Battlestar Galactica (2004 Series)

In the middle of the third season of LOST, the show's producers met with network executives to hammer out a definitive end to the series which would happen three years later. Stephen King had told them that they needed to know the end so they could tell their story properly, going neither too long nor too short. The producers cited the success of Battlestar Galactica as their reason for this decision.

On a separate occasion, I'd heard Josh Toulouse of Fat Train say that every good show has had a bad season, but Battlestar Galactica never even had a bad episode. Every hour served a purpose.

So, during perhaps one of the geekiest weekends of my life, that of 2010's Cherry Capital Con (C3) in Traverse City, I watched the mini-series that serves as a pilot for the series and the first two episodes. Though I fell asleep during the second episode, it was only due to exhaustion, because I was enraptured by BSG almost immediately.

Battlestar Galactica is probably the best-delivered science fiction program that television has ever seen. There's a reason that geeks and cult audiences swear by it. But that reason does not preclude casual TV watchers and non-geeks. It's also one of the best dramas of all time, and the character studies are hard to top.

Battlestar Galactica is awesome. So say we all.

James Remar

Actor James Remar. Giving you a proper sense of Remar's resume in the film and television industry would take more time and space than any of our attention spans would allow. If he looks or sounds familiar, it's probably because he plays Dexter's father Harry Morgan on the television program Dexter. James Remar is probably one of the most tragically under-appreciated actors in all of Hollywood. He's a brilliant character actor who pops up on every other television show you've ever watched. (I most recently saw him as Meier in two episodes of Battlestar Galactica.) He's also a voice actor involved in superhero cartoons, and you know how much I value that!

Mary McDonnell

Actress Mary McDonnell. She is probably best known as President Laura Roslin from the cult re-imagination of Battlestar Galactica, but I remember first encountering her as Rose Darko in the film Donnie Darko (2001). I think the words of her on-screen husband Eddie Darko (Holmes Osborne) sum it up best: "You're not a bitch. You're bitchin', but you're not a bitch." Mary McDonnell brings integrity and grace to every character she plays. So say we all.

Edward James Olmos

Actor Edward James Olmos. You probably recognize him as Admiral William Adama on the hit television program Battlestar Galactica. Say what you will about that show - I know there is a lot of stigma attached to the sci-fi cult series, as there is with any such program - Olmos has delivered some of the most powerful performances I've ever seen on television. And he did it on a weekly basis. This dude is the real deal.

Tricia Helfer

Actress Tricia Helfer. You may know her as a whole bunch of characters on the television program Battlestar Galactica. ("There are many copies.") My friend Adam, upon seeing a picture of Helfer, said, "I would watch that show just for her." I responded, "Yeah. I'll bet a whole lot of people have." It's the lips. I'm telling you.