Blog 149 > Britannia Versus Galactica

Ah, finally caught up! Yup, over the last 5 days, caught up with the last 18 weeks of “Code Geass R2” (scheduled for about 26 episodes). Still such an ambitious and wide-sweeping storytelling scope! And just like the supernatural chess-match strategies in “Death Note”, still one of the most-intellectually engaging 5-star series in recent years. But if there’s any downside to such a broad tapestry of characters, it’s the relative lack of any resonating emotional depth among specific characters… so far. Thankfully, now that I’m caught up, the threat of spoilers has been drastically reduced, hehe. ^_^

However, while “Code Geass R2” and Lelouch have been magnificent, a half-hour anime can’t compete with the best one-hour live-action sci-fi dramas on television.

Firstly, “Doctor Who” 2008, Season 4 (13 episodes), was absolutely and breath-takingly incredible! Not only in its advanced special effects, but with off-beat intergalactic story lines which weaves through people and planets from each of the previous 3 seasons! On top of that, a talented cast of actors who can convince you to both triumph and tears. Just brilliant. 5 stars.

Lastly, while “Doctor Who” follows a leapfrogging path among both quirky humans and colorful aliens, “Battlestar Galactica”, Season 4 (mid-season 10 of 20 episodes), treads a darker more-twisted road between post-apocalyptic machines and the last surviving remnants of humanity. Technology, terrorism, religion, politics, sex, suffering and death are all wrapped in a blood-soaked flag pointing towards possible salvation. Is there any hope? The story lines are wicked and wrenching yet oddly fulfilling in its unrelenting and unforgiving exploration of the human soul. Not to mention the hyper-intense special effects and heart-pumping percussion-oriented music. Breath-taking. 5 stars. Can’t wait for the final chapter. ^_^

In other news…

(1) Failed to obtain my first-choice funding for house reflooring. But that’s okay, since that’s money I don’t have to spend or pay back. A second-choice option is still possible. So the dream isn’t dead, it’s just gonna be delayed for a while. After all, I still have a home mortgage and car loan to pay off, lol. Besides, there’s no hurry.

(2) Secondly, while I didn’t expect much from this week’s company-wide employee evaluations, I still managed to get a $1000-USD salary raise today. Considering the economy, that’s not bad. About $83-USD per month more to spend! Nope, not on anime figures, lol. ^_~

13 thoughts on “Blog 149 > Britannia Versus Galactica

  1. Finally, someone’s caught up with CGR2! Well, that took some speed-watching, considering the amount of workload that you’re having at the moment. But, why still stuck at EP8 of TTGL? Nuuuu~ ToT

    Wasn’t really a fan of series (since I only watch Prison Break, The Big Bang Theory and Ugly Betty, but that is like…so little!) but it sounds like Doctor Who is kinda cool to watch. Maybe I’ll consider…? Battlestar’s not for me, though. Watched a couple or three episodes and put me off really badly… =.=”

    Well, I guess the priority is where it stands, man. I reckon that loans should be dealt with firsthand, then FIGURES~~ then reflooring. Nah, just kidding on the figures part, but I guess I understand your feeling. ^_^”

    And yup, US$1000 raise is a good payoff! Nice. I’m also about to venture the same thing, but currently am a little in doubt. Need to consider some issues firsthand..

  2. @J85: What? Finally? LOL, I thought I was the *last* guy to catch up! But yeah, about 4 episodes per day, which is why I haven’t pushed past “Gurren Lagann” episode 8 yet. Now I can…

    If u like quirky yet ominous, mind-bending yet heart-stopping, then definitely “Doctor Who”. Plus if you’re *patient* enough to flow with the first season, then you’ll eventually see how more-and-more pieces will interweave and intertwine into the next three seasons. ^_^

    Haha, yeah, I think 87 figures is a good number to stop with, lol. Especially if I’m wondering about a new iMac to replace my Dell laptop, lol. O.o;

  3. [Continued from Blog 184]

    @Kris: Ahh, uh-oh, here comes the “Galactica” debate, lol. I assume u want the “BSG” version of the song, not the original Bob Dylan recording or repeated covers? Well, it’s on the Season 3 soundtrack. But thanx for reminding me to download it, lol.

