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Lemniscate Blue posted:The original theme song gets used in the miniseries as the Colonial national anthem. Made me giggle. Also in Final Cut, and also in the series finale when the whole fleet flies into the sun.
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Oct 29, 2025 04:53
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| # ? Nov 7, 2025 17:51 |
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Fragged is... interesting. It's the first episode where my buddy has said it didn't quite land for him, concerning Crashdown's whole thing. Which I kind of get. The Kobol stuff has suffered from something similar to Helo on Caprica where, because it's basically distracting us from the more interesting stuff in the Fleet, it's a little... barebones. It's still a solid episode, with Tigh spiraling, Roslin needing her meds, and Baltar taking a life. I think Crashdown's sudden turn is fine, but it doesn't feel as explored as it could be. I wonder how it goes if you're not as familiar with military best practice (eg. as the senior NCO, Crashdown should probably have given Tyrol command, or at least listened to him more than he did, but is a sign of how poorly Crash was suited for that incident.) That said, the whole frakked-up attack on the missile battery is a great bit of drama. One thing I found myself wondering was about Kobol itself. One might think, based on the end of Season 1, that Kobol is a holy place. Baltar has an outright vision of the future in the opera house, for example, and one could maybe argue that Kobol is closer to the light of God than anywhere else. But then Head Six is telling him that God abandoned it and it's an awful place of murder, which feels like it could've been explored more than it was. It feels like it, plus the Crashdown death, are the first signs of the strength and weakness of Battlestar's writing: it always shoots for cool drama but doesn't really think ahead too much. A pretty minor quibble, but one that stuck out to me.
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Oct 29, 2025 09:58
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Milkfred E. Moore posted:(eg. as the senior NCO, Crashdown should probably have given Tyrol command, or at least listened to him more than he did, but is a sign of how poorly Crash was suited for that incident.) A recurring theme of Season 2 is "the person in charge really shouldn't be in charge" -- consider Tigh, Crashdown, Cain, Baltar.
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Oct 29, 2025 13:21
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Tigh did alright, all things considered, but using Marines to break up riots when he declared martial law was a screw up for sure.
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Oct 29, 2025 18:32
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Mister Speaker posted:They're also in Razor, and if I'm not mistaken there are some Centurions in S4 as well, fighting inside either the Colony or the Resurrection Hub. I thought it was decent but I'm easily pleased:)
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Oct 29, 2025 23:21
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The thing I remember most about Blood and Chrome is that there's a Deep Space Nine reference in there because it was written by Michael Taylor. It's funny how so much of BSG is written as an angry response to how hamstrung the writers room was working on Star Trek shows. It's like the anti Voyager.
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Oct 30, 2025 03:21
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Mister Speaker posted:They're also in Razor, and if I'm not mistaken there are some Centurions in S4 as well, fighting inside either the Colony or the Resurrection Hub. if you want some husker lore its worth watching, but ymmv for good. it was interesting to me at the time but i remember it being a slow burn and cheesy production wise. this was a lot of years ago, and i still remember liking it but i did forget all about it for a long time compared to the show and razor
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Oct 30, 2025 03:28
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Arc Hammer posted:The thing I remember most about Blood and Chrome is that there's a Deep Space Nine reference in there because it was written by Michael Taylor. It's funny how so much of BSG is written as an angry response to how hamstrung the writers room was working on Star Trek shows. It's like the anti Voyager. What was the reference? I haven't seen it since it was released, and I don't think I noticed it at the time.
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Oct 30, 2025 03:50
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Neorxenawang posted:What was the reference? I haven't seen it since it was released, and I don't think I noticed it at the time. Michael Taylor wrote the DS9 episode "The Visitor" in which we see an alternate future where Jake Sisko has grown old and become a famous author who wrote a bestselling novel called Anslem. In Blood and Chrome there's a point when Adama links up with the Ghost Fleet and one of the pilots aboard Galactica loudly celebrates the birth of his son, who he calls Anslem.
