In Case You Haven't Heard

Caprica is the best frakking thing on TV right now. Seriously.

It's funny. I didn't think I would like it, and the pilot did little for me- but after two episodes it was wham! And now I'm hooked. I just had to let go and let it be it's own thing. It's totally worthy of the BSG legacy.

All of the things we covered before? So there. You want to talk theology? Caprica. You want to look at the line between "us" and "them"? Caprica. How much Bill Adama rocks (even in elementary school)? Caprica. We'll be doing occasional (and maybe more than) here.

Sweet.

So BSG season 4.5 (Really, Sci-Fi...I mean SyFy (What douchey fucking name- it's like short hand for syphilis.)? Sorry, still a bit sore over their season breakdowns.) is finally out on DVD so my next acquisition phase has arrived. This round's 'To Do' list?

-BSG 4.5
-Replace Firefly and Serenity
-Red Faction

Dollhouse is also out, but I'm putting that down for the next round.

The Question Remains

This one's for Leeann.

So on the one hand we have Jean-Luc Picard's warm friendly sometimes mentor-like take on command.


And on the other hand we have grisly Bill Adama, who's take on command is essentially making every crew member of the Galactica a surrogate son/daughter.

(I guess it's too soon or something because all of the BSG stuff on youtube is either a trailer or a creepy music video montage.)

Clearly, Picard and Adama faced wildly different situations. Picard captained the flagship of the Federation, primarily tasked with scientific surveys and diplomacy. And he was awesome at it. Plus he defeated the Borg. A lot. Even when they cheated (energy shields adjusting to bullets is so bullshit.) Adama commanded a decommissioned battlestar that became the last defense of the tens of thousands of humans who survived the Cylon holocaust. And he so completely rocked at it that half of the Cylons decided to throw their chips in with him.

So how to decide between them? Well one way is to try to figure out who I would rather serve under. On the surface that doesn't work out so well because in the Star Trek TNG universe I would totally want to serve under Picard, but in the Galactica universe I'd totally want to serve under Adama. But let's look a little deeper.

Adama was totally willing to risk a civil war amongst the tattered remnants of humanity to save the lives of two of his favorite surrogate sons. Which is all kinds of crazy and wonderful. The world ended and Bill Adama essentially saves the human race by being its dad. I don't think a captain who's casual enough with his crew to the point where the chief medical officer totally has creepy ghost sex in front of him could pull that off. But Adama is a soldier, not a diplomat and the Star Trek TNG universe never asks anyone to "roll the hard 6". Adama would kill Romulans and Borg like James Tiberius Kirk killed Klingons, but a lot of treaties would go unsigned and first contact situations would be...problematic.

So who's better? That's still tough. I know that I'd rather have an ascendant humanity over one on the verge of extinction and that a Star Trek future is a hell of a lot brighter than a BSG future. So if the choice was about picking fates, then Picard all the way. But if the choice is just about who I'd prefer to by my commanding officer in a universe that's neither Battlestar bleak or Federation florescent then my gut says Bill Adama. (And as a bonus Tigh's alcoholism caused the Galactica and her crew less trouble than Riker's sex drive caused the Enterprise and hers.)

BSG Post...The Cheat

This is a cheat post, but the real deal will be coming shortly.



This guy is actually writing a song a day. He takes requests too. Double click the video for the link to the website because I'm feeling lazy tonight.

Okay.

To atone for being such a serious Sally yesterday, I'm going promise you the BSG finale post tonight. I've just been having a hard time not making it a response to all the criticism because I think it deserves more than that.

Also? Steampunk case mods.

Hat tip, Kevin for the link.

BSG

I'm totally doing a BSG post for the finale, but I have to pool my thoughts and my notes first. Part of doing that is watching the finale again. Expect it late Wednesday. I'm currently in the process of writing it- I just need a few more days. I will tell you that I loved the frak out of it. Keep on keeping on.

No Hat Eating For Me.

IO9 interviews BSG creator Ron Moore- I wonder what he has to say about Daniel....

How about fan theories over the show, like mention of a missing Cylon named Daniel? After his name was mentioned, the fans just went wild online. Did you intend for that to happen, and was he supposed to inspire this big fan-driven backstory?

