Razor

Razor, the much anticipated maxi-episode of Battlestar Galactica premiered Saturday night. If nothing else, it is proof positive for those who need details on why television writers deserve better treatment and why the current strike is necessary. Razor was fantastic, particularly the writing. It has been so long since we had new Galactica content that I had almost forgotten why I love this show. WOW.

I refuse to give out too many spoilers. I appreciate the answers we were given to so many questions, including why Admiral Cain allowed the Pegasus version of #6 (aka Gina) to be so brutally tortured and the precise moment at which Cain completely lost her humanity. I also appreciate the questions that were asked, hopefully making way for some serious shit in Season 4 (which may or may not run to its completion and bring a satisfactory end to the series according to RDM's blog).

If you didn't catch it, it is worth watching in reruns on the SciFi channel or on DVD starting next week. It's a nice stand-alone piece for the uninitiated, and a great source for answers to those who have kept up with the series. Check it out if you can!

Okay, that being said, I have some criticism of Razor and of Michael Taylor, co-exec. producer and writer of Razor. There are some spoilers below, so be warned if you haven't seen Razor yet, and don't want to know what's up.

In a recent interview, Taylor had this to say when asked if we'd see more gay characters in Season 4 of Galactica:

If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the Battlestar world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “The L Word,” we’re coming for your Nielsen ratings.

I think that these comments are a total cop-out, and too glib. Hardcore fans endured an entire season of a Lee-Dee/Starbuck-Anders quadrangle that added very little dramatic purpose. Lee and Starbuck wanted to get it on, but were married. I call that gratuitous heterosexuality for heterosexuality's sake. Gaeta is so gay -- when does he get a love quadrangle? Also, can we have some gay characters (for dramatic purpose of course) who aren't homicidal maniacs please? Helena Cain is a great and interesting character, but as the only gay human, strikes a fairly eyebrow-raising gay mold for the Galactica universe. You guys can do a lot better than that -- come on!