How is show Battlestar Galactica?

[mjrpes3]

due to a shit budget...

It doesn't come off as having a shit budget. At least compared to Caprica, which felt much less epic, lower budget, and less character storylines. I thoroughly enjoyed BSG and there was never a moment I felt it drifted into low-grade TV quality.

 

[hans030390]

1. The first season is non stop plot.

Not really. Most of the episodes have self-contained stories that are overall unrelated to the bit plot. All we know is that they're running from the Cylons and looking for Earth. They touch on the "main" story here and there, but it doesn't come into full focus until the last two episodes of season 1.

 

[MontyAC]

33 was an awesome episode.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_(Battlestar_Galactica)

 

[techs]

People who are complaining about the long interpersonal stories that used up a lot of time that they would have liked to have some action are not being fair.

It was all about the money. People who followed things like Ron Moore's blogs understand that Syfy was so impressed by the first few episodes they saw they bumped up the budget for the first season midway thru. Even then they gave the show a very small budget. If you noticed how things like paper all had the corners cut off it was an inside joke about how they were trying to do the show on a limited budget.

After the first season got such great critical reviews the idea was to show it on NBC as well as Syfy. They thought they could add a bunch of NBC viewership by essentially taking a show that was paid for and showing it on Saturday or Sunday nights on NBC and maybe double or triple the audience. So the second season got a decent, though still small budget.

For the third season Syfy slashed the budget when the NBC showings bombed. Which is why it was all about the low cost filming on New Caprica.

The final season they had to spend a lot of time on board the ships to keep costs down.

In other words, they needed to produce x hours of tv for z dollars so they had to fill up a lot of time with human interest, low budget filler.

Terra Nova did ten times less with ten times more money than BSG did.

 

[mikeymikec]

I just discovered it on netflix and I know you nerds love this show, so I tried to give it a shot. OMG the first episode is so boring I cant finish it. Does it get better? Has a whopping 8.8 on IMDB.

Every series regardless of how half-decent (or not) it is has a rating of nearly 9 on IMDB, because the only people who rate series on IMDB are the fans. The only series with lower ratings than say 8 are the complete-and-utter-dross ones.

BSG (assuming that we're talking about the 21st Century one) is the best sci-fi series to date, IMO (I'm referring to the series whose pilot episode is '33'). I like TNG a lot, but it makes TNG look as childish as Stargate SG1 looks when compared to TNG.

BSG's ending wasn't so good, it was just a little too neat IMO. I liked the bit on the planet though.

One thing I liked about BSG was that it didn't "tech the tech" (google that term if you want to know what I mean). Another was that the characters weren't cardboard cut-outs like so many series out there.

 

[techs]

as childish as Stargate SG1 looks when compared to TNG.

We may have to step outside to settle this.

 

[Leros]

I absolutely loved it... (spoiler)

Spoiler

but the ending was god awful

 

[BladeVenom]

The first two seasons were good. Season 3 seemed like mostly filler. Season 4 was OK until the end. The ending was stupid.

 

[mikeymikec]

We may have to step outside to settle this.

Heh I've watched a fair few SG1 ones (probably 10-12), but there was one that settled the question for me - it involved the team coming across a planet where there were two factions, one referred to as the 'breeders' and the others which turned out to be only using cloning as their method of reproduction, and they were at war. The cloners ask for help from the team, and they say "sorry, we can't help because, you know, principles and stuff" (kinda Prime Directive ish), then they find out that the other side are a lot more like them, so they go and help them instead. What. The. Fuck.

Of course there are some episodes of TNG that are absolute stinkers ("Shades of Grey" for example, or pretty much every holodeck episode too. I just avoid those ) I can't remember ever seeing an episode of SG1 that made me think "that was pretty damn good".

 

[Kreon]

Heh I've watched a fair few SG1 ones (probably 10-12), but there was one that settled the question for me - it involved the team coming across a planet where there were two factions, one referred to as the 'breeders' and the others which turned out to be only using cloning as their method of reproduction, and they were at war. The cloners ask for help from the team, and they say "sorry, we can't help because, you know, principles and stuff" (kinda Prime Directive ish), then they find out that the other side are a lot more like them, so they go and help them instead. What. The. Fuck.

So I know exactly what episode you're referring too. They actually do help the "cloners" (for lack of a better term in this conversation, I can't remember their name). At first they say no help because they need approval from command first. And they eventually ally with the cloners. Until they realize that the cloners: hate the others because they're breeders, lied to them multiple times, and started the entire war as a genocide.

SG-1 certainly does not have a prime directive like attitude... Anywhere really. They spend huge portions of the series actively at war (albeit more of a covert war) with the Go'ould. And they plainly influence planets with lower technology, very often.

/nerdrage

That said, SG-1, TNG and BSG are completely differen shows. BSG is much more gritty, and deals with modern issues in a sci-fi setting (religion, democracy under emergency, war, etc). SG-1 is a (mostly) light sci-fi action-adventure with some true morals to the stories. TNG lies somewhere in between (though admittedly, I haven't watched a ton of TNG, I could not get into it at all).

 

[shadow9d9]

Not really. Most of the episodes have self-contained stories that are overall unrelated to the bit plot. All we know is that they're running from the Cylons and looking for Earth. They touch on the "main" story here and there, but it doesn't come into full focus until the last two episodes of season 1.

I disagree. I never said it was only main storyline plot(though there is plenty of that). Character plot had long lasting effects in the series. From Gaius and religion to Helo, to Boomer/Tyrol..etc. All plot.

 

[shadow9d9]

People who are complaining about the long interpersonal stories that used up a lot of time that they would have liked to have some action are not being fair.

