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Good Friday morning, readers.

Some new things this week

(1) I’ve added new “QUICK HITS” to each section. These are links to articles, but without the additional summary and “My Take.” This is the result of analytics on how content is being consumed. Maybe I’m wrong. You can tell me in the poll at the end.

(2) There are two polls. One at the end, and one in the Regulatory section. Please take literally 2 seconds to press a button!

(3) Speaking of Regulatory - big change there. Take a peek. Let me know what you think. It will be refined over time

(4) Finally, some deeper “My Take” in places where something interested me enough to spend more time on it (which I now have due to the QUICK HITS)

Enjoy #111 and please participate in the polls.

Broadband / Telco

OpenVault Broadband Insights Report, Q425 - There’s gold in the cable upstream for broadband providers who invest in higher speeds. That’s a key takeaway from the 4Q 2025 edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report.

“In a first comparison of Fiber and DOCSIS subscribers, OVBI analysis shows how upstream usage expands when more throughput is available. OVBI found that faster, symmetrical speeds on fiber unleashed pent-up upstream demand, with fiber subscribers using 66% more upstream bandwidth in 4Q25 than their counterparts on asymmetrical DOCSIS networks.“

Summary Findings:

• Average monthly usage hit 767.4 GB, up 9.9% YoY

• Median usage reached 531.8 GB, up 15.3% YoY — nearly equal to the prior two years of median growth combined

• Upstream usage grew 21.7% YoY, accelerating sharply from 14.6% in 4Q24 and 13.5% in 4Q23

• Average upstream usage was 55.86 GB vs. 45.9 GB a year earlier

• Fiber subscribers used 93 GB upstream vs. 56 GB on DOCSIS — a 66% gap on the same provider's network

• Absolute gigabyte increase per subscriber jumped from +57 GB in 4Q24 to +69 GB in 4Q25, despite similar percentage growth rates

• 87% of subscribers are now provisioned at 200 Mbps or faster

• The 200–400 Mbps tier surged from 21.2% to 31.6% of subscribers — a 49.1% YoY increase

• The 500–900 Mbps tier contracted 18.7% YoY

• Gigabit+ subscriptions dipped slightly from 34.8% to 34.1%

• Super Power Users (2TB+/month) grew 22.5% YoY, down from 26.3% in 2024 and 37.3% in 2023

• Average upstream speed was 41.2 Mbps vs. average downstream speed of 578.9 Mbps

NOTE: See the article link to download the full report.

DSP Leaders Industry Vision Report 2026 - The report shows what senior decision-makers and industry experts think about a broad range of topics and trends, including the telecom sector’s growth prospects, the potential of sovereign services, AI strategies, satellite direct-to-device (D2D) service timelines, 6G readiness, ecosystem development, ‘fair share’ payments, the importance of various technical advances, and much more.

The third annual DSP Leaders Industry Vision Report surveyed 50 senior telecom executives in January 2026, representing Tier 1 operators, technology suppliers, and analysts worldwide. Half of the respondents came from network operators.

Industry Confidence: Combined industry confidence (quite + extremely) rose to 44% in 2026, up from 33% in 2025. Only 6% expect no sector growth.

Enterprise Focus: 82% believe new service R&D should target enterprise customers, up from 77% last year. Enterprise currently accounts for just 28% of the $1.8 trillion in annual global telecom revenues, compared with 61% from consumers.

Service Strategy: 56% believe telcos should broaden into wider digital services — down from 65% two years ago. 44% say telcos should focus on connectivity excellence.

Digital Sovereignty: 90% see sovereign services as a meaningful opportunity — 36% universally, 54% in specific markets only.

Vendor Ecosystem: 72% say telcos need a broader supplier ecosystem. 62% believe current procurement practices suppress innovation and block new entrants, down from 73% last year.

Customer Experience:  74% say telcos are not investing enough in customer experience, up from 67% last year.

Network Security: 48% believe telcos have underinvested in network security, up from 40% last year. Those satisfied with current investment levels dropped from 50% to 38%.

Sustainability: 50% still rate green networking a top priority, down from 56%. 8% now say it's less important than before — nobody chose that option last year.

