Battlestar Galactica: Best show on television!

I have never been a big fan of television. I'd always much rather read a book, or visit with friends than strain my eyes on a screen of moving images while absorbing countless hours of commercials and marketing schemes. In fact, I've never really owned a TV before. My roommates would have one, but I'd never use it except to watch the occassional film, and even that was far and few in between because I'd go to the theater if I really wanted to see a movie. However, a series on the SciFi Channel, oddly enough, has managed to install a bit of faith in television for me. Battlestar Galactica.

A little over four years ago the first episode was launched. I hadn't seen it, but friend of mine were talking about it. Some said that they would watch the next episode the previous friday, others didn't really seem to care. They all said it was good, though. It piqued my interest as I am a bit of a scifi nerd, but I got busy with school and social life and completely forgot about it almost instantly. It's funny because, that Friday I was at my friends house and he turned the station to Battlestar Galactica. He said it was "amazing" and completely un-like any other science fiction show ever made. I sat down with him, skeptical, and an hour later was completely and utterly blown away and hooked. 

I became more obsessed with BSG than an overweight and desperate nerd becomes obsessed with asian girls. I joined a forum for it, googled updates religiously, and even ordered a t-shirt that read, "Frak You". Eventually, I'd prefer to watch it alone because I knew people would talk, and then I'd get angry, and before you knew it my temper would escalate further than Leuitenant Starbucks' after a night of binge drinking. I refused to listen to people talk about the next episode if they'd read spoilers and my boyfriend at the time thought that there was something wrong with me. Just a little. ;]

Four years later I'm still a devout fan, and not the conventional science fiction fan that you'd relate to Star Wars or Star Trek. Battlestar Galactica takes a whole new approach on science fiction in that it is anchored so tightly to reality and humanity than one couldn't possibly imagine without first seeing the show. Imagine that the entire human race was reduced to less than 50,000 people and we were on a run from an impossibly huge and advanced enemy, what would you do? What kind of struggles and emotions would we be faced with, and how would we deal with them as they came? This show brings about the different levels of humanity on so many levels, the struggles and inner-strife that we combat daily, but put to work against annihilation. It's very fast-paced, the graphics are just as good as movie graphics. I have seen every episode thus far and there has not been one moment where I've thought, "they cut corners there". They use their budget to it's fullest capacity. The acting is incredible, too.

I think it's great that the writers have created a universe where the Cylons are machines, yet have a monotheistic religion, while the humans are polytheists. The show combines theology, philosophy, sociology, politics, military ethics, law, action, adventure, and romance into a work of television that has been awarded a Peabody. If there is something to watch on TV, it's BSG. It's already almost over, too. The series will be ending within the next couple of months. I think it's a good idea, as many TV shows seem to continue on for far longer than they need to. The producers are finishing the show on a good note, which is a wise move. The show will stand the test of time, I think; it will age very well, and has set a very high bar for other like it to follow. 

If you like science fiction, you will love this show- no doubt. If you don';t like science fiction, you will love this show if only for the fact that it isn't LIKE science fiction. There are no cheesy blinking lights and strange made-up cyber jargon. It's like one long and continuous movie that will leave all sorts satisfied with their experience.