Dirk Benedict, the original Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, weighs in on the new one. He doesn't like it much, unsurprisingly... it's been known for years that he didn't much appreciate his male womanizer of a character reimagined as a woman.
I sympathize, and he has some rather sophisticated and provocative points to make. But I agree with some of the commenters. One points out to Benedict that the original BSG "sucked on toast." Yep.
The pilot was actually rather promising - there was a good idea there. But after that it was "Wagon Train to the Stars", and not in a good way. The new show takes that good idea from the pilot and runs with it. I don't like everything about the new BSG, but you can't fault it for not being entertaining, while I couldn't watch much of the original show, even back in the day.
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Dirk Benedict was the reason I watch the original BSG, even after it went downhill. I respect his opinion, but I like the new BSG much better. Yes, it's dark, sometimes bleak, but it's about the frakking destruction of the human race! (I've always wanted to use "frak" in sentence. :) The characters react realistically, some clinging to hope, others struggling with despair.
ReplyDeleteThe human-looking cylons add mystery and suspense to the plot. And why shouldn't some of the strong characters be female? I love the female Starbuck and sexual tension between her and Apollo (OK, her and most men). Changing the character's sex only made Starbuck even more complex and interesting.
I disagree that the male characters are weak. Sure Tigh, Adama, etc., suffer like everyone e;se but the do so privately and present a strong face to the rest of humanity. That's what good leaders do, they lead.
What I find really intriguing (and will probably write a blog entry about) are the Cylons' religious views. Why are they monothesistic while the humans are polytheistic? And why is the Cylon civil war split along gender lines (it's basically the human-looking men vs. the human-looking women)? What is THAT all about? Like good Sci Fi, BSG is about human beings (cyborg or not) and how they respond to their situations. Yes, it raises questions of morality, but that's what good Sci Fi does. Anyone who thinks it's only about technology or gender issues is missing the point.