Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 1

Last Friday marked the beginning of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. This show is one of my favorite things in the world. I love it more than Star Wars (the prequels knocked that franchise off its pedestal for all of us, didn't it?), more than Star Trek (again, filled with great bits, but frequently dodged the tough questions, and was too deeply rooted in the Roddenberry Utopian Vision), more than the Seattle Mariners (but probably not more than the Seahawks), and probably more than the World of Warcraft.

***This brings out the question, why do I play so much WoW if I don't LOVE it? Good question. The short version is that it's a very good game, which I enjoy a lot, and it's extremely cost effective. With that, there's the communal element, and the fact that my wife plays. And she doesn't play ANY computer or video games (aside from the occasional solitaire, Tetris and Lego Star Wars).***

One of the most impressive things in last Friday's episode of BSG was the opening space battle. This was the first time since the miniseries that the entire fleet was in jeopardy of being destroyed by the Cylons. When the first ship was lost, it suddenly became very clear that this was real. No one was safe. Then, when the circular roundy ship (I don't even know its name) started taking heavy damage, I realized how emotionally invested I had become. Aside from Galactica and Colonial One, the ship with the circle around it is the most distinctive part of the fleet's skyline.

The three part set up is just one of the reasons why I love BSG so much. 1) they established that ship as a part of the fleet in a subtle way. I grew to have affection for it over these years, 2) They established a threat to the civilian ships by destroying one, and 3) the ship took heavy damage, which obviously threatened its existence.

The result was pure rapture.