Back to Battlestar Galactica!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:01 am by Matt Schuler under Entertainment
With permission of Avi the TV Geek, I’m here to tell you the good news about the greatest sci-fi series of all time.
Battlestar Galactica is back. Season 4.5 premieres tonight. (Friday, Jan. 16.)
Now if you’re unfamiliar with the series (which would really be a shame) that’s okay, you can use sites like Hulu and Scifi.com to catch up. Now Hulu only has the past five episodes, so if you don’t have the DVDs you’ll have to borrow them or resort to other nefarious means. (Okay so that wasn’t nefarious at all… maybe I was alluding to something else.)
It’s really a show you should be watching.
Watch BSG tonight at 10pm on Sci-fi! (Image courtesy: Scifi.com/battlestar)
Now, firmly being a geek (I am the games & gadgets blogger), I have no problems watching sci-fi shows. I count some sci-fi movies among my favorites of all time. You, however, may not count yourself as a sci-fi fan. You may even be put off by the very aspect of having a show set in space. That’s fine. There have been many like you before, who have watched just one episode and become fans. No, more than fans, followers.
Battlestar Galactica draws people in. (Okay, not that many people, it is poorly rated and its stranded on the sci-fi channel.) It draws people in through fantastic story-telling, through well-written dialogue, through fantastic acting and finally through some very fancy special effects. It’s a story about people, it just happens to be set in space. It has all of the great elements, love, commitment, honor, courage, loyalty, confrontation, betrayal, heartbreak, scorn. The show deals with real issues too, and on multiple occasions has left me pondering real-life issues. (I’ve planted the seed now, you want to watch. Go catch up with the other nefarious means and come back.)
I’m excited for the premiere–my DVR is set. I’ll watch it live, and then probably watch it again and skip through the commercials.
If you’ve got room for one more TV show, you should make it this one. Even if you have to start from the beginning, and maybe especially then, you should watch this show.
The premiere is tonight at 10 p.m. on Sci-Fi (Also available in HD, woo!). The last 10 episodes will be answering from very fantastic questions that fans of the series have.
If you’re already a fan, here are some things to do before the episode starts. (Those are the 10 webisodes that some people may not be aware of.)
I actually count those among you lucky who are going to watch the show, but have not yet started. In cases like that you can blaze right through the DVDs and won’t be tormented by the many months wait that fans have been made to suffer through.
What say you? Will you be watching tonight? Do you take umbrage with my declaration that BSG is the greatest sci-fi series of all time? Do you simply hate sci-fi? Post in the comments or respond to my twitter. You can even send me an email if you’d like. Matt(dot)schuler(at)woodtv.com
But most importantly WATCH THE SHOW!
Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Greatest Sci-fi series of all time, Not Made Of Wood, TV
Matt Schuler covers the video game industry and all things tech.
As soon as I found out they made Starbuck a chick, I lost interest in ever watching this show. Plus, having the Cylons look just like people was lame-O. Robots is robots and nothing else will suffice.
Dirk,
I never followed the original BSG series, so I wasn’t put off by the casting. I would have to say though that she
I’ve also been a big fan of the way they introduced plot developments related “bad guys looking like us.” It’s been an interesting wrinkle that’s for certain.
-Matt
Less than 8 hours away!!!!
From one huge sci-fi fan to another I could never get into BSG. Although I was a fan of the original, I guess I could never get past the shaky cam stuff. I’m also a sucker for cheese. I have loved watching the Stargate T.V. series over the years and I enjoy watching the new Sanctuary on SCI-FI. But for real quality genre television you should check out BBC America. Shows like Doctor Who and Primeval are top notch.
COrrection needed here… the producers were NEVER responsible for the delays in broadcasting the episodes. That falls squarely on the shoulders of the programming geniuses at Sci-Fi Channel who were trying to maximize their advertising dollars. The producers have frequently expressed their dismay at having the series broken up in the manner that the cable channel chose.
Vin,
I’ve never gotten a chance to get into Stargate. I loved the movie, but wasn’t able to find time in the TV schedule to watch the multiple series.
I also haven’t checked out Dr. Who or Primeval, but I’ve heard good things.
David,
I left it on the producers shoulders, only because as a fan, I would have wanted them to fight harder to shorten up the delays. Did they fight hard? I’m sure. Was it hard enough to make me not wait for what seemed like forever? No. Because I had to wait for what seemed like forever.
But I’ll add it into the post. Sounds like you’re a fan, you watching tonight?
-Matt
Just an f.y.i. to you but the honchos of BSG are holding an auction of props and art from the show at http://www.battlestarprops.com/ doubt if I could afford most of it. Maybe you could put a bid on something, it’d be cool to own something from the show.
Vin,
Very cool. I’ll have to check it out, but you’re right… I won’t be buying anything.
-Matt
Although I didn’t watch the show, as someone who frequents genre message boards I couldn’t help but notice that the identity of the final cylon was revealed Friday night. Without giving away any spoilers, as a fan were you happy with the choice? Some of the fans out there have gone…well…apoplectic.
Vin,
I wasn’t as invested as some fans were in *who* the final cylon was going to be, I just wanted to know. I trust the writers of the show that it will make more sense in the final 9 episodes. Was it a bit surprising? Of course, but I also think there were little subtle hints in previous episodes to shine the light on the selection. (That could probably be said about any number of characters though.)
Friday’s episode was fantastically shocking though, with many plot advancements happening in one episode. (Which is another strong point of the show to me, that they keep up multiple plot points simultaneously, but don’t forget about them.)
I’ve certainly not popped a blood vessel though, I’m just glad the show’s back.
-Matt