So I finally watched Battlestar Galactica. Dude. Wow.

[Agent Foxtrot]

I spent the past weekend laying on the couch with a virus, so I finally got to break in the brand new LCD TV I bought after Christmas. Based on my analysis of what should be changed about Star Trek: TNG here, KneadToKnow suggested I should be watching Battlestar Galactica. It was on the SciFi Channel, so why not?

Holy cow. I can see why everyone raves about it so much. On the good side, the taboos on sex, drug use, and cigarette smoking in science fiction television are finally broken: real people have real vices. I also like the fact that some technologies from our age have lasted to theirs, such as wall paint, toilets, and razor blades. There was a limit to the technology they had, so Deus ex machina is gone. The actors didn't take themselves too seriously and seemed to actually have fun with their roles, leading to much better acting.

Now the bad: I appreciate that in the BSG future, pretty much everyone swears with regularity. However, I felt that using "fark" instead of "fuck" was distracting from the dialogue, and actually kinda cheesy. Either swear or don't... fabricated expletives make me groan. Finally, more science! I know I've only seen one episode so far and I know BSG isn't ST:TNG, but one of the things I absolutely loved about ST:TNG was the creative science the writers came up with.

Would someone care to give me a run-down of the basic plot of BSG without too many spoilers and/or fanwank with me?

[Harlequin]

However, I felt that using "fark" instead of "fuck" was distracting from the dialogue

It's "frack", actually. I think it works fine as just a curseword, but when they use it to mean "have sex with", it pulled me right out.

Would someone care to give me a run-down of the basic plot of BSG without too many spoilers and/or fanwank with me?

Man created artificial intelligence: the Cylons. They rebelled, and there was a war. Eventually, the war ended and the Cylons left humans alone. For forty years, no-one heard anything about them. Suddenly they return, and now they have models that look exactly like humans. Even a medical examination can't tell the difference. Luckily they have a very limited selection of faces so once you've identified a Cylon model you know that everyone else looking like that is a Cylon too. Some of the Cylons don't know they're Cylons.

When the Cylons return they blow up the twelve colonies of humanity. About 50000 people are all that remain of our species. They form a makeshift fleet and start running away from the Cylons while looking for a mythical place called... wait for it... Earth.

That's the basic plot and I really don't want to say much more. It's a good, intelligent show with plenty of twists that are better left unspoiled. There's internal politics among both humans and Cylons, a good dose of religion and mysticism, fighting, sex and treachery.

Which episode did you see? I'd suggest you don't watch any more but get hold of the pilot and then look through them in sequence. The show has looooong story arcs that should be watched from start to finish.

[dread pirate jimbo]

However, I felt that using "fark" instead of "fuck" was distracting from the dialogue

It's "frack", actually. I think it works fine as just a curseword, but when they use it to mean "have sex with", it pulled me right out.

Would someone care to give me a run-down of the basic plot of BSG without too many spoilers and/or fanwank with me?

Man created artificial intelligence: the Cylons. They rebelled, and there was a war. Eventually, the war ended and the Cylons left humans alone. For forty years, no-one heard anything about them. Suddenly they return, and now they have models that look exactly like humans. Even a medical examination can't tell the difference. Luckily they have a very limited selection of faces so once you've identified a Cylon model you know that everyone else looking like that is a Cylon too. Some of the Cylons don't know they're Cylons.

When the Cylons return they blow up the twelve colonies of humanity. About 50000 people are all that remain of our species. They form a makeshift fleet and start running away from the Cylons while looking for a mythical place called... wait for it... Earth.

That's the basic plot and I really don't want to say much more. It's a good, intelligent show with plenty of twists that are better left unspoiled. There's internal politics among both humans and Cylons, a good dose of religion and mysticism, fighting, sex and treachery.

Which episode did you see? I'd suggest you don't watch any more but get hold of the pilot and then look through them in sequence. The show has looooong story arcs that should be watched from start to finish.

This.

Personally, I kinda like all the "fraks." It's one of many cute little nods to the original series, as well as a means to drive the censors crazy by cursing all the time without actually cursing. Just my opinion, though.

Definitely watch the show from the start, if you can. The mini-series was a revelation, taking the original series and leaping about a thousand miles past it, making things darker, plots denser, greying up individual motivations, giving characters lots of depth, as well as plenty of flaws. It was a fantastic reboot with some major surprises and I think they've executed the whole concept remarkably well during the run of the series.

One of the things I've always really appreciated about this show, as compared to the 70s version, is the constant sense of jeopardy within the rag-tag fleet. We really don't know if they're ever going to find a new home. We really don't know who's going to survive from one week to the next. The show has done a fine job, IMO, of keeping the audience engaged and waiting for the next big shocker. But it all fits together much, much better if you see it from the start.

[cmyk]

^Agreed.

However, please be warned that there's not a lot of science in this science fiction. It's almost like an action/drama that happens to be set in space. Sure it has its scifi elements aplenty, but MUCH of the plot is driven by character motivation, taking sides (cylon or human), treason and politics, love and hate, and a good dose of actual religion/mysticism. So, if your expecting the episodes to be driven by science-fiction-conundrum-of-the-week that resets itself at the end of each episode, ala ST:TNG, then you might be disappointed. That said, this is quality television, great acting, characters, stories, visual effects, directing, etc. Each season has its slow points (and some eps are stinkers), but please watch it from the 2-part mini-series on through, and you'll have a blast. Some episodes are grand, resounding and epic... enjoy!

