I realized that there is almost an overuse of women on this show. Now, maybe it is a good idea to vary the roles and nix the "hooker with a heart of gold" that the original had. But the show seems obsessed with the women. Starbuck and Boomer are both women now. The President is a woman. The Cylon Number Six is a woman. All the men seem to do is be angry or be sad. I definitely felt like female roles were intentionally being placed wherever they could. Not saying this is all bad, but it felt like a lot at once.
Okay, we know Cylons are bad because they kill babies, is that it?
I'm not against some sexual content in science fiction. Maybe it was just the way it was all cut so close together, but we got Baltar hooking up with Number Six, Boomer getting steamy in the back room, etc. It started feeling like Grey's Anatomy. Again, not that there's necessarily something wrong with heroes coupling off. But sometimes it makes it feel like they are nothing but bottles of hormones with guns. I have the same problem when it's done on say ER. I'd like a little love tempered with the lust is all. Or maybe just not so much at once. Starbuck clearly had sexual relationships on the original show, and I'm not saying everything needs to be played super-coyly.
Baltar's character is completely changed in this version and not entirely for the better. While I don't think we needed the moustache-twirling megalomaniac that John Colicos was, this Baltar bothers me because he's not proactive. Baltar should be somewhat opportunistic. Number Six even questions whether he's selfish, but I don't really see him as selfish. He should be selfish. He's a scientist here, and the only reason he "betrayed humanity" was that he was duped! It all comes down to him thinking with his penis, and that bothers me. I like the Baltar that was a politician who had an active hand in the trouble that ensued. Baltar is barely culpable here. He's just a pawn, a stooge. And it plays into that horrible stereotype about men that if you just throw a hot blonde their way, they'll spill everything. I do like that he seems genuinely regretful, something you were never sure of with the other Baltar. Ultimately, I guess my question is, is Baltar still a villain? Because I don't really get that sense anymore. He's more like a Lando Calrissian.
Lee Adama is a dumb name. I know "Apollo" sound kind of silly, but I don't like that his name is Lee. I'm mad that we don't get to see Zack's death. At least they kept that story there. But in this version, it happened years ago, so we lose the shock factor of it, and it becomes just a way to have father and son estranged (like we've never seen THAT before). In the original, Apollo blamed himself for his brother's death. Here, he blames his father. I guess it sort of works, but for me the drama is always heightened when we are involved. Zack's death was jarring in the first version because we SAW him, we were just getting to know him. Here, the whole storyline is okay, but just window dressing. It's like backstory; we need to know it, but we aren't as involved in it. Think of it this way: X-Files would not have been able to exploit the missing sister angle if we hadn't had flashback to it. Because we saw her, because we heard what happened, because we were able to identify with Mulder's loss, it meant something when she came back. The Zack story doesn't mean anything yet. Maybe we'll get more on it as the series goes on. Oh, and the reveal that he's dead because Starbuck was in love with him? Lamer than the guy begging alms outside the temple.
I like hearing the original theme music during the ceremony. I think the show could use a little more upbeat music. The percussive stuff is fine, but there are moments I think it should be beefed up. It keeps the viewer involved. When the music is all pretty morose, and half the characters are whispering most of their lines, and the show is so dark, it adds up to boring me. Little things like music can keep me from falling asleep. Not that the percussive stuff should be totally thrown out; I just think there needs to be a bigger theme now and then.
These issues are not entirely BSG's fault. It is a flaw of many television films and miniseries that they get boring because of their look and sound. But I do think BSG is too dark. ALL the interiors are dark. Even the exteriors felt dark, and that was daylight! There needs to be some light to break it up. Every good "dark" show had some. The only seeming light on this show was Caprica (which I've said was dark), and that blew up!
So in this version, there are 12 different Cylon models (in mockery of the 12 colonies, perhaps?), and each of them has a sort of series of clones. When they die, they are just downloaded into another body. This strikes me as being terribly similar to the Vorta on Deep Space Nine (and let's remember folks, Ron Moore worked on DS9).
There is one point that I do want to praise this new show for. In the original series, there were no Asians. Not one. These were the sires of the entire human race, and there were no Asians. Were we supposed to believe that all the Asians of Kobol went to Earth? Not only do we get Asians on this show, but we get a lead character who is Asian (okay, technically there is no "Asia" in the twelve colonies, but what else am I supposed to call them?). As Galactica is about humanity, I think it important that all races be represented. Kudos to BSG on this.
I don't like the new Cylon ships. The integration of the red-eye is fine. Does that mean the ships are autonomous? The design also strikes me as very similar to Romulan vessels. There's definite Trek in the appearance.
I hate when television tries to force a woman president on us. That is not the case here, however. President Roslin only became such in an emergency. She never expected to be President, and I like this dynamic. It makes you wonder, in a massive emergency, how far does our order of succession go? Who would be our 43rd in line? She is Caprican. Yet the President seems to preside over all the twelve colonies. Is the President always Caprican? I'm not sure I like the political structure for this world being so American. Having a Council of Twelve seemed to make more sense to me. I do like that a priest is needed to swear her in, thus carrying over the weird religio-politics of the original series.
I don't like Colonel Tigh at all. I didn't mention it before, but one of the great solidifying elements of the original series was Terry Carter's Colonel Tigh. That Tigh was rational, commanding, but also had a sense of humor. This Tigh bears no resemblance whatsoever. He's just an angry drunk. I wonder why we always have to sacrifice everything for the sake of these few embellishments. Moore is again playing against what he views as the "convention" of executive officer. I think you can give a man flaws without taking away his appeal. When did intensely flawed become synonymous with interesting? There's something to be said for stabilizing elements and characters.
So all the other names get changed, but Boxey they keep? Couldn't they have called him Troy?
I don't like having a Boxey without a Serina. Here was an opportunity to explore a relationship with Serina and such that didn't have to end right away. But no, Boxey has no family. This does Apollo a great disservice, as I have no idea what he's here for on this show. Boomer becomes Boxey's sort of parent. Should we be terribly concerned then, since Boomer is a Cylon and we know Cylons kill babies?
I see no reason for the storyline about Roslin having cancer. It comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere. How is this really relevant to anything going on? It felt like just one more complication thrown in because mentioning cancer provokes an immediate reaction. Isn't there enough drama without a sick President?
Still more to come. I'm kind of surprised I have this much to say!
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