Battlestar Hasn't Jumped the Shark

Source: SciFi Weekly

I started college the same year the original Battlestar Galactica started, and have watched every episode of both the current and original series at first run. I remember at the time the original show first ran that there were two main criticisms.

First, the constant battles in every episode was turning the show in "Cylon battle of the week," especially since they kept re-using the same footage.

Secondly, the original Battlestar Galactica never explored the real problems and logistics of holding a fleet together with little to no access to resources. In my opinion, the current show has not only done an excellent job handling these questions, but in the process has raised topics such as abortion, terrorism and even labor relations in a way no other show on television does today. This is hardly "jumping the shark."

The original show did have other problematic issues, but considering it came from the same general era when Fantasy Island and Charlie's Angels were first-run shows, and Gilligan's Island or The Brady Bunch could be seen several times a day in reruns, the original Battlestar Galactica was a breath of fresh air.

My only complaint of the current series is that we don't get to see more of Richard Hatch's character, Tom Zarek. While all the characters on the show are evolving, I think Tom Zarek is the most complex and multifaceted character from the start, and I if I could sit down to dinner with any one character from either BSG series, I think Tom Zarek would make for the most interesting conversation.