Collecting

When I was around 11 years old, I was all about collecting action figures. That's nothing unusual, most 11 year old boys are. And that time period was pretty good for it too, thanks to the Star Wars action figure boom. We also got action figures for Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Black Hole, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, not to mention the Micronauts, and all in 3 3/4" scale. To this day that remains my favorite scale for action figures, and I have no doubt that it's due to that childhood influence.

One day my local Toyco got in a box of Battlestar Galactica Series 2 action figures. This was around 1979 (possibly 1980) and back then of course there was no internet to let us know new toys were coming; it was just the thrill of discovering them at the toy store. So I had no idea that these action figures even existed. I only had enough money for one, so I agonized over whether to get Baltar or Lucifer, and decided on Baltar. Which turned out to be the wrong choice; when I went back the next week to buy Lucifer after getting my allowance he was gone, but there was still another Baltar left. I never did get that Lucifer figure. Oh well.

But I loved the packaging as much as the figure itself, because the back of the toy card had drawings of all the new action figures pictured on it. I could look at all those other new figures and still feel that rush of excitement I had when I discovered them, and plan out which ones I was going to get next.

The card with the new Battlestar Galactica figures that I gazed at lovingly for days.
Image swiped from John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV.

This exasperated my mother. "Why can't you just enjoy the ones you have instead of focusing on all the ones you don't?" It was a very valid question that I didn't have a good answer for. I did enjoy the ones I had; I still played with them at that age. I loved looking at all the details on them. And I loved simply lining them up and admiring them all.

But oh, the excitement of the ones I didn't have yet! The thrill of the hunt, trying to save up the money just to get the next figure, planning out which one my next conquest would be, only to change my plans when I got to the toy store and discover the one I wanted had sold out or new figures had been released. These were all things I just couldn't articulate at the time.

Over the years the things I've collected have changed, and so has the game of collecting them. Hasbro puts out the same number of Star Wars action figures in a month that Kenner used to put out in a year, but most of them have become new versions of old figures so it's rare that I'm interested in any of them these days. I was really into the Doctor Who figures for a while, but ironically now that I have 11 Doctors and a bunch of companions and monsters in the 5" scale, I'm not interested in starting all over from scratch with them since manufacturer Character Options has rebooted the line in the 3 3/4" scale. And while the ReAction Figure line has totally pushed my nostalgia button, I have yet to see any outside of the internet and be tempted by holding one in my hands.


But this doesn't mean the collecting bug has gone away by any means.  My new love of collecting has been Big Finish Doctor Who audio drama CDs.

These are great, and if you are a Doctor Who fan, I urge you to check them out. And right now is the perfect time to do it, because they're celebrating their 15th Anniversary of making Doctor Who audios, so if you try them out before August 20, 2014 you'll have the opportunity to download some of their stories for just $1 each. They change the audios they're putting on sale every 48 hours, so go early and go often!


These all feature the original actors performing new stories. Yes, even Tom Baker. Think Paul McGann is a one-off Doctor? Not here-- the Eighth Doctor has no less than 67 stories with five different companions (you may have heard them name-checked in The Night of the Doctor minisode) spread out over 190 episodes. Oh yeah, did I mention they recreate the episode format of the original series? McGann's changes from the 4-episode/ 2-hour serial style to the new series 1-episode/1-hour-with-a-story-arc style about halfway through his run, so it makes the perfect transition into the new series.

But I digress.

A good friend of mine got into the Big Finish audios when they first started making them 15 years ago. He played a few for me, and I started borrowing some from him that I wanted to listen to. Then the real world got in the way and he fell behind on getting them. I wanted to pick up the torch but was unable to do so until the Doctor Who DVD line ended, at which point I started channeling all my money that had been earmarked for DVDs into these CDs. In addition to keeping up with all the new releases Big Finish puts out each month we also had a sizable backlog to get caught up on. While I used my DVD money to keep up on the new releases, I now started selling my old stuff on eBay to make money to catch up.

That's when the lists started. Lists of which ones we needed, wishlists at places that sold them, chronology guides so I could determine the listening order I wanted to use for both listening them and storing them, budget plans figuring out which ones to get next...

Oh, yes. The hunt is alive and well.

And that's when it hit me today-- this isn't just wanting to be able to listen to them all, this has become a collection. It finally clicked when I was looking over those lists, watching my wishlist shrink and my iTunes grow, and I had a flashback to that day with my mother when I was looking at those Battlestar Galactica figures. Can't I just be happy with what I already have? Hmmm... yeah, I think so. I'm loving listening to these. I've been listening to an episode per day since January, in the "order" that they would take place if they were lost episodes of the TV series. But the excitement of closing in on those last couple dozen titles we need, that rush of collecting them, is almost as big a high as -- or is possibly even equal to -- the fun of enjoying them.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to listen to episode two of Helicon Prime, starring the Second Doctor as told by Jamie McCrimmon.

