It’s not easy to craft a TV show that’s considered a sci-fi masterpiece, but somehowBattlestar Galacticacan still compete with the biggest series of the genre today. Airing from 2004 to 2009, the show was a reboot of the 1978 series. However, it distinguished itself, and there’s a lot to recommend about the show, even if it didn’t have millions of dollars at its fingertips.
Battlestar Galacticais a must-watch sci-fi seriesfor a reason, as this iconic show is more than a cult classic, but a benchmark for the genre. Fans discovering it for the first time today quickly realize why people are still talking about it. Though aBattlestar Galacticareboot is unlikely, the series is surprisingly easy to revisit today, even though some aspects of the show are dated.
Battlestar Galactica Was A Relatively Low-Budget Show By Today’s Standards
Compared to recent sci-fi projects likeThe Mandalorianand other series like it,Battlestar Galactica’s budget was tiny (viaSyfy). While budgets and resources have progressively gotten larger as the years have progressed,Battlestar Galacticawasn’t a big enough project to warrant an enormous investment when it started airing, and this shows.
Many of thebest sci-fi TV shows of the 2000sfall into a similar category, prioritizing practical effects and using a smaller number of sets to make the world feel real while cutting costs. This was partially because seasons were longer back then, and the money that was available had to be spread out over twenty episodes.
While it’s easy to notice the ways thatBattlestar Galacticasuffers because of its limited budget, this didn’t stop the series from exceeding expectations and pushing boundaries within the genre. Today, there are plenty of series that are gorgeous to look at but lack the substance and deep thematic weight of the 2004 show.
95%
94%
Battlestar Galactica’s Budget Limitations Are What Gave The Show Its Charm
Sometimes, the best thing about older speculative fiction shows likeBattlestar Galacticais the fact that the smaller budgets made the creative team even more innovative when writing and crafting the series. If the show had the sleek, almost impersonal style and atmosphere of contemporary sci-fi, the viewer might not feel as connected to the work today.
Additionally, there’s a sense of nostalgia inherent to low-budget projects like this because it creates an intimacy and warmth, as if the audience is really a part of the action. The fact thatBattlestar Galacticahad to get creative with its storytelling made for deep, interrogative narratives and character-driven plotlines that take the show far beyond its limited means, standing the test of time.
It’s thrilling to witness the size and scale of contemporary science fiction TV shows and see how far visual effects have come in transporting audiences to far-flung worlds. However, it’s not surprising that we can’t stop revisitingBattlestar Galacticaand series like it, as the show had to rely on the characters and story to draw the audience in, not just the
