XPost: rec.sport.pro-wrestling   
   From: BillV2320@webtv.net   
      
   The 10 Happiest Moments in Battlestar Galactica    
   By James Helton in Daily Lists  , TV    
   Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 8:06 am   
     Anyone who watched more than 10 minutes of a new Battlestar   
   Galactica episode when it was on -- or read this TR list  -- the show   
   is pretty frakking dark. In fact, some of the comments received last   
   time questioned the point of watching a show that was so depressing. In   
   looking back, particularly at the list, the show indeed did have some   
   very dark moments. Being that the show started off with the   
   extermination of 99% of all of the humans in the 12 Colonies, there   
   wasn't much room for sunshine, lollypops, obnoxiously cute kids and   
   their robot dogs. Instead, the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica   
   became a show about survival against insurmountable odds, a show that   
   was more a commentary on the early 21st century, war, and terrorism than   
   a space opera in the classic sense. That being said, the show was not   
   without its moments of happiness and levity, because quite frankly with   
   all of the bad shit that happens to the Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet, it's a   
   wonder that the majority of the survivors didn't pull a Dualla and spray   
   brain matter across the bulkheads. While the last list centered on the   
   most disturbing episodes of the series, this time we are focusing on the   
   moments of happiness experienced in the fleet. Note that these are only   
   moments, in my rewatching of pretty much the entire series for my lists,   
   I never quite found a single episode that I would consider a happy one.   
   These moments usually prefaced or followed some sort of tragedy, and   
   often the happiness was short lived, but for a short time, these   
   characters got to feel what it was like to feel alive, without all of   
   that whole pain and suffering thing. Note, if you haven't watched   
   Battlestar Galactica, I'm about to spoil just about every single   
   positive moment in the series... all 10 of 'em. 10) A Child is Born,   
   "33"   
     After a long hiatus between the miniseries and the start of the   
   regular season, Battlestar Galactica started off with a bang, with its   
   Hugo Award-winning episode "33". While the miniseries ended on a   
   somewhat upbeat note, the Galactica and the remains of the human race   
   setting a course for Earth, the series started off on a pretty grim   
   note, with the Cylons relentlessly attacking the fleet every 33 minutes.   
   Exhaustion follows the fleet just as much as the Cylons do, and matters   
   get worse when a ship, the Olympic Carrier goes missing after a jump. It   
   becomes clear how high the stakes are in this new series when the   
   Carrier reappears, most likely a trap. Radiation alarms go off signaling   
   the presence of nukes aboard the ship, now on a collision course with   
   the fleet. Apollo and Starbuck have no choice but to open fire on their   
   own. Throughout the episode, new president Laura Roslin has been keeping   
   track of the number of souls aboard the fleet, a number that has been   
   steadily dwindling, particularly quickly after the destruction of the   
   Olympic Carrier. After receiving a report from her aide Billy, she goes   
   back to the board one final time, however instead of subtracting a large   
   amount from the number, she adds one. Apparently in all of the chaos and   
   combat, a small miracle has taken place: A baby boy was born in the   
   fleet, the first glimpse of hope for the exiled humans. 9) Galactica   
   Finds an Ancient Copy of Rand McNally, "Home"   
     The second season begins in a very dark place, with Commander Adama   
   suffering from a pair of holes in his chest, the fleet torn apart due to   
   the conflict between President Roslin and the military, Lee Adama in the   
   brig, Kara Thrace and Helo on Caprica, and crew members marooned on a   
   Cylon-infested Kobol. Then things go from bad to worse: Kara gets shot;   
   riots ensue when the fleet is under Commander Tigh's rule, and the   
   people on Kobol are dying. But things change when Starbuck returns to   
   the fleet with the Arrow of Apollo. With most of their issues resolved   
   the crew of Galactica searches Kobol for answers in the quest for Earth.   
   When the series began, Commander Adama expressed that Earth was a myth,   
   something to keep the people moving forward. His beliefs change when he   
   recovers from his attempted murder, and joins Roslin, Zarek and others   
   down on the surface of Kobol. Once the pragmatist, he is at least   
   willing to go along with Roslin's quest, and keeps an open mind for the   
   most part. The expedition arrives at the legendary Temple of Athena, but   
   upon entering it, finds that most of it is crumbled ruins of statues   
   representing the original names of the colonies, which ironically are   
   the signs of the zodiac. When they find a mostly intact statue of   
   Sagittarius missing his trademark arrow, it becomes pretty obvious where   
   the Arrow of Apollo goes. When inserted, the Temple seals shut, locking   
   in Adama, Roslin, Starbuck and others, but when they look around, they   
   are no longer in ruins but are in a field of tall grass, with large   
   Stonehenge looking rocks surrounding them, each with a depiction of a   
   constellation that coincides with the names of the colonies. After   
   pondering for a few minutes they discover the truth, they are not   
   looking at a map to Earth; they are standing ON Earth, at least a   
   representation of it. Looking up in the night sky shows the planet's   
   position in relation to the constellations, essentially showing the   
   Galactica crew where it is, based on the stars around it. Looking for   
   clues to where in the universe these constellations all exist, they see   
   an object most of them easily recognize, what they refer to as the   
   Horsehead Nebula. Skepticism turns to determination, as prophecy aside,   
   everyone in that room seems pretty sure that Earth exists, and it is   
   where they are supposed to be going. The leave the temple with the first   
   real signpost towards a new home, and have direction for the first time   
   since leaving the ruins of the colonies. 8) Kat Finds Her Ship, "The   
   Passage"   
     Kat had spent most of her time among the Colonial Fleet in constant   
   competition with Starbuck. The pressure to perform as one of the top   
   Viper pilots consumed Lieutenant Louanne Katraine, up to the point where   
   she started taking and eventually overdosed on stims to keep up. This   
   constant battle with Starbuck (whom Kat felt was a risk due to Starbucks   
   constant drinking and irresponsibility) came to a head when Kat's secret   
   was revealed: She's not Louanne Katraine. Apparently, Sasha (as she was   
   known on the Colonies) was a drug runner in her previous life. When she   
   escaped, she took the name of a dead person, stealing her identity and   
   her crime-free life, and then joined the Colonial military, leaving her   
   past behind. Of course, her secret was out when she ran into an old   
   flame/partner in crime from her clandestine days, who tried to blackmail   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)