Tonight is the mid-season finale of Battlestar Galactica on the Sci-Fi Channel and I think it's complete bs. At the end of BSG Season 3 there was a decision to renew the show for one final season in order to wrap up the ongoing saga between the human race and the Cylons. 20 episodes were ordered and yet here we are, 10 episodes in and Sci-Fi has not only decided to split the season into two mini-seasons, but is also planning on waiting up to a year before airing the second block of episodes.
This is eerily similar to what FX has been doing to The Shield, which has all but killed all of the momentum that series had built up over its past two seasons. The mid-season break seems like an even worse idea when you take into consideration how BSG’s ratings have been steadily improving over the course of the show’s fourth season. (link) I am pretty annoyed by Sci-Fi’s scheduling decision because if they felt like Battlestar Galactica was so important ad revenue wise then why didn’t they just go ahead and order a fifth season. As it is now, the show has been dragging this seasons story wise and now that things have finally picked up we’re given a mid-season finale and are being forced to wait months, if not a year, to see the series conclude. Now you’re probably asking yourself why did I title today’s post Battlestar Galactica vs. Lost?
The answer is simple really. Both shows are unique in that an ending to both were pre-determined before the start of the shows' final seasons. While Battlestar’s ending point was determined at the end of the show’s second to last season, Lost’s was decided upon three years before its final season. The impact of those decisions seem to have drastically different effects on the two shows. In the case of BSG, most fans seem to think it has hurt the show and slowed down storylines as the creators slowly guide the cast and crew to the show’s Season 4 series finale. On the other hand, many believe Lost’s decision to end after Season 6 has really helped the show and actually sped up the story telling process. In fact, Lost Season 4 has been one of the show’s best while giving viewers more answers than ever before.
So, why the difference and does this bode poorly for Lost’s final season? My guess is that one final season of 20 episodes for BSG was probably more episodes than its creators needed to properly conclude the series, but not enough to start completely new storylines and introduce new characters. While I undertsand that you don’t want to introduce new characters and storylines during a show's final season, it seems to have confined where the storylines can go(except in the case of killing off characters, which BSG seems content to be doing every single week. I worry that there will be no one left by the time we reach the season finale).
I am concerned that Lost will get stuck in a similar rut as it moves into its final season. On the plus side, Lost only has 16 (now 17) episodes during its final season versus Battlestar Galactica’s 20. I also think Lost has more minor storylines and mysteries to address as it prepares for its final two seasons than Galactica ever had. This should help to fuel more episodes and give fans more action as the show progresses. Regardless, I do fear that what has happened to Battlestar Galactica this season could easily happen to Lost in its final season. Hopefully the creators of Lost will see the things that have hurt BSG this year and try to shy away from that type of stagnation.