Since it’s nearing Valentine’s Day, let me pose this question: Have you ever felt so attached to something, that when you realize that it has to end, you just can’t help but curse under your breath?
Well, that is exactly how I feel about Battlestar Galactica.
I am probably one of 19 people in this country who actually watch this show, which is tragic on many different levels. Battlestar Galactica is an amazing TV show. I challenge anyone who has watched it to say otherwise. BSG is a well-acted, politically charged, socially relevant, masterfully written and utterly compelling piece of art that deserves far more love than it is ever going to get.
This makes it infinitely more unfortunate that the show’s five-year journey will come to its conclusion in the next few months. The Galactica is about to get its swan song. Consider this my final tribute to the best thing on television.
I say this is the best thing on TV for a lot of reasons, but mainly because no other show is as bold and well written as this is. Give Ronald D. Moore, developer of Battlestar Galactica, a ton of credit. He doesn’t pull any punches in telling his story. When he depicts an alien invasion, people die, nukes explode and survivors run for their lives. When he shows us an oppressive government, there is genocide and rebellion. When he tells a story about love, parents die for their children, and partners break the barriers of ethnicity, social class, marriage, gender — and yes, even species — to be together. When Moore tells a story, he tells you the story of humanity itself.
The characters of this show are wonderfully flawed, just like real life. The humanity in these fictional characters is what separates BSG from a show like Heroes or Gossip Girl. There is no damsel in distress. No white knight. There is no evil boy with a scarf plotting his next scheme. What you have instead are people who live in three dimensions, albeit fictional. The good guys aren’t perfect. In fact, they’re probably more flawed than the bad guys. The bad guys, though destructive and violent, aren’t evil for the sake of being evil. Each character is created with so much depth, they seem like they’re real people.
One good is example is Laura Roslin. The female school-teacher-turned-president tries to manage a tattered colony in the face of oppression, insurrection and while battling for her life against cancer (the parallelism with a certain political figure in this country does not escape me). Every character on this show struggles between morality and self-preservation. The human condition, if I ever saw it.
In short, Battlestar Galactica, apart from being an amazing TV show, is great literature. It’s a tragedy of government, religion, love and every other shade of humanity.
So as this story reaches its conclusion, the fanboy in me cannot help but feel like I’ve lost something. There is something about good fiction that leaves you both satisfied and despondent when it reaches its end. But I suppose a story can’t be fully absorbed until it comes to its final resolution.
Yes, I do feel it’s a loss. One of the best TV shows ever is going to end with less fanfare than news about Jessica Simpson suddenly becoming fat. But in the end, I think it should be celebrated for what it is, and not what it could have been.
As Battlestar Galactica takes its final bow, the applause won’t be as loud as it should be. The audience won’t be as large as it could be. The appreciation won’t be as much as it ought to be. But hopefully, like a lot of great art, it gets more attention over time. So say we all.
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For comments, questions or corrections, please e-mail me at carlfrancisramirez@gmail.com.