Thursday, March 02, 2006
Betrayal: The Human Side
The new BSG is much more focused on the interpersonal than on the interplanetary; it's a "drama in space," as opposed to a "space drama." An important part of any drama is transformations in how the characters relate to each other, with popular dramas generally focusing on one kind of change: how characters fall in love. Despite the Sharon/Helo, Sharon/Chief, and #6/Baltar storylines, I feel that BSG focuses more on a different transformation, that of how characters betray each other. This is a central theme to the new BSG.
Betrayal is only possible when a deep, established relationship exists between the parties. The Cylons' previous incarnation meant no real relationship was possible, but the Cylons in human form allow for an incredible depth of connection. It's not easy to love a toaster... but a live, flesh-and-blood, gorgeous woman? That's something quite different. Further, the BSG writers are exploiting a particularly powerful kind of relationship, that between parent and child.
The Cylon (#6) frequently refer to humanity as their parents. This is a more nuanced relationship than that of creator to creation. It's also a stronger bond, since that between creator and creation is, for us, purely abstract - we've never actually created life, so we can't really project what this scenario would entail and how we would feel towards our creations. Much easier to relate to the parent-child paradigm; besides, this dynamic is the basis for so many great tragedies, of which BSG is another. Also, because many of us have direct experience on both sides of the parental equation, we can see ourselves more fully as BSG's humanity and as the Cylons.
The two most engaging Cylons, Sharon and #6, seem almost wired to seek emotional attachment, the former specializing in innocence and need, the latter focusing on sensuality and exoticism. But, the gulf between love's zenith and hatred's nadir seems riddled with wormholes, bringing the two states perilously close together. Adama showed this clearly in one of his rare displays of emotion while confronting "sleeper Sharon's" corpse and uttering a single, anguished syllable: Why? He had plainly cared for Sharon and accepted her somewhat under his wing, which made her betrayal all that more devastating. Then, not much later, he was overcome by his constant rage and nearly choked Helo's Sharon to death. From love to hatred, that quickly.
The ultimate question we all want to know when betrayed by someone we love is... Why? Why does a spouse have an affair? Why does a trusted friend lie? Why does a child hurt its parents? Is it me? Is it my fault?
Unfortunately for Adama, before he has a chance to confront Sharon with these questions, she's killed and taken away - to Caprica, as we now know. Instead, he's left without answers and with no way to really work through his pain. (Note that his attempt to broach the subject with Helo's Sharon, who is far more in command of herself and her motivations, is dry, intellectual, less than satisfying, and deals only in concepts and not with his personal pain. That's too bad - there was an opportunity there for some good interaction there.)
Interestingly, while Adama is personally affected by a loved one's betrayal, he seems less wounded by it than Roslin. Perhaps as one of her flaws, Roslin seems incapable of reconciling her own, more indirect feelings of pain and anger with the potential bridge to the future that Helo's Sharon presents. While Roslin appears reasonable to a certain extent, there's a core of fear and pain that appears to guide her actions. I would have expected that reaction from Adama, given his more visceral and powerful involvement with the betrayal. Still, gotta give the old man credit, I guess. The tension between Roslin's militant intolerance and Adama's more thoughtful attitude will surely make for some great stories!
While Roslin seems to have undergone a transformation after learning of the Cylon sleepers, her inflexible attitude is enlightened when compared to the depths of depravity to which the Pegasus crew sank. It's instructive to see the stark contrast between the way the two groups dealt with the Cylons' betrayal. From Cain on down, the Pegasi appear to have been able to completely dehumanize their #6, removing any inhibitions and allowing the crew to debase themselves horribly.
The Pegasus crew nursed their pain and hurt at #6's betrayal and nurtured it into something terribly ugly. The writers wanted us to be shocked at #6's condition when Baltar came upon her, but what repelled me more strongly was the vile behavior of Pegasus crew's as it spilled over into their dealings with non-Cylons. I believe that part of the environment that allowed the Pegasi to shoot civilians and condemn others to death is a direct result of the way #6 was treated.
