Tuesday Top Ten (I do these?):Reasons why BSG is FRACKING AMAZING

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.