In light of the 12th "Saw" and eighth "High School Musical" topping the box office this weekend, I'm going to cheat on movies again and talk about TV. But it's TV in a cinematic sense, and a show that actually began as a movie: "Battlestar Galactica."

"Galactica" shares some story elements with the late-1970s show of the same name. A fleet of humans is fleeing through space after their 12 home worlds were attacked by a race of robots they invented, called Cylons. The humans are fleeing toward a rumored 13th world shared by their brethren: Earth.

The show trades in many of the genre staples of science fiction: space battles, robots, techno babble. But the rebooted version of "Galactica" also addresses ethical and philosophical dilemmas in ways made accessible to its audience. Because the story strongly echoes the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent war on terror, these issues take on modern resonance. The addition of human-looking Cylons to the "Galactica" story permits the show to explore the cynicism the fleet feels over who could be the enemy. Because, after all, it could be anyone.

At other times the show asks the audience to examine the real ethical values of genocide, abusing power, following orders (the Eichmann question) and more. But it's not all heady. "Galactica" excels at characterization by crafting fallible heroes whose virtues always shine through during moments of poor judgment. The audience may even side against the protagonists, but we never lose respect for them.

Add in some soapy romance and quirky humor — and yes, space battles — and you have one of the best dramas around in "Battlestar Galactica." The fourth season resumes in January, so there's plenty of time to catch up.