Through succumbing to their meanest impulses in torturing #6 and allowing themselves to express their helpless rage at the Cylon's betrayal in such a despicable way, the Pegasus crew harmed themselves terribly. Torture affects not only the tortured but the torturer, as well. These psychic wounds opened the doors to dehumanizing everyone incapable of furthering their ends. Even executing #6 mercifully would have placed them on the road to reconciliation. I get the impression that Cain got nothing from their #6 despite her terrible torment. So, what Cain only did was wither her crew's souls, setting the stage for the Pegasus' future behavior. Hence Adama's need to put Lee in charge to restore the the crew's moral compass.
I could go on - I find this subject powerful and gripping. The terrorists' reactions in "Sacrifice"; Lee's deathwish after learning his father wanted his help to assassinate Cain... all reactions to betrayal. But I'd love to hear how you feel about betrayal and the humans' reaction. What great stories!
Good hunting.
Betrayal is only possible when a deep, established relationship exists between the parties. The Cylons' previous incarnation meant no real relationship was possible, but the Cylons in human form allow for an incredible depth of connection. It's not easy to love a toaster... but a live, flesh-and-blood, gorgeous woman? That's something quite different. Further, the BSG writers are exploiting a particularly powerful kind of relationship, that between parent and child.
The Cylon (#6) frequently refer to humanity as their parents. This is a more nuanced relationship than that of creator to creation. It's also a stronger bond, since that between creator and creation is, for us, purely abstract - we've never actually created life, so we can't really project what this scenario would entail and how we would feel towards our creations. Much easier to relate to the parent-child paradigm; besides, this dynamic is the basis for so many great tragedies, of which BSG is another. Also, because many of us have direct experience on both sides of the parental equation, we can see ourselves more fully as BSG's humanity and as the Cylons.
The two most engaging Cylons, Sharon and #6, seem almost wired to seek emotional attachment, the former specializing in innocence and need, the latter focusing on sensuality and exoticism. But, the gulf between love's zenith and hatred's nadir seems riddled with wormholes, bringing the two states perilously close together. Adama showed this clearly in one of his rare displays of emotion while confronting "sleeper Sharon's" corpse and uttering a single, anguished syllable: Why? He had plainly cared for Sharon and accepted her somewhat under his wing, which made her betrayal all that more devastating. Then, not much later, he was overcome by his constant rage and nearly choked Helo's Sharon to death. From love to hatred, that quickly.
The ultimate question we all want to know when betrayed by someone we love is... Why? Why does a spouse have an affair? Why does a trusted friend lie? Why does a child hurt its parents? Is it me? Is it my fault?
Unfortunately for Adama, before he has a chance to confront Sharon with these questions, she's killed and taken away - to Caprica, as we now know. Instead, he's left without answers and with no way to really work through his pain. (Note that his attempt to broach the subject with Helo's Sharon, who is far more in command of herself and her motivations, is dry, intellectual, less than satisfying, and deals only in concepts and not with his personal pain. That's too bad - there was an opportunity there for some good interaction there.)
Interestingly, while Adama is personally affected by a loved one's betrayal, he seems less wounded by it than Roslin. Perhaps as one of her flaws, Roslin seems incapable of reconciling her own, more indirect feelings of pain and anger with the potential bridge to the future that Helo's Sharon presents. While Roslin appears reasonable to a certain extent, there's a core of fear and pain that appears to guide her actions. I would have expected that reaction from Adama, given his more visceral and powerful involvement with the betrayal. Still, gotta give the old man credit, I guess. The tension between Roslin's militant intolerance and Adama's more thoughtful attitude will surely make for some great stories!
While Roslin seems to have undergone a transformation after learning of the Cylon sleepers, her inflexible attitude is enlightened when compared to the depths of depravity to which the Pegasus crew sank. It's instructive to see the stark contrast between the way the two groups dealt with the Cylons' betrayal. From Cain on down, the Pegasi appear to have been able to completely dehumanize their #6, removing any inhibitions and allowing the crew to debase themselves horribly.
The Pegasus crew nursed their pain and hurt at #6's betrayal and nurtured it into something terribly ugly. The writers wanted us to be shocked at #6's condition when Baltar came upon her, but what repelled me more strongly was the vile behavior of Pegasus crew's as it spilled over into their dealings with non-Cylons. I believe that part of the environment that allowed the Pegasi to shoot civilians and condemn others to death is a direct result of the way #6 was treated.
