I can't believe it's not fracking butter

Well, I have a lot to say about this beauty. And the Irony is that whrn the miniseries pilot appeared back in 2003 for the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, I have to admit I fucking hated it.

I mean, come on: it's easy to look back now and say "but hooligan, such texture! Such vision!" etc... but at the time all that I saw was a space opera with some awful sexploitation, a couple of good ideas, but more than anything a *distinct* lack of robots and violence. And given that - up until then - robots and violence was the best one could hope for from Battlestar Galactica, the frankly daft-but-great space opera of my youth... well, can you blame me?

I mean, they still haven't explained the whole Cylons-spines-light-up-when-they're-fucking thing. What is that? I mean, has nobody ever taken a Cylon from behind? Gaius Baltar, missionary only? A man who jerks off in public mere hours after his entire cviliasation hyas been destroyed (mostly by him, admittedly)...?

Ahem, anyways: I like it a hell of a lot now. To say the least.

Matter of fact, given that I have *long* insisted that lengthy television series are the only way to make decent SF - otherwise characerisation and plot just lose out to SFX - I could go so far as to say it's the best thing done in the genre, ever.... but I won't. Too hard to give up on golden age classics. But hey: I thought of saying it, didn't I? That's a lot.

From the first episode - 33 - this entire series took on a whole new, robust and tangible form, devoid of the - frankly shit - trappings of US SF series. No aliens at all (especially not the kind who all wear the same clothing, the same jewellery, and have lame rubber crap stuck on their faces so we can marvel at how "different" they are). No lasers either - nasty bullets, missiles and nuclear weapons.

And the enemy are Religious Fundamentalist Robots. 

This really is tremendous stuff. To say my jaw dropped at the first indication that a US SF TV series would deal with ideas of resource usage, social change, religion, class, identity and culture on a level that's above that of a twelve year old anal retentive closetcase is an understatement. Imagine how far my jaw dropped when I realised they were going to do it *well*.

So just watch it: really, just go get that pilot and check it out. 

When you get that feeling that hey, Crockett and Tubbs' section chief from Miami Vice might just be the most magnetic character ever to hit the TV screen you're correct. Okay you may sense that some characters (cough, cough, Starbuck) are going to be very annoying... and you're right there too but really, this show has had me rivetted for every episode and release. 

Is "escapist social realism" a new genre?

I could spend all day listing the great performances and amazing twists in the writing of this show: suffice to say when you reach the point where you see the *heroes* engage in suicide bombings as part of an insurgency, *fully discussing* the rights and wrongs of it, and you check your schedules and see that this was live during the early stages of the second gulf conflict... I don't think you'll regret the 60-odd hours of TV involved thus far.

And one last note: the galactica herself. Nuff said.

A full Ten scary robot fundamentalists