Ward Sandberg, Mara Stern, Lucas Wakefield, Andrew Hinckley January 5, 2016

“The fight to save humanity binges on”

“The fight to save humanity rages on.” That was the tagline for the first season of Battlestar Galactica. We find it very apt for the show, as it is rather too vague to catch our interest just like the show, but unique in its own way. There three things about the show that our binge group noticed about Battlestar Galactica; Gaius Balkar was the only good character, the use of religion in a science fiction TV show, and that we all despised the show overall.

Dr. Balkar is the most interesting character in the show. Dr. Balkar was a well created character with a lot of flavor and extremely unique. He was the only scientist in the fleet, so he was extremely vital for the continued survival of the human race. There is a problem with Balkar, and that is that he sees his past lover everywhere he goes. He imagines himself being hit by her, kissing her, and at one point having a baby with her. The last example bordering on insanity. Gaius at one point also starts imagining himself and his lover to be in his former home talking while talking and other activities. The best part about all of this is the fact that we were able to understand why he was losing his mind. His past lover used him to help destroy the majority of the human population, and revealed that she was Cylon.  He is also the only character in the show that we are able to understand why he makes the decisions he makes. This character was well thought out and well created. We found it disappointing though, that other characters did not get the kind of attention or creativity that Dr. Balkar received. The show really would have been amazing if the characters had a little bit more life to them, but instead the show fell flat. One character cannot make a TV show amazing.

Religion is usually found in TV shows based in the past, however it is present in large amounts in Battlestar Galactica. The President during season one has cancer, and she chooses to try and cure through religious means, which seem to work. Gaius Balkar has conversations with his Cylon lover about whether god is real or not. A large part of Starbuck’s character is the fact that she prays to the gods. A major plot point is following the writings of ancient texts to help the fleet find their way to Earth. Religion exists heavily in the Battlestar Galactica universe, and religion does not usually take on a role in science fiction shows. For the writers of the show to decide that this should happen was a bold move. Our binge group believes that this idea did not pay off though. It was a very interesting idea, and it had a lot of potential, however it did not pay off.

In conclusion, the show really was not as good as it could have been. Battlestar Galactica had a lot of potential which never seemed to come to fruition.. Gaius Balkar was an amazing character, well thought out and well developed.  The problem was though, that no other character was developed as much as he was. One character cannot make a single TV show amazing. The writers of the show decided to include religion into a science fiction show. A great idea, however it did not work even with a lot of potential it fell flat. Battlestar Galactica might appeal to some people, but we had trouble with the senseless filler arcs, and the senseless episodic plots. All in all, the show was a flop in our eyes.