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Firstly, happy birthday to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
swmbo! (Points to today's icon.)
Secondly, methinks I have a new show. Now I watched the pilot of the original Battlestar Galactica in all its campy 70s glory, and I think one or two episodes, but it never did much to me. When rumours about a remake or reimagining started to appear, I was totally indifferent either way, until I heard Ronald Moore was involved. Whom I loved as a writer on both TNG and DS9. So I became curious. Once the series started in Britain, a positive buzz began to appear. Now, thanks tohmpf and the fact the miniseries is released on DVD, I've watched said miniseries and the first two episodes of the 2004 Battlestar Galactica, and I consider myself hooked. Mr. Moore, he of the intelligent writing, is in fine form, and so are the actors he picked.
As I wrote at some length about the problems of uniformely bad enemies whom one can dispatch without a thought, and how Star Trek by and large managed to avoid that, let me start with the Cylons. As far as I can recall, in the 70s Galactica they were just, well, more impressive looking Daleks. Out to exterminate humankind. None too bright. As for Baltar, played by John Colicos (ah, Kang!), he was simply a despicable traitor, though just what he thought he was getting for selling humanity out to extermination wasn't quite clear.
In the new series, the Cylons still are - as far as I have seen - out to wipe out humanity, but instead of Daleks, they now have to appear traits in common with the replicants of Blade Runner origin. (Except in Blade Runner, the replicants were the hunted.) Not just because there are now human-looking models around in addition to the old fashioned-ones, but because of the backstory presented (created asslaves help for the colony worlds, evolving into sentience and rebelling), and the fact that some of them don't even know they're not human. (Which reminds me - aside from Blade Runner, this is reminiscent of the DS9 episode where we follow O'Brien seemingly stranded into a bizarre pod world only to find out this O'Brien, who thinks himself the real one, is actually a programmed android. Must check whether Ron Moore wrote Whispers.)
Then there is the interesting idea Moore had to make the humans polytheists and the Cylons monotheists. And not in a cheap cliché "nice tolerant pagans versus fanatical fundementalist Christians/Muslims/whatever" kind of way, as does happen in post modern fantasy quite often. Finding sci-fi that uses religion without preaching either way is rare, but here it is.
The humans, too, are fare more interesting than the ones I recall. Okay, so yet another conflicted father/son team wasn't exactly original (as Andraste once said, it's hard to find anyone in the genre who doesn't have Daddy issues), but the Adamas have so much else going for them. Blame my recent RotK: EE viewing, but Edward James Olmos is Theoden in space. And I like the relationships both he and his son are developing with the President. Speaking of the President, that's one of Moore's greatest original contributions to the set-up. Not "just" because she's a woman, but because she's a civilian female leader. In this kind of set-up, it would be all too easy to go for a military-run society as the only way to survive. Instead, Moore brings up this very point as a danger which both Adama and the President are aware of and are determined not to let come to pass. Yay for female leaders demonstrating strength and compassion, not having to prove themselves via shooting guns together with the boys and for being actually right re: the war being over and flight, not a heroic fight-to-the-death, being the sensible option if humanity is to survive.
Not, mind you, that I object to women fighting in the traditional way. I like Kara Thrace, the female Starbuck who apparantly had the original's fans up in arms before the new show started. Not as much as I love the President, but I like her a lot, the comradery between her and Lee Adama, and she carries the swashbuckling of with style. The scene where she plays poker with Baltar had some interesting UST vibes - I wonder whether that will go somewhere.
Which brings me to the new and much improved Gaius Baltar. Having him as someone who did not consciously sell out humanity but once he discovers what's going on is unabashedly selfish and worried about his own skin first of all makes him a far more interesting player than the old Evil Overlord Wannabe. So far, he seems to fulfill the trickster rather than the villain position, someone who can both damage and help, with the viewers not knowing which it is going to be in any given situation. Also, someone clearly watched Farscape. Assuming that Baltar's first guess was wrong and Number Six isn't a hallicunation of his, I'm wondering whether she, like Harvey, is a chip-produced clone with its own identity (as Harvey wasn't Scorpius), or a genuine projection of the real thing back on Caprica. But with the Cylons and their immortality due to body transfer, who can say? I predict some interesting "what constitutes identity" questions along the way.
