BSG Alumni Invade CSI!

Tonight's episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, "A Space Oddity," not only deftly spoofs Star Trek and Trek fandom (especially its more hardcore elements--you know, the ones that embarrass the rest of us), but it also tips a hat to the gritty gestalt of Ronald D. Moore's re-envisioning of Battlestar Galactica, with a little insider help.

In the episode, a television producer is murdered after unveiling at a sci-fi convention a preview of his remake of a much-loved cult series, Astro Quest. There is no attempt to hide the fact that Astro Quest is supposed to refer to Star Trek, from costume and set design to a scene lifted almost directly from "Gamesters of Triskelion" (the same scene that South Park once parodied to perfection). The line "He's dead, Jim" even closes out the teaser, and there are several variants of McCoy's famous "I'm a doctor, not a ...."

But the episode really sparkles due to its nod to BSG's influence on the genre.  The preview of Astro Quest Redux is not well received by the audience of hardcore Questers.  It is dark, gritty, and the characters are clearly flawed individuals.  In the shots panning over the stunned convention audience, Grace Park (BSG's Boomer/Athena/#8) can clearly be seen, then Ronald D. Moore pops up, points an accusing finger at the producer and shouts "You suck!"  I almost fell out of my chair. Irony lives! To top it all off, Kate Vernon (BSG's Ellen Tigh) is a guest star on the episode.