Battlestar Galactica

...it's a frakking review.

First of all, greetings 2011. May you be one better than 2010.

Secondly, let's get on with the review at hand.

I'm a fan of Science Fiction.

You're probably thinking lasers, epic battles between massive space fleets, the discovery of new worlds etc.

That's all good stuff, however, the true strength of the Sci-Fi genre, as I see it, is it's ability to place human characters (they don't have to be human) in situations which are unlikely or even impossible to occur in the real world, so as to provide another lense through which we can observe the human condition.

The technology, whilst being cool and is nice eye-candy (also brain-candy if handled correctly), should never overwhelm the story telling - otherwise it would be like attending lectures, except for subjects which don't exist except in the imagination of the writers - and that's no fun.

WARNING: There are a few spoilers, from the mini-series and the earlier parts of the first season.

So, Battlestar Galactica is a TV series I picked up and watched over the holidays (whilst I was meant to be working, of course). The premise of the show is simple and a little cheesy:

Twelve Colonies of humans are destroyed by their own robots who have developed sentience and are tired of being used as slaves. The attack comes as a surprise. Billions of lives are lost and the existence of humankind is reduced to a small rag-tag fleet of civilian ships and the Galactica, a Battlestar class war-ship. The series charts their desperate attempts to run from the pursuing Cylons and to find a new home.

I wasn't really sold on the idea - especially as it was a re-imagining of a 1970's show, which really was as cheesy as you'd expect, and a blatant cashing in on the Star Wars image.

However, as I began to watch the miniseries (basically a 3-hour pilot), it became quickly clear that this show was going to be something different.

It is dark, it is gritty and it is realistic. The Cylons nuke humanity, leaving their homeworlds a wasteland of radiation and death and there is no shying away from the human effects of this. Whereas the original series essentially used it as an excuse to have a jolly space adventure, this new treatment shines the spotlights on it's wide array of generally well thought out characters and their struggles to cope with the destruction of all they've ever known.

Basically, shit happens. A lot. Engineers don't suddenly pull miracles with worn machinery, pilots don't suddenly pull superhuman stunts, men and women don't heroically rise above their flaws. Accidents happen and people die for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Space is dark, the enemy is always on their tails, and there is no relief.

The show focuses mainly on the military personnel on board the Galactica - the sole remaining warship, and the characters and their choices as they attempt to protect a species on the verge of extinction. The writers aren't afraid to give the characters hard choices with no easy way out, and they do this time and time again.

The commander of the Galactica. How can one lone warship protect the entire civilian fleet? How do you provide motivation and leadership for your men when all that stretches before them is the endless expanse of the universe, with nowhere to go?

The writers are also fantastic at capturing that sense of desperation that I imagine would be present in such a scenario; one wrong move and that's game over for humanity. No continues.

It's fascinating and compelling viewing, even though it does make it hard to consistently root for the characters as inevitably their morale scales are all different. But, it is these shades of grey which provide the characters with such depth and you can't help but sympathise and understand their choices, even if you disagree.

She's a Cylon agent programmed to think she's a human, but with a deadly secret mission. They're in love. Sparks are going to fly when the truth comes out.

The extremes of human behaviour are handled with maturity and realism, and the acting performances are all solid at worst, and absolutely exhilarating at best. Edward Olmos is especially good as the commander of the Galactica - his quiet gravelly tones and immense screen presence are fantastic.

The show raises some nice questions for the viewer to ponder, such as the meaning of survival - are we only supposed to survive for it's own sake, or do we need to be worthy of survival? Transhumanism issues - what's the difference between a human and a robot which is a perfect biological replica anyway? Does it even matter in the end? It also contains a hefty amount of religious material, although it is presented in such a way that I didn't view it as provoking any meaningful debate, more to provide a richer background tapestry, which was fine by me.

Although none of these questions are new per se, the show shines a light at it from a different angle, providing perspective and insight which feels fresh (to me at least).

A self-serving computer genius seduced by a Cylon who used him to get the access codes for the Defence Mainframe. He realises what he did but no-one else does, how does one live with that sort of guilt?

The thing which I will be left with upon reflection though, are the terrific nuanced characters. The writers really hate the characters on this show - and love to put them through one crisis after another, pushing them to breaking point and beyond. Sometimes, I did find it just a tad depressing; there are really very few happy endings here. However, somehow, the show manages to dig out humanity in those dark moments, and reminds the viewer that hope springs eternal. The characters go through some pretty epic personal arcs through the course of the show, and no-one emerges unscathed.

Formerly a teacher, who became the Education Secretary. 42nd in line for the Presidency. Well, the other 41 people above you just got killed, so better figure out how to lead the remnants of humanity, and fast. Oh, and you have cancer.

If your conception of Science Fiction on TV is founded on the Star Trek idea (crazy aliens, technological deus ex machinas and flat characters) - I would suggest giving this a try just to dispel that. If you like a compelling drama (regardless of genre), this will probably be well up your alley.

On my never before used scale of 10, where 10 indicates absolute, unreachable perfection. I give BSG an 8.