MidnightBlue

Ron and the writers of BSG have long promised a darker, more angst filled season and they certainly have delivered the goods with this season 3 premiere.

The two-hour season premier, Occupation/Precipice covered a lot of ground plot wise. Each scene deftly set the stage as to the plight of the stranded colonials on New Caprica; their varying reactions to the occupation and the situation of the departed Colonial fleet.

Included was yet another timeline leap. Our story picks up 4 months after the ending of LDYB2. The need for flashbacks this season is just growing and growing.

With so much material to dissect and comment upon, I’ve organized my review of this episode into two broad categories:

New Caprica/Occupation
The Fleet


New Caprica/Occupation

The opening 12-minute montage was a brilliant tease. It gave just enough information on the current circumstances and frame of mind our favorite characters yet left you questioning what was revealed and wanting more detail.

In previous interviews leading up to this season premiere, Ron Moore used the example of Vichy france to describe what life was going to be like for the abandoned colonists living under Cylon occupation during season 3. Nothing in this premier or in the previous Webisodes could have been further from this statement. It is no secret that Ron Moore and most of actors and actresses in this show are opposed to the successful liberation of Iraq and harbor no good tiding for the fledgling, democratically elected government of Iraq. The writers have woven into the storylines over the past two seasons comparisons between Cylons and the Coalition Forces in Iraq. Up to this point, it has been a subtle anti war/ anti Bush subtext to the unfolding story. Well, as the Cylon named Brother Cavil so aptly pointed out in the season opener, “The gloves are now off’. Cylon occupied New Caprica is simply a visual representation of the liberal articles of faith in regards to Iraq and the WOT. Posters over at Sciffy board have been using the term: Battlestar Iraqtica to describe this episode.

In other observations, I was surprised to see dogs on New Caprica. Are they indigenous to the planet?

Loved the scene where Laura admits to her fellow prisoner, Tom Zarek, she tried to steal the presidential election.

Speaking of Presidents: Giaus Baltar – The. Most. Hated. President. Ever.
Notice his initials GB match those of the current President of the United States. Coincidence? Or not?

Two suicide bombers reeked havoc on infrastructure that the Cylons have been building in New Caprica. What’s next on the liberal meme agenda for the occupation? Staged general elections?

Tigh has become quite the badass leader that I knew was lurking under the surface. I loved it when schooled the former president Roslin in one scene. Ellen Tigh has finally showed some chops and acted not in her own best interests but that of her incarcerated husband, too bad she has been ‘redshirted’.

Two of the most touching moments of the show occurred on New Caprica. First when the newly freed Tigh asked Sam about Kara – Sam’s response was laced with his admiration for her saving his life and despair over the whereabouts of his wife. Second was the message from the Fleet when they were able to pick up the weak signal from New Caprica the message read "Have hope – We are coming back."

Kara and Leoben. What an ugly, twisted and creepy storyline. This sick obsession Leoben has in helping Kara fulfill her destiny – Whatever. Adding to this Manson-version of a happy family is Kasey, the test tube daughter of Leoben and Kara. What really bothers me about this particular storyline is this trend in SciFi series writers to take strong female leads and foist unwanted children and or gyn exams on their characters. When was the last time the lead male character in any sci-fi show was subjected to a digital rectal exam? My inner feminist is not happy with this development in the canon of BSG and this scifi trend in general.

The Colonial Fleet

Oh. my. gods. Fat Lee in a towel, ouch, those images sobered me quickly

Adama and Lee are at odds with each other on how best to proceed in this ugly situation – nothing new there. Adama wants to plan a rescue mission for those they left behind in New Caprica and Lee wants to cut their losses and run. Both have compelling reasons for their respective side of this argument, and I look forward to find how they work out their differences. Hopefully Lee will just START working out.

Other updates:

Kat is now the CAG
Helo is Galactica’s XO
dee is Pegasus’s XO.

Cylon Sharon is having teatime heart to hearts with Adama. I would definitively like a flashback or two revealing how these two knuckleheads became friends.

Sharon and Karl are married!!! At least one of the three newly married couples is truly suited for one another. How long will this last when the truth about Hera/Isis is uncovered? Hell hath no fury….

There was an interesting scene with all the senior staff of both battlestars planning the rescue operation based on the first report from the resistance leadership on New Caprica. Lee deftly shot down all their suggested plans of attack, and dee had nothing to contribute. Adama eventually organizes a recon team which included Sharon Agathon as the fleet liaison officer for the resistance.

Lee and dee are married and still exhibit the same utter lack of chemistry that fans observed in all the deleted scenes of their relationship from the previous seasons. Over the past year, Dee has enabled her husband, Lee, to lose control of himself emotionally and physically while moving herself up in the rank hierarchy. There is one squiky scene where the XO of Pegasus, dee, comments to Lee, the Commander of the Pegasus, that one of the reasons why she married him was because he is like his father. Ouch..so much for loving Lee for himself….Me thinks she married the wrong Adama.


And that would be all she wrote...for now. What were your thoughts on this first episode of Battlestar Galactica?