Countdown to Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica is one of those rare, excellent, almost perfect TV shows that come every once in a blue moon. It's the kind of show I have to watch with my full attention, the first time it comes on, despite the fact that I would have to watch with commercials. It's the kind of show where you can overlook the commercials because you have to see what's going to happen right then and there. It's the kind of thought provoking, entertaining and fan obsessed show I dream about creating one day.

I wasn't a fan of the original show this version sprung from, like Athena from zeus' head, but I did watch it with my dad, marveling at how bad the original was. When it was announced that there was going to be a redo I questioned why anyone would bother, but that was the extent of my objection. I know there were some die hard fans of the original who shit a brick at the thought of the show being redone at all, and then tore their intestines out at the thought that Starbuck, the man whore of the original, was being turned into a woman. While I wasn't upset by that at all, I will admit I was disappointed that Boomer, a black man in the original, was being turned into an Asian woman. We already lack black characters on TV and that was one that I personally felt could have been left alone.

When the mini-series debuted, like every one else I drank the punch and got in line for my sneakers. The only difference with this was that the punch was good, phenomenal in fact and we all wanted more. I was happy to see that the mini-series was going to be turned into a full series show and not just because it meant I was going to be seeing more of Jamie Bamber's Apollo (hawt).

The first season, much like the first season of Friday Night Lights (another show I'm madly in love with)was pitch perfect, culminating in one of the most captivating season cliff hangers since the Starship Enterprise found out Picard had been turned into Locutus of Borg (for me that was the first time as a kid I ever looked forward to fall, just to find out what the hell was going to happen). When Boomer, a sleeper agent for the Cylons, pulls out a gun and gut shot Commander Adama my mouth fell open and I actually yelled at my poor TV who couldn't have possible given me an answer to my primal scream of "What the fuck?" because that had to wait until the new season.

The second season came, and with it the amazing Pegasus storyline, brining in one of my favorite actresses Michelle Forbes (Go Ensign Roe!) as badass Helena Cain who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in your head. Sadly, she died and with her I think some potentially better storylines than the ones we got for the second half of season two, such as the much loathed Black Market episode, which pissed me off not only because it sucked but because no matter how many galaxies away they were, no matter the different culture of the humans, the evil pimp just had to be a black man, and Bill Duke to boot, which was just a damn waste of a fine actor. I was very disappointed in the episode and the casting choice was salt on a wound.

The end of season two pissed me off because of the utter stupidity of the characters, and I did not feel sorry for nary a one of them as the Cylons invaded their new home and created an occupation on New Caprica, but I realized that living in a country that voted for Bush twice, people can, and will be inherently stupid even when presented with evidence that what they're doing is stupid. I got over the abrupt "One Year Later" time jump, because that gave us the uber awesome season three two part opener where the fleet rescues the humans on New Caprica.

Season three, much like the second season of Friday Night Lights, was highly uneven, but still better than 99.999% percent of what's currently on TV (it's pretty had to distinguish when both shows are on at the same time, thankfully they're not). And that brings us to season four, which begins this Friday. I'm excited, needless to say, even though this is the final season of this awesome show. There will be Answers, and unlike certain other shows, *coughLostcough* they're going to address the big questions well before the last episode airs, like why exactly Col. Tigh is a Cylon.

For every day until Friday, when I'll be at a viewing party (my first viewing party non-work related for any show whatsoever) I'll try to post something Battlestar related, starting with the above promo. For some reason I get chills every time Starbuck screams, "You're going the wrong way!" partly because I want them to reach earth (even though I've been told they will) and partly because of what I saw in Razor, the TV movie where it was revealed that Starbuck will lead the humans to their doom.

Is it true? We'll have to watch to find out.