Battlestar Galactica 1x01 33

[oyceter]

I really, really, really need a BSG icon, as I suspect I will be making about twelve more squeeing posts in the future.

I *heart* this show so incredibly, incredibly much. I'm not quite sure how I got this obsessed by just watching the miniseries, yet I have, and I haven't felt like this about a show since Buffy. Maybe Buffy wasn't so long ago, but I got into that around four years ago. And while I've been watching various other shows on the side and liked them, none of them have hit with this intensity until now.

I keep thinking I adore each character the most until the next one shows up. I loved Starbuck and Apollo's spat/joke on the flight deck, and I adore Starbuck and how she isn't played as typically feminine at all. I also liked Lee's sudden solemnity in light of the carrier he had to blow up, and the moments of attempting to take responsibility for it.

Gaius is perhaps the only character I am not feeling overwhelming love toward, because Gaius rather creeps me out. Hrm, ok, I don't adore Six or the girl who transmits communications or Billy either, or Helo, but I feel fondness toward them and I'm rather interested in them. Gaius' consistent lack of a spine and his willingness to save his own skin whenever rather frightens me, but I do like that they have a character like that. I especially like it since military shows often tend to get a little too sacrificial for the greater good for my taste, but so far this doesn't seem to be the tone that BSG is trying to strike.

I continue to love Roslin beyond what is rational, even though she didn't get that big of a role to play in this episode.

I liked how we jumped into the episode in the middle of the action, so to speak, and the weariness and the exhaustion in everyone. I haven't seen all that many military shows, but I do like that things here feel gritty and worn, even though it is a spaceship with guns and the like. I do rather wish that the one spineless character weren't a civilian, though.

Want more of Boomer! I can't tell if she knows she's a Cylon or not, and I want her desperately not to know because I'm biased because she's an Asian female in the military!

I don't actually want to see any sort of sexual undercurrent develop between Apollo and Starbuck, because that would be so typical and there are so few opposite sex friendships on TV that don't end up as romantic in some way. I also want to see more Lee-Roslin interaction! They were interesting in the miniseries. I also am not sure if I want to see romantic tension between Roslin and Adama or not... partly I don't because I adore Roslin and for once I want a woman in power who isn't a part of any sort of romantic entanglement whatsoever, and god help me, I will scream my head off if any of the women on this show are suddenly saddled with the mystical pregnancy of doom. I particularly fear this given the note at the end of the episode with the birth of a baby and the fact that the survival of the human race depends on procreation. I'm not really fearing it right now, since the BSG people are doing pretty much everything right with me.

Still not quite sure what to think about the religion thing -- on one hand, having Six and the Cylons (I assume) as the religious fanatics does have the rather deprecating message that believing fervently in a religion is rather mechanical (? am I reading too much?), on the other, the whole Lords of Kobol/chasing a mythical Earth thing is also rather strange, especially in light of the tone of the rest of the series. From what I've seen of these people, I wouldn't have thought that the thought of a mythical Earth would be so heartening to them.

I loved the shot of the impromptu memorial hall and of Roslin's whiteboard.

Also have no idea where they're going with Helo on Caprica, but to be honest, I'm not all that interested in Helo. I like the people interaction on the Galactica and assorted other ships much more (why yes, I do watch for character first).

I loved that they didn't play the "must rescue the abandoned carrier ship" card and gave it up as a loss, and I love that they had to blow it up in the end. I like that the series seems to be willing to go to hard places (rather like FMA, come to think of it), and I'm hoping that all their actions have the same hard consequences that FMA does.

Must parcel out episodes or else I will run out too quickly!

Ok... anyone in the fandom... where do I go for fic and intelligent commentary and icons and everything? I am obsessed and I need to feed said obsession.

Comments

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

13th_colony is a good place to start--it's modeled after mutant_allies, and is specifically for people watching on an American schedule. (In other words, it'd be spoilery for you, but I think it should be mostly lj-cut. Anyway, I believe the userinfo has some links to other communities, for icons and so on.)

