Season 1 - 13 episodes (2004-05)
Rent Battlestar Galactica on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Glen A. Larson, Ronald D. Moore
Starring: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas
Rated: TV-14
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Plot
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the twelve colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet, the last of humanity, as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Verdict
This is a sprawling space epic with a lot of characters, but this show manages to make all of them meaningful. The first season considers many problems that arise when humans start over after fleeing their planet as they fight a war against robots. How do you start a new civilization with nowhere to go? Plot lines involve religion, politics, and what it means to be human. The new president and the last remaining admiral clash through much of the season as they guard the few remaining humans against a robot army. It's soon discovered that some robots look like humans and have infiltrated them. This is a great season, but it really should be watched as part of the entire series.
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Review
I've seen the entire series before. It's a remake of the 1978 show. While the first season is probably my favorite, it's difficult to separate seasons as the entire series is the complete story. This season is just the beginning of the story and it's the only one you could watch alone.
The Battlestar Galactica is an outdated battleship preparing for decommissioning in the first episode. It was constructed during the Cylon war years ago, a war where robots became sentient and attacked their human creators. Eventually the Cylons left mysteriously and humans consider the war over.
Cylons reappear and attack the planet. This planet is not Earth. Galactica manages to survive precisely because of it's age and the fact it's not part of the network. Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) and his crew are now in a war, part of the few remaining survivors as the planet is destroyed. They along with civilian ships flee the attacking Cylons and their formidable army.
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| Edward James Olmos plays Admiral Adama |
There's plenty of drama in this show Admiral Adama and his son Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber) don't get along, now stuck together on the same ship. Starbuck Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) is the hotshot pilot with a few issues, among them a disdain for authority. She's also loyal. Almost every character in this show is well developed and layered.
Adama clashes with the new president, Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) who was the education minister just hours ago. Adama questions her qualifications, especially during war times. Adama is fighting a war while Roslin is looking to restart civilization. The quandary is that a wrong decision could end human civilization completely.
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| Jamie Bamber plays Lee "Apollo" Adama |
Gaius Baltar (James Callis) manages to escape the planet and find his way to Galactica. He's a brilliant scientist and quickly finds himself at the top of a new government. What no one knows is that he inadvertently aided the Cylons in destroying the planet. He was tricked by a Cylon as some Cylons are indistinguishable from humans now. On Galactica Balthar is tasked with creating a test to find Cylons, but that's a conflict for him. The fact that Cylons blend in creates a rift among the survivors, as any one of them could be an enemy.
The Cylons present a persistent threat. Humans don't have a base they can run to for shelter. All they have is a group of ships not built for war. For much of the season the fleet is on the run. While Roslin has assumed command, questions arise of elections and democracy. A transport ship full of prisoners want equal rights in this new world, and their leader is a revolutionary Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch). Hatch played Lee "Apollo" Adama in the original 1978 series.
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| Katee Sackhoff plays Kara "Starbuck" Thrace |
There's many moments where characters are faced with doing what they think is right versus what's best for civilization. Adama vows he won't leave any of his pilots behind, but that poses a risk to the fleet. Towards the end of the season they find "Earth." Roslin wants to use that planet to restart. Adama is concerned that it's not feasible, while also questioning whether Roslin is making decisions based on her religion or the facts.
I'd watch more seasons if they were streaming anywhere. I own the first season which is how I watched this. The series as a whole is great, and this season does a fantastic job of setting the stage, but that's all it does. There is so much more to this story over the next three seasons. There are some aspects of the series that sound wild out of context like "All Along the Watchtower" and Starbuck's return but in the moment it fits. This is a thrilling series that asks difficult questions.
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