Chadzilla ROARS!!! (The Official Blog of Chadwick H. Saxelid, Writer)

Classic Battlestar Galactica Volume One - by Rick Remender (writer) & Carlos Rafael (artist)

Before the Galactica and the rag tag fleet of survivors it is protecting ventures out into uncharted space, they make a brief stop at one of the outer most planets in the colonial system.  There they hope to find a book that may contain valuable information regarding the possible location of the 13th colony, Earth.

What Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer find is a heap of Cylon trouble, and some human survivors in dire need of rescuing.

If you are in the mood for some lighthearted (or, perhaps, lightheaded) space opera entertainment, stuff unencumbered by thought provoking social or political commentary, then Dynamite's Classic Battlestar Galactica book is bound to satisfy.  The first volume of this comic book expansion on the original Battlestar Galactica is packed with plenty of action (space battles, gun battles, and even some fist fights) and, at the appropriate times, humor.  (No matter how dire the situation, Starbuck is always good for a comical comment.)  Your brain will not get any serious food for thought in this book, but it will not be bored.

Writer Rick Remender (Night Mary, a personal favorite of mine) knows that the goal of the original Battlestar was not to challenge its viewers, but to simply entertain them with its space opera take on the book of Exodus.  His story captures the tone and spirit of the show, perfectly.  Fans of the original Battlestar Galactica (I cannot get my head around the "Classic" moniker for such a tacky show) will find much to enjoy, but fans of either Star Trek or Star Wars will not find anything worth leaving their own expanded universes for.

Battlestar Galactica Volume 1 - by Greg Pak (writer) and Nigel Raynor (artist)

"We can tear each other apart all on our own."

In the debris of a lost battlefield of the Third Colonial Conflict the crew of the Galactica discovers a medivac ship under Cylon attack.  But is it a Cylon trick?  When the Galactica crew learns that the besieged passengers aboard the medivac ship are all dead relatives of people within the fleet, Commander Adama becomes certain of it.  The already perilous situation spins out of control when the "survivors" circumvent the Galactica and contact the other ships in the fleet directly.

It only took three issues for my interest in the new Battlestar Galactica comic book series spin-off to cool to the point that I stopped reading/collecting it altogether.  Now that I have returned to and finally finished reading the first story in the Battlestar Galactica Volume I trade collection, I can only wonder what the hell my problem with the book was in the first place.  Glancing over my reviews of the first few issues, I'm guessing it was reading the serial issues while watching the events of Season Three unfold at the same time just did not mix.  I could not see the two stories happening in the same universe.

But times change and, now that I have been away from any and all forms of Battlestar Galactica for awhile, I had no problems whatsoever buying the Returners story arc as an authentic BSG tale.

That I could read the entire story as a whole and not as an episodic serial with several weeks between segments did not hurt, either.  My review of issue one pretty much covers my opinion of the arc as a whole.  The creative team captures the tense drama and white knuckle action of the series, with the byzantinian plot twists they throw at the reader every few pages feeling organic to plot, rather than coming across as cheap "Gotcha!" gimmicks.  I'll be picking up and cracking open Volume 2 at some point in the, I hope, not too distant future.  I've got some catching up to do.

Battlestar Galactica: Sagittarius Is Bleeding - by Peter David

FTL jumps have become death traps for the rag tag fleet, because the Cylons have managed to get the exact location of each jump before it is made.  How are they doing it?  President Laura Roslin is troubled by violent dreams and hallucinations featuring the pregnant Cylon, Sharon Valerii, and the cryptic statement, Sagittarius Is Bleeding.  A young boy, one who is considered a friend by most of Galactica's Viper pilots, sneaks in to see Sharon and is discovered talking with her, leading to accusations of him being a Cylon.  If all that weren't enough, an End Times theological cult from Sagittaron has begun to plead its case to become recognized as the Fourteenth Colony.

Just another week on the Battlestar Galactica.

Peter David has done it again.  He has taken characters and situations that are not his own and used them to construct a suspenseful and entertaining novel that not only captures the dramatic rhythm of the show his book is spinning off from, but that can also easily stand on its own merits as an original novel.  Even if you're not a fan/viewer of the new Battlestar Galactica (and you really should be, the show is excellent) chances are very good that you will still enjoy Sagittarius Is Bleeding.

Like the show upon which it is based, Sagittarius Is Bleeding contains several story lines that, as they unfold, not only become tightly intertwined, but also function on different levels.  Author Peter David also doesn't shy away from the show's pointed political commentary.  The illegal wiretapping of the Galactica is an integral part of the story and, just as it happens on the show itself, both sides of the moral/ethical argument are presented.  What results from that action, of course, is completely different from the goal Adama and Tigh had originally set for themselves.  Nothing in the new Battlestar Galactica is ever as simple as good and evil, black and white.  It's a morally muddled world, which is fertile ground for interesting stories.  Right now, I can only hope that Sagittarius Is Bleeding is but one of many more to come.

