Battlestar Galactica: Cowardice Is a Punishable Offense

FR | 3/17/06 | Sean Finnegan

[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.

[Quick1]

One more interesting thing I've noticed is that you will see equality between all the sexes and races, but you won't see any affirmative action to accomplish it.

[demlosers]

Neat graphic :)

[nunya bidness]

One hint I saw of trouble, from a social conservative perspective, was that in the abortion episode, we got to see the girl wanting an abortion, the doctor doing the abortions, and hear from Laura Roslin how abortion was legal in the colonies and how unhappy she is about opposing legal abortion, yet we never see the parents of the girl wanting the abortion, why she was pregnant, or a follow-up of what happens to her after she's alienated from her family and culture. All you see is a generic religious representative for the family, making their whole side impersonal. Perhaps that's what the authors needed to do to keep the issue from tilting to strongly to the pro-life side, since Adama's argument (which I though of before he made it) was pretty strong and devastating. But it definitely felt like at least some of the pro-life side was turned into a straw man for the purposes of the episode. Hmmm, perhaps I need to listen to the audio commentary for that episode to see if there are any hints of what they were trying to do since they've had no trouble depicting Roslin, depsite beying depicted as a fairly typical liberal, in some fairly unflattering ways.

I would strongly suggest listening to Ron Moore's commentary; the guy is honest about the direcetion he is going in each episode as well as some of the broader implications in current events.

As far as the abortion issue I thought it was a brave move to touch the third rail on a science fiction television show. It's just not done. The colonies were basically independent states and subject to their own laws such as abortion. That sovereignty extended to the individual ships from the respective planets; each ship was sovereign. The girl was from the Gemini colony and subject to their religious laws; namely abortion is outlawed. She stowed-away to Galactica to get the procedure and there came the conflict.

Roslin is, by her own admission, socially liberal but she conceded Adama's point that they needed every body they could get. The visual of the tote-board with the population was well done.

Also, remember Boomer was pregnant with the hybrid baby and they had already considered killing it but let it live after Baltar used its blood or emnionic fluid to save Roslin. Again, raising some contemporary issues (stem cells) and dealing them with a pragmatic sense that is never shown on television.

Staying with the allegory construct it would make sense that if the Cylons are the Muslims then the issue of birthrates is comparable. Judeo-Christian cultures' rates are in decline while Muslim's are increasing.

I didn't expect the show to be liberal or conservative but I've been pleasantly suprised in how consistent its been in dealing with stuff that's never been done before. More shows should take a lead from this one.

[nunya bidness]

I agree, I would like add something, I was joking about me supporting Baltar, but I was making a subtle point. No one is perfect, yet when I see people complain about Bush, and then they say they are going to vote third party or stay at home cause of a certain issue, that is just a vote for the Rat. That is how I see it. I think of failure of people no matter what the policatl persuasion is that they feel fail to see the big picture.

Joking or not (and I know you were) you were dead on balls-accurate in your conclusion. The fleet did need to be taught a lesson. The question is: Will they learn it in one year or five?

Baltar is a perfect example of the worst possible candidate in the best circumstances. When Six showed up his look was priceless. The guy went from King to Dr. Smith in a second.

[KevinDavis]

I agree..

[nunya bidness]

I know this season's BSG has disappointed many, but like NunayBidness, I'm fascinated by the similarities between the show and real life. Darn if the Cylons don't seem a lot like the radical Muslims, and doggonnit, President Baltar sure seems a lot like a lot of the 'Rats--especially Clinton, but I can easily put several others in that character too. The fate of the humans on that dismal planet could as easily be our own if we elect the wrong person to the highest office.

I was royally pissed when I saw the last episode. It took two more viewings and week before I could see the insightful direction Ron Moore took the show. Fans would have been screaming after sitting through a full year (TV time) of planetside storytelling. He wrapped it up in one push-in and some closing shots with the same result: Great idea (get off); bad timing.

[nunya bidness]

I think the issue of the election in BSG and reflected in real life highlights the need to vote beyond an issue by issue agenda. Ultimately, politicians will try to flow with issues that resonate with the electorate, so in light of not having perfect candidates, the issue of character is so important. Ultimately, being president is about doing what is right for the country, not what is popular. Baltar, like Clinton, never had the true interests of the electorate in heart, and finding a popular issue to run on and win, resulted in a disaster.

I agree but with one caveat, if your survival is at stake that's the one issue that should be paramount in the voters' minds. Yet even with a swarm of Cylons the fleet chose to bail out. A very accurate presentation given the vote of our last Presidential election.

I predicted Bush in a landslide. I just assumed the country would unite behind a war-time leader. I was wrong.

[righttackle44]

How do you get Feingold on Battlestar Gallactica?

[nunya bidness]

this could be seen as an allegoric depiction of the islamic goal of dominating all of the Earth, humiliating all non-muslims, and forcing all to submit to Allah and/or the global caliphate.

