Pillars are Just Crutches

I’m not going to lie to you I like the sci-fi genre when it comes to tv and movies as much as I like the country genre when it comes to music. And if the title hasn’t clued you in yet, I don’t like country music in the slightest.

So, like any good trekkie hater (yes I said it), when the news broke out that Battlestar Galactica’s fouth season would be it’s last, I paid no attention. And when I heard that people (presumably the sci-fi nuts) were upset about it’s cancellation, I still paid no attention.

Then I noticed that it wasn’t (only) the people who watch the Space channel exclusively who were disappointed about it’s cancellation, it was the press.

Now I don’t believe everything the press tells me, but in my experience they’ve been pretty spot on in regards to tv. And let’s face it, we need all the help we can get to find good tv shows! Case in point, if it wasn’t for the press singing the praises of ‘The Wire’ I would not have been able to enjoy one of the best tv shows I’ve ever seen! (I’m still holding out for a season 6 even though I know it won’t happen – but I’ll probably watch the series again soon). Which goes to show that popular opinion doesn’t cut it! (That’s right, I’m looking at you ‘The Mentalist’!)

So we come to Battlestar Galactica and after noticing this odd lament I decide that I’m open-minded enough to give it a try. It was a big leap of faith, but I took it, and as of the middle of season 2, I’m glad I did!!

So here are the 5 major things that sets Battlestar Galactica apart from other sci-fi tv shows.

1) Minimal made up techie jargon.

That’s right, you won’t hear anything about anti-matter, warp-drive thrusters, or phasers that can be ’set to kill’. The most techie term so far is “faster than light drive” (called FTL) but the title is self explanatory which makes it much more bearable.

2) No spandex uniforms

Everyone does not where the exact same thing all the time! Civilians dress like civilians, military dress like military, pilots dress like pilots etc.

3) Great story-telling

I wonder if anyone can tell me the plot line for Star Trek: The Next Generation? I’m sure someone could give me the concept but every tv show was an entities unto itself. It’s not necessarily bad but it left for no overall story, they just floated around space.

I’m not going to ruin anything for people who have yet to watch it (so this will be extremely vague) but there is a good story here that actually raises some interesting scenarios that forces the audience to think about what’s taking place.

If you watch you’re going to have to decide for yourself what you think is right and wrong because the show is not going to decide for you! They’ve managed to construct a world where the line of right and wrong is often blurred. People get away with what some would consider murder and others just insubordination.

4) No Aliens

Aliens aren’t all bad, but leaving them out is a good thing. Let’s face it, tv sci-fi aliens are just humans with an extra large human appendage somewhere on their face. Vulcans had big ears, kilgons had that thing on their heads and Romuluns … well, we won’t go there …

There are robots, but they are done well!

5) Good acting

The acting is good. In some cases it’s great. Of course there are the exceptions, but they are few and far between.

So there you have it. I would encourage anyone not usually prone to the sci-fi genre to check out this show! Right now it’s among my favorites, while my former favorites are all quite disappointing now… (that’s you Heroes!)

I discovered this show from ramblings over the internet, hopefully more people will discover it over my ramblings …

Here is the premise of Flight of the Conchords:  2 New Zealand guys are living in New York trying to ‘make it’ as a 2 man band under the name, you guessed it, “Flight of the Conchords”.  They have 1 apartment, 1 manager, 1 fan, and 1 stalker.  The 1st episode follows them as one of the band members attempts to date the former girl friend of the other band member.  Although the premise may sound like it’s been done on every sitcom since Sienfeld, it’s presentation is what puts this over the top!  This is one very very funny show!

I won’t say too much because part of it’s humour is it’s ability to catch the viewer off guard, which also helps make it very different from other comedies that are on tv.  In one moment the show has almost a deadpan sense of humour – the characters don’t really know that they’re funny, and they’re definitly not trying to be – and in the next moment, well, you’ll have to see it to believe it, I have yet to see a comedy do what this comedy does!

It’s nice to see some originality in a show!  My only concern would be that what makes the show funny could become nothing more than a gimmick.  I hope that doesn’t happen, because this has really potential!

So, Flight of the Conchords, check it out.