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Oct 30, 2025 04:01
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Arc Hammer posted:It's like the anti Voyager. I mean, basically. Much like how SquareSoft's classic video game Parasite Eve really is only tangentially related to the novel or film of the same name and its plot is actually an adaptation of an early unused draft for what became Final Fantasy 7, I would argue that Battlestar Galactica is at least as much of a reimagining of Voyager as it is of the original eponym, at least and especially for the first three seasons. Like Adama more or less explicitly says as much in that original miniseries where he pitches the bit about how it's not enough for humanity to be able to be saved, humanity must be worth saving. "A (more or less) lone ship is lost in the wilderness and surrounded by enemies. What must they do to survive? What will they do to survive? What profit a man if he survives at the cost of his soul?" Like the population count at the start of each episode is something I'm pretty sure is just a direct response to this nonsense.
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Nov 1, 2025 12:44
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Resistance is a fun setup kind of episode. Not just for the plot for Roslin taking a chunk of the fleet to Kobol, but Lee and Dualla have some nice chemistry that had to be the seed for their later romance. That said, Billy's refusal t continue on with Roslin is very abrupt, and I figure that's related to him shooting for other shows or something. Tigh's immediate apology and admission to Adama upon his return is a great choice to help restore some sympathy, and the way Adama practically collapses once it's just him and Tigh around is some great acting from Olmos. It is very interesting that after being unable to engage the metal Cylons, Cally had no problem shooting Boomer dead. I also caught that Tyrol says he served on the Pegasus which adds a fun irony to the events of that same episode, although I don't think anyone ever mentions it directly. The Farm, meanwhile, is weird. My pal and I basically finished it, turned to each other and went, "Okay, what was going on with this one? That was weird, right?" Every aspect of the episode feels underdeveloped or just, well, weird. The solid parts are everything with Olmos, who portrays a man caught between rage, despair, and the simple struggle of remaining on his feet with remarkable flair. The scene with him breaking down over Boomer's corpse is extremely memorable. But the rest of it? First, the time-frame feels off. It feels like we're picking up the morning after Anders and Starbuck have that pyramid game... except it's been a week. The scene of Starbuck getting shot is oddly mirrored. It is also odd how she knows the intricacies of a Heavy Raider when Lee, Hot Dog, and seemingly the Galactica crew themselves, had no idea ("What is that thing?!" "I don't know! But whatever it is..." Lee's tactics seemingly imply he is unaware of its capabilities, too.) Speaking of Raiders, what happened to the one Sharon flew off in? It feels odd that the resolution to that is just... she walks up and joins Anders' group. Where did it end up? (It also doesn't feel like Adama has been on his feet for a week, as indicated by Gaeta. They spent seven days not hunting down the President? It's taken the Quorum a week to deliberate on supporting her? A week for Adama to talk to Tyrol about Cally shooting Boomer? I really don't see why they mentioned that week. It was like a line they put in to justify 'she could be anywhere, quarantine the ships one by one' but... surely a day or two would be enough?) Starbuck in the hospital is likewise a bit off. Simon is a great presence, but it feels a bit too convenient that he slips up and calls her Starbuck, and a little odd that you could almost think Starbuck doesn't catch it immediately. Sue-Shaun being also there is a bit... well, yeah, okay. We've barely seen her. Then Starbuck smashes a machine and kills all the women, and I'm guessing whatever plan they had with the props wasn't something they were quite able to realize. I also feel like the "procreation is one of God's commandments" part of it is a little... simplistic, and almost betrays the idea of the Cylons as posthuman which the series had been playing with. It's also hard to imagine sympathy for them, now that their atrocities are more mundane. I suspect the 'farms' are one of the missteps in Battlestar's treatment of the Cylons. And the plot also reveals that Anders is alive a little early, I think. And what's with Baltar's attitude when he's there in the CIC, applauding Adama? He seems like he's about to start cussing him out, like he's at a party for someone he hates. Sure, Baltar is a bit weird and he's a bit messed up since shooting Crashdown, but it's just, well, obviously weird.
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Nov 2, 2025 13:50
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Milkfred E. Moore posted:Speaking of Raiders, what happened to the one Sharon flew off in? It feels odd that the resolution to that is just... she walks up and joins Anders' group. Where did it end up? It's heavily implied that the Raider Starbuck commandeers becomes that one nicknamed Scar in the later episode.
