Galactica

“You can enjoy ”Battlestar” as one of the best, well-made, written and acted sci-fi series in the history of the medium. You can also see it as the single most devastating, incisive critique of the Iraq war ever promoted in pop culture.

Substitute New Caprica for Iraq, the humans for the Iraqis and the Cylons for Americans and you won’t sleep well at night.”

-By Mark A. Perigard at the Boston Herald

This simple parallel could of course be argued for, but why couldn't one simply reverse this as well? I mean the Cylons are the ones who launch a sneak attack that undermines the Caprican defenses, similar to the terrorist attack of 9/11. The Cylons are all reborn just as the suicide bombers believe they will be rewarded for sacrificing themselves for the cause of Allah. I think what the writers of "Battlestar" are really trying to accomplish is something much deeper, they don't want to draw current political parallels, they would much rather draw broader conclusions that can be applied more generally and have a more timeless appeal. The Cylon vs. Children of Kobal war could be drawn to illustrate nearly any war in human history, simply pick a side and begin to draw basic parallels to support your argument. The writers are attempting to show the pointlessness of war – especially, I believe, from an offensive side. When one side attacks another, even if there was little, to no, hostility towards the initial attackers, the side which is attacked must then make a choice. That choice is: fight for who we are and what we believe, or, surrender to the wishes of our oppressors and give up our way of life because the fight is too much. Starbuck says, “We fight until we can't fight anymore.” She doesn't say 'we fight until it is pointless.' The immortal words of Emiliano Zapata would be of great benefit to those of New Caprica sitting on the fence as to whether they should join the Resistance, “It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.” I do have to agree that "Battlestar" is most definitely one of the best ever conceived and executed shows, past or present, on television; however, I worry that due to being a sci-fi show it is too quickly dismissed, or outright ignored, by larger audiences. The commentary that one is capable of through the combined medium of science fiction and television allows for mind-boggling ideas and concepts to abound, one can only hope that the sci-fi channel will continue to shelter such innovating shows.


On a completely different note, well kind of, check this out.