osaraba | Battlestar Galactica, season 1

Saw five more episodes of BSG last night. Good ones, though episode 5 ("You Can't Go Home Again") asked me to suspend disbelief past the point at which I was able to do so, for the situation as we know it. Which was unfortunate because I really enjoyed the episode, and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Starbuck. I'm withholding judgement a little, to see whether they'll circle back and tie up some loose ends here. If they don't, I shall be very disappointed.

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Started the paragraph above last week, but then I finished the first season this weekend. All the religious stuff makes me really uncomfortable, truthfully. Let me start by saying I'm not normally put off by stories about religious struggle. Whatever my personal beliefs, and whatever your personal beliefs, I have utmost respect for freedom of religion as long as it harms none.

I know the real point of discomfort for me is that it's such a big deal to the characters on a personal level, and that it's so tied up with perceptions of good and evil, right and wrong. Yeah, so, like -- very realistic in many ways. I want it to be completely live-and-let-live and for the issue of religion to be of no consequence one way or the other, and I'm really torn about the levels of fanaticism depicted. Still, this conflict is clearly part of what drives the plot of the show, and it's very engaging on intellectual, ethical, and literary levels.

I'm making a real effort to tamp down my real discomfort on this issue, and continue to look at it as a plot device -- which includes questioning where the writers will go with it, how the characters will change and respond to the new situations and the new information as it trickles in...

So I actually don't think I can watch this show with anyone.

For anyone who has seen BSG, did any of this bother you, or is this just a sensitive spot for me? Any other thoughts/feelings/squee on season 1? Please remember to keep any potentially spoilery-responses limited to season 1!

~~UPDATE: THIS MEANS THAT IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHICH EPS ARE IN THE FIRST SEASON, DO NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE PLOT OR CHARACTERS.~~ (I screened the spoilery comment.)

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I am sorry it spoils the fun for you. It's hard to fight a squirk.

and it's very engaging on intellectual, ethical, and literary levels.
That's what I like about it I guess. For me, sci-fi can address these issues without being offensive. The religion is shared by humanity and different enough from majority religions that I don't see it as offensive but as an interesting statement/mirror of society. Fanaticism isn't pretty but I like that it is not black and white. I could imagine you'll end up being satisfied with the way it is handles. I can't tell for sure but I stop in order not to spoil you.

If it makes you feel any better, I do have my problems with BSG as well but I still think it's outstanding television. I hope you'll enjoy it (if you decide to continue). :)

Oh, I'm definitely continuing! I really like some of the characters (and the ones I don't like, are still interesting in the pivotal roles they play).

I really like the issues show tackles, and the ambiguity that permeates the society. We're also getting into political machinations and maneuvering, which I tend to really enjoy within the context of military science fiction. I'm also very interested on where the religious issue will go when more is revealed about the cylons themselves, and the origins of humanity, etc.

And no, there's nothing in the show I find offensive. It's a good depiction of many aspects of our global society -- and it's always better to bring things to light than to leave them hidden.

With some further reflection, I think what's causing my discomfiture the most is my fear that BSG will be an amazing show on so many levels.... but then it'll "fail" me on the religion issue.

But I'm going to stick it through -- because even if it does that, it'll still be a valuable experience.

Edited 2010-03-08 19:44 (UTC)

No its not. I said the OLD show. this show isnt really following the old show. its not a spoiler.also, bc in the old show Starbuck is a MAN. and BLACK. hahaha. and there was no such thing ... as something else but i cant remember when you find that out so i wont say :p

Huh. Okay, well I'm raging a little less inside now.

But I don't know anything about the old show, so comparisons to it might imply spoilers as well.

But thank you very much for the clarification.

Actually, a whole lot has been written about the old show and religion as well, as Glen A Larson was a Mormon and put a lot of his Mormon faith into the show.

One example here: http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/battlestar-mormonica.htm

The new version seems to have substituted the Mormon stuff with a more Greco/Roman religious bend.

