What Made BSG Great

I've been wanting to write something about the phenomenal Battlestar Galactica finale/series, but I'm just not good enough--see the take's that Alan Sepinwall, Maureen Ryan, and R. A. Porter had on it.

What I do want to talk about is this great post by Marcus Sakey over at The Outfit. Now, I don't know why, but I haven't been able to get into one of Sakey's novels, but I really enjoy his blog posts and interviews. Sakey has got his hands on a series bible from BSG, and cited a few passages, all worth reading for anyone interested in the show or the craft of writing. For example:

Our show is, first and foremost, a drama. It is about people. Our characters should always be the most important element of every story. Breaking the traditional rule of the genre, we should sacrifice plot at every turn in favor of character. Time spent discussing the technical problems of outwitting the latest Cylon plot will be better spent dealing with the emotional fallout of the Adama / Lee relationship.

Do not be afraid to expose our characters’ faults, for in their frailties also lie the seeds of their triumphs…Our people are deeply flawed, deeply human characters. They are not, by nature, innately heroic or noble creatures. They do not always make the right decision and do not always do the right thing. They make mistakes, act out of pettiness and spite, and occasionally do things that are reprehensible. However, they are also capable of growth, of change, of learning to overcome their many flaws and rising to he challenges laid before them and performing great and mighty deeds.

They are human.

As Sakey said, that's pure gold for writers. It's because the writers stuck to that that the series was so good. It was the show's humanity, not the F/X, not the mythology, not the acting (all were great, btw), it was the fact that the show was populated by humans.