tonight is a special night for me.  battlestar galactica, easily the best science fiction show to air on television, begins it’s final ten episodes.  i hesitated to even refer to it as a “science fiction show” because that immediately turns people off.  for whatever reason, some people hear “science fiction” and immediately think “star trek” (which i also love) and all the nerdiness and technobabble that accompanies it.  the thing is, bsg isn’t star trek.  it’s better than star trek.

yeah, i said it.  and i’ll say it again.  battlestar galactica is better than star trek.  in fact, battlestar galactica is better than anything that is currently on tv.  better than lost, better than madmen, better than dexter.  but because it’s science fiction, it gets the shaft from awards shows and audiences.  unless of course you don’t count the peabody awards, which apparently people don’t.  here’s the rationale behind the 2005 peabody award given to bsg:

Battlestar Galactica is not just another apocalyptic vision of the future but an intense drama that poses provocative questions regarding religion, politics, sex and what it truly means to be “human.” The saga is set in motion when Cylon robots revolt against their creators with a devastating series of nuclear attacks. What’s left of the human race, fewer than 50,000 refugees, roam the universe in a fleet led by the spacecraft Galactica. They must re-imagine their society even as they search for a new home. This dramatic premise, coupled with the threat from a new form of humanoid Cylons, affords diverse narrative and philosophical possibilities. Writers Ronald D. Moore, Toni Graphia, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson, Carla Robinson, Jeff Vlaming, Michael Angeli, and David Eick take full advantage to give us plotlines that are deeply personal and relatable, while never compromising their affinity and passion for science fiction. Moore, Graphia, and Eick are the executive producers. Harvey Frand is the producer. Directors Michael Rymer, Marita Grabiak, Allan Kroeker, Rod Hardy, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Robert Young, Brad Turner, Edward James Olmos, Jeff Woolnough, and Jonas Pate dazzle us, giving us a show that captivates on multiple levels. The cast includes Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park. For pushing the limits of science fiction and making it accessible to all, Battlestar Galactica receives a Peabody Award.

i think that does a pretty decent job of summing up everything that’s great about this show.  do yourself a favor and just watch the 2003 miniseries.  i guarantee you will be hooked.  and if you’re not, well i’m sure there’s probably a flavor of love marathon on mtv.

-srd

ps- if you’re a fan of the show and need a quick refresher before tonight’s premiere, watch “catch the frak up” parts one and two below.  spoiler alert: it’s pretty much wall to wall spoilers if you’re not current.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Majel Barrett Roddenberry, “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry’s widow who nurtured the legacy of the seminal science fiction TV series after his death, has died. She was 76. Roddenberry died of leukemia Thursday morning at her home in Bel-Air, said Sean Rossall, a family spokesman.

At Roddenberry’s side were family friends and her son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr.

Roddenberry was involved in the “Star Trek” universe for more than four decades. She played the dark-haired Number One in the original pilot but metamorphosed into the blond, miniskirted Nurse Christine Chapel in the original 1966-69 show. She had smaller roles in all five of its television successors and many of the “Star Trek” movie incarnations, although she had little involvement in the productions.

She frequently was the voice of the ship’s computer, and about two weeks ago she completed the same role for the upcoming J.J. Abrams movie “Star Trek,” Rossall said.

Roddenberry also helped keep the franchise alive by inspiring fans and attended a major “Star Trek” convention each year, Rossall said.

“I think `Star Trek’ will always be her legacy,” Rossall said.

“Star Trek” and its successors often focused on political and philosophical issues of the day. Roddenberry and her husband, who died in 1991, believed in creating “thoughtful entertainment” and were proud of the show and the passionate devotion of its fans, Rossall said.

“My mother truly acknowledged and appreciated the fact that `Star Trek’ fans played a vital role in keeping the Roddenberry dream alive for the past 42 years. It was her love for the fans, and their love in return, that kept her going for so long after my father passed away,” her son said in a statement on the official Roddenberry Web site.