It was all about the money. People who followed things like Ron Moore's blogs understand that Syfy was so impressed by the first few episodes they saw they bumped up the budget for the first season midway thru. Even then they gave the show a very small budget. If you noticed how things like paper all had the corners cut off it was an inside joke about how they were trying to do the show on a limited budget.

After the first season got such great critical reviews the idea was to show it on NBC as well as Syfy. They thought they could add a bunch of NBC viewership by essentially taking a show that was paid for and showing it on Saturday or Sunday nights on NBC and maybe double or triple the audience. So the second season got a decent, though still small budget.

For the third season Syfy slashed the budget when the NBC showings bombed. Which is why it was all about the low cost filming on New Caprica.

The final season they had to spend a lot of time on board the ships to keep costs down.

In other words, they needed to produce x hours of tv for z dollars so they had to fill up a lot of time with human interest, low budget filler.

Terra Nova did ten times less with ten times more money than BSG did.

New Caprica, which is part spoiler imo, was high budget. On site filming is always more expensive. That is why they needed some on ship only episodes afterwards.

 

[zerocool84]

So what I get from most of you is that it's not SciFi, it's really just drama in space. That's disappointing as I'd like a real good SciFi show to watch. Everything is just pure drama nowadays, I'm sick of it.

 

[Madwand1]

I just discovered it on netflix and I know you nerds love this show, so I tried to give it a shot. OMG the first episode is so boring I cant finish it. Does it get better?

Really? Many people thought that the beginning was the best; that the rest of the series never really matched it. Maybe this is why Caprica was made -- to get back to the beginning.

But if the beginning didn't click with you, maybe you'll like the rest better!

 

[shadow9d9]

So what I get from most of you is that it's not SciFi, it's really just drama in space. That's disappointing as I'd like a real good SciFi show to watch. Everything is just pure drama nowadays, I'm sick of it.

That IS sci fi... Drama in allegorical fashion. Farscape, Trek, Firefly...

 

[kyrax12]

If you mean the Cylons, you get their back story in the series Caprica.

Are you serious.

They don't explain it in BSG?

 

[shadow9d9]

Are you serious.

They don't explain it in BSG?

You get all of the backstory relevant in BSG.

Caprica poorly creates more of one....barely. It adds nothing of substance.

 

[kyrax12]

For people that said the ending sucked ass.

What did you like the ending to be?

 

[Craig234]

While watching it: one of the best sci fi series - one of the best tv series - made. Gripping.

After watching it: I couldn't stand to watch it again. See many more flaws in it. Still 'good'.

So this leaves me mixed on a recommendation.

I want to recommend it as a great series, but there is hesitation as well, with too many threads to the plot that either drug on or didn't work that well for me.

 

[shadow9d9]

For people that said the ending sucked ass.

What did you like the ending to be?

That will only encourage spoilers... not a good idea for thread created asking about the show.

 

[shadow9d9]

While watching it: one of the best sci fi series - one of the best tv series - made. Gripping.

After watching it: I couldn't stand to watch it again. See many more flaws in it. Still 'good'.

So this leaves me mixed on a recommendation.

I want to recommend it as a great series, but there is hesitation as well, with too many threads to the plot that either drug on or didn't work that well for me.

Honestly, rewatching after the ending adds a ton.

 

[Craig234]

Honestly, rewatching after the ending adds a ton.

That doesn't make much sense to me.

The idea of re-watching sounds miserable.

But I have to say, when I have caught bits, it's been a lot better to re-watch than I had though it would be.

 

[shadow9d9]

That doesn't make much sense to me.

The idea of re-watching sounds miserable.

But I have to say, when I have caught bits, it's been a lot better to re-watch than I had though it would be.

The problem is that there were such long gaps in between seasons and midseasons that people forgot many important parts from the beginning that really fall into place near the end. It took over 2 years for the final season to play out...

I've rewatched the whole series 2 times now, with 2 different friends that had never seen it. Episodes that rubbed me the wrong way when they aired, such as the first 4 episodes of season 3(won't name them, to avoid spoilers), are truly brilliant... I honestly didn't enjoy them much the first time around because they hit too close to home for the time aired.

Rewatching the ending of the Eye of Jupiter in season 3 or even when Starbuck is visiting her apartment in season 2.. well, it all is interpreted differently upon rewatch... and don't forget when rewatching the beginning of season 3 to focus on Ellen/Cavil's little thing there.. takes on an entirely new meaning.

Season 1 is the most important to rewatch for the 3-4 religion/gaius heavy episodes that are often forgotten.

Is the finale perfect? No. It is simply a backstory and character piece, light on story or huge fulfillment... A character sendoff. But it is what it is.

 

[techs]

You get all of the backstory relevant in BSG.

Caprica poorly creates more of one....barely. It adds nothing of substance.

Spoilers if you didn't watch both BSG and Caprica

Spoiler

Caprica explained to me the motivations behind the machines actions. Zoe was the template and she was a mixed up teenage girl with issue with her mother, father and religion. She was going to bomb a train, then changed her mind. The Cylons were going to wipe out humanity then changed their minds and tried to live with them. The horny cylons were a manifestation of a teenage girls horniness. Cavils feelings toward the final five were Zoes feelings towards her parents, love and hate.

 

[kyrax12]

Spoilers if you didn't watch both BSG and Caprica

Spoiler

Caprica explained to me the motivations behind the machines actions. Zoe was the template and she was a mixed up teenage girl with issue with her mother, father and religion. She was going to bomb a train, then changed her mind. The Cylons were going to wipe out humanity then changed their minds and tried to live with them. The horny cylons were a manifestation of a teenage girls horniness. Cavils feelings toward the final five were Zoes feelings towards her parents, love and hate.

Spoiler

Shouldn't Zoe be one of the Final fives then?