The action dawned on 12 happy and prosperous planets filled with humans. They had put behind them the horrors of war they fought with the Cylon, human-like robots they created. But the Cylon had not forgotten. In a single devastating attack, they kill almost all the human population and send the survivors on a desperate escape through space, the Cylon hot on their tail. Their one hope is a legendary planet called Earth. The attack echoes our worst fears about terrorism.

That’s the set up. What happens along the way is gritty, nuanced, and powerful storylines. The soldiers tasked with protecting the population are tired, strung out, grieving, barely holding on. They’re fighting a very real and very bad enemy, against great odds. The government struggles to preserve democracy and at the same time not give help to enemy agents in the populace. As we learn more about the Cylon, the difference between human and Cylon becomes harder and harder to define and we ask ourselves what it really means to be human.

Oh, and lots of things blow up. Hot Cylons wear leather mini-skirts. And attractive people sometimes kiss.

Dat’s good TV right there.

BSG fans: What’s answers are you looking forward to this season?

Then….in a side room…Jon Voight fielded questions about “24.” He plays this season’s resident bad power player. The show has received more than its fair share of criticism because critics interpret it as an endorsement of Bush’s counter-terrorism tactics, which they consider torture. His response to the questions? (He very logically, but incorrectly, assumed this reporter was a lefty.)

“You gals are on that side of things. From my side, I’m glad to say I’m glad we haven’t had another 9/11 and that took a lot of work. And we don’t know all the work it took or all the things they stopped because nobody wants to scare us. But we’re dealing with a serious enemy.

“We take for granted a lot of things here. We’re very complacent. Thank God we have people looking out for us. It’s a very dangerous world out there and it’s quite easy to do damage. I hope they’re doing their job. I hope they’re doing things I don’t see. I hope they do everything possible. I hope we give them every tool to keep us safe.”

When asked if he was a conservative, Voight said, “I don’t like any labels at all. I’d like to be on the side of sanity and truth.”

I flashed my conservative credentials….writing for Big Hollywood and Voight gave a shout-out to Big Hollywood readers. “Do I have a message for the readers of Big Hollywood? Yeah. We’ve been given this great legacy from these great forefathers of ours and we must hold to it and not let it be lost. And as Jefferson said, we have to be eternally vigilant.”

Oh, and, yes. He’s seen Angie (his daughter, Angelina Jolie) recently and she and the kids are fine.

Did you know that every fallen soldier travels from Dover to their final resting place with an escort every step of the way? HBO captures this touching journey in a new drama starring Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance, premiering February 21. Bacon portrays the real-life journey of Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, who was tasked with escorting home a stranger, Chance Phelps. Phelps, a 19 year old Lance Corporal, had been killed in action in Iraq.

At a press event for the drama today, Strobl described how, as he escorted the body to Dubois, Wyoming, construction workers paused and put their hard hats over their hearts, a flight attendant handed him a crucifix, and ordinary Americans responded with emotion. “All of these people who you could presume had varying political views,” said Strobl, “exhibited a profound sense of gratitude and sorrow at Chance’s loss.”

“It’s an extremely profound comment on the casualties of war,” said Bacon. It’s also a profound comment on the great debt we owe our service men and women.

Have you been moved or touched by a fallen soldier finally coming home?