Battlestar Galactica (original series on DVD)

[Billy Cox]

Battlestar Galactica (BSG) was my favorite TV show when it originally aired in 1978 and 1979. I was a kid at the time, so the show obviously looks different to adult eyes.

For example, I was young enough in 1978 to not understand that the word 'frack' was a euphemism for another 'f' word that still is banned from network TV. I also did not notice that there were only about 10 effects shots of Cylon fighters exploding - shots that were reused over and over. Other effects were also recycled many times.

BSG is an especially interesting case study in comparing the first season with the second season. While every episode of the first season has combat sequences between the humans and Cylons, the second season barely even mentions the Cylons until the season finale; which ended up being the real finale since the show was cancelled.

In the first season, the child character and his annoying robotic dog somehow manage to be a central part of the action in every episode, whereas the second season reduces the child character to a bit part and the robotic dog is nowhere to be seen. By the second season, the Starbuck character has evolved from a philandering casanova into a one-woman man with a just a hint of a wandering eye.

It is perhaps a matter of interpretation whether the second season was an improvement over the first or whether the series lost its way in the second season. I tend to believe the latter; that the series tried to depart from the season one formula (Cylons chase humans, humans fight Cylons and barely escape), but failed to find anything better to put in its place.

Considering the age of the BSG original series, it is still a good show. There were only a few instances where the effects were laughable - but they were really good laughs.

Although the success of Star Wars was certainly a factor in getting BSG produced to start with, it is not a rip-off of Star Wars. The storyline and is compelling in a unique way, although it did suffer the Gilligan's Island curse. If the characters get rescued (find Earth), then the central conflict is resolved and the story is effectively over.

[Martijn van Beveren]

I was a also a kid watching BSG. And a while ago I bought the DVD of the launch serie of this SF. But seeing those cylon fighters doing the same move over and over again, made it unbearable to watch. Having seen it now, its more amusing than a good SF.

Billy, did you see the new BSG?

I've seen some episodes, and it looks really cool, but I don't really got to a good understanding of the storyline.

Marty

[Ian Gentles]

Oh boy you make me feel old, i was mid to late twenties when episodes were shown :(
Today i would rather lick mustard than watch them again ;)

[Billy Cox]

I was a also a kid watching BSG. And a while ago I bought the DVD of the launch serie of this SF. But seeing those cylon fighters doing the same move over and over again, made it unbearable to watch. Having seen it now, its more amusing than a good SF.

Billy, did you see the new BSG?

I've seen some episodes, and it looks really cool, but I don't really got to a good understanding of the storyline.

Marty

I have watched the new BSG miniseries and the first season using my Netflix membership. Season one makes alot more sense if you watch the miniseries first - I know because I watched them in the opposite order.

BSG season 2 is next in my Netflix queue.

[Garth Lahana]

Here in the Netherlands, the first and as far as I know the second season have been aired on TV. I have seen the new mini-series, and a few of the second season, and must say I thoroughly have enjoyed watching it. Sci-fi at it's best, except for in my mind a bit too much graphic violence every now and then. I hope to see more of it here!

As I child, I used to enjoy watching the original series with Lorne Green... oh boy I'm getting old! :M)

Garth

[Ian Gentles]

Here in the Netherlands, the first and as far as I know the second season have been aired on TV. I have seen the new mini-series, and a few of the second season, and must say I thoroughly have enjoyed watching it. Sci-fi at it's best, except for in my mind a bit too much graphic violence every now and then. I hope to see more of it here!

As I child, I used to enjoy watching the original series with Lorne Green... oh boy I'm getting old! :M)

Garth


Oh boy Garth i do worry about you ;) LOL

[Roland Hearn]

Back in the 70's the Gilligan's Island curse was fatal because all show intended to keep going forever, which of course they never did so you were left with this frustrating sense of the unresolved. I loved the original series because I thought it was going to break from that mold, it seemed to me they had to find earth eventually. I was really disappointed when they canned it. When the new story started I was very excited and I got my sons involved. They loved it. However, it seems it is going to go the way of the original series. I am not hearing anything about it.
I have this fascination about what will happen when they find earth. The could do anything with that. They could choose any time in history and make the crew of BSG intersect earth humanity at that point. I think there are some real interesting possibilities for the story. And of course if they do find earth there has to be a conflict between united humanity and the cylons. That could be a whole new spin of series. I really want to see where it goes.

[Dale Cozby]

Having been a fan of the Original series of BSG I was grossly disappointed by the new series.

Now before you start bashing me let me compare so you know why.

