Tuesday, June 8, 2010

nuBSG: Miniseries Part 1



Before I get this review going, I should say that I'm completely new to Battlestar Galactica. This just seemed like a nice place to start because I've heard good things about this series. I've gathered a little about the back story from around the internet, but for the most part this should be new and interesting.

The Cylon War has ended over 40 years ago, and humans from the twelve colonies of Kobol have built an Armistice Station in hopes of maintaining peaceful relations with the Cylons. In all the time that the station has been maintained, the Cylons have never sent an ambassador. However, today is different. Two Cylons enter as guards, and a woman walks in and approaches the officer. The officer can only sit in shock as the woman says "It has begun," and the station is destroyed. Wow, what an epic opening. I hope the rest of this show is as exciting as that was.

The apparently famous scientist Gaius Baltar is greeted in his home by a woman who is identical to the one in the armistice station. She reveals that she is a Cylon agent, an android that has used him to access critical facilities and gain information about Caprica. Before Baltar can fully grasp the situation, he sees a nuclear explosion go off in the distance through his windows. Caprica is now under full attack, and the Cylon tells Baltar that there are twelve Cylon models, and that she is number six.

The Galactica is soon informed of the attack, and the crew are completely caught off guard. In a desperate move, they send several Viper fighters out to meet the Cylon Raiders. They barely manage to get rid of the Cylons, but the Galactica is spinning out of control, so Colonel Tigh is forced to decompress sections of the Galactica's flight pod and kill 85 crew
members.


After a Raptor bearing Helo and Boomer from the Galactica makes an emergency landing, they are confronted by a group of survivors that are seeking refuge. They can only take three adults, however, so they have a raffle to decide who goes with them. The last number is 47, which belongs to an elderly woman standing next to Baltar. The elderly woman is allowed to board, and Helo gives up his seat on the Raptor to Baltar, whom he believes is more important.

Because the President and his cabinet have all perished, Secretary Roslin is the only person who can take the position. She is sworn into the position of the President of the Twelve Colonies despite some protests.

There's already some good stuff going on in this portion of the pilot. There's a nice balance between the visual effects and person-to-person shots, and the soundtrack sounds pretty cool too. It has somewhat of an exotic feel to it, and it's more contemporary than what I was expecting. The plot is moving along well, and I like how the Cylons are shrouded in mystery, at least at this point. Still, the acting doesn't really cut it for me yet, which I think brings this pilot down to just a "good" level for now.

Score: 6

I'll do the best quote/moment things after I see the entire miniseries.

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