i remember the day i first saw battlestar galactica.
i was vacationing on zakynthos island in greece, enjoying a quiet evening on a beautiful veranda with a gorgeous view of the sea. it
was idyllic but i felt a little bored. no fear -- i had my laptop! i started to play a video a friend had given me. i wasn't expecting much -- i used to watch the original BSG as a kid, but as so many people say, it was cheesy so i wasn't expecting much.
suddenly my eyes were riveted on the sophisticated imagery, my mind started processing the intriguing storyline and my heart pounded with emotion that the show was artfully designed to invoke.
the destruction was immense! the cylons were horrifyingly cool! ... and some looked like us! and the ships were anything but streamlined and their trajectories and jumps were
believable! the colors were dark! the music was exciting and heartbreaking! this was science fiction but it was
real!
'what the fuck was that?' i shouted.
that first episode left me hungry -- no, starving -- for the next. with one dose, i was hooked -- addicted to what was the most exciting science fiction television i had seen in... decades. fridays became
the most important day of the week because BSG was broadcast.
BSG mirrored our world. humans, machines, good, evil, criminal, noble, beautiful, repulsive, successes, failures, superstition, logic, friendship and betrayal -- everyone was everything.
yes. this is how we are. we are each everything.
BSG was well crafted, with thought, passion and attention to detail. and we were forever assured, they had a plan.
great science fiction is not about the spaceships or special effects. you can have that, but it's icing. great science fiction is a commentary on the state of humanity. BSG started as great science fiction...
...and ended indifferently. disappointingly. the final season kept sinking confusingly lower and the grand finale was a kick in the stomach.
i don't understand the rave reviews. i don't understand how people can utter the words, '
i was satisfied.'
really? you were satisfied with the dangling storylines? with the spray-and-wipe explanations? this is what you wanted and expected?
... and they have a plan.in BSG, as in life, plans are made and soon abandoned. the intelligence of the show and the intricacy of the story arcs eventually gave way to fatigue and ragged fringe that led to nowhere.
the fringe was gathered up in unbelievable and unsatisfying wrapups. the remaining gaps in knowledge were filled, as in 'real reality', with 'goddidit', angels, god, fairies and miracles -- the easy, brain-dead escape from thought. the opportunity to delve deeper into the great questions of our existence and to produce a truly great work of art for intelligent viewers were wasted on soap-opera resolutions and creationist answers.
the finale featured an awesome final battle. the imagery was, as always, thrilling. the acting was skillfull and utterly convincing. there was much excitement, emotion, heartbreak and optimism. yes, it was a kick-ass episode -- or it would have been, if it didn't have so much to answer to.
BSG was one of the best science fiction shows, ever...
mostly. my fandom was rewarded many hours of true enjoyment and i'm immensely grateful to its creators. i can understand not being able to keep everything on a level caliber -- even my favorite star trek TOS had some crappy episodes and a tiresome third season. but star trek, while it ran, didn't have the following and enthusiasm BSG did, and had a lot more network and sociological barriers to overcome.
i don't know if the paraBSG productions, films, webisodes, spinoffs will explore this new universe more intelligently.
but this particular finale was a rare opportunity, lost.
