What the frak?
April 4, 2008 5:32 PM   Subscribe

There's been alot written about Battlestar Galactica. Here's your chance to catch up.
posted by bigmusic (66 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 


Wow. I still don't understand what's happening. Neat, though.
posted by arcticwoman at 5:54 PM on April 4, 2008


Might as well link to the official version, which at least has a non-sucky frame rate.
posted by teraflop at 5:55 PM on April 4, 2008


There's a bun in the toaster, hee hee.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:58 PM on April 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


I have a buddy coming over to watch tonight, this will come in handy. Thanks!
posted by vrakatar at 6:03 PM on April 4, 2008


That was pretty awesome. Waiting with bated breath for tonight.
posted by ten pounds of inedita at 6:08 PM on April 4, 2008


Loved it. (The official version, not the choppy YouTube version.)
posted by brain_drain at 6:10 PM on April 4, 2008


Bit annoyed that they didn't show Razor again.
posted by Artw at 6:22 PM on April 4, 2008


To sum up the entire point of watching Razor, with regard to tonight, is that a cryptic old Cylon in a tub told someone that Starbuck will lead humanity to its death...or something like that. But the person who learned that then went and died, leaving everyone in the BSG universe completely oblivious.
posted by Atreides at 6:32 PM on April 4, 2008


Sweet. Do they jump ahead 35 years this time till they're all old, fat, and incontinent? Cause that's really the way to keep things fresh, I understand.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:34 PM on April 4, 2008


I loved BSG at first but quickly started avoiding it. I like my political allegory a little more thickly veiled.
posted by DU at 6:38 PM on April 4, 2008


I only get SCIFI channel in standard definition. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

If only there were some way to watch the episode in full high definition that didn't involve the television... if only...
posted by Justinian at 6:39 PM on April 4, 2008


Well, the other point of watching Razor is that it's excellent entertainment. But you are right in that it is almost entirely backstory with no direct relevance to the current plot.
posted by mek at 6:39 PM on April 4, 2008


Thats why I quantified it as in regard to tonight. I agree, it was good.

And don't worry about the standard definition, the SCI-FI channel doesn't exist in any other form. We're all in the same boat.
posted by Atreides at 6:41 PM on April 4, 2008


Atreides: SCI-FI channel has been broadcasting in high definition since october 3rd of last year.
posted by Justinian at 6:43 PM on April 4, 2008


Well. My foot certainly tastes wonderful tonight. Thanks, I thought I'd read otherwise not too long ago.
posted by Atreides at 6:44 PM on April 4, 2008


I only found out myself two days ago. Imagine my excitement when I checked channel 121 and found it was still glorious standard definition. Hooray!
posted by Justinian at 6:52 PM on April 4, 2008


Agree with DU...I quit on BSG mid 2nd season, when things started getting stupid. I think the episode with the journalist aboard galactica was when it really started to dive. Did it improve?
posted by pilibeen at 6:58 PM on April 4, 2008


The first part of the third season, in my opinion, will age better when its not so closely connected to the current events of the Iraq War and the Bush Administration. But definitely, I think halfway through that season, once they got off the planet with a most excellent Adama colony extraction plan, it turned towards the great BSG fare that the first season established. I've enjoyed them all, but I understand that the beginning of the third season really threw some folks.

The finale of the last season was pretty intense and I still don't know how I feel about it.
posted by Atreides at 7:05 PM on April 4, 2008


Atreides has almost exactly the opposite opinion to mine regarding the third season: the first six episodes of season three (along with the second-season finale) rank as the best string of BSG episodes for me—it made for gripping, compelling television, convincingly reset the show's parameters and cast everyone into new roles, and came with a sufficient amount of classic kick-ass space drama to boot. The rest of the season, meanwhile, gets mired in borderline insulting crap that made me want to punch the television (two words: LOVE QUADRANGLE). In my opinion, they got off that planet far too soon.
posted by chrominance at 7:23 PM on April 4, 2008 [5 favorites]


Let's hope for less crying.
posted by Artw at 7:25 PM on April 4, 2008


Did I mention my intense hate for the boxing epsiode? God that sucked. Filler crap and out-take sandwich. Mmmm.
posted by Artw at 7:26 PM on April 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


OMG, I watching the premiere now and the cyclons are coming from inside the house!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:29 PM on April 4, 2008 [1 favorite]


Justinian: "Atreides: SCI-FI channel has been broadcasting in high definition since october 3rd of last year."

