Television: The final frontier

New shows for ‘boob tube’ prove that storytelling’s come a long way

If Joss Whedon told me to jump off a bridge, I would. I just want to make that clear from the get-go, so when I say that I’m watching the Sci-Fi network’s new take on “Battlestar Galactica” largely because of his recommendation, you can’t ask, “Well, if Joss Whedon told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?”

As we’ve already established, yes, I would. Whedon created some of the best serialized television of our lifetimes with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” its spinoff series, “Angel,” and the short-lived but utterly inspiring “Firefly.” In interviews, he’s praised “Battlestar” as the best TV show ever, and without watching it, who am I to say otherwise?

On Monday night, I blasted off with the crew of the new Galactica, watching the original 3-hour miniseries in an evening, becoming instantly transported, and irrevocably destined to see these remnants of the planet Caprica to their ultimate destination, wherever that might be.

Despite what Whedon might have said on the subject, not to mention countless friends of mine, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by my immediate passion for the show.

You see, I grew up watching writer/producer Glen A. Larson’s original “Battlestar Galactica,” as well as its sistershow “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.” While Buck’s adventures remain fun in a rather naive, sometimes ridiculously chauvinistic way, the original “Battlestar” has not aged well. Despite Dirk Benedict’s oozing charm, Jane Seymour’s sci-fi sexiness and that cool future permutation of basketball they were always playing, it’s just kind of boring and emotionally cold when viewed by today’s standards.

While the new “Battlestar” shares some of the same departure points of the original — the robotic Cylons relentlessly pursue the last vestiges of a human population across space after destroying their homeworld — the tone couldn’t be more different.

The new series opts for characters that are three-dimensional right off the launch pad, rather than sticking to two-dimensional stereotypes of machismo, subservience and cruelty.

The reimagining of “Battlestar” features Cylons that are a far cry from the “Star Wars” storm trooper knock-offs that populated the original. In this new universe, the Cylons can look like human beings and infiltrate our society. More importantly, even early on in the story, it’s apparent that they might be capable of showing more compassion and spontaneity than some of the humans.

The female characters have also been updated for this new spin, and thankfully the idiotic limitations placed on women in the original have been jettisoned along with the token status of minorities. In this version, both Starbuck and Boomer are women, and they don’t take any dren. Sorry, I’m letting my love of another modern Sci-Fi classic, “Farscape,” slip in here.

Perhaps most importantly, however, this new and improved “Battlestar” is telling a story its predecessor — despite what the voice-over in the opening credits might have said — never seemed the least bit interested in pursuing.

Whereas that show took an episodic approach to the saga, rendering practically every episode a stand-alone event that took you nowhere, the new one uses each episode as a chance to deepen and enrich not only your interest in the narrative at hand, but your stake in the characters living it.

Such intelligent tale telling has become the hallmark of great TV, and why the difference between old-school and new-school “Battlestar” says something not only about advances in science fiction special effects, but also about the possibility of television as a medium. Anybody who still thinks of TV as the “boob tube” is ignoring the fact that amid all the “reality television” and sitcom garbage, some truly intelligent and thought-provoking shows are offering long-form stories no other medium is capable of.

While the billions of “CSI” and “Law & Order” shows might help you kill an idle hour (then conduct an autopsy and trial to catch and convict yourself of the crime), shows such as “Buffy,” “Farscape,” “Alias,” “Lost,” “Veronica Mars,” “The Shield” and now “Battlestar” provide the kind of stories, concepts and character development that you can not only sink your teeth into, but that reward you for your trouble.

As I stand here on the verge of plunging into yet another universe of imaginative possibilities, I can only describe my prevailing sensation as fracking exhilarating.

Jake TenPas can be reached at jake.tenpas@lee.net

Check it out

‘Battlestar Galactica’ airs at 10 p.m. Sundays on the Sci-Fi network. For those in the same boat — or spaceship — as Jake TenPas, the first two seasons of the show are available on DVD at DVD World in Corvallis.

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