Technology Importance Rankings (scored 1–10)

1. Next-gen digital support systems (OSS/BSS replacement) — 8.30 (up from 7.96)

2. Energy-efficient network infrastructure — 8.16 (down from 8.88)

3. Network APIs / telco-as-a-platform — 7.42 (down from 7.85)

4. Quantum-safe networking — 6.52 (down from 6.63)

5. Telco-specific LLMs for AI — 6.45 (down from 6.81)

6. Network disaggregation / Open RAN — 6.16 (down from 7.21)

7. GPUs for AI processing — 5.98 (down from 6.19)

8. Metaverse platforms — 3.18 (down from 3.38)

AI Strategy: 86% say telcos need to increase financial and human resources devoted to AI in 2026, down slightly from 92% last year. When forced to pick a single AI priority: 52% chose operational efficiency, 34% new revenue generation, 10% cost cutting.

NOTE: See the article link to download the full report.

Bell freezes retail internet rollout in Alberta, B.C., blames Telus for ‘blocked’ launch - BCE Inc. has suspended its expansion of retail internet services into Western Canada, alleging that Telus Corp. is deliberately obstructing the company’s use of the wholesale fibre access framework in the region.

My Take: The CRTC created a framework to increase fibre competition. Now it has to prove it can enforce it. Otherwise, wholesale access becomes a policy headline without real market impact. What’s the incentive to get it done?

I think this is how it all went down. Telus told the CRTC that it was building an automated wholesale ordering system for its fibre network in Alberta and B.C.

Here’s what happened:

• When the wholesale fibre framework was expanded to include Telus’ western territory in late 2024, Telus requested a 4-month extension to implement automated ordering.

• The CRTC denied the extension but allowed Telus to launch with a temporary manual process, with the understanding that automation would follow.

• Telus indicated the improved automated system would be ready by June 2025.

Now, roughly a year after the wholesale mandate took effect, Bell is alleging that the automated system still isn’t operational, and that the manual processes are slow and unworkable.

So yes, Telus did commit to automation. The dispute now is whether it has delivered what it promised, and whether the current system meets the spirit of the wholesale framework.

This is why Bell is pushing for an interim order. It’s arguing that without proper automation, the wholesale regime exists in theory but not in practice.

Router Prices May Spike as Memory Costs Jump 600% - According to a new report from Counterpoint Research, the cost of DRAM and NAND memory has jumped by more than 600% over the last year, creating a massive headache for ISPs and tech manufacturers.

Optical fiber prices are also soaring on AI demand - Fiber manufacturing capacity has maxed out due to rise in AI and military drone sales, and prices are soaring.

My Take: Who’s gonna pay for it all? How many deployments will be delayed? And what do drones have to do with fiber? They’re autonomous and data-heavy. All that data needs to go somewhere.. over fiber.

Ericsson, Nokia, NTT join Trusted Tech Alliance - Fifteen major technology companies used the platform of last week’s Munich Security Conference to unveil a new global alliance, the Trusted Tech Alliance (TTA), which aims to offer a “trusted technology stack – from connectivity, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductors to software and AI” to the world’s government bodies and enterprises. 

My Take: Vendors that can position themselves inside the right security alliances may have an edge in the next wave of network investment. By aligning under a “trusted” framework, these companies are showing that security and sovereignty are becoming competitive differentiators, not just compliance checkboxes.

Ericsson’s AI bet: The intelligent fabric vs the AI factory - The AI divide isn’t belief vs. skepticism — it’s data-center AI vs. network AI. Ericsson is betting on distributed, deterministic infrastructure over hyperscale LLM gravity. Uplink growth and agentic AI could shift long-term value toward autonomous networks 

Intelligent Fabric is about making the network itself smarter at the infrastructure level. It means using AI to automatically optimize traffic, detect faults before users notice, and adjust resources in real time. Think of it like giving the network a nervous system that senses and responds without human intervention.

AI Factory is more about applications and services, enabling telcos to build, deploy and manage AI-powered features on top of the network faster. It’s a platform for developers, operations teams and service owners to create everything from predictive maintenance tools to personalized customer experiences.

My Take: Operators need automation and intelligence built in, not bolted on. The risk is that not every operator will adopt both pillars

T-Mobile says FWA is here to stay and eyes more fiber M&A - T-Mobile counts on FWA and fiber broadband to boost customer and service revenue growth with switch to customer account reporting.

