Posted on 03/17/2006 5:03:56 PM PST by nunya bidness
Since 9/11 there are really only two types of entertainment: pre or post. And in the timid world of television you won’t find much dealing with issues that approach our current era of uncertainty and conflict. Battlestar Galactica is the exception. The show has dealt with genocide, war, torture, treason, abortion, scarcity of resources, a prison uprising, faith, a breakdown of military discipline, love and loss, fear, cowardice, bravery, and an election. All while the constant and oppressive threat of annihilation surrounded the remnants of mankind after their planet was destroyed hurling them in to space escaping destruction and searching for a new home. It’s hard not to see the series as an allegory for America’s current state.
The final episode of the season put the “rag-tag fleet” in the middle of a presidential election whereby the central issue became settling a new-found planet. Populist candidate Baltar won based on the promise of finally starting a new life and escaping the perils of war against his more pragmatic opponent the incumbent former school teacher turned President Roslin. He won, naturally. Which begs the question: How long can a society last when confronted with battle fatigue before it simply gives up, pulls over, and gets out? Not long it seems.
This raises another question: Do people vote their hopes or their fears? On the one hand the humans could have been voting their hope that they would finally escape an enemy that has shown it would never rest until all of humanity was vanquished, on the other they could have been voting their fear that they might die without ever touching firm ground again. Of course the answer is a combination of the two. They voted in the hope that they would escape knowing that their fears would probably catch up with them later. Much in keeping with the American tradition of voting for candidates that would with any luck magically take them from peril to peace without the requisite hardship. Unfortunately, that never works.
So what did we learn from Lay Down Your Burdens? Quite simply, human nature is such that given a choice we will always take the path of least resistance even if it leads to subjugation. And in this case that’s exactly what happened. The humans were barely there a year before the hostile alien machines known as Cylons showed up and marched through the fledgling tent-city like the Germans in Vichy France. Why wouldn’t the good intentions of the fleet pierce the chrome-plated hearts of the enemy? The answer is simple: Cowardice is a punishable offense, and weakness is no defense.
Dilemmas like this make Battlestar Galactica compelling viewing. Science fiction has traditionally defined itself as utopian or dystopian as a matter of course, but reality is never that simple. What makes this different is that the present is more than enough of a canvas to paint a fictitious drama set in another time and place. Fear and doubt are prevalent human emotions since the Twin Towers fell. Indeed, palpable threats are the reason so many folks seek escape whenever possible. And few dramatic risks have been taken to combine the fantasy of space with the gritty and constrictive themes of blind sanguinity and overbearing dread.
And that’s what it comes down to when all is said and done. We can choose to witness the filtered news of faceless conflict surrounding us or we can escape and project on to unknown neighbors acts of sacrifice and valor depicted on the small screen. We can envision a day of peace but guard that faith with the reality of an enemy that has shown a visceral contempt for our lives. There is a message in Battlestar Galactica and in the optimism of most of us in a post-9/11 world: Hold on, keep the faith, and never give up hope.
All in all, not bad, not bad at all.
Ping
I waited a week. You were right, the fleet needed to be taught a lesson.
BSG Rules.
I just can't believe we have to wait until October for more new episodes!
Anyone who claims that they aren't telling the story of America's war isn't watching.
BSG Rules.
I just can't believe we have to wait until October for more new episodes!
Anyone who claims that they aren't telling the story of America's war isn't watching.
I never miss it.
Nice essay. :)
I've never seen it and don't want to, but this was a well written piece.
Thanks. I'm really in to this show.
I'm an SF fan going way back but I've never seen this show. I just thought you wrote one fine post. You write like a pro.
The season finale was a fantastic study on the perils of short-sighted desires for "peace" in the face of a dangerous enemy. Through the election, a majority of the survivors elected a president who put all of their eggs in one basket and made them sitting ducks, by settling a planet where there would be a semblance of "normal life", but no way out if the Cylons returned -- which of course they eventually did. If they had stayed on the ships, life would be harder, but a lot safer -- they'd be able to fight effectively or run away (hyperjump) if they found themselves in trouble again, plus they'd have been able to continue their long-shot search for "Old Earth", providing a better hope for the future, albeit one with delayed grafication.
Now, however, the season has ended with the Cylons returning not to destroy mankind (they have been taken over by their own internal factions who want a different goal), but in order to "protect" mankind from itself, in an "overseer" role that looks exactly like totalitarianism. It's going to be an interesting third season next year, and will probably have a lot to say about "nanny states" and oppressive "do-goodism", while covering issues of personal freedom and insurrection.
I'll believe it if you hit the South Park ping list. Thanks again.
ping
Also, there's the Tyrol speech taken from Mario Savio:
"There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies on the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"
When he made the speech the Cylons hadn't invaded yet so the machine must mean the Baltar presidency. I assume the workers were building a presidential palace. After all, a player like Baltar can't live forever on a stuffy ship.
The answer is simple: Cowardice is a punishable offense, and weakness is no defense.
Excellent, excellent!
I'm not so sure. I think the Lords are busy with their own problems and the fleet's diversion was entirely its own doing. Free will and all that.
My step father really loves this show but I have never got around to watching it. I guess I should. Is the first (and subsequent) season(s) available on DVD?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.