UNCUT REACTION - Battlestar Galactica S1E1 - 33
Added 2024-05-14 13:30:04 +0000 UTCA new journey begins. Can a series outside of Star Trek be successful on the channel? Will we like it enough to continue? Is Battlestar Galactica the one that will prevail where so many series have failed? We find out this summer.
If you're new here, there is some important info before we start the reaction. Please don't skip it.
Comments
Hope you recover quickly
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-08-17 04:34:41 +0000 UTCFinished the Three Hour butt buster last night from my own life experience of having a surgical removal of infectious tissue from my foot last weekend and still suffering a serious infection combating it with Hyper antibiotics my sleep has been disrupted for the last seven days , Kinda makes me think I am living through 33 minutes in the ragged edge of consciousness Oh, well I live in the subliminal, anyway. I will see you in a few I think I need some water….
Thicketdweller
2024-08-17 04:01:13 +0000 UTCI do remember that just like almost any other show the crew had to get used to working together before they could really shine. It isn't too obvious but simply quality goes up during first season. And I owe my eternal apologies to Tricia Helfer. I thought they brought her on, just because she is beautiful. Not only she plays great, she plays with greatest TV actors and not only doesn't look worse - there is synergy in her performances with other great actors, just like between any other 2 (or more) great actors. And acting in this.... oooof. Fantastic generally speaking. Though I'll comment on it later.
Jan Negrey
2024-06-14 08:39:55 +0000 UTCI freaking love this show. It's SO different from our beloved Star Trek, though it hits the same spot in my heart. You guys won't like being ahead of the characters in the story for certain things, but trust me, things don't stay that way. It gets so good.
Clyde Frog
2024-06-03 20:08:45 +0000 UTCDreary, for sure. Ronald D. Moore has lots of really interesting modes of writing, and he used one for this show. That said, it really is a good watch, almost all the time.
SageGreenGoat
2024-05-23 07:04:42 +0000 UTCI enjoyed watching this back with you guys, such a great start to setting the tone and building on the foundation of the mini-series. Looking forward to the next one!
Jon Reid
2024-05-18 12:19:14 +0000 UTCThis episode won a Hugo award. Its widely considered to be one of the best pilot episodes in TV history. And yes its very much a serious drama...not much comic relief here. Its an exceptionally well written and acted drama in a scifi setting...very different from Trek, which is of course much lighter.
Aaron Wells
2024-05-18 05:25:30 +0000 UTCYeah and I think somewhere in the middle would have been great
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-05-17 22:36:21 +0000 UTCI like the series but for me it made a series of missteps from season 3 on that it never covered from, it seemed like x-files another great series they never had and end game and made it up as they went along
Scarpad’s Domain
2024-05-17 22:35:28 +0000 UTCIt's hard for me to rewatch BSG. I loved the mini-series, and the actual show itself was impressive, at times being amazing. But there's definitely some boring stretches that last way too long that get to me after awhile. I'm not saying the good guys should always win. I'm just saying that, unlike Star Trek and most other Sci-Fi series', don't expect them to win here all of the time. Or even most of the time in some seasons.
Boggle
2024-05-17 09:30:22 +0000 UTCI believe that people who work with him closely are more likely to use his callsign and call him Captain Apollo; whereas, in more distant or formal relationships, people are more likely to call him Captain (Lee) Adama.
Aramis Calcutt
2024-05-16 17:06:13 +0000 UTCI'm not as concerned yet because this episode is more about establishing the situation (feeling heavy/bleak) and maintaining tension. It doesn't have a lot of the character stuff I think they will likely enjoy more. On my first watch I really enjoyed the miniseries, but was completely hooked on the series by around episode 4 or 5 or so.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-16 13:43:43 +0000 UTCIt's pretty cool that you're starting this show and season 3 of TNG at the same time. Because season 3 is when Ronald D Moore joined the writing staff. I think you'll enjoy seeing the similarities and differences between TNG Ron Moore and BSG Ron Moore.
Matthew Jimenez
2024-05-16 06:56:30 +0000 UTCHey Guys, I am thrilled you are watching "nuBSG" as it is referred to online. To Alex's point this is not Star Trek. But still a worthy venture in SF. The universe is a big place, room enough for many types of stories. To understand and maybe depending on your feelings appreciate this type of show, take a look at Ronald D. Moore. You have seen his contribution in the Next Generation. Well he saw something worth exploring with BSG. If you choose to stick with this, I think you may find very nuanced characters well beyond the "911" themes and an approch to a world that is suddenly unreconizable .. I look forward to your journey!
