'Battlestar' reflects social climate
From The Detroit News:
'Battlestar' reflects social climate
Many political themes are explored in the series, which kicks off its second season with more drama.
By Lynn Smith / Los Angeles Times
Friday, July 8, 2005
An out-of-the-blue, world-altering attack. Nuclear weapons. Suicide bombers. Tortured prisoners. Faith-based policy.
Sound all-too familiar? The post-9/11 culture, in all its scary ambiguity, gets the full treatment in -- of all places -- outer space as the surprisingly sophisticated remake of "Battlestar Galactica" begins its second season July 15 on the Sci Fi Channel.
Created in the charged and confusing months of early 2002, the show has managed to energize viewers on both sides of the political debate through its portrayals of inconsistent leaders and unresolved, high-stakes conflicts. In the process, it also has revolutionized science fiction on television, elevating a genre that is often dismissed as cheesy escapist fantasy into the ranks of the most serious primetime dramas. Indeed, the new "Battlestar Galactica" has won over fans of the original dubious about a remake as well as television critics who like its relevant social themes as much as its military hardware and sexy Cylons.
According to "Galactica" co-creators Ron Moore and David Eick, the goal for the show was to create naturalistic, multidimensional characters as opposed to the squeaky clean heroes of traditional sci-fi TV. Rather than advancing any particular political agenda, Moore said, the characters act on the basis of their own deeply flawed natures.
This "Battlestar Galactica" is "designed to make you think, to make you question strongly held beliefs," he said. "Good people can make bad decisions and bad people can make good decisions. I mean, life is much more complicated than it's usually portrayed on television."
Click on the link to read the entire article.
'Battlestar' reflects social climate
Many political themes are explored in the series, which kicks off its second season with more drama.
By Lynn Smith / Los Angeles Times
Friday, July 8, 2005
An out-of-the-blue, world-altering attack. Nuclear weapons. Suicide bombers. Tortured prisoners. Faith-based policy.
Sound all-too familiar? The post-9/11 culture, in all its scary ambiguity, gets the full treatment in -- of all places -- outer space as the surprisingly sophisticated remake of "Battlestar Galactica" begins its second season July 15 on the Sci Fi Channel.
Created in the charged and confusing months of early 2002, the show has managed to energize viewers on both sides of the political debate through its portrayals of inconsistent leaders and unresolved, high-stakes conflicts. In the process, it also has revolutionized science fiction on television, elevating a genre that is often dismissed as cheesy escapist fantasy into the ranks of the most serious primetime dramas. Indeed, the new "Battlestar Galactica" has won over fans of the original dubious about a remake as well as television critics who like its relevant social themes as much as its military hardware and sexy Cylons.
According to "Galactica" co-creators Ron Moore and David Eick, the goal for the show was to create naturalistic, multidimensional characters as opposed to the squeaky clean heroes of traditional sci-fi TV. Rather than advancing any particular political agenda, Moore said, the characters act on the basis of their own deeply flawed natures.
This "Battlestar Galactica" is "designed to make you think, to make you question strongly held beliefs," he said. "Good people can make bad decisions and bad people can make good decisions. I mean, life is much more complicated than it's usually portrayed on television."
Click on the link to read the entire article.
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