Late Night BSG Blogging
Just finished the “33” episode from season 1, and as someone who occasionally suffers from insomnia, it damn near made me manic.
As a side note, having a stacked platinum blonde in varying stages of undress for an hour every night has to be a sure-fire recipe for success among the geek set. I approve.
Please no spoilers.
April 2, 2008 10:49 pm
Posted in: Popular Culture
122 Comments
122 Responses
rob! - April 2, 2008 | 10:52 pm · Link
i find it hard to concentrate during any scene with Tricia Helfer in it. i don’t know how the Gaius Baltar guy does it.
i’m recording all the BSG episodes Sci-Fi is airing this week and plan to watch them all in a week(or so)-long marathon so i can catch up. i will be tired and bleary-eyed, but i’ll do it!
they shoot cylons, don’t they?
Notorious P.A.T. - April 2, 2008 | 10:53 pm · Link
having a stacked platinum blonde in varying stages of undress for an hour every night
Is the video store still open?
Notorious P.A.T. - April 2, 2008 | 10:55 pm · Link
From Wikipedia:
. . . She has also posed topless, but not entirely nude, for the February 2007 issue of Playboy.
Incertus - April 2, 2008 | 10:59 pm · Link
Wait until you get to the episode where Apollo comes out of the closet with Helo.
Alan - April 2, 2008 | 11:05 pm · Link
I recently did the marathon of the first three seasons. I don’t remember which was “33”. They’re all a blur. It didn’t dislodge Babylon 5 from the top of my favorites list. But it’s up there. Anyway, it’ll be nice to watch the final season in HD.
Andrew - April 2, 2008 | 11:09 pm · Link
33 is the first episode of season 1 and one of the best TV episodes of any show ever.
John, be sure to watch the miniseries before you get too far into season 1.
Cain - April 2, 2008 | 11:10 pm · Link
John would like the firefly series. Unfortunately, no stacked blonde chick in it. My wife loves it a lot and she hates sci-fi stuff. I must admit though I’m on season 2 now through netflix (when the hell are they going to get it online?) and it rocks.
sri
Andrew - April 2, 2008 | 11:10 pm · Link
And then they put on some bob dylan and smoke a bowl.
Andrew - April 2, 2008 | 11:17 pm · Link
LOL. Just kidding, they would never play dylan.
shera - April 2, 2008 | 11:29 pm · Link
Didn’t they go almost 200 hours without sleep? I went for three days without sleep in college and the salt and pepper shakers started dancing across the tables.
Punchy - April 2, 2008 | 11:31 pm · Link
BSG? Bovine Serum Glutamate?
cbear - April 2, 2008 | 11:33 pm · Link
Fuck that. Anybody know how I get to the Big Beaver Residence Inn?
JGabriel - April 2, 2008 | 11:37 pm · Link
Shera: “Didn’t they go almost 200 hours without sleep?”
Something like 240 hours, if I remember correctly. That really pushed it beyond the limits of believability for me. Most people, even with stimulants, are going to be too wiped out after even 40 hours to function.
Don’t get me wrong, it was a good episode. I just would have been able to suspend disbelief more easily if they had settled on something like 60-70 hours as the time frame of sleeplessness.
.
jake - April 2, 2008 | 11:45 pm · Link
No. I … think they must be talking about Blonde Shirt Gawking.
Is there a term for someone who is such a geek he doesn’t know what the self-styled geeks are talking about? ‘Cos I is it.
Soylent Green - April 2, 2008 | 11:47 pm · Link
Are you serious? Try Christina Hendricks, stacked like the pyramids at Giza, in the role of Saffron (episodes “Our Mrs. Reynolds” and “Trash). Hendricks can lately be seen flaunting her assets in the AMC show Mad Men.
Desmond - April 2, 2008 | 11:53 pm · Link
Well, they were catching 20 minutes here and there.
JGabriel - April 2, 2008 | 11:58 pm · Link
Jake: “Is there a term for someone who is such a geek he doesn’t know what the self-styled geeks are talking about?”
Clueless geek, or oblivious geek, or: nerd.
.
Alan - April 2, 2008 | 11:59 pm · Link
Soylent Green, I almost posted about Christina Hendricks on Firefly. Damn did she she stand out in her two episodes…. :)
Robyn - April 3, 2008 | 12:01 am · Link
Welcome to one of the best written shows in Television today. 100% deserving of the Peabody!
