SOME SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS POST. EP 5-13
I'm finding that this show is creating strong reactions in me for most of the characters. Usually there's one or two that I love, a few I dislike, and that's it. I loved Picard as a captain, but the rest were okay. DS9 I loved Sisko as the Captain, greatly enjoyed Major Kira, disliked Odo, was squeamish about Bashir until mid-series, and enjoyed O'Brien as a full character. Dax was ho-hum in the character department and Quark was irritating. Overall most of the characters got more of a reaction out of me. The BSG characters, almost without fail, have drawn me into a love or hate emotional realm that few shows manage to do (B5 and Farscape the last two I remember having that effect).
Adama - Put Lorne Greene's Adama on his Battlestar, and Edward James Olmos's Adama on another Battlestar of half the strength and firepower and tell them to duke it out. Olmos will wipe out Lorne Greene in five minutes and then spend another fifteen minutes chasing Adama down before finishing him off with a nuke up the tailpipe. Grim and dour, he still has that quality of leadership that exudes such confidence and love in his people. They will literally fall on their swords if he tells them to, and they'll do it with a smile on their faces. Given the need, he'll even give that order. This is humanity's last great commander, and it shows with every second of screen time we get from him.
Roslyn - She is the perfect foil for Adama's charisma. She helps remind people of what was good about their society, and what good they are capable of while becoming more hard-lined in keeping with the current situation. The cancer storyline helps make the blooming 'faith' more believable, and lends her a more subtle charisma than Adama's. Unfortunately, she can't get past her distrust of the military and Commander Adama and that is the major problem with her character. The political backstabbing she did in Episode 11 was a foreshadow of the backstab she gave Adama (and the colonials?) in episode 12. She got what she deserved, and then some, in episode 13.
Apollo -This boy is one confused little frackhead. If any of the characters on this show are gay, he'd be the one and I'm hoping he's not (it would be an insult to any self-respecting gay man). Okay, since he's lusting after his dead brother's fiancee he's most likely straight (but still perverted). I wanted to really like this new Apollo since the old one was a childhood hero. In Episode 10 as he led the attack on the Cylons I was rooting and cheering because I finally got to like him, if only for one episode. That got blown out of the water after his reaction to Starbuck and Baltar. Then when he pulled his gun on Tigh, I decided that I hate his character after all. That's a good thing. Only strong characters can evoke strong emotions, and as much as I despise Apollo, I have to admit it's a strong emtion evoked by a well-written character. I despise him not because I don't like the actor, but because the character can't seem to make his mind up if he's going to rebel against daddy or be the gods-be-damned colonial officer and fighter pilot he's supposed to be!
Baltar - John Colicos was your classic mustache-twirling evil chuckling bad guy. James Callis is a self-focused, sexually obsessed (hmm, do I relate to him on some level?), extremely selfish genius. He's a cross between 1980's Dr. Zee and Colicos's Baltar (heading more towards a Colicos traitor by Episode 13). He's irritating, he's a pain in the ass, and I find myself fluctuating between mild exasperation and genuine hatred for his weak-willed natured. By the Lords of Kobol, does the man realize his upper head is the genius and not the lower one? I prefer this Baltar version because we get to see more of him, and because his treachery is even worse. Part of that is because genuinely, deep down, he doesn't want to betray the colonies, but he's more interested in saving his own hide than saving others. That's what makes him the worst kind of traitor...
Starbuck - I love this woman. I really do. It has nothing to do with her physical attractiveness. Rather, it has everything to do with her brashness, her anger-management problems, her guilt over killing her fiancee, and everything else that has happened to her. She's in as much trouble as Apollo and Roslyn after Episodes 12 and 13, but pretty much everyone shrugs it off and says "that's Starbuck".
No man could have played this role effectively without being compared negatively to Dirk Benedict's character. This woman does the job and then challenges Dirk for best rogue.
Boomer (Galactica and Caprica Version) - This is the character that makes the Cylons a three-dimensional enemy. She is why we know the Cylons aren't a monolithic force like the Borg, moving through space with a single mind and a single purpose. A lot of people looked forward to the Starbuck/Number Six fight in Episode 13, but the one I'm really looking forward to is the Boomer (Caprica) and Number Six fight. Remember, Caprica Boomer has already shot one Number Six in the back (when she first 'saved' Helo).
Another facet that I've really enjoyed is watching the progression of the two characters. As we found in the last scene of Episode 13, the Galactica Boomer, living among humans and trying to deny her cylon nature, is more Cylon than the Caprica Boomer. Over and over again, she has betrayed the colonies in small ways, and big ways. Meanwhile the Caprica Boomer has become more human maybe in part because she's pregnant? I'm not sure, but my second-most anticipated catfight is Caprica Boomer vs Galactica Boomer.
Number Six - Pure, absolute, delightful evil bitch. The way she plays Baltar like a flute (allegory intended) is wonderful to watch, and her evilness is spine-tingling. I love to hate her, and cheered when Adama put her down.
Tigh - No wonder the man drinks with that...woman as his wife. Still, his intense loyalty to Adama is good to see in this show of shifting alliances. Can he fill Adama's shoes, though?
No, he can't.
Helo - At first this guy's scenes had me wondering what the big deal was. Then he found Boomers little hole and got her pregnant. After that, he saw the cylon patrol with another Number Six and figured out the human-style cylon program. When he saw another Boomer, he knew what was up and shot her (although he only wounded her I like to pretend he missed by accident, not on purpose). What makes his character even more interesting is that he is stuck on Caprica because he gave up his seat on the Raptor for 'one of the greatest minds of our generation', not realizing that Baltar was the traitor who destroyed humanity.
Crashdown - Boomer's new EWO. He kind of grew on me and I have to admit most of my liking of him is that I have the hots for his body. Still, in Episode 13 we finally get to see some personal growth beyond the poker game and running sensors. Sure, he proved to at least know when to listen to the enlisted chief, something every junior officer should do often.
Chief Tyrol - Darn good character although a bit weak because of the relationship with Boomer. Still, like most men he lets himself be led down the wrong path by his lower head. What's going to be interesting is that I think he's on Kobol at the end of 13 for a reason...a reason we'll find out in the second season.
Billy/D - I like these two assistants and hope to see more as they continue to come into conflict over their loyalties. Their relationship is developed enough that for a moment, I thought D might betray Adama in Episode 13 when she was on the line to Billy in Colonial One. She didn't though, and neither did he betray his leader, Roslyn.
Hotdog, Chuckles, and the other nuggets - We first met them in Episode four and it's not until Episode ten that we see them again in a major way. When Chuckles bought it in Ep 10, I actually felt a little jerk. I also cheered to see Hotdog leading the Strike One mission.
Episode 10 is the one I've re-watched the most so far. That's mostly because it's the first Colonial military victory over the cylons since their defeat in the mini-series. It's also Apollos best episode, a good one for Hotdog and many of the other characters. It's also nice to see Adama and Starbuck working together again after the revelations of Episode four.
Yep, we need more episodes.
Topic: Battlestar Galactica Episode Four (Read 1700 times)