Battlestar Galactica (New) #3

"Zak is a Cylon!  Do you read?  I repeat, Zak is a..."

As Commander Adama, Starbuck, and Zak the Returner undertake a dangerous mission against the newly arrived Cylon baseship, Dr. Baltar discovers what the Returners are.

It took a few issues, but the new BSG spin-off seems to have finally found its stride.  Issue three kept me interested from start to finish, offering up some fascinating revelations and plot twists.  I thought that Zak's speech to his father, or the man he believes to be his father, captured the emotionally complex nature of the new BSG perfectly.  Although the question of "what" the Returners are looks to have been answered, the "why" is still very much unknown.   Adama's and Stabuck's opposing points of view regarding the nature of the Returners hints at some potential character conflict to come.  Then there is the cliffhanger, which I found to be particularly inspired; especially if you are one of those BSG fans that wish for a stronger connection between the classic series and the newer, smarter version.

Battlestar Galactica #3 manages to balance the serious dramatic nature of the new BSG with the space opera action-adventure elements it shares with the original series quite nicely.  Whether or not the book will maintain that balance as the story continues in future issues remains, of course, something to be determined at another time.

Battlestar Galactica (Original) #1

"Any chance you could put a little more pressure on us?"

Adama sends Boomer, Apollo, and Starbuck down to the Cylon controlled planet of Maytoria to search for an ancient set of books that could lead the fleet to Earth.  While the stealth devices that have been installed in the trio's Vipers works, something still manages to go wrong and Starbuck crashes and becomes stranded on Maytoria.

Although I was a regular viewer of the original Battlestar Galactica when it first aired (I even gave the utterly dreadful Galactica 1980 a chance) I've never had the urge to revisit the show.  But now that Battlestar has been given an impressive upgrade, and because I have a rather sizable completest streak in me, I found myself picking up the classic series spin-off just to see what it's like.

Well, I thought it was not only a lot fun, but it's also a nice counterpoint to the dark, grim and far more emotionally realistic storylines of the new Battlestar.  If escapist entertainment is your kind of thing, then you just might enjoy this classic BSG spin-off, because it's just a straight up action adventure unencumbered by the aforementioned approach taken by the new version.  Writer Rick Remender does make a nice little reference to the new show, however, when, in the heat of battle, Starbuck uses the term frack once or twice.  I can't say how good of a job the book does of capturing the style and tone of the original series, because I haven't seen an episode in almost 30 years.  (30 YEARS!?!  Damn, I am getting old.)  But taken on its own terms, it looks like the book is going to be a fun read.

Battlestar Galactica (New) #2

"It all happened.  And it's happening again."

The mysterious survivors found aboard the disabled medivac ship, dubbed "Returners" by the religious in the fleet, because of their belief that the "Returners" fulfill a prophecy in the sacred scrolls, have not only brought a crippling illness aboard the Galactica, but their presence is also causing rebellious discord within the fleet.

As much as I love the new Battlestar Galactica, I'm having a difficult time warming up to its comic book spin-off.  Because I just don't see this story happening to the characters, not from a third season perspective, at least.

The issue has a decent amount of the kind of moral confusion and subterfuge, fist fights, and the tense verbal exchanges that those familiar would hope to find in a media spin-off of the new Galactica, but the issue had me scratching my head and going, "Huh?" a few pages into it.  I hope the next issue is better.

Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0

Picking up right where Battlestar Galactica - Season One ended, Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 has Commander Adama's (Edward James Olmos) life hanging by a thread.  Second in Command Tigh (Michael Hogan) assumes control of the Galactica, but Tigh's leadership is marred by disastrously poor judgment and his inability to cope with the stress of the position.  And that is only the beginning...

Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 builds upon the high standards of season one and weaves its various plot threads through some dark and compelling drama.  All I can say about the show is, believe the hype.  If you are not watching, then you are missing what is, arguably, the best science-fiction program airing on television today.  The new, and vastly improved, Battlestar Galactica reinvents the escapist Star Wars clone of the late seventies into a relevant and potent drama that isn't afraid to put the ugliest of warts on its supposedly heroic figures, or show its villains in a sympathetic light.  This makes the characters, even the robotic Cylons, realistically human, rather than standard iconic pulp archetypes.

Like Rod Serling's seminal The Twilight Zone, the new Galactica isn't afraid to explore the issues of contemporary society in a manner that more "realistic," not to mention Earthbound, TV series cannot.  Suicide bombers (both Cylon and human), the flaws in unilateral ("You're either with us, or against us.") leadership, fixed elections, a President that uses "the religion card," occupation and insurgency, secret tribunals that make people disappear, it's all part of the new Galactica's universe, and it is brilliantly, not to mention objectively, handled.  Galactica doesn't preach, it just explores how these situations can come about and how the characters handle the repercussions of their decisions.  "It's about context," Adama tells Tigh in one episode, and truer words could not be spoken.  Sometimes the characters make the correct one, sometimes not.  Either way, the fall out is not forgotten and, more often than not, has an important role in future stories.  One comment on the message board that I frequent said it best, "when a character is traumatized, they stay traumatized."

