Wired: Is Battlestar Galactica Doomed?

December 6th, 2006

Battlestar GalacticaGee, just before the holidays and it seems like everyone’s picking on everyone else. Now Wired is wondering if Battlestar Galactica has jumped the proverbial shark, probably based on the past two or three lackluster episodes without any nukes going off and space battles.

Although I do think the last few episodes were pretty “meh,” I’m willing to forgive because the first four episodes were awesome. Those episodes were so action-packed and exciting that almost anything following would seem a bit blah in comparison.

Second, it seems the middle episodes before the season premiere and mid-season two parter always sag a bit. I’m holding out hope that Galactica will again be in fine form very soon.

The only thing that I might fault the show for, is they probably could have stretched out the occupation and rescue from New Caprica for half a season. Maybe the annoyance people are feeling is that after the complete situational flip around, we’re back on Galactica with the fleet on the quest to Earth: pretty much in the same situation as season 2. Something has to happen soon to shake things up again.

Anyhow, here are the ten points from the Wired post, and my thoughts - Obviously, I agree with some but not others. In my opinion, Battlestar Galactica has quite a ways to go before I accuse it of being doomed.

10. Show co-creators Ron Moore and David Eick are both developing multiple other projects. Moore is working on BSG prequel show Caprica, and Eick is working on both Bionic Woman and Them.

This is something to worry about. The other show I’m watching, Gilmore Girls went through a shaky period a few seasons ago when the creators started investing time in a spin-off, the never-aired Windward Circle.

9. Crucial subplots, such as the fate of Sharon and Helo’s hybrid baby, are left dangling for more than three episodes.

This doesn’t bother me at all. The subplot of Starbuck and Apollo was dangling for several episodes, too (possibly even ’til last season). By no means can we expect every episode to have an update on every subplot - it’d just be overwhelming. There are probably more than a dozen subplots by now.

8. Rather than developing characters via personal transformation, character development is charted via hair length, presence/absence of beards, and weight gain/loss.

Sort of annoying, but I saw the physical transformations as an easy way for us to recognize what time period we are in during a flashback. And in terms of personal transformation, how can you get more extreme than what Tigh and the other “insurgents” did on New Caprica? They’re still exploring what that experience did to all of those characters, several episodes in.

7. The only way the writers imagine they can showcase Edward James Olmos’ considerable acting talents is via long-winded speeches.

Hasn’t bothered me either. But when you’re faced with the situation of Adama stuck on Galactica coming up with a rescue mission, you’re not exactly going to have a lot of time for him to be hanging out on the planet, camping. Plus the guy has gotten choked by a former pilot and beat to a bloody pulp boxing. I’m cutting him a break.

6. Cylon threesomes.

I’m not complaining.

5. Too much intimacy with the mysterious Cylon enemy in their SM dungeon ship makes them seem campy rather than scary.

I don’t think they’ve shown nearly enough of the Cylon empire to make it campy. What would be “campy” is a Lucas-esque midichlorian type scene where Baltar says, “Oh, so that’s how they replicate! They use x and y and that’s why there are only so many models.” The mystique is still intact when you think about how much a lesser show would have revealed by now.

4. Entire episodes are clumsily devoted to single-word social issues like “torture” and “genocide.”

I do kind of agree with this one. Some othe episodes have been pretty one-note. That was the problem I had with Scar which was just about Starbuck.

3. Eick promises next season will bring more flashback-heavy episodes that focus on romantic entanglements and/or childhood trauma.

I am worried about a focus on romantic entanglements. As I’ve said before, that’s my least favorite aspect of the show - the soap-opera-like who’s into who.

2. A retcon turns Adama into the cause of the Cylons’ attack on the twelve colonies, thus making him both improbably important and too much of a bastard.

I disagree. I think the Hero episode made his character more complex, showing that he’s not above making mistakes and also may have been hiding a dark secret, explaining his somber steadfastness over the past seasons.

1. Boxing is used as a thin excuse for an episode that could have been written (better) by shippers.

I totally agree. That episode was pretty bad.

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Viewing 5 Comments

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    Well, I have to admit that the beginning of this season has been really great, but I don't dislike the latest episodes.
    They are going deep into the human psychology, digging into the characters with small pieces of information. I am not expecting nukes every single episode, and the characters advancement is written in a strange, but very thoughtful way.
    The last episode can be seen from two different points of view: you can see the easy episode of fighting, feedback and empty words, or you can watch the episode where you could have seen deeply the psychological issues that are driving (and that have driven) four of the mayor characters.
    I'm enjoying the season, because it's more human, it's more dark and deep into the human nature.

    Of course these are points of view...
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    Hey Carlo... that's cool. I think the Wired blog post was overly harsh... maybe they just wanted to get attention. I'm still enjoying Battlestar Galactica even if I didn't really love the last few episodes. We'll see.

    Last season, the middle-season episodes were awesome (the return of the Pegasus) and we're almost to that place this season so I think there will be some great episodes really soon!
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    Yes, but remember that the crew behind the camera has been changed, therefore I'm not sure the new one will follow the same timing steps of the last one.
    We'll see, for now I'm enjoying a lot!

    Cheers
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    I wouldnt go too far with the old ctiticism, it is only half way through the season, i bet they have got some good tricks up their sleeves for the rest of the episodes. Everyone seems to be very critical of the later episodes especially after the absolutely AWESOME first episodes. Its like a band with their "difficult second album", the only way to have a good second album is for the first one to be crap. Id say watch the rest of the season, then decide.
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    Hi Rossco, that is good advice.

    Also, since I wrote this post, the mid season cliffhanger Eye of Jupiter aired, and I thought that episode was awesome. So time will tell but I think BSG ras redeemed itself... in this fan's eyes, at least.
 

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