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4 reasons you need to watch Battlestar Galactica for free online ASAP

It's frakking great.

by Robin Bea
Updated: 
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Battlestar Galactica is beloved by many sci-fi fans, but it hasn’t had the massive crossover success of a series like Star Trek.

Even fans will admit BSG has its issues, but here’s why you should watch this all-time great sci-fi series free on Peacock.

4. The themes

Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 writer Ronald D. Moore was the showrunner for BSG, but it was a very different series.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

BSG was a darker take on sci-fi, unafraid to tackle intense subjects like torture, abuse, and all manner of violence.

That can make some scenes hard to watch, but it lets BSG examine humanity’s worst impulses.

Religion also plays a major role in BSG, which sci-fi, in general, is more likely to avoid.

3. The stakes

The cast of BSG is in a tough spot to start as some of the last remaining humans after an attack from the robotic Cylons.

From start to finish, they’re in a fight for survival, which keeps tensions high and emotions at their boiling point.

2. The mystery

To make matters worse, anyone could secretly be a villainous Cylon without even knowing it themselves.

From the Cylons’ plot to crewmembers’ intentions, BSG is full of mysteries, making it a supremely bingeable show.

1. The characters

Even with all it has going for it, BSG wouldn’t be remembered as fondly without great characters. Fortunately, that’s its biggest strength.

BSG’s characters range from caring to callous and from heroic to villainous, with individuals often moving between those extremes.

Characters like troubled military officer Saul Tigh and schoolteacher-turned-president Laura Roslin have believable and moving arcs while remaining flawed human beings.

Even unlikable characters and straight-up villains are shown sympathetically — at least enough to make them feel real.

Then there's Starbuck: the tough-as-nails, cool-as-hell pilot whose arc makes BSG worth watching all on its own.

On the other hand...

BSG isn’t perfect, and its final two seasons suffer from poor pacing and inexplicable story decisions.

Many die-hard fans even have their own skip lists to save newcomers from the show’s worst episodes.

Despite not sticking the landing, Battlestar Galactica is still worth watching or rewatching today — even if you don’t follow it to the end.