Galactica Season One - Wow!

Last year, the SciFi channel aired a 13 episode season of the new Battlestar Galactica, close on the heels of the miniseries that aired in 2003.

For about three years now, we have only had basic cable (long story as to why - but essentially, the cost for buying it, combined with all of the time that our kids wasted watching Nick, led us to axe everything but a few basic channels). As such, though I've been eager to see what happened during the first season, and though I've had a chance to see a couple of episodes on videotape - thanks to my parents - I never got a chance to follow the entire season.

Until this weekend.

Last Tuesday, the Galactica Season One DVDs hit stores, and my local Blockbuster is renting them one at a time. I've only had a chance to watch one episode thus far (You Can't Go Home Again) but all I have to say is...WOW!

This is good TV. Not just good science fiction. Not just good space opera. It is incredibly well written, engaging drama. I don't watch enough TV to say this categorically, but I imagine it is as good as (or better than) any drama show on TV. Its that amazing.

All the buzz around the show is about Trish Helfer's portrayal of Number Six, a blonde-bombshell of a Cylon agent - and the personification of Satan herself. But my favorite character is President Rosslyn, portrayed by Mary McDonnel. Just a wonderful, flawed, almost uncertain personality that still seems to find the right words and the right tone for every situation. When she started weeping at the announcement that Starbuck - lost on a patrol and presumed dead - had been found, I just about lost it myself.

I wish Cox offered SciFi with their basic cable plan...