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Battlestar Galactica Vs. Star Trek: Which Do You Like More?

mentalfloss.com — Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica have wildly different aesthetics and ideologies, and both aspire to very different goals. Fundamentally, it boils down to this: Star Trek is about who we want to be, and Battlestar Galactica is about who we are. Battlestar Galactica presents a problem for me and my Star Trek-fan friends. Why do we love it so much?

Bury
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  • dougvfr750, on 06/13/2008, -24/+10I loved the first three seasons of BSG, but this one, not as much.
    • sanman, on 06/13/2008, -3/+18Trek is too goody-goody compared to BSG, which is grittier hard sci-fi that grabs you by the balls.
      • swizzcheez, on 06/14/2008, -2/+1Agreed to a greater or lesser extent. This season has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. Though, tonight may hold some promise...
      • sarge96, on 06/14/2008, -3/+6I love Star Trek, but man, I can only handle so much sappy lets-all-get along before I get sick of it. Star Trek does have one thing BSG doesn't, and that's that it offers hope. What does BSG offer? Maybe a more realistic future, but who wants to watch a future where things are so terrible? I have better hopes for humanity than that.
        • solistus, on 06/14/2008, -2/+2They haven't made it to Earth yet. Who's to say they're in the future?
        • solistus, on 06/15/2008, -0/+1I like how I get Dugg at first, then buried after last night's episode aired and nobody bothered to check the date of my post ;)

          ZOMG WWIII. Was that Manhattan?
      • DuffyDirect, on 06/14/2008, -0/+4I guess the Dominion War went over your head
    • Jimgress, on 06/14/2008, -3/+5are you mad? This is pretty much the best season thus far! Virtually no standalones that don't develop the main plot!
    • RAGEdemon, on 06/14/2008, -6/+5I agree. Compared to before, this season's writing is weak, plot line is soap-opera-ish, actors are almost completely out of character. The script is all over the place... doesn't seem to be too sure of where it wants to go. Some plot points are just plain stupid and it does definitely have a negative impact on the Suspension of disbelief.

      The storyline has also been dumbed down a few notches and has injected into it many religious elements to appeal to a larger slice of the target viewing audience who are themselves religious (and dim-witted may I add). But hey! this is a fanboi article where objectivism doesn't count for squat... Don't mutter anything negative to the fanbois... they will neg rep you ;-)

      Prepare for burryage :P
      • solistus, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2What's been out of character? What's weak or confused about the plot? Making vague claims without a single example is useless.

        Dumbed down? You think the religious aspect is pandering to religious folk? Baltar is a delusional cultist who accidentally sold out humanity! He's more Judas than Jesus. The religious aspect has gotten more complicated and ambiguous this season, if anything.
      • txtphile, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2Please stop with the religion = dumb people argument. The current "faith-based" story line is really more about comparing religions and finding what reputed smart guys, including Leibniz and Huxley, called the perennial philosophy.

        And "soap opera" is what happens when you have characters that have more than one dimension. Characters that change over time and are shaped by their experiences, ie, real people. And as with everything else there are good and bad soap operas.
    • matu4251, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2I'm with you. The first two where the best. I'm at a point where I don't even care, which sucks since BSG was my favorite show a year ago.
  • wynja, on 06/13/2008, -23/+57Nothing can replace Star Trek as the father of all TV sci-fi. BSG is good, but check out the budget difference between the shows.
    • Kardall, on 06/14/2008, -10/+4Even though that didn't answer the topic's question I still /agree

      I would say I like Battle Star Galactica but the original series. Way better imo and easier to compare to star trek.

      My issue with trying to compare Star Trek and BSG (the new one) is that BSG follows the soap opera model, where the story evolves and you have to watch the next one or you miss something. (Ever miss an ep of 24 LOL)
      Star Trek is more of "here's a story, enjoy it and the effects. next week will be another episode of something crazy going on."

      Besides, the new BSG doesn't have blue chicks that have sex with the main character(s) LOL just hawt r0b0tz :)
      • acdcfanbill, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2It's not the soap opera model, its called the serial format and was popular before soap opera's were around. Soaps use the serial format, but BSG delves into deep issues while most soaps are about fluff.
    • DoscoJones, on 06/14/2008, -1/+5ST as father would never have been possible without all of the grandfathers on TV in the 1950s. Most of you have no idea how large was the influence of Buck Rogers, Tom Corbett, Flash Gordon, Commando Cody, and all the others. Without them, Roddenberry would have spent his career writing cop/soldier/lawyer shows like the ones he started with.
      • wynja, on 06/16/2008, -1/+2The difference is that Roddenberry took the sci-fi medium and used it to tell stories that morality, ethics, politics, and religion.

