Battlestar Zero

One of the first books I've read this January was Battlestar Galactica: Season Zero. This graphic novel reprints the 12-issue series by Dynamite comics, and takes place prior to the events of the TV series. So that means that Caprica is still a thriving civilization, the colonial military still has an armade of Battlestar spaceships and one Bill Adama and Saul Tigh have been assigned to command the Galactica.

I picked this one up from the library mainly out of curiosity: I don't want to spoil the TV show for anyone who hasn't yet seen it, but the on-screen drama comes from the paranoia that anyone could be a Cylon, the constant battle for survival in the depths of space with little resources, and the ongoing search for a new home. How would they conjure up any of that interest in a time-frame that preceeds the Cylon holocaust?

Well, the writers of this series have plumped for another of the show Big Themes: corruption within the military. The plot follows Adama's earliest missions as he uncovers some home truths about the top brass: controversial black ops missions and dubious decisions in the name of The Greater Good. The Cylons even crop up here but they are in no way the main storyline.

Don't worry, plenty of familiar faces show up: Dualla, Helo, Chief Tyrol, and of course Starbuck, to name but a few. Often for no particular good reason, but the characters are all still there. (Lee 'Apollo' Adama has a much smaller role than in the show, but for good reasons). The writing is choppy but has some really good scenes. The art too is inconsistent, with some of the pages on the early issues looking particularly poor. Even A-list characters - such as Bill Adama - are virtually unrecognizable in some panels - not good for a TV tie-in.

Still, Season Zero is a perfectly acceptable addition to the world of Galactica and will please fans who can't get enough raptors, vipers, Cylons and frakking. For those new to the series, this is not a good starting point and doesn't begin to reflect the complexity and depth of the TV show.