Battlestar Galactica
Official Site / Listen : Click Here
(Produced by BrokenSea Audio Productions)

This is a fan based production off the original series, not the re-imagined created for SyFy by RDM. Battlestar Galactica, for those who have not seen it, was a campy 1970s television show based on the concept that twelve colonies of humans have their homes destroyed by the evil robot minions of the race of Cylons. The “colonials” take to space and are constantly on the run from the Cylons and have various adventures on the planets they encounter, intermixed with extensive space battles. The show was pure fluff and fun– every little boy’s dream come true and lasted for quite a while, considering. It may sound like I am not keen on the original show, but I found the television series mildly amusing and it had some lovely costuming and just plain fun relaxing cliche stories that are perfect after a stressful day. The audio series put out by BrokenSea stays true to the original television series in every respect.

Bill Hollweg’s Battlestar Galactica has everyone’s favourite characters from the television series, all behaving exactly as they aught to be. I never had a moment while listening of “he/she wouldn’t be saying that!”. The technology, aliens and story are all seeped in Galactica lore, but I listened to the audio series before seeing the television show and was able to follow it without a problem. This isn’t a fan show that only hard core BSG fans will be able to understand and enjoy– Bill Hollweg made it accessible without compromising the geek factor. Yes, after seeing the television series, I was able to pick up whole new layers of this fan production that Bill left in the story. Whether or not you’ve seen BSG, you’ll be able to listen to this series.

If I were to choose one word to describe the sound design it would be “explosive”. Every scene is a barrage of effects and music. I don’t even want to know how much layering of sound Bill put into it, because I think it would be in the hundreds (or thousands). At first it can be a bit disconcerting, but I think if you know what to expect and are prepared you are able to enjoy the rich soundscape that he created. Some shows you can listen to in marathon format, but I do not think Battlestar Galactica is one of them. You need some time in between to recover!

The first story arc, without giving too much away, is basically a simple ship chase sequence, battle scene, then daring escape. Within this, however, are mired threads of politics, prophecy, daring feats and some difficult decisions required from the commander of the Battlestar. Steven Jay Cohen as Commander Adama pulls in a fantastic bit of acting as his character must make life and death decisions for his fleet based purely on the prophetic words of a priestess who may or may not be trustworthy. Before you think this series is all about religious quandaries, however, I’d say Battlestar Galactica at BrokenSea is primarily about the battles. To be honest, if you don’t enjoy explosions and starfighters, this is not the audio for you.

Battlestar Galactica is just as fun and campy as the original, with some great acting and an amazing sound design. If you are a fan of space battles and…more space battles…head over to listen!