        Star Trek brought the hard core sci-fi novel themes of the 70s to the screen.
    • NeoSporin, on 06/14/2008, -2/+5I doubt shows from that long ago had budgets even close to that of todays, but that has nothing to do with quality.
      • arobicha, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2_Nothing_ to do with quality is a stretch... Facing facts, without a good budget BSG could look REALLY bad. Fortunately they have the budget and the actors to make the story a memorable experience. Comparing the "once a week fix" model of Star Trek, to the required commitment "novel" like model of BSG is not fair... They're two different shows with different ways of telling the story. It's entirely a matter of preference. I like watching my characters grow, and evolve, just like the world around me... That's why I like BSG.
    • LiberalKid, on 06/14/2008, -3/+19Star Trek can't compare to the re-imagined series at all. The new series is simply brilliant.

      While Star Trek has its place in science fiction cannon, BSG regularly moves past the limitations of the science fiction genre. Its now simple a show about science fiction, its a show about religion, politics, morality, ethics and well much more. The writing, pacing, acting and cinematography of BSG are on a level that Star Trek simply has never reached.

      Don't get me wrong I love Next Generation as much as the next nerd, but BSG is simply on a different level.
      • PixelCloud, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2++
      • wynja, on 06/16/2008, -1/+2Wow, your kidding right? Star Trek is the father of TV sci-fi because it was one of the first shows to deal with religion, politics, morality, and ethics (in order of points: religion - the lotus eaters that want to live in paradise and take over the ship to get to a planet that is poisonous to humans; politics - the white/black dudes whose civilizations killed themselves and they try to kill each other even though they are the last members of their races alive; morality & ethics - every single episode [duh, the Prime Directive, and all the times Kirk chooses to ignore it.]). In fact, BSG lacks the subtlety in which each of these topics where discussed in Star Trek. BSG is rare in your face, we're going to talk about politics now and religion now. BSG simply lacks the elegance of Star Trek.
    • ericdano, on 06/14/2008, -8/+2Dr. Who owns Star Trek.....
      • wynja, on 06/16/2008, -0/+2No, Dr. Who's writers just did more drugs is all.
  • angusm, on 06/13/2008, -19/+107I've always disliked Star Trek precisely because of some of the characteristics that the author mentions: the society from which Kirk and friends come is portrayed a kind of poorly-defined candy-coated utopia, which is just dumped in our laps 'as is'. There's no reflection on how such a society could come about, or what compromises it involves. Even George Lucas's hokey take on realpolitik from Star Wars seems more thoughtful than the Star Trek milieu (good going: two sentences in and I've earned the wrath of both the Star Trek and the Star Wars fans: this comment is going to get buried so deep it'll come out in China). There's also the question of the acting: I've never seen any acting in Star Trek that was less than dreadful, whereas the cast of BSG turn in some capable performances (Olmos's "clench my jaw and frown" style doesn't do it for me, but Tricia Helfer - who you might assume was merely there as eye-candy - copes beautifully with a very complex part: she deserves some recognition as a talented actress). So BSG gets my vote.

    I've always believed that Star Trek was a kind of index of American attitudes. The original Star Trek reflected the American outlook of its time with its message of "We're strong because we're good, and we're good because we're strong". Clinton-era ST:TNG was all about feeling people's pain. If that's true, and if BSG is Star Trek for today, that ought to tell us something interesting about the way we think now. Except that BSG is all about gray areas and uncertainties with no easy answers and the mess we're in now is due in large part to people pretending that everything is black-and-white and that we can find simple answers to tough problems. Maybe we'd be better off if BSG really did reflect the way we think.
    • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 06/14/2008, -26/+3www.match.com
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    • USER1236, on 06/14/2008, -13/+5*****, watch Star Trek Enterprise specifically season 4. It does a good job of showing the growing pains of the pre-federation.
      • solistus, on 06/14/2008, -2/+5Buried for claiming that Star Trek: Enterprise does a good job at anything.
        • RobotBuddha, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2It pains me to admit it, but I watched season 4 last year and it actually was a pretty good show. At least when the fact that it was star trek was kept in mind. I'm almost tempted to give season 3 a shot, but seasons 1 and 2 left me too burned.
    • sarge96, on 06/14/2008, -3/+25Actually, Star Trek provides quite a bit of background if you're fan enough to look for it. Episodes have portrayed things from World Wars to Warp Flight as a background for the show.

