Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica is The Sopranos of science fiction.More than just another well-made genre program, Galactica has changed the landscape for science fiction and given viewers something they've never seen before, and done so in a way that transcends the genre and is as mature - and as brutal - as what David Chase did with The Sopranos.
The original 1978 program was fun, and remains charming in a nostalgic way. But the original was fairly shallow; the characters weren't well-developed and despite the life-and-death premise of the show (a small group of survivors from a holocaust search for salvation), the mood on the show never seemed very dire. Of course, at the time, Galactica was made to cater to the 11-year-old Star Wars fans who were being merchandised to on a scale no one had ever seen before.
Enter Ronald D. Moore, one of the best writers to come out of the many Star Trek series. His work on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine created a new standard for science fiction television, and even genre feature films often could not match the complexity and depth of the episodes he wrote. (Trek, especially Deep Space Nine, produced a wealth of great writers; DS9 is the best example of the potential of Gene Roddenberry's universe.) Moore took the original Galactica concept by Glen A. Larsen and developed it into a post-9/11 world. It's impossible to look at the show and not consider and re-consider the events of the world in the past several years. Like his hero Roddenberry, Moore has made a science-fiction show that is about now, but crafted in such a way that its stories are universal. Forty years from now, audiences will still be turning to this show for insight.
The third season of Galactica turns modern history on its head. Humans ("the good guys" - or not?) resort to suicide bombings as their land is occupied. They execute their own when they feel betrayed. They steal elections when they feel it's in the best interests of the people. They eliminate civil rights when they feel it's for the greater good. They torture prisoners. And all the while, they live in tough conditions and find themselves drinking too much and having too much sex.
In Edward James Olmos, the cast has its father figure and the show has its anchor. It would be hard to imagine a more world-weary figure than Olmos, whose presence brings the show the same kind of respectability Patrick Stewart brought to The Next Generation. Katee Sackoff plays Starbuck, and brings a rogue element to the show that the original show wanted but was never willing to go far enough to get. James Callis plays the traitor Baltar and brings humor, sadness and brilliance to the part. Among the supporting characters, it is Michael Hogan's Tigh - a throwaway character on the original show - who is the show's most remarkable player. He grips the audience in every scene he is in, and brings several dimensions to the show.Universal's DVD sets have always left a lot to be desired. The DVDs of the original program were of the double-sided variety, which caused a lot of unplayable discs to arrive in customers' sets. The new show's DVDs have been pretty good. The transfers are nice, the sound is good and the extras are interesting. Even if you are not one to listen to commentaries, give Moore's podcasts a try, and don't forget to watch Executive Producer David Eick's video blogs - always interesting and frequently hilarious stuff. But is it really too much to ask of Universal to include scene selection menus on the discs?
If you're a fan of the show, be assured that the third season won't let you down. The four-part season opener (including the series highpoint Exodus, Parts 1 and 2) is worth the price of admission alone. If you've never seen it, start with the mini-series (included on the Season One DVD set) and go from there. Don't let the term "science fiction" stop you either; there are no bug-eyed aliens or talking muppets. This is serious stuff for an adult audience. Before long, you'll understand why the show is being labeled the best show on television -- a title that not long ago belonged to those guys from New Jersey.
