How is show Battlestar Galactica?

[Northern Lawn]

You contradict yourself because a majority of the first season was heavy on religion.

Sometimes *IF* you enjoy a film you have to have a generous amount of Suspension of Disbelief. Now, if you don't enjoy a film, you can nitpick the hell out of it.

 

[Kreon]

You contradict yourself because a majority of the first season was heavy on religion.

I see where he is coming from. The religion presented throughout the first season (and even second) and the religion presented at the end are completely different.

In the beginning, religion is presented as it functions in our society: as a motivating force for some people, and something that politicians must pander to (assuming they aren't true believers themselves). It is a plot device used to give the characters motivation, the beginning of the series is not (IMO) in itself a religious allegory. Religion as presented is not really supposed to influence the viewers own spirituality.

Spoiler

In the end of the series, the tone changes and the show becomes a religious allegory, attempting to affect the viewer by way of the characters. The characters become allegorical in an attempt to influence the viewer. As such, religion in BSG becomes less about how it affects the characters/story and more about how it affects the viewers spirituality.

I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across correctly, but that's the best way I could put it into words.

 

[Paratus]

season 1: awesome
season 2: awesome
season 3: going downhill
season 4: disappointment

Correction

Season 3: Exodus Pt 2 - Holy fucking shit awesome

 

[mjrpes3]

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.

Like a curtain call. The fun was in the journey, not the final answer. That's why I don't get all vent up over the deus ex machina ending.

 

[shadow9d9]

I see where he is coming from. The religion presented throughout the first season (and even second) and the religion presented at the end are completely different.

In the beginning, religion is presented as it functions in our society: as a motivating force for some people, and something that politicians must pander to (assuming they aren't true believers themselves). It is a plot device used to give the characters motivation, the beginning of the series is not (IMO) in itself a religious allegory. Religion as presented is not really supposed to influence the viewers own spirituality.

Spoiler

In the end of the series, the tone changes and the show becomes a religious allegory, attempting to affect the viewer by way of the characters. The characters become allegorical in an attempt to influence the viewer. As such, religion in BSG becomes less about how it affects the characters/story and more about how it affects the viewers spirituality.

I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across correctly, but that's the best way I could put it into words.

It didn't change at all. Go back and rewatch season 1. Specifically, Six Degrees of Separation, Flesh and Bone, and Hand of God.

Spoiler

It was clear from the miniseries onward that the six in Baltar's head knew things that only someone inhuman/non cylon could know. Something was seriously manipulating Galactica and its crew, with Gaius in the front of it all. Things lined up too perfectly. Finding water in Water, Pegasus meeting galactica, finding New Caprica from a misjump on the way to Caprica, The eye of Jupiter, the nebula at the end of season 3, etc.

Religion itself also played a primary role with the scrolls of Pythia, Kobol, and the arrow.

It was there all along. People chose to ignore it, people forgot as it took longer and longer for the show to be aired... Don't get me wrong. There is no one more anti-religion than me... It often plays well though in sci fi, including BSG and DS9. They are not real, they are science fiction...

 

[shadow9d9]

Sometimes *IF* you enjoy a film you have to have a generous amount of Suspension of Disbelief. Now, if you don't enjoy a film, you can nitpick the hell out of it.

You can still love something and criticize it when it isn't done well. I hated Razer, for example, and wrote up a huge scathing review on the sci fi forums at the time. There were a few awful episodes like Black Market, Scar, Epiphanies, Sacrifice, Hero, and Deadlock.

Check out jammersreviews.com . The guy really gets it spot on.

 

[kyrax12]

You can still love something and criticize it when it isn't done well. I hated Razer, for example, and wrote up a huge scathing review on the sci fi forums at the time. There were a few awful episodes like Black Market, Scar, Epiphanies, Sacrifice, Hero, and Deadlock.

Check out jammersreviews.com . The guy really gets it spot on.

