like maybe it wasn't the many critics who were off about the show but me. This time, thankfully, the miniseries wasn't as boring (partially because I vaguely knew what to expect in terms of plot twist and character development), to the point where I wanted to watch the actual series.
And, if I'd known that the miniseries was in place simply to give as much exposition as is humanly possible, so the series could zoom off without looking back, I'd be more inclined to watch. Now, unfortunately, I can't wait for the second season to begin so answers can start coming. For now, I get to enjoy the political dealings and action-packed battle sequences, the unique characters and surprising twists. Despite being a remake, there's only one place to go with this show: up. Yes, the show's not perfect (I could, for example, have done without Tom Zarek, a political terrorist-cum-politician, and am not thrilled to find out that, according to IMDb, the character will pop up in over 15 more episodes), but how can I blame a show that spends enough time developing a weirdly charming and humorous weasel in Gaius Baltar, the popular scientist whose greater interest in the ladies ends up getting him a Cylon in his head.
Oh, yes, the plot. Well, it's all quite simple: humans made robots called Cylons. The Cylons rebelled, attacked the humans, and are now trying to dominate the universe. There's only about 50,000 humans left, on a series of battleships, including the titular one, led by Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos). The new president of the colonies, Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), is trying to figure out her position in life as she grapples with terminal cancer. There's many more characters, but for the purposes of this post, let's just point out that the Cylons are so powerful and many that they look and feel like humans; some, as the show says, think they're human. So, basically, anyone on the show could be and may be a Cylon. And still, the show has time for goofy humor and action sequences, so applause there.
There's still a lot left to go on the show (I've only seen 13 of 70-odd episodes), but even now, it's clear that the show will become more dramatic, darker, more painful, and filled with more desperate characters. If only I had the money to buy all the seasons and the time to watch them immediately. I guess waiting will make things better. For right now, if you're like me and ignored this series initially, go to Netflix and add it on. It's got the potential to be a real 21st-century classic, not a Star Wars retread.
Three and a half stars out of four
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