Galactica 1980 #2 - #4

SPOILER LEVEL: Medium - High

Remember when you were a kid and ABC ran commercials for the upcoming premiere of Galactica 1980? And it was full of shots of the Cylons blowing up the Hollywood sign and buildings? And how exciting it felt, that not only was Battlestar Galactica coming back, but promising such incredible big things for what Galactica finding Earth would mean?

And remember what a let-down it was to see the actual episode and realize that all that stuff with the Cylons was just a 60-second "simulation" created by Dr. Zee?

This comic series delivers on that promise. Big time. If you ever, ever, ever liked the original Battlestar Galactica, you owe it to yourself to read this mini-series.

I have a few fanboy quibbles with it-- mostly NuBSGisms creeping into it, such as Adama being referred to as "Bill" and the occasional "Gods Dammit, what the frak?!?" But everything else about it is so well done that I can forgive those.

The story has a very definite ending, one that's full of promise and potential for plenty more stories. And just when I thought it was over, the comic closes with "To Be Continued In Galactica 1981." I don't know if it's a joke or it's serious, but my gods, I hope it's true.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

SPOILER LEVEL: None

I think, along with the series finale "Daybreak" and the battle scenes from "Exodus Part 2," this may be my favorite installment of the new Battlestar Galactica.

I get that the original BSG mini-series was going with the perspective of what it would be like to really be there, to not know what was going on and yet still have to make life-or-death decisions accordingly. But man, this version just made so much more sense. It really tied everything together and made it sing.

I think there's so much more to be gained storywise from being able to see both perspectives. To see into the head or who you're fighting. I think the first 7 or so episodes of Southern Cross suffer from the same thing-- once you start seeing things from the perspective of the Robotech Masters, it starts getting interesting. "The Plan" works in the same way-- seeing why the Cylons are doing what they're doing, seeing them do it, and seeing how it affects them and the changes it brings to their culture really helps the whole show make a lot more sense.

This is a great note for Galactica to go out on.

Galactica 1980 #1

First off, kudos to Dynamite Comics for having the cajones to actually risk putting out a Galactica 1980 comic.

Secondly... it's good. REAL good.

I bought it because I just had to see what they were going to do with it. Would it be farcical? Serious? The promotional blurb said only this:

One of the most controversial series in Sci Fi's history is back! Some fans love it, some fans hate it, but one thing's for certain, writer Marc Guggenheim is going to do Galactica 1980 the right way! Lives will be lost as the re-imagining of 1980 begins here and unlike anything you've seen before in a Galactica comic book! Featuring artist Cezar (Zorro) Razek along with a fully painted cover from Lucio Parillo.

(Now, I have a lot things I want to say about this blurb itself, but I'll save that later.)

The word "re-imagining" had me willing to try it and the "lives will be lost" had me thinking it was probably going to be much grittier. Marc Guggenheim also writes the post-alien-invasion comic Resurrection, which I enjoy, and it can be very dark at times. However Steve & Rich have told me that Guggenheim's great when he writes his own material, but lousy when he writes super heroes. So how would he handle this already established property?

"Well," I told Steve, "It's Galactica 1980. It would be pretty hard to make it worse."

I have to say, based on this first issue, he's handling it great. The cast is the same as the TV series-- there's no Starbuck, Apollo, or Tigh, Adama has his beard, Boomer is the new Colonel, and the main characters are Troy and Dillon. And yes, even Dr. Zee is here. There are plenty of scenes that run parallel the original first episode, but with much more depth to them. Guggenheim has taken this show from an ABC 7 PM Sunday night kids show to a serious, 10 PM adult drama.

I also found this comment by him at Total Sci-Fi Online while I was searching for the cover to post here:

"It's the finest example I can think of how wide the chasm can be between concept and execution," Guggenheim told Comic Book Resources.

"The concept is amazing. The Galactica discovers Earth! What's not cool about that? But the execution… There are a million stories to tell there and you decide to do the one about super-powered kids who play baseball? Wow."

I mean, really, can the Galactica 1980 TV show be summed up any better than that? Luckily, the story Guggenheim has picked for the comic has me itching to see what's going to happen next.

Now, on to those things I wanted to say about the promotional blurb...

One of the most controversial series in Sci Fi's history is back!
Just wondering about the capital letters here... the anal-retentive smart-ass in me wants to ask, do they mean the channel that's become SyFy? 'Cause they did run it too...

