10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008 – #3 – Battlestar Galactica

There is no question that there has been a rise in genre television over the past half decade, and inevitably all of these series have faced a certain backlash. Lost and Heroes, for example, have gone from breakout hits to strong demographic performers thanks to a level of backlash from casual fans. For the #3 Show to hopefully watch, however, there was never a breakout success to fall back from, and the critical voices are not quite as damning although certainly still vocal.

Later this Spring, Battlestar Galactica will return to television after what was an uneven but ultimately satisfying season. Much like another high-profile drama, Ron Moore and David Eick put together a finale which brings with it huge ramifications for the past three seasons of the drama series, and the fourth and final season which will debut in March or April. It may well be the smartest science fiction series to emerge, and it’s certainly something to look forward to in 2008.

For me personally, Battlestar Galactica will have special resonance in the months ahead: I’m in the process of completing my undergraduate English thesis on the series’ connection to the Medieval Romantic literary tradition. As a result, I’ve spent copious amounts of time sifting through the series over the past few months, and have further enjoyment ahead.

For fans of the series not writing 60-80 pages on the subject, the DVD release of Battlestar Galactica: Razor will have to tide them over for at least a while. And, with the writers’ strike shutting down production, the series only has ten of its twenty-two episodes to air. Combine this with an inexplicable delay of the Season Three DVD release, and the result is restless fans who will have waited over a year for a new season.

In the show’s third season finale, four of its pre-existing human characters were revealed to be Cylons, and Kara Thrace returned having been to Earth. The latter element is simply intriguing, and has a lot of potential, but I worry about the former. There’s a lot of revisionist history to be done in order to make sense of it (Specifically Tigh’s age), and I’m curious to see how they tread with that storyline.

2008 could also spell the end of Battlestar Galactica…or not. Rumors about SciFi extending the series’ final episodes into 2009 gained further creedance with the strike, and now it seems likely that they won’t be finding Earth until at least March of next year.

It’s hard to tell what lies ahead for Battlestar Galactica. Chances are that the series won’t be changing the minds of the millions of people ignorant to its quality, or the award shows who consistently overlook its ensemble, but at least fans like myself will have ten or more episodes to enjoy. In a perfect world, the strike would drive new viewers to the series in droves…but it would take place at a time when the show will perhaps be at its most incomprehensible state to those who have not been watching from the beginning.

To help remedy this concern, however, NBC has every ability to begin airing the drama as a strike replacement should we be in the unfortunate situation of lacking writers heading into the Spring months. While it may not set the ratings world on fire, I can think of far worse uses of their schedule (See: Celebrity Apprentice) than helping perhaps the best series owned by NBC Universal gain a larger audience. They’re doing it with Monk and Psych (Another solid plan, if perhaps too safe for my liking), and I think that there needs to be some consideration given to Battlestar Galactica getting the same treatment.

For now, however, we’re left to ponder the final moments of Razor. We know that Kara Thrace will lead humankind to its destruction, that she is the harbinger of death, and that she is a danger to society. That knowledge has been enough to keep me satiated leading into the fourth season premiere, and hopefully my thesis work doesn’t render me numb to the great television to follow.

While no official date has been set, Battlestar Galactica should return to SciFi in late March/early April. Also watch for the DVD release of Season Three at some point during the same period.

YouTube – All Along the Watchtower [Spoilers]