Monday, March 24, 2008

Battlestar Galactica Returns April 4

Image from Sci-Fi

Science fiction fans probably already have their calendars marked for April 4, 2008, which is the date for the return of the reportedly final season of Battlestar Galactica.

I’m happy about both – the return AND the final season.

Why? Well, I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with this show. I really enjoyed that they took a campy, cheesy late 1970s science fiction TV show and turned it into something much deeper and much more intense. The current version is somehow darker and more desperate. Unfortunately, that’s also the part of the show I have grown to dislike. It seems to wallow in its own darkness, with story lines that sometimes drag so deep into despair that it ceases to become even remotely entertaining on any level.

There were some episodes in the last seasons where the storylines wasted too much time on individual characters. It seems that they sacrificed the story of their desire to get to earth by dwelling too much on the crew’s inner turmoil. I don’t mind shows that make you think or reflect, but I don’t like shows where the angst is so oppressive that you feel like you’re being slowly strangled while watching.

The low point of the series, I thought, was “Fat Apollo” – which is how Jamie Bamber refers to himself in the role. Of course, the normal svelte Bamber was wearing what they call a “fat suit,” but that still didn’t make it any better. Maybe because it seemed obvious it was a fat suit? Yes I understand the whole purpose of the storyline, which seemed to indicate Apollo had given up in more ways than one. Still, I thought it was a storyline that could have been best avoided.

It also seems like that the show became overly cerebral and almost devoid of action. The series initially appealed to me because of its action and clearly improved special effects from the 1970’s version, but then the series just seemed to slide helplessly into a mass of darkness and confusion.
So I will be watching when the season premiers on April 4, but not really because I want to. I feel like I have to. I’m hoping this final season will bring some closure to a series that started off so well.

By the way, the April 4 epsiode summary is below, along with a promo and interview:

He That Believeth in Me
Season 4 picks up where the third-season finale left off, with Starbuck's mysterious return unhinging the Galactica crew in the middle of a Cylon attack. Meanwhile, Anders enters the space melee and has a surprising standoff with a Cylon raider.



Short Promo Preview





Preview and Interviews (From Hypaspace)






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