Another Review (Long)

[reckless]

I posted this on the SciFi Board, but thought I would share this here. My comments about the "board" are comments about my view of that board, not this.

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I know this is late in coming and probably a lot of what I'm saying has been discussed already. Nonetheless, I wanted to offer another review of the script because I think I'm coming at it from a somewhat different perspective than a lot of people here. In fact, I've been absent from this board for awhile because I didn't feel like any non-Hatch supporters really had a fair opportunity to voice their opinions here. In my view, I felt that DeSanto and then Moore deserved the benefit of the doubt. I particularly objected to the way some people here attacked DeSanto and then, when Moore was named, suddenly latched onto DeSanto as the savior of Galactica. No matter what, I felt it was important to see what the new show would be like before we judged it.

Let me add. I was not – and am not – opposed to a remake. As much as I like the actors (and anyone who knows me from the A-Team boards knows that I am a fan of Dirk Benedict), I realistically didn't think a Galactica series could survive as a retread of the original. The actors are long in the tooth and, from a studio's standpoint, not large draws for a new series. Nonetheless, my preference for the new series would have been for a continuation that tied together the old and new, placed an emphasis on family relations (one of the original series' great strengths) and held true to the core themes – humanity fighting for survival, cylons devoted to exterminating humans, noble heroes and a quest for Earth. In my opinion, these themes in particular stood out. Any show called Battlestar Galactica needed to capture these themes.

With that in mind, I read the Moore script. Almost immediately, I knew that Moore shared none of my ideas of what made Battlestar Galactica unique. The characters lacked any nobility and did not seem to have any sense of purpose. I wanted to slap them around a bit and yell, "You're humanity's last hope!" because they sure didn't seem to understand that. Frankly, this script was not true to the original in any sense and should not bear the Galactica name.

As a result, I decided to read the script with a different mindset. Recognizing that many people don't share my views of what Galactica means, I decided to read the script simply as if it were any science fiction story and judge it on its own merits.

You know what? It fails that test. Let me list several reasons listed by topic or character.

SPOILERS FOLLOW
















Kara "Starbuck" Thrace:

Given how Starbuck is probably the best-remembered character in the original show and my personal favorite, I figure I'll start here. Kara Thrace fails on so many levels, it's hard to imagine what Moore was thinking. Is she a tomboy fighter jock? Sometimes. Is she a moonsick schoolgirl? Sometimes. Is she a soldier? No way. I don't care how good a pilot she is, Kara has no place in a military structure. She punches a superior officer who, arguably, she baited. She acts overly familiar with the Commander while there are tourists milling about. Imagine if, on Star Trek: TNG, Worf walking up to Captain Picard who is standing in front of a group of visitors and said, "Hey, Cap, what's shaking?" Imagine, then, Captain Picard turning and chanting something with Worf in Klingon. Yeah, that's gonna happen. Well it does in the first interaction between Kara and Adama.

Equally problematic is the relationship between Kara and Lee. There is a major revelation in the story that should have huge repercussions on the Kara/Lee friendship (which, except for one battle scene, mainly plays out in name only). Yet there is no build-up to that revelation, little drama in the revelation itself and very little fallout as a result. It's like it's "no big deal" even though what Kara reveals is basically the very reason that Lee hates Adama. Are these characters consistent? Nope.

What's sad is that, in all of this, Kara is by far the most interesting character in the show. (I'm not even discussing Lee "Apollo" Adama here, because he's just dull.) Kara, despite Moore's attempt to revamp the character, simply makes no sense.

Is This Science Fiction:

No. One of the saddest things about the script is that it utterly lacks the sense of wonder that should accompany a science fiction story. The great thing about science fiction is that it allows the creator to present the audience with a vision of an entirely new world. Moore has done nothing of that here.

This, in particular, left me very surprised. Star Trek: DS9 was by far my favorite Trek series because of the social and political issues it raised. DS9 created an entire world, Bajor, with a unique political system, religious hierarchy and mythology. With that background, I thought Moore could bring similar vision to a new Galactica and create different peoples, classes and politics. Admittedly, I thought Galactica's religious elements were over the top, but I thought Moore could refine those and give us a real idea of what might happen if different societies were relocated into space. The story doesn't do anything like that. These characters could be the guys down the street (eliminating the mythical names makes the characters even more generic). It's a shame.

In addition, many of the elements in the plot are anachronistic. Couldn't a society that had created Cylons and battlestars find a cure for cancer? Why was Zac killed in a "plane"? The military had no protection against a computer virus? The cylons use nuclear devices? Please.

Lack of Originality:

People have already addressed a lot of the elements that seem like retreads of other science fiction stories. The Cylons that appear as humans is right of Terminator. The "disguised aliens among us" plot comes copies Deep Space Nine, even to the point of trying to find a test for the Cylons. I was almost surprised that the military didn't start roaming the halls to take blood from people to see if it turned silver. The computer virus disabling the ships ala Independence Day (I seriously wondered if this was intended to save on FX shots – less shots if only one side is shooting). Let's not mention Number Six (aka Seven of Nine rehashed).

Laura Roslin:

Here's a character I really had hopes for when I read the character bios. I'll admit that I thought the cancer storyline was a bit silly, but I like the idea of a strong civilian leader to represent the Council. That always seemed to be lacking in the old show. The Council always seemed like doddering old fools who needed to be shown the folly of their ideas.

Unfortunately, Laura doesn't play out nearly as well. The cancer stuff is as bad as I imagined and really doesn't give the character that much weight. She also fits too easily into a leadership role. This character is, as Adama says, a schoolteacher. Yet suddenly she's acting like a seasoned leader in an emergency. I don't mind her being competent, but she's too competent. At some point, she should be overwhelmed by everything. I never felt that at all.