    [To fans who haven’t seen Seasons 3-4, beware of the following spoilers!!!]

    As for the theories… I’m sure they’re Cylons. Ronald D. Moore confirmed that himself. But don’t know about the 13th Colony priests. Sounds too complicated. And the “Watchtower” song, I don’t buy that Earth connection. From the beginning, “BSG” is established as a universe that’s parallel to our own. Similar clothing, similar technology, spoons, forks, and similar English, etc. So why not songs? I think Moore also said something to that effect. If fans wanna read more into it, that’s their choice, lol. And that Cavil theory? Interesting. But we could probably come up with other plausible reasons why they weren’t on the list. ^_^

  4. I just want the one song. How/where can I download it? And don’t say iTunes.

    Well, I said I didn’t agree with the theory that they weren’t cylons. But I’m willing to consider that they’re also somehow connected to the priests.

    And I couldn’t come up with any other reasons why they weren’t on the list. They were the leaders of the resistance. And I won’t stand for “Well they don’t want to take out the leaders because they need to keep watching them” or something. Because Rosalin, Zarek and Cally were all there. So it made sense to me that Cavil knew who they were the whole time, even if just unconsciously. He’s also always the most vocal about NOT talking about the final 5.

    Kris´s last blog post > A slow start

  5. @Kris: LOL, u don’t have faith in me? Nah, I stay away from iTunes downloads. So once I download the full torrent, I’ll email u the MP3. Sound good?

    Ehh, still not sure about the priest connection. Only the Chief is directly connected so far. But if indeed that’s the case, these 4 Cylons obviously don’t realize it… Regarding the list, do we know that the 4 Cylons weren’t on the list? Even though the Chief didn’t return to the camp site until much later, he may have still been on the list. Colonel Tigh, Anders and Tory may have been away too, yet on the list. Do we know where they were?

  6. Yeah that’d be great!

    And I don’t know where they were. But they weren’t exactly hiding out, I don’t think. The Chief in particular should have been easy to catch, and they’d already captured Tigh a few times.

    I am watching the marathon right now, and there’s something I forgot. The cylons aren’t supposed to be able to mate with each other. Yet Tigh gets the 6 pregnant. So clearly the final 5 are built differently. And I rather think there’s only 1 (copy) of them. They’re definitely connected to the colony on Earth though, that’s for sure.

    At the end of the first part of this season, I kept wondering who the final cylon was. I used my people who were or were not on the execution list as a basis for my theories. So I ruled out Roslin and Zarek, and I decided that it couldn’t be someone on the ship when the others awakened. So I also ruled out Adama, Lee, Felix, Baltar, and Dualla I think. I had thoughts that it might be the lawyer, the one who defended Baltar and is friends with Lee (the guy with the glasses and the cat). But other than that, I didn’t have any other ideas. A lot of people keep claiming Starbuck, but I rather think that’s far too easy, like it’s way too obvious.

    Kris´s last blog post > A slow start

  7. @Kris: Gahhh, I only remember the one time Tigh was captured when he lost his eye. I better rewatch Season 4 again. In fact, just got an email that the last “BSG” chapter started tonight. But without cable, gotta wait for the download, lol. Shows how far behind I am, lol….

    As for the rest, you’re definitely more serious about the theories than I! So my typical mode is to just go with the flow, let others battle it out, and enjoy the show from all angles, hehe. But you’re right, Starbuck is too easy. Though it’d be funny if the final Cylon was Admiral Cain, lol. And because this is “BSG”, none of the above rules may apply. >_<;

  8. @Kris: Hey, just watched episode 11 yesterday! Wow, so what did u think? Damn, I was blown away by so many things! Definitely lived up to expectations. Incredible. ^_^

    P.S. Btw, emailed the “Watchtower” track. Enjoy!

  9. I really enjoyed the episode. I’ve always loved the dynamics between Adama and Saul, and it was so great to watch Adama react to the fact that his best friend is a cylon. Adama doesn’t fall apart very often, but it’s amazing to watch when he does.