BTW - I hope you are watching on SciFi, because if you have the Discs or On-Demand; it won’t help your insomnia at all…LOL!
kdaug - April 3, 2008 | 12:09 am · Link
Welcome to the darkside, John.
Aisles 6 and 7 have our unique and outstanding assortment of whiz-bang special effects (we’ve got a special on genuine Newtonian physics in space – this week only!). The endcap on Aisle 3 has an unmatched assortment of geek cred available for you perusal. And the second floor is devoted entirely to existential questions about the nature of man, his relationship to his creations, the viability of God (or gods), meditations on torture, suicide bombings, and rigged elections, and the fate of humanity as a whole.
Enjoy your stay.
Alan - April 3, 2008 | 12:11 am · Link
Robyn, I’m going to wait to see how the series wraps up before I’ll say it’s one the best written shows on Television today. There’s a few things about the show that bug me…. It’s too bad John hasn’t caught up yet. :)
kdaug - April 3, 2008 | 12:12 am · Link
Oh yeah – forgot about the Peabody. Anyone know what the previous television show to receive one was?
Andrei - April 3, 2008 | 12:22 am · Link
Wait… you’ve never watched the new Battlestar Galactica?
Oh man… Now I know why you voted for Dubya the second time. You were out of the loop.
BSG this Friday is going to be amazing. Be sure to get that marathon watching done before Friday night. You’re gonna want to hop into the final series of the best Sci-Fi show ever made.
And stay away from every spoiler you possibly can.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 12:38 am · Link
Yup.
There are some lulls in the series, but in general, it doesn’t much let up from this. Welcome to your newest addiction.
Ninerdave - April 3, 2008 | 12:48 am · Link
Ok…I know this blog is accused of snide, misogynist remarks regarding Hillary here. Let me actually be misogynistic for a second (and preface this with I’ve never seen the show).
The new BSG has a chick Starbuck.
I’m sorry. As a total BSG nerd growing up that ain’t right. Dirk Benedict will always be Starbuck, and Lauren Greene will be Adama.
Now in the re-cast they got Olmos right, but a chick for Starbuck? Sorry. No way.
I know, I know, it’s a great show. I hear that all the time from friends that are obsessed with the show. It just…ain’t right…imhmo (in my humble misogynistic opinion).
What they should have done is cast it as the Next Generation, as they did with Star Trek; which I might add is still the best scifi tv show evah!
Alright…let the flames begin.
Dan - April 3, 2008 | 12:59 am · Link
Ninerdave…
Old meme is old
Laertes - April 3, 2008 | 1:00 am · Link
It’s really not fair to the other actresses. Grace Park is walk-into-a-pole gorgeous, and Katee Sackhoff is a knockout too. Bad enough that they have to share a screen with Tricia Helfer, but on top of that they have to do it in fatigues while she slinks around in lingerie.
Jeff Altemus - April 3, 2008 | 1:04 am · Link
I’m jealous you’re back at the beginning and just discovering the series. It’s a brilliant show and just gets better as it goes along. It’s got great writing, great acting and being jam packed with hotties doesn’t hurt. I’m near the end of the third season in preparation for the upcoming final season and falling in love all over again.
Welcome to the fun!
Cain - April 3, 2008 | 1:12 am · Link
Oh man.. you’re right.. too hot for words. She really knew how to show em off too. But she wasn’t a regular, you only saw her in like two episodes. Goddam I’m mad.. that show could have gone for like 2-3 years at least.
cain
Cain - April 3, 2008 | 1:17 am · Link
I’m not so impressed with Katee Sackhoff. Great actress, but not particularly good looking. I like the President, she’s pretty cute red head. All the women on there are really nice to look at.
cain
Rick Taylor - April 3, 2008 | 2:54 am · Link
The whole Firefly series is just $25 on amazon and well worth it.
Doug M. - April 3, 2008 | 3:58 am · Link
John, you and I seem to like the same stuff. So: Season One is uneven but has some great eps, of which “33” is certainly one. Season Two is overall better though with fewer stand-out eps. Season Three… hm. Let us know when you’re getting there and we’ll talk.
Also, let me join the chorus of voices recommending “Firefly”. It’s just $25 on amazon; for that you get 13 eps of one of the greatest TV SF shows ever. Unfortunately that’s all there is, because Fox cancelled it, but it’s still well worth your time.
Enjoy!
Doug M.
