One of the more pleasant respites in what has proven to be a fairly challenging summer (thank goodness for the Yankees–so far) has been the discovery of Battlestar Galactica (above, the trailer for Season One). I am not sure if it was prejudice against the original series or prejudice against the Sci-Fi Channel, or some other ignorance on my part, but I took no notice of this show while it was on the air. But Craigh Barboza at USA Weekend got me to write a little piece about the show, and this required me to watch all 74 episodes, along with the two stand-alone movies Razor and Caprica. And I enjoyed it very much. The show is about a fleet of refugee humans looking for a new home now that their 
planet has been destroyed by machines called Cylons. The show is held together by its four lead characters–four consistently interesting characters served by four actors who deliver consistently excellent performances: The gruff, steady, forceful Commander William Adama, underplayed with great power by Edward James Olmos; President Laura Roslin, played by the fiercely intelligent Mary McDonnell; the fierce, fiery Starbuck, played by Katie Sackhoff,
and the gallant and resourceful Apollo, played by the British actor Jamie Barber. For an exta special bonus treat, I got to speak to Nathaniel Philbrick, the writer whose books about about explorations and tragedies during the Age of Sail–In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory, and Mayflower–I found so educational and enjoyable. BSG was all new to Philbrick, too, and he was loving it as well. He was impressed with how well the series 
expressed what happens in the tight confines of a ship. “There is nowhere to hide on a ship, which is one of the things that draws me to stories aboard ships. It’s claustrophobic, and the setting really intensifies the issues. Temperament becomes very important, and weakness is exposed quickly.” Philbrick said he particularly enjoyed watching Adama. “He’s calm, firm and has a high social IQ. He has a high tolerance for his crew’s personal foibles and professional misjudgments. But he’s not a nice guy: He has to uphold standards, and the crew appreciates that.”
