Battlestar Galactica: "Downloaded"

We get a detailed glimpse into the Cylons, from the Cylons’ perspective, in the episode “Downloaded.” We see that the Cylons, in fact, are not completely united within their ranks, that there is some disagreement about their understanding of the Cylon God’s plan, and ultimately some disagreement with what has been done and what to do with the human race. Finally, we see Caprica Six and Sharon become leaders of a new movement that demonstrates God’s love, a new movement not based on fear and murder.

Nine months earlier Number Six died in Baltar’s apartment and downloads into a new body on Caprica. We see several Cylons surrounding her to comfort her. Also, it turns out that she has a Head Baltar, like Baltar has a Head Six on Galactica. Ten weeks later Boomer (aka Sharon) is killed by Cally and is downloaded into a new body on Caprica. When she realizes what happened, she’s freaked out. In the present she still has trouble adjusting to her new life and longs for Galactica. Number Six (aka Caprica Six) is asked to help her readjust.

She talks with Sharon in a café and convinces her to move out of her apartment and live with the rest of the Cylons. Number Three joins Caprica Six and Sharon and head up a stairwell to Sharon’s apartment when a bomb planted by the resistance explodes in the parking garage below the building. The stairwell protects them on the higher floor. While the three sort out their injuries, they discover someone else under some rubble and Number Three clears it off to discover Anders. She takes his gun away and prepares to kill him, but Sharon protests. Caprica Six agrees, but to avoid suspicion from Three, claims pragmatically that they shouldn’t kill him so he can be interrogated.

We see the cruelty and potential for violence these human Cylon models are capable of when we see the actions of Three. We also know that not all of these human models are on the same page regarding how to treat the humans. Three cruelly toys with Anders, putting his gun on the ground and daring him to take it. When Sharon asks her to stop, Three retorts that Sharon is a broken machine that thinks she’s human, but isn’t. Sharon states she has a conscience, but Three counters that Sharon is a murderer. Six realizes that murder and the genocide of the human race cannot be the path of their loving God.

The division within these human models is realized by Six, who knows that Three wanted her and Sharon boxed: they are celebrities in a culture based on uniformity. Three knows that these heroes had a different perspective on the war. Because of their celebrity status as Cylon heroes, they could actually cause a change the Cylons view about their conflict with the humans, upsetting the status quo which Number Three upholds so dearly. Number Three says that Six and Sharon are a waste, corrupted by their experiences. Caprica Six explains to Sharon that this is why Three wanted to get rid of them, because Six and Sharon understand that murder, vengeance, and genocide are sins in the eyes of God. Sharon realizes that their knowledge could convince other Cylons that the slaughter of humanity was a mistake:

Caprica Six: Genocide, murder, vengeance. They’re all sins in the
eyes of God. That’s what you and I know. That’s what they don’t want
to hear.
Sharon: Because then, they’d have to rethink what they’re
doing! They’d have to consider that maybe the slaughter of mankind was a
mistake!

As the building’s rubble shifts while the Cylons outside try to clear their way to the survivors, Anders grabs his gun and tries to escape, shooting at Number Three before Sharon knocks the gun out of his hands. The gun lands near Number Three. As Three is about to shoot Anders, she tells Anders “God loves me.” Caprica Six appears behind her and hits her over her head with a large rock, then bashes Three, again, killing her.

Caprica Six and Sharon believe that there is sufficient time to start a new beginning for the Cylons before Number Three is downloaded into a new body and tells the rest of the Cylons what happened to her. They want to lead the Cylons on a way to live in God’s love, without hate or lies. Together, the two heroes of the Cylons agree to a new plan as their rescuers arrive.

Battlestar Galactica: "The Captain's Hand"

“The Captain’s Hand” faces religious fundamentalism head-on as a pregnant teen seeks asylum, as well as an abortion, aboard the Galactica. Admiral Adama meets with Roslin on Colonial One to discuss the matter of the pregnant girl. Roslin stands by her pro-choice beliefs, saying that she has fought her whole life for a woman’s right to choose, but Adama tells her that the number of survivors in the fleet doesn’t go up very often and he reminds her of her earlier statement that the fleet “needs to start making babies” in order for the human race to survive. Roslin goes to Baltar’s lab to ask him about the fleet’s population and he tells her that at the current rate humanity will be come extinct in 18 years. This analysis later forces her to act against her previous beliefs on the rights of women. Later, Roslin allows the girl’s abortion and grants her asylum, but subsequently issues an executive decree making abortion a capital crime, citing “current circumstances” that make reproduction vital to humanity’s survival.

