The original Battlestar Galactica series aired in The Netherlands when I was a kid. Since I didn’t know any English back then, and wasn’t able to read the subtitles either, I had to rely on my dad’s translation. But I was fascinated. For me, my love of science fiction for the most part started with “BSG”.

But I feel the series didn’t age that well. When I saw it again years later I was kind of embarrased by just how childish it was at times. This is why I was quite anxious to see the new series by Sci-Fi Channel. “A re-imagination of the original series” they called it, but sadly, to this date no Dutch broadcaster has bought it. Luckily, there’s the internet. I was able to download series one (there’s a second season as well) in a single archive, and it kept me glued to the TV for days in a row.

They’ve taken the same basic principle, and very succesfully converted it to a 21st century series. It’s still about a groups of humans fleeing their starsystem from the Cylons, and it has many of the same characters. The new series however is much more grim and realistic. Off-the-shoulder camerawork gives it a ‘documentary’ feel. It’s BSG meets ‘24′. Most of the ship designs were already very good, and luckily the set designers for the new series have left the most important ones intact, while still updating them. It’s also quite fortunate that effects shots can now be done more easily. The original series recycled the clumsy space fight scenes from the pilot episode over and over again. You could tell whether Starbuck would miss or hit beforehand, because you knew how the shot would end. Here, there’s plenty of flying around, and it looks very good indeed.

But the real difference is in the acting. Edward James Olmos replaces Lorne Greene as Commander Adama, but it’s the rest of the cast that is the real surprise. Comprised mostly of unfamiliar faces, the new Galactica crew manages to realistically portray the stress, conflicts, highs and lows aboard a military spaceship that’s under constant attack. Some characters also recieved interesting treatments. Starbuck is now a woman, which I feel is a big improvement. Balthar, a purely evil Cylon collaborator in the original series, is now much more interesting as well, but I won’t spoil that suprise for you. Oh, and there’s no robot dog. Thank god.

All in all the new BSG series is the best sci-fi thing I’ve seem in quite a while, and although I’m having a hard time admitting it, its probably even better then the last few Star Wars movies… There you go, I’ve said it.