OK, Battlestar Galactica, you're starting to piss me off.

[progressoid]

Last year, I accidentally got a little hooked on this show. I mostly ignored the goofy stuff like the romances and the use of frak.

But then there is the religious stuff. Initially, it seemed kind of interesting from a plot perspective and as social commentary. But now it's all about the Gods and prophecy and now whats-her-name is some sort of chosen one? :puke: Gimme a break. Next thing you know they'll be doing faith healing.

I just watched last weeks episode for on tape at breakfast. Maybe in the next episode, they will knock that frakin shit off and get back to killin and stuff.

OK, rant off. Back to work.

[YankeyMCC]

1. Religion plays a large role in the society

the writers have created much like it does in the real world.

The focus on religion doesn't bother me, I'm confident there will be natural world explanations or even if some things are left as mysteries, within reason that's also fine with me, there are mysteries in real life to. As long as it all works to put the story together well and entertain it's good stuff IMHO.

minor spoilers follow:







































































As for the specific case of one of the cylons being a 'chosen one' I think the real point was along the continuing developing theme that the Cylons have started something they can't control very well anymore - their own evolution. The character's cylon model was "defective" meaning they can't control these humanform models like they do the more mechanistic toaster models anymore. They are becoming more unpredictable and deviating from the 'norm'. It provided a way to highlight a key moral difference between humans and cylons - how do they deal with deviation from the norm? Cylons 'shut down' a model, a more drastic step in their case than a human society execution because all humans die but the cylons must take extraordinary steps to kill one of their own.

Also, it is increasingly obvious (at least to me) that there are other forces at work we have yet to be introduced to.

On Edit: I will say one aspect that I will say bothered me was the chief being 'drawn' to the hidden temple. That kind of thing always just seems like a lame excuse for a writer to put the right person in the spot they want and there's never any good reason for it.

[progressoid]

2. I should clarify.

I think that the Cylons' grappling with reality vs religious myth is intriguing on many levels. It's interesting to watch a supposedly advanced species deal with an ancient mythology (not sure if I mean the humans or the Cylons :) ).

And about the 'chosen one'....well, my typing didn't keep up with my thoughts and got I got a little off track. That didn't bother me so much as the end, with the implication that Kara may be somehow prophetically connected the Eye of Jupiter. This was a little annoying, like the incident regarding the chief that you mentioned.

Like you said, it seemed like a lame excuse for a writer. Lately, it seems like they are using the mysteries of religion as an easy fix rather than writing an actual plot. Hopefully that will be resolved or I'll have to give up watching the show.

Of course, at this point, I'm strapped for money & cable TV may have to go away, making all my blather just a waste of time.

[YankeyMCC]

9. Well

I don't think the Kara thing is in the same category as the chief being drawn to the temple. I think that connection was planned and thought out in terms of the overall arch of the show and we'll get an explaination of that. That isn't the kind of thing you just through in there. Where the chief being 'drawn' to the temple appears to be just a device they needed for that one episode.

[ozone_man]

3. Star Trek was the show to watch.

Because Gene Roddeberry was an atheist, he generally showed religion in a primitive light. I never got into Battle Star Gallactica. It doesn't have that same magic of exploration, ethical exploration in particular. Battle Star Gallactica seems too heavy on the commando mentality. I didn't feel the same magic that I felt with Star Trek.

In Star Trek there was an empath (Diana Troy), but that seems plausible. Not much in the way of religious types.

The few episodes of BG that I watched, the religious aspect was not that offensive to me. If anything it makes religion on Earth seem just as silly, perhaps to believers as well as they get to see religion from a non Judeo-Christian perspective.

A show that I did like was Firefly or the movie version Serenity. A space western that captured some of the Star Trek ethical exploration. A wonderful blend of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Gunsmoke. Unfortunately too smart for the the viewing public.

[YankeyMCC]

4. I agree about Firefly..on BSG

There is a galaxy of difference between the original BSG and the new one. The new one actually explores the implications of the premise and setting so there's a lot more discussion of the religion in the show.

[ozone_man]

11. Maybe I was too harsh.

I already gave in to watching it again after hearing recommendations from a few friends. So I watched a few episodes from season 2 about a year ago. Part of the problem is my wife doesn't care for it, so I've lost half the audience. She was the one complaining about the violence or macho mentality. Too much testosterone perhaps. The way Firefly did it, the macho aspect was of the Hans Solo type in Star Wars. There was always an ethical and human side to balance it, which was really the focus of the show, these little space adventures like Star Trek, which were really adventures into ethical situations. I'm not saying that BSG doesn't have plenty of that also, but it doesn't leave me with that kind of feeling.

[Evoman]

5. Gods, I loved Firefly.

I never watched it, and then I saw the movie...it was pretty good, I enjoyed it. My gf enjoyed it A LOT, so I bought her the DVD set of the entire show. We watched it all in less than a week....AMAZING show. Funny, smart, great story, great characters. If a show like that can't make it, we don't deserve TV.

[progressoid]

10. Firefly was cool!

Frankly, I wish they would have put as much into that as has been put into BSG.

[jgraz]

6. I have no problem with fictional depictions of religion

It's when people start pretending that it's real that I get bugged.

[Az]

7. I think you are missing the subtext

The religion of the humans seems to be a deification of ancestors. Meanwhile the Cylons have created a monotheistic cult built on the notion of cleansing the wrongs between them and their creators. The writers seem to be quite aware that both religions are manufactured (or cylofactured as the case may be). The so called prophecies can be accredited to various scientific prognostocation abilities and other such things.

[progressoid]

8. "prophecies accredited to various scientific prognostication abilities & other such things"

that's what I'm hoping for. I get the subtext, it just seemed a little too heavy on the hocus pocus lately. Or it could be I've been spending too much time with my near fundie Mother-in-law.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. The original series was "Mormons in Space"

It was, in fact, written by a devout Mormon as a way to introduce some of the stranger parts of their religion -- eternal progression ("As man is, God once was: as God is, man may become"), God once was a human "on" the star of Koleb, a race of people crossing the "sea" from an old Promised Land that had been lost to a new Promised Land, etc.

In the reinvented series, the religion has lost much of the LDS dogma but still remains central to most of the story. All that has happened is that the writers are getting unimaginative; they are drawing more and more on what is already there and doing less creating.

[progressoid]

14. Holy crap I thought you were kidding!

I just did a little googling. It's kinda creepy.

Gatta run an errand - will do some more reading later. Thanks.

[and-justice-for-all]

13. Hopefully, its just a phase...

...They are in deep space, with no direction and with cylons hunting them down. So, they are a little delusional and paranoid. I would expect that they would to turn to fairy tales which would confuse their aspect on reality. But, to think that such an advanced society would have any G-ds to worship is rediculous, it should be something that was once looked upon as important but in their current day and age has not relevence at all. They are only looking for answers every where they can think of, but reason and reality will prevail over superstitious dogma.

I would not be surprised that someone would say that "all this Gods and Prophecy stuff is bullshit."

I explored religion for some meaning at one point, only to learn thats is all a load of crap.