Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 2 Battlestar Gallactica

Number 2  Battlestar Gallactica  2004-2009

The Cylons are back to take out the 12 Colonies.  A small group of humans head off in search of the last 13 colony of Earth.   We have heard and seen this story before.   I remember watching the premiere episode and just being upset for the first hour and a half.  How dare they make Starbuck and Boomer girls..  this wasn't  the Battlestar Gallactica I grew up with.  How dare they mess with this great show from my past.   Then it turned the corner.  I went from being upset that it wasn't the show I grew up loving to realizing that it might be something better.  Once fully immersed into this new version it grew and developed into one of the best shows on TV. Battlestar Gallactica delved into many modern day issues in the coolest of Sci-Fi settings.  The cylons were much more than just a bunch of tin-cans they were much more complex.  The show had cool twists and great characters and storylines and a conclusion that satisfied.   The cast was excellent.  James Edward Olmos as Adama and James Callis as Baltar especially.  I could go on and on about everything that made Battlestar so damn good.......but the fact that it is number 2 on my list says it all.      "So say we all"

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Number 4   Buffy the Vampire Slayer  1997-2003

A great cast and a great series.  This Joss Whedon creation  brought wit and humor to killing vampires and demons on a weekly basis.  This is the 4th Whedon show to make my countdown and my personal favorite.  The adventures of Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Xander, Willow and Giles saving Sunnydale each week was a true treat.  Whedon crafted a great mythology which eventually spun off 2 of its characters into the also excellent  Angel  starring (David Boreanaz and Charisma Carpenter).  Buffy did what a lot of other good mythology shows didn't,  it paid off on everything it teased.  Whedon created story arcs and then delivered on those arcs on a regular basis, unlike X-Files and LOST which just kept stringing the viewers along with tease after tease in their mythologies.  As far as I'm concerned Buffy is a perfect example of how a sci-fi mythology should be done and I'll be there for any Whedon show in the future.   The writing was witty and creative and you ended up liking and enjoying both heroes and villains alike.  The character of Spike went from being a villain to a good guy and that is a testament to the great writing the show had.  

Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 6 Star Trek

Number 6   Star Trek  1966-1969

It boldy went where no show had gone before....The adventures of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise took the concept of Wagon Train out into space.  The show was fun and action packed while using the Sci-Fi setting to deal with real life issues in its stories and plots.  I love a cherish this show above all other versions of Star Trek because it had the perfect balance between humor and adventure.  William Shatner played his title role of Captain Kirk with infamous overacting joy, but it worked.  It is surprise Kirk had the time to save the day since he was always busy making out with Green women at ever planet he landed on while some poor hapless red shirted low level crew member was dying.  Kirk was a James Bond in space with his vintage double karate chop fighting technique.  

One of the things that worked best in the show that I felt non of its eventual spin-offs captured as well was the relationship between the characters.   Watching Spock, Kirk and Bones interact was excellent comedy against the backdrop of encounters with new alien cultures as the Enterprise went on its 5 year mission.   The show ended before its 5 year mission ended which was a shame.  It eventually came back with big screen movies and several other Star Trek shows,  but only the Wraith of Khan was as enjoyable to me as the original series.  The show was campy and had goofy cheap 1960's sets and special effects, but it was fun and the stories and plots were good.

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Top 25 Sci-Fi TV Shows Countdown: # 16 Battlestar Gallactca (Original)

Number 16  Battlestar Gallactica    1978-1979

After Star Wars hit the theaters everything changed.  Battlestar Gallactica was  made to cash in on the Star Wars craze.   It was basically a Wagon Train in space that followed a group of humans that were forced to leave their planet in a "ragtag group of ships" lead by the Battlestar Gallactica while being pursued by deadly robots called Cylons.   The coolest things about the show (aside from the special effects of the  spaceships) was the mythology behind the show as this lost band of humans searched for Earth.  Battlestar Gallactica was a landmark sci-fi TV show with Lorne Greene of Bonanza at the helm.  The show was really popular at the time and was a much watch in for my family.  Unfortunately the show cost too much to produce --which quickly lead to ship in the bottle type episodes and the constant re-use of the same special effects over and over again.  I only wish the show had lasted long enough to actually make it to earth with its full cast and do it right.....instead of the blasphemous   Battlestar 1980 which like the Star Wars Holiday special will not be mentioned.