Battlestar Galactica Review

WARNING: SPOILERS UP TO THE LAST 2 episodes of the SHOW!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

A SHOW GONE TERRIBLY WRONG

By Jason F. Smith

Hello there. Doesn't take much after reading the above title to see that I think Battlestar Galactica has gone horribly wrong. And I'm not talking about the characters per se. What do I mean by that? Let me take Felix Geata as an example of something I didn't LIKE, but I respect, as far as the writing goes:

Felix was one of the good guys. There is something likable about him as and actor and character. And they set up his motivations very well. I believed he could fall. But the thing they did that I didn't LIKE was that as he was conducting the mutiny, you could see that he was trying to find his good side. Trying to find the good inside himself to go against Zarek. And while the story was well done, and it was believable, after losing his leg, and all the crap that happened, what I didn't LIKE was that he didn't stand up and try and stop it. He took it to the end, and ignored the warnings of his own conscience. That was a very sad ending of a great character. I didn't like it. Not saying it was badly written, because it wasn't, just that I didn't enjoy seeing a good man fall and damn himself. But I respect it.

So where has the shown gone wrong? Let me tell you. And before I tell you, let me note to you that I don't think I've ever seen a show tank this badly in my life. And... hey... I realize there are still two episodes left. But I predict there is almost nothing they can do to salvage this show in the next two episodes.

Why? Because they have fundamentally broken the show, by, interestingly enough, simply breaking from the structure of the show. Is it really that simple? Yep. The show is a mythic archetype of a quest. The characters are called, often unwillingly, on a quest, to do something. They have a clear goal. The story can take twists and turns along the way, (and heck, interesting stories do this), but the structure stays true. In this case, they are searching for a home. Earth. (Which is so damn archetypal, and tickles the spirit bones of every one watching the show because earth is... us!)

Battlestar Galactica has been brilliant in executing this very simple quest. They do it with GREAT CHARACTERS. They do it with tons of mystery. There is lots and lots to like about the show.

Then things started to go wrong at the end of season 4. You might think it was the decision to scorch earth that was wrong. I don't necessarily think so. This falls into one of those areas that I don't LIKE, but I can still respect. I don't like it for many reasons, but mostly because it's kind of a crap in the face to all those who watched and hoped. The characters were searching for EARTH. WE are earth. And they are telling us we are all dead. That in effect, the archetypal EARTH, isn't real. Or that we are all dead. Doomed. Hm... that just rankles the old spirit bone if you ask me. I don't like the decision. But I'm sticking with them, right? I can respect a different take.

But what I can't respect is the breaking of the structure. It's a nifty little pocket I sit in as I watch. My characters, the friends I've made over these years watching the show, they are searching for a home. Earth isn't it, but that's okay, I still want them to find a good home. The quest lives. Adama, rousing a depressed and sad Roselyn says get up! We're going to find a home! And the Cylon refugees can come along if they want! GREAT! Quest is still ON!
Structure is intact.

Only it wasn't. There was the mutiny. An understandable detour. Had to happen. The logical outcome of all the disappointment, the heartache, and of course the ultimate ambition of Zarek.
But it was AFTER the Mutiny where they went wrong. They broke the STRUCTURE. Since Adama's little speech, the show has floundered because... there is no more quest. The structure and theme of the show changed! It changed to being more about the cylons than it did about humans. And it changed to the story of the death of the Galactica.

Woah. What?

How many of you have watched someone die over the long haul? I have. It is not a pleasant experience. It's a difficult thing to face. And while it has some value in storytelling as an element, it never becomes the THEME and STRUCTURE of a story.

Who enjoys watching the Battlestar Galactica die? For many of us this great ship goes back to our CHILDHOODS!!! From the FIRST version. She's our friend. We love that ship. And... we are watching her die. And who the hell wants to do that? The structure of the show has changed from that of the humans finding a new home to watching the ship die. AND to watching Roselyn die.

Oh joy.

Are there some other problems? Sure! A focus on cylons instead of humans. A sense that the writers are kind of making stuff up as the end nears. A neglecting of once interesting characters (Baltar and Six in his head). A changing of once stalwart characters (Galen). Yeah, it's gotten loose. It's not tight anymore. But that's all secondary to the inherent structural problem.
When was the last time they talked about FINDING A NEW HOME?

So WHY have they gone off the structure? I have an insight into that. A theory. I listened to the commentaries of a lot of the shows, and I think the writers really get off on the idea of twisting the story and expectations of the audience. So much so... that it leads them to abandon true and good story telling in order to deliver on the expectation of shock and awe and change. They are courageous as writers in the sense that they are willing to really take risks. But I believe they have lost their purpose by becoming too addicted to shocking us.

The scorched earth is a great example. It was a shock. And it took courage as writers to do that. But was it the RIGHT decision? Ah... that's the question. That's the question. And are they being different by totally breaking with the structure here in the last season? Yep! That is totally different. But is it the RIGHT decision?

Let me offer you a simple quest story as an example. Two hobbits, Sam and Frodo, take the ring to Mordor to destroy it. That's the quest. Very simple. There are tons of obstacles. And a great twist at the end. What is the twist? That Frodo can't do it. He can't throw the ring in, but... Bilbo's ancient pity in allowing Gollum to live, and Frodo's own pity in also allowing him to live, proves the wise decision. Because Gollum takes the ring from Frodo, and falls. The quest is complete. Good survives! Evil is thrown down. There was a twist, but it was within the story structure!

Ask yourself this. Roselyn had visions leading her to Earth. So did Kara. The Cylons themselves did. So... what were those visions about if Earth turned out to be a scorched wasteland?

The Battlestar Galactica writers decided they wanted a twist, but they didn't realize they didn't need such a big one. Gollum biting Frodo's finger and then falling was very satisfactory twist to everyone.

Just like Luke Skywalker in the trench of the Death Star, about to die with Darth Vader shooting him from behind in Star Wars. But there is a twist. Han Solo returns, and saves the day, paving the way for Luke to destroy the Death Star! A twist. But a simple one.

Elegant.

Satisfying.

And that is why... the end of Battlestar Galactica will be a disappointment. Because the writers do not understand the concept of simplicity and elegance. They are going to try and shock us. And.... they WILL! I guarantee you, they will courageously do something so different we will all crap our pants.

But I also guarantee you... that we will not be satisfied. And that will be the great failure of Battlestar Galactica. We were shocked, but not satisfied. And that is a sad waste of a great great story.