    I was very saddened by Dualla’s suicide, and I couldn’t quite pin down why she killed herself. Some thoughts floating around are that she didn’t want Apollo to love her and toss her aside again. That she was so distraught by “Earth” that she lost all hope. That her date with Apollo was the one last hurrah before she departed from the world. I figured someone would off themselves, but Dualla wasn’t even on my list of possibilities.

    I thought the fact that the Earth they found wasn’t really Earth, but rather a planet the 13th Colony settled on and called “Earth,” was really interesting. As was the fact that the 13th Colony wasn’t human at all, but completely cylon. That was surprising.

    Still waiting for them to explain what is going on with Starbuck, because they’re really dragging that on for far too long. I think it could be that the cylons who settled the planet created other cylons besides the original 12 models, like Starbuck. Maybe. I can’t think of any other explanation. I really liked how Leoben was so horrified by her, and just kept backing away with this totally stricken look on his face.

    I knew something was going to go wrong though. I mean, they still have half a season of episodes left! It couldn’t be a happy ending yet. Figured that the planet was a nuclear wasteland, but did not figure that it wasn’t Earth to begin with.

    Kris´s last blog post > First Rant of 2009

  10. @Kris: I guess I found free time faster than I thought, haha…

    Yeah, despite the tragedies, I loved it too. Dualla, Adama, the Thirteenth Colony, the Fifth Cylon, wow. With Dualla, yeah, I agree with the unexpected shock. But in the opening minutes, they definitely focused on Dualla’s breakdown. So she wanted to leave her world while feeling as much happiness as she could.

    No, I think you missed the point. That wasteland, that Thirteenth Colony, that Cylon Colony *IS* Earth. That’s the ultimate horror! The horrific despair in Laura’s eyes. There is no other Earth to be found, since this is the *only* Earth described in the prophecies. That’s what Apollo meant by being *free*. Free of tyranny, free of prophecy, free of Earth as well. Otherwise, they would still be looking for another “Earth”, which they aren’t doing. Because there isn’t one. Hence, the utter suicidal desolation within the stark freedom. Where do they go from here?

    Ah, Starbuck. This is delightfully puzzling. If she isn’t Cylon or hybrid, then what? Who knows? A time-traveling or parallel-universe version of herself? But that’s too corny. Or is it? Would it explain the duplicate Viper too? I’m not gonna think too much about it. But it’s fascinating nonetheless, lol.

  11. Yes they’re working for me.

    BTW was talking to someone yesterday at my local comic book store…. He thinks that the final 5 might be actual birthed cylons. And that Starbuck could be the same.
    We brought up the fact that Saul Tigh got Caprica 6 pregnant, and in an earlier episode it was stated that cylons couldn’t get other cylons pregnant. Which would mean the final 5 are somehow biologically different from the other 7 models.

    And I still think that the earth they found wasn’t the real Earth, but just some planet the 13th colony found. Most other people I’ve talked to agree, but…. Well really you never know with this show.

    Kris´s last blog post > First Rant of 2009

  12. @Kris: Cool, then I can rule out a WordPress problem. ^_^

    Oh, I agree, I think Saul himself noted that they were biologically different, since only they could hear the music, not the other Cylons… Hehe, now this is my interpretation, but a second *Real Earth* would definitely weaken the drama. I don’t believe the *Real Earth* is *our* Earth as depicted in Star Trek IV or even in the Battlestar Galactica 1980 miniseries. So our real reality is *not* part of this re-imagined universe. Totally different. Separate. Parallel world. Parallel society. Parallel future. Parallel music. Etc. In that case, the parallel *Earth* in BSG is the *real* Earth for that universe. A Cylon Earth created by the Thirteenth Colony. A Cylon Earth with street-side fruit vendors and guitars. A Cylon Earth parallel to our own.

    P.S. Here’s an eerie line of thought~ Another blogger into BSG, Audrey, not only did she predict Dualla’s suicide, she predicts that Starbuck is the one who nuked this post-apocalyptic Earth! Damn, that actually makes sense.

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