I loved Battlestar so much that there were times I convinced myself that I loved it more than I loved another science fiction show of the time. One clue, it won the title of favorite Sci-Fi series in this Challenge. While I wasn't very pleased with certain aspects of the finale I still do love part of that episode, and the finale season is simply incredible.
When I watch a show I'm always looking for something I call "the moment". "The Moment" is something that happens in a show where I sit up in my chair and realize the show is different from almost any in the past, and I WANT to see more. This show gets the record for the earliest "moment". It happens in the Miniseries, and getting a little spoilery, is when the new President Roslin orders the FTL Ships to jump away leaving thousands behind to be killed by the Cylons in order to save as many as she can. The scene is breathtaking. The score in this scene is chilling, and we are forced to listen to the pleads and screams of the people being left behind. It, more than anything else in the miniseries showed me what this show would be. A gritty, realistic depiction of survival.
The show obviously was a reboot of the show of the same name from the late 70s. That show often is called cheesy, or campy. While yes it is, it's still pretty damn good, especially for the time. This one though was made during a very different time. Starting a couple years after the September 11 attacks it used many real world events and controversies to get it's point across. Since the Cylons can look like humans now it became less about Man vs. Machine, and more about scapegoats, terrorism, endless fear, and the politicization of those issues.
The cast was beyond amazing. Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park and of course the glorious Mary McDonnell. Others include Dean Stockwell, Lucy Lawless, and Michael Hogan(who should have won some kind award for his performance in season 3).
This is a difficult show to get into I think because of the heavy nature of the plot, but give it a try. The acting, and writing are top notch. The special effects are also amazing considering the show existed on SciFi it's whole run.
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