Pseudofool - April 3, 2008 | 4:23 am · Link
John,
Stick with it, there will be moments of doubt throughout the course the next three seasons but it so worth while. The spoilers are so worthwhile unspoiled that you’ll having watched the show innocent.
scrutinizer - April 3, 2008 | 4:29 am · Link
Re: Firefly
That could’ve beaten both BSG and B5 in the all-time best ever Sci-Fi TV series if it had gone on longer. ‘Course, I’m a slut for anything Whedon has done, but still.
I never understood the hate some people had for the Sci-Fi/Western meme on that show. Main-stream sci-fi has long assumed that new colonization efforts would be run pretty much on a shoestring, so you wouldn’t have a lot of high-tech available (see Heinlein for examples of this). That economic disparity was probably one of the main sources of contention between the Alliance and the Independents; certainly it was the reason the Independents lost—-
—-uh, sorry. Geeking out.
Oh. Grace Park is the best!
McGuffin - April 3, 2008 | 4:32 am · Link
True, though Nicki Clyne(Cally) is still my favorite. She recently posted this helpful flowchart of geekdom on her blog.
dlw32 - April 3, 2008 | 6:52 am · Link
I don’t know. I couldn’t get into BSG. I only saw the pilot movie, but it was terrible. At the end, the only character that was at all interesting was the Cylon woman who killed the baby. There wasn’t any other character that was more than yawn-worthy.
The effects were good (love the robotic Cylons) and there were some damn fine looking women (against the general consensus, I would kick Hendricks out of bed in favor of Grace Park any night!). But I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had left the sound off. That’s not a good sign.
It doesn’t compare favorably to Firefly. Firefly had lovely dialogue, interesting plots, great direction, and good acting, not to mention some very beautiful women. BSG had beautiful women. Sorry, I can find that on the net if I need to. :)
cleek - April 3, 2008 | 7:02 am · Link
yes, yes, yes, yes: FireFly
great way to pass the time waiting for BSG DVD releases.
Dayv - April 3, 2008 | 7:05 am · Link
dlw32: I didn’t actually care for the miniseries that much either, but I gave season one a shot and turned around on it fairly quickly.
John Cole: chalk me up as one more recommendation for Firefly.
John Cole - April 3, 2008 | 7:33 am · Link
I have the Firefly series on dvd, as well as Seasons 1-7 of BTVS and seasons 1-5 of Angel.
DBrown - April 3, 2008 | 7:45 am · Link
BSG is not hardcore SciFi and shouldn’t be judge on that criteria. It is fun and dares to attack real world issues that face us (or should I say the U.S.) Really – an M.D. that smokes like a chimney! A mad scientist that has moral dilemma’s. A battle seasoned Admiral that sometimes thinks that he might be defending the wrong side. Machines that understand Christian values (generally) better than humans (as in our religious loonies) but who can be terribly cruel like most fundamentalist are in our world
A show that dares to say that the enemy is not just human but is also morally superior – that is brave, but to make such a concept entertaining is a great achievement.
B5 was a great series and tried fairly well to be hardcore SciFi and true to our idea’s of reality but was at times, a little timid. It did take religion head on as well as the fact that economic interest trumps all morals in all cultures.
Firefly lost me as a viewer after the first fifteen minutes, so I can’t comment.
taodon - April 3, 2008 | 7:55 am · Link
Ninerdave,
Seriously, TNG? You REALLY need to get out more.
Punchy - April 3, 2008 | 8:04 am · Link
I feel like I’ve entered an alternate universe. Surrounded by dweebs, geeks, and wierdos (heh), unable to fathom the orgy-like love affair about a fictional TV show.
NOW HOW ‘BOUT DEM ROYALS!
jnfr - April 3, 2008 | 8:05 am · Link
Firefly had Gina Torres, Summer Glau (also the best Terminator ever), and Jewel Staite, and you guys are complaining about a lack of good-looking women in Firefly? Damn, that’s harsh.
Bedlam - April 3, 2008 | 8:11 am · Link
Oh, and watch ‘Razor’ as part of series 3? aswell.
got a bit of critisism, but i thought it was Excellent.
Go’damn thats a goooood show.
annagranfors - April 3, 2008 | 8:14 am · Link
much as I like BSG, the underlying militarism still creeps me out a little.
...which is why I’m way more into Doctor Who/Torchwood/Sarah Jane Adventures. the creator, Russell T. Davies, has been providing astute (if indirect) criticism of the US in the Crazy Years throughout, especially in Doctor Who.
plus, if you’re in it for the blondage…? Billie Piper. not as slut-hot as Tricia Helfer, perhaps, but no slouch by any stretch.
scarshapedstar - April 3, 2008 | 8:16 am · Link
Every single character is a Cylon and the Cylons are actually humans.