Delphinus
2024-05-16 05:41:36 +0000 UTCI remember absolutely loving this show as it aired. It had a magical mix of edgy, mystic, and overall really cool. But.. then it ended. The very notion of rewatching this has never entered my mind.
sjmpoo
2024-05-15 22:56:17 +0000 UTCLike I said, downer of a show that's a slow burn to worse. Galactica 1978: "Let's do this!" Galactica 2003: "We're fucked!''
Michael Nemo
2024-05-15 18:24:58 +0000 UTCProbably doesn’t bode well that you were this lukewarm to this. This is considered a tiptop ep of the show. Maybe not Top 10, but close. Certainly a much better episode relative to the rest of the show than Man Trap.
John M.
2024-05-15 14:41:55 +0000 UTCWelcome Clayton!
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-15 12:56:12 +0000 UTCGlad to see you guys decided to continue on with the full season. I joined the patreon just so i could do the full watch along of the series with you. It is definitely a much darker approach to Sci-Fi compared to Star Trek. It tries to ask lots of tough questions about humanity in a post apocalyptic situation. The current events from when it came out like others have said (9/11, the war on terror, etc.) had a large impact on what themes the show explores, which I'm sure you will continue to pick up on. I hope you guys continue to enjoy the series and your thoughtful reaction to the mini- series and this episode have encouraged me to go back and check out your star trek reactions as well.
Clayton Gaudet
2024-05-15 11:30:16 +0000 UTCFun factoid I forgot to mention in my comment on the miniseries, there are a few scifi easter eggs worked into the miniseries that I think slipped by you. The first was Serenity in the shot just before Roslin gets her cancer diagnosis. The second was the TOS Enterprise in the background of one of the fleet shots. But yeah, 33 is a really strong place to start the series IMO. It doesn't have a big "first episode" feel to it like a lot of Trek pilots do, but of course that's because that was the miniseries' job. This is effectively the second episode and can just tell it's own story with the benefit of all the establishing of the characters and world already out of the way. It actually wasn't too long after the miniseries that this came out. The miniseries was released just over 20 years ago, December of 2003, and this episode released 10 months later on Sky1 in the UK, and then January of 2005 in North America. I'm still going through the TAS reactions, but I have seen the thumbnail for the discussion backlash video for Wrath of Khan, and I was thinking of the "he was going blind from the radiation, you idiots" comment right before you brought it up. Got a bit of a laugh out of that. Glad they decided to bring Helo back from the miniseries. I also like that Apollo didn't just pass off responsibility to Adama for giving the order. He knows it's just as much on him for destroying that ship, and "just following orders" doesn't absolve him of that. That says something about his character. This is an unusually tense episode with the constant 33 minute encounters. Staying awake for over 5 days is crazy and will really start to mess with people's heads. I'm sure people were taking little naps of just passing out in the hallways, but that's never going to be enough. Nice touch ending the episode on news of a baby being born though. Even as bleak as this episode was, there's this tiny glimmer of hope.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-05-15 09:27:43 +0000 UTCIt was basically the same story with me, but I ended up rewatching it in 2011 or so and really enjoyed it, so maybe you'll see it different with a fresh perspective.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-05-15 07:36:54 +0000 UTCI will be watching from a totally different perspective than Trek. I've never seen this but it's fun to have buddies to experience a first watch. I've heard Ronald D. Moore takes a different path.
T’Pynyn of Vulcan
2024-05-15 06:08:28 +0000 UTCThe Director didn't make the cast stay awake for a week, Edward James Olmos did. He's an actor that COMMITS. And he dragged everyone he could along. Katee Sackoff said "forget that" and got good sleeps.
Nolan
2024-05-15 06:04:43 +0000 UTCBSG watchthrough has begun... START THE CLOCK!
Evan Guthrie
2024-05-15 03:14:03 +0000 UTCSuch great timing! It's streaming on prime, easier to watch with you.
