The end of the world as we know it

The skinny: Man created a sentient race of robotic slaves called Cylons. They arose and destroyed their masters. Now the remnants of the human race are pursued to extinction across the universe as they search for a new home- the fabled Earth.

Review: Science fiction has a bad rep. People instantly envision the proverbial thirty-something sloths bunkered down in their parents basement, who only make their Groundhog Day expedition into society for the latest TrekCon. So even I, a proclaimed scifi dork, wrote off this campy 80’s reboot because what I envisioned was a campy 00’s version in the vein of Andromeda starring Hercules. But after I heard it won a Peabody and Time named ot show of the year, I dipped my toes in the BSG universe and found myself loathing how I went so long without it.

This is one of those genre defining works like Die Hard and Glitter. There are no blue skinned aliens or hammy CGI effects. Think more like the drama of The Wire set in the context of an aircraft carrier in space. Even the conventions of future technology has been discarded. Instead of phasers there are bullets, instead of communicators there are regular telephones, and instead of humanity always choosing the “right” moral decision sometimes the characters we are rooting for make very bad very human choices.

Creator Ron Moore took many of the issues treated with kid gloves when he was with Star Trek, and had BSG dive into the murky waters of what hits close to home: the occupation of the Middle East, terrorism, abortion, stolen elections, genocide, mortality, religion and a metric ton of politics that could give The West Wing a run. In an intriguing twist, not only do the Cylons want the erradiction of all humanity but they now have human form and are secretly walking among the last of the human space caravan.

BSG strikes the uneasy balance of intricate plots and mythologies – for the internet geeks – with stark and raw character development and drama. As much as I am gay for its movie-quality CGI, the characters are why I tune in every week, over-dose on re-runs and scour bulletin boards for scraps and theories on the show.

I’ve watched the series finale over and over and studied it like the Zapruder film. It seems like several fans were disappointed with the deus ex machina-type plot resolution. But like Ron Moore has said, the show has always been about the characters and their relationships. Their final send off was emotionally pitch-perfect. All of the characters we’ve followed and fell in love with got a heart-rendering curtain call, and in the BSG tradition- very few had happy endings.

Wrap up: I expect this little watched show to get even better with age. BSG really wasn’t something catered for those with ravenous science fiction appetites. If you find controversial story lines and gritty emotional drama compelling tv,  the you owe it to at least give Battlestar a taste.

Entertainment rating: 5