Without a doubt. Boomer asks the question: Does humanity deserve to live? It's the same question non-Muslims need to ask themselves.

Furthermore, the rise of the so-called "moderate" Cylons, Six and Boomer, seems to have fizzled in the year before the occupation. The same could be said in Islam.

[Question_Assumptions]

I'm expecting the "moderate" Boomer to have another change of heart, which will probably set a new direction for the show after the current arc is resolved. She's not only eventually going to run into the Sharon who thinks she lost her baby but she's going to face the Chief not accepting her and having a baby by the woman who shot her. She's not going to find the friends she's looking for. Six will be more complicated, but if they track with the original Galactica at all, it could end with Baltar with the Cylons.

[Question_Assumptions]

It sounded like Roslin said that abortion was legal in the colonies, as in all of them, before the war. I do think it was brave to touch the issue and to touch it as evenly as they did, but it wasn't as even as it could have been. I'm going to listen to the audio commentary when I get a chance.

[Accygirl]

I really enjoyed the season finale. I think the idea of the reset was interesting and well executed. I remember about four months after 9/11 (fight before the New Year) that America was really fighting for is the right to be frivolous again (i.e. to care more about Brad Pitt/ Angelina Jolie than Al Qaeda). A more extreme version of that idea of a return to normalcy is really what Baltar is promising... And that really is a very appealing platform.

Some more thematic points:
1. The "reset" idea pops up in the main characters' arcs during the episode; after all, it isn't just the red shirts on the RTFF that want to go back to their old lives. Which is why seeing them a year later trying to get back to their old lives and that it really wasn't the same as before the attack was a brilliant move by Ron Moore. (They all looked pretty miserable, except for perhaps Laura).
2. The whole second half of the season (heck the whole second season) was about humans turning on each other, splitting into different factions. The whole idea was that humans could be more dangerous to each other than any external threat. You see lots of factions popping up on New Caprica (the union... plus Baltar complains to Gaeta about all the different groups he has to placate).
3. It's not clear which option was better. The Cylons did find them; however, that seems to be due to chance more than anything else. (I believe that Gina set off the device because she was hurting and wanted to hurt as many humans as possible rather than because she was supposed to. Plus, her last lifeline made it clear that he was projecting his creepy, complex relationship with his ex-girlfriend onto her).
4. I really don't think that Baltar had any choice but to surrender at the end. If he hadn't, it would have likely turned out as another slaughter of humanity. So that decision wasn't so bad; of course, the decisions leading up to it (i.e. giving Gina a nuclear weapon because Roslin wrote him a mean letter) were incredibly stupid.
5. I do think that Heroes Eight and Six want to help make things right with humanity, and it seems like some of the other models (Brother Cavill) agree with them. However, it wouldn't shock me if they were being manipulated by the more hardcore models. Ron Moore said that Season Three would be very Cylon-centric and focus on the differences of opinion in their society.

[nunya bidness]

Excellent points.

1. The "reset" idea pops up in the main characters' arcs during the episode; after all, it isn't just the red shirts on the RTFF that want to go back to their old lives. Which is why seeing them a year later trying to get back to their old lives and that it really wasn't the same as before the attack was a brilliant move by Ron Moore. (They all looked pretty miserable, except for perhaps Laura).

Laura looked happy for the first time and teaching clearly brought her joy beyond the presidency. You have to wonder about baby Hera/Isis and that interesting arc. Adama looked like a man literally cast adrift. All of his warriors gone to seed like Starbuck.

2. The whole second half of the season (heck the whole second season) was about humans turning on each other, splitting into different factions. The whole idea was that humans could be more dangerous to each other than any external threat. You see lots of factions popping up on New Caprica (the union... plus Baltar complains to Gaeta about all the different groups he has to placate).

Tyrol's speech made me think he was agitating against whatever project Baltar had them on (palace?). Did you hear on the podcast that it was a speech by Mario Savio?

3. It's not clear which option was better. The Cylons did find them; however, that seems to be due to chance more than anything else. (I believe that Gina set off the device because she was hurting and wanted to hurt as many humans as possible rather than because she was supposed to. Plus, her last lifeline made it clear that he was projecting his creepy, complex relationship with his ex-girlfriend onto her).

The Cylons found them because Gina set off the nuke. It was a beacon that took a year to make it to Caprica.

4. I really don't think that Baltar had any choice but to surrender at the end. If he hadn't, it would have likely turned out as another slaughter of humanity. So that decision wasn't so bad; of course, the decisions leading up to it (i.e. giving Gina a nuclear weapon because Roslin wrote him a mean letter) were incredibly stupid.

Baltar is doing exactly as Six instructed him to do. He was ambitious and capable (remember his defense system from the mini-series?)and he made his way directly to the position the toasters wanted him in. If it weren't for the hybrid baby the Cylons would have nuked them all from space.

