There's plenty of its kind out there, but the characters keep it much more interesting than it had a right to be. As the story progresses, more and more focus is shifted away from the survival and towards drama, world-building, and politics. Good balance between serious parts and comedic relief, maintaining a generally upbeat tone without damaging its other qualities. Is helped by the fact that it has a very specific story to tell, and executes it as well as anyone could hope to, without sequel-baiting or filler; it is compact and to the point. Making the first and last episodes double length was a great idea, because the foreword and afterword are both lengthy and necessary, but they would have ruined the pacing if they were their own episodes. Visuals are nice and the 3DCG doesn't get in your face too much, and characters are distinguishable through more than just their hair colours, although they can be a bit too tropey at times. Nevertheless, it plays its tropes straight and unironically as a love song to sci-fi fans, so don't expect a ton of realism. Unfortunately, there was nothing in it that truly wowed me, so while it is a great and enjoyable watch, it isn't a timeless work of art or something.