KCinDC - April 3, 2008 | 8:31 am · Link
What, no mention of Kandyse McClure in the discussion of women of BSG?
Fwiffo - April 3, 2008 | 8:43 am · Link
Just a small warning John – BSG is really uneven. Most of each season is written without any overarching purpose, and some of the writers are very bad writers. Usually you can count on some kick-ass episodes bookending each half-season, with some seriously horrible drivel in-between.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 8:50 am · Link
Yes, she’s awful cute, but she doesn’t really score any “points” for reposting a graphic from the NYT.
Troll harder, please.
Razor was much better than I expected it to be, and really got me past my hangover from S3’s weird ending. It (Razor) actually reminded me of the writing from S1. And the flashbacks alone are priceless.
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 9:16 am · Link
I don’t get the negative reaction to Razor from some quarters; I think it’s right up there with the best stuff they’ve ever done. Best villain they’ve ever had, too.
There are definitely peaks and troughs each season, but “seriously horrible drivel?” No. You fail.
Clearly the only way to settle this is a pay-per-view oil wrestling tournament pitting the female cast of each show against each other.
Cyrus - April 3, 2008 | 9:16 am · Link
LOL. I’m amazed that so many people found it necessary to recommend “Firefly.” Maybe I’ve been around here for too long.
This reminds me, I’ve been meaning to get the rest of BSG. I have the first two seasons on DVD and I’ve downloaded the first two or three episodes of season three, but I didn’t feel like going through the hassle. I’ve checked the DVD section of local stores sporadically for season three and on. Time for another check, or just going to amazon.com.
Also, I’m depressed to learn that “The Bionic Woman” isn’t coming back. Katee Sackhoff was in it — as were a couple other BSG actors, but who cares about them? — and the first season of the show was cut short by the writer’s strike, and apparently it’s not coming back. Waah. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to the new Terminator series, which as someone else alluded up about Summer Glau, was pretty good.
norbizness - April 3, 2008 | 9:29 am · Link
FIrefly is OK, but goddamn the forced Westernisms get really old pretty instantaneously.
Cyrus: I think Joss Whedon is developing a new show that will have few BSG actors in it.
My main problems, spoiler-free, with BSG were a loss of focus, ham-fisted parallels to current events, and long spells where nothing would happen due to one episode eating up the SFX budget (think of all the boring shit after the Exodus episode in Season 3).
P.S. Michelle Forbes rules!
libarbarian - April 3, 2008 | 9:29 am · Link
Its a good show, worth watching, but the little secret is that can get a bit cheesey at times.
I think you will like it but will roll your eyes at parts like I do.
Grumpy Code Monkey - April 3, 2008 | 9:29 am · Link
Oh, man. You’re just now getting into BSG? Oh, man...
Prepare to have your mind blown six ways from Sunday. As the series progresses, you will really begin to appreciate Tricia Helfer; as an actress, she probably has the greatest demands placed on her as the series progresses (although that’s more in Seasons 2 and 3). Michael Hogan comes in a close second, as he takes Tigh into progressively darker and scarier territory.
And then there’s Callis as Baltar. All of humanity’s flaws wrapped up in a single, pathologically narcissistic package.
If you haven’t watched the miniseries, do so now before going any farther.
John Cole - April 3, 2008 | 9:36 am · Link
I am on the episode after 33. Why do I have to watch the miniseries? Can you link it on amazon?
IanY77 - April 3, 2008 | 9:37 am · Link
Kdaug:
Friday Night Lights?
IanY77 - April 3, 2008 | 9:40 am · Link
John:
Here you go. And yes, as a longtime BSG fan, it’s worth seeing it ASAP.
http://www.amazon.com/Battlest.....B00064AFBE
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 9:42 am · Link
Um….Morena Baccarin? HELLO?! Sheesh – NEWBS!
Villain? Villain? She did what she had to do.
You really don’t, other than it’s a good watch. You get a little info about Cylons from the miniseries, learn a lot about Laura, Adama and Lee (character stuff).
I was depressed to find that it sucked. It doesn’t deserve to come back. (ZOMG – Michelle Ryan FTW!)
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 9:43 am · Link
Ten points to whoever can tell me her previous awesome Sci-Fi role.