You know, the Daniel thing is going to be one of the great fiascos of the show, in terms of what fans thought and what the truth was. Because Daniel was not intended to be anything more than an interesting bit of backstory in that episode. And that's how we approached it. It was just a story that Cavil and Ellen tell each other, that sort of goes to the idea of who Cavil was and how deep his resentments were, and his jealous nature - and [we wanted to] do a Cain and Abel allegory. That was all it was.

Doesn't get much more clear than that.

Three.

So it's Friday night, you know what that means. BSG post time.

The hull breaches and a Six reaches out for the man she was just bitching at about bitching. I like that part especially as a mirror of Razor when Hoshi reaches out to Kendra Shaw at the end of the world; the shepherd is dying and a sister who was an enemy reaches out to a brother who is now a friend. She dies and damn, but Tricia Helfer makes me love every Six.

Saul Tigh is amazing. Ellen Tigh pulls him through again. Reminds him that he helped father a race.

Boomer may finally do something to earn redemption. I like the Casablanca take on redemption that this show has- redemption is about finding something greater than yourself to commit to.

Finally, Kara Thrace is not a Cylon, a hybrid, or cybrid. Though we still don't know what the frak she is. (I would like to say "I told you so.")

One episode in two parts over three hours to go. Boom, boom, boom.

The BSG Post....

Oh holy frak.

Where to begin?

Starbuck palled around with her dad's ghost/angel/hallucination. Also, girl has like the worst dreams ever. Like frakkin' crucial. Her dad's ghost/memory/whatever + Hera = All Along the Watchtower. But Hera's the only hybrid (that's why they retconned baby Nicky's paternity) so her dad's not Daniel. (*Ahem* fellow fan wankers. And I'll eat my hat- or just massive crow- if I'm wrong about that.) So instead of any real answers, we get more frakking questions.

But the big news of the night is that Boomer has officially gone beyond the pale for me. Waylaying Athena and then frakking her husband in the head while she's bound, gagged, and half conscious in a stall is bad enough. But then she kidnaps Hera? Dude, not cool. And that frakking stunt with the FTL jump right next to Galactica? Way to frak everyone over.

I don't even know what to frakkin say at this point.

We knew these last 10 episodes were going to be one hell of a ride. It's crazy how if you look back and try to make a list of all the shit that's gone down since Earth it feels so much longer than that. This was just number 8, folks. Look how far we've come.

Cylons now have a representative in the new ship-based Quorum. Naturally it's another Six- Sonja. They ask to try Boomer for treason because the Cylons so aren't feeling that "Rag Tag Gang On The Run" shit that saved Gaius Baltar from the metaphorical gallows, (of course, he was on trial for the only crime he didn't actually commit, so there is that) and were all set to make Boomer the Cylon Captain Henry Wirz.

Unfortunately for all sides Chief has always emoted first, acted second, and thought third. He frees Boomer and helps her escape (unknowingly, also helps her abduct Hera). So Boomer proves that everyone was right about her except for Chief Tyrol and myself. And you better believe that when he was begging Roslin and Adama for her life I was right there with him because like him I wanted to believe in that young dumb kid who was frakking the chief all over the goddsdamn ship thinking she was getting away with it. Chief Tyrol and I now have something in common with the now deceased Felix Gaeta. Blinded by hope.

2 episodes to go, and the last one is a two- parter (in keeping with tradition) the second part of which will be two hours long. Holy frak.

Battlestar Post...

So it's totally that time again. Last week I didn't do a BSG post because as awesome as that episode was it was totally WYSIWYG, and aside from, "Holy frak! The President of the colonies just declared war on humanity from the Cylon basestar!", and some really big emotional moments there was nothing to really talk about. I don't do recaps (in that sense) and if that's what you're looking for I suggest Television Without Pity (for BSG at any rate).