I also dislike the inklings of a Lee/Laura romance. I see the Kara/Lee/Laura triangle coming if this show ever reaches series status, and it scares me.

Sharon "Boomer" Valerii:

Oh boy. Another character without an ounce of consistency. At first, the story portrays her as a rookie right out of flight school. She's less confident and reacts strongly to praise from her co-pilot. I could accept that characterization. Then, suddenly, she finds Boxey and what? It stirs her buried maternal sentiment? Yeah, I buy that. Sharon is going to adopt a child even though she's in the middle of a battle, totally inexperienced and could die any minute. I'm sure nobody on board the Galactica is going to have a problem with that. (Let me add that the dialogue between Sharon and Boxey is cringeworthy.)

Making matters worse is the fact that these characterizations don't mesh with something we learn about Sharon in the final minutes of the show. Twists are great, but they have to make sense. This one doesn't.

Baltar:

Here's another admission. I never understood Baltar's motives for betraying the Colonials in the original show. That said, the new script doesn't give me any better understanding. Baltar is unwittingly duped by Number Six. I don't like it, simply because the whole seductress storyline is cliched. Nevertheless, I could see that.

What I don't understand is what happens next. Baltar could go and admit what happened and work to help fight the Cylons. Instead, apparently intent on self-preservation, he demonstrates that he'll do anything, including undermining the Colonials and kill innocent people. This is a Baltar that I could envision siding with the Cylons in the beginning. Get rid of him being duped. Make him angry at the Colonials for dismissing his genius. This is a ruthless man who, with a promise from the Cylons of real power, would sacrifice his own people.

I also have to pay special note of the Baltar/Number Six dialogue. Someone criticized the snippets I posted earlier as not being indicative of the dialogue's quality. I only posted a few lines because I wanted to provide a reference to people who could confirm or deny that the script is real. I did not come close to choosing the worst dialogue in the script. I could have posted Sharon/Boxey lines. Or, even worse, I could have posted more Balter/Number Six dialogue. That dialogue is insipid. I've seen teenage fan fiction writers write better sex scenes. These scenes are just awful.

(To be continued)

[reckless]

(Here's the rest)

Too Many Characters:

This is a pet peeve of mine. Here is a four-hour miniseries that is trying to introduce a new world, new villains, new heroes, a conflict of epic proportions, and it has so many characters that it's hard to figure out who is important. We have: Lee "Apollo" Adama, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, Adama, Paul Tigh, Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Baltar, Laura Roslin, Tyrol, Billy, Doral, Helo, Captain Kelly, Gaeta, Dualla, Boxey, Leoben and Number Six. There also are other characters who appear in one or two scenes. That's just too many characters for viewers to keep straight in a few hours. That's also so many characters that the script doesn't really give most of them much to do.

As a result, several of the conflicts developed early – Lee's anger about Zac's death, Kara's fight with Tigh – receive pat resolutions that are highly unconvincing. Tigh even gets the cliched "pour-the-drink-back-into-the-bottle" scene to show that he's over his alcoholism. Adama and Lee hug, shed a few tears and, it seems, all if forgiven. I've already mentioned the Kara/Lee revelation that should shatter their friendship given Lee's attitudes earlier in the show, but no. It seems to get short shrift.

What Might Come Next:

The miniseries script clearly assumes that a series will follow. There is a lot of discussion about what will happen next and the script ends on a pseudo-cliffhanger. What's amazing to me is how disconnected the character's thoughts about the future seem to be from the reality of their situation.

The interplay between Adama and Laura really bears this out. She asks him if he's going to declare martial law and he basically says, "Of course not." Of course not??? Your world has just been destroyed. You have Cylons chasing you. You know you have spies on board. But you can't declare martial law. God forbid. Why not just blow up the ships yourself? To top that, Adama is going to leave control of all non-military matters in the hands of someone with little to no political experience. And he seems fine with it.

Most of the rest of the characters seem so wrapped up in their personal issues – Lee/Kara, for instance – that they don't really appear to even face the situation. These are humanity's last hope for survival, but they don't appear to even consider that part of their mission. That is the essence of the nobility the characters need to possess. Imagine what these characters must be going through. If you were forced to keep fighting against overwhelming odds, with each day possibly being your last, you would need a reason to keep going. The original show gave the characters that reason. They were fighting for something bigger than themselves; they were fighting to keep their people going. Most of the main characters in this show are soldiers, yet Moore has captured none of that spirit in this script.

It's a shame.

Reckless

[Micheleh]

"Most of the rest of the characters seem so wrapped up in their personal issues – Lee/Kara, for instance – that they don't really appear to even face the situation. These are humanity's last hope for survival, but they don't appear to even consider that part of their mission."

Thank you! That's what I've been trying to get at, I just couldn't say it so well. If RM is going to focus solely on charachter problems to the exclusion of the throughline of the series, then he should write a show about people dealing with cancer and alcoholism, but leave out the pretense of calling it science fiction. It's not- just putting a bunch of people on a space ship doesn't cut it.

Wonderful review, btw.

[jewels]

Excellent evaluation, Reckless. Thanks for all the time and the thought. You said so many of the things I was feeling in the bits of it I was able to read (too boring and dull compared to nearly everything else (fanfic included) that I've read in the Colonial universe).

[Raymar3d]

Pretty interesting review, Reckless.

I know we've debated before, but it's very interesting to agree from time to time.

Peace,

Ken

praise to you Reckless. you said it all!