Battlestar Galactica, February 25

Hube has a post here about the latest installment of BSG. It's one of the few shows I watch closely and the only one that has any sort of political subtext (or even text for that matter).

I hate to part company with Hube on this one (esp. after the nice link) but I must.

He says:

Here we are -- yet again -- in an absolute life or death situation, and the few surviving humans are ... going on strike ... because they haven't had a day off? Because working conditions are brutal?? The show's writers once again have attempted to demonstrate that they're "with it" -- they're "connected" with modern-day issues and concerns (in this case, growing social inequality, poor working conditions, child labor) yet they always seem to fail to grasp that the situation in which they themselves have placed ... themselves doesn't quite make for a believable (nay, feasible) yarn.

I have to disagree. The fatigue of being forever under threat means that you eventually accept it as part of life. It is stressful to be sure but people in combat become a inured to the stress to the point where they view it as part of the backdrop and focus on other things. I'm currently reading "Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers." In it, Winters begins the war as a devoutly Christian man who has misgivings war (generally). He gets over that pretty quickly and now (the chapter I'm currently reading) his mortar men have blown up a German machine gun nest. His only thought upon seeing the bodies is to try on their new boots as his are worn. In episode, the workers in the refinery strike due to dangerous working conditions and non-stop work schedules. I believe this makes logical sense. They noted several times that the whole facility is essentially a large bomb and problems on the line could blow them all up. With that as a consideration, they do the math and believe that while not working may get them killed, working is much more likely to do so.

First, what does it say about the fleet's command that they haven't instituted a reasonable -- meaning flexible working schedule, adequate maintenance, etc. -- for vital services like fuel processing??

Having worked at a number of Fortune 100 companies, I say, in all seriousness, yes. I have worked at once place where the mission critical application was not backed up in any way. Tape backups were stopped two years prior to my asking for a particular backup tape. I called the archiving company and they didn't have any copies at all. After much searching I found one tape (not the one I needed) from 4 years prior being used as a doorstop.. All this despite the fact that SEC regulations require backups of mission critical apps. A multibillion dollar business with no continuity plan. Try and get your head around that one.

Second, how the frak are the people that were so royally screwed over by Baltar on New Caprica now following his snuck-out-of-prison memoirs, which is essentially is an interstellar version of "The Communist Manifesto"? The "former farmer" who ruled like a spoiled dictator on New Caprica surrounded in luxury (thanks to his Cylon benefactors) is now ... a galactic Che Guevara?? Sheesh.

Yeah, gotta go with you on that one.

Third, what the frak sort of Colonial government did the 12 Colonies really have?? We are led (made, actually) to believe that a civilization that has colonized a dozen planets and developed faster-than-light propulsion, hadn't already successfully dealt with classism? Social and economic inequality? This is extremely difficult to grasp. Planet Earth cannot even organize a one world government due largely to these vices, yet a human civilization that governed eleven more worlds somehow also could not. I don't buy it. This stretches credibility to the extreme.

Does it? I'm assuming they were largely federalist in that respect. Perhaps the government was minimalist and the average citizen didn't have much interaction with government on a daily basis. I don't think mankind will ever get over classism. It's human nature and it's here to stay. Economic inequality? Same thing.

In addition, Baltar's claims from his jail cell about how his world was somehow "backward" because it was the "food basket" planet rings hollow. Do Americans consider people who live in Iowa, Kansas or Nebraska as "backward"? Hardly. And in times of crisis, Americans of all social stripes come together against the common threat. If Americans can do this during, say, World War II, it begs the question as to why an interstellar civilization cannot when they're facing not just war, but extinction.

I think he was referring to when he was growing up.

Adama's and Roslin's "tough" attitudes ultimately ring hollow as they gave in to every demand the "disgruntled" population had made. Adama tells Tyrol that he'll have his wife shot if he doesn't call an end to the strike. Tyrol complies, and Adama promptly gives him (and the strikers) everything they wanted. Hey Bill -- sooner or later people will be hip to your game. That they haven't already shows how lame the writing has become on the so-called "Best Show on TV." One can certainly posit that the writers are demonstrating the flexibility of the fleet's leadership in ever-changing circumstances. Phooey. Adama is supposed to be a grizzled veteran commander, and that he didn't adequately plan for vital services like fuel (by keeping its workers fairly happy) is not only unrealistic, but insulting to the [supposedly] smart viewership the show enjoys.

Good points. Tyrol had to know that Adama was serious and he would go to the end to win. He concedes, but only after Tyrol backs down. That would work, but only once. How it got to this point is something that is swept under the rug. A bit of writing could have alleviated that plot point. Going back to the point that the aglae and waste processing workers are not happy either would have been one way. I think Ron Moore picks one thing to focus on for fear of muddying the waters by covering all bases.

Give it some room to breathe Hube. It's still a really good show and still one of the best (if not the best) on television. If not, what's better?