The Gemenon delegate sees abortion as a theological issue and approaches Roslin as soon as she finds out about the girl on board Galactica and as soon as she learns that the girl has not been returned to her parents, in spite of Roslin’s decision to criminalize abortion. The Gemenon delegate seems to want to make this government into a theocracy and is a staunch supporter of Roslin when she embodies their scriptural ideals, but is her enemy (not willing to negotiate) when Roslin goes against her fundamentalist beliefs. Their last conversation ends with an infuriated delegate, enraged that the girl had her abortion because the procedure was begun just before Roslin announced her decision. Roslin steely tells her “you have your pound of flesh,” so let it be. Roslin’s reply is a reference to the debt owed Shylock by Antonio in one of my favorite Shakespearean plays The Merchant of Venice. The phrase is used a lot and has come to mean a debt that a creditor insists on collecting regardless of how much suffering it might cause the debtor.

I find it interesting that now that Roslin no longer seems to be dying of a “wasting disease,” a key characteristic of the leader according to scriptures, there has not been very much mention of theology in the last few episodes—not much mention by neither Roslin nor Baltar and Head Six. Is Roslin no longer a scriptural figure? Regardless of if she thinks of herself as a scriptural figure, she does not seem to regard scripture as holding infallibility, that not all of its commands should be followed, that there are certain scriptural commands that may have been contextual to scriptural times; perhaps those passages were answers to certain problems confronted by those ancient peoples—perhaps those ancient peoples were confronted with dwindling populations much like Roslin’s dwindling people and were desperate to grow their population numbers for survival.

Battlestar Galactica: “Epiphanies”

Laura Roslin is losing ground in her battle with breast cancer. During her in-and-out of consciousness spells, she has flashbacks to the day before the Cylon attacks, the day she left for Galactica. We see her leadership style back in the colonies is one as a negotiator, a different tactic than President Adar’s, who saw any budging on a decision he had already made as a sign of weakness and a possible threat to his administration. The episode ends with her first task out of her deathbed as negotiating with the spokesperson for the Cylon sympathizers in the fleet.

There are just a couple of small scenes that hold theological importance. While Roslin is losing ground, her situation is dire, Dr. Cottle orders an aide to notify the Admiral. Adama then makes a speech over the P.A.: “This is Admiral Adama. As you know, President Roslin has been aboard Galactica for the last few days. She’s a fighter. But as of this moment, her prognosis is grave. I know that many of you believe in the power of prayer. If that is your way, then I urge you to pray for our President. As for the others, I hope you will join me in keeping her in our thoughts.” Adama acknowledges prayer and encourages those who believe in its power to use it. I’m not sure if he would have said this before he knew Roslin, knew her faith.

Earlier, on board Colonial One, Billy gives Baltar a tour and hands him a list of Cylon agent suspects. Baltar looks at the whiteboard and Billy says, “That number means everything to her. Represents hope, that’s our future.” Baltar responds with a slight eye roll. Billy gives him the letter Roslin wrote to be given to him upon her death. Baltar takes it and tells Billy, “Well, let’s just pray that she gets better.” Baltar’s response it interesting given his faith journey on the path to the Cylon God. He, a scientist, suggests prayer. Also, it is interesting to note that in a deleted scene from “Home,” part II, Billy tells Roslin that he is an atheist, yet he agrees with Baltar that they should pray that Roslin gets better. He could be agreeing that they should pray, or he may be hoping that she gets better so that Baltar won’t become President.

Battlestar Galactica: “Resurrection Ship,” Parts I and II

At the beginning of Part II of “Resurrection Ship,” the battle begins as the Colonials attack the Cylons and their resurrection ship, the place where the programming mind of a destroyed Cylon is uploaded into a new body and then is reintegrated back into the Cylon fleet. While the space battle ensues, while Apollo is floating through space with a suit leaking oxygen, while tension rises in the CIC’s of both Galactica and Pegasus, a battle of a different sort is going on in Number Six’s cell on Pegasus. This battle is between Baltar and Head Six as he tries to sort out the theology of forgiveness according to the Cylons. His two sources are Number Six and Head Six (who I believe is actually part of Baltar’s psyche).

