Sunday, September 03, 2006

Battlestar Galatica season 2

Battlestar Galatica season 2.

It cost a little more then I wanted to pay for it. I could not resist it. It was worth it.

I watched the original series. Starring Lorne Greene and Dirk Benedict. Also the lamentable Galactica 1980.

I even have 2 of the novels, based on the pilot, and one of the original tv episodes. (War of the Gods)

The new reimaging is great.

``So say we all''

The new series is the brainchild of Ronald D Moore. Formerly of Star Trek DS9. Treks red headed and brilliant stepchild- Deep Space Nice
The influence of Moore, and the similarities with DS9 are noticeable. The use of religion as a plot point, and a motivation for characters. A better understanding of Military dynamics than Trek does generally. 
DS9, was the only member of Treks stable to feature a non com- As a recurring character. (Chief O'Brien) An enemy which can strike from within, and without. Even one of the leads. James Callis, resembles an actor, in DS9 Namely Alexander Siddiq in both form and voice

A beautiful cast. Though, as I often do. I lean away from the main, Glamour girl. 6. Tricia Helfer. In favour of Grace park, and Katee Sackoff.

BSG even stars our old friends. Lucy Lawless and Dean Stockwell. (Xena did you really need to know that? Or course  Al, from Quantum leap)

Its pure escapism. If escaping to a barren desolate dangerous world is escape

One the series is not afraid to kill off people. This is how it should be. The supporting cast dies. The episode Scar details a list of pilots, who never came back. 
One of the main characters buys a farm, in another episode. I don't mean a field in Kansas

This is not Star Trek Voyager. This is an a fleet of hungry desperate people. Human nature never goes away. The antagonists- The Cylons reimagined as cloned Humans (something we have to thank Galactica 1980 for) These Cylons view humans as destructive. We are.
We see desperate people warts and all...No shining Space ships, no lemonade in Ten Forward.

Neither is the ship the finest in the fleet. The Galatica was due to be turned into a museum. Its XO is a drunk, with a loose wife. The golden boy captain, was visiting prostitutes. One of the pilots is a junkie. I always had a hard time believing the lemonade drinking jazz players of Trek

Moore made a conscious decision to avoid technobabble. This works better. This is explained away by a plot device. Networked computers, and com systems, are vulnerable to enemy cyber intelligence. This give the series a feel closer to  classic war films

No new Alien of the week. Its a lonely universe. There is man, and the Cylons and then Algae. (James Olmos threatened to walk if Aliens appeared)
No reset button. This dogged Voyager and Enterprise, where shuttles and torpedoes could be spent at will

Like Stargate, it based in part on a chariots of the Gods premise.
  ``Life down here begun out there' 
I like this as fiction. I must tell you  as theory of history is bunkum. However it makes good entertainment.

(Okay sometimes, I wonder how this polytheistic society, developed so fast and so far) The names, and the occasional use of an Amen) Is wrong. I overlook this.

( I am posting about a Sci Fi series I have spent the weekend watching on DVD, what do you expect)

A wonderfully well constructed universe. SF is no less of a genre  then say historical fiction. Theodore Sturgeons rule sadly still applies. That SF is always based on its worst examples. This should not be the case. If we may set Romeo and Juliet in the present day. Why not, exodus among the stars.

The case for the defense rests.

``So say we all!''

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