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| watching bsg Watching Battlestar Galactica has completely changed the way I view TV. No, not the way I sit watch TV but the way I view the shows I like. There is very little I truly look forward to on TV these days. Now it is a mild sedative when I need to unwind or just turn my brain off. These days I need to turn my brain off alot. But BSG, I seek out. I recently completed watching the first half of season two, having finished watching the DVD copies of season one that J got me for Xmas. I wondered if it was rewatchable, as many linear stories are not, and found out that yes, yes it is. I still got weepy with the name painted on the Blackbird, I still cringe at what Baltar gets away with, I still want to slap Helo & Tyrol for their attachments. And now that I completed the rewatching I am now DLing the latest episodes. I need to know what is going to happen with the Pegasus. I am really wrapped up in the what is human and what is machine themes in the show. Unlike the focus in Ghost in the Shell, which is about what makes you human vs what makes you just a machine, BSG is more about what makes you deserve being treated as an equal species as humans. We know for certain that even the human-form Cylons are not humans, that they are machines, even if those machines are made up of cells, organs, blood and bodies. They do not originate from human progenitors but from artificially created organic matter. So, the question is did they gain souls or more to the point, does it matter if they have or do not have souls. It doesn't take many episodes to see that the humans are quite capable of inhuman behaviour. The difference between human evil and Cylon evil is that the latter is about the complete elimination of the first. Cylons only see human evil ending with the end of humans. But they are attached to their sires and therefore seek some sort of merging with humans, thus the pregnancy. This doesn't scare me, it just sounds like normal species evolution. What scares me is their play with emotion. Coldly, clinically they are experimenting with emotional interaction. It has devastating effects on the humans involved and I still question the truth as to whether it has any effect on the Cylons involved. Only briefly do we ever see a Cylon acting emotionally out of balance when no human is present, the only time it would be to their advantage to show such emotion. I want to believe Boomer has only her baby and Helo in regard and wants to reject her Cylong programming. But the hivemind aspect of being programmed scares the bejeebies out of me. Not even they can know what they are truly thinking in the long run. And only time can tell. Now back to the original thread, this show has changed how I watch TV. I haven't done the Tivo-ish thing but gone one step further. Why ever use the original source of TV shows when I can always use the internet to access them? And how long before this becomes a viable method? They never thought movies could make money when popcorn, trailers and commercials weren't connected to the experience but obviously pay-per-view has worked. So what about only On Demand TV ? Could shows be produced for only access via some sort of internet enabled set top box? Pick & Choose TV. February 03 06 |
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Comments
I've only ever seen part of one episode; unfortunately it was the one with the second ship and the crew that enjoyed beating and gang-raping prisoner Cylons... and the emotional reaction of the Cylon when they are attacking her, and when she is saved... didn't read as manipulation to me, but as the basic broken defensive emotional reaction of any woman. And the catatonia of the prisoner from that second ship also rang as emotionally real based on events, and naturally self-defensive as opposed to manipulative.
It's rotten that that's the only bit I've seen, because now I get upset just thinking about it and I know it's supposed to be a damn good show!
Posted by: Bill at February 4, 2006 12:31 AM
that was the most controversial show of the series, the one that turned alot of people off from watching it. i believe what they wanted to show was how evil a group of humans could be once they decided their was no chance of a soul inside those beings they had originally created. of course, the subsequent episode showed how deep seated the evil in this group was. i still think it is possible that all the reaction the cylons are experienced is quite simply programming. i mean, it is JUST writing that creates it on the screen for us, so it is very possible it is programming for the cylons involved. not very pleasant to experience but not very deep seated emotional... possibly. and it is that questioning that is VERY important to the plot.
still; i believe these plot elements could have been explored without that particular element.
Posted by: tbit at February 4, 2006 01:01 AM
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