Some fans love it, some fans hate it, ...
REALLY? There's a fan out there who loves it?!? PLEASE point them out to me, and I mean this in 100% seriousness! See, I've always had this belief that everything, no matter how terrible the world at large may think it is, is someone's favorite. And I went searching for a fan who loves Galactica 1980 to prove my point.

I couldn't find one. Not one. The best I could find was people who said "Well yeah, it's a terrible show, but it's not the show's fault, it's because of this and that and the other thing that was going on that ruined it." They often point to the last episode ("The Return of Starbuck," universally hailed as the only good episode of Galactica 1980) as a sign that Glen Larson was trying to fix the show and get it back on track. But even they admit they don't like it.

So in all seriousness, if there is ANYONE out there who loves Galactica 1980, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT HERE SAYING SO!!! I still believe in my "everything is someone's favorite" theory and I want to prove it as true.

...but one thing's for certain, writer Marc Guggenheim is going to do Galactica 1980 the right way!
Sorry, but the expression "done the right way!" sends fear through me. I've seen too many "done the right way!" stories backfire. Every fan has their own idea of how a story should be done, so "the right way" is completely subjective.

Look at the Star Wars prequels. Does anyone honestly think George Lucas set out to do them "wrong"? Does anyone really believe that he sat up at night plotting to himself, "I could do this the right way, but I think I'll destroy some fanboys' childhoods instead!" No, of course not. He felt he was telling Darth Vader's backstory the right way. But lots of fans already had in their heads how it should have been, and when it didn't match up they got upset.

(And for the record, I like the prequels. And even if I hadn't, I always said it was impossible for them to "destroy my childhood" because I was no longer a child. Galactica 1980, I always countered, destroyed my childhood, because I really was a child at the time. See? It all comes full circle.)

However, having read the issue... I have to say that yes, for me this is definitely Galactica 1980 done right. I hope it holds up in later issues.

Battlestar Galactica - "Daybreak"

Well, MAJOR FRAKKIN' SPOILERS, obviously. (Oh, and what's up with that KFC "Can't Say Fr*k On TV" promotion? They can't say frak in a commercial but they can in a TV show? Has it really crossed over into the mainstream so much that it's now considered a real curse word? Do teachers have to punish their students if the say frak in school? And here I used to get beat up in school because I used to say "frak" and it just made me look geeky. Timing is everything. But I digress.)

This is a slightly expanded version of the post that I left on Darth Mojo's blog. For those of you who don't know, Mojo works on the CGI effects for Galactica.

I loved it all. That final battle was breathtaking. I literally got off my seat and started watching it on the floor to get a better view.

And I found the ending to be very satisfying. The discovery that the Earth we saw before was not our Earth answered any leftover questions I had about that. Part of me can't help but compare it to the Golganfrinchams in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but what Douglas Adams did in jest they pulled off here with a wonderfully serious tone.

The only thing I felt wasn’t explained was how Kara was “the harbinger of death and will lead humanity to its destruction.” She did lead humanity to it’s end… but that was more of finding them a home than their destruction. Am I missing the angle I should be interpreting this? Anyone help me out here?

There's been a lot of griping about the "angel" aspect to the visionary versions of Baltar, Six and of course now Starbuck. I don't have a problem with it, but I don't think they were "angels" in the sense that they lived in Heaven with God. Only Baltar called them angels, and even he said "God, Gods, Angels, a higher intelligence, call it what you want." The “angel” Baltar also said “You know he doesn’t like it when you call him [God].”

No, I think Rich had it right all along-- they were this show's equivalent of the Crystal Barge.

Just as in the original show the Crystal Barge brought Apollo back from the dead, in this version they brought Starbuck back from the dead. Only in this case they brought her back as one of them, and her pristine Viper was the equivilant of her white uniform. Baltar seeing his own private Six and Caprica Six seeing her own private Gaius Baltar was to the new show what Apollo seeing his own private John was to the old show. Not really God, not really Angels… just another form of life that’s a higher intelligence. And It Has A Plan. ;)

It almost makes me want to go back and rewatch this show from the beginning, knowing what I know now.

...Almost. Maybe in a few years.

Battlestar Galactica - "No Exit"

Fan-frakkin'-tastic!! Some good, solid answers. There are still plenty of questions, and in some cases these answers raise even more questions, but this is exactly what I was hoping for.

Among my new questions: Anders says "Organic memory transfer came from Kobol along with the 13th tribe." Does this mean that the Cylons were created not on the Colonies, but on Kobol?

So far this has been the show's strongest season for me; I just hope the ending holds up.

Battlestar Galactica - "Blood on the Scales"

A fitting conclusion that kept the drama from Part 1 running high all the way to the end. Once again, no let downs here.

