I never got to see the original series of Battlestar Galactica, I was born eight years after it ended, so I approached the new series knowing only the basics; humanity created the robotic cylons, they rebelled against us and war was declared, fought and ended. Forty years later, the cylons are back, with human faces and murderous intentions. I thought I knew what to expect.
This is not however the run-of-the-mill story of "humanity fights evil robots, heroics and explosions ensue until we kick their shiny metal behinds". In this world the war is over as soon as it is begun. And humanity lost. We are not the heroic victors toasting our new found respect for life and love. All that is left by the end of the mini series totals less than fifty-thousand souls, and these aren"t necessarily those we would wish to have survived. All but one military ship, the Galactica under the command of Bill Adama, have been destroyed and the highest ranking survivor of the government is Laura Roslin, the secretary of education now flung into the seat of presidency. There are criminals, self-serving traitors, terrorists and murderers alongside the heroic pilots and hardworking people of the fleet. Instead of coming together, unified under a common horrific experience as in the popcorn movies, we descend into a world of black markets, corruption and tough decisions. Tensions and tempers are running high and it is only a matter of time before blood is spilled. And that"s before you even get to the cylons hidden within the fleet and the constant fighting and running endured as they are repeatedly followed and attacked.
The main part of the show takes place with the people of the military; Kara Thrace (Starbuck) the best shot in or out of the cockpit, commander Adama"s son Lee (Apollo), the XO Saul Tigh, always with a drink on hand and many others but it is not just about the fights between the two races although this is certainly a large element and is done well; the military fighter Vipers are sleek but dirtied from the many battles with the cylon raders, themselves eerily alive with their moving red lights; the camera shots in space are almost documentary in feel, space is as it should be, silent, and there is definitely a hint of Joss Whedon"s Firefly about it. But it is the politics, religion, philosophy and very humanity of the show that makes it more than just popcorn tv. The main obstacles of the show aren"t how can we find and destroy the cylons but how to find water, how to prevent riots from the starving, thirsty people and how to keep the exhausted pilots flying in a straight line.
And then there are the religious legends that thousands of years ago the gods, based on the Olympian gods of ancient Greece, lived alongside humans on the planet Kobol, that the twelve tribes of humanity left and came to their current worlds, these having names related to the signs of the zodiac, and that a legendary thirteenth tribe journeyed alone to a planet called Earth. And this is the ultimate goal for the fleet containing the last vestiges of humanity. This is where humanity places it's hope but is also the source of it"s internal conflict; those who believe in the prophecies of Pithia contained in their sacred scrolls, telling of the dying leader who will lead them to Earth, and those who don"t believe and wish to trust to science and reason to find them a new home.
Overall, Battlestar Galactica is a wonderful show and season one is just the start of a epic journey across the galaxy, the fight for humanity and the discovery of what it means to be a person. Highly recommended.