Basically, the discussion of forgiveness is between one whose actions led to the destruction of a world and one who wants to die in order to go to God. Head Six tells Baltar, “Tens of thousands of Cylons are about to die. Tens of thousands, Gaius. God will not forgive this sin.” If Head Six is indeed part of Baltar’s psyche, then it would seem that Baltar is grappling with his own issues of forgiveness; after all, he’s dealing with his own emotions of being the one who let a Cylon have access to the defense mainframe in Caprica that opened his world to attacks and genocide. He asks Prisoner Number Six, “Do you think God will forgive this?” “God forgives all,” she replies. Immediately, Baltar’s Head Six jumps in, “Don’t listen to her. You think she can help you? You think that that broken woman can offer you even a fraction of what I can? I know God’s plan for you. I know how to help you fulfill your destiny.” Baltar’s doubts keep hounding him, speaking at the very least at the back of his conscience.

Ultimately Baltar pushes Head Six to the back of his mind and out of the conversation and he chooses to follow Prisoner Number Six. She is, after all, real, in the flesh and he is a carnal kind of guy; also, her theology of forgiveness offers him hope. While she offers him hope, he doesn’t follow through with what she wants from him, which is for him to kill her. After the resurrection ship is destroyed (she seems to sense this), she begs Baltar, “I’m ready to die. Send my soul to God. Please.” But Baltar refuses, suggesting that what she really wants is justice—justice for all that she has been through since being put in the Pegasus brig. Maintaining his carnality, he offers her hope for her future with humanity, rather than offering her the eternal life she seeks with God.

Battlestar Galactica: “Flight of the Phoenix”

While there are not any overt theological statements about the Cylon God or the humans’ pantheistic god system, this entire episode is simply about faith and the hope it brings, which is really what the series is about—the difficulties of keeping faith and finding hope in the grittiness of survival. The building of the Blackbird raises Tigh’s eire as he doesn’t seem to get that the project gives some of the crew a diversion from their everyday monotonous tasks and eventually gives the crew the esteem that they can survive. The project starts with Chief and spreads throughout the crew as it seems about everyone wants to be a part of building this monument of hope, and the Blackbird comes to symbolize the hope the crew has of survival.

The project climaxes at the christening ceremony at the end of the episode. Roslin and Chief each recognize that it has been an honor to complete the project. After Roslin compliments Chief on the Blackbird, he tells her that it’s “just a ship.” She explains to him and the rest of the crew, “Oh, you’re much too modest. After what we’ve been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, Chief. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we’ve lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us, together. I promise.” By building the ship, the crew recognizes and plans on being around to fly it eventually—they are preparing for the future.

Chief unveils the name of the ship: “Laura.” This, of course, brings Roslin to the brink of tears. After all, earlier in the episode, she received her death sentence from Cottle; she will die in a few weeks. But she now knows that her name will live on through this symbol of hope and faith. She has been a symbol of hope for the fleet, as she has led them on the path to Earth, to the Promised Land.

Battlestar Galactica: "Home," Part II

I think that “Home,” Parts 1 and 2, are about the best Battlestar Galactica has to offer. The writing, acting, music, and cinematography are all stellar and captivating. There’s so much material to think and write about, it’s hard to narrow it down to bit-sized chunks for a blog. So, please forgive me if I don’t talk about a thread that may be your favorite. If there is something you see as being important or interesting in these episodes, please leave it in the comment section at the end of this or any other blog entry.

Part 2 opens with Roslin’s group climbing up a steep, rainy ravine on her faith quest/journey and Adama’s group reasoning where Roslin’s crew might be heading. Interestingly, while Tigh and Gaeta chuckle at the mention of Roslin’s visions, Adama defends her and her beliefs. He clearly is taking this mission seriously, taking the importance of unity seriously.

Roslin’s group finally reaches the summit. Sharon tells Starbuck, “There’s a formation of twin rocks ahead. I think those are the Gates of Hera. I’m putting together a lot of pieces from a lot of sources beyond your scriptures. If I’m right, that’s the spot where your god supposedly stood and watched Athena throw herself down onto the rocks below out of despair over the exodus of the Thirteen Tribes.” Zarek asks, “Supposedly? I thought that the Cylons believed in the gods.” Starbuck answers, “Yeah, don’t get her started. They believe in one true god or something like that.” “And we don’t worship false idols.” Lee remarks, “You were quick enough to come on this mission. Lead us all to some tomb only actually mentioned in our false scriptures.” “We know more about your religion than you do. Athena’s Tomb, whoever, and whatever she really was, is probably up there. That part is true.” Sharon seems to approach the scripture as many mainstream Christians, realizing that some of Scripture is historically, contemporaneously, written to answer a particular society’s questions or dilemmas, while other parts of Scripture holds certain Truths that are timeless. Now, the question is how does Sharon know what parts are “true” in the scriptures she refers to.