Yea but stupid Comcast didn't bother to tell anyone. I just happened to notice a second SciFi channel a few weeks ago that wasn't there before, I have no idea how long it's been on the lineup. It still doesn't show up in the listing of HD channels.
posted by octothorpe at 7:30 PM on April 4, 2008


Stupid, stupid Comcast.

Their DVR box is clearly an AI that hates me, nothing designed to serve humans would screw up in such obviously stupid ways.
posted by Artw at 7:33 PM on April 4, 2008


I think the problem I had with the first part of the Third Season wasn't that it changed everything, but it just felt a little preachy. I enjoyed it, but at times it felt like they were trying too hard to make an analogy to everything bad that was going on over in Iraq. Its not bad that they chose that route, but it seemed like the could have done it with a bit more subtle touch. In some sense, it reminded me of those M.A.S.H. episodes towards the end where the show began to take on a darker tone and pushed more to make a message without the more familiar irony or humor.

In the end, I suppose I'm a true believer, that finds it hard to find any one episode bad or poor.
posted by Atreides at 7:34 PM on April 4, 2008


The boxing episode wasn't as bad as the Black Market episode or the labor strike one. It's too bad that they had to pad out the seasons with such crappy filler. If they ditched those and just ran the story arc episodes, the series would have been so much better.
posted by octothorpe at 7:34 PM on April 4, 2008


My DVR is better trained. I used peanut butter. Now pardon me while I see what Mr. Moore has in store for us.
posted by Atreides at 7:36 PM on April 4, 2008


My DVD is recording it appropriately. I just took a peek and it looks like total and the SD feed looks like total and complete shit on my new TV. Great.
posted by Justinian at 7:40 PM on April 4, 2008


it looks almost as bad as that sentence.
posted by Justinian at 7:40 PM on April 4, 2008


I actually kind of liked the bit in the labor strike one where it turned up Baltor was from Space Oop North.
posted by Artw at 7:56 PM on April 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


I wonder if all this format stuff has something to do with why the sound was so incredibly fucking shitty on my TV; I presumed it was just my TV. Between that and having never watched an episode with commercials till now, I think my viewing experience may have been a little bit compromised. Either that or that was kind of a letdown. Think maybe it was both. I did dig the much sweeter than normal spaceporn at the beginning, but overall, slightly flat. After a "Sopranos"-style hiatus, I just don't think it's unreasonable to expect an episode that actually goes somewhere. This felt like the first half of the premiere, and the less interesting half. I know they only have ten episodes before it's gone again -- probably for another year -- and I'm sure Sci Fi wants to drag them out as long as they can before slipping back into critical irrelevance, but for real: They couldn't have shown the first two episodes tonight?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:24 PM on April 4, 2008


A two hour premier would have been perfect. I agree, it felt like one half of an episode.

I've watched some episodes on DVD lately an in my desperate attempt to replicate, I set the standard feed to fill my entire screen. Nothing says wonderful like digital squares popping up.

It did seem they went out of their way to open up with one of their biggest space battle CGI scenes of the series.

And before I talk about anything more, I'll sleep a night and let folks who haven't seen it yet catch up.
posted by Atreides at 8:33 PM on April 4, 2008


I'm still scratching my head after opening this week's New Yorker and seeing a two-page Battlestar spread.
posted by unmake at 9:58 PM on April 4, 2008


The casting for Razor pissed me off. She's young -- how'd she get to be a Major? Also, they picked the actress because she's Asian, has an Aussie accent and is in sum hot. As much as my eyes enjoyed the candy, my brain would've much preferred a scarred, mildly ugly actor or actress for the role.
posted by illiad at 10:10 PM on April 4, 2008


The casting for Razor pissed me off. She's young -- how'd she get to be a Major?

I think she got to be a major because Lee promoted her. Considering there isn't much competition when 99.9% of humanity is dead, it seems pretty likely that officers would rise in rank kind of fast.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 10:16 PM on April 4, 2008 [2 favorites]


As much as my eyes enjoyed the candy, my brain would've much preferred a scarred, mildly ugly actor or actress for the role.

Frankly, I thought they were doing so well with Starbuck until the background. Hot, tough chick with a few muscles? Awesome. Oh, abusive past. Of course. Because those adjectives can't fit together without an explanation.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:31 PM on April 4, 2008


The boxing episode wasn't as bad as the Black Market episode or the labor strike one. It's too bad that they had to pad out the seasons with such crappy filler. If they ditched those and just ran the story arc episodes, the series would have been so much better.

