If you want to really see how producers and writers can do things correctly (make high-quality science fiction on television), you must see Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi Channel, on Universal HD, or on DVD. Launched in 2003, Battlestar Galactica is a stunning example of the power of narrative entertainment on television to embed both political and religious idea content intended to persuade an audience. Entertainment Weekly called this series “TV’s next great cult hit.” Find out why. The third season of Battlestar Galactica is deliberately controversial in ways that will shock people. The fourth season has mysteries to solve.

This 21st century production greatly improves upon its 1978 predecessor and inspiration, Battlestar Galactica Classic Series and the “re-imagined” version has proven to be one of the most significant science fiction television efforts in the short history of the medium. Battlestar Galactica has won both Hugo and Peabody awards. In terms of aesthetics, storytelling, acting, and persuasiveness, the new Battlestar Galactica outdistances all of the Star Trek television series. The person who developed this astonishing production is Ronald D. Moore, the next Roddenberry.

Today’s Battlestar Galactica was born as a late 2003 miniseries, running 3 hours (minus commercials) and shown on Sci-Fi Channel on cable in the U.S. and internationally on various channels. High ratings directly led to the production of 13 original episodes that began airing in early 2005. The series, which now spans a total of four seasons, is American, but it was produced north of the border in British Columbia, Canada.

This reincarnation of Battlestar Galactica is sophisticated and intelligent in ways very similar to the kind of science fiction drama in Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone on CBS in the 1960s. Yet, it also features digital special effects that are so realistic, you may need to remind yourself that the episodes were not actually filmed on location in space with hand-held cameras.

Edward James Olmos breathes new life into the beloved Commander Adama character created in the 1970’s by Lorne Greene. But, this Commander Adama obviously has more dimension, and clearly is more of a living, breathing man than the original, who was stately yet stiff. Olmos is an intensely talented and skillful actor, who succeeds in conveying intelligent and rich emotional contexts and depth even in scenes where there is little or no dialogue.

Jamie Bamber portrays Adama’s young, struggling son Apollo with an usual blend of machismo and vulnerability. Starbuck is reinterpreted in this series a smart, sexy blonde female, played by Katee Sackhoff, who admits in the “making of” documentary that when she entered into this role, she was completely unaware that the original Starbuck character had been a male! You will forgive her for this if she is not joking. She may make you forget the original 1978 Starbuck character because Katee Sackhoff “has the chops,” as they say. She is the real deal, a truly talented actor who creates a unique and memorable character in deeply satisfying ways that one usually finds only in major motion pictures.

A powerful new character in this updated series is that of President Laura Roslin, played by Mary McDonnell. The actress was nominated for an Academy Award for an unforgettable performance in 1991 in Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves. On Battlestar Galactica, her character has been diagnosed with cancer just before she assumes the presidency of the colonists after all the ranking leadership above her died in the Cylon attacks.

For those who are unfamiliar with this series, it is important to know one essential piece of backstory: Battlestar Galactica episodes are crafted based upon a backstory about a humanoid race known as Cylons, created by human beings as robotic helpers, who rebelled and started killing their creators. Now what’s left of the human race is fleeing from and fighting with the Cylons, who have evolved so that they look exactly like human beings-–a very dangerous threat to the human race. Moreover, the Cylons are not only highly intelligent and advanced in physical appearance (they are synthetic life forms, but are neither machines nor robots), they even have their own montheistic religion and accompanying beliefs, which emerge within Battlestar Galactica episodes. Note that 1978’s Battlestar Galactica Classic Series was known for using religious themes from the Mormon Church. However, in that version, the Cylons were merely shiny, silverly robotic beings–derided as toasters–and the toasters certainly were not given their own religion by Glen A Larson, who created Battlestar Galactica Classic Series.

Ronald D. Moore’s version, however, not only de-emphasized that primitive, robotic nature of the Cylons and added a much more compelling component to the story in the form of humanoid Cylons who are engineered to look exactly like human beings. Moore’s version also gave the Cylons their own religion, which differs substantially from the human beings’ polytheistic religious beliefs. On Battlestar Galactica there is no Christian God or Muslim Allah, per se. But, wait! The Cylons do seem to anchor their violent militancy against humans entirely upon their montheistic religion. Meanwhile, to the humans on Battlestar Gallactica, the divine are plural as in “lords” who are celebrated and worshipped much like the ancient people who lived in Greece and Rome were devoted to plural gods. The juxtapositioning of these religious beliefs held by Cylons versus the human beings creates a strong vehicle for the producers and writers to make persuasive points in episodes about motivations of behavior and their sometimes deadly consequences. See: What if God is a Toaster?