Battlestar Galactica Season 1 Review

So, for those of you who don't know, IGN, which considers itself the utmost authority on absolutely everything, ranked BSG #1 on their list of the top 50 sci fi shows of all time. Think about it.

Just a heads up, I'm reviewing this under the assumption that you've seen the miniseries, so there are spoilers if you haven't.

BSG season 1 aired in 2005 on the SyFy channel back when they knew what the hell they were doing.

In A Nutshell:
Picking up right after the miniseries, this season follows the last surviving humans, headed by President Laura Roslin and protected by Commander Bill Adama of the Battlestar Galactica, as they flee the deadly Cylons who have overrun the 12 Colonies of Humanity and try to find a safe haven, specifically Earth, the fabled 13th colony. A lot goes down. So basically, they're fleeing the Cylons while dealing with other issues, including political conspiracy and terrorism, dwindling resources, and character issues. The characters include, in addition to Adama and Roslin, Gaius Baltar, a genius scientist who by mistake caused the Cylon invasion, and who has a computer chip in his head that causes him to see, hear, and feel Cylon Number 6 everywhere (oh and he's also a lecherous scumbag), Captain Lee Adama, call sign Apollo, Commander Adama's son who has some loyalty and anger issues, Lieutenant Kara Thrace, call sign Starbuck, the best shot in or out of the cockpit who is also reckless and cocky, Lt. Karl Agathon, call sign Helo, whose stranded on Cylon occupied Caprica, Col. Tigh, who has a problem with the booze, and Lt. Sharon Boulaurie, call sign Boomer, who is a Cylon but doesn't it. In case you didn't get it, the show goes out if it's way to have flawed characters, all of whom had an episode centered around them at one point or another.

The Good:
This is awesome. It is. It really is. It's intense, action-packed, and often gritty. Lets start with the action: there's lots of it. There are quite a few epic space battles with pretty awesome special effects, plus Cylons have been known to get shot or blown up. And when the show lacks action, it makes up for it in phycological intensity that will make anyone go "oh my God oh my God oh my God." Those are some driving forces behind the show. And then you've got the show's serialized format (woo!). There are overarching mysteries going, and while a lot of the time a conflict will be resolved by the end of the episode, it will create a new plot point to be dealt with in another episode while expanding the show's very compelling mythology. You've also got the characters, who feel like, oh you know, real people with real problems and flaws. And I do mean flaws. These are layered characters who are basically  good people but with serious flaws. Take Gaius, for example: he's a genius, he's funny, charismatic, an okay guy, but he's also an two-timing scumbag who might be insane. So yeah, the characters are really good. You have all that adding up to a very compelling overall story that manages to be character driven, action driven, politically driven, and spiritually driven all at the same time. The bottom line: it's an intelligent, intense thrill ride that you won't want to stop watching. Oh, and cliffhanger ending! Hooray!

The Bad:
You'd think after all that praise I wouldn't have any gripes about the season. But I do. It's just one episode that I wasn't too big on: "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down", it's where you meet Col. Tigh's previously absent, equally alcoholic wife. You could tell it was meant to be a comedy relief episode to lighten the mood a bit amidst the intensity. I usually have no problem with that, heck I like just because it gives me some room to breath, but the problem was it wasn't funny. Ellen Tigh is really just an annoying character. I'll grant, parts of the episode were okay, but for the most part, I can't say I was too fond of it. But parts of that one episode are my only beef with the season. Other than that it was awesome.

I could probably do noteworthy episodes but I won't because I'd be doing all of them save for the one I mentioned in "the bad". Plus, the season was only 13 episodes anyway, so it's seems a bit unnecessary.

Final Rating: 97%

So, have you seen season 1 of BSG, or any of it at all, and what did you think of it? Comment below, let me know! 


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