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.

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.

We watch this as a family show together-- there is violence and sexuality and it can be hard to watch, and we may pause the show and discuss it, or occasionally skip over some scenes-- BUT it really depends on whether your children have had rich and healthy experiences learning about, discussing, and watching more 'mature' shows like BG-- if they have, then what they can gain from a show like this, which is superbly written and acted, is an exposure to powerful human and moral dilemmas, complex emotions, difficult choices, but all in the end moving towards good choices and good values-- the central heroes are flawed but excellent role models, from the female President to the male Commander-- overall, there is no better series on television, and very little of the action is gratuitous-- the show is complex, exciting, and deep-- and with shared, open, and thoughtful discussion, it can be a very valuable experience for any family willing and able to venture into uncharted territories, just like the characters in the story.

It has lots of things in it that can lead to philosophical questions and discussions you can have with your kids or anyone and can relate that world/society to our own and draw inferences to whats happening today. Its a really great show.