-This review contains spoilers-
Finally finished my summer project. Been watching the re-imagined 'Battlestar Galactica' (BG) off and on all summer, and finally got through all 75 episodes that aired on Syfy from 2004-2009.
For those of you not familiar with BG, your first thought when you hear the title is likely of the late 70's flop that aired on broadcast TV trying to capitalize on the success of the first Star Wars (or the 4th Star Wars, "A New Hope," as we know it now). I had read that Ron D. Moore's version of the campy cult classic was much darker and character-driven than the original, but I hesitated for months before I fired up the mini-series (a four hour pilot) for a peek. I was expecting a slightly less humorous version of "Firefly." What I got was an incredible roller coaster of despair, tragedy, and incredibly nuanced, flawed characters fighting for survival in an impossible situation. This ain't your parents' space opera.
Ron D. Moore teamed up with David Eick, and in 2002 they pitched the show to Syfy. Together, they wrote the mini-series and tied in enough backstory to provide a base for a potential weekly series. While they were working on the mini-series, HBO approached Moore about being the showrunner for Carnivale after Henry Bromell (of Homeland fame) stepped down after production started during the first season. Eick handled the day-to-day operations of BG's mini-series and after it pulled the highest viewing numbers of any show on Syfy, the network ordered a 13 episode first season. Moore left Carnivale after the end of the first season for an Executive Producer gig on BG and promptly wrote the first two episodes of the first season (including the masterful "33", the episode where I became emotionally invested in this show).
Alan Sepinwall, in his "The Revolution Was Televised" book, talks about how the Syfy execs called Moore in after a few episodes and asked him to consider making the show less dark, afraid the tone of the series would turn off viewers. So Moore gave them "Act of Contrition", where an experienced Viper pilot makes her 1,000th flight. While the crew is waiting in the hanger to celebrate her accomplishment, an accident occurs during landing, promptly killing 13. Moore says that after that episode, he never received any more advice on the tone or direction of the show.
The re-imagined show, much like Glen Larson's source material from 25 years ago, is the story of humanity on the run from machines that have risen up against their human masters. But that is where the similarities end. Did I mention this show is dark? Just when you think things can't possibly get any bleaker for humanity, something horrific happens. You start to get a foreboding sense that no one's getting out of this mess alive. Or intact. Or unbroken.
BG has some fine actors playing well-developed characters, from the beautiful Trisha Helfer, the lovely and talented Grace Park, the Emmy-worthy Mary McConnell, the great James Callis, tough and sassy Katee Sackoff, and the incredibly gifted Michael Hogan. But make no mistake, this show is the magnum opus of Edward James Olmos. He may be Martin Castillo when you start watching, but by the end of the series he will forever be remembered as William Adama. Old men rule!
An aspect of BG that is striking is the parallels made to contemporary issues, from the war on terror to limitations placed on civil liberties. This show doesn't do subtle, and there's nothing subtle about Moore's allegorical view of our world post-9/11. From sleeper cells, suicide bomber attacks, insurgency, occupation, and competing religions, this show will will leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled.
If you're looking for a great, character-driven drama about abject human misery and despair, BG is for you. Moore and company do a great job to keep you engrossed in this alternate world, with stunning special effects and awesome cinematography. Shame on the Academy for not handing out more Emmy nominations to a show done this well.
So if you find yourself staying up late because you have to watch one more episode, don't frakking blame me.
Best quotes of the series:
- "So say we all."
- "All this has happened before and will happen again."
- Bill and Saul's exchange: "They told me you were dead!" "For a while, I was."
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