      In the original series, Star Trek offered people hopes and warnings about our potential future if we didn't resolve issues such as racism or the Cold War. Various episodes portrayed societies that had failed at these things and had been destroyed as a result. Lately, the books and shows have lost that, but for me, that's what ST is all about.
    • gquaglia, on 06/14/2008, -2/+31DS9 was also quite dark at times. Not your typical happy go lucky Trek. It had edgy stories and Star Fleet Offices were forced to be less then your ideal Federation citizen at times to win the Dominion War. Voyager, on the other hand, was totally gay.
      If you want a really gritty SF show, watch Babylon 5. Next to Battlestar, one of the greatest SF shows made.
      • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 06/14/2008, -2/+12"Voyager, on the other hand, was totally gay."

        7 of 9, anyone?
        • gquaglia, on 06/14/2008, -0/+8The Stories were. 7 of 9 was probably brought in to boost ratings. How many times did they have a chance to get home sooner and Janeway queered the deal, ridiculous.
        • tapeworm77, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1Grow up.
      • rationalist, on 06/14/2008, -5/+8I was with you 100% until your gratuitous homophobic bigotry at the end.

        Language is a powerful thing. In my parent's generation, folks used to say, "don't Jew me". Now, "gay" is used as a synonym for everything bad. Not cool.
        • doctordbx, on 06/15/2008, -0/+1"Now, "gay" is used as a synonym for everything bad. Not cool."

          The word has been misappropriated beforehand. 'Gay' simply used to mean happy. The word was then misused to mean homosexual - is it implying that all non-homosexual people are unhappy?

          So don't complain now that popular language has now again misappropriated it to mean 'bad'.

          Is stealing from a thief a crime? Who knows, but there's no need to be so gay about it.
    • jabberwolf, on 06/14/2008, -11/+1Yeah and Battlestar Galactica was a liberals wet dream with soldiers always being out of control, having fits, going off on tangents and wanting to kill everything they see.

      Give me a ***** break. You wish America was like that. Star trek showed what officers and soldiers were supposed to behave as... not some liberals view of what they think happens in the military.

      Battlestar Galactica is a joke in comparison.
      • solistus, on 06/14/2008, -0/+6What the hell are you talking about?

        Are you familiar with the term "red shirt?" It's widely used in film and television now and originates from, *duh duh duh* Star Trek's treatment of 'security officers' (the Star Fleet equivalent of the Colonial Fleet's marines). They are introduced usually to be useless and stupid until they are killed off by some random baddie that the main characters then kill. BSG is a grittier, more realistic show, but I don't know a single BSG fan who has a negative opinion of the military in the show. Virtually every main character the show coaxes viewers to identify with is a military officer and most of them see combat in the show. You have to be pretty stupid to think that showing tough decisions and gritty scenes is some "liberal wet dream" of what war is like. Star Trek is absurdly utopian. Aside from the occasional side-plot, nobody ever snaps, nobody ever regrets a difficult decision for more than a Captain's Log entry, nobody has to make decisions that involve sacrificing lots of lives either way.

        I'm gonna guess you haven't actually watched much BSG. I'm also gonna guess that you're an ideological wingnut moron.
    • ZigVicious, on 06/14/2008, -5/+2Nothing comes out in China, it'll be covered up, and then posted on Wikileaks, along with a Digg headline "BREAKING: China Censors Star Trek Truthers"
    • Chongo, on 06/14/2008, -0/+7I almost completely agree with you but there is a ***** ton more "universe" development with Star Trek. I'm sure though that the franchise has only just begun with BSG (Caprica, etc) so only time will tell which one will truly be better.

      But the second part of your comment is spot on. If you remember with the episodes involving cylon occupied New Caprica, it was a straight up message about the war in Iraq and what its like to be on the other side of things.

