I've seen lots of sci-fi and fantasy, they are my favorite genres. Few of them do I enjoy enough to get the DVD and watch several times but this is one of those few. Like most sci-fi it requires a stretch of the imagination and like many of these types of shows the budgets don't allow for all out big screen special effects. Personally I don't mind the special effects when you have a team of characters that have interesting, complicated interactions. Each character has a personal relationship one with the other with its' twists, turns, betrayals, redemption plus the group has a dynamic together that feels genuine.
Another thing or two that I like about the writing and direction is that there is not a lot of time spent on the strength of one gender over another. Although there is a heroine she is supported by the ensemble in a way that gives everyone a place of importance in the goals of the team. Also, I can always root for a hero/heroine who sees the pride of privilege and wants to help the underdog without expectations. It's a side we are all capable of and I like to see it portrayed as a reminder of what we can do for each other when we look outside ourselves. There's not always a clear line of what is good and what is evil so it challenges us to decide where the line is where we say no.
So, there are things that might take you a little leap of faith or investing in more than a couple of episodes to tie into the characters. Yeah, like many of our favorite shows you have to invest in a few maybe several episodes before you feel a connection but it's a small investment and you may like the returns.