This top ten list is the result of a mad brainstorm, which in turn was the result of my renewed obsession with BSG (my Season 3 DVD gets here any day now!). Yes, I
know none of my readers watch this show. No, I
don't care. Yes, I
am telling you you should all go out and buy the Season 1 DVD right NOW and get caught up. No,
not in a little while. RIGHT. NOW. Season 4 starts April 4th!
Anyway... on to the list...
Honorable Mention: All the cool spaceships and exploding things. The special effects are great, though they're not the real reason the show is amazing. It's amazing because:
#10: It somehow refashioned a kitchy 70s sci-fi serial into a brilliant, naturalistic human drama... and turned "frack" from the poor man's "fuck" into a credible swear word. You'd think it'd be ridiculous, but it works. And it got them around the censors, allowing them to create a mood of gritty realism. KUDOS
#9: You could base an entire college course on it. I have actually considered going into academia
just to see if I could swing that. Yes, I've thought about the curriculum. Hello, cylons as a metaphor for modernity? Amazing. Course title: "Battlestar Galactica: History, Theory, and Themes"
#8: Six's amazing outfits.
OMG#7: The endless plot twists that always somehow make sense. Who's a cylon??? You just. NEVER. KNOW. Unless you're me and you get it spoiled for you by
Joe Reid.
#6: Katee Sackhoff.
#5: Mary McDonnell.
#4: The acting in general. Not a weak link in the whole cast... and that's including all the guest stars and new additions that are always popping up. LOVE. (
Lucy Lawless, I'm talking to you). Also, James Callis and Edward James Olmos both deserve a shout out. I love
the women more myself, but these two are choice.
#3: The themes: How did they manage to merge issues of politics, astrology, the post-911 culture-of-fear, the Iraq occupation,
Star Wars, man vs. machine, man
as machine, cybernetics, hot chicks, and lots of good old fashioned human drama, weave it all into a grand allegorical tapestry, and create a universe
this cohesive,
this endlessly compelling? Ronald D. Moore, my hat's off to you.
#2: The music: Minimalist drum beats meet minimalist synthetic melodies meet Aramaic chants meet classical strings meet exotic rhythms... you get the idea. Suffice it to say, Bear McCreary is a genius. Honestly, I think at least 50% of this show's power comes from its music. Brilliant, brilliant scoring.
#1: "The Towel Slip"...
just...
YES.
Labels: Battlestar Galactica, top ten lists