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 9:43 am · Link
You’ve already seen it:
The miniseries is Disk 1 of the Season 1 DVD set.
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 9:46 am · Link
Ensign Ro.
Yeah, I was really looking forward to Bionic Woman – I loved the original and $6M Man when I was kid, and I was hoping the reimagining would be as successful as BSG’s. Massive, Massive Fail.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 9:47 am · Link
Also, I wanted to mention that IIRC, the two episodes after “33” kinda sucked. Don’t give up. It really picks up around E04.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 9:50 am · Link
You looked it up!
I didn’t realize it was her at first. I was like…I know her from somewhere… I had a massive geek crush on Ro back in “the day.” Still can’t choose between her and Ashley Judd in a Starfleet uniform.
(Dammit….geek switch off. Geek OFF.)
jnfr - April 3, 2008 | 10:07 am · Link
Already mentioned way up-thread, and dismissed by the locals as not a regular.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 10:10 am · Link
The context was “good-looking women of Firefly,” and tBone failed to mention the (arguably) best-looking woman in the show, regardless of whether her name popped up earlier in the thread.
Also, what does “not a regular” mean? She was a full-fledged cast member.
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 10:13 am · Link
No, I’m just that big a nerd. I instantly recognized her the first time she was on BSG.
They were talking about the actress who played Saffron. Morena Baccarin played Inara.
Mike P - April 3, 2008 | 10:15 am · Link
Easily one of the best episodes of the show.
I fell off somewhere around the start of season 3. I need to get back in the mix.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 10:15 am · Link
Ah. Note to self: jnfr – zero geek cred.
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 10:20 am · Link
I was just quoting jnfr, actually. Regardless, I’m more of a Gina Torres guy.
carlton - April 3, 2008 | 10:44 am · Link
I found most of BSG to be quite good—but watch out for the episides that aren’t part of the longer story. “Black Market” is one, and “The Woman King” is another. You won’t know them until you see them, but you would be better off just pretending they didn’t exist, in my opinion.
If you dig the show, you might be interested in Ron Moore’s blog at Scifi, and also the podcast/commentary he does for each ep.
have fun.
Grumpy Code Monkey - April 3, 2008 | 10:47 am · Link
I missed your earlier post on it, where you said “so far the first episode is the movie I saw,” or words to that affect. So you’ve already seen it.
Carry on and pretend I didn’t say anything.
Just for giggles, if you can find the original BSG, watch and marvel at the differences. Oh, and you do realize the original BSG was a sci-fi retelling of the Book or Mormon, right?
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 10:48 am · Link
Then I think we can peacefully co-exist, as I am a Jewel Staithe, Morena Baccarin and Christina Hendricks guy.
What I find odd, is none of these women are nearly as attractive (to me) in their recent work (SGA, SG1 & Mad Men). Hell, I’d say the same for Alyson Hannigan. I know they all got a few years older after leaving their respective shows, but not that much older.
I think Joss is some kind of Warlock.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 10:51 am · Link
They reran the old series last year on ION, and I caught about a half dozen episodes. The thing that surprised me was the level of drama. I mean, not nearly as much as the new version, but there was a lot more than I (10 years old) remembered. It wasn’t all just goofy space crap. They were actually trying to tell a serious story.
P.S. I always kinda hoped the new BSG might address the episodes where Apollo found the crystal ship and then the one where they met the devil and Adama found psychic abilities…or whatever was going on in those late eps.
Ninerdave - April 3, 2008 | 10:51 am · Link
I married and both my wife and I play WoW. That’s the extent of my social life :)
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 11:07 am · Link
Me too. And a Summer Glau guy, also. I’m just saying, if all five of them were fighting over me*, I’d probably have to pick Gina.
*We’re talking about science fiction. I’m allowed to posit outlandish scenarios if I want.
Nicole - April 3, 2008 | 11:08 am · Link
This will make me sound like such an ass-kisser, but I still remember John’s post on “Firefly”-
So I popped in Firefly, watched an episode, and got so upset I went to bed. Firefly was killed after one partial season, but there are multiple versions of CSI after 5 years?
We deserve this administration.
It still makes me laugh.
And Starbuck is one of the best female characters ev-ah.
We are having 20 friends over tomorrow to watch the premiere, but I am still be out-geeked by another friend, running a rival BSG party, who will be serving eight-sided appetizers. Really.
Sarcastro - April 3, 2008 | 11:16 am · Link
As a side note, having a stacked platinum blonde in varying stages of undress for an hour every night has to be a sure-fire recipe for success among the geek set. I approve.
