Review of Dynamite Entertainment's Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus

A One-Shot Comic That Has No Imperative

"Battlestar Galactica: Pegasus" is a one-shot comic from Dynamite Entertainment based on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Written by Brandon Jerwa ("Battlestar Galactica: Zarek") and penciled by Jonathan Lau, it chronicles a mission undertaken by Admiral Helena Cain and the crew of the battlestar Pegasus prior to the fall of the Twelve Colonies. Like the "Razor" television movie, it attempts to show us a different side to one of the more interesting, complex stories to come from the re-imagining.

Unfortunately, it fails under its own weight, which is disappointing, yet honestly unsurprising. While the artwork is very good and the story does have its brief character moments, the "Pegasus" one shot was a one shot. A shot that missed the mark by several light years.

It is disappointing because Jerwa has proven himself to be a skilled writer, exemplified by having been able to create the back story to one of the better characters of the re-imagining: Tom Zarek (portrayed by original series' star Richard Hatch). Jerwa was able to show us the origins and depth of Zarek's resolve in trying to free his fellow Sagittarons from their slavery, blurring the line between terrorism and freedom fighting, and bringing Hatch's character into a new light. It also served to showed us the slave state and glimpse into how frakked up the Colonies actually were even before the Cylons toasted them.

"Pegasus" fails to do this. It falls into the trap of having to stay within the lines of something that's already been well established, which is the problem faced by any prequel. In this, the failures of "Pegasus" are unsurprising, and by that measure, "Zarek" should have also failed. But it didn't. There's a reason why.