Born Majel Lee Hudec on Feb. 23, 1932, in Cleveland, she began taking acting classes as a child. She had some stage roles, then in the late 1950s and 1960s had bit parts in a few movies and small roles in TV series, including “Leave It to Beaver” and “Bonanza.”

She met her husband in 1964 during a guest role for a Marine Corps drama he produced called “The Lieutenant.” That same year, she was cast in the pilot for the “Star Trek” series as the no-nonsense second-in-command. The pilot did not appeal to NBC executives and a second pilot was made, although parts of the original later showed up in a two-part episode called “The Menagerie.”

The couple married in Japan in 1969 after “Star Trek” was canceled. After her husband’s death, Roddenberry continued her involvement with the “Star Trek” franchise.

She also was the executive producer for two other TV science fiction series, “Andromeda” and “Earth: Final Conflict.”

-srd

-srd

the conceit of the show is that a camera crew is following these people around for…some reason.  maybe i missed an episode early on, but did they ever really explain what’s happening to all of this footage?  they’ve been shooting for like 4 years now.   do all of the people in the office simply not watch tv?

don’t get me wrong, i love the show, but this seems to be a glaring hole that i’ve never seen addressed.  it seems like any of the many secrets that the camera catches would be seen by millions of people, right?  or is the audience (us, not the apparently non-existent office universe audience) supposed to just forget that there’s an end product to all of this at some point.

just sayin’.

-srd

-srd

look, i know you’re really young and really excited to be on international television, but please stop mugging for the camera every four seconds and saying “USA baby! we’re number one!”  a- you’re number three.  b-you’re on the world stage, show a little dignity.  i’ve seen jv high school football teams on the local news with more class and composure.  thanks!

-srd

speaking of southern comforts, john edwards is a total dumbass.  dick move, edwards.  dick move.

other quick notes follow.

i <3 the olympics.  and last night’s men’s 400m freestyle relay, pictured above, was frakkin’ badass.  contrary to morgan freeman’s visa ads, i think michael phelps is at least 35% dolphin.   it’s kinda weird with the time delay though.  it’s like they’re happening in the future!

bernie mac is dead.  that kinda sucks.  he was hilarious in the oceans films and whenever i did catch the bernie mac show in re-runs i was generally entertained.

isaac hayes is also dead.  not to pull a slate and rag on the recently deceased, but bailing on south park for mocking scientology was pretty week.  i suppose it’s ok to make fun of everything and anything except the glorious xenu.  but still sad that the dude is dead.

aleksandr solzhenitsyn is also dead.  not nearly as “famous” as either mac or hayes, but probably more important that either combined.  probably won’t get a mention on inside edition though. 

-srd

five stars

johnny five is alive!

four stars

jack black’s least annoying role to date.

three stars

“hulk meh!”

three stars

it’s like life, only kinda boring.

five stars

mgs4 + 1080p = eye-boner

-srd

duchovny’s character, for all of his flaws, is intensely likable both as a father and a surly, womanizing writer.  i’ve never really pictured him as a comedic actor, but he’s got such an easy charm about him that i’m amazing that someone didn’t pick him for this kind of show sooner.  his comedic turns on the x-files always made for some of the most memorable episodes.

plus, there’s boobs.  lots of ‘em. 

“i love women. i have all their albums.”

-srd

this is kind of how i feel about the wire.

i finished it last week and now i’m left with a weird empty feeling. i can’t watch law and order or 24 without scoffing at how unrealistic they are. dna results back in half an hour? bah! instant wiretap and satellite link-ups? science fiction! the wire has ruined me for all other television. as much as i love battlestar galactica (it’s the best show currently on television, hands down), nothing will ever compare to the wire. i could watch these characters for ten more seasons. they’re all so brilliantly developed and complicated. i wanna know what happens to mcnulty, bunk, lester, bubs, daniels, carcetti, and everyone else.

omar, i think i’m going to miss you most of all.

-srd