| By hdtvuk.tv,
on 25-01-2007
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Favoured : 120 |
We saved up the first four episodes of the third season (shown on Sky One HD during January), to savour in one epic sitting, which is suitable as this double whammy of two-parters had a movie-like scope.
Episode one, Occupation, is set a year after the events of season two. The human colonists who stayed on the planet named New Caprica found themselves under the control of the invading Cylons, the rebellious robotic enemy that humanity had spawned.
Writer-producer Ronald D Moore’s refurbished Battlestar Galactica is boldly political and unafraid to be complex and provocative. Some of the groundwork for this can be seen in his long-running Dominion War storyline in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, on which he also served.
Much of the inspiration now clearly comes from the war in Iraq. On New Caprica, people are detained without charge and tortured for information, including Colonel Tigh, who has a bandaged eye-socket due to his injuries. He now leads the insurgents on the ground, recruiting suicide bombers and venting rage against anyone who joins the new joint police force: “You work with the Cylons, you’re a target.”
Kara (aka Starbuck) is trapped in the ultimate loveless relationship with a Cylon, whom she kills on a regular basis, only for him to return, his consciousness downloaded into yet another replacement body. He is a love-struck evangelist who claims: “God wants us to be together... I’m a patient man.” Only for Starbuck to retort: “You’re not a man.”
On the Galactica, crews are undermanned and in poor condition; they haven’t seen battle for months and tensions are running high. However, a rescue plan for the colonists is brewing, which continues through the tense, slow-building second part, Precipice (in which Gaius has no choice but to sign the death warrant of 200 people), culminating in Exodus parts 1 and 2.
In Exodus part 1, Kelly faces a firing squad, as hinted at the end of Precipice. The third part flashes back an hour, which is necessary because we know little about Kelly, so pinning a cliff-hanger on her was perhaps a weak move (and at least the story resolves this).
The key event is Cylon double agent Sharon embarking on a sneak mission to New Caprica to pave the way for the Galactica and Pegasus to mount their rescue. Adama’s speech is incredibly rousing and it all pays off in Exodus part 2. This sees a newly empowered Gaius get his moment of glory, and some cool apocalyptic dialogue (“Buried like the cites of old, consumed by the wrath of god”).
The fleet’s return is spectacular, ending in a massive space battle as the humans fend off the attacking Cylon craft. Taking its cue from classic WWII movie dogfights, just like George Lucas did for Star Wars, the result is every bit as impressive. However, it’s the show’s grounding in solid drama that gives everything here so much impact.
With its crisp high-contrast visuals, Battlestar Galactica is one of the smartest, most distinctive looking HDTV shows on air right now. We shouldn’t underestimate the impact of the 5.1 Dolby Digital sound too, which really puts you in the middle of the action. We just hope the producers can maintain the standard throughout the season.
The only downside is nothing in the programme itself but the incredibly flippant and irritating sponsorship buffer ads by Yell.com, which are wholly inappropriate in tone for this show.
Source Link: http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/01/review_battlest.html Submitted by Zipper Talk about this article on our forum: http://galacticabbs.com/index.php?showtopic=1084
Last update : 25-01-2007
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