You can see Gaeta's need to have everything done the "right" way, such as having a trial for Adama. But he's obviously in over his head and hasn't realized what he's gotten in to with Zerek.

It can be said that Zerek took that usual Galactica path of making all the wrong choices, but in this case it fits his character. He believed in violent revolution right from the start.

I have to wonder if Gaeta and Zerek got trials.

Battlestar Galactica - "The Oath"

Pretty intense. And unlike most Galactica scenarios, where I feel like the whole thing could be avoided as long as people used common sense, this one feels totally believable. If you believe that the human race's survival is in jeopardy because your leaders are allying with the very people who destroyed the human race, then of course you're going to do whatever it takes to prevent that from happening. Both sides in this fight believe they're doing the only thing they can for the human race's survival.

And just as I said with Stargate Atlantis ending, this show benefits from there only being 8 episodes left. No one is bulletproof. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone dies. (Although they still need to do it in a way that all the answers are finally revealed.)

Battlestar Galactica - "A Disquiet Follows My Soul"

I figured the Galactica was going to eventually move on from Earth, but I didn't think it would be after just one episode. Somehow I thought they'd be spending a little more time there trying to figure out a few of the mysteries they found. But nope, they just say "Well, that was bust. Screw it. On to the next planet." (And the "Six Days After Finding Earth" at the beginning of the webisodes doesn't count for clueing me in that they'd leave right away; for this show, six days could be 12 episodes.)

As usual, the show gives a complex situation with no answers-- the ships' personal freedoms versus what's best for the survival of the fleet. And of course, everyone's convinced their answers are the right ones, and everyone else is wrong. But it serves to show how everything's heating up.

Battlestar Galactica - "Sometimes a Great Notion"

Well. That's what I love about Galactica, is that it constantly surprises me.

Okay, some thoughts and theories...

Starbuck: Either she's a previously unknown 13th Cylon... or she was resurrected by this remake's version of the Crystal Barge?

Duella: ...well, damn.

Earth: Personally I think that the Colonies were an offshoot of Earth, and not vice versa, as everyone on the show has been led to believe. But Rich has an absolutely frakkin' great theory...

This show has not been a remake at all, but has in fact been a continuation of Galactica 1980.

Think about it: the original BSG takes place somewhere around the 1960s, as Apollo catches a transmission of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Then the Galactica finds Earth in 1980. A human-looking Cylon finds the Earth in "The Night the Cylons Landed." Those are the established facts, of what actually aired.

So suppose the original Galactica fleet ends up in a climactic battle with the Cylons following them, but the new human-looking Cylons end up defecting and joining humanity. (I can just picture it, a wondrously cheesy 1980's scene with the human Cylon saying "What are these things called emotions that I now feel?!? We must help the humans, not destroy them!") Together, the Colonists, the Old Human-looking Cylons and Earth defeat the regular Cylons. The Colonists and Old-Human Looking Cylons settle on Earth, now confident that the Cylon threat has ended. They begin interbreeding with humans (stay with me, here) for centuries, to the point where human and Cylon DNA are now completely intertwined and "pure" humans have died out.

But wait! It turns out that there were still "original" Cylons left in the universe, and the remaining ones have finally found Earth. They nuke it, but are also destroyed themselves in the battle. The "Final Five," who are just regular members of the new Cylon/Human race of Earth, have already been trying to set up a template to recover the lost art of downloading themselves, and have just achieved it at the time of the battle.

The survivors of this final, apocalyptic showdown head out to the stars... find a new planet to settle, that they name Kobol... from there, they settle twelve new Colonies... and over the course of two thousand years, their history is forgotten, confused and jumbled. Earth becomes a legend. Mankind creates their new Cylons. The Cylons rebel. After the war, they shut themselves away from humanity... And They Have A Plan. It's the plan that the Final Five set in motion-- the New Cylons discover their works, create their own human Cylons using their template, and the "Final Five" become the first five of the new human looking Cylons. But from there they can only create 7 new templates, which is why there are only 12 models. They think this plan left behind from the Original Human/Cylons is their call from God. Enter the new series...

Just a thought. ;)

Battlestar Galactica - "Face of the Enemy"

I finally got around to checking out the latest batch of BSG webisodes. If you haven't seen them yet, they're here at scifi.com.

Hey, look at that-- Gaeta's bi! Woo-hoo! And right after my previous post on the subject, too.

Hey look at that-- Gaeta's making all the worst choices when faced with a decision! Well, it wouldn't be Galactica if he didn't.

It looks like this might end up having a bigger impact on later episodes. Most of the webisodes only run two to four minutes, so they're worth checking out before the season resumes on Friday.