Posted by I’ll go ahead and say it – I’m a Battlestar Galactica fan.
Such an admission instantly conjures images of acne-scarred nerds being thrown into a dumpster but that’s ok. Most folks don’t understand the true power of science fiction. It’s not about mysterious histories, fast starships or hot alien women (though BSG has all those). It’s about the human condition. Great science fiction frees itself from the normal constraints of life in order to make a commentary on some aspect of human life.
In BSG, we concern ourselves with the last remnants of human civilization, searching for a new home even as they hunt or are hunted by their former robot slaves. It’s a familiar archetype – similar to the Terminator series. But BSG’s greatest stories are about the frailties and character flaws of its principals. It’s been an incredibly compelling series for years now and it’s ending next week. I’ll miss the series but the ending is less important than the journey.
I would encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it to netflix the series. Drop your pretensions and give it an honest shot. You won’t be disappointed. But if you insist that it’s too late to discover one of the best series in recent TV history, don’t forget what I’m preaching about science fiction in general.
Check out Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter, which I found to be a fascinating long-range look at the potential development of the human species. Or Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein; THE MOVIE SUCKED! But the book is an exploration of Military Fascism and the State. On the other spectrum, Wicked by Gregory Maguire forces us to look at the nature of good and evil, not just talking Animals.
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