SBSG #6: Ghost of Galactica Yet to Come
What is Elosha? Is Roslin Ebenezer Scrooge? Is Baltar an instrument of God? Is there a reference to the old BSG in the story of Searider Falcon? Jeff and Zina discuss these questions and more. We will also inject our usual dose of speculation and theories. The most recently aired episode as of this recording is “The Hub”.
Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section of the site, and remember to review us on iTunes.
You can send wav or mp3 files to zgomezliss at gmail.com.
And you can follow us on Twitter (Zina_rsn and JeffLiss).
LINKS
Two articles on Beliefnet about the Theology of BSG:
Thanks Guys:
for giving valuable insight into a very disturbing but addictive show.
You mentioned that once the Resurrection Hub is destroyed, the Cylons’ numbers will quickly diminish. How are they going to replenish themselves? We get a major answer to that when we found out that the captive Six on Galactica was pregnant by Saul Tigh. Remember, Tigh is one of the final five Cylons. Freaky.
Sorry to monopolize your message board, but I had listened to some of Ron Moore’s podcast commentaries on the episodes of the new BSG. It sounds as though while he does have a team of writers on board for BSG and he does take their suggestions at times, it seems like he is the final arbiter as to what goes into the show.
There are also some things I learned from his podcast that cause me to be disturbed by what goes into BSG. I will refrain from mentioning them here. I believe his podcast is available on iTunes.
Fr Jim
While Saul and Natalie have been able to conceive, keep in mind that the general population of Cylons have not yet been able to conceive.
There is something.. as yet unexplained, that has allowed Saul and Natalie’s baby. That is assuming, it is even Saul’s… we REALLY do not know for sure.
Thanks for your musings Zina even if they are a bit lengthy ;o)
What an episode!…Baltar is full of himself as usual & there is no doubt that the writers are on some level playing Baltar as a pseudo christ figure albeit a delusional one…Baltar being pierced in the side - BY A CENTURION - how did I miss that??…thanks guys! Boy That Blood flowing from his side!
The way the writers are exploring this whole issue of free will & determinism is really enthralling…I hope you can go a bit deeper into it on the show…and Laura the suffering servant…now that she has learnt the Divine attribute of Mercy, maybe we’ll see a different leader returning?
@Fr Jim
Due to time constraints I have not been able to listen to all of Moore’s podcasts. I try to catch bits and pieces, but I prefer to read articles about BSG as I can read pretty quickly. Yes, he sounds like the final arbiter of what gets aired and how it is played out (such as use of flashbacks). However, I have read that BSG writers put the stories together first and then they take it to Ron Moore. That first iteration can be completely different from what gets aired or it can still retain a lot of the plot and imagery from the first draft.
In the book, Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? David Weddle (writer and supervising producer of the current BSG) describes a bit about the writing process in the foreword. Anyway, Jeff and I will be talking a few of the BSG books during the hiatus as they relate to philosophy and religion. The one I mention above would probably be interesting to you, but some of the essays may depress you too. Although there is a lot of religious truth in the series, this is not a show written and produced by devout Catholics.
I am very anxious about how this series is going to end, too. Even if we disagree with the final message of the show, I believe there is enough in this series to stimulate many discussions that can help solidify our faith.
@Rich - I don’t think Tigh is the father. As Inge had mentioned in the comments of one of the other episodes, I think there may be a Marian theme appearing. Could this be the baby that Baltar and 6 saw in their early vision. The child later in the series is definitely Hera, but …
Okay, I forgot where I was going with this. Oops.
@Boris
We intend on going pretty deep during the hiatus. I think most of the episodes we do scratch the surface. And Jeff and I are rushing to put all our crazy theories out there before the truth gets revealed. (It’s hard to say, I told you so, when you never got around to telling anyone.)
We have planned out some very interesting shows that we will produce during the hiatus. These will definitely be deeper - religiously and philosophically.
Thanks for hanging with us for this long. I think you will like the shape of things to come.
So, is what we saw last night the result of the Final 5 having found Earth before?
Hi again Jeff and Zina!
Just got to listen to the latest episode of your podcast and something Jeff said left me a bit puzzled:
Jeff, you mentioned that in the passage Adama read from Searider Falcon, it’s been said the protagonist of the book would be on an island together with a cylon (and by that drew a nice parallel to the original series). Now, the Searider Falcon fan I am
I was wondering where you did pick that up? Here’s what I think I heard:
“…and I dug into the stump(?) and pulled rocks from the ground
until my fingers bled. I collected seeds from the few fruits the island offered
and planted them in long straight furrows like the ranks of soldiers.
When I finished I looked at what I’d done. I did not see a garden.
I saw a scar. This Island had saved my life and I had done it no service.”
Funny thing about that, I was watching the episode with A Very Special Someone (tm, nah, not really) myself and she jumped a little at the mention of the word ’scar’, thinking of the Cylon Raider from the season two episode of the same name.
Just wondering seeing that I’m no English native speaker myself whether I might have gotten something wrong?
Oh, and many thanks for the hat tip on this episode
I had to think about Robinson Crusoe and Friday by Daniel Defoe when he read that passage.
@Taquoriaan
Heh, yeah, same here. And for some reason the previously read passage ‘The raft wasn’t as seaworthy as I’d hoped…’ made me think of Moby Dick.
