BATTLESTAR GALACTICA FINALE

Everyone lives on a spaceship as their planet has been destroyed. Space ship pilot girl meets space ship engineer boy. Girl turns out to be a robot so they split up. Boy marries someone else and they have a baby. Boy’s new wife is murdered. Boy finds out he is in fact a robot himself. He then finds out the baby is not his. Original girl/robot steals a half robot/half human baby from someone else. In a moment of remorse, girl gives the baby back and is killed. Boy finds out who murdered his wife. Boy kills his wife’s murderer. Boy goes to live in the wilderness.

The above is just one of the many Battlestar Galactaca storylines that have kept me going every Tuesday over the last few months.

This programme has been brilliant on so many levels: from the cynically wise script to the haunting soundtrack and the atmospherically raw set, to the provoking characterisations such as Starbuck; a kick ass maverick female fighter pilot, the delusional and tortured, yet surprisingly (to everyone including himself) profound Gaius Baltar, the wonderfully inspiring yet fragilely human Captain Adama and his High School Musical – with depth, son; Lee/Apollo. Not forgetting the dying lady president, and robots such as the sexy Six who make you almost wish you were Cylon.

At times, it feels like you’re watching the sci fi version of our royal family and government: The serfs congregate patiently in the decks below, arising once or twice with no real affect, while those in control search the galaxy for the mirage that is ‘earth’, drink and say ‘frack’ (f*) a lot; while either fantasising about being, fracking, and in some cases actually turn out to be; robots. Legs are amputated, eyes are lost. Prophecies, resurrections, deaths and births are two a penny. Traitors are regularly sent to the ‘airlock’ and there are love triangles all over the place. Yet the characters are all real enough to give you the feeling that they could each be any one of us dealing with unforeseen circumstance and doing what we had to do – robots included.

It’s so absorbing, that minor plot concerns – such as the rest of the population being made up of complete imbeciles, or there being no psychological or emotional difference between humans and Cylons (so eliminating that old ‘soul’ theory then) – evaporate as you’re carried along by this masterfully creative series.

The long awaited ending may not be the typical Hollywood; Will Smith saves the day climax, but, like the entire series, it’s a win for mankind – and technology.

Posted 07:34 PM on Wed Mar 25 2009

By Media Mogul

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