3.0 out of 5 based on 1 reviews. – Customer review on 13/07/2007

Despite a number of people saying this show is cheesy or steals too much from westerns, I have to say there is a lot of originality in Battlestar Galactica. Modern sci-fi epics (Matrix) and classics (Star Wars) are dark. By contrast, Battlestar Galactica is innocent and pure with its message of hope and renewal. You don't see this often, and it is probably why kids liked the show so much.

* The interpersonal conflicts are well-developed. You have Baltar the traitor balancing himself between Cyclons and humans, Adama's many conflicts with peace-blinded civilian leadership, misbehaving pilots, and Starbuck's attempts to manage his harem of girlfriends. In terms of character development, there is a lot going on.

* Epic plots and big action. Strong male characters and beautiful women. Awesome ship designs.

Where the show fails is it attempts to do too much. Frequently it omits dialogue, or fails to refer back to events, simply to save time. This gives the show a cartoony feel, because the characters pull off huge stunts and barely reflect on them afterward.

The most interesting aspect of the show to me is the "space ark" premise of saving the human race from interplanetary war. This premise became very popular in anime movies about the same time, which is strangely prescient of the modern day. After all, Hollywood didn't pick up on Japanese film concepts until the late 90's, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer hit the airwaves and later, the Matrix. Battlestar Galactica is really a live-action anime, and certainly has a different feel than Dark Star, Silent Running, Star Wars, Soylent Green, and Time Bandits, most of which (as my ex-gf noted) are built around a "shock" ending.