I didn't enjoy the boxing episode per se, but it had at least one OMG moment in the backstory it delivered that contextualised a lot of character stuff, so I ultimately appreciated it. From what I recall, there were some budgetary issues at the time so I'll give them a by for doing some OK work with what they had.

Those who find the allegorical level a bit obvious - well, it's true they can lay it on with a spade, but I do quite enjoy the fact that they can swap the obvious roles out. Cylon attack = 9/11 terrorists, cylon occupation = US in iraq. You don't see that terribly often on TV.
posted by Sparx at 3:22 AM on April 5, 2008


I lost it halfway through series 2. Just got toooo soapy and dull. Thanks for this though, seems like I haven't missed much.
posted by mattoxic at 6:12 AM on April 5, 2008


Not only is it a 2 page spread, its a Last Supper two page spread. I wonder if there's any significance to the position of the characters to the respective Apostles.
posted by Atreides at 6:22 AM on April 5, 2008


I went to a Cylon party in Brooklyn last night.

I also noticed the New Yorker spread unmake mentioned.

In that ad, Starbuck is without her giant tattoos. Which makes me wonder, if you're a cylon and you get a tattoo, then die and wake up in goo, do you have to get the work redone?

Also, there was a lot of eye-widening 'shocked' looks, like the one expression that Rupert Grint/Ron Weasley is able to do. Between the 'final 4' on the ship as well as from Baltar when he discovered his den of worshipers. Speaking of which, should everyone, some time in their life, have the experience of walking into a room full of people who've built a shrine ... to you?

My theory to come out of last night is that Fgneohpx vf n Plyba, naq gung 'rnegu' vf gur fcnpr orgjrra Plyba yvirf. I sort of hope that's not the case though.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:25 AM on April 5, 2008 [1 favorite]


This brief article on EW on the image offers a few, small tidbits of hints from Moore on whats to come. The hint concerning the Chief is probably the darkest.
posted by Atreides at 7:06 AM on April 5, 2008 [1 favorite]


"Fgneohpx vf n Plyba"

Wait. This is a theory?

I'm a newcomer to BSG, watching only the most recent season, but I thought this was a given?
posted by Mr Bismarck at 7:09 AM on April 5, 2008


"Fgneohpx vf n Plyba"

Wait. This is a theory?

I'm a newcomer to BSG, watching only the most recent season, but I thought this was a given?


Nope, and it's an incorrect theory, according to Atreides' Link (see item 10).
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 7:44 AM on April 5, 2008


Apologies for the double post, but I just realised that the same item 10 eliminates the next 4 top contenders from my list of potentials, too.
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 7:48 AM on April 5, 2008


Assuming the picture in Atreides' link is accurate, wow! I'm glad my theory has been disproved. I hope the season continues to veer unexpectedly.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 8:15 AM on April 5, 2008


I'm a newcomer to BSG, watching only the most recent season, but I thought this was a given?

I think for the most part, going into this season it was either a given or a very likely. I think the direction they've chosen to take is going to be more interesting and dynamic, myself.
posted by Atreides at 10:36 AM on April 5, 2008


I loved the boxing episode! It's great how the show goes back and forth in time to open up and throw different perspective on storylines and relationships.

My suspicion is still that the first line we're given in the opening--'the cylons were created by man'--is going to turn out to be wrong, and that we're going to find out that man was created by the cylons.
posted by troybob at 12:32 PM on April 5, 2008


I liked the boxing episode, too. Or I didn't hate it. But I can't really think of an episode of the show that I hated. I understood what they were going for and I thought they did an honest day's work of it. C'mon, people. You can't have a rescue mission to New Caprica every week.

As far as the theories so, I'm just going to cut-and-paste a comment I made from an email thread I've been having with a friend of mine:

"Baltar basically pulled an EPIC FAIL of, well, epic proportions when he fell for Six's shit right before the attack. You could probably make the argument that a large part of BSG is the story of his denial. Because, really, no brain could wrap itself around that level of fuckup."
posted by Cyrano at 2:07 PM on April 5, 2008 [1 favorite]


"Nope, and it's an incorrect theory, according to Atreides' Link (see item 10)."

I read that and thought we were being double crossed, because if Fgneohpx vf n Plyba is wrong, then the actual explanation sbe jurer fur'f orra is going to be pretty ludicrous interesting.

I'm totally on board with the first episode needing to be two hours too - I also thought the first one felt like it was the set up for the interesting episode that was about to follow.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 3:17 PM on April 5, 2008


because if Fgneohpx vf n Plyba is wrong, then the actual explanation sbe jurer fur'f orra is going to be pretty ludicrous interesting.