      All in all though, I really like them both alot, just in different ways.
      • solistus, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3The New Caprica episodes were awesome. It was the perfect way for BSG to comment on the war in Iraq; like all things in BSG of any significance, the ultimate ethical message was left ambiguous. The "good guys" used guerrilla and suicide bomber tactics, some approved and some didn't, and every character had to make up their own mind where to draw the line. Tigh was amazing throughout, and him executing Ellen for treason made his Cylon revelation all the more poignant.
      • PixelCloud, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3Except that Star Trek "universe development" is just filler garbage
        • solistus, on 06/15/2008, -0/+2No, it all makes PERFECT SENSE! You see, there's this large galaxy full of diverse forms of life.... 95% of them are humanoids with weird nose bridges and/or temples and an otherwise human physiology... And some of them are blue. Oh, and they can all interbreed, but only with Star Fleet officers. Every planet with space travel technology has magically unified under a single government, and they are all modeled off various old Earth civilisations. Also, incidentally, Star Fleet occasionally finds some magic species with immense powers to conveniently explain some plot hole, then forgets all about them and never tries to contact or study them again. Any questions?
    • Spartandog, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2It was a real eye-opener to watch Battlestar Galactica, and this after not watching Star Trek for at least 10 years. I felt the thrill of seeing intelligent science fiction on television once again - something I had not experienced since Star Trek TNG. Recently I happened to catch some reruns of ST TNG and found it so slow and static, with that Hilton Hotel decor and bland velour costumes. It just looked so conservative, and for the first time I realized that I'd grown out of Star Trek. I see now that television and movies have changed, and we demand more realism in our sci-fi. Better acting, deeper story lines and more humanity in the characters - BSG is a lot closer to good literary science fiction than Star Trek.
    • rrouse, on 06/15/2008, -0/+1Without ST there would be no BSG. BSG is the evolution of TV SciFi.
  • fluidfoundation, on 06/13/2008, -5/+85Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
  • InvisibleInk, on 06/13/2008, -17/+71The Enterprise would vaporize the Cylons's entire fleet of base ships and resurrection ships with a barrage of old school photon torpedoes, but before that Kirk would ***** Six six times before spacing her.
    • vibrokatana, on 06/14/2008, -0/+19Why ***** the same one six times? Shoot, you could even go so far as to kill her and ***** her dead body as she resurrects.

      Ok...that was going a little too far...
    • judicar, on 06/14/2008, -0/+4No, he would teleport over to the ressurrection ship and die a happy man.
    • kevro, on 06/14/2008, -2/+14You forget the enterprise has networked computers!!! (gasp)
    • Kelpesh, on 06/14/2008, -1/+7Enterprise does not run windows!
    • kevro, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1neither does the battlestar Galactica. It runs FRACK.
    • inefekt, on 06/14/2008, -3/+0But he's gay. He'd more likely bend Baltar over.
  • Caffro, on 06/14/2008, -13/+82BSG all the way
    • culbeda, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2I haven't seen tonight's episode, but the the 3-4 prior to that one certainly weren't better than Star Trek. Hell, I'd almost re-watch "Blake's 7" than those snore fest, soap operas.
  • BelatedHero, on 06/14/2008, -16/+7Star Wars.
  • checkonomics, on 06/14/2008, -25/+2I feel sorry for the losers that like this kind of stuff... gee, you fags probably have never touched a girls knee before
    • candyjacker, on 06/14/2008, -1/+3your the fag that came in here! so don't make fun of them when your in here reading about it loser!
    • USER1236, on 06/14/2008, -0/+6Your mom
    • GrantTLC, on 06/14/2008, -0/+6I feel sorry for the retards that perpetuate creaky old stereotypes...gee, you slack-jawed troglodytes have probably never even touched an original thought before
      • Virgule, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1troglodyte |ˈträgləˌdīt|
        noun
        (esp. in prehistoric times) a person who lived in a cave.
        • a hermit.
        • a person who is regarded as being deliberately ignorant or old-fashioned.
        DERIVATIVES
        troglodytic |ˌträgləˈditik| |ˈtrɑgləˈdɪdɪk| |-ˈdɪtɪk| adjective
        troglodytism |-dīˌtizəm| |ˈtrɑgləˈdaɪˈtɪzəm| |ˈtrɑgləˈdaɪdˈɪzəm| noun
        ORIGIN late 15th cent.: via Latin from Greek trōglodutēs, alteration of the name of an Ethiopian people, influenced by trōglē ‘hole.’

        you are welcome :D
    • sarge96, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3Yeah guys, good thing 'checkonomics' here has so many girlfriends he can sit own and tell us all about it on digg!
    • Lukesed, on 06/14/2008, -1/+6Her knee? You're doing it wrong.
    • Chongo, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2I would feel sorry for you but then I remember that you are most likely 12 years old and the only girls knee you have touched is that of your mothers when she picks you up to sit on her lap.
    • rhino369, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1I'm touching one right now! She is not pleased!
    • Jennefah, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1I am, but it's my own knee. What does this make me?
    • jorazzle, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1in fact, i've dated (and touched the knee of) a playboy model. and I love BSG. so what now, redneck *****?
    • Yeshuah, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1Hey now, I LOVE Star Trek, am a girl, and if a jerk off such as yourself ever touched my knee, I'd break your jaw.
  • SuperJimmyJimbo, on 06/14/2008, -9/+68Capt'n Jean Luc Picard of the U S S Enterprise.....
    • fakkedap, on 06/14/2008, -0/+38There are FOUR lights!
    • sarge96, on 06/14/2008, -2/+27............................................________........................
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    • willywong, on 06/14/2008, -1/+29He just kept talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt it was really quite hypnotic.
    • KaJuN4, on 06/14/2008, -1/+12You'll have to come back later. I'm, uh, not dressed properly.
    • ho0ber, on 06/14/2008, -0/+13m-m-m-m-make it so... make it so
    • mikesbaker, on 06/14/2008, -1/+12Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    • bot001220, on 06/14/2008, -1/+2Great. All we need now is an ascii pic of a duckroll. (it was a joke, please don't make one)
    • curtisag, on 06/14/2008, -0/+4Picard: "What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason? How infinite in faculty, in form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel, in apprehension, how like a god..."

