In Space No One Can Hear You Gush

I've borrowed Battlestar Galactica from Adam since he swears by it and insists that it's brilliant sci-fi. Richard also praises it. Also, since it's one of the few (read: two) science fiction films/series that my mum can sit through without falling asleep or losing the plot, I figured that it must have some kind of merit.

Well, it is really good. Really, really good in fact.

I've gotten through most of the first series. Adam ensures me that by the end of the DVDs he has lent me, the program has evolved into something much different from that which it started out as. That you would not be able to recognise it as the same series if you watched the initial program and the final program. He also said that after watching it all he needs more. I don't know if there's a fifth series out or being produced in DVD format, but I've still got loads to go through so right now that isn't bothering me.

Like I said; I think it's really, really good. The characters are well developed and avoid common cliches. That or they pull old cliches off so well that you could be forgiven for thinking that Battlestar Galactica created such tropes.

The action sequences are well choreographed and the writers have obviously done their homework into the appropriate sciences that relate to what is going on around their characters (e.g. decompression, military life, zero gravity, psychology and philosophy, space, planets, etc.). So, for example, ships aren't bumping into each other (space is big, no need to pack ships in a fleet like sardines), people aren't exploding as soon as they experience hard vacuum (space doesn't make you explode, inflate, deflate, or freeze), and ship-to-ship combat isn't engaged at rediculously short ranges.

I'm really enjoying the series, almost to the point of omitting anything else I might do on my PC (i.e. computer games).

On an unrelated note, I've had to cancel Dark Heresy this weekend. No, seriously, it's unrelated. I wouldn't skip role-playing for a science-fiction DVD series.