“Can’t seem to catch a ride, can’t ever get a date.
But in my mind 7 of 9 thinks I’m great!”
(props to mc chris)
louisms - April 3, 2008 | 11:24 am · Link
I have the Firefly series on dvd, as well as Seasons 1-7 of BTVS and seasons 1-5 of Angel.
You’ve got excellent taste! I can’t wait til Whedon’s new series Dollhouse debuts.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 11:25 am · Link
Too funny. Too true. I remember watching The Train Job on its first airing and hating the show. Which makes perfect sense. It’s the worst episode of the run, and representative of the show. Watching the whole series later and realizing the great injustice that had been perpetrated really was a “last straw” for me; when I tuned out network TV for good. There really is nothing on the networks I follow any more.
My point being, we deserve the network TV we have.
I’m so jealous. I have one – one – friend who enjoys BSG, and he has a wife, kids and lives about an hour away. He’s also kind of a prick. So I’ll be watching alone again, naturally.
louisms - April 3, 2008 | 11:28 am · Link
Just to tie my last post in with the subject at hand, Tahmoh Penikett, the actor who plays Helo on BSG, is to be Eliza Dushku’s love interest in Dollhouse.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 11:30 am · Link
Awesome. This show has potential.
Also, am I the only one who once thought Tamoh Penikett was the actress who played Dualla?
David Hunt - April 3, 2008 | 11:38 am · Link
Ten points to whoever can tell me her previous awesome Sci-Fi role.
I know someone already put forth Ensign Ro, and she was arguably awesome in it. However, I would have put forth her role as Miranda Zero in the unaired pilot of Global Frequency as even more awesome. Unfortunately, there’s no legal way to see it and I would never recommend that someone acquire from bit torrent. That would be wrong.
jnfr - April 3, 2008 | 11:46 am · Link
I fail at reading comprehension.
I love the idea of eight-sided appetizers though.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 11:47 am · Link
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be sure to avoid this one. From what I hear, these “Bite Torrents” are nothing but trouble.
norbizness - April 3, 2008 | 12:17 pm · Link
BTW, Michelle Forbes was also terrific as a coroner on Homicide: Life on the Street, which should remind us geeks how far behind most sci-fi shows are when it comes to actual screenwriting and drama. Time travel? AGAIN?!?
JGabriel - April 3, 2008 | 12:26 pm · Link
DBrown:
Monotheist values would be a better description than ‘Christian’ values. The Cylon expressions of faith seem to have just as much in common with Judaism or Islam as they do with Christianity. Oddly enough, though, Cylon monotheism isn’t compatible with Deism – it seems to require an interventionist god and to value faith over works, both of which were anathema to Deist beliefs.
.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 12:29 pm · Link
I can’t think of an example of Cylon Diety intervention, unless you count the birth of Hera. Mostly it’s just “God wants this, God wants that.”
Punchy - April 3, 2008 | 12:38 pm · Link
/sees sun, feels spring warmth, looks longingly at bike, reads thread, shakes head in utter disdain and amazement.
JGabriel - April 3, 2008 | 12:44 pm · Link
BillyK:
Prophecies are pretty common among the Cylons. “You have a destiny”, “You are the chosen one”, that kind of thing.
That’s a form of intervention, in that it implies a god that requires special tasks from specific people at set points in time, rather than a god that creates all the rules at the big bang and just lets it all chug along from there.
.
JGabriel - April 3, 2008 | 12:46 pm · Link
Punchy:
And yet, you are still reading this thread.
.
Nicole - April 3, 2008 | 1:01 pm · Link
That’s probably because you didn’t proselytize about the show incessantly to your friends. I swear, for a while I was like the BSG version of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who would go door-to-door in my neighborhood when I was a kid- (ding-dong) “Hello. If you were to die in the next 30 seconds would you be secure in the knowledge that you had not missed out on the best show currently on television?”
I’m lucky the show is good, or none of them would still be speaking to me. Instead, they are all now converts. Mwahahahahah… ah, the power! The unmitigated geek power! THIS is my reward for not dating in high school!
Okay, now I’m kind of depressed.
Flappy McScrotum - April 3, 2008 | 1:09 pm · Link
I think people mis-understand BSG. They tend to view it as a Sci-Fi show. Personally, I think you should view it as a war show set in space.