      Q: "Surely you don't see your species like that do you?"

      Picard: "I see us one day becoming that Q. Is it that which frightens you?"
      • grimward, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2Ah yes, when it comes to humanity and development, star trek definitely wins as it begins with showing "this is how mofo great everything is" then Q comes along and starts poking holes in that fake assed happyness. I just wish they had done more of those episodes with Q, and kept them more serious as it represented a sense of self critique of the whole federation.
  • Kronos6948, on 06/14/2008, -8/+15don't....make....me....CHOOSE!!!
  • dudefather, on 06/14/2008, -6/+36Red Dwarf
  • kennymiller, on 06/14/2008, -3/+8Darn...someone already "beet" me too it.
    • sarge96, on 06/14/2008, -1/+7I'm with the pun police. You're going to have to come with us.
      • ho0ber, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1I'm putting you under citizen's arrest. He's not going to your filthy sex party.
  • dend, on 06/14/2008, -3/+12I like them both.
  • gubble, on 06/14/2008, -11/+0hui (хуй)
  • nardokid, on 06/14/2008, -20/+4i know I'm going to get dugg down, but damn... Both shows are lame
    • slicky803, on 06/14/2008, -2/+4Yes you are, because people get dugg down for saying stupid things!
  • kaod, on 06/14/2008, -17/+6nerdiest front page ever
  • liquisoft, on 06/14/2008, -11/+6In all fairness, Star Trek has always been a sitcom set in space with more drama than comedy. So...a sitdram?

    Still, I love it.
  • Tulle, on 06/14/2008, -3/+46I've asked this question to myself many times before, and I have concluded the following: I enjoy watching BSG more, but they do not fit in the same exact category. They are both sci-fi, but BSG is really condensed and intense, while startrek just has you floating around space with new random adventures (I know there are exceptions and a story line, but I think you get my point). In BSG if you get a filler episode you feel cheated, in startrek that's to be expected.

    Still, I love both shows.
    • RobotBuddha, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3I think the best example of the reset button in trek was when we found out that 7 of 9 could RESURRECT PEOPLE and then they never brought it up again.
      • kupa, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2not be overly nerdy here, but wasn't that only because neelix's body was radiated or something?
  • hollyminkowski, on 06/14/2008, -8/+40Battlestar Galactica!
    I never fail to download it...
    Just great TV.
  • Depthfunction, on 06/14/2008, -6/+34When Star Trek: Voyager first launched, I hoped that it would be a bit like Battlestar Galactica (the old series, obviously) in that it would feature a starship, lost in space, searching for earth, forced to survive by their wits. Instead we go the cartoonish Neelix and the living Barbie doll 7 of 9. I was disappointed.
    • slicky803, on 06/14/2008, -1/+28And Harry Kim who didn't get promoted from Ensign for seven years.
      • jzuska, on 06/14/2008, -0/+4Yeah, wtf Paris was promoted and demoted and promoted again.
    • CobaltBlue, on 06/14/2008, -0/+17Plus, I think that they lost and retook their ship about 20 times.
    • jabberwolf, on 06/14/2008, -9/+4Um you are bashing 7 of 9 ?
      You must be gay!
    • Ne007, on 06/14/2008, -0/+5I never thought of it that way. Very insightful.

      Battlestar has a way with character development that Star Trek never has had.

