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New Battlestar Galactica Series Thread

J

JJCoolbean

Member
Wow, I've just finished watching the first five episodes and I am impressed! I work in the television/film industry and now I'm pulling all the favors I can to try and get on the Vancouver production of this program. Wow, I can't think of a series that I've been more inpressed with after five episodes!

What do those of you who have seen the series thus far, either those of you from the U.K. or those of you who, like me, downloaded the episodes via P2P, think of the new Battlestar Galactica? I've been busy working on projects over the past couple of months so I may have missed some of the discussions on this forum, but I'm interested in reading your comments, everyone.

Personally, I think an intriguing mini-series has been far surpassed! So far BSG is Babylon 5 plot with Star Trek production value polish.

I should add that I'm a HUGE Ron D. Moore fan from back in his Trek days. Just look at the Trek episodes that he wrote and the arc ideas that he pushed and his talent is apparent. He essentially invented the Klingon culture in Next Gen and his attention to continuity detail was groundbreaking in TV sci-fi. He also had the guts to quit Trek based on principle grounds. He felt that the show had lost it's way and was playing it too safe, so he quit. I admire his courage considering he didn't have another job to turn toward. But Moore has more than landed on his feet with BSG.
 
I also am a big admirer of Ron Moore. Have followed him from Trek, to Roswell, to Carnivale, now Battlestar.

You know, I don't quite know what I think of it. Sometimes I think it's cool, other times it doesn't hit the mark. In some ways I love the gritty trying-to-survive angle, but then I think back to the original BSG and think is that all this show has to hope for? Where that that optimism gone?

Then again, I like things like the whiteboard moment at the end of episode 1, which was optimistic a bit.

The characters, I like some. Madam President is excellent. And Tigh is good too.

Blonde Cylon woman and Baltar bore me stupid.

I *always* love Helo. Or would love to love him... nightly.

There needs to be more positive character interaction. Some times I want to say to the programme "lighten up". I like dark drama, I loved it when DS9 got dark. But you need to have the light too.

One SEMI-SPOILER, but it won't really affect anyone's viewing of episodes: case in point, the one time people were laughing and I thought it was nice to see some joy, they promptly got killed.

But really, you know, I'm just not sure.
 
I hated the 70's orginal, thinking it cheesy and corny. I guess it's no great surprise that I love the new version. I like the characters, and particularly Adama, who comes across as an incredibly controlled, but deeply feeling and emotional man. I like the bleakness, as having most of your species destroyed and being hunted into extinction by the destroyers is a dark and terrifying prospect.
 
Yeah. In the 70's one, the first thing they did was go to a disco, IIRC. The new BSG is more mature all around. Pity a lot of rhe old series fans seem to hate it really, sci-fi.com's boards are a warzone at the moment.
 
My first reaction is that it is just a shame that it has the BSG name all over it.

I can certainly see why the diehard fans of the original might hate it, but for me the two are completely different shows. Take away the BSG and character names (most of them share practically nothing other than their names and ranks with the originals) and you have a new show.

My feeling is that it should have been made and promoted as such, rather than a "re-imagining" of a 25 year old concept.

So far, I am pretty impressed with it, but a couple of aspects do annoy me ...

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I would have preferred to see Boomer's being a Cylon more hinted at than pushed straight in your face from the mini-series onwards. The tension there is "how long before everyone else finds out", rather than "hang on a minute, that's a bit suspicious - wonder if she is a Cylon".

Starbuck. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with them turning SB into a woman, but if they were going to do that then they should have made Starbuck a recognisably strong female character rather than essentially a male character played by a female actor. Shame, really.

The lack of optimism/positive stuff was fine (and understandable) to begin with, but it is starting to wear a little thin now. Some lighter moments would improve the atmosphere no end, as well as helping to deepen the characters and their relationships. Hopefully that is just a matter of time.

And finally ... what is with every episode starting with an explanation of what the Cylons are, followed by the teaser, followed by the credits. Get rid of the explanation already!

Overall, it lacks B5's epic scope (so far), but I am enjoying it immensely so far.

Cheers,
 
One thing I didn't mention was how I HATE the clips for the upcoming episode in the credits. That's just shit.

The latest episode was mighty good though. Very reminiscent of TNG's The Drumhead.
 
I just have to say last week's and this week's episodes were stellar. Brilliant. Totally hooking me in.
 
Didn't like the original series. I liked the new movie even less.

If you're gonna re-imagine a show, I'm all for it. You wanna make the bad robots look more like us to spice things up, fine. But I kinda draw the line at changing the genders (and, in Boomer's case, everything) of established characters.
 
You talk about "changing", when really it's not changing. The new movie was where it began. It can't change anything.

Besides, things like the gender had valid reasons.

I was curious about the similarities with the old BSG at first, and thought about that, but it couldn't be further from my thoughts in watching the latest episode. BSG is its own show.
 
i'm just loving it. Complaining about things like gender changes totally misses the point, somthing new and different has been created.

Episode 7, Degrees of seperation was just very fantastic, a trip into the mind of the increasingly disturbed Gaius Baltar.
 
You talk about "changing", when really it's not changing. The new movie was where it began. It can't change anything.

Besides, things like the gender had valid reasons.

I was curious about the similarities with the old BSG at first, and thought about that, but it couldn't be further from my thoughts in watching the latest episode. BSG is its own show.
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That's exactly the point I made higher up the thread. I think the link to the original is almost pointless. It is different enough to have simply stood out as a new show.

Unfortunately, diehard fans of the original perhaps won't even give it a try because of the changes noted, while those who hated the original will perhaps avoid it just because it is Battlestar Galactica.

A shame, because it is turning into a great show - the only that I currently go out of my way to make sure I see each week.
 
Being an American, I haven't seen the series yet, but I really enjoyed the Mini Series.

It didn't bother me at all that Boomer was changed from a black man to an Asian woman. Starbuck, on the other hand, bothered me. Not because they changed her to a woman, but, because they didn't change her to a woman, they left her written as a male character, but, played her by a female actress. If she had been written as a strong female, such as Delenn, Dureena, Ivanova, Kira Narise, Dax, etc, it would've been fine, but, what came off on screen in the mini series, didn't sit well with me. I'm hoping in the series, they will have found a better fit for Starbuck, and I will be able to enjoy her as much as some others have obviously enjoyed her.
 
They address this in the series, Sackhoff gets to act a lot more naturally, and the bullishness of the character is toned down somewhat...
 
Yes. I've gone from hating Starbuck to tolerating her, which is the best compliment I can play!

But it's amazing how characters like hers and Apollo's are becoming sidelined a bit. Starbuck has been in sickbay, but Apollo... well, not sure what they want to do with him.
 
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