Battlestar Galactica: Sangre y Metal

I was happy with the prequel web-miniseries "Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome" (2012) – it really seemed like a return to form to the immensely popular first two seasons of the TV show. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Gone are the weird and confusing plot lines involving divine intervention and … (sigh) angels. Instead we're treated to a decent, escapist and gratifying sci-fi war-adventure story, with a few gritty horror elements thrown in to remind us that this is still Ron Moore's unique Battlestar Galactica universe. It seemed to consciously emulate "Aliens" (1986), which is a direction I think a lot of BSG fans would have been thrilled with. (I'm a little confused about whether the SyFy Channel intended this as a possible pilot for a regular TV series … it seems that way, from how it's written.)

There are also nice nods to the series, its followup prequel series, "Caprica," and even the original 1970's TV show. I loved how one key actor/actress appeared to lend his/her voice to really nail a nice surprise in the finale. That's some damn fun continuity right there, and awesome fan service.

It's a shaky pilot (?) in some ways. Young William Adama is a two- dimensional clone of "Starship Troopers'" Johnny Rico, though he does grow a bit by the end of the story. There are also other clichés – at one point a commander states something along the lines of "the fate of the entire war hinging on this battle!!" Ugh. Another flaw was its inclusion of actors from the series – in different roles. It was probably cool for Moore to keep it in the family and give these talented people additional high-profile work. (My personal favorite is the great, underused character actor Ty Olsson.) But it's jarring, and takes you right out of the story – sometimes you're too busy saying, "Hey! It's THAT guy!" to get immersed in the show.

Still, this was cool and exciting and fun. What a shame it's (apparently) not turning into a regular series.