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Nov 2, 2025 15:19
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Arc Hammer posted:It's heavily implied that the Raider Starbuck commandeers becomes that one nicknamed Scar in the later episode. Is it? I never caught this.
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Nov 2, 2025 18:10
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Mister Speaker posted:Is it? I never caught this. The Previously On segment for Scar features a lot of flashback scenes to when Starbuck crash landed on the dust moon in Season 1 during You Can't Go Home Again, where she encountered the downed raider, and then in the episode itself Sharon explains to her that Raiders also resurrect (but now that their resurrection ship is gone they've switched to hit and run tactics). The Raider airframe the Colonials hollowed out for Starbuck ti fly back to Caprica was little more than a corpse and it's likely Scar had already been downloaded into a new frame, complete with some pretty angry memories and a vendetta against the Fleet. Arc Hammer fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Nov 2, 2025 |
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Nov 2, 2025 18:25
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Arc Hammer posted:The Previously On segment for Scar features a lot of flashback scenes to when Starbuck crash landed on the dust moon in Season 1 during You Can't Go Home Again, where she encountered the downed raider, and then in the episode itself Sharon explains to her that Raiders also resurrect (but now that their resurrection ship is gone they've switched to hit and run tactics). The Raider airframe the Colonials hollowed out for Starbuck ti fly back to Caprica was little more than a corpse and it's likely Scar had already been downloaded into a new frame, complete with some pretty angry memories and a vendetta against the Fleet. I mean, sure, but I never read it that way; IMO the Previously On segment just reminds the audience that the raiders are basically living, thinking creatures, and any raider killed and downloaded enough times would probably hold a grudge. I think it'd be cool if they made that connection explicit but to me it's a bit tenuous a connection.
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Nov 2, 2025 19:00
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Milkfred E. Moore posted:(Maybe not quite in the way they originally planned, where Baltar walked into the Opera House and met Dirk Benedict as God and heard Jimi Hendrix playing -- but, like, maybe closer to that than the Final Five.) This has always been one of those crazy ideas where the more I think about it the more I kind of wish they had done it. Had it been canceled, which I’m assuming it would have if they actually did this, it would’ve been one of the greatest “what the gently caress?” endings of all time. And if by some miracle it wasn’t canceled, who knows where the gently caress it would have led. I always liked the weirdo religious stuff they had going on and while the finale left a lot to be desired in that regard and a bunch of other things, I always sort of wished RDM had just laid all his insane cards on the table at this point instead of waiting until the finale. Honestly, the only part that really gives me pause about this is involving Dirk Benedict in the show.
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Nov 3, 2025 01:32
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Arc Hammer posted:It's heavily implied that the Raider Starbuck commandeers becomes that one nicknamed Scar in the later episode. Sure, and that's a fun little callback, but it's just odd that "Sharon steals the Raider, stranding Kara and Helo on Caprica" gets tied off with "Sharon shows up one week later, joins back up with Helo, knows about the farms" with no indication of what happened to her and the Raider. It was a very dramatic moment (did Sharon steal it to escape Kara, or did she steal it to betray Helo? Or both? Neither?) and the Raider was a prominent part of the first season. wizardofloneliness posted:This has always been one of those crazy ideas where the more I think about it the more I kind of wish they had done it. Had it been canceled, which I’m assuming it would have if they actually did this, it would’ve been one of the greatest “what the gently caress?” endings of all time. And if by some miracle it wasn’t canceled, who knows where the gently caress it would have led. I always liked the weirdo religious stuff they had going on and while the finale left a lot to be desired in that regard and a bunch of other things, I always sort of wished RDM had just laid all his insane cards on the table at this point instead of waiting until the finale. There's a part of me that feels like that really was the way Season 1 was leading, but the pivot to what we got is part of the reason Season 2 feels not as neat and tidy as Season 1 did (so far, at least.) There's something different about it which I can't quite put my finger on.
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Nov 3, 2025 04:58
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There's no plan, which often leads to wild and urgent rising actions because anything goes, but then falters when it comes time to follow through because now you have to make a meal out of your table full of ice cream and crab cakes. That's the vibe you're sensing.