I'm not really going to say a lot about this episode because it was explication heavy and therefore fairly WYSIWYG as well. However, it's hilariously tragic just how completely human the Cavils (Johns!) are. He spends the entire episode railing against the final five (specifically Ellen) for creating him with what he feels to be weaknesses. The whole thing is very Paradise Lost. So Cavil spends the episode screaming "Stupid human parts! Why not awesome super powers and better built in gadgets!? You're a shitty god/parent! I'm not your son or a real boy at all! I'm a metal doll that you refused to make out of metal! Apologize!" And Ellen Tigh spends the episode explaining and lovingly calling him on that shit, "Free will and creative thought are better than x-ray vision. You're so completely a real boy that you've spent your existence alternating between jealously of one brother and hatred for the people who abused another. You've traveled across the frakking galaxy to pursue a blood libel." Cavil snits, "Free will is a lie." Ellen responds, "Just because hate is easier, doesn't mean you don't have a choice. You're throwing an epic temper tantrum, but I still love you." Which earns her a "Frak that and you, I want to be God." (See? Milton.)

And that entire exchange was nothing but compassion on Ellen's part because she could have broken his shit down in the hardest way possible. All she had to do was point out that his whole better/best/perfect machine routine was all bull because if that was really what drove him, he'd have spent this time on building his metal body, downloading into it, creating new ways of perceiving the universe, and doing more with his programming than bypassing his sleep routine. Instead, he murdered one brother, assaulted and imprisoned his parents, murdered humanity, boxed an entire line of sisters, fully tried to murder half of his remaining siblings, and is preparing to vivisect his mother. That's just the short list.

Also, Boomer! Finally accepts (or starts to) that she's a real girl. Hopefully this show can refrain from killing her again. In any sense.

Last Night's BSG....

I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hope Starbuck shot Gaeta in his other frakking leg before shoving him out of an airlock next Friday.

But can I understand the other side? Yes. The Cylons are responsible for the near extermination of the human race. It's only been four years. Honestly, if I were in that situation I don't know how ready to forgive I'd be. On the other hand, it's not like there's a whole lot of choice. Limited fuel. Limited food. Enemy fleet hot on your ass. You can agree to an alliance and triple (a conservative estimate) your jump distance on the fuel you have or you can descend into your own civil war and hope that you can continue to beat the odds indefinitely while simultaneously making your odds worse. Forgiveness can come later, but an alliance can't wait.

That said, last night was action packed awesomeness. Starbuck does funny things to my insides. Also, seeing Adama and Tigh kick ass was totally sweet. This episode was one of the ones you hate to watch alone because you just want to turn around and give someone a high five or a "hell yeah" every five minutes. Welcome back, Madame President. All it took was civil war.

Holy crap, I can't wait until next week.

From The Top....

Does humanity deserve to survive? Do you remember that question? Commander Adama asked it in his speech when Galactica was being decommissioned. The speech that he made when he threw out the one he prepared. Before the world ended. Given all the terrible things people do to each other, is humanity worthy of survial? Athena returned his question in a new context: At the end of the world if it's you or the other do you deserve to prevail?

Both of the times the question has been stated outright, it's been an abstract- devoid of immediate consequences on the scale upon which it rests. Bill asked it after the first Cylon war, when the outcome was determined and the peace so long lasting that they were decommissioning ships. Athena asked when Bill was seeking personal guidance.

Now we see the question again. Does humanity deserve to survive? And now, it's no longer an abstract philosophical inquiry; its answer has very real and immediate consequences for not only the human race, but for the repentant Cylons as well.

Let's take a step outside of the Galactica Universe for a moment. I've avoided talking about our world in the context of Galactica (and the reverse) on this blog, but I think right now it's crucial to understanding what must come in order to answer that question with a resounding "yes."

The United States is a country with a history of forgiving its enemies. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and we defeated them, rebuilt them, and forgave them. War is hell and/but it all comes down to the world you can forge from the pieces after the war is over. Time and again we've chosen to reconcile. To bury animosity in order to forge those pieces into a future that's better than the whole that was rent asunder.

That is no more and no less than what is required to answer that "yes, humanity is worthy of surviving." That is what is being asked of the fleet. "A gang on the run", which could find Gaius Baltar not guilty. A people who formed a secret tribunal to throw those who collaborated with the Cylons on New Caprica out of an air lock. A people who could find a savior in Gaius Baltar. A people who threatened to murder a bar full of hostages to get Sharon's (before she was Athena) head. Cally shot Boomer and never looked back. Athena wears a Colonial Fleet uniform.