5. I do think that Heroes Eight and Six want to help make things right with humanity, and it seems like some of the other models (Brother Cavill) agree with them. However, it wouldn't shock me if they were being manipulated by the more hardcore models. Ron Moore said that Season Three would be very Cylon-centric and focus on the differences of opinion in their society.

If the heroes wanted to make things right they wouldn't have shown up with multiple base-ships and centurians marching down Main Street. Whatever they were supposed to do in those key 36 hours remains to be seen.

Supposedly the first three episodes will deal with New Caprica and then move on to covering the tin cans. You gotta' wonder what position Baltar is going to have after they get off of that rock. Can you say impeachment?

[Accygirl]

"Laura looked happy for the first time and teaching clearly brought her joy beyond the presidency. You have to wonder about baby Hera/Isis and that interesting arc. Adama looked like a man literally cast adrift. All of his warriors gone to seed like Starbuck."

She did look happy, but it wouldn't surprise me if Roslin had some pangs of regret still.

"Tyrol's speech made me think he was agitating against whatever project Baltar had them on (palace?). Did you hear on the podcast that it was a speech by Mario Savio?"

You see I got the idea that the union was going on strike about wages and rations. It's one year later, everyone is fighting for a piece of an increasingly smaller pie. Factions have been fighting with one another since the end of Resurrection Ship, so it isn't surprising that they'd continue that on New Caprica. Plus, considering that Laura Roslin was unable to deal with those fissures, it's impossible to think that Gaius Baltar (especially the ultra frakked up, guilt ridden version of Baltar that we saw on New Caprica) was going to be able to deal with them.

"The Cylons found them because Gina set off the nuke. It was a beacon that took a year to make it to Caprica."

If it's a beacon, there's alot of chance things that needed to occur for the Cylons' plan to work. Instead, I like the idea that Gina just did it because she was abused/ used by humans, was hurting, and wanted to hurt as many people as possible. I think that it works well with the show that it's humanity that causes its own destruction, not some external enemy.

"Baltar is doing exactly as Six instructed him to do. He was ambitious and capable (remember his defense system from the mini-series?)and he made his way directly to the position the toasters wanted him in. If it weren't for the hybrid baby the Cylons would have nuked them all from space."

The one that Natasi actually created because his algorithms weren't working?

I don't think that the Cylons made any sort of deal with Baltar (i.e. he looked mightily freaked out in the mini after learning that he just betrayed humanity). Nor do I think that there's a Cylon chip in his head telling him what to do, especially considering that CapSix has Baltar visions. I think that the Six visions are just part of his subconscious trying to rationalize away his guilt and perhaps some sort of physical after effects of the nuclear bomb (a long-term radiation sickness??).

Frankly, I like the fact that Baltar doesn't betray humanity willingly but because he's selfish and impulsive and has no moral backbone. It goes along really nicely with the meta-theme of the series (i.e. humanity's mistakes can lead to its own destruction).

"If the heroes wanted to make things right they wouldn't have shown up with multiple base-ships and centurians marching down Main Street. Whatever they were supposed to do in those key 36 hours remains to be seen."

The heroes DO believe that they're making things right; they came to New Caprica with a peace deal and are going to start fixing humanity. (With the added bonus being that Boomer gets to see her family/ Tyrol again and Natasi gets to see Baltar again). However, I believe that Sharon/ Natasi are likely being manipulated by the Cylon leadership (Xenaylon). Casualties are going to mount due to the French resistance, and some of the Heroes' supporters are going to become disillusioned. This will likely lead to a civil war among the Cylons. (Thus, the introduction of human emotions/ relationships to the Cylons leads to the same factionalization that the RTFF faced in Season 2.5... Perfect symmetry once again).

"Supposedly the first three episodes will deal with New Caprica and then move on to covering the tin cans. You gotta' wonder what position Baltar is going to have after they get off of that rock. Can you say impeachment?"

I'm sure that he'll find away to wiggle out of this one; saving his own skin is one thing that Baltar's very good at. But it wouldn't surprise me if he gets taken captive by the Cylons (perhaps along with some other supporting players.. Gaeta ???) once the Adama father and son operation returns to New Caprica. However, Natasi probably helps him escape (and Natasi/ Sharon might end up having to escape themselves). Baltar ends up with real knowledge of the Cylons and leverages it to protect his own position in the fleet.

[minus_273]

ping. that was a great episode. Gaius "Kerry" Balthar winning and the consequences were interesting.

[Dr.Deth]

Best non-animated show on TV... and that includes '24'.

[junta]

Quite right.

[Dr.Deth]

it must be noted that these "kinder, gentler" cylons remain religious fanatics intent on following the will of their one-true-god in conquering the messy and diverse humans.

Be that as it may, they go to a really cool church. I'm thinking of converting myself ;)

[Stentor]

I look forward to viewing the whole series..

I have seen it and you won't be disappointed.

[nunya bidness]

I finally got a banner made so have at it if you want: