After my frequent entries about church, plays not to miss, and other indirect prescriptions for living your life, I hesitate to make more suggestions for how you should use your time.
I hesitate, but I cannot stop myself from the small nudge that an hour a week watching Battlestar Galactica is well spent.
We find it amazing drama with captivating acting and a storyline that comments on today’s issues without being obviously preachy — this is no cheesy Star Trek with half-white-half-black aliens stupidly facing off against half-black-half-white aliens.
Instead, we are immersed in murky situations of unclear morality. The good-guy major characters disagree on what to do, and it’s not even clear that the good guys are going to carry the day anyway. It’s a dark show.
But, non-Sci-Fi people’s eyes glaze over very quickly whenever a Sci-Fi series is mentioned. So, I have kept myself from proselytizing too loudly on the street corner.
Then I ran across the San Francisco Chronicle’s television critic’s review this morning. Tim Goodman has the little man jumping out of his chair, and sounds more cheerleader-like than critic. Goodman writes:
… the show really is that good — you are hereby notified that the sci-fi geeks are not kidding this time. Battlestar Galactica not only lives up to its sci-fi gold-standard reputation but also should be considered straight up as one of television’s most appealing dramas, no matter the genre…
What makes Battlestar Galactica cross over to non-sci-fi fans is that stripped of the space conceit and relatively few sci-fi elements, it’s a top-notch drama with fascinating characters, solid writing and an eagerness to explore complicated social, political and philosophical issues. (Read the full review)
Goodman’s comments give me hope that perhaps I can spread the word to a few more lost souls. It’s not too late!
The Chron review also points out that catching up with the story is easy — much easier they say than figuring out Lost. Goodman gives a couple paragraph version of all you need to know, and Sci-Fi does a nice job with a 3-minute recap online and text primers of season 1 and 2. There is also a 44-minute “story so far” episode that was shown on Sci-Fi and is a free iTunes download, but quoting Goodman again, “Even if you miss the splendidly concise prequel, ‘The Story So Far,’ it’s not as if you’ve got to learn Mandarin in a week in order for it all to make sense.”
But, I fear that Goodman an I am making Battlestar sound like a chore on a task list. Don’t watch Battlestar because it’s going to be good for you. Watch it because it’s good fun!
I can’t believe you dissed Proto-Trek so badly. That was a good show!
It was a great show which I taped on a reel-to-reel recorder so I could re-listen to the dialog over and over the following week. But, it was kinda overly accessible to me and my fellow junior high school friends, too. (My mother had to be banished from the TV room because her frequent howls of laughter at the plot and script were too distracting.)
Besides, I like cheesiness. It’s just that those Luddites who avoid Sci-Fi latch on to any cheesy moment as an excuse not to watch. It was They who I was trying to reassure.
🙂
Today’s cheesiness is yesterday’s cutting edge…
(and, in parallel, today’s cutting edge may well be tomorrow’s cheesiness…)
Galactica utterly kicks ass:) Haven’t watched last night’s ep yet but don’t know if I’ll be able to wait till Jim gets off work*evil grin*.
And OMgosh… was last week’s episode just frackin’ unreal????!!!! Ships “jumping” into the atmosphere of New Caprica, all them Cylon basestars battling the two battlestars. I was in geeky, drooling heaven:-)
Sure felt sad for one eyed Tye though. And poor Starbuck with the kid*sniff, sniff*.
Of course my namesake, the Chief, isn’t bad.
I’m just waiting for Fat Apollo to slim down to his fuckable old self. Damn… they sure did a “fat suit” number on him*shudder*.
Wanna know who I think is really hot in an odd way? I don’t even know his name ’cause he’s such a background character but I think he’s second in command of security. Green eyes, big build, crew cut… he was the guy in X-Men 2 who got shot up with lead by Mystic and died a rather grisly death. He’s got that certain look that I’d probably fuck him in a shopping mall if he gave me the chance LOL.
It’s so odd how sex appeal for me is so all over the board. Jimbo’s always saying “you think HE’S attractive???” LOL.
It might be the eyes… that’s my “turn on” feature. Jim doesn’t have the sexiest body (though it’s damn hot), but when I met him all I could think about was how alluring his eyes were. Woot;-)
Oh damn… and I SO forgot about Sharron! Damn!!! She’s sexy as hell and what with all her multiple “selves” is easily one of the most fascinating charaters I’ve seen portrayed in a long, long while. Don’t remember the actresses name, but she rawks.