Rotten Tomatoes’ Best Sci-Fi Show of All Time Still Hasn’t Been Topped

Sci-fi is the gift that keeps on giving, especially in the streaming age. With so many platforms, there is an overwhelming amount of content to choose from, all containing topical stories set in a futuristic world. As necessary as the recent run of television’s best sci-fi shows continues to be, however, the best sci-fi show of all time still hasn’t been topped.

Syfy’s cult classic, Battlestar Galactica, still maintains a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, cementing it in pop culture history as the best of the genre. Over two decades after the miniseries that heralded the golden age of television premiered, the show still works remarkably well. The reboot of the short-lived show from the ‘70s depicts a world where the cybernetic race known as the Cylons return for revenge on the human race after years of subjugation. Battlestar Galactica works even better now than it did in the early aughts, when it was a social commentary on some of society’s heaviest issues.

‘Battlestar Galactica’ Was Ahead of Its Time

At the time of its release, Battlestar Galactica made some wild swings in updating the source material. The chrome-plated robots that were the villains in the original series evolved in the 2004 reboot, now appearing as human as the people who made them. Because of this, the series wasn’t just a typical war among the stars, but became a story that took on themes of war crimes, religious differences, and prisoner mistreatment.

Battlestar Galactica continues to reach an audience, particularly because of its relevant conversations surrounding artificial intelligence. The issues of AI have become more complicated since the heyday of Battlestar Galactica, but the show was still evidently decades ahead of its time. The series starts quite literally with a bang when, after years of silence, the Cylons return to destroy humanity. After nuking the homeworld of Caprica, only some escaped into the stars with the hopes of surviving the scourge and starting anew.

The biggest obstacle was the fact that Cylons look like humans and could sow discord without ever being discovered. For four seasons, Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) guides the Battlestar Galactica and the rest of humanity to be better than their forebears. Like the modern world, the series is populated with complex characters who must contend with xenophobia and the ethical realities of war. Katee Sackhoff’s controversial Viper pilot character, Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, has many ups and downs as she endures torture and PTSD, among her own prejudices against the cybernetic race.

Social commentary is typically at the heart of any sci-fi story, but Battlestar Galactica ensured it created a true classic by portraying a unique world with complex mythology. The philosophical and religious aspects of the show are just as important as the space battles and character drama. Battlestar Galactica is ultimately about fighting for the soul of humanity, a narrative that hits even harder in the modern age than when the show first premiered. Political machinations, warring factions, and societal issues make up the secret sauce that created not just the best sci-fi show on television, but one of the best fictional stories in modern history.