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He is seen in the likeness above in a rare, 19th century woodcut. This
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:: Battlestar galactica season 1 ::
by William the Bloody
Somewhere far away, in outerspace, mankind is greatly advanced with its technology. They have mastered space travel and have colonized twelve planets which are unified in a democracy. Man created large, clunky robots called Cylons to serve man, but over time, the Cylons became independently aware, fought humanity to emancipate themselves, and took off into space. That was about fifty years ago. Mankind hasn't heard from the Cylons since, but every year they put out an invitation for them to come and talk, regarding treaties and such on a neutral space station. No Cylon ever responded. On the day that the historic warship the Battlestar Galactica is to be decommissioned and its commander retired, the Cylons show up out of no where and attack the human race without warning. The twelve planets occupied by humans are relentlessly nuked. The humans attempt to fight back, but the Cylons have a gadget in their ships which when used on a human fighter, render it useless. The human fighter ships are rendered inert and sitting ducks for the Cylon attack, all except for the old, antique ships. Ships like the Galactica which were not upgraded with new technology because of the decommission, and also the old fighters aboard which were on display in its museum. It's an all out war, and the Cylons are winning. Over 90% of the human race has been wiped out, and the remainder, stranded in space ships banded together in a small fleet, are on the run. One last threat, and possibly the most sinister of all, is that during their fifty year absence, the Cylons did not remain idle. No, they upgraded. They evolved. There are Cylons which are made of a composite of metal and flesh, some so intricate they are impossible to distinguish from humans. Yes, at any moment, in any place within the human fleet, there very well could be an undercover Cylon agent and no one would even know. Not even the Cylon itself.
The Good: It's a series set in space with space ships and strange planets, so naturally, it is special effect heavy, and the effects are great. The ships flying through space look terrific, and the up close shots of people flying the cockpits still look good, too. The big, clunky Cylon robots are also a well blended computer effect. It is also a pretty well created universe. This is not the human race as we know it. They worship many gods, and have their own religious prophecies and text. They have their own slang and obscenities. Now, onto the actors and characters. I don't really have any complaints there. The cast all does a good job and they really make us believe in the character they're playing. There are characters with their own agendas, some who try to do what's right for everyone in the fleet, those who believe in honour, ones with romantic crushes, and those who will lie to get what they want. It does make me feel good to watch the show and see that most of the people in high positions of command are in fact genuinely good people who do what they do because they truthfully believe it to be the best interest for everyone, but they still don't see eye to eye with each other, and they always have to be wary of possible Cylon secret agents in play, which doesn't make their jobs any easier. That stuff really makes the series feel honest. Is that the right term? Also, the stuff they do regarding the Cylons who look like humans is all good.
The Bad: There are a few episodes which really get into the political stuff, and that's sometimes confusing and/or boring. Also, there's this brilliant scientist who unknowingly betrayed the human race to the Cylons, and since he survived the attack, feels guilty and suffers some sort of weird dementia as a result. It's a really odd sort of insanity that I don't fully understand (and I'm usually a fan of the crazy ones), but I'm hoping future seasons might give us more explanation. There is also a little too much sex for me. It seems like every episode someone has got their clothes off for one reason or another. I don't mind a little naughtiness, really, but there just seemed to be so much that it felt forced. I mean, does hot, blonde Cylon #6 need to get naked all the damn time? You showed us what you got in the first episode! We've seen it!
Overall, I was kind of surprised at how much I enjoyed this show. I gave it a try because I had heard good things so I rented it and was not disappointed. It's a pleasant sort of cross between Star Wars and Star Trek, so if you like either of those you're bound to like something about this show.
A-