Yesenia Cuevas
2024-05-15 02:47:09 +0000 UTCYes, yes it can and WILL be successful
Ian C Johnson
2024-05-15 01:30:03 +0000 UTCI see some negative comments about you starting BSG reactions... I just wanted to counter that with my voice. I love BSG, and look forward to your exploration of the show.
Tom Occhipinti
2024-05-15 00:52:48 +0000 UTCI've always appreciated that this is not attempting to be anything like Trek. This is a realistic survival drama with a scifi setting. Amazing characters, great direction, superb writing. This is the perfect balance for the channel, with TNG's optimistic tone on the other end. Well done. Great reaction!
StonyD
2024-05-14 22:30:45 +0000 UTCTilda? I'd watch that.
StonyD
2024-05-14 22:21:35 +0000 UTCI'm in for now. I haven't watched this BSG series since it first aired. The depressing aspect of it got to me after a while and I ended up skipping the whole last season. Ronald Moore went deliberately in the opposite direction of the optimistic Star Trek-vision of the future. I will watch along for now and see if I can go the distance with you guys. No promises. Something I remember from when I first watched it: the cylons appear to be monotheists (God-centric) whereas the humans seem to be polytheists (Lords of Kobol). I found that interesting.
Collin Freeman
2024-05-14 22:05:07 +0000 UTCThis show NEVER stops being very intense. I honestly have almost no memory at all of the original BSG, though I was very much alive and the 'target market' of it at the time (would have been 9 that year). I had the toys, including the Viper that they banned later because of the kids shooting each other in the eyes with the little pellet thingie, but the show itself wasn't really all that fun, I thought. I thought of it as a ripoff at the time. I liked the Buck Rogers reboot better, TBH. Apologies if I said all that already lol. This one was the one that stuck with me. I hope it will stick with you. Edward James Olmos is so perfect for Adama. All I can say is I come back to this when I need a good dose of him. He's probably my favorite part of this, unwaveringly. I believe in his Adama.
Angelaina Marie
2024-05-14 21:24:00 +0000 UTCYeah I agree with this, 'dark' rather than 'bleak'. It sometimes gets this bleak (and sometimes even more so), but the whole series would be really tiring if it was like this all the time.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 20:03:48 +0000 UTCLOL
Monty Crawford
2024-05-14 19:30:59 +0000 UTC"Fun fact: 9/11."
EnigmaticPenguin
2024-05-14 19:17:02 +0000 UTCKen… I swear to you as soon as we get the emerald back from your grasp and end this curse you are SCREWED!
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 19:15:01 +0000 UTCIt's sad you don't appreciate this show for the genius it is. How did you not understand that there could be more than one Boomer? I'll tell you how, you were talking in the scene explaining it in the mini. YOU MISSED IT! You don't get it but you need to keep in mind when this was made people had longer attention spans and actually would pay attention. Also, you guys need to remember that this is not a kiddie show like Star Trek. You guys clearly just don't get it I'm afraid. Be better.
Ken R
2024-05-14 19:08:11 +0000 UTCThe character of Helo (on nuked Caprica) was originally intended to have died offscreen in the miniseries, but they were so impressed by the actor that they brought him back.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 18:51:01 +0000 UTCThat reminded me of the time Brent Spiner said that if they rebooted TNG he'd want Tilda Swinton to play Data
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-05-14 18:48:09 +0000 UTCThe hardest choices require the strongest wills
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 18:42:07 +0000 UTCYou guys are fuckin nuts. I can't believe you watched all 33 episodes of S1 in one sitting. You must really love the show. I still gotta watch the miniseries reaction. Off to do that now.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-05-14 18:35:01 +0000 UTCI think so too.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 18:08:48 +0000 UTCthis ain't no frakin' TNG. Fun watching with y'all. I think you'll end up getting into it.
Lt Dan I scream
2024-05-14 17:59:01 +0000 UTCI think you're starting to see the huge difference in tone between the original show and this one. They really wanted to set this apart. It makes it very hard to directly compare the two. The show is very dark, but the first episode shows how they offset that with some hope (the baby being born). "33" is a very strong opening, but I got really hooked by about episode 4 or 5. I think this episode really made you feel the weight and tragedy with the heavy focus on things like the wall of pictures, the constant countdown timer, how tired everybody is, and the loss of life on the Olympic Carrier.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 17:43:37 +0000 UTCNot 'bleak' 100% of the time, but it's definitely 'dark' almost all the time.
