[TV] Battlestar Galactica

[Chirri]

I liked BSG, and it was a great show, but as Magisleeper said, it was essentially a soap opera. The drama was pretty intense, and drama's place in Sci-fi (pop culture TV sci fi) historically is usually a bit more tempered.

I grew up watching ST:TNG. I liked watching a Captain who was more of a tactician than a womanizing brawler.

I also watched Babylon 5, and the combination of ST:TNG and Bab5 had a pretty big impact on how I grew to enjoy sci fi as a whole. I think I found Bab5 to be more mind blowing than ST:TNG. Certainly more mind blowing than Stargate(s) and BSG. Perhaps it was just my age and how the series' arcs managed to open my eyes; I can't really say.

Firefly was a really fun show, as well... it had such tremendous promise. Stupid TV execs and their bad taste.

But in the end, I think I'm going to have to vote for Bab5, despite (in all honesty) not likely having seen the full series in consecutive order. It just did so much more to my mind than aaaany other sci fi series I've seen.

[grandpab]

@grandpab: You liked Atlantis better? For some reason the characters just wouldn't do it for me like the original four did in SG-1. Ronin being a nice exception. They never seemed to make the Wraith out to be much of a threat either, until the hybrids come along. I found the enemies in SG-1 to have more depth.

Atlantis had some good characters, I didn't care much for Teyla, but John Sheppard, Ronon, and Dr. Carson were all awesome, eventually Dr. Weir grew on me and I liked her.

To me Atlantis just had a better story, and they stuck to the story. SG1 bounces around so much with the side stories that it's just not holding my interest. I like it more when series stick to 1 major plot instead of all the bouncing around with the side stories. It's like filler episodes in anime, SG1 seems to have a lot of them. I'm like 60-70 episodes into it and just can't really bring myself to watch anymore.

Plus I sorta watched the series backwards, I started with SGU, then watched SG Atlantis, so now anything I watch in SG1 is just kinda like...seen this already...

[Wekapedia]

the whole idea was very original and the space cowboy in a japanese space world was incredibly unique

Chinese. And Firefly was never completed.

SG1 and SG°A were kiddie shows. Watchable, but they were nothing beyond pseudo-scientific action-flicks. SG1 went downhill hard after MacGyver parted the show in S8 too.

BSG was awesome, but TNG and DS9 still eclipse it to this day.

[Rumred]

To me at least for the moment Star Trek Deep Space Nine would be the best as it took a darker approach then did TNG,Voyager and TOS.

Spoilers don't read if you plan to watch DS9 and cant stand even slight spoilers.

Having two main storyline s being built from the the start with Gul Dukat vs Sisko (starting season 1) and the Dominion vs the Alpha Quadrant (starting in season 2) that were at last concluded in the series finale really tied it all together. The build up and suspense of when and how The Dominion would attack was handled a hundred times better then TNG and the Borg. The addition of the Mirror Universe in some episodes also added a little extra to the shows main story.

End Spoilers.

The segments where Quark and Odo would go at it in some form or fashion added just enough comedy while keeping the darker setting that DS9 had. The cast worked really well with each other and the addition of Worf in season 4 was a nice add. There were also a good amount of sub-plots most of which were tied up in the last season.

As for some others that could be thrown out there as best Sci Fi could be SG-1 tho its latter seasons seemed to not live up to the earlyer seasons with Apophis and Anubis. SG Atlantis while still good didn't live up to the earlier SG-1 Seasons but it had its moments and Rodney could be very funny at times.

Star Trek TNG was a fairly decent Sci Fi but a lack of a main story line seemed to hurt it at times but the inclusion of some enemy's in the later seasons IE the Borg,Romulans even Cardassians helped.

[geniusbean]

Battlestar Galactica is a good scifi but Stargate SG1 will always be my favorite.

The mix with ancient egyptian mythos and to other extent viking mythos with the Asgard realy cought my eye when you actuly notice how much tought have gone into making the stories of the series it just blows your mind so much accurate history that have been molded to be changed so that it would include aliens.

The actors where just spot on amazing most people would probably have Oniel or Tealc as favorite characters i agree they are great but Daniel Jacksson will always be my favorite his character was executed realy well in the series (no pun intended )

I also enjoyed how there was both a main story all out the series but at the same time they managed to tie the war with the goa'uld into smaller plots and some episode where without them completly and where great in their own way.
They also managed to keep the quality of both technobabble and action and comedy interesting at all times.