Scar was an awful episode?

 

[Northern Lawn]

You can still love something and criticize it when it isn't done well. I hated Razer, for example, and wrote up a huge scathing review on the sci fi forums at the time. There were a few awful episodes like Black Market, Scar, Epiphanies, Sacrifice, Hero, and Deadlock.

Check out jammersreviews.com . The guy really gets it spot on.

SHadow can I get a link to your review on razor? I'd really like to read it. I loved the show but mostly because I liked that Asian chick with the Aussie accent. I watched other shows she did after that including Sarah Conner Chronicles.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Scar was an awful episode?

It was not. It was a very good Starbuck character building episode

 

[Druidx]

Good show and good characters.

So say we all!!!

 

[mikeymikec]

I can't think of a single bad episode of BSG*, though I remember (during season 3 I think) when Gaius is feeling very, very sorry for himself and his changing fortunes, there was a string of episodes that culminated in me wanting to throttle the whiny SOB But he is that sort of a character.

* - which I regard as extremely unusual. There's one episode where the tech doesn't make sense IMO, and I've argued about it on forums before and not come to a satisfactory conclusion about it.

 

[shadow9d9]

I can't think of a single bad episode of BSG*, though I remember (during season 3 I think) when Gaius is feeling very, very sorry for himself and his changing fortunes, there was a string of episodes that culminated in me wanting to throttle the whiny SOB But he is that sort of a character.

* - which I regard as extremely unusual. There's one episode where the tech doesn't make sense IMO, and I've argued about it on forums before and not come to a satisfactory conclusion about it.

Even Ron Moore apologized for how bad Black Market was in his podcast.

 

[shadow9d9]

SHadow can I get a link to your review on razor? I'd really like to read it. I loved the show but mostly because I liked that Asian chick with the Aussie accent. I watched other shows she did after that including Sarah Conner Chronicles.

It was from a looong time ago, but here it is:

http://forums.syfy.com/index.php?showtopic=2298673&hl=shadow9d9&st=0

 

[shadow9d9]

It was not. It was a very good Starbuck character building episode

I thought it was awful, obviously. Jammer didn't rate it so high either.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I thought it was awful, obviously. Jammer didn't rate it so high either.

It's 2.5 stars out of 4. Which is the average score.

 

[Ancalagon44]

I really enjoyed BSG - an awesome show. As an atheist, I didnt really mind the religious aspects, although I thought it odd that the cylons were religious, or that Number One was so cynical. I mean, for machines, such concepts dont make sense to me.

Spoiler

I suppose you could argue that they had reached such an advanced stage as to be indistinguishable from us, and therefore capable of believing in religion. I dont know, just seems odd given how machines are basically products of mathematics, whereas we are apes from the savannah instead of the forest.

I also hated Starbuck. Not because I preferred the original - I never watched it - but her character grated me. Couldnt stand her, didnt find her interesting or engaging. GB also - just found him annoying.

Admiral Adama was the best of course, followed by Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, and the younger Adama. The various Sixes were not bad.

 

[shadow9d9]

It's 2.5 stars out of 4. Which is the average score.

Average episode for an above average show.

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Spoiler

Zoe is god

Exactly. Watch BSG and Caprica. Better yet, watch Caprica first, and then BSG. You will realize that the overarching view of religion is actually quite critical (and bleak), and that the entity referred to by the

Spoiler

Baltar and Caprica Six "angels"

at the very end of BSG is none other than a petulant, brilliant, parent-hating and vengeful

Spoiler

Zoe

.

The reason why I suggest anyone with enough time on their hands should watch Caprica first is because it provides you with a better understanding of how technology evolves from virtual reality to "resurrection", and starts to ask really difficult questions about monotheism and its followers/doctrine shapers.

