I will admit to being a naysayer when this was announced. This was based on two things: the previous aborted attempts by people either previously involved (Richard Hatch) or with good pedigrees (Bryan Singer); and, the fact that it was being done on the Sci-Fi Channel. I wasn't overly impressed with a lot of their stuff, so this looked like yet another attempt to beat a dead horse. Boy, was I surprised; but, only after the show was over and I had been bombarded with a lot of critical praise.
I liked the fact that they did pay tribute to the original, but actually had a plan in mind of where everything would lead. The original lost its way pretty early on and devolved into "homage" episodes. This version had some homages here and there, but mostly tread their own path. What they had in spades was thoughtful examination of many post 9/11 events, as well as the philosophical underpinnings of society and democracy. They didn't shy away from having their heroes get a bit dirty, morally, yet never made them complete cynics, either. It didn't skew too heavily to the Right or the Left, making fair points on both sides along the way
The cast do an excellent job and I was fine with changing some of the character genders for diversity sake. They created unique characters that could stand on their own, despite sharing a name with someone from the original. Call it an alternate universe and let it go at that. Edward James Olmos especially stands out as someone who seems like a real leader, not just the authority figure. In fact, this is one of the few dramatic series that really explores the concept of leadership.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the attention to details, especially military ones. Military life requires certain things that set it apart from civilian life and they captured that. You give up a lot of freedom and comfort in the name of working together as a team and because of the reality of your job. I was a naval officer and the depiction here invoked a lot of memories. They definitely had good advisers. They also didn't shy away from showing that every society has its good and bad points, the military included. They showed that a uniform didn't make you a hero, your actions do, and that sometimes the right decision is the hardest to live with.
All in all, this was a very exciting and thoughtful series, that certainly earned its place in the list of quality television and sci-fi.
I liked the fact that they did pay tribute to the original, but actually had a plan in mind of where everything would lead. The original lost its way pretty early on and devolved into "homage" episodes. This version had some homages here and there, but mostly tread their own path. What they had in spades was thoughtful examination of many post 9/11 events, as well as the philosophical underpinnings of society and democracy. They didn't shy away from having their heroes get a bit dirty, morally, yet never made them complete cynics, either. It didn't skew too heavily to the Right or the Left, making fair points on both sides along the way
The cast do an excellent job and I was fine with changing some of the character genders for diversity sake. They created unique characters that could stand on their own, despite sharing a name with someone from the original. Call it an alternate universe and let it go at that. Edward James Olmos especially stands out as someone who seems like a real leader, not just the authority figure. In fact, this is one of the few dramatic series that really explores the concept of leadership.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the attention to details, especially military ones. Military life requires certain things that set it apart from civilian life and they captured that. You give up a lot of freedom and comfort in the name of working together as a team and because of the reality of your job. I was a naval officer and the depiction here invoked a lot of memories. They definitely had good advisers. They also didn't shy away from showing that every society has its good and bad points, the military included. They showed that a uniform didn't make you a hero, your actions do, and that sometimes the right decision is the hardest to live with.
All in all, this was a very exciting and thoughtful series, that certainly earned its place in the list of quality television and sci-fi.