Sadly the later seasons with the Origin story line was weak but still had its strong points and kept the interest up sadly the ending was never realy finished apart from being scrambled into a 1.5hour long movie after many years of no news about it wich however turned out ok from my pov.

I cant realy type anything more on the subject now its 06:56am and i realy need to sleep >.> and my head hurts.
I hope it made sense.

Stargate is a fantastic story... it's actually believable unlike most sci-fi shows/movies.

Stargate Universe sucks ass, though.

To me at least for the moment Star Trek Deep Space Nine would be the best as it took a darker approach then did TNG,Voyager and TOS.

Spoilers don't read if you plan to watch DS9 and cant stand even slight spoilers.

Having two main storyline s being built from the the start with Gul Dukat vs Sisko (starting season 1) and the Dominion vs the Alpha Quadrant (starting in season 2) that were at last concluded in the series finale really tied it all together. The build up and suspense of when and how The Dominion would attack was handled a hundred times better then TNG and the Borg. The addition of the Mirror Universe in some episodes also added a little extra to the shows main story.

End Spoilers.

The segments where Quark and Odo would go at it in some form or fashion added just enough comedy while keeping the darker setting that DS9 had. The cast worked really well with each other and the addition of Worf in season 4 was a nice add. There were also a good amount of sub-plots most of which were tied up in the last season.

As for some others that could be thrown out there as best Sci Fi could be SG-1 tho its latter seasons seemed to not live up to the earlyer seasons with Apophis and Anubis. SG Atlantis while still good didn't live up to the earlier SG-1 Seasons but it had its moments and Rodney could be very funny at times.

Star Trek TNG was a fairly decent Sci Fi but a lack of a main story line seemed to hurt it at times but the inclusion of some enemy's in the later seasons IE the Borg,Romulans even Cardassians helped.

Agreed TNG is the best Trek of them all. Picard is a bawss.

[Neotokyo]

BSG Great series.. but then again yet another great series destroyed by a completely shite ending. i mean really.

My fave series has to be Stargate... you can keep atlantis and Universe.. the original series was awesome.

[Impeccable]

You might like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, then.

On topic; I liked Battlestar Galactica, but I don't think it was the best sci-fi series ever.

I've managed to watch every Star Trek series to date, unfortunately DS9 was only #3 or 4 on the list. (I go back between DS9 & VOY on a semi-frequent basis). While the series did gain ground after introducing the "Defiant", I never quite got over the confining feeling of the station. With every other member of the franchise, one gets the distinct impression that they're in a world much bigger than their own. With DS9 sure there's a progressive nature to the show (more so in later seasons) which is one of it's strongest points as it's the first series of the franchise to really employ episode continuations beyond 2-3 part mini-series. They're always confined to the station (again corrected by introducing the defiant), between this and the constant need to retake the station, secure the station from attack, abandoning the station, this in conjunction with a cast that was less than stellar (with a few exceptions) kicked DS9 down a few notches in my book.

That's not to say it's not a great series, because I thoroughly enjoyed watching and following it every week. It just lacked some of the appeal and nostalgia I get from TOS & TNG.

[Aliessil]

I'm amazed only one person's mentioned Babylon 5 o.o

It was clearly written as a 5-series arc with a definite start and finish (BSG is the only other sci-fi series I can think of like this). Season one was a bit wobbly as the series was finding it's feet but there's some good episodes in there. There's also a ton of hints pointing at events in later series - the number of times upon re-watching it that I noticed these little details was quite amazing at the time.

Series 2-4 were fantastic, all building up to and covering the big war. There was some really good character development too - I went from disliking G'Kar to him being one of my favourites. Londo's story was also well done and the relationship between the two was gripping. I was gutted when Marcus and Ivanova left the show.

The final series was the weakest IMO. Maybe that's because the season revolved around them cleaning things up, or maybe because some of the main characters changed, or maybe just because it had to follow season 4.

--

People are mentioning some great other shows, but none of them are really completed IMO. I love Stargate SG-1 (and to a lesser extent the other Stargate shows), but it's clearly written to be able to tag more onto the end, all the time. Same with the Star Trek shows, Doctor Who, etc. If you watch them out of order, it doesn't matter so much.

[Gallahadd]

BSG was frakkin amazing, loved everything about it (I still have all of the OST's on my ipod to the day) but I've got to say there IS one show that in MY opinion jjuusstt pips it at the post to claim 'best Sci Fi EVER'

Farscape. Seriously for it's time it was groundbreaking, the fusion of real actors (not to mention that Ben Browder & Claudia Black where both OUTSTANDING) what was then cutting edge CGI and Puppets, brought in by the Henson family was just fantastic. Combine all of this with epic storylines, snappy scriptwriting and some genuinly engaging characters and to this day the only show I've seen which rivals it is Firefly, which sadly was never given the time it needed to grow.