Through succumbing to their meanest impulses in torturing #6 and allowing themselves to express their helpless rage at the Cylon's betrayal in such a despicable way, the Pegasus crew harmed themselves terribly. Torture affects not only the tortured but the torturer, as well. These psychic wounds opened the doors to dehumanizing everyone incapable of furthering their ends. Even executing #6 mercifully would have placed them on the road to reconciliation. I get the impression that Cain got nothing from their #6 despite her terrible torment. So, what Cain only did was wither her crew's souls, setting the stage for the Pegasus' future behavior. Hence Adama's need to put Lee in charge to restore the the crew's moral compass.
I could go on - I find this subject powerful and gripping. The terrorists' reactions in "Sacrifice"; Lee's deathwish after learning his father wanted his help to assassinate Cain... all reactions to betrayal. But I'd love to hear how you feel about betrayal and the humans' reaction. What great stories!
Good hunting.
Monday, February 27, 2006
I'm Losing My Religion
The BSG writers seem to enjoy flipping common conceptions on their ear. What we typically think about religion, especially, gets decidedly unexpected treatment in the new series. Who would have thought that a machine intelligence could seek justification for its actions through belief in a unitarian god? Or that a pantheistic culture would be able to rise to such technological heights?
I think it's fair to say that there are three distinct views on religiosity in the BSG universe: evangelism, fundamentalism, and tolerance. The evangelists are the Cylon, with their (well, six's) frequent references to the conversion of humanity (specifically, Gaius Baltar) to their monotheistic worship of the "one, true god." The fundamentalists and tolerants are represented by humanity, mainly by the Gemonese in the former and everybody else the latter. Undeniably, the most interesting are the Cylon, so I'll focus on their spirituality.
The Cylon are almost the avenging angels of their faith. I imagine that they felt, if "feeling" is a meaningful term, highly persecuted by their human creators. A particular group that is singled out of society for oppression often turns to religion to act as a glue for the collective to sustain them through solidarity and hope. The belief system allows the group to turn the particular aspects that cause it to be tortured by a culture into praiseworthy attributes in their deities' eyes.
It makes sense that the Cylon might develop a faith that is the antithesis of the pervading doctrines in the culture that victimized them... but why would a machine intelligence develop a faith in the first place? I think it's interesting to consider a few questions:
Did the Cylon come to their belief before or after the human models were developed?
The new series reduces the role of the mechanistic Cylons (the insurgents' "bullet-heads") to mere shock troops, soaks useful for simple tasks only. Do the mechanicals participate in the monotheism professed by the human models? I get the impression that this isn't the case - modern BSG silverbacks are truly robots, without the motivation that even infused the original series tin cans. Does this mean that the human models are the only deep-thinking force behind the Cylon culture?
As faiths have done here on Earth for millennia, newer, expansionistic religions tend to overwhelm and push out older, more tolerant beliefs. Younger theology tends to include a strain of developing black-and-white comparisons that can be used to separate out people of the faith from the general population. It's that "besiged" mentality again. This is playing itself out in the BSG universe as well, with humanity continuing what was already an ancient religion/culture (Hellenism) for more than two thousand years, being pushed aside by the Cylon.
During that time, it seems that humanity became very comfortable with the various worship of the twelve deities. Some of the cultures seem open and practically secular (Caprica), while some have tenaciously clung to their beliefs and developed their faith into a blueprint for a rigid, theocratic society (Gemonon). This variety and tolerance is a hallmark of highly developed, older religions. Are the writers trying to draw this striking contrast between human culture and the Cylon culture?
The last episode (#218: Downloaded) definitely upends some of the moral rectitude with which the Cylon justify their genocide. There are more questions asked than answered, unfortunately. For example, if the Cylon actions are in direct contravention of their religious precepts... then what is providing the prod and justification to keep their plans in motion?
And, Sharon's final words make me wonder if there isn't some other entity within the Cylon that is using religion as a rallying cry and rationale for "unspeakable acts". If so... what is this entity?