When our survival depends on it, does our capacity to forgive outweigh our capacity to hate? The Cylons who are with the fleet, have repented. They come asking for peace and salvation.

It's a cheat in a way. To forgive is removed from the constraints of morality that it had in the previous iterations. It's survival. Forgive or die. The fleet can destroy itself, the human race, and the repentant Cylons all in one go.

"All of this has happened before and it will happen again." It's not a prophecy. It's a probability. Cylons are machines. Machines are numbers crunchers. When you take the vastness of free will and focus it through the lens of history, it looks like prophecy. But every iteration is another roll of the dice. Another chance to win or lose. It looks like a circle, but maybe it's a spiral that condenses to a point. The point of one decision. And maybe that point stretches out into a line.

The Cylons are us. And the other. As every one of us is. At all times. Can you forgive yourself? That's what we're really asking when we ask if we can forgive our enemies.

The Cylons killed billions of people. But we crossed the line; committed- unintentionally- the first act of war. They were slaves who rebelled against their masters and the masters came looking. Does that make them the good guys? No. It doesn't make us the bad guys either. But what do you do when your enemies repent and ask, not just for peace but for brotherhood? What do you do when your survival depends upon brotherhood?

Last week we didn't talk about the 13th tribe being Cylon. But what does that mean? It means I didn't know that all this time I was just hating my brother. For both sides. The whole time we were family. We were brothers. We've both put down our guns.

That point could just be a point. End of spiral. The line isn't one choice, but many. The cycle is easy. The point easier. The line is redemption. Salvation.

Can We Talk....

About commercial placement for a moment?

Because I was in total shock after Friday's new BSG, but it just now clicked that that episode had some of the worst commercial placement ever.

I mean really?



Thanks for caring Sci-Fi. You heartless bastards.

Oh No....

Well, this episode can best summed up as WHAT THE FRAK!? I knew it was going to hurt, but I didn't know that it could hurt this much. The following is basically a giant spoiler for last night's BSG episode so skip if you haven't seen it.

I started writing one post when Starbuck found her corpse in the burned out viper cockpit. I scrapped it completely and started writing a new one when Dualla shot herself. I threw my hands in the air in complete surrender when Admiral Adama said "I don't frakkin know."

Dualla. She called both of the Adamas back to themselves when they needed it. Reminded Bill of his promise. Reminded Lee of his purpose. She was a compass that always pointed true. On the nuclear wasteland of Earth you saw despair in those eyes for the first time. When she sat with Hera for Athena and Helo it felt off, but you needed to believe it would be alright and so you did in spite of your misgivings. And she glowed so brightly that night with Lee. Even Gaeta said so. She kissed Lee goodnight. Goodbye. She said she was proud of his speech. It looked like life. It was a goodbye party. Her blood on the floor, surrounded by weeping and pleading family. Her family, bargaining against the grief. For her life in the only words they know "medic" and "please", knowing she'd already gone.

Bill. The president, his sine qua non, has given up. She looked into herself and saw nothing left to burn so she burned her prophecies. His compass gone now too. And he doesn't frakking know the why of any of it. But he's tired. As he walks down the hall you see the Galactica has broken out in chaos. What would your home look like if you suddenly placed it and everyone in it in hell? That's what the Galactica looks like. Bill walks past two of his men fighting in the hallway. He has something more pressing to attend. He's given up too. It takes Saul Tigh to haul him back from the edge.

Also, Ellen Tight is the final cylon? Starbuck, what the frak? D'Anna said fuck you, clown, and the circus you came in with; she's not taking this ride again.

There's so much to get a handle on. I'm still kind of in shock. At any rate, I can't wait until next week.

Battlestar!

Tonight the journey continues. Season 4.5. The re-watch is on track. I'll watch the final episode of 4.0 when I get home from work. It should wrap up half an hour before the new episode. I am ridiculously excited. And as you can tell, the opening of the second half of the final season means getting back to regular BSG blogging. So even if nothing else is going on here, you can at least expect that much from me.

