Continued from the last post.
The two leads are supported by a cast of lesser-known actors but who over the years grow to fit their characters so well that many of them will for a long time to come be permanently associated to their characters in Battlestar Galactica. There’s Starbuck, a nominally in-control and authority-defiant senior pilot played by Katee Sackhoff (left); and Apollo, the estranged son of Adama and possibly the most ethically balanced person in the crew, played by English actor Jamie Bamber (center).
In the original 1970s series, the main antagonist was Baltar, a human turncoat in the Cylon employ but so one-dimensional in characterization the role became all caricature. The remake casts another English actor, James Callis (right), as Baltar. But he’s now instead a near-maniacal scientist who constantly finds himself doing the right things for all the wrong reasons. His direction lies entirely only in self-preservation, and it’s hilarious to watch him get into situations where he finds himself in the heroic limelight even though he really was acting in the interest of saving his own life each time.
What’s drawn me to the series over the last 5 years, and possibly for Ling too, is the consistently mature story-telling, and that the series never treats you like an idiot. Subtleties, character complexities, nuances and subtexts abound in the series, both in the spoken dialog, the situations and right down to the facial expressions. And that’s one of the largest differences between western-produced serialized dramas like these versus local and Asian-produced drama series and why the latter does absolutely zilch for me. There’s just too much of the emotionally manipulative type of story-telling in Asian TV drama serials we get here.
Battlestar Galactica wrapped after 5 years last year, and has become one of the most highly regarded and award winning TV series of all time. This incredible remake has been so successful that a new production, a theatrical film that covers the same events as the original, is reported in the works now and helm by Bryan Singer of X-Men and Superman Returns fame.
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The set comes in a box of 20 blu-ray discs, and I picked up the additional film – The Plan – which wraps up the entire series. Put altogether, there’s about 67 hours of episodes in the lot, and not counting the additional supplement material. I’ve already completed viewing the series before on DVD rental, but it’s a real pleasure revisiting the series one more time and this time on high-definition with Ling. I’m just hoping I’ll be able to finish the lot before the Boston trip next month.:)
Cool layout! :D