what is up with battlestar galactica?
POSTED BY: strokingmypeter
UPDATED: Friday, April 11, 2008 09:14
VIEWED: 23710
PAGE 7 of 10
In general reply to this thread, whatever the original intention of the OP, it's turned into a more-or-less civil debate of the merits, not only of BSG, but, of contemporary sci-fi, relative to Firefly.
I am old enough *gasp wheeze* to have watched the original BSG on TV in its first broadcasts, back when it was acknowledged as a pretty blatant attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Star Wars.
I have yet to watch any of the new BSG, not so much out of loyalty to what has become, in the intervening decades, a rather dated show, but, because so much of what I have heard about the new BSG tells me that I wouldn't enjoy it.
Oh, I've watched some wonderful clips of it, with spectacular effects and such. However (and, this reflects my personal tastes, shaped, I must confess, by such shows as Star Wars, the original BSG, and, more recently, Firefly), I have reliable info that this show is no FUN to watch.
If I wanted to watch contemporary soap opera, there's plenty of daytime drama out there. Again, I've never watched this, but, if the multitude of BSG 'Shippers in the fandom are any indication, that is a primary plot element, which doesn't exactly entice me.
The other thing that I have heard is that BSG is depressing. Sorry, but, I like my sci-fi with at least a little humor. And, yes, I know that BSG is a story of dire circumstances for Mankind, but, isn't that the best candidate for some (appropriate) comedic relief? Even M*A*S*H* was written upon that very premise, that, when things are at their bleakest, laughter is an outlet which saves the human psyche.
Lastly, I have some real issues (yeah, pickin' nits, I know) with the culture and society presented in BSG. Even from my admittedly superficial observation, it appears that, in order to make the characters easy for the main-stream audience to identify with, no effort has been made to make this anything more than a sci-fi allegory. Not even the character names have been selected to create a plausible "otherness" for these "alien" humans, most of whom could have been plucked directly from non-sci fi television.
Sure, they kept some of the names from the OS, mainly for the sake of the connection. But, if you stop to think about it, mebbe eighty percent of the characters have names that you could find in a phone book, today, on Earth, names that have evolved, linguistically, over the many millenia since whatever prior contact the 13th Tribe had with the rest of galactic humanity.
So, I will probably borrow BSG from a friend on DVD, watch it when I have the time, and, give it the chance that the significantly massive BSG fandom would indicate that I should. At the same time, I may not enjoy it, or, I may be surprised, and, find that I do. Sci fi, as a form of literature, is varied enough that no one can expect to enjoy it all. I just hope to find within it something new to like.
Oh, and, my second favorite show, after Firefly? Babylon 5.
Seeyas 'round the 'Verse!
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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*starts to shake*
*starts to quiver*
*steam starts to come out of ears*
Nnn...nnn...nnnnot FUN?
My dear Raycheetah, your reliable sources are incorrect. There is humor on BSG. Lots of it!
As for the names, their 'verse and ours are supposed to be historically linked, so it's not completely out of the question.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
___________________________________________________
High Priestess of Pork and Ag-Related Activities of the MYTHICAL LAND OF IOWA
Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.
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seconded!
Galactica rocks!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Veteran:Quote:
strokingmypeter wrote:
Sunday, December 31, 2006 15:29
what is with so many people, particularly joss, being in love with battlestar galactica? i think it's freaking horrible. it sucks so much. the writing is awful, the acting wooden and lame, and the special effects suck. it's all around horrific.
It started out ok. Now it's unwatchable. Too many 'clever' plot twists. From Lee and Starbuck being in love with each other to guess who's a cylon. What's next is Adama or Starbuck a cylon? Really it's become absolute crud.
The ratings took a nose-dive
guess fans thought it's now become un-watchable
Universal Says No to 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor' on HD DVD
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news
Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, Universal reiterated yesterday that it will not be bringing the 'Battlestar Galactica' telefilm 'Razor' to HD DVD this year.
So why does Joss love it ?
Well he's a big fan of agnostic ideas and atheism, you can catch this philosophy in Firefly but its even bigger in BSG.
He doesn't really believe in that Alien life beyond Earth stuff
Whedon leans to the left, I'm not sure how leftist he is but perhaps the political Battlestar abortion or Battlestar suicide bomber episodes were wetting his appetite
Is Joss Whedon Feminist enough? I guess he enjoys the whole Madame President thing and Starbuck leading them to Earth.
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I adore BSG. The first couple seasons were the best, but it's still great.
I am WAY too lazy to read this entire thread.
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I have to agree with a previous post stating the thread is pretty long and I'll be first to admit I couldn't quite get through it all.....but there was a lot of interesting reading......
“I think the cast is pretty wooden and boring ………………..it almost physically hurts how unrelentingly humorless BSG is.”
Keep that in mind and watch the first few episodes of the first season again. Where’s there supposed to be humor in the wolves jumping you every 30 (or so) minutes? Being humorless leaves plenty of humor for the shows that force laughter and are about as deep as a crushed pop can.
“At least the acting in BSG isn't as bad as the acting In Babylon five.”
Hee Hee Heee. Ok I won’t argue that one…..
“BSG is a classic main-stream!”
Not for a second. Adama is one of the few characters I’ve seen that are literally larger than life.
“I used to like the Baltar-Number Six relationship when she was inside his head,”
I hated that manikin blonde since the first moment I saw her. I kinda like Baltar (and I don't like guys) because he’s about 500% more interesting than the original superficial predictable dolt.
“does anyone remember the original....? i thought that was a pretty lame piece of work –“
I should hope to shout. Makes the new one on a bad day look like award winning material.
“The show was once very good, it once was top rated but now the ratings have fallen like a rock. Yet still Univseral have been a lot more loyal to BSG than Faux folk were ever with Firefly.”
Yeah? It’s still around because only the (really) good die young. A plug for Firefly for those that missed that part…..
Mal's expression in the scrapyard when he first see's Serenity says it all.
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I watched the first couple of episodes when it aired a month or so back, and I didn't like it at all. There was nothing that sucked me into the show like Firefly and Buffy did.
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-My shiny Serenity video.
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It started out good, but...
THEY HAVE NO PLAN.
Chrisisall
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I like the show, and through about the first 1.5 seasons it was IMO the best show on television. I'm a sci-fi FAN, but find most sci-fi tv shows to be teh suck. Firefly, BSG and ST:TNG are the only three I ever watched regularly.
The FIRST episode, "33", is probably top-3 of best single episodes of ANY show I've seen, ever. It lost a bit of steam from season 1.5-2.5, but season 3 was quite good.
Also, it's not supposed to be funny :) It's not a comedy. I've found the acting in general to be pretty good. EJO is good, Mary McC is very good, and the lesser known actors are adequate. Tricia Helfer, the blond, has never acted before or received any acting training whatsoever..she's surprisingly good (most of the time).
Funny note: there is a toy ship EJO is building throughout most of the series..in one episode, he grabs it and breaks it into pieces. This was an improv move..EJO did not know the ship was a museum piece on LOAN TO THE SHOW. Oops.
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