Vipers, Daggits, and Cylons, Oh My! - Sun, Mar 6, 2022
Which way is up? It's SPACE!
When I was a kid, some of my favorite TV shows were the “space” ones. I loved Star Trek, Space: 1999, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and… Battlestar Galactica.
Today, it’s funny to me to learn that Battlestar Galactica, for instance, was only one season. Buck Rogers was only two seasons (and we’ll try to ignore the second season… sorry, Thom Christopher). They were such a huge part of my childhood, ingrained into my memories so deeply they’ve become a part of who I am… just like Star Wars, Ghostbusters, 2001, Battle of the Planets, and Speed Racer (oh!, and to a lesser degree, Spectreman and Space Giants!) I could have sworn they were on TV for years.
I recently decided to pick up the original BSG to watch (and yes, we’re going to ignore Galactica 1980, because it’s in hell along with season 2 of Buck Rogers). I’m currently watching the 1st part of the 3 part opening episode of the series, “Saga of a Star World.”
A few things are coming back to me, like how Starbuck was always my favorite, and how I didn’t like Apollo much… probably because Apollo was too serious and also Adama’s son, so he sort of represented that whole “just because you’re Adama’s son” sort of vibe.
A few things I’m noticing for just the first time, like how the Colonial Vipers had horizon indicators in them even though there’s no horizon in space. I mean, there isn’t even a shared concept of up or down, etc. Star Trek tends to make this mistake as well, probably just for storytelling’s sake. How annoying would it be to watch two ships meet in space and have to negotiate what axis they’ll match in order to talk, as if that was necessary for communicating at all. “You roll.” “No, YOU roll.”
It’s space. Which way is up?
Also, in the first scenes when Apollo and Zac (RICK SPRINGFIELD Y’ALL, HOLY COW!) come upon the Cylon sneak attack, they’re fired on… and the lasers explode in space when they miss their targets. Maybe I don’t understand the tech behind their lasers, but maybe they’re not lasers at all… because, then, wouldn’t they just keep going and going and going until they ran out of energy somehow?
It seems there was less science and more fiction with the original series. But, then, that was 1979 and the science we know and understand keeps evolving as we humans do. So, looking back, we have the benefit of 40+ years of scientific discoveries and understanding we didn’t have back then.
The reboot, which I had resisted at first back when it was first beginning to air, tended to get the science more correct, in my opinion. I am also glad I caved and decided to give it a try when it aired, because it was freaking fantastic and it didn’t ruin my childhood memories of the original at all. One thing didn’t change though: I still liked Starbuck better than Apollo… probably even moreso.
I still have fond memories of the original 1979 series that will likely (hopefully) not die. And that’s ok. It’s great for what it was back then, but I still find it equal parts hilarious and annoying that I’m noticing all this stuff that seems so blatantly wrong. I’ll try to focus on the story more, and remember my fascination and rapt attention at 9 years old, parked RIGHT in front of the TV with the grand BSG theme blaring through the tiny speakers, wanting to see what Starbuck would be up to next.