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Nov 3, 2025 10:19
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McSpanky posted:There's no plan, which often leads to wild and urgent rising actions because anything goes, but then falters when it comes time to follow through because now you have to make a meal out of your table full of ice cream and crab cakes. That's the vibe you're sensing. Probably, yeah. Season 1 also had very self-contained episodes where a few continuity hooks, whereas Season 2 is shifting to a more standard/modern style of serialized storytelling. That said! Home, Part 1 and Home, Part 2 are very good. The general plot is strong, but the character interactions are the highlight -- Lee pulling a gun on Sharon, Roslin going to space her, Lee telling Kara he loves her and her teasing him, Zarak in general, Dee getting through to Adama... And that's just the stuff in the first part! But the real shining element of the two-parter is Baltar and Head Six. The way that Baltar makes some joke about Starbuck having their child, only for Six to take on her appearance -- except it's not Katee Sackhoff but Tricia Helfer who feels like she's playing 'Six pretending to be Starbuck' is inspired. The teasing contempt that Helfer gives Six, as if she's been pranking him the whole time... And Callis playing Baltar with the sudden existential horror of not actually being chosen by God but just being psychotic is wonderful. As is the whole ending, the sudden fear Baltar displays when he realizes that, yes, Six might just be a literal representative of a higher power. I don't think I've said much about Mary McDonnell yet, but she's fantastic, too. Her ability to switch between kindly schoolteacher and the coldest politician you'll ever meet is really something. She's great throughout the whole show. The Tomb of Athena bit is very memorable, and it's a really interesting thing to have the map be glimpsed from the perspective of Earth. The Kobol stuff is good, and Zarek gets some more time to show he's not a simple character. Adama's intense attempt to murder Sharon being averted by his heart (symbolism!) is quite fun, too. That said, and this may not be surprising, I don't like the direction the show took with Kobol. I think it's easy to see why people had an issue with the ending of the show because it feels like it really is deciding to step back from the mysticism and shoot for some 'there's always a mundane explanation' form of intrigue (even if this is the same episode that reaffirms that Six is an angel.) A return to Kobol must be paid with blood, Elosha says. And it turns out this is because there just-so-happen to be Centurions over looking the path and they had mined the place and, so, Elosha dies. And it's like... fine? It's an okay action sequence. But I think we saw it better and more interesting with Baltar shooting Crashdown, and it would have been just as interesting had it been more like... Well, just spitballing another idea. Instead of Elosha getting blown up in Part 1 and Zarek's thugs getting shot in Part 2, combine it into one event. They reach the tomb. Everyone starts shooting. Zarek shoots his buddy, but not before he gets a shot off at Roslin or Lee -- which strikes Elosha instead. It centers the human drama a little more and plays up that aspect of there being a divine element who is a bit of monster, in much the same way that Six died to protect Baltar. The faithful may be chosen but they may also be a scapegoat. But that said, Elosha dying early and Roslin carrying around her burnt holy book is great, so, hey. It's just convenient that there's four Cylon Centurions overlooking the path and, I guess, figured the colonials would come down the path at some point. Maybe if they'd been older, rusted Centurions or something. Set up that idea that this story has been a long time in the telling. Sharon knowing a bit more about the history of Kobol is fine, but I feel like it's conflating Leoben's transcendental connection with, again, that sort of mundanity. But I think it's generally intriguing enough to make you wonder what Kobol was, especially with what Six said about it being a place of death. Basically, I think BSG is interesting in the first season because it feels like a gritty military sci-fi that also has this weird, mystical element running through it. Blue Planet: War in Heaven is very similar in tone. But I think BSG Season 2 is leaning harder into the gritty military aspect, hence that vibe of the scriptures' price in blood is actually a Cylon ambush.
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Nov 3, 2025 23:45
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| # ? Nov 7, 2025 17:51 |
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Oh, and the little bit where Gaeta says they shouldn't jump Galactica into Kobol's atmosphere. Great pay off coming in the third season to that.
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Nov 4, 2025 05:01
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