Battlestar Galactica

[qos]

I finally got around to watching the 'new' Battlestar Galactica miniseries, courtesy of Netflix.

Wow. . . !!

I put the disc in and was completely engrossed for the entire time. Everything I'd heard about it being darker and more hard-edged than the original is true -- although that wouldn't have taken much effort. The hard decisions were more urgent, the heartbreak more real. Not only the best science fiction, but the best story I've encountered in some time. I've been mildly to acutely disappointed in most of the books, movies and plays I've engaged with over the past couple of months. This Galactica reaffirms my hope that there is still good stuff out there to grab me by my lapels, make me pay attention, make me cry, make me hold my breath, and make me want to cheer.

I was startled by the impact of sound in the show. I'm not usually particularly aware of the nuances of sound, but I was in this case. There were a few moments -- like the intro music on the interview show that Baltar did, and the flyby during the decommissioning scene -- when I heard the old BG music. When the cylons first appeared and their 'hands' started moving, the sound was the same as the old-style Cylons, same with the red-eye movement sound. No sound in space, except some concussion of the weapons, and the percussion of metal ships breaking and twisting. The music was excellent too, totally unlike most adventure music, understated, and alternatively percussive and melancholy.

I liked the way the Galactica was a throw-back, and I like the submarine-like quality of the action on the bridge. And I really liked the complexity of the characters and their relationships. I liked the gender integration of the crew. I like the President and Starbuck very much. And I was really surprised that I actually bought into the twists in Baltar's plot. And that moment with the Imperious Leader. . .

I'm looking forward to getting the first season and watching it.

More thoughts, focusing on heroines in BG, are here in my heroine_addicts community.

Comments

[athenian-abroad.livejournal.com]

Agreed! I was startled by how plain good this was on all counts.

The music caught my attention as well. (Of course you knew it would.) It was composed by Richard Gibbs (formerly of Oingo Boigo), who has never done a "space opera" before (though he did score Queen of the Damned, which was directed by Galactica director Michael Rymer). Rymer was looking explicitly for a "non-traditional" score, and Gibbs did a terrific job...the album is one of my current favorites.

The series is good as well...not as consistent (but that's life in TV production)...but good stuff nonetheless. You'll enjoy it.

Of course, I get a little extra thrill from the fact that Galactica features my favorite sub-text: polytheists good, monotheists bad! ;-)

[qos.livejournal.com]

I hadn't caught that last nuance until you brought it up -- although I did find myself surprised at the Cylon's several references to "God." What kind of relationship does a mechanical being have to the Divine? Fascinating. Although, come to think of it. . . according to the information at the end, they are pretty much physically indistinguishable from human beings.

It wasn't overt at the time, but I also felt a pleasant surprise at the overtly religious ceremony at the end. Sci-fi doesn't always do religion -- or do it well if it goes there. (Although the treatement of religion and religiosity was one of the things I liked very much about Babylon-5.) And I liked Starbuck's heartfelt prayer. And a comment in the heroine_addicts conversation warned me to look out for Roslin's church-and-state attitudes, so I'm looking forward to how that will play out.

[athenian-abroad.livejournal.com]

What kind of relationship does a mechanical being have to the Divine?

One interesting further elaboration of the theme (or twist, anyway), is that, unlike most of us, the Cylons know exactly who created them and why. And they don't think too much of their creators.

"Humanity's children are coming home. Today."

-- Number 6

[qos.livejournal.com]

You're right. That makes it an especially interesting twist. The Cylons know who created them, and they know there is something beyond their creators. I'm hoping this is something that will be elaborated on as the show progresses.

[bodhibird.livejournal.com]

I'm also looking forward to buying the first season, as soon as it's feasible for us. I've seen some of the first-season eps on NBC--they air it from time to time as a special thing--and it remains as impressive as the miniseries. Yay Starbuck! (You should have a "Don't frak with me" icon. *g*)

[femalegamer.livejournal.com]

I love making icons people randomly mentioned, so I'm working on a "don't frak with my fandom" icon, but I decided to animate it, with one frame per word... but I'm having problems finding the right thing for the last frame. I have a stern Apollo/Starbuck, a stern Adama/Roslin, a Boomer with a gun, and Six from the cover with the red eye flare.

Any suggestions?

[femalegamer.livejournal.com]

And believe it or not, the series does nothing but get better. I would probably list my top five SF series ever as: DS9, Firefly, first four seasons of SG-1, this and Doctor Who

Go check our the forums for this show on <A href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com</a>Television Without Pity</a>, though only after you've watched the miniseries all through, at least. (not entirely sure if you've done that already) They even have a thread on the subject of gender equality, though of course, be careful as it gets closer to the present. I've heard that Universal (I think) is bringing out Season Two First Half on DVD rather than waiting til the end of Season Two.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I didn't watch a lot of DS9, but I liked it very much. I liked the fact that, as with this BG, the characters weren't perfect, and they didn't all like each other, and sometimes they got on each other's nerves -- or worse.

You're not a Babylon-5 fan? To me, that was the best sci-fi series ever. (At least through the 4th season.)