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Battlestar Galactica has jumped the shark, but it actually did so at the end of last season. The fleet’s arrival and eventual temporary colonization on New Caprica set up the show for a cascade of failures. Now, ultimately, the show’s soul is lost, and I don’t believe it can ever be found again. Click the “Continue Reading” tag below if you don’t mind spoilers.

*** WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW !!! DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU! ***

1. Kara’s death was totally without meaning and done “for the audacity of it.” The whole “layered with meaning” thing is bullshit writer talk for “we’re weaving a story so complex that you mere humans can’t possibly comprehend it.” That elitest attitude leaves BSG fans feeling disenfranchised and small. We like death to have meaning, or, if death is actually meaningless, then make that a part of the weaving of the tale. For all it’s bad writing and awful effects, the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation did it right when they killed off Tasha Yar. Her death was meaningless, but the story demanded it. The meaningless itself was a plot point. Since Kara died alone and gave no warning to anyone what she was doing, I doubt any member of the Galactica’s crew will ever truly understand why she died.
2. BSG jumped the shark when they reached New Caprica. I knew deep in my gut that settling New Caprica was a bad idea, not only for the fugitives from the ragtag fleet, but for the fans as well. The fleet had enjoyed a purpose of simplistic ideals: survive, find Earth. Once New Caprica was introduced as a viable alternative, suddenly the choices that were available to the outcome of the fleet were numerous and convoluted. While that normally sounds great, it gives the writers a broad palette and canvas with which to fuck up the core drives of survival and Earth. Consider the awful Tirrel / Cally episode in the airlock, Dee/Lee/Kara/Anders love parallelogram, and the mediocre Tirrel as the union president episode. None of these episodes advanced any story significantly, but were rooted in the time spent on New Caprica. I’m sure the writers envisioned little pet projects in their heads once they created these new weird and stupid circumstances in the script.
3. Too many unfinished story arcs. Lost has fallen under the same trap. There are too many loose ends that have never been fully tied. What’s up with the final 5? Why can Baltar see Six, and Six see Baltar? What destiny is this that Starbuck needs to meet? What about the eye of Jupiter? What’s so great about Hera? When is Helo going to get in some shit for killing the infected cylons? The writers know what they’re doing when they create these mysteries, but it seems like they enjoy making them, and never have any intention of resolving them. Again, it strikes of an elitest attitude of trickling out the barest minimum just to keep the fans from running away. Well, I’ve had it. This fan is done, and closing the book on Battlestar Galactica. Way to go, Ron.