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

Welcome, welcome to the love that is BSG! I agree, this show is sooo wonderful. Just wait til you see more..
If you want some good fic, try this fic written by rheanna27 http://www.livejournal.com/users/rheanna27/36823.html#cutid1

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

(Hi! Found your journal last night via, er, some route that I've already forgotten. Hope adding you is ok.)

Roslin is the best. That is all. Well, not quite all; interestingly, I fell in love with this show from the get-go as well, but I fell in love with it on the basis of the story and atmosphere. Characters pretty much always come second for me, but I loved the detailed, dirty feel of it all. Gaius, to me, is remarkable for being a crazy person who stays on the right side of the line between interesting and irritating; I think it's actually a very clever performance.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

I was pointed towards queenofthorns's journal. She's something of a Lee/Kara shipper, but there is some interesting stuff there. You'll probably want to look through her memories, since most of the stuff there is spoilery for you right now.

bstg_icontest is an icon community.

I ended up watching the episodes really quickly as I was getting spoiled, and I wanted to watch them before I got more spoiled. Am now trying to avoid S2 spoilers. *sigh*

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

I mod two communities: bsg2003fics is for fan-made creativity, bsg2003chatter is for random discussion. Most people are on both are on the international viewing schedule, so they're not for the spoiler-phobic although we've been trying to get everyone to label things appropriately.

However, I've listed other communities, fanfic archives, and resources in the userinfos of both communities. That might be a good starting place for you, along with 13th_colony.

[wisewoman.livejournal.com]

I have only seen episode 1 "33" because it's online, and I haven't seen the miniseries yet, but Gaius, for the first half hour I was conviced he was Alexander Siddiq, Dr. Julian Bashir from ST! These guys were separated at birth.

;o)

[oyceter]

Oh awesome! Thanks!

[oyceter]

I'm torn between wanting to watch it all at once and wanting to parcel it out so it lasts longer... only twelve more episodes =(.

I haven't read that fic yet, thanks! I've read part of her Five Deaths (Laura Roslin) fic, which is wonderful, like all her things though.

[oyceter]

*waves back* Adding is always ok ^_^. I may not add back though, given how I'm finding myself skimming through my FL right now =(.

I adore Roslin! More Roslin fans! I think it's always interesting seeing the different ways people look at stories, and I do love the atmosphere of BSG. I remember being very confused by the beginning of the miniseries, because I thought it was going to be all gritty and it was about the decomissioning ceremony, and everything went "Boom!" and my eyes went quite starry.

I admire the guy who plays Gaius' performance for his skill and the way I still feel sorry for him every so often, but the character sometimes irritates me and frightens me.

[oyceter]

Thanks for the rec! I think I've been avoiding most spoilers, and I seem to have picked it up at a time when episode discussion isn't so big (on my FL at least). I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the episodes and then reading your posts on them!

[oyceter]

Ooo, thanks for the links! Must remember you are always the person to go to for fandom pimpage ;).

[oyceter]

Ooo, the miniseries is definitely worth getting your hands on!

Alas, have not watched ST before, so not a clue about the characters...

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my impression is that episode discussion, of the sort that I see for other shows, just isn't happening for BSG as much, even among those people who are most active in the BSG communities on LiveJournal. There are certainly some reaction posts, but the ones I found seem to be fairly shippy. Which isn't a bad thing, but also isn't something I'm always looking for.

Meanwhile, I will pet my shiny new iconage.

[oyceter]

Oh, doh! Ah well.. at least in that case there won't be quite as many fandom wars, one hopes.

Not that mine are heavy on analysis. Really, all this means is that I have the moral obligation to ship this off to yhlee and get her addicted ;).

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Hee. That would be fun to see.

Yeah, my posts tend to be fairly light on analysis--I don't watch TV with the critical eye that I bring to reading books.