My Take: it reflects a broader shift in how broadband competition is evolving. For years, fiber has been viewed as the gold standard for speed and reliability. But 5G FWA has improved enough that it makes economic sense as a backbone for mass market broadband, especially in suburban and rural regions. T-Mobile’s pitch is that FWA can quickly scale service and lower costs, and customers are listening. One day, maybe they convert those existing FWA customers to Fiber. Low cost of customer acquisition.

QUICK HITS:

1. DojoNetworks and Gigapower partner for MDU bulk Wi-Fi

2. Photonic Inc. Partners with TELUS, Demonstrates World-First Quantum Communications Running Over Today's Network Infrastructure

3. The US Fiber Land Grab Is Ending. The Margin War Is Beginning.

4. First with Fiber Wins Broadband and Mobile

5. 🇨🇦 Canada's race to rebuild military triggers a defence-tech gold rush

6. Texas Sues TP-Link Over 'Web of Deception' About Alleged China Ties

Regulatory

Ok, folks. Trying something new here. You asked for more regulatory info, so here we go.

Below are regulatory summaries for Canada, the US and the UK. Canada covers the CRTC and ISED, the US covers NTIA and the FCC, and the UK covers Ofcom. There is also a “QUICK HITS” section with regulatory items outside the aforementioned scopes.

Each summary is linked to a PDF containing active hyperlinks to content, grouped by regulatory category. These are samples of daily summaries that appear to include the week-to-date.

As I continue to refine this, I’m interested in people’s feedback on this as a useful tool.

CANADA

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada opened a consultation on revising the 2500-2690 MHz band plan, which is the critical mid-band spectrum that Canadian carriers use for 5G and fixed wireless deployments. This matters because any changes to how this spectrum is allocated could force operators to adjust their network rollout plans, potentially creating new interference issues or opening opportunities for additional capacity in key markets. The CRTC spent the week on housekeeping—consulting on the fee structure for its complaints commission and deciding whether small providers need to participate in that process—but nothing that changes the competitive landscape. Watch whether ISED's band plan revision tilts toward more flexible use or stricter technical requirements, which could determine whether incumbents or new entrants benefit most from future spectrum assignments.

UNITED STATES

The FCC finalized new rules restricting how VoIP providers get direct access to phone numbers, aiming to choke off illegal robocalls by making it harder for bad actors to obtain numbers in bulk. This will hit VoIP operators with additional compliance costs and potentially slow service launches, though the agency argues it's necessary under the TRACED Act to stop fraud. The Commission also voted Wednesday on reforms to tighten Lifeline program integrity (translation: cracking down on subsidy waste) and issued a Report and Order on the 900 MHz band that could reshape spectrum availability for wireless operators in that slice of spectrum. Meanwhile, NTIA is gathering input on how to spend billions in BEAD broadband funds that the Trump administration claims it "saved" through recent reforms—likely meaning stripped requirements—which could fundamentally change how $42.5 billion in federal broadband money gets allocated and which operators benefit. The BEAD redirection is the story to watch because it could shift funding away from expensive rural fiber builds toward cheaper technologies or different geographies entirely.

UNITED KINGDOM

Ofcom published its first annual report under the Online Safety Act detailing how many terrorism and child abuse content removal notices it issued in 2024, along with a new framework for researchers to access data from regulated online platforms. The researcher access provisions will create new compliance obligations for telecom providers offering online services, though the practical impact depends on how Ofcom enforces data-sharing requirements versus platform resistance. The regulator also laid its child protection codes of practice and illegal content codes before Parliament, continuing the slow grind of turning the Online Safety Act from legislation into operational requirements that platforms and ISPs must follow. Nothing this week directly affects traditional telecom operations—no spectrum decisions, no pricing reviews—but the Online Safety implementation is building a regulatory apparatus that will eventually pull ISPs deeper into content policing responsibilities. Watch whether Ofcom starts requiring network-level blocking or filtering as these codes move from guidance to enforceable obligations.

QUICK HITS:

1. US Senate committee advances bill to speed approvals for new satellites

Fiber Optic Sensing

I’m reposting this excellent reference graphic.

If you are a Service Provider, there are many opportunities for you to work with the owners of underground, subsea and above-ground assets in the areas you serve to both monetize your fibre and to secure and add more value to your fiber - especially if you’re carrying critical 3rd party traffic.

If you’re a utility, municipality, or an owner of assets - utility power, tower sites, fiber cables, pipelines, roads, railways - Monitoring, preventing and securing your infrastructure from unnecessary intrusion, trespass, tamper, or damage is paramount.