MertzRocks
2024-05-14 17:41:02 +0000 UTCCGI technology got a lot better between when the miniseries was made and this episode. The metal cylons and the CGI spaceships both look quite a bit better, so I think it is more to do with that than the fact that you guys watched the miniseries on DVD.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 17:23:36 +0000 UTC“Frack” is the original spelling from 1978 and the way it was spelled in the original series scripts. However, “frak” was the first published spelling, appearing several times in the Marvel Comics run. I prefer “frak” myself, but I would never say “frack” is wrong.
James H
2024-05-14 17:15:39 +0000 UTCThank you for trying to make an actual comment with them, because we definitely expected someone commenting the list of words with nothing else
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 16:58:51 +0000 UTCTrying to create a comment using NOTHING BUT the banned phrases.... xD (well it's not coming together yet so...) :D
MertzRocks
2024-05-14 16:46:59 +0000 UTCI guess I did. This was years before Inception. It was based on an article I read in a physical newspaper when I was a teenager. Good luck. I really hope you can manage it.
John
2024-05-14 16:44:52 +0000 UTCSo you basically did the Inception trick, but without a totem 💀 that is amazing, I will now be asking myself if I’m dreaming 100x a day and I’ll report back with any updates
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 16:38:43 +0000 UTCWhile I'm dreaming, I am aware that it is a dream. In most cases the physical laws apply, but more loosely, like the non-Neo people in The Matrix. (I think I can fly in any of these dreams, but usually I'm on the ground and I don't TRY to fly, because my dream is clearly focused on the ground, and I'm interested.) Settings are largely normal, places that I've visited many times in the past. (The old community center where I used to go with my Mom and brother to swim, when I was very young, my old High School, multiple settings from College, my childhood home.) I have episodic dreams, and I also have dreams with a continuity. The continuity dreams are set in a fictional world, places and things I haven't seen or don't remember having seen. I trained myself to lucid dream by asking myself "Am I dreaming?" throughout the day, even when I knew absolutely I was not, every so often. Eventually, you can get into the habit of asking yourself every so often to the point where you ask yourself "Am I dreaming?" while you're asleep, and the answer is "Yes." It sounds simple, but it worked for me. I no longer have to ask myself "Am I dreaming" because I am aware within a few minutes of dream starting that it is a dream, if I'm not instantly aware. You will also find that you remember most/all of your dreams. I can control the dreams, even if physical laws loosely apply (as I mentioned, I can rewind time, and often I can fly,) I am aware that I am dreaming, I am aware that consequences of my actions will not carry over into the real world, and I have a clear memory of the real world. You may not have all of these. Only about 25% of people who do lucid dream have all of these. Some are just aware they are dreaming, but have no control over it. Oh, a couple of odd limits. You can't read in your dream, and you can't use a smartphone. (Or a tablet, or other similar devices.) That's an absolute limit.
John
2024-05-14 16:35:53 +0000 UTCOK, I need more info on the lucid dreams. How long do they typically last? Can you do anything or are there odd/random limits? Are the dreams episodic or is there a continuity? Most importantly, how do I train myself 😅
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 16:16:21 +0000 UTCJust remember, it's spelled "frak." It's a four letter word, and there is no "C". I can lucid dream; I trained myself to when I was in high school. I have enough control that if something happens in the dream that I don't like, I can actually rewind it and make a different choice. Not all of my dreams are lucid dreams, but most of them are. And yeah... this show is much more bleak and dark than Star Trek. Star Trek is showing a utopian future. This is a post-apocalyptic future. I still love TNG, even if it's not my favorite of the non-original but older-than-modern Treks (DS9 is my fave), but comparing it to Battlestar Galactica is very much like comparing apples and oranges. The two shows have very different themes, convey very different messages. I know which of them I like more, but also, I can grab a single episode of TNG that I enjoy and watch it without needing to watch the previous two and a half seasons for context. The other major difference is that this show doesn't start out rocky like Star Trek did. It doesn't take it two seasons to find its legs.
John
2024-05-14 16:04:21 +0000 UTCWe hope you’re correct
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 16:00:00 +0000 UTCWhat the frak! Not for everybody, but I'm sure you guys will be in love with BSG by seasons end.