If you want thought provoking and entertaining genre television, then your first choice should be the new Battlestar Galactica.  I can only wish that future season sets will offer more than the paltry offerings on the Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 box set.  All you get for the asking price are some deleted scenes and Ron Moore's podcast commentaries.  Considering the asking price for these ten episodes, the first half of Battlestar Galactica's second season, I expect a lot more steak to go with all the sizzle.  I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there is a double dip Special Edition release in the planning.  If there is, I won't be buying it.  Money grubbing actions like that not only piss me off, but it royally fraks with my financial planning.  Do it right the first time (these companies are well aware of the content fans like to have in these disc sets) or don't do it all.  Hopefully greed won't play such a huge factor in the inevitable release of Battlestar Galactica's third season.

Battlestar Galactica (Season Two, Episode 9): Final Cut (09/09/05)

Although President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is back in power, distrust of the military is still rampant in the civilian fleet.  Fanning the flames of this distrust is reporter D'Anna Biers (Lucy Lawless).  Hoping to rebuild the bridges burned by Tigh's (Michael Hogan) brutal command, Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) grants Biers and her cameraman unlimited access to the Galactica.

Although I have yet to catch up completely with the Season Two episodes that I missed the first time around, I have to say that Final Cut, regardless of the quality of the episodes that follow it, is not only one of the best of Season Two, but of the entire series.  It does what Adama hopes that Biers documentary will, it reveals the very human face of the stressed to the breaking point crew of the Galactica.  It's a powerful piece and the subtle use of the original series theme music (used as the Colonial Anthem in the new version) at the end had me misty eyed and breaking out in goose flesh.  This show deserves all the acclaim and awards that it has been receiving.  If you aren't watching it, then you should start doing so right now.

Battlestar Galactica (New) #1

The events in this story take place between the second season episodes Home, Part 2 (#2-07) and Resurrection Ship, Part 1 (#2-11).

"Not every mystery in the universe is part of some giant Cylon plot."

While several ships in the rag tag fleet repair the damage done to their FTL drives in a coordinated attack by persons unknown, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is sent to investigate a recently discovered Colonial Medivac ship.  She discovers that Medivac 12 is filled with relatives and friends of the survivors of the Cylon genocide.

Relatives and friends that are long dead.  Has one of the prophecies in the Sacred Scrolls come to pass?  Or have the Cylons launched a devestating psychological attack?

The newly launched Battlestar Galactica comic book crackles with all the dramatic conflict and suspense that viewers of the show have come to expect.  The devestating emotional toll of the discovery is, in a truly inspired touch, best presented in the slow disintegration of Commander Adama's rigid yet barely controlled emotions as he manuevers his ship and crew through the literally explosive situation.  Greg Pak's writing and Nigel Raynor's art manages to capture the subtle nuances and, just like the show it is based on, the story's most powerful moments come from the characters, not the action.  This book looks to be a winner.

Battlestar Galactica #0

The events in this story take place between episodes 207 (Home, Part 2) and 211 (Resurrection Ship, Part 1).

"We don't need the Cylons.  We can tear each other apart all on our own."

Relations between Commander Adama and Madame President, Apollo, and Starbuck are still strained.  (To put it mildly.)  Adding to the tension is the discovery of a Medivac ship in the sixty year old debris field of a Third Colonial Conflict battleground.  The inhabitants of the ship radio to Galactica with claims that they are be under attack from the Cylons.  One of Galactica's crew recognizes the voice.  She claims that it is her dead brother...

As far as capturing the narrative feel of the new, and greatly improved, Battlestar Galactica, well, the book seems to have nailed it.  You can cut the tension with a knife and the verbal sparring between Commander Adama and Madame President rings true.  Adama:  "So we're going to be friends now?"  Madame President:  "It's a pleasant idea, isn't it?"  Oh, yeah.  Writer Greg Pak gets it.

Less impressive is Nigel Raynor's art.  For the most part, he does manage to capture Adama's stony-yet-expressive facial characteristics.  Well, except for the final page, where Adama looks like a bespectacled Sylvester Stallone.  Apollo looks okay, so far.  He's only seen once or twice in this introductory issue, so there isn't a necessity for a wide range of expressions.  Where the art noticeably stumbles is in the design of the female characters, both Starbuck and Madame President.  Their design is far too young and girlie, especially Madame President's.  As drawn, the President looks young enough to be an intern, nothing more.  Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is also too soft looking.  Actress Katee Sackoff's tomboyish good looks go a long way in helping sell her Starbuck character as both a tough-as-nails soldier and a really feisty woman.  The visual style of the book needs more than a little work on capturing that visual chemistry.

But on the story level, the comic book "gets it."  Which, for me, is all that really matters.