Anyone impacted by this? - ‘They just need to get it back to normal:’ Commuters frustrated as GO issues persist for third day - A derailment that likely could have been prevented.

Always happy to chat with folks who want to learn more about the art of the possible.

This isn’t science fiction. These are deployable solutions.

What’s Happening In Space?

Amazon Leo Hints It'll Open Satellite Internet Tech to Third-Party Antennas - A regulatory filing mentions the Amazon Leo modem module (ALMM), which can be incorporated into third-party antenna hardware meant for enterprise and government users.

My Take: The message? Amazon is building a platform, not a closed ecosystem. It’s not just about Internet for them. It’s about creating platforms that others can build on, and Amazon wants to be the platform in that future. Standards to follow, perhaps? Competitors to follow?

Moving space debris out of the way with OMLET - The team explores the technical complexities of laser-based collision avoidance, an approach to safely redirect space junk away from the path of active satellites.

ESA invites you to the Space Safety Industry Day 2026. - ESA’s Space Safety programme is dedicated to protecting our planet, its people and critical infrastructure from natural hazards from space as well as humanmade ones. 

My Take: Last week, I told you about SpaceX Stargaze. Stargaze wants to move the satellites. OMLET wants to move the space junk. Different approaches, yet they both have very cool videos. Shooting stuff in space from the ground is interesting. Either way, it’s a big problem to solve.

Stargaze (SpaceX) — Space Situational Awareness via star trackers

• Announced January 30, 2026

• Uses data from nearly 30,000 star trackers distributed across the Starlink constellation — sensors originally designed for satellite orientation that now observe nearby objects

• Delivers conjunction screening results within minutes, compared to the several-hour industry standard, and detects satellite maneuvers faster than existing systems

• Free to all operators. Already proven: in late 2025, a third-party satellite made an unannounced maneuver that collapsed a safe 9,000-metre miss distance to ~60 metres — Stargaze detected it, updated trajectories, and a Starlink satellite executed an avoidance maneuver within an hour

• Key dependency: SpaceX stressed that frequent sharing of ephemeris data by satellite operators remains essentia;, it's only as good as the data others share

OMLET (ESA) — Orbital Maintenance via Laser momEntum Transfer

• ESA's OMLET project combines different development streams to support two services: on-demand ephemeris provision and laser-based collision avoidance, with a future goal of moving debris itself using laser momentum transfer rather than maneuvering the operational satellite

• Ground-based laser stations nudge debris out of the way by applying photon pressure — the debris moves, not the satellite

• Still in development/R&D phase, not yet operational

Starlink Rockets Past the 10 Million Subscriber Mark Globally, Adds 1 Million Subs in Just 53 Days - Is there really a need for BEAD when Starlink is likely adding 225,000 U.S. rural customers every 50 days on average?

My Take: Crazy. I think they’re tooling up to produce 50,000 terminals per day. And yea, there is a need for BEAD (I have a need. A need for BEAD!).. anyway. Point is that it’s not fiber, but its a great alternative.

U of T satellite spinout sues the university claiming $150M in damages - In a claim filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice Commercial List last week, SFL Missions alleges that U of T violated a deal to separate the company from the university so it could operate independently. The satellite firm claims U of T failed to sign off on key aspects of the agreement, such as intellectual property licensing, denied it access to a specialized R&D facility and refused to share “tens of millions of dollars” in surplus funds the company generated while working out of the university.

My Take: Canada talks a lot about scaling innovation out of universities. This case shows how messy that process can get when real money, real contracts and real control are on the line. The clash between academic mission and commercial success. At least it’s staying in Canada, though.

QUICK HITS:

1. U.S. Smuggled Thousands of Starlink Terminals Into Iran After Protest Crackdown

2. 🇨🇦 Kepler Plots European Expansion with NanoAvionics Deal

Data Centres

🇨🇦 Big Tech Turns to Uranium as Data Center Power Demand Soars - Big Tech is considering supporting new uranium mining projects as companies need additional reliable power capacity for their huge data center expansion, according to the top executive of Canadian uranium miner NexGen Energy.     

My Take: Nuclear fills that gap with consistent output and small emissions, which is attractive not only for cost forecasting but also for environmental credibility.

🇨🇦 Quebec: Yes to data centres, but they’ll have to pay more for electricity - The Legault government has quietly opened the door to growth in data centres in the province, but these will have to pay more for their electricity than other industrial customers. 