Mark Chrisco
2024-05-14 15:57:42 +0000 UTCI know! I'm just praising you for that! :)
Michael Schwarz
2024-05-14 15:54:11 +0000 UTCThis has no effect on our pace with Star Trek
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 15:53:38 +0000 UTCThis and Star Trek are different kinds of storytelling. Star Trek (at least through TNG) is classic episodic. This is story arc all the way. No spoilers, but forward opinion: I really do not think they wrap it up all that well. But some of this series is just incredible and brave storytelling. I know you've been beaten over the head with the 9/11 element, but they don't just stick to that. It asks big questions about the rights and wrongs of it all as it goes along. I think it is worth it. But not worth slowing down on Star Trek! Finally, I was kid when Captain Kirk was new. Star Trek was my thing, but adult life drew me away after TNG and part way through DS9, so I'm counting on your guys to lead me through the rest of the franchise myself!
Michael Schwarz
2024-05-14 15:52:06 +0000 UTCBSG beat the mantra a bit by hitting the ground running. Usually it takes a few seasons for a show to find its footing.
Michael Ducharme
2024-05-14 15:36:17 +0000 UTCI loved the British version of Being Human!
T’Pynyn of Vulcan
2024-05-14 15:29:43 +0000 UTCIs it bleak? This show can chew you up and spit you out bleak!
Stephen Wright
2024-05-14 15:27:16 +0000 UTCUs once these start hitting YouTube: https://images.app.goo.gl/3iA1A8RvCqYoVQrA6
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 14:50:26 +0000 UTCYou mean we don’t need to “get through” the first 2 seasons? That seems to be the mantra for every show in existence
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 14:48:19 +0000 UTCSame! First season I thought was pretty good, and then watched episode 1 of the second season and thought “I’ll just leave it at the one season…” lol
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 14:47:41 +0000 UTCYeah this will be the one. Potential sp0ilers are going to be bigger with this show, I remember the rampant speculation back in the day. Stay careful out there boys. Can’t wait.
Jon1701
2024-05-14 14:45:27 +0000 UTCSam Witwer was a vampire on the US version of Being Human, I only watched the first season but I remember it being pretty good.
Phillip Grischa
2024-05-14 14:40:14 +0000 UTCI ended up loving this series, but wasn't really thrilled with the first few episodes. It was a slow build for me, but I got hooked by the end of the first season. I would suggest that if you're not into it after 13 episodes, definitely move on to greener pastures.
Jeff
2024-05-14 14:39:36 +0000 UTCI have purchased season 1 off of Amazon and will be watching along. As always, i'm down to hear what you guys think. You may find things in here that change my... lukewarmness on BSG. SO SAY WE ALL!
Steven Johnson
2024-05-14 14:14:51 +0000 UTCIf I’m lyin’ I’m dyin’!
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 14:08:13 +0000 UTCActually, everyone took a vote, and uh, they want you to continue Quantum Leap instead.
Steven Johnson
2024-05-14 14:07:22 +0000 UTCThanks Kat
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 13:47:05 +0000 UTCI don't have the slightest interest in BG and never have since its beginning, but I hope everyone who does enjoys it.
KatWithAttitude
2024-05-14 13:40:35 +0000 UTCWe will try our best not to mix up Starbuck & Data, but no promises
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 13:40:16 +0000 UTCAll of this has happened before, can’t wait to watch it again with you guys!
Gregory
2024-05-14 13:39:45 +0000 UTCYou boys are crazy! Tackling two scifi empires at once! Best of luck to you at keeping your stories straight! So say we live longer and prosper!
Column Meanie
2024-05-14 13:38:34 +0000 UTCAppreciate it Jason, glad you’re here for Star Trek!
Josh (Target Audience)
2024-05-14 13:36:22 +0000 UTCIt is impossible for me to not tear up whenever I think about the ending, after all the death, their tally is “+1” because a baby was born.
Stuart Arbury
2024-05-14 13:35:36 +0000 UTCSorry this is not for me I welcome your opinion s but I can't stand it good luck with this .
Jason Mitchell
2024-05-14 13:34:13 +0000 UTCAt last you mother f^%65in fabulous mother f&#@in people
AzoriusMage
2024-05-14 13:33:51 +0000 UTC