That passage from Searider Falcon, it made me think of what we saw at the end - I came to a place that had saved me, I changed it in a way that would suit me and my future, and in the process I left it scarred and disfigured. Again makes me think that the Final Five, in finding Earth, had done it no service.
@melancholygeek
Yup, I heard it wrong. I heard ‘this island’ as ‘the cylon,’ but when I listened a few more times, I heard it the way you did.
Now I agree with you and with Terry H Jones that this makes for some interesting analysis in light of the ‘Earth’ that we saw at the end of Ep. 10.
But does it bother anyone else that, while the end of season 3 gave us a very clear view of North America on the Earth Starbuck ’saw’, the planet we saw this Friday is completely obscured by cloud cover — without any recognizable geography? And the Scrolls of Pythia clearly say that the dying leader will not live to see Earth. Am I missing something? Or was the dying leader Natalie/6 as I mentioned a few shows ago — leaving Roslin in the clear?
Obviously, we all have much to discuss. Keep the comments (and corrections) coming.
Jeff
@melancholygeek
Yup, I heard it wrong. I thought Adama said ‘the cylon,’ but I listened to it a few more times, and you’re right. It was ‘this island.’ Some interesting imagery there, which we’ll no doubt want to explore.
As for Earth, I’m wondering if anyone else was bothered by the fact that we got no glimpse of any recognizable geography in the shots from orbit. When Starbuck ’saw’ Earth (in reality or in a vision) at the end of Season 3, we were shown what was clearly North America. The planet we saw in Episode 10 was completely obscured by clouds.
And another thing: the scrolls of Pythia say the dying leader will not live to see Earth. So, either they’re not really at ‘their’ Earth (more on that later) or the dying leader really was Natalie, and Roslin just might make it to the end of the series.
Personally, I’m maintaining a healthy skepticism until I see something I recognize as home.
@Terry
Well, yeah, I can see your point, but as stated before someplace else, I’m still hesitant to put too much meaning in Searider Falcon. I could go on about how I see the Island, the ‘garden’, the raft etc. as metaphors for Bill’s and Laura’s relationship. But embedding it in the greater picture as you do seems just as valid to me. Guess I’m just a bit biased there
@Jeff
Well, yeah, Earth. Plenty of stuff to discuss I guess. I just don’t like the idea of having Gaeta say ‘Whoopsie, wrong planet’ in the next episode (The Science Of Battlestar Galactica Blog has a nice way to explain such a possibility though). Although I have to say I was left somewhat unsatisfied with the ending the way it was. Can’t really say why though. Anyway, I’m rather sure that this indeed is earth. Anything else I’d consider a very cheap plot-twist. But of course all is possible.
As for the dying leader… There I had from very early on the suspicion that this doesn’t necessarily has to refer to Roslin. You pointed out Natalie (possible, but I think unlikely), other options for me include ‘the Cylons’ as a whole or even Starbuck (who did ‘die’ before coming to earth and whose history after that still remains to be resolved).
Basically I guess we won’t be running out of stuff to discuss anytime soon and I’m glad to hear you’ll be continuing the podcast well into the hiatus!
Keep up the great work!
@Zina
First, I LOVE my avatar, I think you really captured the true essense of me. THANKS!!
Secondly, I did know about the Marian thing, but I was… surprised.. for lack of a better term. While there are TONS of christian imagery in the show, I never took RDM as overly religious - so always discounted any true miracles. He was heavily involved with ST:DS9 - therefore, I have surmised that all the ‘GODS’ will be a higher planed entity, similar to the Prophets in the Worm Hole in DS9, or the Atlans, or Ancients in StarGate.
Maybe I am out in left field on this.
As for Earth being nuke’ld. I wasn’t surprised at all..
I would have been more surprised if they found it inhabited. They could have gone to it being a fertile planet ready for population - but I think earth being dead, and unable to sustain life makes a better plot twist.
Onet thing with this whole ‘God/s” Higher being thing I am curious about is.. I forget which episode (someone will know :-)) but it was said that the Lords of Kobol walked among the humans when they lived on Kobol - where did they go? What were they? Other Humans? leaders that brought humanity out from a dying Earth and then tried to build a relative garden of eden on Kobol?
Further, there was a disagreement with one jealous god, that initiated the humans to leave Kobol… who was this one god, and what made her/him jealous?
@Terry,
I like your point. The humans are like a shipwrecked guy who is stuck on a raft just hoping and praying to get to dry land. Now he’s on dry land. Now what does he do now that his prayers are answered?
@Rich,
I believe the avatar is generated randomly. However, you can to go http://www.gravatar.com and create your own.
As for the Marian thing, I think RDM is willing to borrow on any religious theory and explore it. Whether he believes it or understands it in the sense that we devout Catholics do - well, I doubt it. He’s a fallen away Catholic so we can assume that he grew up with the Virgin Mary theme.
We’d better hurry and edit this next SBSG #7 so people can comment on it! It was a bit of a cliffhanger, and of course Jeff and I have our theories about it. There is much to talk about.
Dear Jeff & Zina,
I have to say I was not interested in BSG at all. Fr. Roderick keep mentioning it but it was not enough for me. Some weeks ago I listen to your podcast and got me really interested. Now I’m hooked.
BTW, I read that you are pregnant, Congratulations. My wife is also pregnant and I’m so happy. She’s due, God willing, January 15.
Anyhow, thank you for the show and God bless you.