My Take: The issue isn’t just growth, it’s allocation. Quebec has long marketed its surplus electricity as a competitive advantage. But AI data centres can consume enormous, long-term loads. Once those megawatts are committed, they are effectively locked in for decades.

🇨🇦 Alberta’s AI data centre boom unleashes ‘gold rush’ for electricity allotments - Kalina Distributed Power sold its AESO-allotted megawatts to another company for $18M

My Take: So, electricity allotments are the new currency? (see what I did there, sort of? Funny? Yes.).. Aren’t allotments allocated based on the specific project? Are they that transferable?

Enabling AI

Spotify says its best developers haven’t written a line of code since December, thanks to AI - At Spotify, engineers are using an internal system called “Honk” to speed up coding and product velocity, the company told analysts on the call. This system allows for things like remote, real-time code deployment using generative AI, and specifically Claude Code.

My Take: Overreliance on AI could weaken fundamentals, create security gaps or produce fragile systems that no one fully understands. It could also produce horrid playlists with country musicin them.

AI insiders are sounding the alarm - Top AI experts at OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies warn of rising dangers of their technology, with some quitting in protest or going public with grave concerns.

My Take: The fact that top researchers are quitting or voicing deep concerns signals that AI risk is shifting from abstract theory to a real policy and safety challenge, and one we’ll have to confront sooner rather than later. See today’s Streaming Recommendation.

Google’s AI Overviews Can Scam You. Here’s How to Stay Safe - Beyond mistakes or nonsense, deliberately bad information being injected into AI search summaries is leading people down potentially harmful paths.

My Take: Garbage in, garbage out. I know it’s work, but you must double-check the actual sources rather than relying on and trusting the AI summary alone!

T-Mobile builds AI agents into 5G network to translate calls - T-Mobile integrates agentic AI into its core network to power voice call translation, and updates timing for AI RAN field trial later this year in preparation for 6G.

My Take: the AI lives in the network itself, which allows Live Translation to convert spoken conversations into more than 50 languages instantly during regular phone calls. Users dial a simple code (87) to activate it, and the experience works on any phone connected to T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced service, even basic flip phones. Would love to see this in action.

🇨🇦 Engagements on Canada’s next AI Strategy: Summary of inputs - Canada has been at the forefront as a key player in the invention of modern AI. We are now at a crossroads as we look to the future and consider how to responsibly apply this new technology. The government ran a 30-day public consultation to shape a renewed AI strategy to build Canadian leadership in this area and drive economic transformation with this powerful new tool. Engagement was sought with founders, researchers, workers, creators, students, public servants and community voices.

My Take: Canada’s AI strategy will be shaped in three ways: sovereignty versus global integration, innovation versus regulation, and hype versus realism. We want open markets, but we also want control over our data, compute and IP. Businesses are pushing for speed and scale, while society is demanding oversight and accountability. And while there is ambition, there is also real concern about chasing an AI bubble instead of building durable systems in health care and public services. Most telling of all, talent and infrastructure are now being framed as national security assets. AI is no longer just a tech story. It is an economic and geopolitical one.

The untold story of the high schools trapped in the AI boom - After failing to enforce reactionary bans against generative AI, teachers are now scrambling to create a playbook for a technology they can no longer resist

My Take: Schools cannot win a war against AI. The real risk is not that students are using it, it’s that education systems are reacting too slowly and without a plan. If we don’t teach teachers how to teach students to think with AI rather than hide from it, we are not protecting learning. We are falling behind it. Maybe they should use outside people who use AI tools daily to teach AI.

QUICK HITS

1. GPT‑5.2 derives a new result in theoretical physics

2. Introducing Claude Sonnet 4.6

3. Gemini 3 Deep Think: Advancing science, research and engineering

4. Aurora’s driverless trucks can now travel farther distances faster than

   human drivers

5. A “QuitGPT” campaign is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions

6. I Loved My OpenClaw AI Agent—Until It Turned on Me

7. 🇨🇦 Toyota is bringing Agility’s humanoid robots to a Canadian factory floor

This and That!

To ban or not to ban? Experts wary of restricting social media access for kids, as feds watch Australian approach - After Australia banned social media for kids under the age of 16 last year, Culture Minister Marc Miller said his office was looking at the policy’s impact as part of the government’s plan to address online harms.