      I'd be interested in seeing a Star Trek series made by the same people that directed Battlestar.
    • KaJuN4, on 06/14/2008, -0/+9The only reason I couldn't get into Voyager was because I couldn't stand hearing Janeway's voice for longer than a nanosecond, let alone an entire episode.
    • moocow1452, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2It didn't help that they were better off than most ships in the fleet, even with being lost in the Galactic Hicks and all, with the Warp 9.975, and the Borg on Board to save the entire ship every other ep, not to mention that Janeway has Temporal Flyer Miles up the wazoo.
    • dexedrine, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3So was I. I was hoping for a DS9/Babylon 5 esque show.
  • godslayer, on 06/14/2008, -19/+17Star Trek TNG FTW. The first 2 seasons of BSG were well written. Now they are just phoning it in and expecting you to lap it up.
    • ericdano, on 06/14/2008, -2/+6TNG? Hahaha......funny. No way. Only thing good in that show was Q, then the Borg........and you really start wishing Q would stop screwing around and just kill them all, or feed them to the Borg.
  • Tony6785, on 06/14/2008, -11/+13Warp nine - engage.
  • radiopayola, on 06/14/2008, -11/+5Considering BSG is barely watchable, anymore... Star Trek. ...next generation, ds9, and the last couple of enterprise seasons only, though. The rest is pretty much crap.
  • GrantTLC, on 06/14/2008, -19/+41Trek is training sci-fi: a safe, sugary , easy-to-swallow variety before you graduate into the hard stuff.

    BSG kicks Trek's ASS.
    • PixelMagic, on 06/14/2008, -3/+10Don't compare my beloved Star Trek to a gateway drug.
    • culbeda, on 06/14/2008, -2/+2BSG Season 3 = Gritty-looking sci-fi soap opera "hard stuff".

      Seriously, Doctor Who has been more entertaining this season.
      • GrantTLC, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3Seriously? My opinion is that Doctor Who has been spectacularly mediocre this year while BSG is still providing some of the finest TV ever produced. The Moffat episodes were a highlight as always but even they were a touch weak.
        • doctordbx, on 06/15/2008, -0/+0I have found both to be ***** this season.
  • Jimgress, on 06/14/2008, -3/+38yeah I love both, but the two couldn't be any more different.

    I like bsg more because I love a good blend of drama with my space battles. ESPECIALLY with multi-faceted characters.

    Also production is incredible. Bear McCreary is a genius at composing, the visuals manage to actually rival those of 100 million movie blockbusters, AND the acting is brilliant. You'd be hard pressed to find many shows that can fulfill such awesome. (that last longer than firefly did. yeah i went there)
    • Arnos, on 06/14/2008, -0/+6Dug for Firefly.

      Yes Sir, you did go there.
  • tackle, on 06/14/2008, -10/+29It is blasphemous to compare BSG with Star Trek.
  • RudeTurnip, on 06/14/2008, -9/+14It would make sense that more people would relate to BSG...it's a small allegory for a type of human mythology that's been touched upon for thousands of years...finding the promised land. Star Trek is a more of a namby-pamby socialist wank...
  • dwright99, on 06/14/2008, -12/+26Babylon 5
    • Akairenn, on 06/14/2008, -3/+7The truth points to itself.
    • jzuska, on 06/14/2008, -8/+3Awful horrible show.
    • curtisag, on 06/14/2008, -2/+7I believe Babylon 5 is one of the greatest shows of all time, and also one of the least appreciated in the sci-fi genre. I'm willing to bet the makers of BSG learned much from viewing B5.
  • combatgoose, on 06/14/2008, -4/+61I really wish more people watched Battlestar.

    It really is one of the best shows on TV. There are deep messages within this show, and it really is a drama set in space.

    It's a shame people hear the name "Battlestar Galactica" and instantly think of some geeky show only 'nerds' would like.
    • slicky803, on 06/14/2008, -2/+23That's how I thought.
      I mean, the name.
      Battlestar - nerd
      Galactica - supernerd.


      Then I sat down and watched an ep.
      Three days later, I emerged, disheveled, hungry, and thirsty, but I had found my new obsession.
    • bdbr, on 06/14/2008, -2/+2I didn't even watch the first season, because of the name.

      After I read an article on Wired proclaiming it the best show on TV, I downloaded a few episodes and loved it (bought the first season).
    • Jamikest, on 06/14/2008, -1/+5My wife thought exactly like that. Then she watched an episode.. or two... or three

