Meta: Real Issues Used In Battlestar Galactica

[catwalksalone]

MJ Panel Mod: izzybeth

The reimagined Battlestar Galactica is more than simply an accomplished example of science fiction's post-apocalyptic subgenre; as well as creating nuanced human drama, the writers use the setting and society, which is both utterly distant from ours and entirely recognisable, as a lens through which to view real-world issues. Issues raised include the balance between individual freedoms and the needs of society: season one deals with freedom in the press in a society under unimaginable stress, and labour rights are the focus in season three's Dirty Hands. New Caprica has clear parallels to Iraq, and Season Two's themes of religion in government and separation of church and state also resonate with contemporary society.

NB: We're here to talk about the show, so let's keep discussion centred on the show, and leave personal politics for another time. That is, talking about the stance the show takes on a particular issue is fine; talking about whether you think the stance is right or wrong is off-topic.



Some examples from specific episodes:

Miniseries:

- Sept. 11

- power vacuum
Season one:

Bastille Day:

- prisons

- overcrowding

- use of prisoners as labor

- political prisoners

- hostage situations

Litmus:

- the independent tribunal

- Sergeant. at arms: who governs the government

- witch hunt; persecution vs. protection

- article 23: right to not self-incriminate used as evidence of guilt

Flesh And Bone:

- interrogation of POWs

- interrogation techniques and torture

Colonial Day:

- appointment to positions (Grey)

- ex-criminals in a free society (Zarek)

Kobol's Last Gleaming 1&2:

- military coup, martial law; civilian versus military government.


Season two:

Resistance:

- civilian protests

- demonstrations

- civil disobedience

- labor strikes

- violent retaliation

The Farm:

- female reproductive rights

Home 1&2:

- "religious fanatics and terrorists" -Adama

- religion and myth - parallels with creationism in our society?

Pegasus:

- treatment of POWs (Six), torture

Resurrection Ship 1&2:

- Cain's military civilian life

- women in positions of great power

- assassination (or damn close to it)

Epiphanies:

- more civilian protest

- sabotage

- sympathizers

The Captain's Hand:

- abortion ban for good of the fleet

- slippery slope - deny one basic right, how many will follow?

- good of the many versus good of the few

Downloaded:

- what does it mean to be human?

- humans are the ones who are taking reprisals against Cylons who never did anything to them, just because they are Cylons, which is a traditionally inhumane thing to do.

- the Cylons are the ones who show compassion and spare Anders' life.

Lay Down Your Burdens 1&2:

- misdirection of issues in election campaigns

- the role of media in political life

- election fraud


Season three

Webisodes:

- political spectrum

-- active resistance versus neutrality versus compliance/collaboration

Occupation:

- see title

- violent resistance

- political imprisonment

- informants vs. traitors

Precipice:

- compliance/collaboration

- resistance

- suicide bombings

- mass executions

Collaborators:

- see title.

- displaced military and civilian populations

- conviction of guilt by jury with obvious bias

- truth and reconciliation

Torn/Measure Of Salvation:

- cylon disease as parallel to AIDS if you want to play it that way

- genocide (thanks Angeli, i never would have gotten it)

Taking A Break:

- interrogation and torture

Woman King:

- racism

- religion

- the divide between "crazy" fundamentalists and society at large

Dirty Hands:

- labor issues

Crossroads 1&2:

- high-profile trial

- crimes against humanity

- working within the system versus dismantling the system and making a new one

Possible discussion points:

Why is science fiction such a popular medium for holding the mirror up to reality? Is the different perspective that can be offered by a different context more or less effective than a straight-out real-world treatment of similar issues?

On the other hand, can it be taken too far or too literally? For instance, do you find the parallels between New Caprica and Iraq too literal? Are there any other real-world conflics you think the arc draws on?

Do you think the creators/writers/producers/etc. are deliberately trying to make a statement on any current issue with the show?
What differences do you see between the role of religion in the Colonies and religion on Earth?

Comments

[icarion.livejournal.com]

I hope this is considered on topic, but what I find the most fascinating aspect of the way BSG tackles real life issues is the way that everything is in shades of grey, and it's very hard to tell who is the hero, or who is supposed to be right. Even though in a broad sense we can see that Adama and Roslin are supposed to be the good guys and Baltar is a bad guy, there are many many situations where the tables are turned.

For instance, the abortion situation was the most obvious one where things seem reversed- everyone except the religious fundamentalists accepts that pro-choice is the 'good' answer, but Roslin has to pass the pro-life legislation both for the survival of the fleet but also to keep her own religious fan-base happy. There are many points during the show where Roslin actually acts a lot like Bush, despite the anti-Bush administration slant to the show.

Personally I find this very fascinating, and also refreshing. In many situations in the show, bad and good guys justify their reasoning, and you can tell that everyone involved on both sides of the issue genuinely thinks they are doing the right thing. This is something you don't usually see in drama, and the blurring of the lines between 'good' and 'bad' is what I think gives BSG more realism than any other show on TV at the moment.

[icarion.livejournal.com]

I'd like to comment on another topic here as well.

Like you say, science fiction has always been a popular way to hold the mirror up to our own culture, and I think that this is because you can eliminate certain prejudices that arise when discussing some issues. If you can set a religious conflict occurring between two fictional religions which no viewer has a personal stake in, they might take home a message they would have ignored if they felt their own beliefs were being threatened or ridiculed.

I think the decision to make the colonists polytheist is a very interesting one, as it helps make them look more alien to us, more distant from our own culture. The way it's been set up is to be provocative to everyone's religion and assumptions. Anyone who believes in a monotheistic Abrahamic religion gets to have their religion associated with the Cylon bad guys, and the atheists' only representative on the show is Baltar, another bad guy.

I think that trying to disconcert all the viewers and make them approach the issue of religion from a totally new angle is a very good idea, and a very brave approach.