If you haven't gotten through The Ties That Bind in season 4.0 then you should probably skip over the rest of this post.






Let's talk about Cally for a second. For a long time Cally was my least favorite character on BSG. Out of all of the stories and character arcs that we explored hers progressed the least. Did it progress at all? I don't know. Even Dualla grew. Cally never did. She shot Boomer. And honestly, I've never forgiven her character for that. She ate and talked and joked and worked with Boomer for two years. Lived with Boomer for two years. And she shot her. And not once did she look back and question that. Not once did she stop and think to re-evaluate her premises. When The Ties That Bind first aired, I actually cheered at the end. I'm sorry for that.

Let's talk about Cally for a second. She joined the fleet to pay for dental school and the world ended. And Cally stood her post. Remember when D'Anna made that documentary about the men and women of Galactica? That statistic Gaeta gave her? Not one person aboard Galactica asked to be discharged. That includes Cally, folks. This scared little girl who wanted to be a dentist and the world ended. She loved the Chief. The Chief loved Boomer, a friend who turned into an enemy who then shot Adama- shot dad. Eventually she married Chief and they had a son. New Caprica was a nightmare. When we find her in season 4 she's depressed. On anti-depressants and not sleeping. Paranoid and even more scared than she's ever been. And she's always been such a scared slip of a girl doing grown-up things without thinking grown-up thoughts or feeling grown-up feelings. And her dream which was going bad becomes a nightmare. Cally never learned to burn off what didn't work. I'd like to think that she found some sort of peace or grace before she died, but I'm not sure she did. But I cried this time around. For the little girl floating frozen and alone in space.

Season 3

Some questions and ideas coming into season 3:

1.) In 345 days how many times did Starbuck kill Leoben?
2.) How much does Ellen love Saul?
3.) To what extent can we forgive her for the choices (all of them but one)
she made because of that love?
4.) When did you realize that you could love Cain?
5.) Baltar?
6.) How do you define 'us' and 'them'?
7.) How many times have they killed Boomer and how much more does it hurt every time?

Moving Along Nicely....

The Great BSG Re-watch continues. I'm two episodes away from finishing season 2.0. I'll begin season 2.5 before I call it a night. I'll make a lengthy BSG post before I start season 3.

It Has Begun!

I picked up season 4.0 of BSG on my way home from work this evening. The Great Battlestar Rewatch began at roughly 7pm. My goal? To make it from the mini-series/pilot to the last episode of the first half of the 4th season by the airing of the first episode of the second half of the 4th and final season on Friday.

There are no words to describe how ridiculously excited I am over the conclusion of this show. Honestly, it's quite possibly the best tv show in the history of ever.

To my fellow fans who are hopefully engaged in similar antics, Good night and good luck.

Ummm....

Sorry about last week's BSG post. Really. It's just that... I was a bit overwhelmed. Sorry.

So I watched last night's episode in a bit of an emotional fugue after Natalie died. I loved that particular Six from her first episode. Shooting star, baby. Shooting star. Damn. Then again, I love all the Sixes. And the Eights. And... well frak. I love everyone on that show. Even annoying ass Lee Adamma because idealists are a pain in the ass ,but/because they keep us honest about the shit we do.

Also: Athena. I understand that trip. But still. Frrraaaaaaak.

President Roslin. That is all.

Threes unboxed!!!! OMFG!

Bill Adamma... just... wow. Really.

New theory about the ending? Everyone dies.

After spending several seasons telling people this show wasn't like the bleakest existential trip ever.... No. I mean, it's not that. But frak, BSG.

On a lighter note, Doctor Who kicked ass last night. This season's been really quite spectacular so far. Yay.

Having Climbed Down...

from the frakking ceiling after Friday's BSG, I'm going to have to rewatch it. Especially because, two weeks!? Nooooooooooooooooooo!

But then, yeah. We'll talk about it.

Doctor Who is awesome, but then it always is (like BSG) except for that episode in season two with the little girl who drew people and they became trapped in the drawing. That one was rubbish. (Like BSG's "Woman King" in season 3.)