We are currently experiencing the Golden Age of Geek, where you can literally turn on almost any channel and get some high quality sci-fi, fantasy or even comic book TV shows. I can tell you, it didn’t always used to be that way.
Growing up there was the big two — Star Trek and Star Wars. The Trek you could find almost anywhere on TV, while Next Generation is still one of my favorite shows everyone was hoping for another Star Wars. There was one sanctuary, a channel called Sci Fi (before it turned into SyFy) and it played the classic science fiction; Buck Rogers, Lost in Space, Twilight Zone and the all time classic Battlestar Galactica. While I was aware of the series there’s a big difference to actually watching it.
The truth is I’ve always been aware of the classic series. While I lacked any first hand experience, it was still quite the topic of conversation with my fellow Geeks. Strangely, even my Uncle who seemingly had little interest in the Science Fiction genre vouched for it being amazing. It wasn’t until a chance encounter at Long Beach Comic Con, that I made a vow to actually sit down and watch classic BSG.
While wondering the convention floor, like you do. I ran into an actor that looked all too familiar named is Noah Hathaway. After striking up some small talk there was the sudden realization “Holy shit, you’re Atreyu!!” (The Never Ending Story) Insert a beat, as I lock eyes on a still photo from Battlestar Galactica “and Boxey!!!” To those not in the know, in the classic BSG series there was a young kid named Boxy. He always rolled with his mechanical dagger (That’s BSG for Dog) named “Muffit”. As a kid I always though that was cool.
It seemed I was destined to watch this series and boy did I luck out with Universal releasing the Definitive Collection on Blu Ray and in the first time in Widescreen.What really makes this the “definitive collection” was the additional formatted versions in both Full Screen and Widescreen. To top things off, it even starts with a 3-part miniseries featuring some classic actors and actresses. And I’m not talking just about Boxy…
Battlestar Galactica Then
There is instant nostalgia once you start the classic series, whether it’s the plastic models or the very 70’s looking uniforms. Within the first couple of minutes of watching the show, my wife instantly chimed in with “You know who that is right?” She was talking about Boxy’s mother, who I knew but couldn’t pinpoint. The actress’s name: Jane Seymour (aka Dr.Quinn Medicine Women). Being one of the major characters certainly made the show just a little more fun.
What really caught my attention was how ground breaking the series must have been.
It almost seemed like this could’ve been the Game of Thrones of its the time. While it may lack in the HBO department, this show was certainly a huge undertaking. As there are 24 plus episodes in the series. What was also very intriguing was how much ground they attempted to cover in the series. It felt very Star Trek meets Star Wars. While there was an overall war against the Cylons, the crew was very interested in searching other planets for supplies. Which usually led to some very interesting story material.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNiPe0r1Aog[/youtube]
Another feature in the ground breaking department was the themes being discussed in the show. While very light hearted compared to the TV of today, they still hit some very tough subjects….stuff that would make you think a little, which is what Science Fiction is good at. On the surface we had the whole Robot / Cynon uprising, but what really struck a chord was the question of how far you would go to achieve peace and how many lives would you sacrifice. Watching each character deal with the situations differently was very entertaining. Though they didn’t stop there – be it government corruption, women in combat and a post apocalyptic society. They seemed to hit them all.
What made the series even more compelling was having experience with the 2004 Battlestar Galactica and seeing what stories made it to the reboot. Especially the contrast with the Battlestar Pegasus.
Battlestar Galactica Now
I have a small confession to make. I actually watched the 2004 series before I watched the classic and I’m listening to its soundtrack while I write.
While I certainly enjoyed the 2004 version, there was something special about going back and watching the classic series. Especially in terms of seeing the original story, characters and see what had made the transition.
What for me really made the 2004 series special for me was its basis in reality. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about it in the post 911 context. I find that to be a pretty accurate statement as the themes they hit in this version, while it certainly borrowed from the classic and had a lot of grounding in the events of that time.
With the initial overall concept of a Cylon that could easy infiltrate and be a crew member on the Battlestar Galactica was fascinating and really reflected the fear of the post 9/11 society. But it didn’t end with just sleeper agents. Again, BSG took it to the limits with a look at torture, martial law and the chaos of setting up a new government and coupling that with a look a how religion plays apart in this society.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95nMKRUI0j0[/youtube]
Overall
Challenging the way I think and what we have accepted as the status quo is what I always appreciated about the Science Fiction genre. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good starship battle but if there isn’t build up to them, they just don’t hold the same weight. Both these series have a tremendous amount of content to offer, touching base on some of the most difficult questions we ask ourselves in society. What sets this series apart it’s ability to not only create a compelling story, break the mold of what we know as TV and do so with such an artistic touch. Each series come very highly recommended and just in case you finish and you want more BSG – there’s always Caprica.