It is official; Battlestar Galactica will go down in history as one of the greatest science fiction series in television history. I am willing to take that one step further and say that it is quite possibly the best series currently in production of any genre, and will likely be among the greatest television series of all time. Do you doubt me? Just watch the show and see for yourself.
This is a show that is firing on all cylinders, from the writing to the directing, from the acting to the effects — there is just no getting around what they are able to accomplish. Now that it is entering its fourth and final season, you know that their A game will be pushed to the limits as we steam towards the series conclusion. First stop: "He That Believeth in Me."
When we last left the BSG crew, four of the final five Cylons had been revealed, Lee Adama had just played an instrumental role in getting Baltar freed in the trial of the millennium, the Cylon fleet had caught up to the colonials, and, in the heat of battle, Starbuck returned, seemingly from the dead, following a two month absence with the news that she had been to Earth. Whew! With all of that, this season premiere had a lot of ground to cover.
Season four kicks off right where season three ended. Lee is in disbelief as Kara flies alongside him, while Adama attempts to get an identification of the Viper. At the same time, Anders deals with his first combat experience following his training as a Viper pilot. On the Galactica bridge Tigh has a fantasy/nightmare of assassinating his best friend. Then there is Gaius Baltar, spirited away to a remote section of the ship where he is believed to be a religious leader.
The one thing that is important to realize when entering into a viewing arrangement with Battlestar Galactica is that you will not be able to look away. Each episode is packed with so much that if you blink, or step out for a snack, you are sure to miss something. Beyond that, it is not only packed with plot, but with character development. It is the rare series that can deliver on so many fronts without skimping on others.
"He That Believeth in Me" gets season four off to a roaring start. When the show opened, and we watched Saul Tigh pull his sidearm and shoot Adama in the eye, my jaw dropped. It was a powerful moment that signaled I was back in BSG-land where no one is safe. Of course, it was revealed to all be in Tigh's head, but this goes a long way to what may be going on inside his mind following the revelation at the end of season three.
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