Tag Archives: battlestar galactica

“Battlestar Galactica” Returns in Internet Prequel Series

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by Jessica

Three years after the end of Battlestar Galactica and two years after the ill-fated run of Caprica, fans can finally get their Cylon fix again with the new prequel series Blood and Chrome. The series consists of 10 webisodes and is being distributed on the web in conjunction with Machinima.com. The 10 installments will air as a film on the SyFy Channel in February of 2013. Beware—spoilers ahead! I’m not going to reveal too many plot points, but if you are planning on watching the series and want to know absolutely nothing, stop reading now!

Blood and Chrome follows the young William Adama after he is first assigned to serve as a pilot on the Galactica. Unsurprisingly, he’s a hot-shot rookie with a thirst to prove himself. Also unsurprisingly, he’s paired with a cantankerous older co-pilot who’s constantly berating Adama’s foolhardy nature and fierce belief in the righteousness of the Cylon War. The six episodes that have been released so far are also full of all of my favorite BSG traits: space fighting, mandatory hot, smart, bad-ass girl who is ethically ambiguous, death-defying flight stunts, surprise plot twists, and more space fighting.

I’m the type of person who gets very attached to characters in shows I watch, so I’m a big fan of getting to see things like Adama’s early years. Prequels are pure candy for me to watch—they don’t effect the outcome of the characters you know and love (there’s no risk—unlike in sequels, where one wrong turn can mar your view of a character forever), but you still get to have more of the fictional worlds and characters you love (since I don’t have enough TV eating up my free time already).

Thus, I’m enjoying B&C a lot, because much of the work of establishing the world and attachment to characters has already been accomplished in BSG. If I actually think about it, not that much has been done to create a real characterization of any of the figures on the show—just quick sketches of personality and hints of intriguing backgrounds—but this is a limitation of having such a short space to work with (the six-episodes out now still come in at under an hour of viewing time). Still, even somewhat weak characterization doesn’t take away from the show, I think because B&C does an excellent job of conveying a sense that even if the viewer doesn’t totally understand each character’s motives, the motives are definitely there, just outside the scope of what is actually being shown.

I was also surprised to find B&C managed to tug on my heartstrings in such a short amount of time. A major theme running through each episode is that of sacrifice and loss—what must be given up by individuals fighting in the war, whether it’s their lives, their families, or even just their happiness. There are moments woven throughout that manage to be very moving just on their own, and I found myself feeling furthered saddened because I knew the future held reams more terrible things for humans to go through in terms of Cylon interaction.

I’ll admit that I have yet to get around to watching Caprica, so I can’t speak to how B&C compares to it, but the mini-series seems right in line with the BSG I know and love. It immediately put me back into that world again, and I had no trouble engaging with the plot and new characters. Further, even though the show is airing on the web, production values are generally very high, and watching it on my laptop wasn’t significantly different from watching an episode of BSG, although the difference might be more noticeable on a higher definition screen. It’s a great way to re-immerse yourself in the world if you’re a fan—I got a little chill when Adama looked out the window and saw the Galactica hull for the first time—but is also totally accessible to newcomers (As my BSG-n00b boyfriend said: “I’d probably watch the rest of that.”).

What did you think, dear readers? Is Blood and Chrome a hit or miss? Do you wish there were more episodes? Let your dulcet tones be heard in the comments below!

Expectation of Endings

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As I said in my recent post about Once Upon a Time I don’t believe in happy endings. In life I follow The Last Unicorn school of thought: “There are no happy endings because nothing ends.” In fiction, my reaction to series finales runs the gamut.

Law and Order was cancelled after the (20th!) season finale had been filmed, it became the series finale, and while a good episode, it was not a good send off.

Hellcats was also cancelled too late to film a finale. The end of that show is an absolute train wreck. I still haven’t recovered.

a promo poster for the short-lived series "Hellcats"

The final episode of House M.D. was brilliant, but I haven’t seen more than a handful of episodes in between it and Dr. Cameron’s last appearance a year and a half before. I’ve never seen the series finale of E.R. and thogh I did watch for years after Julianna Margulies’s departure, Carol Hathaway’s last regular episode serves as my finale for that show.

The truncated last season of La Femme Nikita rushed to tie up loose ends and when it couldn’t it blew them up, sometimes literally. But I love the ending. I love imagining Nikita turn Section into a power for good. Battlestar Galactica’s last season also felt rushed, random, and explosive. I found its finale to be equal parts bittersweet and infuriating.

a promo picture for the series "Battlestar Galactica"

I fell asleep halfway through Star Trek: Voyager’s final episode. I had a high fever, I was legitimately delirious with exhaustion and infection. I’ve never seen the ending.

Now I’m looking forward to two more series finales. Fringe is an esoteric science fiction crime drama. Gossip Girl is a sensational teen romance melodrama. It’s honestly a toss-up which is more fantastic but they both take place in a heightened reality and revolve around a close knit circle of eccentric characters. Both shows might have been cancelled last season, but were instead given a shortened final season. Ten episodes.

Serial fiction works best with definitive start and end dates. Especially end dates. I’m sure everyone can name a television or comic book series that was cancelled abruptly and “too soon” — but I bet everyone can also name a television or comic book series that was drawn out and went on “too long”. It is, of course, a matter of opinion. But it is also an ailment. And I believe, pretty strongly, that limited series are the cure.

a promo picture for the series "Gossip Girl"

The television landscape is already changing. “Seasons” are fluid (Doctor Who recently had its “Fall season finale” after 6 episodes). Summer is no longer a dead zone, it’s when USA and TNT kick into high gear. Series and seasons launch throughout the year. With DVR, On Demand, Hulu, Netflix, and channel apps, television episodes can be watched whenever and wherever and however the viewer wants to do it. The studios and stations have very limited control over how their series are watched. When they try to wrench it back we get an HBO and Game of Thrones situation. But even these squabbles are proof the concepts are evolving. Fringe and Gossip Girl were not cancelled, they were given ten episodes.

Comic books are harder because the audience is so much smaller and the financial stakes are so much higher. Serial fiction of any kind becomes formulaic because once it attracts a fanbase it wants to keep them. It makes business sense. But convoluted continuities scare away new readers; limited series could target them, and grow the audience. I believe that was some of the thought behind the DCnU and Marvel NOW! but I’m unconvinced it isn’t more of the same. End dates are important.

a promo picture from the series "Fringe"

The creators behind Fringe and Gossip Girl know these final ten episodes are the final ten episodes. They have the opportunity to tell one last story. The characters and universe are established, they know exactly how much time they have to tie up loose ends or present new ideas. When something ends often dictates how it ends. I expect Fringe and Gossip Girl to end well. Not “the way I want it to” (I don’t believe in happy endings!), not even, necessarily, the way the showrunners want it to. But with closure. With thought. With purpose.

A series being created or presented under the constant shadow of possible cancellation is never going to be as good as one that is considered safe OR one that is ending on its own terms. No one wants something they love to be cancelled. But it’s so much worse without even the possibility of a proper goodbye.