Battlestar Galactica Thread

The_Raven on 4/4/2008 at 16:08

Quote Posted by DaBeast

I would still say DS9 is the best of all the ST, but I can't remember why.

The funny thing is that I hear this all the time, but only in rare instances can people actually explain why they feel that way. Same goes for the Battlestar remake. Once one person calls it "the best show on TV" everyone else just picks up that sound bite like sheep.

Thirith on 4/4/2008 at 16:14

So, what TV series do you like? There may simply not be enough common ground to discuss this in great detail, which is why I'm asking.

ZylonBane on 4/4/2008 at 16:39

Quote Posted by DaBeast

I would still say DS9 is the best of all the ST, but I can't remember why.

Because it had interesting story arcs, interesting characters (who developed over time), an ensemble cast that could actually act, and thankfully little of the hippy-dippy "we're all just one big happy Federation family" attitude. Granted, the first season and last seasons had a lot of suck, but most everything in between was great stuff.

BSG, on the other hand, has failed miserably at character development. The entire crew seems to have come down with Character Flaw of the Week syndrome, with Starbuck's self-destructive behavior in particular so random that by the end of season 3 she'd long since descended into self-parody.

Also, I hated what they did with Dee. I realize they had to write out Billy because the actor was leaving the show. Fine. But by having her dump the nice nerdy guy for, basically, the captain of the football team, they in one master stroke transformed her character into a superficial twunt.

And now Moore is just randomly making people Cylons and forcing them to sing pop songs from when he was a kid, because that's just so freaking cool, man.

Fuck BSG.

The_Raven on 4/4/2008 at 17:10

Quote Posted by Thirith

So, what TV series do you like? There may simply not be enough common ground to discuss this in great detail, which is why I'm asking.

Not very many these day. I'll sometime will watch Lost or the Battlestar remake, but the only currently running show I make an effort to watch regularly is Stargate: Atlantis and the Stargate shows have been going down the shitter for years. Other than that, I've gotten into the habit of watching South Park in order to unwind for the day; but that's about it.

I just want to put the record straight. I think the darker, more character driven, serialized approach they took with the Battlestar remake was the right one. That was actually the approach I wish that Enterprise would have taken, but that's another topic entirely. The execution, however, leaves much to be desired. Last week the repeat of the Season 3 finale aired here, and since I hadn't seen it yet, I decided to watch it. That was a painful two hours as it reminded me of all the little things at bugged me to no end about the show. Besides the previous things I've ranted about, you have those god-awful blue corridors and lighting, the helmet lights, and just a lot of florescent colors that are hard on the eyes. I was briefly on a navy ship when I was younger, back when the city I lived near still had a shipyard, and they don't have any florescent blue lighting -or harsh white under battle conditions- for a very good reason: they're very hard on the eyes and they completely destroy your night vision. Red and green lights, from my understanding, are the ones that are principally used. Then there's the shaky camera work, which I never minded before, that now makes me nauseous.

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked again. One of the main reasons I'm hard on the show is that I think they have the right idea, they just execute it in the most ham fisted way possible; leaving all the subtleties and ambiguity of the situations by the wayside. I'm also of the mentality that I will sometimes watch things that I can't stand for the sole purpose of picking it apart in order to articulate what I don't like about it. Considering I'm a pretty big analytical introvert anyway, it really isn't much of a stretch.

EDIT: Go, go, go ZylonBane.

SubJeff on 4/4/2008 at 17:26

Quote Posted by The_Raven

the only currently running show I make an effort to watch regularly is Stargate: Atlantis and the Stargate shows have been shit from the start

Fixed.

Quote Posted by The_Raven

One of the main reasons I'm hard on the show is that I think they have the right idea, they just execute it in the most ham fisted way possible

This is, to me, a worse crime than having the wrong idea but doing it well. At least that way you have no expectations. I dislike having a carrot dangled that ends up being a sprout. Just say it's a sprout, I like sprouts.

The_Raven on 4/4/2008 at 17:35

I suppose it is possible that they were shit from the start, and that I didn't notice at the time. I do remember seasons 3 and 4 sucking pretty hard, though.

I'm not sure if the other point is directed at me or the show.

TheCapedPillager on 4/4/2008 at 17:49

Sorry if it's been mentioned before, I didn't want to trawl through 10 pages of spoilers, but has anyone heard of the BSG game Beyond the Red Line?

(http://www.game-warden.com/bsg/)

Single and multi-player goodness with very high production values from a bunch of fans. Best part: It's completely free!

Only a demo available at the moment but it's well worth the download...

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqz-WntRPYs)

SubJeff on 4/4/2008 at 17:55

Quote Posted by The_Raven

I'm not sure if the other point is directed at me or the show.

Well I was agreeing with you and adding my take.

ZylonBane on 4/4/2008 at 18:11

Quote Posted by The_Raven

It's directed more at his own execrable taste. But then, Stargate: SG1 was never very popular with the "SCI-FI-- SERIOUS BUSINESS" crowd.

Fringe on 5/4/2008 at 01:02

Quote Posted by ZylonBane

And now Moore is just randomly making people Cylons and forcing them to sing pop songs from when he was a kid, because that's just so freaking cool, man.

Fuck BSG.

Quote Posted by ZylonBane

But then, Stargate: SG1 was never very popular with the "SCI-FI-- SERIOUS BUSINESS" crowd.