Original series:
1: Had somewhat two dimensional stereotypical characters that slowly developed into more complex characters as the series progressed.
2: It also had many more stand alone shows. by stand alone I mean you had the ability to see the show out of order in a rerun and still follow the story plot and at the end of the hour they had solved some problem achieving some minor victory along the way, leaving the viewer satisfied.
3. The show was basically rated PG
4. The language & behavior of the particular sides displaying a morality leading one side toward being good and the other side evil.


Now here is my beef with the new series which caused me to stop watching it altogether.
1. They butchered the original hero characters starting them off as highly dysfunctional immature bipolar manic-depressants with a a large dose of arrogance and enough "baggage" as yet unexplained to spin off two series just trying to psychoanalyze why they behave so badly.

2. The shows were never stand alone shows. If you missed one show you were behind and lost on where the plot was taking you in the myriad of dysfunctional behavior. I started calling it Soap Opera Galactica with all the she said/he said who is sleeping with whom intrigue and garbage. What happened to it being about a sci-fi show of good humans versus evil robots? "Peyton Place in Space."

3. The show started right off being PG-13 with very adult themes and language to boot. It just made me feel like I needed to take a bath and watch Barney or Tele-tubbies with my kids to feel better.

4. They so blurred the lines between good and evil that there truly are no heroes displaying moral or upright virtues or the villains are really just misguided and pitiable, so in all, just a myriad of dysfunctionals acting out of instinct and a lust for power, greed, etc... I actually liked Baltar(the villain) the best and the "heroes" had so few redeeming qualities I was kinda rooting for the Cylons to wipe them all out and get it over with.

side note: I am so sick of the "dysfunctional anti-hero" in new movies. why can't we have good guys and bad guys again?
Give me the original series any day of the week, rework it with some new computer graphics for the space scenes and I will be happy. Most here may not know that the original BSG fan clubs hated the new series concept so much they began a petition to have it stopped even before it aired and to boycott it after it aired.
They begged SciFi to not do what they did to the show to no avail.
I signed the petition myself while the mini-series was still in the planning stages.

OK, bash me if you must.

[Billy Cox]

The beginning of every episode of the new BSG has this one frame with regard to the Cylons having a plan. So...what is the plan?

It would be a fitting end to the new series for them to arrive at Earth and the first person they encounter on Earth is the iconic blonde Cylon.

[Billy Cox]

Having been a fan of the Original series of BSG I was grossly disappointed by the new series.

Now before you start bashing me let me compare so you know why.

Original series:
1: Had somewhat two dimensional stereotypical characters that slowly developed into more complex characters as the series progressed.
2: It also had many more stand alone shows. by stand alone I mean you had the ability to see the show out of order in a rerun and still follow the story plot and at the end of the hour they had solved some problem achieving some minor victory along the way, leaving the viewer satisfied.
3. The show was basically rated PG
4. The language & behavior of the particular sides displaying a morality leading one side toward being good and the other side evil.


Now here is my beef with the new series which caused me to stop watching it altogether.
1. They butchered the original hero characters starting them off as highly dysfunctional immature bipolar manic-depressants with a a large dose of arrogance and enough "baggage" as yet unexplained to spin off two series just trying to psychoanalyze why they behave so badly.

2. The shows were never stand alone shows. If you missed one show you were behind and lost on where the plot was taking you in the myriad of dysfunctional behavior. I started calling it Soap Opera Galactica with all the she said/he said who is sleeping with whom intrigue and garbage. What happened to it being about a sci-fi show of good humans versus evil robots? "Peyton Place in Space."

3. The show started right off being PG-13 with very adult themes and language to boot. It just made me feel like I needed to take a bath and watch Barney or Tele-tubbies with my kids to feel better.

4. They so blurred the lines between good and evil that there truly are no heroes displaying moral or upright virtues or the villains are really just misguided and pitiable, so in all, just a myriad of dysfunctionals acting out of instinct and a lust for power, greed, etc... I actually liked Baltar(the villain) the best and the "heroes" had so few redeeming qualities I was kinda rooting for the Cylons to wipe them all out and get it over with.

side note: I am so sick of the "dysfunctional anti-hero" in new movies. why can't we have good guys and bad guys again?
Give me the original series any day of the week, rework it with some new computer graphics for the space scenes and I will be happy. Most here may not know that the original BSG fan clubs hated the new series concept so much they began a petition to have it stopped even before it aired and to boycott it after it aired.
They begged SciFi to not do what they did to the show to no avail.
I signed the petition myself while the mini-series was still in the planning stages.

OK, bash me if you must.

Your points are well taken. I am a latecomer to the new BSG series since I didn't have the Sci Fi channel when it came out and, as you mentioned, one cannot easily pick up the storyline in the middle.

I remember being taken aback that Starbuck and Boomer were both female and as revealed later that Boomer was also a Cylon.

I am currently watching season 2 and it tones the sexuality WAY down from season 1.

I like both series, but for different reasons.