As far as the writing goes, there was one episode that actually pissed me off. But it pissed me off so bad just because it was so well written I wanted to beat one of the characters because of their actions. And any show that can do that gets an A+++ from me.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 1:23 pm · Link
That statement is unequivocally false.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 1:24 pm · Link
Oh, and speaking of Firefly/BSG…they need to bring back Otter as the Barrister. And soon.
Nicole - April 3, 2008 | 2:00 pm · Link
Oh. Then your friends have no excuse. You have done your duty.
Notorious P.A.T. - April 3, 2008 | 2:05 pm · Link
Wait a minute: if someone wants to start watching this series from the beginning, what do they rent? Is this miniseries part of the Season 1 DVD or what?
Explain it to me like I’m an 8-year-old.
libarbarian - April 3, 2008 | 3:06 pm · Link
Wait a minute: if someone wants to start watching this series from the beginning, what do they rent? Is this miniseries part of the Season 1 DVD or what?
I’m not sure. I saw Seasons 1-3 without having seen the miniseries and that made some of the “flashbacks” cooler because I had to interpret things. On the other hand, watching the miniseries was more booring once I had pieced together pretty much everything from the series.
Frankly, I think 33 is a badass premiere and I would recommend anyone watch it first because it just drops you right into the thick of things without any warmup.
Andrew - April 3, 2008 | 3:10 pm · Link
Watch 33 and then watch the miniseries.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 3:26 pm · Link
Two ways to go:
Miniseries PLUS Season 1
Miniseries alone.
BUT - they don’t seem to sell season 1 without the miniseries, so just buy the combo pack.
When you’ve finished S01 I’ll explain the idiocy that is Season 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, etc…
(I hope those links work – preview is acting wonky)
Scrutinizer - April 3, 2008 | 3:30 pm · Link
Well, one reason to watch the miniseries is that the Serenity makes a cameo appearance flying over the cityscape just before the Cylon attack.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 3:41 pm · Link
I think it’s when Roslyn is getting the news from her Doctor IIRC.
Also, I thought it interesting how BSG uses so much of the camera style of Firefly in its effects shots (like a handicam in space). Actually, lots of people use it now, but Firefly pioneered the look.
Notorious P.A.T. - April 3, 2008 | 3:43 pm · Link
Thanks everyone.
So watch episode 1 of season 1, then the miniseries, then the rest of season 1?
Scrutinizer - April 3, 2008 | 3:48 pm · Link
That would probably be because Zoic did the effects work for both.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 3:49 pm · Link
Sure. Why not?
I see why they’re saying watch S01E01 first – it’s probably the single best episode in the series and will hook you instantly – but I would just watch it all in order:
Miniseries (Pt. 1 & 2)
Season 1
Season 2.0
Season 2.5
Season 3
Razor miniseries
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 3:55 pm · Link
No no no. First watch Episode 9 of Season 3, Episodes 4, 6, 12, and 14-17 inclusive from Season 2 (but reverse the order), then parts 3 and 1 from the miniseries. Then the webisodes, followed by Galactica 1980 in its entirety. After that the order gets kind of complicated, so open up your favorite database program and give me a call so I can walk you through it.
(Just watch the season 1 DVD set in order. Or follow Billy’s suggestion. Either is fine.)
tBone - April 3, 2008 | 3:57 pm · Link
Sorry, meant “Andrew’s suggestion.” There’s too many geeks here to keep straight.
Fwiffo - April 3, 2008 | 4:06 pm · Link
I can’t believe people think I’m trolling. All the people I’ve watched BSG with agree with me. I mean, Jesus, that “Scar” episode? How can anyone possibly think that was good television? And how about those 50 episodes where Apollo is depressed about some boring crap in the past?
And Ronald Moore himself has said that he takes a really hands-off approach to how most of the episodes are written, which is why continuity is always going out the window. I’m not making that up. Contrast that with Joss Whedon’s “control enthusiasm.”
I’m not saying it’s a bad show. When it’s good, it’s really fucking good. I’m just saying that you have to wade through some bad, bad material along the way.
Sasha - April 3, 2008 | 4:10 pm · Link
Which episode? If you just post the title, I think that’s spoiler-free enough.
Nicole - April 3, 2008 | 4:12 pm · Link
Explain it to me like I’m an 8-year-old.
The miniseries takes place right before the start of the regular series. It’s kind of slow-paced, but by the end you’ll really want to know what happens next, and then “33” is a great “what happens next” episode.
