Since one of Ash’s New Year’s Resolutions was to watch a TV series, I’ve decided to attempt to complete one of my resolutions and persuade her to choose the life-changing experience that is Battlestar Galactica. Here are 10 reasons why she (and everyone else) should submit to watching 73 episodes of awesome. (For the record, while I have seen and enjoyed the original series, it’s not what I’m talking about here. I love old science fiction as much as anyone, but in this case I think the reboot is just better.)
1) Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction show about robots and space that isn’t really about either of those things. BSG is a show about people that just happens to take place in space. It’s a show about survival and what it means to be human. While Ash is a pretty good sport during my incessant sci-fi ramblings, I know it isn’t really her thing. So this seems like a good compromise to me.
2) Not to immediately negate point #1, but the space battles in BSG were epic. For a TV show, the effects are remarkable. Galactica itself was pretty clunky, but any time the Vipers got involved, we knew we were in for a treat.
3) I’m about to get serious for a second, but Battlestar Galactica has to be one of the most socially conscious shows ever made. It was a running commentary on morality, terrorism, religious extremism, gender roles, abortion and just about anything else you can think of. It bravely asked questions about the virtues and dangers of the growing role of technology in our lives. It made us think without ever becoming too preachy.
4) On a lighter note, it gave us Apollo’s fat suit. Best thing ever. Jamie Bamber is an EXTREMELY attractive man, so hilarity ensued when they decided to randomly make him fat for a few episodes. That double chin, I think I’m scarred for life, and yet I’m chuckling just sitting here thinking about it. And apparently I’m not the only one who loves this.
5) We can’t talk about Apollo without talking about Starbuck. She just has something to offer for everyone. For the guys, she’s smoking hot. Trust me, you should see her in person. I met Katee Sackhoff at DragonCon a couple of years ago, and wow. And for us ladies it’s nice to have a female who is just a badass. She is beyond tough, gets dirty and is willing to do whatever she has to do to survive. There aren’t enough female characters in sci-fi (or on TV in general) who can truly hold their own, and for all of her faults, Starbuck can do just that.
6) “Beets, Bears, Battlestar Galactica!” There’s nothing a fandom likes more than a good catchphrase or pop-culture reference, and BSG is overflowing. I’m not ashamed to admit I own a “What the Frak” t-shirt. And I laughed for a solid 15 minutes the first time I saw Sheldon making Cylon toast on The Big Bang Theory. The fact is, there are tons of references to BSG all over the place, wouldn’t it be more fun if you could spot them? “So Say We All!”
7) Let’s talk Pyramid. Until you’ve watched the show, you can’t understand the awesomeness that is this made up sport. And after you’ve watched it, you probably still be confused. Why? There aren’t any rules. They clearly decided they needed a sport to have the characters play, then handed them a ball and said “do something.” The result was a lot of spinning around and shoulder bumping and a very unclear scoring system. And yet, had I been on Caprica, I can pretty much guarantee I would have had season Buccaneers tickets and proudly sported an Anders jersey.
8) The “who are the final 5??” game. Those of you who love the show as much as I do, remember how crazy fun it was trying to guess who the final 5 Cylons were? Some may claim they had it figured out, but I think they’re lying. I would have bet my life savings on a certain person (trying really hard to do no spoilers here…) and I would have lost a lot of money. Well not that much considering my life savings at that point was probably $12 and a fairly extensive ratty t-shirt collection, but still.
9) That ending. I know, some people hated it. And some people REALLY hated it. So maybe I’m the exception, but I loved it. I’m not going to spoil anything because I want Ash (and you if this applies) to be able to go in the same way I did, full of dreams and fantasies about how this amazing journey could end. But I will say this, there is rarely a perfect finale on TV. I think the most we can hope for is a fulfilling ending for the characters we’ve grown to love. And I think we got that with Battlestar Galactica. That’s all I could have asked for.
10) Finally Ash, watch it because I said so. Let’s be honest, the only way you’re ever going to shut me up is if you give in. It’s going to be a long year for both of us if you don’t.
Anything I missed guys? Help me convince Ash that this should be her first foray into true science-fiction binge watching.
