With 39,556 survivors in search of a new home due to a nuclear attack, Battlestar Galactica (or BSG) is the perfect show for fans of SciFi. The first season of the new and improved Battlestar Galactica was a hit when it was released in 2004 and is personally still a hit with me.
With the miniseries as a starter, the action-packed show began with little backstory and lots of action. Along with every introduction of a new character, the show had watchers on the edge of their seats, waiting for more. The opening scene of the miniseries gave barely any background information, leaving viewers confused and wanting to learn more about the abstract world created by the show.
Expanding on What Came Before
This is a different version of the old Battlestar Galactica which was released in 1978 which you can actually watch on Prime surprisingly! With many of the characters acting differently, there were many concerns based on the new role of female Starbuck, played by Katee Sackhoff, however, she plays the part well and is a great addition to the characters.
Previously, her character was played by a male, so many fans of the old version of Galactica were unhappy with her addition to the cast, personally, however, I feel that she adds more character to the cast and her backstory fits well with how she portrays her character as Starbuck.
One of the coolest surprises for people who also watched the old version of the show was the appearance of the old actor from the original series who played the character “Lee Adama” or “Apollo”. Richard Hatch plays “Tom Zerek” in this remake, a prisoner who wants justice for their political systems in the sky. He is against the president and calls for an election to be held for a rightful leader, due to the president being only an education minister.
I really liked the way that they did this since many scenes with Richard Hatch also include Jamie Bamber (the new Captain Apollo) and it is interesting to see how they both act.
Gaius Baltar Villian or Hero?
With the old show having “Count Baltar” as the leader of their greatest enemies, the new version has changed the plot line considerably through the character of “Gaius Baltar” who takes refuge with the other humans among Galactica. There are many surprises that take place along the first season with the introductions to a “sleeping Cylon agent” among the ship, along with “Gaius Baltar” having a sort of connection to one of the human-looking Cylons named Number Six.
In fact, it is revealed in the first few episodes that he had a hand in the nuclear attack on the human world Caprica, as well as Picon and many others, overall causing humans to be nearly wiped out with only one battleship left. This only adds to the suspense through him being onboard Galactica while also having a sort of communication with a Cylon that lasts throughout the season, however, it is incredibly fun to watch since nobody else can see Number Six. With a big surprise to Galactica of Cylons looking like humans, it gives the show a new twist to each story.
God is Real
Amongst the twists of the show are the religious aspects. The human fleet has a long religious background and they pray to the “Lords of Kobol”. Their history talks about humanity leaving a planet called Kobol which was lost in myth and legend. Added to that is the legend of a place even further removed called Earth.
With every character having important significance in the journey towards safety, each episode adds to the suspense surrounding their sacred scrolls and how religion plays a factor. Viewers learn more about the religion of the fleet and their beliefs as we discover that certain characters are actually part of these religious prophecies and can help lead them home to a place they only believe is there.
The fact that the fleet has such strong beliefs is really interesting to me since it is so different from our own world. As each episode goes on we find out a little more of their history and how they came to be and eventually the fleet’s beliefs prove to be true. I think that their beliefs proving to be true is one of the greatest plots of the show because it seems that the characters we believe aren’t very important, turn out to be one of the largest and most significant parts of the storyline.
Many people believe that the reboot for the show has so much potential due to the storyline that pulls watchers in by the second. The graphics are amazing and although the old 1978 version was a product of its time, the new version is definitely still very watchable. I’ve recently learned that they are also doing a new revamp of this show so I’m planning on making sure I know all the characters so I can comment on the changes just like those old people with the original!
The show is not only a sci-fi show set in space but also gives watchers insight to each character and their development along with the drama that goes on not only with the war but between each individual aboard the Galactica. It adds to their religious beliefs and the character tension as their backstories collide and provide understanding for the actions that they take while fighting a war for their home.
Where are we going?
With just one season, we see depth and back stories in each character. With certain characters such as the Adama family, we see in the first episode or so that there was another member that had been lost. As the show goes on, viewers understand why and how this came to be, along with how it affected other characters such as “Starbuck” or “Kara Thrace”.
The last episode of the season is captivating as the characters fight their way back against the Cylons and their inhabited planets that had been destroyed, such as Caprica, and the watchers are left on the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen to the leaders they have learnt to love over the past thirteen episodes.
With three different stories taking place at the same time, the protagonists fight the Cylons back with each step of their journey towards the legendary Earth.