 

[shadow9d9]

Exactly. Watch BSG and Caprica. Better yet, watch Caprica first, and then BSG. You will realize that the overarching view of religion is actually quite critical (and bleak), and that the entity referred to by the

Spoiler

Baltar and Caprica Six "angels"

at the very end of BSG is none other than a petulant, brilliant, parent-hating and vengeful

Spoiler

Zoe

.

The reason why I suggest anyone with enough time on their hands should watch Caprica first is because it provides you with a better understanding of how technology evolves from virtual reality to "resurrection", and starts to ask really difficult questions about monotheism and its followers/doctrine shapers.

Except Caprica is a terrible, terrible tv show, and Ron Moore wasn't involved after the pilot. it also doesn't explain resurrection at all, because that is not how the cylons got the technology.

 

[Aikouka]

I'm on Season 3 Episode 13... would it still be worthwhile to just stop watching BSG and watch the ~20 episodes of Caprica?

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Except Caprica is a terrible, terrible tv show, and Ron Moore wasn't involved after the pilot. it also doesn't explain resurrection at all, because that is not how the cylons got the technology.

You should have paid more attention to details, then. And who gives a **** about Moore? That's exactly why I said that Caprica provides a much more darker take on religion and its ugly underside.

 

[Skel]

Personally I didn’t care for the show. I liked it well enough when it started, but as the show moved forward I found myself with a distain for all but a couple of the characters. I can handle dark and gritty, but when you go so far to the point where I start agreeing with the bad guys on the show you’ve over shot. I had to go back via Netflix to finish it, and even then I still didn’t care as much. The whole overarching religious thing didn’t bother me. It was there from the beginning and I’m also not one of those people where I get pissed if religion is brought up. The ending didn’t bother me, as the rest of the show was pretty much a letdown, so it fell into form. In many ways it suffered from the same issue as Lost where it’s fan tried to make it deeper than it was, resulting in those same people being unhappy with its OMG (hehe really) ending

 

[shadow9d9]

I'm on Season 3 Episode 13... would it still be worthwhile to just stop watching BSG and watch the ~20 episodes of Caprica?

Caprica is complete trash. Unwatchable tripe. BSG is at its best at the end of season 3 and the first half of season 4.

 

[shadow9d9]

You should have paid more attention to details, then. And who gives a **** about Moore? That's exactly why I said that Caprica provides a much more darker take on religion and its ugly underside.

No, I paid attention fine.

Spoiler

The final five delivered resurrection to the cylons

Ron Moore is the genius behind BSG and wrote its best episodes. Caprica was lost without him. It was run by the awful Jane Espenson, who abandoned head writer position after the horrible first half of the season.

Caprica isn't "dark" at all. It is a poorly written meandering mess. The first half of the season was barely watchable and the second half completely unwatchable. A real joke. nothing about it was dark and its take on religion was a gimmick that never paid out. Religion was down 1000x better in BSG.

 

[shadow9d9]

Personally I didn’t care for the show. I liked it well enough when it started, but as the show moved forward I found myself with a distain for all but a couple of the characters. I can handle dark and gritty, but when you go so far to the point where I start agreeing with the bad guys on the show you’ve over shot. I had to go back via Netflix to finish it, and even then I still didn’t care as much. The whole overarching religious thing didn’t bother me. It was there from the beginning and I’m also not one of those people where I get pissed if religion is brought up. The ending didn’t bother me, as the rest of the show was pretty much a letdown, so it fell into form. In many ways it suffered from the same issue as Lost where it’s fan tried to make it deeper than it was, resulting in those same people being unhappy with its OMG (hehe really) ending

That is kind of the point. The "bad" guys on the show are not black and white... it becomes more and more grey as the show goes on. That is part of its brilliance. Some people require definable good and bad guys I guess. People in BSG are flawed and real.

The problem with Lost is that it chose to randomly introduce about 1000 things and then just ignore them, unresolving issues, and moving on, until it collapsed under the weight of illogic.

Watch this about Lost: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6099973/unanswered-lost-questions