Sunday, November 12, 2006
Battlestar Gallactica: A Measure of Salvation
I watch a lot of television. I mean a LOT. Over time, I've seen many many science fiction shows, and they have often tried to make some sort of political statement, or highlight real world problems of today, such as racism (anyone remember the Star Trek episode with the black and white man vs. the white and black man? - or was that Lost in Space?).
But I digress. What I was going to say is that in my hundreds of lifetime TV shows, I have never seen a science fiction show treated as seriously as BSG. And the effect is startling. The Sci Fi element of the show is just a happenstance, and one that doesn't really interfere with the believability of anything that happens on the show.
In this most recent episode, the survivors of the human race are faced with the question of whether or not to commit genocide on their enemy. In a show with heavy religious messages sprinkled throughout, the issue is not handled lightly. The emotions of the players on both sides of the issue are palpable.
In the end, the plan to wipe out an entire race is authorized by the President, but short circuited in its execution by the opposition. After the fact, it turns out that the means to commit genocide, a biological weapon, was not created as a weapon at all, but was merely the result of an accidental sneeze 3,000 years ago.
The war depicted in the show is no doubt for the highest possible stakes: survival. The show does a neat job of examining the cost of fighting such a war, in terms of changing morals, damaged psyches and religious beliefs.
Even if you don't dig sci fi, this could be a show well worth watching.
But I digress. What I was going to say is that in my hundreds of lifetime TV shows, I have never seen a science fiction show treated as seriously as BSG. And the effect is startling. The Sci Fi element of the show is just a happenstance, and one that doesn't really interfere with the believability of anything that happens on the show.
In this most recent episode, the survivors of the human race are faced with the question of whether or not to commit genocide on their enemy. In a show with heavy religious messages sprinkled throughout, the issue is not handled lightly. The emotions of the players on both sides of the issue are palpable.
In the end, the plan to wipe out an entire race is authorized by the President, but short circuited in its execution by the opposition. After the fact, it turns out that the means to commit genocide, a biological weapon, was not created as a weapon at all, but was merely the result of an accidental sneeze 3,000 years ago.
The war depicted in the show is no doubt for the highest possible stakes: survival. The show does a neat job of examining the cost of fighting such a war, in terms of changing morals, damaged psyches and religious beliefs.
Even if you don't dig sci fi, this could be a show well worth watching.
Labels: Battlestar Gallactica, tv
