I haven't seen any of the old BSG episodes, but I'll have to check them out.
I really liked the abbreviated mini-series. The idea has been done before, though - ala Bladerunner... which, incidentally, was based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick, published in 1968, so I think it beats out BSG as far as the timeline of Ideas go. (Sorry CNCRaymond.
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I watched the first episode captivated, and then watched it again... keeping me up long past when I should have been in bed, dreaming about SEIV. I did the same with the second episode. I'm a bit disappointed that they changed the storyline, but for someone that didn't know the original plot was changed, it does the trick nicely.
Now, if someone would only pick up Farscape... *sigh*