Wow! I can't believe that BSG stands accused of being a soap opera!
Now Star Trek series - that charge easily sticks. It's trashy American soap-opera in space, with no real depth to story or characters except in the most superficial and pseudo-intellectual manner.
Battlestar Galactica is serious writing, serious characters, serious settings. It's what sci-fi should do - challenge us in the now - and the references to war themes we can easily relate to in our own histories is just brilliantly done. I mean, the fact that a sci-fi series can carry off Vietnam war and death camp themes is just absolutely brilliant.
Even better, BSG hasn't really allowed any loss of pace or intensity despite continuing through four seasons. Possibly the peak episode I saw was I think in season 2 when Starbuck was recounting all their dead comrades, after hunting down the cyclon raider "Rage". However, a few episodes into season 4 and the intensity is building up again.
I know some people just want empty candy-pop escapism - but that's absolutely not what a good sci-fi - or fantasy - should be about.
That BSG dares to be an adult drama with serious storylines, character development, and backgrounds - and remains firmly a science fiction series - is a sheer accomplishment I am continuing to enjoy.
Muchos kudos to Scifi channel for daring to make grown up 21st century science fiction.