contentFor those who knew me when Buffy was still on The WB, then UPN, you know I was big into the fandom if not big in the fandom. I mostly kept to The Board That Shall Not Be Named, but posted a lot there. I obsessed over the series. Learned about the existence of fanfic and how good it could be. Came to understand the serious business of shipping. Went to my first convention and had my first Julie Caitlin Brown experience. And when the show ended, I thought that what I perceived as a big involvement in fandom was coming to end. Another show couldn't possibly be as near and dear to me as Buffy was. Heh.
I was still learning to mauever my way through the blogging world when Battlestar Galactica premiered and stuck to 'talking' to my friends. I didn't watch the mini series. I refused to watch the mini series. I was a fan of the original series and I was also one of those fans that was not happy to learn about the changes that were made for the reimagining. Promotional materials of a former Victoria's Secret model in a tight red dress further did not inspire confidence.
I had met
divahag at a local bookstore. It wasn't long after we met that she started telling me about BSG (the first season had aired in England) and how she was sure I'd like it. I was dubious, but trusted her opinion and caved, watching a truncated version of the mini on NBC before Season 1 debuted on SciFi. I liked it, but wasn't enamored with it or a certain viper pilot. My love for the series, for Lee, for Lee and Laura, wouldn't bloom until 'Bastille Day'. I never foresaw my involvement in fandom evolving beyond my involvement in the Buffy fandom. I'd post my thoughts, have some interesting discussions, and, hopefully, find some good fic, which was hard given I didn't ship the main ships. I can't pinpoint when Battlestar Galactica became my One True Show. It's definitely because I feel it's part of my life. And not in the sad, disdainful way that SciFi seems to view it's shows and the genre becoming part of people's lives. I look at my friends list, compiled of so many people I met because of BSG. So many smart, funny, interesting people and so many of whom I consider friends. Would I have ventured to Seattle, San Francisco, and Atlanta without them? And the painfully shy person I was would not now feel so comfortable reaching out to strangers or having a conversation with an actor that appears on my TV screen each week.
There are so many other things I've done I never thought I would do. Making an icon seemed implausible to me, let alone co-creating a vid or writing fic. And starting a fansite for an actor? I would have laughed had anyone suggested that to me five years ago. I'd have laughed harder if you said his publicist would have a conversation with me.
I love BSG not just for the series or the actors or that it makes me think. I love it because, while it might seem silly to some, it's made me a better person. It's through my love of this show and fandom that I've pushed myself to do things I never thought I would do. It's made me smarter, braver, more confidant and more creative. I've learned more about life and lives outside my part of the world and that the world is both bigger and smaller than I believed.
Will I love another series? Will I be part of another fandom? I'd answer yes to both. I'll always need something current to analyze to death. Will there be fanfic that doesn't involve a character played by Jamie Bamber? Possibly not. Will I ever start another fansite for an actor? Oh, hell no. Battlestar Galactica has been a unique experience for me, one that can never be duplicated. And even if Ron Moore kills Lee Adama and the rest of huamnity off tonight, I'll still love this show, it just means too damn much to me.
ETA: First BSG post made on the tiny computer. :)
