I was totally jazzed about the new Battlestar Galactica when it was first aired, but I didn’t trust my reaction completely. I mean, I didn’t have any complaints about it but it was so new and so full of eye candy that I wasn’t yet sure if I was just caught up in the frenzy. I’m watching the repeats now, though, in preparation of the beginning of the new series, and I stand by my initial reaction. This really pulled off what I was hoping for: a solid update of the original premise and the original art direction, but without all the 70s network-television cheesiness that ruined the first version so completely.
This is a dark gritty future (or past? present?) that’s different but not utterly alien. I love that they really thought about the split between the human society and the Cylon: humans lost their faith in technology, but can’t escape their dependence on it, while the Cylons seem to be looking for some kind of humanity in themselves. The characters are much better written this time, from the major players down to the pretty large supporting cast. (Also, most of them are smokin’ hot, which is a nice perk.) Some of my favorite bits are:
- All the nods to the original set and prop designs by having them shown as museum pieces of an old human/Cylon conflict. that’s just pure candy thrown to the fanboys, and I appreciate it.
- Automated Cylon ships, which make more sense than the old ones with their three-robot crew. Sadly, the old ships still look much better.
- Liberal use of old-fashioned tech. It makes sense in the story, but it’s also cooler looking than goofy, shiny stuff everywhere.
- Fantastic flight choreography. More than any other sci-fi I’ve seen, this really shows space as a three-dimensional void without a clear plane of orientation. Such a simple guiding principle, but one that’s never really considered by most other sci-fi movies or shows.
- Armaments instead of lasers. It’s just a nice change of pace that makes for more interesting visual effects.
Of course, now the nail-biting begins as they head into the murky territory of pulling off similar feats on a weekly basis, and within a the budget of a weekly show. Horrible things may still happen to ruin the effect of strong start like this. Let’s just hope it hangs on long enough for a few shameless scenes of shirtless fighter pilots.