Also, the "Frak!" thing grows on ya. So does the "Gods dammit."

I'd also mention something about this taking place in the "future"... but perhaps I shouldn't.

[cmyk]

In fact, the biggest conundrum of the entire series is...

[spoiler:2bmvg4j7]Why the frak do they cut all the corners off their documents?[/spoiler:2bmvg4j7]

(it's not a real spoiler, btw)

[dread pirate jimbo]

In fact, the biggest conundrum of the entire series is...

[spoiler:17n7y86u]Why the frak do they cut all the corners off their documents?[/spoiler:17n7y86u]

(it's not a real spoiler, btw)

Same as a lot of other things -- that's the way it was in the original series!

To your point in the previous post re: the lack of science, yeah, they do that a lot. How do the hyperdrives work? What kind of Cylon voodoo allowed them to create a robot that is virtually indistinguishable from an organic? Those things just aren't discussed. On the other hand, the physics of the way ships move around in space, complete with thrusters and such, looks way ahead of what usually passes for acceptable motion in zero-G. I also like how there are no laser guns or force fields anywhere -- just good ol' fashioned ordinance and metal plating. I'd prefer it if they had gone all the way with no sound effects in space, but I understand that conceit being worked in for the sake of an audience that is expecting engines and guns to make noise (muting it all is a nice compromise, IMO). Overall, BSG seems to be taking a completely different angle on science compared to the way "comventional" sci-fi TV and movies approach it.

[Eonwe]

I also love it; I've been watching since December and am now only about 10 episodes behind broadcast.

I've been saying that this is the sci-fi series I've been waiting for my entire adult life (I'm 29).

It's what Star Trek could have become but didn't.

[silenus]

My wife started watching BSG when it started so she would have something to talk to me about when I'm in geek-mode and got hooked. We both especially like the fact that there is no black or white in the BSG 'verse, only shades of grey. The way they portray the broken is perfect. There is no magic tachyon beam or Super-Engineer to wave the wand to reset everything. All acts have consequences.

Oh, and the women are hot!

[Harlequin]

Oh, and the women are hot!

Yes, but most of the women actually look like real people. I've seen this more and more in shows like Dexter and Deadwood; people who, while good looking, you might actually see in real life. In Battlestar Galactica Number Six and Number Three clearly go beyond that, but the others - yep, they're yummy as chocolate pudding but they remain in the realm of normal people.

I especially like Starbuck's looks. She actually looks like a real fit woman who stays in shape for a reason other than to attain zero percent body fat.

[WhyNot]

So I finally watched Battlestar Galactica. Dude. Wow.

I KNOW! Right?!

I recommend using "frak" (or "frack") as much as possible in your daily speech. Once you do that, it feels like a real curse word and it slides right on by, nice and smooth, while you're watching the show.

Plus, it's really cute to hear a 4 year old yell "frak!" and know her grandmother won't get the vapors if she hears it.

[Baldwin]

An episode a few weeks ago showed graffiti with the word "frak"; so I guess that's how it's spelled.

Something that originally bugged me about the show is now one of my favorite parts -- the fact that, aside from a few specific advanced items (the FTL drive, the super-good rockets, artificial gravity) the technology on the show is stuff we could actually make. If we had easy access to space, we could build mile-long million-ton spaceships with giant frakkin' cannons on them. Hell, yeah.

[silenus]

I just love the sequence from Season 1 (I think "33") where Galactica is slugging it out with base stars and waiting until her fighters get aboard...nothing but missiles and cannons and explosions and just manly manliness!

We can do this!

[Butterscotch]

I especially like Starbuck's looks. She actually looks like a real fit woman who stays in shape for a reason other than to attain zero percent body fat.

Wait, Starbuck is a woman? I thought HE was the guy from the A-team.... We obviously aren't talking about the Battlestar Galactica I used to watch are we?

How much have I missed?

[Hellestal]

In the last month, I've convinced at least four different people to try the mini-series.

There is no RDM but RDM, and Hellestal is His Prophet.

[Harlequin]

I especially like Starbuck's looks. She actually looks like a real fit woman who stays in shape for a reason other than to attain zero percent body fat.

Wait, Starbuck is a woman? I thought HE was the guy from the A-team.... We obviously aren't talking about the Battlestar Galactica I used to watch are we?

We're certainly not. I don't know much about the original version; just enough to wonder why they bothered to keep the names and the design of the metal Cylons, without which no-one would ever have connected it with the original. It's not like the name Battlestar Galactica attracted thousands of viewers.

[Butterscotch]

Sounds like I need to catch up! Off to Amazon...

[silenus]

I especially like Starbuck's looks. She actually looks like a real fit woman who stays in shape for a reason other than to attain zero percent body fat.

Wait, Starbuck is a woman? I thought HE was the guy from the A-team.... We obviously aren't talking about the Battlestar Galactica I used to watch are we?

We're certainly not. I don't know much about the original version; just enough to wonder why they bothered to keep the names and the design of the metal Cylons, without which no-one would ever have connected it with the original. It's not like the name Battlestar Galactica attracted thousands of viewers.

Actually, it did. The name recognition was rather powerful in geek circles.


Butterscotch, be sure to get the Season One set that has the miniseries included. The set-up is kinda necessary.

[Harlequin]

It's not like the name Battlestar Galactica attracted thousands of viewers.

Actually, it did. The name recognition was rather powerful in geek circles.

Maybe, but geek circles are rather small.

[silenus]

Ever been to Comic-Con? :ugeek: