As a minister serving an active congregation, everyday I was reminded of my faith, reminded why I believe in not only God, but also in God’s interaction with humanity—God doesn’t just sit back and let the world go on its own. I’ve come to believe that, as illustrated in the Gospel, God is among us, God is with us, and that God will actually offer compassion, teaching, and guidance.
“Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part I” is the first of two parts that will end Season One of Battlestar Galactica and the threads of Roslin’s growing faith in the scriptures continues, despite her being handed her six-month death sentence by Dr. Cottle—her cancer has spread aggressively into her lymphatic system. She shares this news with Elosha, who has an epiphany about her own faith, as she tells Roslin that she believes Roslin is the fulfillment of ancient prophecy: “You made a true believer out of me…. I know you’re the one to lead us to our salvation. You are going to guide us to Earth.” Her faith has been embodied in Laura Roslin and renews her faith in the scriptures. She also takes this opportunity to try to convince Roslin that the scriptures she has shared with Roslin are in fact real and, consequently, are being fulfilled.
In the meantime, it appears that the fleet has discovered the planet of Kobol, the fallen Edenic planet that at one time was home of gods and humans, who coexisted in happiness. There isn’t much more information shared about what precipitated the fall and drove the humans away, but we have heard that something is on the planet that could guide the fleet towards Earth. Billy reports the findings of Kobol and some preliminary surveillance photos to Roslin and Elosha aboard Colonial One. While Billy and Elosha talk about the photos, how they show ancient ruins of a city that seems to have been built some 2000 years ago, around when the thirteen tribes first left Kobol, Roslin looks at the photo of the abandoned city, seeing what the buildings actually looked like before they fell to ruin. She explains to them that she sees a “domelike structure with six roads leading out of it, like spokes. With something around it like columns, like the forum on Caprica.” This vision was followed by another flash, that of the Arrow of Apollo. She explains that “it’s real. The scriptures, the myths, the prophecies—they’re all real.”
Roslin, Elosha, and Baltar, the three key followers of their faiths, take this information to Adama, Tigh, and Gaeta, three key followers of reason, products of the age of enlightenment. This scene was staged perfectly, with the three representatives of each side seated or standing in a sort of face-off position on either side of a table. The pragmatic Adama immediately suggests considering permanent settlement and ignores the three faithful.
Everyone leaves Adama’s quarters, except for Roslin and Adama, allowing them to discuss the issue of Kobol. During this conversation Adama observes that Roslin has become very “religious,” and that “it’s…different.” He seems surprised by it and tries to remind her that “these stories, about Kobol, gods, the Arrow of Apollo, they’re just stories, legends, myths” and that they can blind her to reality, distract her from what they are facing. While Roslin wants to use the raider Starbuck brought home a few episodes ago to jump back to Caprica for the Arrow of Apollo, Adama wants the raider because it’s a “military asset.” Again, it seems it’s faith against reason, not aligning themselves together.
Without the support of the reasonable Adama, Roslin reaches out into the fleet, specifically to one of the closest personal people to Adama, the one who is like a daughter to him. She shares her plan with Starbuck, who we have seen to be religious, praying to religious idols. At first, Starbuck thinks that Roslin is out of line asking her to do take the raider back to Caprica:
In the meantime, it appears that the fleet has discovered the planet of Kobol, the fallen Edenic planet that at one time was home of gods and humans, who coexisted in happiness. There isn’t much more information shared about what precipitated the fall and drove the humans away, but we have heard that something is on the planet that could guide the fleet towards Earth. Billy reports the findings of Kobol and some preliminary surveillance photos to Roslin and Elosha aboard Colonial One. While Billy and Elosha talk about the photos, how they show ancient ruins of a city that seems to have been built some 2000 years ago, around when the thirteen tribes first left Kobol, Roslin looks at the photo of the abandoned city, seeing what the buildings actually looked like before they fell to ruin. She explains to them that she sees a “domelike structure with six roads leading out of it, like spokes. With something around it like columns, like the forum on Caprica.” This vision was followed by another flash, that of the Arrow of Apollo. She explains that “it’s real. The scriptures, the myths, the prophecies—they’re all real.”
Roslin, Elosha, and Baltar, the three key followers of their faiths, take this information to Adama, Tigh, and Gaeta, three key followers of reason, products of the age of enlightenment. This scene was staged perfectly, with the three representatives of each side seated or standing in a sort of face-off position on either side of a table. The pragmatic Adama immediately suggests considering permanent settlement and ignores the three faithful.
Everyone leaves Adama’s quarters, except for Roslin and Adama, allowing them to discuss the issue of Kobol. During this conversation Adama observes that Roslin has become very “religious,” and that “it’s…different.” He seems surprised by it and tries to remind her that “these stories, about Kobol, gods, the Arrow of Apollo, they’re just stories, legends, myths” and that they can blind her to reality, distract her from what they are facing. While Roslin wants to use the raider Starbuck brought home a few episodes ago to jump back to Caprica for the Arrow of Apollo, Adama wants the raider because it’s a “military asset.” Again, it seems it’s faith against reason, not aligning themselves together.
Without the support of the reasonable Adama, Roslin reaches out into the fleet, specifically to one of the closest personal people to Adama, the one who is like a daughter to him. She shares her plan with Starbuck, who we have seen to be religious, praying to religious idols. At first, Starbuck thinks that Roslin is out of line asking her to do take the raider back to Caprica:
Starbuck: You can’t be serious.While trying to persuade Starbuck, Roslin explains her role in this story, that she is dying, and that this confession has been made to only three other people, thus building a sort of trust between her and Starbuck. She suggests to Starbuck: “If you go back to Caprica and bring me the arrow, I will show us the way.” Starbuck lifts up Adama as being the one to lead humanity to Earth, that he knows the way. Roslin explains to her that Adama has no idea where Earth is, that he made up the story to give the people hope. She then pushes Starbuck to speak with him, which she does and finds his answers to her questions about Earth evasive. Feeling betrayed by Adama and showing that her religious practices supercede all else, she realizes that she has been following a sort of false prophet and the episode ends with her demonstrating her new allegiance to Roslin over Adama, as she jumps back to Caprica in the raider.
Roslin: “All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again.” The cylon you interrogated, he quoted that bit of scripture. He also said we would find Kobol, and Kobol would show us the way, did he not?
Starbuck: Yes, he did.
Roslin: Well, we have found Kobol. Do you believe in the gods, Lieutenant?
//
Roslin: If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time. That we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again and again and again throughout eternity.
Starbuck: That’s the way I was raised. But that doesn’t mean that my part of the
story is to go off on some crazy-ass mission against orders.
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