Battlestar Galactica: The Story Is Real

So why is this particular story so important? Why is this retelling relevant? Battlestar Galactica is one of the smartest written shows on television, with stories that draw on current issues in society, and are told in such a way where they don't ask us to take a side on the issue. They only ask us to think about the issue.

The miniseries pilot was very much a reflection on life after September 11th. It played upon the realization that we can not only be hurt by our enemies, but we can be attacked without warning (although, the series will go on to suggest that there may have been warnings after all, a sentiment reflected in reality about the 9/11 attacks). More importantly, the fear of being unable to discern who are enemies are is a major theme of the series. Gone are the days when we can look at someone's military uniform to figure out whether they are on your side. Today, anyone could be a threat. Sadly, since the people responsible for the 9/11 attacks were Middle Eastern Muslims, these groups of people have born the brunt of our fears. It serves as a way for us to try and find a new way to identify our enemies. But skin color and religion are not effective indicators; aside from the obvious fact that not every Muslim or Middle Easterner is a terrorist, there are people of every race, creed, and religion who can be classified as terrorists or enemies of the state.

The cylon threat is a reflection of our fears about who "the enemy" is. The cylons can perfectly imitate humans. Cylons can eat, sleep, have sex (or frak, if you will), even interpret and exhibit complex emotions, even love (this is a topic for a later post, but in some respects, the cylons almost succeeded too well in making themselves appear human). Some cylons have been programmed to believe that they are human; if they don't know that they are cylons, they are not in danger of giving up their secret. With such effective sleeper agents in place, it is impossible not to be fearful of one's neighbors and anyone you haven't previously met. Although, depending on how long the cylons have had the ability to appear human, even old acquaintances may be suspect. Even worse than fear, though, is the strained loyalty some people feel when they begin to suspect their loved ones of being cylons.

This fear is one of the core themes of the series, but other real-world issues are present. One of my favorite examples had to do with abortion. A young Gemenese girl sought asylum aboard Galactica, since the colony of Gemenon is known for strict interpretations of religious texts, and believe that abortion is a sin. The president is a staunch pro-choice activist, but has to deal with the Gemenese representatives who threaten not to back her in the upcoming election. The interesting thing about the resolution is why abortion becomes a crime. The writers remind the viewers, who are most likely hoping that the president chooses their point of view for their reasons, that the situation has fundamentally changed. There are less than 50,000 humans left, and the number of survivors tends to decrease much quicker than it increases. The president goes against her own beliefs in order to preserve humanity.

Perhaps the most important real-world parallel story outside of the ones introduced in the miniseries has to do with the US occupation of Iraq. I will try not to give away too many plot details, but at one point in the series, a situation comes about where the cylons and humans are forced to live together with one group taking over the civilization of the other. Here's the kicker: the humans, who are the heroes of the story, represent the Iraqis, while the cylons are the Americans. Even better is that the writers don't show one side as right and the other as wrong. Instead, both sides are depicted as doing deplorable things. The humans use suicide bombers and exploit the deaths of their own kind in the name of self-preservation. The cylons torture resistance fighters, and they recruit humans to do their dirty work, claiming that the recruits will be doing a good thing by taking the cylon centurions off the streets and helping th give power back to the humans. Also, each side has noble intentions behind their monstrosity. The cylons tried to create a harmonious society in which human and cylon could live side by side. The humans truly are working in the interest of self-preservation. But both sides believe that their ends are noble enough to justify some horrific means.

The occupation only breeds more fear and hatred, even after it ends. Many of the humans who were subjected to the horrors of the occupation came away scarred, and went on to kill the HUMANS that had collaborated. Never mind that there are now about 40,000 people left. These people put their own need for revenge and closure ahead of the need to keep the human race alive. I guess it could be argued that they did not want to live in a society with people who had oppressed them, but what happens when the families of the people they killed come to take THEIR revenge?

Rights issues are also explored in the show. Do the cylons have rights? They are not human, after all. But they can feel pain. And they can feel love, and even be loved. So when the humans kill a cylon, are they justified in doing so? As for killing a cylon who may care for someone else, or has someone who cares for them, some weight is taken off this decision, since, when the cylons are "killed", their consciousness and memories are downloaded into new bodies. But they still feel the pain. When the fleet's admiral and the president found a way to exterminate the cylons for good, are the humans justified in doing so? The cylons nearly exterminated the humans first, and present a legitimate threat. But if the humans commit genocide, even as a means of revenge or self-preservation, doesn't that make them as villainous as the cylons?

What about human rights issues for other humans? I've already mentioned the fallout of the occupation, but when a human who is believed to have sold out the humans to the cylons for the initial attacks, he becomes the most hated man in the fleet, and even though every citizen is entitled to a fair trial, there are talks between the President and the Admiral discussing whether or not he deserves one.

Up next: An essay about my opinions on the revelation of one of the cylon models (note: this will be extremely spoiler-heavy, and not recommended for people who have not yet seen the show)...