In conclusion: I like and want more. And desperately hope it won't get cancelled!
Thirdly: I'm listening to this superb collection compiled bymogigraphia. You're right, this is the definite Londo and G'Kar soundtrack.
swmbo! (Points to today's icon.) Secondly, methinks I have a new show. Now I watched the pilot of the original Battlestar Galactica in all its campy 70s glory, and I think one or two episodes, but it never did much to me. When rumours about a remake or reimagining started to appear, I was totally indifferent either way, until I heard Ronald Moore was involved. Whom I loved as a writer on both TNG and DS9. So I became curious. Once the series started in Britain, a positive buzz began to appear. Now, thanks to
hmpf and the fact the miniseries is released on DVD, I've watched said miniseries and the first two episodes of the 2004 Battlestar Galactica, and I consider myself hooked. Mr. Moore, he of the intelligent writing, is in fine form, and so are the actors he picked.As I wrote at some length about the problems of uniformely bad enemies whom one can dispatch without a thought, and how Star Trek by and large managed to avoid that, let me start with the Cylons. As far as I can recall, in the 70s Galactica they were just, well, more impressive looking Daleks. Out to exterminate humankind. None too bright. As for Baltar, played by John Colicos (ah, Kang!), he was simply a despicable traitor, though just what he thought he was getting for selling humanity out to extermination wasn't quite clear.
In the new series, the Cylons still are - as far as I have seen - out to wipe out humanity, but instead of Daleks, they now have to appear traits in common with the replicants of Blade Runner origin. (Except in Blade Runner, the replicants were the hunted.) Not just because there are now human-looking models around in addition to the old fashioned-ones, but because of the backstory presented (created as
Then there is the interesting idea Moore had to make the humans polytheists and the Cylons monotheists. And not in a cheap cliché "nice tolerant pagans versus fanatical fundementalist Christians/Muslims/whatever" kind of way, as does happen in post modern fantasy quite often. Finding sci-fi that uses religion without preaching either way is rare, but here it is.
The humans, too, are fare more interesting than the ones I recall. Okay, so yet another conflicted father/son team wasn't exactly original (as Andraste once said, it's hard to find anyone in the genre who doesn't have Daddy issues), but the Adamas have so much else going for them. Blame my recent RotK: EE viewing, but Edward James Olmos is Theoden in space. And I like the relationships both he and his son are developing with the President. Speaking of the President, that's one of Moore's greatest original contributions to the set-up. Not "just" because she's a woman, but because she's a civilian female leader. In this kind of set-up, it would be all too easy to go for a military-run society as the only way to survive. Instead, Moore brings up this very point as a danger which both Adama and the President are aware of and are determined not to let come to pass. Yay for female leaders demonstrating strength and compassion, not having to prove themselves via shooting guns together with the boys and for being actually right re: the war being over and flight, not a heroic fight-to-the-death, being the sensible option if humanity is to survive.
Not, mind you, that I object to women fighting in the traditional way. I like Kara Thrace, the female Starbuck who apparantly had the original's fans up in arms before the new show started. Not as much as I love the President, but I like her a lot, the comradery between her and Lee Adama, and she carries the swashbuckling of with style. The scene where she plays poker with Baltar had some interesting UST vibes - I wonder whether that will go somewhere.
Which brings me to the new and much improved Gaius Baltar. Having him as someone who did not consciously sell out humanity but once he discovers what's going on is unabashedly selfish and worried about his own skin first of all makes him a far more interesting player than the old Evil Overlord Wannabe. So far, he seems to fulfill the trickster rather than the villain position, someone who can both damage and help, with the viewers not knowing which it is going to be in any given situation. Also, someone clearly watched Farscape. Assuming that Baltar's first guess was wrong and Number Six isn't a hallicunation of his, I'm wondering whether she, like Harvey, is a chip-produced clone with its own identity (as Harvey wasn't Scorpius), or a genuine projection of the real thing back on Caprica. But with the Cylons and their immortality due to body transfer, who can say? I predict some interesting "what constitutes identity" questions along the way.
In conclusion: I like and want more. And desperately hope it won't get cancelled!
Thirdly: I'm listening to this superb collection compiled by
mogigraphia. You're right, this is the definite Londo and G'Kar soundtrack.