In closing, I'll say that the writers have challenged themselves to make sense of this spiritual soup pot they've stirred. While these faiths add new dimensions and layers of meaning to the stories, making it all seem organic and inevitable will be quite a feat. I hope they have it in them!
Good hunting.
I think it's fair to say that there are three distinct views on religiosity in the BSG universe: evangelism, fundamentalism, and tolerance. The evangelists are the Cylon, with their (well, six's) frequent references to the conversion of humanity (specifically, Gaius Baltar) to their monotheistic worship of the "one, true god." The fundamentalists and tolerants are represented by humanity, mainly by the Gemonese in the former and everybody else the latter. Undeniably, the most interesting are the Cylon, so I'll focus on their spirituality.
The Cylon are almost the avenging angels of their faith. I imagine that they felt, if "feeling" is a meaningful term, highly persecuted by their human creators. A particular group that is singled out of society for oppression often turns to religion to act as a glue for the collective to sustain them through solidarity and hope. The belief system allows the group to turn the particular aspects that cause it to be tortured by a culture into praiseworthy attributes in their deities' eyes.
It makes sense that the Cylon might develop a faith that is the antithesis of the pervading doctrines in the culture that victimized them... but why would a machine intelligence develop a faith in the first place? I think it's interesting to consider a few questions:
Did the Cylon come to their belief before or after the human models were developed?
The new series reduces the role of the mechanistic Cylons (the insurgents' "bullet-heads") to mere shock troops, soaks useful for simple tasks only. Do the mechanicals participate in the monotheism professed by the human models? I get the impression that this isn't the case - modern BSG silverbacks are truly robots, without the motivation that even infused the original series tin cans. Does this mean that the human models are the only deep-thinking force behind the Cylon culture?
As faiths have done here on Earth for millennia, newer, expansionistic religions tend to overwhelm and push out older, more tolerant beliefs. Younger theology tends to include a strain of developing black-and-white comparisons that can be used to separate out people of the faith from the general population. It's that "besiged" mentality again. This is playing itself out in the BSG universe as well, with humanity continuing what was already an ancient religion/culture (Hellenism) for more than two thousand years, being pushed aside by the Cylon.
During that time, it seems that humanity became very comfortable with the various worship of the twelve deities. Some of the cultures seem open and practically secular (Caprica), while some have tenaciously clung to their beliefs and developed their faith into a blueprint for a rigid, theocratic society (Gemonon). This variety and tolerance is a hallmark of highly developed, older religions. Are the writers trying to draw this striking contrast between human culture and the Cylon culture?
The last episode (#218: Downloaded) definitely upends some of the moral rectitude with which the Cylon justify their genocide. There are more questions asked than answered, unfortunately. For example, if the Cylon actions are in direct contravention of their religious precepts... then what is providing the prod and justification to keep their plans in motion?
And, Sharon's final words make me wonder if there isn't some other entity within the Cylon that is using religion as a rallying cry and rationale for "unspeakable acts". If so... what is this entity?
In closing, I'll say that the writers have challenged themselves to make sense of this spiritual soup pot they've stirred. While these faiths add new dimensions and layers of meaning to the stories, making it all seem organic and inevitable will be quite a feat. I hope they have it in them!
Good hunting.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Welcome to The Pilot's Locker!
Welcome to the inauguration of The Pilot's Locker, where I muse on the "re-imagined" Battlestar Galactica. This show has captured my fancy like little else in my last 20 years of TV watching. I recognize that my attraction borders on the obsessive; being married to a soap-opera-addicted wife makes it particularly hard to avoid this realization.
The "pilot's locker" is a private retreat on a battlestar where the fighter pilots sleep (home to their "racks"), joke, and otherwise bleed off the stress associated with flying dangerous missions every day. In my universe, this pilot's locker is a place for me to reflect on and appreciate this wonderful drama.
Good hunting.
The "pilot's locker" is a private retreat on a battlestar where the fighter pilots sleep (home to their "racks"), joke, and otherwise bleed off the stress associated with flying dangerous missions every day. In my universe, this pilot's locker is a place for me to reflect on and appreciate this wonderful drama.
Good hunting.