My Take: Canada should be careful before copying Australia’s social media ban. Instead of simply locking kids out, we need smarter policies that teach young people how to navigate digital life safely and hold platforms accountable for protecting kids, otherwise the cure might be worse than the problem. The focus should be on education, digital literacy, and improving platform safety, not just cutting kids off from social media.

A 'ring of fire' just appeared in the sky over Antarctica. Here's what happened during today's annular solar eclipse - An annular eclipse swept over a remote corridor of Antarctica on Feb. 17.

My Take: Ring of fire, you say. It that the moon, or Ura…. never mind.

An Inside Look at Lego’s New Tech-Packed Smart Brick - Lego’s next release is a digital brick loaded with sensors that add new layers of interactivity to its play sets. WIRED got exclusive access to the Lego labs where the Smart Brick was born.

My Take: I wonder if they hurt more than regular Logo blocks when you step on them. Maybe they swear back at you?

Amazon’s Ring wanted to track your pets. It revealed the future of surveillance - Concern escalated when Ring explored partnering with Flock Safety, whose automated license plate reader networks are widely used by law enforcement. Linking home surveillance cameras with other tracking systems signalled the emergence of a fully integrated commercial intelligence network.

My Take: The people have spoken, as it were. Pros: Potentially helpful technology for reuniting lost animals and improving public safety tools. Cons: Normalizes widespread video scanning, erodes privacy boundaries, and could be repurposed beyond its original use without adequate oversight. I still question whether it could actually find a dog, in sheep’s clothing.

California City Bans Contracts With Elon Musk's Companies, Except for Starlink - The Davis City Council approves a resolution to block investments in Musk-controlled companies, but leaders create a carveout for Starlink when it comes to emergency operations.

My Take: Oh, so he’s fine in an emergency, but the rest of the time you want nothing to do with him? Maybe he’ll treat you like Russia and just turn you off. Labour violations at Tesla and environmental issues with SpaceX, they say.

Humanoid robots show off creepily impressive kung-fu moves during Lunar New Year festival in China - Improvements to the AI that powers Unitree's H2 and G1 humanoid robots, alongside mechanical upgrades, have resulted in a dazzling kung-fu demonstration.

My Take: Watch the videos. 4:04, or thereabouts, in the 2nd one. You want to think this is all AI-generated, but it’s not. It’s concerning.

Infographic Of The Week

My Take: “The U.S. is 100% import reliant for several critical minerals used in AI-related infrastructure. Core data center components—from circuitry to magnets—depend heavily on foreign-sourced materials.” Invest accordingly 😁

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

IMDb: 8.7/10

JMDb: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿/10 (I recently re-watched all four seasons)

Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009) isn’t just great sci‑fi; it’s one of the defining dramas of the so‑called TV golden age, routinely ranked among the best series ever made.

It unfolds in a distant star system where humanity’s Twelve Colonies are annihilated by the Cylons, sentient machines originally created by humans. A single aging warship, the battlestar Galactica, and a ragtag fleet of civilian vessels carry roughly 50,000 survivors fleeing through space in search of the legendary Thirteenth Colony: Earth. Led by the stoic Commander William Adama and the newly sworn-in President Laura Roslin, the fleet grapples with external Cylon attacks and internal political, moral, and religious conflicts.

It takes a pulpy premise—humanity fleeing genocidal robots—and uses it to interrogate occupation, insurgency, torture, prophetic politics, and the fragility of democracy with more bite than most “serious” prestige shows. The storytelling in its prime is ruthless: “33,” the Pegasus arc, and New Caprica form a run of episodes that earned Peabody recognition and genre awards for their intensity and moral complexity.

Performances from Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, James Callis, and Katee Sackhoff give the show a lived‑in, wounded humanity that its jittery, quasi‑documentary visuals reinforce.

The ending’s turn toward overt mysticism is divisive, but the series’s cumulative achievement, a politically literate, spiritually haunted space drama, still feels singular.

Note: With thanks to my older brother, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Edward James Olmos in a small group at a recent Battlestar Galactica fan event. He’s very concerned about Elon and his robots, for good reason - What happened before will happen again, and all that. He also liked Crockett more than Tubbs… or maybe I made that part up.

So say we all.

Disturbing fun fact: My Amazon Echo replies to any command I give it with “by your command.”

So, what do you think?

Until Next Time

Jason’s Industry Insights is produced by Verity Aptus.

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