BSG was amazing, but I know alot of people where turned off by the grim nature of it, which isn't everyones cup o' tea. The great thing about Farscape was it was readily accessable to EVERYONE, I love it (26yo male) my mum loves it (we'll say... older lady ) my niece loves it (13yo girl) there was something in there for EVERYONE, and that's why IMO Farscape was the greatest Sci Fi show EVER.

[Morae]

I'm amazed only one person's mentioned Babylon 5 o.o

It was clearly written as a 5-series arc with a definite start and finish (BSG is the only other sci-fi series I can think of like this). Season one was a bit wobbly as the series was finding it's feet but there's some good episodes in there. There's also a ton of hints pointing at events in later series - the number of times upon re-watching it that I noticed these little details was quite amazing at the time.

Series 2-4 were fantastic, all building up to and covering the big war. There was some really good character development too - I went from disliking G'Kar to him being one of my favourites. Londo's story was also well done and the relationship between the two was gripping. I was gutted when Marcus and Ivanova left the show.

The final series was the weakest IMO. Maybe that's because the season revolved around them cleaning things up, or maybe because some of the main characters changed, or maybe just because it had to follow season 4.

--

People are mentioning some great other shows, but none of them are really completed IMO. I love Stargate SG-1 (and to a lesser extent the other Stargate shows), but it's clearly written to be able to tag more onto the end, all the time. Same with the Star Trek shows, Doctor Who, etc. If you watch them out of order, it doesn't matter so much.

You are not alone! Babylon 5 ftw!

I remember how I felt a bit empty when it ended. I had been watching it so long.

[Promark]

The terms that everyone seems to be searching for are serial and procedural. A serial series relies on a continuing story line that requires the story to be told in order, such as BSG and SGU. A procedural series is mostly self contained episodes where it doesn't matter (much) the order you watch them, such as ST:TNG and Law & Order.

Many people who really liked SG1 and Atlantis did not like Universe because it switched the format from action based semi-procedural episodes to a dryer serial. I really wish that more serials would stick around, they can provide the best stories if the writing is solid. But with the limited audience that sci-fi pulls in, most television companies want a series that they can sell it for syndication and a serial is a tough sell.

[Deleted]

It's hard to compare with BSG.

SG-1 is what I would call classic scifi; the kind of show that almost every other scifi series following would mimic. If it's purely about scifi, SG-1 gets my vote any day. However, BSG isn't really about scifi in the same way that other scifi shows are. It's a drama series set in space, with the shift of focus being clearly on character development, politics, religion and the existential. The Cylons and space battles really only exist to drive the plot forward, however awesome they are.

For me, BSG is close to the epitome of good science fiction on the television. Science fiction (to me) is supposed to focus on how adding technology (in a realistic fashion) changes societal behaviors. Basically it's a drama with the main points existing because of the technology. SG-1 was good for the first few seasons, and then it got extremely repetitive, formulaic, and then just downright ridiculous. As for star trek, I've never watched it because I've gotten to the point where watching moldy oldies is painful because of how bad they look graphically, unless the plot or subject matter is superb. As for Star Trek being the grandfather of science fiction, that notion is laughable... on television it may be one of the first shows but it is by no means a grandfather.

I'm amazed only one person's mentioned Babylon 5 o.o

It was clearly written as a 5-series arc with a definite start and finish (BSG is the only other sci-fi series I can think of like this). Season one was a bit wobbly as the series was finding it's feet but there's some good episodes in there. There's also a ton of hints pointing at events in later series - the number of times upon re-watching it that I noticed these little details was quite amazing at the time.

Series 2-4 were fantastic, all building up to and covering the big war. There was some really good character development too - I went from disliking G'Kar to him being one of my favourites. Londo's story was also well done and the relationship between the two was gripping. I was gutted when Marcus and Ivanova left the show.

The final series was the weakest IMO. Maybe that's because the season revolved around them cleaning things up, or maybe because some of the main characters changed, or maybe just because it had to follow season 4.

--

People are mentioning some great other shows, but none of them are really completed IMO. I love Stargate SG-1 (and to a lesser extent the other Stargate shows), but it's clearly written to be able to tag more onto the end, all the time. Same with the Star Trek shows, Doctor Who, etc. If you watch them out of order, it doesn't matter so much.