      Now she's waiting on pins and needles for each new episode to come out! It is most completely a drama keeping you begging for more every week.
      • BobSutan, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1Same here only it was my wife, mom, sister, neighbor, etc. All thought it was stupid, but I convinced them to watch the mini-series first before passing judgment. Each one of them were begging to borrow my DVD sets afterwards.
    • gregorypierce, on 06/14/2008, -0/+4I think that has a lot to do with the fact that its on the SciFi network :)
  • guytoronto, on 06/14/2008, -12/+33Stargate.
    • jzuska, on 06/14/2008, -2/+2Only with O'niell (2 l's) though
      • WhiteBoyDunkin, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1RDA was born only a 25 miles away from me. it feels amazing to be so close to where he frequents because i know he likes to fish! and in minnesota!!!
  • Fallout911, on 06/14/2008, -6/+29I just started watching BSG and I must say that it is the best show that I have ever seen.
    • zephalim, on 06/14/2008, -7/+3I'm sorry, but... what other shows do you watch?
    • hwood, on 06/14/2008, -1/+5Hey! Let's not forget about Firefly.
      • Fallout911, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1I still haven't seen firefly I'm saving it until I finish watching BSG.
  • BMWodarski, on 06/14/2008, -4/+15BSG with very few exceptions is one of the best written shows on television. There's barely any "filler" episodes sans season 4. I completely agree with the authors look on the series. It talks about current social and political issues with out even mentioning them. There's something very profound about the series and speaks to our humanity and offers a more "realistic" look as to how we as a society would act in such a situation. It is definatly a show that I firmly believe is for everyone. (I got my ex who refused to watch Star Wars completely hooked on this show.) I believe that it's a testiment to the writing acting and idea's behind the show.
  • Pillage, on 06/14/2008, -2/+9I think that in BSG the viewer is asked to actively participate in the story, and the cinematography really gives it the feel that you are in the shoes of a colonist. So in that respect I believe that BSG is superior.
  • Ne007, on 06/14/2008, -2/+19It's like comparing apples to oranges.

    It would be easier to compare something like Farscape to Star Trek.

    Battlestar is in a league of it's own when it comes to sci-fi shows. I would say Battlestar is more comparable to shows like "24" if anything really.

    I thank God everytime a good sci-fi show is made...they don't come around very often and when they come out with something good a lot of the time these days it gets cut. I don't watch anything until it makes it to the second season.

  • runnernerd, on 06/14/2008, -0/+15Star Trek started in the 60's. Given all the ***** going on then and the shadow of WWII its a small wonder that they would hope for a utopian society.
  • JasonCox, on 06/14/2008, -5/+10I love Star Trek, I really do, but BSG just kicks its ass.

    (though Kirk could still drop-kick Starbuck's ass)
    • remlap, on 06/14/2008, -0/+9Then tap it :D

      As long as its Katee and not Dirk, Kirk doesnt swing that way.
  • forceuser, on 06/14/2008, -10/+1Never watched either of them
    • unwiseone, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1Try either of them out. They're both quite interesting.
  • vcleniuk, on 06/14/2008, -4/+7Farscape... no, Star Wars... no, Buck Rogers... no, Lost in Space?
    Actually, I like Sci Fi that can keep me guessing. Star Trek turned formulaic very quickly. BSG hasn't done that. It got a bit weird and boring in season 3, but it's ok now.
  • McMaster88, on 06/14/2008, -7/+1Can I mark "None of the above" or "Your Mom"?
  • jabberwolf, on 06/14/2008, -15/+5Comparing Battlestar Galactica to Star Trek? Concerning what? and which star trek (lets go with NextGen)

    Women :
    Battlestar Galactica

    Plots:
    Star Trek - Star trek didnt just have dramatic plots but had wwaaaay better scifi imagination. They had things like the Borg, paradoxes, strange diseases, etc... The writers on Star Trek never seemed to run out of very cool science fiction.. based on science not political drama as that was the only thing Battlestar Galactica seemed to have.

    Political commentary:
    Star Trek- It was always thought out, considered both sides, and sometimes showed there was no clear answer.
    Battlestar Galactica - Always seemed to be a liberals wet dream. It almost tried to actually justify suicide bombers blowing themselves up even if it meant taking their own people with them! It almost vilifies soldiers (that seems to always be out of control) and tries to give them a sympathetic side to feel sad for. Sorry but soldiers like that would have been tossed out the airlock in reality. There is no room for drama or throwing fits as a soldier that Battlestar Galactica consistently has. It's almost embarrassing to be a soldier in Battlestar Galactica.

    What was better?
    STAR TREK hands down. Sorry just having some hot chicks isnt enough to make your show better. But saying that, very nice eye candy!



    • EpiXl33t, on 06/14/2008, -0/+3someone is kinda dull..
    • malex, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2"Always seemed to be a liberals wet dream. It almost tried to actually justify suicide bombers blowing themselves up even if it meant taking their own people with them!"

      /I am making the International Gesture of 'The Point' sailing over one's head.
    • txtphile, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1You're missing the important point, the one that is brought up in the opening credits every episode. There are less than 40k humans left in the whole universe. I'm guessing we'd be a little more forgiving to our allies and a ***** less forgiving to our enemies in a similar situation. And, come on, the woman president banned abortion!