After their two groups finally meet, Adama and Roslin have a heart to heart talk:

Adama: You interfered with a military mission, and you broke your word to me.
Roslin: It’s the second part that really bothers you, isn’t it?
Adama: Laura, I forgive you.
Roslin: Thank you, Bill. I didn’t ask for your forgiveness.
Adama: You, you have it anyway.

Adama, playing a God-like (before now he has been referred to as Zeus) role, offers Roslin forgiveness, something she didn’t ask for. Regardless of whether or not she thinks she wants his forgiveness, he gives it to her anyway. She offended him, overstepped his military line and their budding friendship, and he forgives her. Interestingly, she doesn’t offer her forgiveness of him, of his not taking her beliefs seriously, of overstepping his command and putting his superior in the brig, of staging a military coup. Also, this is the first time in the series that they have used their first names, demonstrating a new intimacy in their relationship, truly showing that they are putting certain distancing formalities and relational transgressions behind them.

Roslin brings up what Starbuck told her about what’s happening on Caprica:

Roslin: They’re fighting for their homes. Does it give you pause? Maybe your impulse the day the Cylons attacked was right. Maybe we should have stayed and fought for our homes. Maybe the President of the Colonies should have stayed with her people.
Adama: I didn’t come here to navel gaze. Or to catalog our mistakes. We made a
decision to leave the Colonies after the attack. We made the decision. It was the right one then; it’s the right one now. ’Cause every moment of every day since then is a gift.
Roslin: From the gods.
Adama: No, from you. For convincing me that I should go on. I would be dead. My son would be dead. Whatever else the cost, I won’t second guess that outcome.

Roslin didn’t seem to understand the first part of the conversation, that Adama was prepared to move on from their past. Instead, she second guesses her decisions. When Adama thanks her for her leadership, she places the laurels on the gods. However, he points out that she was the one who spurred him to lead the fleet away from danger; she made the choice to push him to leave. With his thanking her, he gives her back her mantle, her book of scriptures, and tells her that they will look for the Tomb together. He has at last reunited the fleet.

Toward the end of this episode, Adama reintroduces Roslin to a large group of assembled people in one of the hanger bays by quoting scripture: “We have struggled since the attacks, trying to rely on one another. Our strength and our only hope as a people is to remain undivided. We haven’t always done all we could to insure that. Many people believe that the scriptures, the letters from the gods, will lead us to salvation. Maybe they will. But the gods shall lift those who lift each other. And so, to lift all of us, let me present once again, the President of the Colonies, Laura Roslin.” This scene echoes one from the mini-series when Adama rallies the Galactica, after the Cylon attacks and after they had lost so many of their crew, when he refers to Elosha in front of the crowd about the existence of Earth. Here, instead of referring to Elosha, he seems to have in a small part taken up the mantle she left for Roslin, as he himself refers to scripture and lays the passages on Roslin’s shoulders by way of her introduction. Adama then leads them in a unified clapping that results in cheering and sustained applause for their President and ultimately for the unity of the fleet.

While I’ve grown to really enjoy watching the relationship between Adama and Roslin, between reason and faith, grow in this series, I can’t completely ignore the scenes between Baltar and Head Six in this episode. Batlar begins to wonder if the Six he’s seeing is the result of a chip planted in his head or psychosis. Head Six tells him to “wake up and smell the psychosis already. There is no Cylon chip implanted in your brain. I’m not real. You’re not really getting secret messages from the Cylons. You’re just crazy….You helped the Cylons commit genocide against your own people and your fragile little mind couldn’t handle it. So poof, I appear and start telling you how special you are, how God has chosen you.” Later she reminds him that he’s always had a little voice helping him through rough times; however, Baltar tells her he doesn’t believe her and that God has a plan for him. Tests show that there are no unidentifiable objects in Baltar’s head, which seems to verify Head Six’s assertion that Baltar is psychotic. Maybe he is, or maybe somehow the Cylons’ evangelism style is to continue to test Baltar’s faith in the Cylon God, as Head Six did in season one episodes getting him to confess his faith in the Cylon God and to seek forgiveness for his sins. The question would be a pragmatic one—how would the Cylons be capable of communicating with Baltar like this? I’m inclined to believe the psychosis theory.