Normally, I try to keep my inner dork reigned in, but occasionally it comes out and brings along a soapbox. I am a huge Battlestar Galactica fan, dating back to the days of feathered haircuts and cheesy stock footage. I knew what the word 'frack' meant long before Starbuck was a girl and the Cylons looked like swimsuit models.
To say that the 'reimagined' show is as frustrating as it is entertaining would be an understatement. The supposed 'best drama on TV' seems to get its jollies from dangling carrots in the faces of its fans. Currently in the last season, we are seeing ten of the final twenty episodes right now, with the remaining ten not scheduled to release until next year. The current season came over a year after the last, with nothing but a single made-for-TV movie in November to tide us over. Frack, indeed.
I do admit that I am much more enamored of this show than the original, with its stunning visual effects and its deep delving into the human condition. Unlike most science fiction offerings, the human race isn't wheeling through the galaxy in glistening, ultra-efficient starships getting in everyone's face about how superior their spirit and morals are. Beyond bad planning and distribution, there is very little you could find fault with in a series of this nature.
. . . And then I saw the Star Trek tribute.
I almost missed it, and I almost wish I had. Four of the human characters have been revealed to be Cylons. Unable to cope with this individually, they find it necessary to meet occasionally in secret to complain about it. One such secret location was 'locker 1701-D'. A Trek tribute in BSG?! What gives? Did some obscure person from the show work on this particular episode, or are we seeing some twisted foreshadowing? Now that I think of it, it all fits… An entity capable of mimicking humanoid life forms, multiple copies, and a bad sense of humor… I would be sorely disappointed to find out that Data was the final Cylon.
It would be par for the course, though… The human race suffers a crushing blow from an enemy of their own design, sending them on a journey that spans not only thousands of light years, but also the length and breadth of their mortality and morality; of ethical and religious practice and beliefs that are only now, in these bleak times, coming into question. They are on the brink of a religious revolution threatening to tear asunder their very core beliefs and devotions. What would it do to them to reach Earth, only to find an agnostic society who will swear to God, when the humorous interjection of a 'colorful metaphor' is necessary, but who would not believe in Him?
But I digress… My intention was to not come here and go on about religious connotations. When, exactly, did the inhabitants of the science fiction community become incapable of standing on their own? Mainstream shows as far back as Seaquest felt the need to pay homage to those which came before them, usually Star Trek or Star Wars. I remember watching a 'Sci-Fi channel original' in which Wil Wheaton referred to two nuclear warheads by the serial number of an Imperial Stormtrooper and THX-1138. It was totally out of place, absolutely random, and useless inasmuch as the only people who could possibly catch the reference are wonks like myself who have seen Star Wars more times than the average male college student has seen the Monty Python 'Parrot Sketch'.
Let's face it; there are no original ideas anymore. If there were, we wouldn't have had sequels from the Rocky or Rambo series in 2006 and 2008, respectively. Has anyone out there heard of the proposed remake of 'Short Circuit', or the upcoming 'Get Smart' movie? It's like everything old is new again, but not really. This is the reason I like to curl up to a good Heinlein novel now and again. Even though they are decades old, it's nice to read an original story. My hat is off to the Grand Masters, though not because I heard an obscure notion in an unrelated movie. For now, I think I'll head off to bed with a Tolkien novel from my own library. Let's see… Ah! There it is...
…Bookcase 1701, shelf TK-421.
1 comment:
Bob, I won't comment on the references you hae made throughout the post, because Star Trek or Star Wars are not my fields of expertise, bu I will agree with you on the conclusion, namely that there seems to be no originality left. It's as if all original ideas have been used up already.
However, I tend the think (and I want to believe!) that this is not the case. I'd rather think it is a sort of laziness. People will try to exploit the same idea to the max before they are prepared t oput their heads together and come up with a new one. If Rocky, Rambo, Alien, Terminator and so many more sold so well to the public the first time, why wouldn't they continue to sell?
Because we have to admit, this is a business, just like everything else these days. Why would anyone make an effort to come up with a new idea (and thus risk not being successful) when the old ideas are still making money?
In any case, let's not point the finger just at the makers, but also at us, the consumers. If we demanded novelty - by refusing to swallow the recycled ideas/characters - maybe we'd stand a chance to moving things a bit. But how can I seriously demand change when all I'm thinking about is ways of resurecting Neo for the 4th Matrix movie!?
No, really... can't he come back as a hologram or something? :)
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