Battlestar Galactica

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Exciting space drama has complex adult themes.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this space-set series isn't an unrealistic soap opera. Despite the show's sci-fi premise, the characters react in very human ways to the constant pressure of being on the run and fighting for the survival of the species. With little to lose, people live, love, and fight as if every day is their last -- and since it often is, the emotions can be very honest and very raw. Because of the adult themes and the frequency of both violence (including torture) and drinking (a couple of characters appear to be alcoholics), this series falls into the "older kid" sci-fi camp.

  • The central story is about a search for home, belonging, spirituality, and identity. The storylines featuring the often-tense relationship between the military and the civilian government, which is not bound by the chain of command, are complex, and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of the use, and abuse, of power. On the downside, there's plenty of betrayal to go around, and a robotic army is out to destroy the remains of humanity.
  • The Colonial Fleet is a rigid military hierarchy that places a high value on respect for authority. Certainly there are a few rebellious characters, but even when they appear to be disobeying orders, their actions are usually in support of the overall good, and are generally lauded by their peers. Starbuck is a strong, complex female character in a position of military authority. The president is also a strong female character. Adama is the epitome of a strong, passionate, rational, wise leader.
  • In this alternate reality, humans are at war with a ruthless robotic enemy, and violence is a given. Battles tend to be on a large scale, showing combat between spaceships far more often than hand-to-hand fistfights, but later seasons have amped up the violence, including some torture scenes and attempted rape.
  • Most episodes have some romantic interludes, which range from relatively tame to somewhat racy, though none include nudity or explicit scenes.
  • No explicit language, unless you count "frack," which is all too common among this offshoot of humanity and sounds quite similar to an expletive used on this planet (though it's managed to escape the ire of Earth's censors).
  • Not applicable.
  • Many episodes feature scenes of soldiers drinking, usually in the context of blowing off steam after battle, and often while mourning fallen comrades. Many of these scenes make it clear that the characters are quite drunk; a couple of characters are clearly alcoholics. Occasional use of stimulants to keep the soldiers alert during extended shifts, and the show stresses the downside of abusing such drugs.

What's the story?

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA starts with the notion that an offshoot of humanity has developed its own culture on the far side of the galaxy. Their technological accomplishments prove to be their undoing when the Cylons, a line of self-aware robots, decide that people are inherently flawed and should be eradicated for the good of the universe. The series begins with a deadly sneak-attack that almost accomplishes this, and the remaining humans flee their home world in anything that can fly. Other than the basic concept and several characters' names, this thought-provoking drama has little in common with the campy sci-fi series from the 1970s that shares its title. The original was light on realism and made the survivors' fight for survival seem like a party in space; the remake is more believable, showcasing the survivors' efforts to maintain their composure while running short of food, water, fuel, and hope.


Is it any good?

 

Battlestar Galactica's strength is the way its characters each choose to react to this untenable situation. Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) gives his crew a reason to fight by setting off in search of a planet long considered a myth -- Earth. Some choose to believe in this quest, while others decide the only way to survive is to put themselves first.

One critical difference from the original show is that some of the Cylons are now identical to people. Boomer, a supporting male character on the first show, has been recast as a female Cylon sleeper agent (played by Grace Park), and her struggles to comprehend the fact that her human tendencies are little more than programming make for one of the series' most compelling storylines. Indeed, her confusion lies at the heart of Battlestar Galactica, as the viewers and the cast attempt to define what it means to be human.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how they would react if they lost everything and had to start over. Some people would find the strength to protect their people, but others might turn inward and focus only on protecting their own interests. Though it's hard to know how anyone might act in a life-or-death situation, it can be interesting to speculate. What would your teens take with them if they had five minutes (or less) to leave the house? What would you do if the slate was wiped clean?


This review was written by Will Wade
Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Amazing TV, but recommended for mature viewers
This is some of the best writing and performing currently on TV. It's filled with characters who are simply not possible to tag as "good" or "bad". If your teen is interested and capable of following the complex story lines and morally testing themes, than I'd recommend it. It's not just science fiction - it's terrific drama. My 14 year old daughter and I are big fans.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Sci-Fi for Adults Only
I am a huge science fiction fan of much of what is in the movies and t.v.(Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.), but this show should only be for 18 years and older. The significant violence that began the new series has now added drug use, attempted rape, and many other inappropriate material for non-adults. I let my kids watch Stargate and some episodes of Stargate Atlantis, but I won't let them watch this because of its many mature themes and material.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Not for kids!
My husband and I are big sci-fi fans but decided to stop watching this fascinating show half-way through the first season. Although the episodes we watched were grim and tense, with very few light or uplifting momements, we were engaged by the story and the complex characters, and we wanted to keep watching. However, there is too much explicit sex, skimpy clothing, and upsetting violence (a main character tortures a prisoner and a woman is brutally beaten by another woman). I would not let my teenagers watch this.

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Teen, 17 years old
April 9, 2008
 
The Best Sci-Fi Show on Earth (or on the road to it)
This is an amazing show that isn't really Sci-Fi. In fact, it could very well take place on a naval ship in the current day, or even in Vietnam. There is a lot of violence (given that it's a really realistic show, and even some of the robots that DON'T look like us have blood) and could be renamed Battlestar Erotica. But for any kid 13 and up (or if it's a mature 11 or 12 year old), it should be a must-see.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
The BEST OF THE BEST
Battle star Galactica came into television having to top the older version of the series. They did it!! They did it amazingly. Everytime I think I got the story figured out a new twist comes along. The language is very minimum is less you count "Frack" which is used commomly. Some of the sex scenes are pretty racy with nudity implied, but only last a minute or last. Violence is a big part of the show, with some episodes showing major gore. Alcohol is used by everyone in the show. Main characters use it frequently, getting drunk often.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Starbuck,s A Girl
Well this might confuse some kids under 14 but i highly reccomend it

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Parent of 7, 8, and 10 year old
January 15, 2010
 
Not even for teens
I'm not such a fan of sci-fi, but I very much enjoy the plot and storyline of the series. I've seen the full 1st series, but will not continue due to sexual scenes and violence. I am usually not as affected with violence as with other things, but after a while it was just too much. Punching and kicking a person over and over again should never happen, even in fiction. I think the sexual scenes are explicit. It does not show breasts or private parts, but gets as close as possible, including sex scenes where it avoids just those areas, making what I think is too much even for teens. I agree with a kid reviewer who called it "Battlestar Erotica". The swearing isn't quite so bad, but the use of "frack" gets to be so frequent that it starts to give the notion of saying f*** instead. There is a lot of drinking also, but it doesn't bother me as much. It's unfortunate that they put so much of these in the show.

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Parent
April 9, 2008
 
Good social commentary, but mature content
This is one of my favorite programs, but it comes with substantial sexual content/violent scenes. This is matched, however, by the maturity of its social commentary on human behavior and exposition of the inward journeys of its characters.

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Kid, 11 years old
April 25, 2011
 
so boring and they swear and say words like sh*t uncensored but replace f*ck with frack. but to my sister this show kicks ass!

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This review was written by Will Wade
This review was written by Will Wade
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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