B5 was good on par with BSG but I like my science fiction gritty, so ultimately I prefer BSG (even with the iffy ending). The final season of B5 was weak because the show had already been cancelled and the final episode filmed - which is why Ivanova is in the finale. The main focus in the fifth season is the tps and stabilization, plus the previous seasons had been just so good that it was hard to maintain that level of greatness.

[Deleted]

I grew up with SG1 and Atlantis which I love to this day. I loved Firefly (why did they cancel it ffs ? ) but not completed ... Liked Farscape a lot, but doesn't compete with Stargate or Battlestar.
Also David Tennant's doctor will always rule supreme if you count that as completed IMO.

[Deleted]

BSG started great, but i thought the last season was complete crap, it felt rushed, like they just wanted it to end as quickly as possible. I loved the first 3 seasons though, i watch them on DVD every 6 months or so.

My fave has to be Star trek Voyager i guess.

[cubby]

Did you mean months rather than years, or some other show? Caprica wrapped up it's one and only season at the beginning of this year.

Heh, yeah - I just read what I wrote and it make almost no sense, apologies. I meant that we watched Caprica after BSG was over, and she liked Caprica more than I did, although we both fizzled out before the final episode of it's one and only season. Ironically, we watched Caprica before we watched the modern BSG - because as a kid I had seen the original series, which sucked, but who's plot I could sum up pretty easily for my wife, so she could get the basics of the prequel for Caprica.

Then we watched BSG from a friends recommendation (and I can't remember who it was now ).

I had watched Fringe a bit but for some reason or another, tuned it out and lost interest. I need to pick that back up - I understand that there is an "alternate universe" thing going on after the first season, which sounds nifty.

---------- Post added 2011-09-12 at 04:26 PM ----------

I grew up watching ST:TNG. I liked watching a Captain who was more of a tactician than a womanizing brawler.

Same, and agree.

---------- Post added 2011-09-12 at 04:31 PM ----------

I'm amazed only one person's mentioned Babylon 5 o.o

Going to try that series out. Had heard of it before but never seen a single episode.

[Skizzit]

Best is a subjective term so it is hard to say. I love BSG, but the ending was a bit of a let down and there is a large chuck of crappy fliller-like episodes in the middle of season three (boxing episode anyone?) I would say most well done, start to finish sci-fi series I have seen would be between Babylon 5 or Farscape. Both of those series had an end game from the first episode and remained constant through out. Both had fantastic acting as well. Babylon 5 suffers from time a bit due to the use of early CGI (Star Trek DS9 came out the same year but held up better due to the use of models that still look good) but the story is so strong that most people I introduce the series to don't really notice it after a few episodes. Farscape has some cheesy CGI as well, but also had the amazing Henson Company puppet and make-up work.

DS9 will always hold a special place on my list as well simply because it was the first sci-fi series I saw that had a coherent long running story and is probably my favorite of the Treks, even though Picard > all when it comes to captains.

[Deleted]

All Great, But my fav was Space above & beyond, followed by Red Dwarf ( if that count ) and BSG stole a few idea's from Space above & beyond

But I loved them all from star Treks, Stargates and firefly... I just love Sci-Fi be it set in space or contain Zombies

............./Apart from a little show called Failing Sky's, That show needs burning...

[Fuzzzie]

Sorta tied with Firefly for me. Still a great show, but it kinda drags when you re-watch it.

[ptwonline]

BSG started off great, but the last couple of seasons degenerated into philosophical and religious blather.

---------- Post added 2011-09-12 at 08:28 PM ----------

As for B5, I liked it because of the politics and the overarching, epic storyline. However, it has not aged well (it often looks and feels cheap, trite, and simplistic), and there are way too many useless, fluff, Star Trek-like one-off episodes. I also absolutely could not stand Delenn. Little miss "I'm so broken up that you kept secrets from me, but I keep all these secrets from you for your own good". They should have shot her out an airlock.

B5 feels a bit like the end of old-style television dramatic storytelling, and at around the same time series like Buffy and the X-Files were showing the new way that television would unfold.

[cubby]

Sorta tied with Firefly for me. Still a great show, but it kinda drags when you re-watch it.

I don't think I could watch BSG a second time through. I doubt there are many subtleties to catch. I could, however, watch the pilot mini-series and the final three episodes just about any day of the week.

Firefly and (for me) Terminator: SCC are the reasons why I limited "best ever" (which is indeed exceedingly subjective) to series that were able to complete their story line. Firefly was so good, if they could have run with it and then finished the story their way, would more than likely have been the unanimous BEST ever Sci-Fi series, even in this varied forum.