      As for sci-fi imagination BSG is at a huge disadvantage to ST because there are no bumpy-fore-headed aliens running around, thus no strange new deus ex machinas to wonder at every week. Your standard-issue Star Trek wormhole or time-travel episode would, by the rules of sci-fi logic, wind up killing everybody. No more show, the end. Yawn. The dangers of navigating a star cluster, or hell, the dangers of running around on a recently nuked-to-***** planet are worthy stand-ins. Imo.
  • espowari, on 06/14/2008, -8/+3BSG 80 FTW
  • PabloIV, on 06/14/2008, -5/+8Ship to Ship, Trek, hands down...
    Hand to Hand, that's a whole other story.

    Tyrol VS. LaForge Round 1
    FIGHT!!!
    • Akairenn, on 06/14/2008, -2/+9Trek, pants down, sure.

      Janeway: INVERT THE PULSE TACHYON EMITTER ON A ROTATING PHASER! SHIFT THE PARADIGM! HYPERSCALABILITY! VIRTUAL MEMORY!

      Adama: This is a nuclear mission order.
      • culbeda, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1Great summary, but it's more like:

        Generic Attractive Character 1: I don't want to love you but I just can't stop.
        Generic Attractive Character 2: Shut up and kiss me, you fool. I mean it, you're a fool.
        Less Attractive Character 1: I'm a cylon?!? Oh, noes!
        Adm. Adama: Fire up the FTL... Recall our fighters... Jump!
      • RussellDovey, on 06/14/2008, -0/+2I think Sisko could take on most of the BSG command staff and win, in a fistfight.

        But Adama would beat the ***** out of him. And I say that as a serious DS9 fan.
  • jefrim, on 06/14/2008, -14/+8TNG > Original > BSG
    • curtisag, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1Sorry, I love trek as much as the next man, but the original is in no way better than BSG. TNG however, you could potentially make a valid argument.
  • DexterHarvey, on 06/14/2008, -9/+4I like Battlestar Galactica but it makes no since, high heels and all.
    Do you really think when we are able to build ships like Galactica we will be running around in high heels on the ship.
    The writing sucks, but I love it!
  • username484767, on 06/14/2008, -5/+5trek rocks, you know, until they ***** it all up :( plz leave trek alone for another 20 years
    • vladimirpoopen, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1What, with Jolene BlaSUCKACOCK?
    • kacymartin, on 06/14/2008, -0/+1Rick Berman and Brannon Braga ruined Star Trek, they're out of the picture now so hopefully the franchise will improve.
  • BGsynthpop, on 06/14/2008, -10/+7Battlestar Galactica is more realistic, more intense, better written, has better actors, more beautiful women, more relevant topics, and is the best SciFi ever done besides X Files and Lost.
    • zephalim, on 06/14/2008, -5/+3lol.. Lost is not a Sci-fi show. Sorry.
      The 'Realism' you're referring to comes from the fact that this show was produced in a more modern-era, and thus can have fancier blinking displays. Battlestar does not include 'more relevant topics', it references religion a hell of a lot more. Star Trek was known for its political, Vietnam, and Cold-War references. More realistic = bullets vs phaser? Please. I can name those weapons that they carry around. How about the Realism of Star Treks diologue? Frankly I found the characters of Star Trek to be much more believable, with real intentions behind their actions. Not Battlestars Rash decision-making. I'm going to murder my wife, anyone? Without a real trial? I'm going to have tea with a Cylon model that almost took my life, anyone? What kind of Admiral of any fleet drinks tea with the enemy, on board his own ship. Thank you very much.
    • 1337chic, on 06/14/2008, -3/+1Lost? Really?

      Realism? What are the chances that when we can "jump" through space we are still limited to some of the technologies that BSG limits them to? We have high tech robots that can look just like humans and have minds of their own but we still use bullets and have the same medical equipment that people that are bound to a planet where most of the population can operate little more complicated than a coffee maker. Riiiiight.

      I still love it, but as far as realism goes that is a pretty empty argument.
  • magusg, on 06/14/2008, -12/+6Commander Obama 08!!!
  • PixelMagic, on 06/14/2008, -7/+7Star Trek.
  • ctoesite, on 06/14/2008, -10/+5What the Frak are you all thinking ! BSG all day long. Admiral Adama would kick every Star Trek Captain's AZZ!
    • Pillage, on 06/14/2008, -1/+1except for Kirk, he could kick anyone's ass.
  • troymccluresf, on 06/14/2008, -3/+10Not really comparable, but BSG certainly is more compelling and requires more thought than ST (not necessarily a knock against ST).

    And, y'know, Rekha Sharma.
    • Evocati, on 06/14/2008, -3/+1Less thought for ST? Not for math/physics nerds who like to check the numbers they say on the shows.
    • vladimirpoopen, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Rekha Sharma.... on off set interviews she's hot. She's kinda ghetto lookin' on BSG.
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