My thoughts exactly.
posted by Atreides at 4:08 PM on April 5, 2008


"They have a plan" has never really applied to the makers of the show.
posted by Artw at 4:21 PM on April 5, 2008 [1 favorite]


"They have a plan" has never really applied to the makers of the show.

That is very, very correct.

Ron Moore posted a blog entry today mentioning "I’ll also try to pound out a few blogs about the directing experience and update you on all things Galactica and Caprica."

To be sure, I basically haven't been paying attention to these things since the writer's strike started, but the last I'd heard was that Caprica was DOA. After reading this I looked at Wikipedia, however, which says "After a drawn-out pre-development cycle, on March 18, 2008, the Sci-Fi Channel announced that Caprica had been picked up as a two-hour backdoor pilot event". So I guess it's going to happen after all! And hopefully it can have a better-plotted arc. Scifi probably thinks this series will be cheaper than BSG...

And although I'm a BSG fan, it really doesn't bother me to see it coming to an end. I wish more serial programming had an arc that actually ended.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 4:48 PM on April 5, 2008


I'm good with BSG ended (I, too, prefer arc-based stories over continuous) - but I think it really needs 5 seasons, because of the flow which has been established over the first three seasons. After the third season, I felt like we had just ended Act 3 in a five act play.

Both Babylon 5 and Farscape would have been better with their stories spread properly over 5 seasons as both series were meant to be - B5 first sped up, then slowed down too much, while Farscape was just truncated and then finished with a mini-series that had too many explosions and not enough of the wonderful character work that made the series brilliant.
posted by jb at 5:50 PM on April 5, 2008


Babylon 5 is probably the one example of a series long mysterie which, when everything is revealed, feels like it was actually planned that was and not pulled out of the air on the fly once the producers had painted themselves into a corner. And then theres a pointless extra season.
posted by Artw at 9:29 PM on April 5, 2008


The reason for that, Artw, is because B5 came -><- this close to being cancelled at the end of Series 4. JMS pulled out all the stops to get as many threads wrapped up by the end of series 4, only for the network (TNT?) to renew. Series 5 was left with very little material to work with from the original arc (which, as you say, was indeed planned through from the very beginning).
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 9:50 PM on April 5, 2008


I wonder if there's any significance to the position of the characters to the respective Apostles.

Not to mention the saviour.
posted by biffa at 9:23 AM on April 6, 2008


There's been alot written about Battlestar Galactica.
posted by neuron at 10:33 AM on April 6, 2008


Gur Fgneohpx gung qvrq jnf gur Plyba, sbyxf. Gur erny Xnen pbhyq'ir orra noqhpgrq naljurer. Erzrzore jung gur Uloevq va Enmbe fnvq...
posted by black8 at 7:45 PM on April 6, 2008


Gur Fgneohpx gung qvrq jnf gur Plyba, sbyxf.

There's yet to be any proof that Cylons are replacements for already living humans - at least with the Original Seven Cylons. Ron Moore has said as much.

This might not be true of the Secret Four and the final yet-to-be-revealed Cylons, though. I'm not really sure how Tigh being a Cylon works unless he was replaced or gur guvegrragu gevor vf Plybaf naq gurfr sbhe/svir ner qrfpraqnagf bs gurz. Gurl jrer gur bayl barf jub urneq gur zhfvp - juvpu cerfhznoyl pnzr sebz Rnegu, jurer gur guvegrragu gevor vf fhccbfrq gb yvir.
posted by crossoverman at 8:00 PM on April 7, 2008






Roslin '08: Ready from Day One
posted by homunculus at 1:08 PM on April 17, 2008


Finally saw Razor, thought it was pretty good. Doesn;t affect the ongoing plot that much, but it;s a good solid story, and bets of all didn't slow down for the crying every five minutes. I'm really coming to detest the crying.

Also, if all the characters spend all of their time being strong minded/pig headed about things and going "nnnng, I will not do this thing becuase I am strong minded", then have some kind of revelation and do something a bit more sensible, and they do this every damn time, well, it gets very boring quite quickly.

Oh well, I suppose Baltar is always weak. That actually makes him a lot more interesting by contrast.
posted by Artw at 2:13 PM on April 17, 2008




Spin offs are always tricky things. I'll simply be adopting a wait and see strategy.
posted by Atreides at 7:42 AM on April 21, 2008


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