Andrew - April 3, 2008 | 4:14 pm · Link
I didn’t realize that the season one dvd set comes with the miniseries. Yep, just get that.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 4:22 pm · Link
Have you ever looked into a movie franchise called “Star Wars?” I think it’s more your speed. No “characters” or their damn “development” to worry about, and the plot is…well, it’s basically good guy vs. bad guy (except Ep. IV, but let’s not get into that). Lots of silly aliens, too!
libarbarian - April 3, 2008 | 4:23 pm · Link
I put it more politely when I said “it can be a bit cheesey” :).
Yes, there are some annoying points. For instance, I was watching “Colonial Day” and I had to wonder – “Why the fuck are pilots working security detail?” I mean, I suppose you could chalk it up to lack of manpower but they have enough Marines to board ships in other episodes, but they need to pilots to do basic VIP security? Pilots appear to be in shorter supply than shooters, and these are the two best pilots, so why put them at any risk doing a job other people are better trained to do.
And there are some uber-cheesy relationship-heavy episodes (or sequences of episodes) where very little happens other than the kind of relationship drama more appropriate in a sorority house than a ship full of supposed adults.
On the whole, I still recommend it. Especially the first season which struck a good balances between action, intrigue, and relationship-heavy drama.
libarbarian - April 3, 2008 | 4:27 pm · Link
And why are there no main characters who are Marines?
The Marines are always anonymous shooters in cool uniforms but none of them is ever given a personality or anything.
It would be good to have one so that we didn’t have to watch pilots perform duties more appropriate for Marine officers.
Fwiffo - April 3, 2008 | 4:33 pm · Link
Haphazard character development is exactly one of the problems with BSG. Schizophrenic new characters just appear and disappear out of the ether, only to reappear later just to get killed off without any rhyme or reason. It’s another example of how the show has two personalities. Some of the development of certain central characters works really well (without getting into spoilers, I’m specifically thinking of the Chief’s relationships). But the drama around Apollo? Please kill me.
Joss Whedon needs to be the model for everything anywhere ever. You can’t just do whatever you want on a show; you have to earn it.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 4:36 pm · Link
What? You don’t enjoy the adventures of Sergeant Hadrian, or Corporal Venner?
Personally, I thought their arcs took up way too much of Season 2.5.
Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 4:38 pm · Link
I’ll give ya that. But I’ve always considered the reason is Apollo really doesn’t know who he is himself – which is pretty well backed up in the last episodes of S03.
How can I argue with that?
Weedhopper - April 3, 2008 | 4:44 pm · Link
I’ve heard a lot about Firefly and I see it’s going to be running in HD next month on Universal’s channel. Sounds like fun…
They’re also runnning BSG in HD and are up to episode 12 or so. If you get HD it’s really high-quality video.
libarbarian - April 3, 2008 | 4:52 pm · Link
Its been almost 2 years since I watched Season 2. I just finished re-watching season 1. I guess I forgot about them. I’m still waiting for Season 2 to
finish downloadingcome to my local video store. I’ll re-evaluate after I’ve seen them.Billy K - April 3, 2008 | 4:57 pm · Link
I was totally kidding, and I wouldn’t have even known they existed if I hadn’t been skimming the BSG wiki entry today. ;)
Chris Andersen - April 3, 2008 | 5:04 pm · Link
The Tall Naked Blonde theory to BSG success is a good one.
That’s not a knock on the series. It would be good with or without the Tall Naked Blonde. But the Tall Naked Blonde may just bring in enough eyeballs to give a show the chance to show it is actually good despite the Tall Naked Blonde.
I actually thought Voyager improved once they introduced 7 of 9. Of course she was brought on for eye candy. But she also proved to be a pretty good actor and elevated the show at the same time.
Desmond - April 3, 2008 | 5:25 pm · Link
Actually, Tricia Helfer turned out to be a great actress, especially later on, as she was given more challenging material. She’s much more than eye candy, though she is that as well. :)
Phoenician in a time of Romans - April 4, 2008 | 2:57 pm · Link
I never understood the hate some people had for the Sci-Fi/Western meme on that show. Main-stream sci-fi has long assumed that new colonization efforts would be run pretty much on a shoestring, so you wouldn’t have a lot of high-tech available (see Heinlein for examples of this).
As a counter, go read “Black Man” (AKA “Thirteen”) by Richard Morgan, which is more realistic. The Colony Initiative for Mars (COLIN) is so large and economically pervasive that in the 2100 setting of the book, it’s essentially its own superpower.