Back in the day I was a big Battlestar Galactica fan. I followed the efforts to resurrect the series, saddened by the inability of minds to meet over the concept. That makes my surprise all the more pleasant with the new result, not so much a remake as a fresh vision whirled off the old concept. I like the science in my science fiction. So far they're doing good.

This is an intelligent, complicated, provocative show. From a promising two-part mini series launched an exciting first season and, with rare exception, a fantastic second. I love the new ship, retaining the alligator outline but with a bitchin' new ability to retract the landing bays. The old Battlestar was a triumph of the colonies' technology; the new ship (though impressive to twenty-first century humans) is a throw-back, all but obsolete. Yet its very antiquity is what spared it from the Cylons.

The primary characters have been revitalized as well by a spectacular set of actors. There's a complex emotional tension between Apollo and Adama; heck, there's not many characters that lack such tension. Tigh is a sot, manipulated by his shrewish wife. What sets the female Starbuck apart isn't her sex, it's the unfortunate trend to "Mary Sue" her character, should it tie the series to her "destiny." Yeah, whatever. And it's a treat to see Richard Hatch steal the screen as the ethically-challenged Zarich.

The new Cylons, especially the revamped Centurions, are wonderful. No more "By your command," these silent scary killers are deadly (even if at times they don't seem to shoot any better!). The raiders are no longer "manned;" they are a complete entity unto themselves. The humanoid Cylons (Humlons) resemble Blade Runner's replicants so much that we might as well call them that. Their Cylon religion is as fascinating as it is obscure, which may or may not pay off.

Uncovering the remaining Humlon models and their motives makes for some serious paranoia. This new Baltar's own lusts led him to betray the colonies; what's interesting is that unlike the original, this betrayal is unknown to the survivors. Where the monolithic goal in the original was merely survival, the new series is too complicated to assimilate easily. Which may be too ambitious, establishing that the Cylons have a plan that cannot be climactically resolved. Like the collapse of Babylon 5 after the Shadow War resolved, the powers that be have to walk a fine line between keeping it interesting yet preventing it from dissolving into inconsistent drivel.