The List: #6 Battlestar Galactica

#6
Number of Seasons (To Date): 4
Years Active: 2003 - Present
Network: Sci-Fi

A lot of articles about this show talk about how it was one of the best new series (that's certainly true) of 2004, but I listed its start in 2003, since that is the year the miniseries pilot aired. Unfortunately, many people who would love this series don't give it the time of day (metaphorically speaking) due to the fact that it's a science fiction show and bears the name Battlestar Galactica. The original 1979 series was a cheesy Star Wars rip-off (I've seen about 5 minutes of it and couldn't stand it) with clear-cut heroes and villains. This new version is anything but.

It's incredible that the original series could be so lighthearted, seeing as how it's a story of genocide. The updated version is considerably darker in tone, and makes for great drama. The human race is reduced from a population of about 10 billion to less than 50,000 after being attacked by their own creations. The cylons, a race of robots created to do manual labor for humanity, rebelled against the humans, "evolved" to appear human, and infiltrated man's defenses in order to wipe them off the face of the 12 planets they lived on. Unfortunately, the cylons didn't plan on one antiquated battlestar without networked computers; the plan relied on spreading a computer virus throughout the military's computer system to disable any resistance, but since the Galactica could not upload the virus, it survived to fight another day. Galactica rounded up the surviving human ships and vowed to lead them to a new home.

The loss of nearly everyone else has led to some pretty crushed spirits in the fleet. The remaining 50,000 humans are in for a few years of discomfort and heartache, which would be true even without dealing with the flaws of the various characters. But seeing as how they are human, there are plenty of flaws to be found, and they are responsible for some of the show's best dramatic moments. An alcoholic has to put up with a limited supply of liquor (and the fact that he's a high-ranking military officer), an apolitical woman is thrusted in to a position of power, and a man in love has to deal with a terrible secret about the woman he loves.

This is one of the most human dramas on television; there is nary an alien to be found. The show is about how humanity deals with tragedy; we see man at its best and worst, often in the same episode. Despite Galactica being a genre show (or perhaps because of it?), it tells a universal story.

Up next: #5...