Battlestar Galactica – Revelations
Ok, so let me break into a bit of an episode review (more like a light social commentary).
[EDIT: actually, this post is more social commentary + my thoughts on BSG, and NOT a true"episode recap". If you're looking for an interesting episode recap, scroll down to the very bottom...]
Whenever I watch Battlestar Galactica (BSG), I wonder about two things:
- I recall hearing about how BSG attracts a decently wide audience. As in, it’s not just nerds & geeks & sci-fi fans who watch it (i.e. me), but “normal” people, as well. I’m not sure how true that is, but it does make me wonder…. But I do think BSG does have a decently broad appeal (especially amongst university students?), largely due to my next point…
- BSG tries to tackle a lot of issues centered around meaning (by “meaning”, I mean things that people think truly matter in life). Which is strange, considering that a lot of people think that our generation/culture is a post-modern one that has largely rejected the notion of objective meaning/truth/morals. That attitude can be summed up by the phrase, “what’s true for me might not be true for you”, but BSG’s feel seems to go against that, tackling issues more from the “is this the right thing to do?” viewpoint. You might think that’s common sense, but I’ve had my share of experiences talking to university students who come from that relativistic morality viewpoint (i.e. the “don’t try and apply your moral standards to anyone outside of you” attitude).
So to build on point #2, I DEFINITELY notice that BSG makes an intentional effort to flesh out at least 3 or 4 of these meaningful topics:
relationships/sex, spirituality/God, ethics, and human personhood
Here are my thoughts on these themes.
Relationships/sex: people long for connection, intimacy, and relationship. I think that’s why movies/music/literature always feature relationships. And it’s actually related to the next item on the list.
Spirituality/God: it’s funny how, for a science-fiction story, BSG brings in polytheism and now the concept of God and a “higher power” orchestrating things for a higher purpose, as Kara/Starbuck and Lee/Apollo were discussing in this week’s episode. My take – in general, people know that purpose and objective truth has got to exist (as opposed to “it’s all relative”/there’s no real meaning to life except for what your imagination makes up). The alternative is meaning-lessness, after all.
Ethics: it’s hard to create a story, even a science-fiction story, where you completely airlock (i.e. throw out) morals. It would make no sense. So it makes a LOT of sense when you make moral dilemmas central to your story, like BSG has. And I think that resonates with viewers.
Human personhood: Ok, I have to admit that I’ve only seen like 7 cumulative hours of BSG ever in my life, and only know the episode plots of like 1-2 seasons worth, but I do know that the whole Cylon/human thing brings up the question of how “human” Cylons are when they think/feel/even-thought-they-were-human. The interesting thing is that this relates to the question of what gives a “person” value… do you have to be an adult human? What about a Cylon/human infant? Does an infant (or an unborn child, for that matter) still have basic human rights just because it’s a real (albeit, underdeveloped) person? I’ve seen over the years how TV shows have come to value the lives of the unborn or infants (especially when the fate of many depends on that person), so I think it’s an encouraging sign that our generation is starting to realize that eliminating the unborn isn’t something wonderful, to say the least.
EDIT/ADDED (June 14th):
I just realized that I didn’t give any episode specifics. Sorry if you came here and expected an episode recap!
Here’s a great one, though:
http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/2008/06/14/battlestar-galactica-revelations/
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10 comments
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June 15, 2008 at 9:37 am
tasithoughts
I think that one of the compelling reasons why people are drawn to BSG is as you have pointed out is that the writing for the series touches on very deep, textured themes. Very well written show. It is one of the best shows on television today.
June 15, 2008 at 9:49 am
eshowoman
Higher morals???? It is amazing to me that anyone could call the subordination of women into baby making machines. If you were capable of baring children, I think that you would be a little more reticent in calling this oppression a higher moral calling. I can see how women can be pro-life, but men who want women to go back us to go back to the wire hanger days make me sick.
If you watched BSG on a regular basis you would know that the anti-choice decision was made under great consternation and the woman whose plight proceeded the decision did get an abortion.
June 15, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Woink
BS galactica – 30000 survivors searching the galaxy for a plot
June 15, 2008 at 3:42 pm
paulman
IRT eshowoman: “Higher morals?” I didn’t use those words, so I’m not sure if you’re referring to something I said…
But anyways, I thought the way I wrote my thoughts on Human personhood was a lot less forceful than it could have been. All I basically said was that I’m glad that our arts & entertainment are starting to weave in more principles of valuing infants and unborn children (which actually both pro-choice and pro-life people might agree is a good thing). I didn’t say I was against abortion – although it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that I’m coming from that direction (which I am). But what my point was that some random shows over recent years, like Star Trek Enterprise (where a Vulcan/human hybrid infant tragically died near the end of the series) and Studio 60 (where their series finale focussed on some harrowing moments where two important characters nearly lose their unborn child [along with the mother]) are a couple examples.
I guess my point is that I wasn’t actually trying to make a strong point or judgment in this blog post. I was trying for more of a thought-engendering piece
June 15, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Doctor Zee
And so, Battlestar Galactica is reduced to a simple fable – we run from our past, believing the future holds something better for our species, while praying we can rise above our dark “human nature” before we do ourselves in. This episode was a mirror, showing how despite hope for a bright technological future, we’re simultaneously on the knife’s edge of destruction.
In one episode, Battlestar Galactica moved beyond the addictive, nit-picky details like “who is the last Cylon?” and “how did Tigh get Six pregnant?” and reminded me of the big picture – our irrepressibly hopeful yet frustratingly misguided humanity.
Enter Doctor Zee – The Fifth Cylon
“The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr
http://www.webomatica.com/wordpress/2008/06/14/battlestar-galactica-revelations/
June 16, 2008 at 12:00 pm
davem
eshowoman “Subordination of women into baby-making machines”? That is simply the most selfish and self-centered comment that I have read in quite some time. It is a good thing that your “feelings” weren;t common centuries ago, or we wouldn’t have a civilization tyoday at all.
June 16, 2008 at 1:52 pm
paulman
Thanks for the comments, all of you
I appreciate you guys taking the time to leave your thoughts.
I’m hoping there’ll be more comments, but hopefully keeping a friendly attitude and all that
June 17, 2008 at 8:11 am
Webomatica
I would add that in terms of religion, BSG keeps things interestingly vague. As in – Roslin sees visions and has prophecies that line up with the hold books, but she’s also on cancer medication and hallucinogens, so there could be a scientific explanation. Also, the Cylons believe in ressurection, but this has a technical (although sci fi) “download” analogy. There are some characters who are very religious and others (most notably Admiral Adama) who call it all hokum. I think that ambiguity is very realistic and one reason why I love the show.
June 18, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Firefox 3: Eight million downloads and counting… « Total Rip-Off
[...] views, followed by 620 views the day after that. Why, you wonder? It was because of my post on Battlestar Galactica’s “Revelations” episode, which is the last episode of the first half of the final season. In other words, there are 10 [...]
July 10, 2008 at 6:29 pm
da' Square Wheeleman
It’s simply a crackin’ good yarn. As for other matters:
I don’t think it’s OUR Earth but another planet. The few images of the 13th Colony planet didn’t have our familiar continents. If BSG is in the past then perhaps the 13th Colony was on Mars, our dead and mysterious neighbor.