# I've just discovered Battlestar Gallactica **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602 "2019-01-11T17:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/81 "2019-01-15T15:43:28Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > They knew about Mitochondrial Eve in the 1950s? [I linked this in spoiler tags earlier](http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/adam_and_eve). ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/82 "2019-01-15T15:53:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I didn’t actually have any problem with “Entity-that-doesn’t-like-to-be-called-God Did It”. I have a problem with how hamhandedly Entity did it. Giving Starbuck a dream of a song that can somehow be interpreted as jump coordinates for right where they needed to go, sure, that feels like appropriate divine intervention. Making that planet be already populated by people genetically identical to the crew of the Galactica? No. That’s not subtle, that’s just “nothing else in the entire show matters”. > > Oh, and while we’re at it, if you’re going to toss in “You know that It doesn’t like to be called God”, you really ought to include some clues to what It does like to be called. The way they did it, it’s just pointless mystery for the sake of being mysterious. I fully admit I just sieve out stuff that doesn’t make sense\* or is kinda irrelevant. (Like ‘it doesn’t like to be called that’…uhh ok. Let’s move on then) \*Like “Don’t follow Starbuck, she’s the avatar of death” Or whatever that was. And how or why Starbucks Viper and body found itself on the ‘Nuked Earth’. And Leoben freaking out cause it didn’t fit his prophecys and…OK GUYS. If _I_ can’t find a way to fanwank whatever it is you’re doing, then we have a problem. Cause I am a MasterFanwanker. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/83 "2019-01-15T16:05:24Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I was reluctantly willing to go along with the ending, until that final bit. Spoilers ahoy. > > First, the bit showing modern life just seemed both really unlikely (humanity evolved from the BSG crew, on a planet full of creatures with our genetic code who weren’t on the ship? nah) and pat. > > Second, the robot dancing the robot was a huge tonal shift, nearly slapstick, and felt like a “fuck it, the series is over, what do we care?” moment. It really, really, REALLY didn’t work for me. > > The metaphysics during the show were great, but at the end they didn’t hold up with the hard SF feel of the show. They could have handwaved that bit about us having the same genetics by referring to the ‘13th tribe’ mentioned in Kobols Last Gleaming. And something about ‘what catastrophe could have sent them to the Stone Age?’ …but they didn’t. They specifically mention how strange it is to find identical humans here. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/84 "2019-01-15T16:16:16Z")
\*Star Trek \*had dozens, maybe hundreds of humanoid races capable of cross-breeding with humans scattered throughout the galaxy, some of which looked virtually identical to us (barring a pointy ear or forehead ridge). Why not BSG? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/85 "2019-01-15T16:54:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > \*Star Trek \*had dozens, maybe hundreds of humanoid races capable of cross-breeding with humans scattered throughout the galaxy, some of which looked virtually identical to us (barring a pointy ear or forehead ridge). Why not BSG? There was a Next Generation episode that had aliens placing DNA that would eventually become people on various star systems to explain how the various species were related. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/86 "2019-01-15T18:08:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > There was a Next Generation episode that had aliens placing DNA that would eventually become people on various star systems to explain how the various species were related. All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/87 "2019-01-15T18:55:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again. Ha! I forgot that blurb. It solidfies my theory that Moore had a bunch of blurbs and then had to build a series around it. Moore: What have we got??!! “All of this has happened before and will happen again” “…And they have a Plan.” “There are twelve models” Moore: Right! ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/88 "2019-01-15T19:23:56Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > This is about the most literal “deus ex machina” you can get. That’s not a good way to end a story. Just because something is deus ex machina doesn’t make it automatically bad. Especially in stories that already have high amounts of mysticism. They could have easily done what Starbuck did in other ways, but they chose to have Starbuck be an angel. And they didn’t do it all of a sudden, but had her be around for a while, even finding her dead body and having to deal with that. I enjoyed it and that they didn’t try to overly explain it. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/89 "2019-01-15T19:27:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, and while we’re at it, if you’re going to toss in “You know that It doesn’t like to be called God”, you really ought to include some clues to what It does like to be called. The way they did it, it’s just pointless mystery for the sake of being mysterious. It seemed to me to be similar to the Jewish tradition of not referring to God (or G-d if you really wanted to). They had other terms for God, but the show preferred the it doesn’t have a name and doesn’t like to be called God. Which was fine, IMO. That with the 12 colonies/tribes sort of thing seemed to be channeling some Jewish traditions into the story. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/90 "2019-01-15T19:38:32Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It seemed to me to be similar to the Jewish tradition of not referring to God (or G-d if you really wanted to). They had other terms for God, but the show preferred the it doesn’t have a name and doesn’t like to be called God. Which was fine, IMO. That with the 12 colonies/tribes sort of thing seemed to be channeling some Jewish traditions into the story. I believe that comes from “Thou shalt not take My name in vain” rather than anything else. One might do it my accident if s/he went around saying the name of G-d all the time. "In the words of Maimonides, the great Jewish codifier: ``` It is not only a false oath that is forbidden. Instead, it is forbidden to mention even one of the names designated for G‑d in vain, although one does not take an oath. For the verse commands us, saying: “To fear the glorious and awesome name.”1 Included in fearing it is not to mention it in vain." ``` ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/91 "2019-01-15T19:49:44Z")
Well, the first season was entertaining. Still not sure what to make of the doctor and his pretend girlfriend. Is he deluded? Is he possessed? Is he just insane? I like her better in ass-kicking mode, personally. And what’s with all the god business? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/92 "2019-01-15T20:00:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > And what’s with all the god business? Oops. Er, are you still here? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/93 "2019-01-15T20:01:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, the first season was entertaining. Still not sure what to make of the doctor and his pretend girlfriend. Is he deluded? Is he possessed? Is he just insane? I like her better in ass-kicking mode, personally. And what’s with all the god business? Uh… hopefully you are cool with the god business because it is there to stay. Dr. Baltar is definitely one of the most interesting characters. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/94 "2019-01-15T20:01:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Well, the first season was entertaining. Still not sure what to make of the doctor and his pretend girlfriend. Is he deluded? Is he possessed? Is he just insane? I like her better in ass-kicking mode, personally. And what’s with all the god business? The god business is… god business. This is your make-it-or-break-it moment - either accept that this is fantasy series with sci-fi trappings, with gods, prophecies, visions and magic items, or reject it and walk away. I’m as much a fan of fantasy as I am of science fiction, so I stayed and enjoyed it. Your own MMV. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/95 "2019-01-15T20:12:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Don’t say “God”. You know it doesn’t like when we call it that. > > That’s the thing - it was never more than a hard SF _feel_. BSG was not “hard science fiction”; in fact, it was so “soft” that it made \*Star Wars \*feel like _The Martian_. I’ve encountered few science fiction stories that cared as little about actual science, as this show. You know how they say how SW was just Tolkien, with spaceships? Well, BSG was just 2004 America. With spaceships. And magic. Stipulating that, that’s why I specifically said “feel.” My problem wasn’t with some supposed shift in the level of science; my problem was with a sudden shift in the **tone**. I’m not great on understanding physics on any level beyond “Gravity make thing go down.” But storytelling shit I’m a little more in tune with, and this just didn’t work for me as a storytelling shift. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/96 "2019-01-15T20:24:06Z")
I recorded the show and burned it to DVD. I tossed them when the god stuff came up. So, Chefguy, now you know. Perhaps it won’t hurt so badly now that it is spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/97 "2019-01-15T21:49:19Z")
Since this thread was started by someone just starting shouldn’t spoilers be hidden? Since we’re talking about the end here’s what I didn’t like: I thought the fact that the story was in the past and they were our ancestors was all fine. In fact it was expected (my pet theory while the show was airing was the Cylons would “win” and it would they, not the humans who were our ancestors). What didn’t like was how so much of the Finale was “G-d did it”. Moore made such a big deal about how he hated that Star Trek waved away problems with Technology and he did the exact same thing using Religion. It was literally “A Wizard did it”. Also everything with Starbuck after she disappeared and reappeared was stupid as hell. As was Angel Baltar and Six walking off into the Sunset. The ending sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/98 "2019-01-15T22:07:50Z")
I want to add The Devil was in the original. So…there’s that. I’m sure any supernatural trappings of the original won’t sway people dissappointed with the remake but…there it is. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/99 "2019-01-15T22:25:34Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I want to add The Devil was in the original. So…there’s that. I’m sure any supernatural trappings of the original won’t sway people dissappointed with the remake but…there it is. Say what? The devil was in\* Battlestar Ponderosa\*? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602/100 "2019-01-15T22:37:05Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Say what? The devil was in\* Battlestar Ponderosa\*? [This guy.](https://i0.wp.com/kindertrauma.com/images/art/unkoncountiblis5.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-just-discovered-battlestar-gallactica/827602.md?page=6)