Battlestar Galactica, the reimagining of the 70's Space Opera has ended. And what an amazing finale. The first half contains a massive miltary assault while the second contains a surprise twist... a happy ending!
They managed to wrap up many plot points and I love where they left the surviving characters. Best of all though is how they've left several ambiguities for internet haters and fanboy bloggers to bitch about. Perhaps the best decision is to allow Starbuck to simply vanish without an explaination. Was she a ghost? Part of 'God's' plan?
Which brings me to the final scene. When watching any long-running series finale, I'm intrigued as to which characters, dialogue and image it will end on. In Galactica's case we fast forward 150,000 years to contemporary Times Square (arguably the greatest modern representation of current civilized society) where 'angel' Six and 'angel' Baltar discuss if humanity will once again repeat the cycle of self destruction.
The final dialogue exchange goes something like this:-
'Angel' Six refers to the intervening force as "God."
'Angel' Baltar responds "You know he doesn't like to be called that."
'Angel' Six gives him a look that says to me "Oh, come on. You're not serious!"
'Angel' Baltar replies, with a hint of sarcasm "Silly Me...Silly, silly me..."
The final line didn't register immediately. On second viewing it struck me as an odd line to end on and I was unsure of the context in which to take 'angel' Baltar's remark. I headed online to check out some opinions and was surprised at the backlash against this ending.
Many bloggers seemed pissed that this ending was badly edited and, therefore, confusing. Some claimed to have seen video of the script read-through and that more specific dialigue was edited out of the exchange. Others just hated the whole religious aspect anyway.
So, please, allow me to retort.
1/ Ambiguous endings are good. It's been done controversially before with The Prisoner in the sixties. It sparks debate. Each viewer has to bring their own interpretation to the story. There's no right or wrong answer...even if the writer had a specific meaning in mind. And that, my friends, is Art. Marcel Duchamp's sculpture 'Fountain' has been considered one of the most important pieces of art in the 20th century (it's a urinal signed by Mr Mutt, that hangs in a gallery). There's no explaination stuck on the wall next to it...the meaning is for you to decide.
2/ Even if another version of the script existed, it wasn't the one that was broadcast. The BSG creators are a clever lot. I'm sure they deliberately removed that dialogue to deliberately create ambiguity...to create discussion and debate. Knowing the missing words may help you to decipher a certain meaning, but you'll only shut the door on other possible meanings.
3/The religious aspect has been a part of the show since the pilot episode. It also makes sense to include religion in a show which is commenting on contemporary society. Many world conflicts have their roots in religion and even the most technologically advanced counties are heavily faith influenced (USA, I'm talkin' 'bout you) despite the increase in secularism.
I'm also surprised that so many have automatically interpreted the influence of a higher power as 'God'. When Baltar confronts Cavil earlier, he admits he has no idea what force is at work..it could be a Divine conscienceness or just the unfathomable complexities of nature. The whole finale demonstrates the tension between fate and freewill. The flashbacks show each of the characters making a defining choice (free will)... However, Kara makes the argument that her fate is set and nothing will change her path (so when Zack awakes and interups potential Apollo/Starbuck nookie, was that her fate/destiny?).
As for the use of All Along The Watchtower...it's a great choice. It's a short song, almost mythic in the scene it describes and it speaks about 'change', a theme of the show. Does the song come from God or is it part of the natural fabric of the universe? Well same sex frogs can mate to ensure the continuation of the spieces in some circumstances. Is that divine intervention or is that a safety net in nature's equation? Either way, the colonials are able to seek out Earth (both of them) because of the song.
So how do I interpret that final exchange? Well Six has refered to 'God' since the pilot where 'Angel' Baltar has never done this, and real Baltar has always been skeptical of the description. So when 'angel' Baltar say "you know it doesn't like that name" and Six respons with a scornful look, I think their arguing about the definition of 'God'. Baltar's final line "Silly Me...Silly, silly me" is said with irony, suggesting he doesn't want to get into this millenia old debate again. He doesn't really think he's silly, he just says that to get out of the argument. That leaves the arguement with you, the viewer...
So Galactica fans, does God exist? Thats for you to decide...
1 comment:
And so one of the greatest TV shows ever has ended. And boy did it end in style. I utterly love this last episode. It is full of gob smacking eye candy (and not just Tricia Helfer...mmmmm). The assault on the Cylon colony is simply stunning in its scale and execution. But it all comes down to the characters in the end. And they are all serviced brilliantly and end up how they should. I too loved how Starbuck's resolution was handled. It was simple, heartfelt, ambiguous and perfect.
The ending makes perfect sense. And it returns the show to the basic concept of the original show: some believe that life here began out there. That ancient astronauts were the forefathers of the Aztecs, the Mayans etc.
I think a lot of the haters are kind of missing the point about BSG. In the end it is not a serious hardcore sci fi show. It's a mythic, character driven take on the nature of humanity. How we usually fail to learn the mistakes of our past and are often doomed to repeat them.
How All Along the Watchtower can exist 150,000 years ago is not really important. It’s the big picture story that matters and the ideas behind it. Besides, it’s explained that in the BSG universe Humans and Cylons appear to be the only intelligent forms of life (no little green men) and that there is some kind of an unknowable, external guiding force – perhaps the universe itself with some kind of collective consciousness that may have somehow, over the eons, hardwired various things in to existence. Things that actually mean something and will continually reappear throughout the ages in various forms. All Along the Watchtower being the prime example. It’s mathematics: the universal constant. And in this case it’s been interpreted by humans as music.
I personally see it as the universe/God hoping to eventually get things right and achieve some sort of final harmony for want of a better word. How many versions of humanity and Cylon have there been before the Colonials? How many times has the universe played out its experiment to try and achieve the desired outcome? Maybe hundreds, perhaps thousands. And how many more will it still have to do? That’s basically what I see the end conversation with angel Baltar & Six being about.
An awesome TV show that has consistently been the best thing on television for the past six years and one of the best shows ever.
So say we all.
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