Battlestar Galactica Season 1-3 Recap

A hilarious 8 minutes recap for everyone who asks: What the frak is Battlestar Galactica?

[Thanks: Galactica Sitrep]

Upcoming on Battlestar Galactica

Promo clip for Battlestar Galactica episode, "The Hub". They finally unboxed D'Anna.

I bow at the awesome badass-ness that is Lucy Lawless.

Link

Music to Battlestar Galactica

Fans of the current Battlestar Galactica series may be familiar with this song: It's Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", score rearranged with an Indian accent (you may notice the sound of the sitar in the background) -- all set to a montage of frakking action. The song featured prominently in the closing two-parter episode of BSG Season 3, ("Crossroads, Parts 1 and 2").

BSG actually has one of the best soundtracks on a TV series ever. I am not ashamed to tell everyone that the ringtone on my mobile phone is the opening title to Battlestar Galactica -- which I just found out is actually the Gayatri Mantra. Go figure.

Soundtrack composers Bear McCreary and Richard Gibbs drew from various ethnic musical traditions to give BSG its ambience. My personal favourites are the Irish pipes and Irish Gaelic vocals that are usually used for the Adama scenes. The Irish pipes communicate the poignancy of loss, the sense of brotherhood in battle -- afterall, the story is about the surviving remnants of the human race fighting to avoid genocide; in the face of the inevitable, is the possibility of courage.

And I love the taiko drums on the soundtrack -- the way they build insistently to a crescendo for the fast action sequence of story. Those taiko drum scores never fails to stir me.

Season 4 of BSG will premiere this April. It will be the last season and the final Cyclon will be reveal.

As I wait for the new season, and the DVD release of Season 3 -- here is one of the better fan video that highlights some of the best parts of Battlestar Galactica so far.

DVDs, Bionic Woman, BSG: Razor and October Books

I've been spending less time online recently -- which may be why I'm finishing more books. But in case anyone has noticed -- the quality of the posts lately sucked. ;p

So, what have I been up to?

Been busy watching DVDs -- caught House M.D. Season 2 and 3, Dexter Season 1, Weeds Season 1 -- I'm now a big fan of House M.D. And last I heard, Olivia Wilde joined the cast for Season 4. Hmm.

Oh, and I caught the pilot of the new Bionic Woman -- and I was bored! I do hope the show finds its direction soon. Michelle Ryan is pretty enough to look at, but her Jamie Sommers is bland. The only highlight on the entire episode is Katee Sackhoff's psychotic Sarah Corvus -- the first Bionic Woman who stalks and taunts Jamie Sommers. (Then they go fight it out in the rain like good Amazons should always do.) It's really bad when the villain in the show -- the guest-star -- has more screen presence than any of the regular cast. I really want this show to work -- because I really want to see Katee Sackhoff do very bad things on TV.

This remind me. If you can, do try to catch Battlestar Galactica: Razor this November.

The story centres around the Battlestar Pegasus several months prior to it finding the Galactica. I'm a big fan of the current Battlestar Galactica, but I'm looking forward to Battlestar Galactica: Razor for Michelle Forbes's reprisal of Admiral Helena Cain.

Admiral Cain is one of the youngest Admiral in the Fleet. She is sharp, gusty and ruthless. When the Cyclons attacked, she made a quick call that saved her entire fleet even as their homeworld was destroyed. She shot her XO (Executive Officer) in front of everyone -- because he disobeyed a morally-questionable command. She plotted the assasination of a fellow commanding officer. She also sanctioned the rape and torture of a Cyclon prisoner. Without a doubt, Admiral Cain is a dangerous, morally shady character -- the type you want to hate -- but you can't.

This is why Battlestar Galactica deserved their Peabody Award -- because of the sheer emotional brilliance of their writing. Nothing is ever easy, everything is gray, ambiguous, complicated. Because in spite of everything she did wrong, Admiral Cain was a strong leader -- the type of leader you need when the human race is near extinction. She brought the fight back to the Cyclons -- she hunted the exterminators when it should have been the other way round. To paraphrase Starbuck (played by Katee Sackhoff), who paid tribute during Cain's funeral service: As much as the rest of the fleet hate to admit it, they were safer with Admiral Cain around.

I like my TV drama complicated with no easy answers. We can't condone an Admiral Cain with her ruthlessness -- yet we want the kind of security and sense of order a strong leader like her provide. This is so human. I can;t wait for this to be released on DVD!

Finally, something a little book-related, before everyone gets bored: Books I am looking out for this October:

1. The Paris Review Interviews, II -- this one has an interview with Graham Greene, whch will probably be the first interview I flip to the moment I get to hold it in my hands.
   Release Date: October 30th
2. War and Peace -- the Richard Pevear and Larissa Larissa Volokhonsky translation. Yes, I have decided on the baby-blue version. Actually, the fact it's released earlier than the UK version is the real determining factor. But will I be able to keep my paws off it until January 2008? Oh, the agony of the anticipation!
   Release Date: October 16th
3. A Time to Keep Silence, by Patrick Leigh Fermor -- I've been waiting for the re-release of this title for months. A Time to Keep Silence is about Patrick Leigh Fermor's sojourns in some of Europe’s oldest and most venerable monasteries -- the Abbey of St. Wandrille, a great repository of art and learning; at Solesmes, famous for its revival of Gregorian chant; and at the deeply ascetic Trappist monastery of La Grande Trappe, where monks take a vow of silence. It's a combination of travelogue and spiritual enquiry -- which some of you may is something of a pet topic of mine.
   Release Date: October 30th

Oh, and The Guardian visits Canadian Literature.

TV Series I'm Looking Forward To

NBC has just confirmed they will be picking up the remake of Bionic Woman. UK actress Michelle Ryan will be playing the role of Jamie Sommers. The grandest thing is that Katee Sackhoff (who plays Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the new Battlestar Galactica) will be a "recurring guest star" on Bionic Woman. Her character is supposed to be the first Bionic Woman, who is seen fighting with Michelle Ryan's character in this Youtube preview.

David Eick, executive producer of Battlestar Galactica, is also responsible for the new Bionic Woman. If the kickass remake of Battlestar Galactica is anything to go by, this Bionic Woman remake shows promise.

Meanwhile, lap up this picture of Katee Sackhoff looking BAAAAD...

Can't wait.

Another high point of TV coming next in 2008, the Sarah Connor Chronicles is coming to FOX. It stars Lena Headey (last seen regal and splendid in the movie version of Frank Miller's 300) as the mother of the Saviour of Humanity, John Connor. The story is supposed to take place between Terminator 2 and Terminator 3. Okay, whatever. Can I just have more shots of Lena Headey, please?

Here's a picture of the main cast. And for Firefly fans, Summer Glau is part of the supporting cast for The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

BSG | Kara Thrace and Her Special Destiny

If you are a fan of the new Battlestar Galactica, if you have watched the Season 3 episode "Maelstrom" - then you will understand why I posted this picture here.

This is the way I see Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace. She's military but she has never been someone who plays by the book. It gets her thrown into the brig on more than a few occasions but it is precisely her independent, defiant spirit that sets her above the others, what allows her the ability to think outside the box. She is a young woman haunted by her unseen demons.

And no matter what the fans of Dirk Benedict says - Kara Thrace was waaaaay better as "Starbuck." More depth, more complicated, cuter and more human.

"Kara Thrace and Her Special Destiny" is also a very good name for a cover band. *grin*

BSG 2.5

My Amazon order for Battlestar Galactica Season 2.5 has shipped!

Excitement!