Edited 2010-03-22 20:11 (UTC)

Um, Starbuck was definitely NOT a black man on the Original BSG. Dirk Benedict is well know for being a blond white dude.

thats right. But Shes still a man back then. lol. which was the black guy?
but my point was that the new show is taking the concept and idea of the original and running in their own direction.
Wasnt Boomer a man back then too? lol

Boomer was the black man. And yes, there is almost zero overlap, which is what I keep telling my roommate (who loved the original and therefore refuses to watch the new).

Ah, this is the post I was looking for.

Re religion in BSG - I guess I should preface this by saying that I am an atheist, but I find religion and how it's presented in various media really interesting. So that is something I found really interesting about BSG.

That said, what I liked about the show was how it contrasted monotheistic and polytheistic religions... but it's really tough to discuss it in regards to the show since you haven't seen all of it, yet. It continues to be a theme and becomes really interesting in S4 in regards to the Cylon god. And the good vs evil implications tied to the religions becomes even more fuzzy as the show goes on.
And I find the one Cylon god super fascinating as well - on the outside it's kind of the "Christian" religion on BSG, yet at the same time, and especially when it comes to Leoben, it has a lot of Buddhism in it as well (like the idea that suffering leads to truth.)

So, ya, really tough to talk about it since you've only seen S1, but I can't say it bothered me, I just found it fascinating (especially since it kinda dares to not be openly pro Christian.)

That said, I'll wait until you've seen the finale before getting what really bothers me about the show...

Edited 2010-03-22 20:15 (UTC)

I'm an atheist as well, and generally on the anti-religion side. So far I think I'm a little uncomfortable because with what little information we have here, it could easily fall into the Christian god mold (I did notice that the "other side" was the greco/roman-esque polytheism), and I feared what the show's message might be. In general sf/fantasy doesn't "take sides" on the religion issue, but you never know. And I guess I'm just paranoid enough to believe that the US could fall in love with a good show both because of AND in spite of its strong pro-religion stance.

So this is one reason for my discomfort, another being the fanaticism depicted by um... what's her name, the blonde female cylon. It's truly scary to me, that kind of fanaticism.

But since it is sf/f, I'm pushing ahead with it, and hoping that the developments will be ones that I can support...

I will definitely be posting more about the show as I watch, and HAHA, I'm sure we'll get into further exciting discussions! =D

I am... how shall I put it. I'm not anti-religion, but I am anti-organized religion, if that makes sense. Like, I got nothing against the Catholic faith, but I have HUGE issues with the Catholic church as an institution. And for BSG, that's interesting, as they start to play with religion vs. organized religion at some point.

As for the Christian god mold - do wait until S4, they do some interesting stuff with that. Which pissed off a lot of Christians on various forums, etc, I've seen, so they definitely went against (American) conventions.
It's just so fascinating - as an American show, I feel like I am outside of some of the stuff they're doing, as I'm not American. And some of the things did tick me off (oh, the finale!) But at the same time, they managed to piss off a lot of American Christians, so they definitely did do something right by questioning the predominant faith of the culture within which the show was produced.

As for the fanaticism - care to point out some specific things? I have only seen all the eps once and, as far as I recall, the most fanatic characters were the Cylons at first. So would love to hear some examples from you ;)
Like, Leoben in F&B is super religious, but he never came across as fanatical to me.
The real fanaticism of the show I have issues with comes with the militaristic stuff later on.

Looking fwd to your posts as you watch the show ;)

Edited 2010-03-22 22:02 (UTC)

Oh, I hope I was clear enough in the post - I'm also anti-organized religion rather than anti-religion on an individual basis.

But what you're saying about the show is very encouraging! YAY! Sounds like what I was hoping for rather than what I feared.

As for the fanaticism, it IS only the Cylons that I was referring to (at least, at this point) -- and even then, not most of the Cylons, just the blond woman. Mostly, I think it's because she's so insistent about it with Baltar. Oh, it's the way she manipulates him, gets him to "admit" to some sort of belief or faith and then something happens to "prove" her faith true. I guess that's not fanaticism, per se, but it's what drives her.

What I'm really looking forward to seeing, more than anything else, is how these characters change. Because my impression is that they change quite a lot over the course of the show.

Battlestar Galactica, season 1

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