Battlestar.

I have recently been infected with an information virus. Known as Battlestar Galactica, heretofore referred to as BSG, this virus has consumed much of my energy, time, and mental bandwidth. In part this infection can be attributed to the Internet.

Thanks to a Belgian with the moniker rogueosb and his penchant to upload all things BSG to the site Dailymotion.com, I have been able to consume, via broadband, the entire first and second seasons of the show in just over a week. What more, with the miniseries and third season (in part) also uploaded, I have been able to rapidly update my personal programming so that I am current with a cultural phenomena that is almost three years old. In other words, the information-wealth on the Web has allowed me to transport myself back in time, so that I could follow the progress of this television show over the last two years, without ever having to physically leave my desk.

The BSG infection can also be attributed to my soft-spot for Science Fiction. Dating back to 1983, when I first saw 'Return of the Jedi' on the big screen, Sci-Fi has played a large role in my human development and imaginary life.

Science Fiction has the unique ability to transfer the audience (read, hear, see, play) to a world that is very foreign, or more appropriately alien, to their normal existence. Once transported to this totally different place, Science Fiction audiences are allowed to interact with real world situations and prejudices. As such, the fantastical backdrop and costuming of Science Fiction become a lens through which people are allowed to peer through the ridiculousness that governs much of human behavior.

Because it often deals with aliens, robots, planets, space ships, destruction, and exploration Science Fiction is very capable of addressing issues about race, gender, colonization, and the well-fare / future of mankind.

Pause. Breathe. Now let me bring this back around to Battlestar Galactica. This current iteration of BSG is, beyond being supremely entertaining, an excellent example of fiction that addresses race, colonization, and terrorism.

In the future I will speak more about how BSG uses a fantasy world to address these issues. But for now I want to set the stage by sharing two video clips. The first clip is the title sequence to the current BSG that has infected me and earned my adoration. The second clip is from the original series, aired in 1978.

While my knowledge of the original is limited to the wikipedia entry, I believe that the title sequence reveals more than advances in special effects technology. Comparing the two sequences is a good first step at understanding how current events impact the stories being told.

Right.