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Article by Alpha-Girl
Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 7 Comments
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I agree with you about the soap-operatic elements that tend to turn me off, but one of the things that I appreciate about BSG is the fact that it’s one of the few science fiction programs that uses a great strength of science fiction — namely, to look at our own world through the narrative device of distancing it from us.
Star Trek used to do this (sometimes well, sometimes not so well), and it’s all over the place in written science fiction, but it’s not often done well in TV.
When the makers of BSG give us characters to care about, and then show them making hard choices in ethical quagmires (torture, military coups, political murder, suicide bombing, etc), they’re upholding the greatest legacy of science fiction as social commentary.
I’ll keep watching, just for that. No matter who’s sleeping with whom this week.
I suppose one reason that social commentary isn’t often done well in TV is because we’re living in this atmosphere in which everyone wants an apology an is worried about being offensive to a middle-American housewife who probably isn’t watching anyway.
I do appreciate the BSG has the huevos to make that social commentary, no matter how uncomfortable it can get. Even considering my complaints, it’s still one of the best shows out there.
3 words :
“Babylon 5″
“Farscape”
I totally agree with the previous commenters on the social commentary bits. I think of BSG as a political drama with less subtlety. In fact, I love BSG because it really isn’t a scifi show—the SF elements are there to compress the entirety of humanity into an easily analyzed and infleunced little pocket, making the show that much more potent even though it focuses only on the “important” characters.
However, the personal relationships make me sad. What is this, 90210? The old Sharon/Chief/Helo tension was great. Baltar? Superb. The Starbuck/Leoben bit is possibly the only relationship bit involving the Galactica Love Quadrangle of Emo Doom that I enjoyed watching. Now I just fast forward through the relationship crap. See a pattern? Yeah, human/cylon relationships are just so much more interesting.
We’ve been calling it a Love Rhombus. But I like the addition of Emo Doom; it’s much more descriptive.
Wow….just…..wow…..this really, really neatly summarized my feelings on BSG, and on genre TV as a whole (i.e. once BSG ends I’m going to freak out the way you did when Twin Peaks ended)
***Season 2.5 had problems, but at least the season 2 finale was good. And season 3 started good, as you said; but post-New Caprica it was just “guys, stop having flashback material or focusing on the whiny relationships, advance the plot”
Problem was I think they used up so much of their budget they ran out of ideas. Well that and the Missing Sagittaron Storyarc.
Hope you don’t mind if I quote this elsewhere; it was a pretty good summation of the whole “BSG experience” for the past 12 months of growing disappointment. Still, I do think they can make something out of this.
That said….the Love Polygon: what were you thinking?!
Pleased to meet you/
hope you guessed my name/
but what’s puzzling you/
is the nature of my game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-vkSO6mS9E
I think another problem that BSG had was writing for women. The show started catching on with women, and then it seemed like the writers tried to make it more “womanly” after that – with more relationship nonsense and drama and less of the stuff that was awesome. The misconception that women want shows that are all about feelings makes me nuts!
By all means, quote this elsewhere!
And the Love Polygon. . . maybe a Love Pentagram would be more accurate?