Is Battlestar Galactica an allegory for the West's relationship with Islam?

[Wolveryeti]

A group of people whose culture evokes monotheism, puritanism, and fundamentalism reignite a centuries dormant war by infiltrating an alien society to carry out suicide attacks. They are warlike, unafraid of death, and killing them doesn't work, because more always replace them.

Discuss.

 

[DotCommunist]

nah. To simplistic an allegory imo.

 

[Iguana]

Well, Ron Moore said it is intended to be, so I guess it is. Except I think that there is meant to be ambiguity between who is who.

 

[DotCommunist]

Well, Ron Moore said it is intended to be, so I guess it is.

death of the author

 

[Wolveryeti]

Well, Ron Moore said it is intended to be, so I guess it is. Except I think that there is meant to be ambiguity between who is who.

I didn't actually know about this. The ambiguity thing is a bit unbelievable though. I can't imagine the Cylons being meant to represent anything else but Islam....

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Well, Ron Moore said it is intended to be, so I guess it is. Except I think that there is meant to be ambiguity between who is who.

I thought he said this only about certain aspects and the players are interchangeable.

 

[snadge]

I thought he said this only about certain aspects and the players are interchangeable.

That is the way I took it, look at the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, the resistance fought back using suicide bombers.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

That is the way I took it, look at the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, the resistance fought back using suicide bombers.

I'm pretty sure that's when he made that statement, and suggested that other previous evens played the other way around etc. The current situation bares very little resemblance to any of this.

 

[Fictionist]

The answer is no.

Thank you.

 

[Iguana]

I didn't actually know about this. The ambiguity thing is a bit unbelievable though. I can't imagine the Cylons being meant to represent anything else but Islam....

I've always seen the cylons as America. I can see why other people see it the other way around, but to me they have always been more like the American neo-cons.

 

[El Jefe]

too simplistic, as DC said. It's about lots of things - security vs liberty, secularism vs religion, war between civilisations and faiths. etc etc etc

 

[krtek a houby]

The humans use torture, kidnap, suicide bombings and also have a bearded crazy Gaius who has his band of followers who blindly worship him.

The cylons have number 6, whom I blindly worship

Damn good show, even without the allegorical stuff.

 

[Stigmata]

The Cylons and the humans are both religious, but the humans have a greater tendency towards fanaticism whereas the Cylon religion actually seems a bit permissive and liberal.

 

[Wolveryeti]

The Cylons and the humans are both religious, but the humans have a greater tendency towards fanaticism whereas the Cylon religion actually seems a bit permissive and liberal.

Hardly. What about the entire product range of the Cylon model that gets 'boxed' because it questions orthodoxy regarding the prophesy of the final five? What about the decision to doggedly try to eradicate humanity because of the belief that the war will never end otherwise?

The humans aren't fanatical by nature. They are after all a polytheistic civilisation with many atheist elements (especially at the start of the series). If there is fanaticism it is mostly manifested as blind hate for the cylons, not as a desire to impose conformity.

 

[Fictionist]

Perhaps it would be more pertinent to ask DDD what they understand by the term 'Islam'..................

 

[Stigmata]

Hardly. What about the entire product range of the Cylon model that gets 'boxed' because it questions orthodoxy regarding the prophesy of the final five? What about the decision to doggedly try to eradicate humanity because of the belief that the war will never end otherwise?

The Threes got boxed because they were disrupting Cylon society with their messianic complex. If anything they got too religious, which I suppose is why it was left to the atheist model to shut them off.

The humans aren't fanatical by nature. They are after all a polytheistic civilisation with many atheist elements (especially at the start of the series). If there is fanaticism it is mostly manifested as blind hate for the cylons, not as a desire to impose conformity.

Well we've had two examples of religious personality cults (Roslin and Baltar) and people who've outright rejected science and modern medicine for religious reasons. The Cylons talk about God but they don't claim he's on their side and seem a bit vague on any specific instructions he might have laid down for them.

 

[dylanredefined]

A group of people whose culture evokes monotheism, puritanism, and fundamentalism reignite a centuries dormant war by infiltrating an alien society to carry out suicide attacks. They are warlike, unafraid of death, and killing them doesn't work, because more always replace them.

Discuss.

With no major industrial base We could actually kill enough muslims .We dont because the west isnt actually at war with islam.And islam is not actually at war with the west . What ever various nutters in either camp think.

 

[Fictionist]

*pulls up chair and begins to eat popcorn*

 

[HarryinOz]

frack this frack that...

I like watching Sci. Fi. and would watch Battlestar Gal. but I cannot watch that show because of their use of the word "FRACK" ... I really want to cut the face off of every cunt who had any input into putting that word into the show....typical yank fucking bullshit hypocrisy.....can't say "fuck" or "cunt" , oh no, but we'll just channge a letter and everythings ok ....fucking clowns.


Sorry, bit off topic.
rant over....
... please continue.

 

[Frankie Jack]

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.. It has always been thus...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

That's deep man, real deep.

 

[Frankie Jack]

That's deep man, real deep.

Innit....

 

[Stigmata]

I like watching Sci. Fi. and would watch Battlestar Gal. but I cannot watch that show because of their use of the word "FRACK" ... I really want to cut the face off of every cunt who had any input into putting that word into the show....typical yank fucking bullshit hypocrisy.....can't say "fuck" or "cunt" , oh no, but we'll just channge a letter and everythings ok ....fucking clowns.


Sorry, bit off topic.
rant over....
... please continue.

That's a fracking stupid reason not to watch one of the best shows on TV

 

[ruffneck23]

I like watching Sci. Fi. and would watch Battlestar Gal. but I cannot watch that show because of their use of the word "FRACK" ... I really want to cut the face off of every cunt who had any input into putting that word into the show....typical yank fucking bullshit hypocrisy.....can't say "fuck" or "cunt" , oh no, but we'll just channge a letter and everythings ok ....fucking clowns.


Sorry, bit off topic.
rant over....
... please continue.

then it really is your loss.........

 

[Belushi]

IIRC the original BSG series was influenced by the writers Mormon faith.

 

[Wolveryeti]

The Threes got boxed because they were disrupting Cylon society with their messianic complex. If anything they got too religious, which I suppose is why it was left to the atheist model to shut them off.

I'm not sure you can argue she was being 'too religious' any more than you can argue Luther was excommunicated for being too religious. Holding that certain things are taboo for discussion is just as valid a fanatic religious standpoint as wanting to follow them to their ends.

Well we've had two examples of religious personality cults (Roslin and Baltar) and people who've outright rejected science and modern medicine for religious reasons. The Cylons talk about God but they don't claim he's on their side and seem a bit vague on any specific instructions he might have laid down for them.

For me the most important thing is that the humans are tolerant of these wacky cults and wildly different views (although they may not like them) whereas the Cylons have great difficulty accepting them. I don't think you can be tolerant and fanatic as a society at the same time.

Humans only have the greater tendency towards fanaticism to the extent that the Cylons could not be more fanatic themselves. Their whole society is the epitome of cult (committed to total extermination of the 'other', models that think and look the same way, mindless drones that exist to follow orders).

 

[obanite]

I'd say it's one of many things that the author / script writers have drawn from for inspiration.

The Aeneid / exile of the Trojans after their city is sacked by the Greeks / founding of Rome is also a pretty big theme. Are the Cylons the ancient greeks? Hmmm.

Edit: where's the "bits of this, bits of that" poll option?