Ghost of a flea

Despite the lack of late Seventies cheese and all the other virtues this new version supposedly had, I never had the slightest interest in watching it. The original Battlestar Galactica will always be the only one to me. (I'm also wont to say "the only real Star Trek is the original Star Trek. Those "New Generation" versions were all bad dreams.")

Well, call me a heathen, but even though I was raised on original ST and BSG, I prefer ST-TNG and the newer BCG (then again we are only just about to finish season one on DVD). On the other hand I dont watch sci-fi or read non-fiction for any other purpose than entertainment and if X is more exciting and realistic than Y, I'll watch X. Newtonian Physics and use of control thrusters in space combat rules!

I will say however, as we get close to the end of season 1, I want to jump into the TV and snap the little nerdling pencil neck of whoever told teh camera man to use that annoying shaky camera style of filming so popular on that annoying Nigella Whatsherface cooking show..

The politics in the shows are there, but I tell you, an intelligent person can watch them and ignore them in favour of the action.. The problem is the rest of the show watching humanity who begin to mentally side with the Cylons and drag that into their real-life.

So I'm stupid because I can't "ignore" the politics of a show anymore? I used to be able to do that, but it had nothing to do with "intelligence," simply my desperate desire to be entertained at any cost. I finally figured out that having my nose shoved in shit I didn't make just so I could enjoy a few crumbs of song and dance weren't worth it. Note to the "our good-bad guys are really representations of all the people the bad old US of A oppresses daily only we're going to be coy and deny that's what we mean" writers of BSG and every other tv show and movie out there, I refuse to take responsibility for every miserable thing that has ever happened in the world just so you can feel important.

I understand your objection to the "occupation and insurgency" story line of BSG. It's pretty clear that the writers were drawing sophomoric parallels between Iraq and New Caprica. But as a hard-hearted pro-war bastard, I never once found this troubling--in fact, I found it illuminating.

As Sam Harris and Paul Berman and scores of others have pointed out, the West is not in a war against "terrorism" any more than we were in a war 65 years ago against "tanks". We fight Islamofascist theocrats and murderers. It is easier, and more politically correct, for us to target their techniques than their religious identity, because of the implications the latter would have for us at home. But the fact is that we are not fighting the enemy because they are insurgents, we are fighting them because they want to kill, convert, and enslave us.

Science fiction works best (for me, at any rate) when it acts as a thought experiment that offers a new perspective on our real world. BSG's "insurgency" plotline does exactly that: what would we do, what should we do, if we we "occupied" by our enemies?

I think the answer is clear: we would want to fight in (almost) any way we could. We would not, I think, be reduced to blowing up grannies and coeds at pizza parlours... but targeting treasonous recuits of an occupation "police force"? Fair game.

By showing viewers that we could emotionally support an insurgency, BSG's writers (inadvertently?) emphasized the critical aspect of our current war that most media and most politicians would prefer we ignore: it is not the techniques of our enemies which matter, it is their goals.

I cheered BSG's insurgents, as I would cheer ours if bin Laden's dreams of a North American caliphate were realized.

N makes solid points in my book. In the real world, you cannot win a war against a rebel group without learning the reasons why they take up arms against them. You cannot ignore the fact that they have these reasons for their decisions even if the reasons are flawed or in your eyes completely wrong. No-one becomes a rebel or insurgent because they are insane or real, just misguided and brainwashed with rhetoric. Realizing this helps you strategize.

Science fiction has been political for ages. Star wars was all about a rebel group fighting against a powerful, more technologically advanced group bent on a mathematically precise all controlling empire. Talk about terrorist actions? Blowing up a death star full of tens of thousands of of non-military contractors? But because the rebels were all smiley, cute, told jokes and did not appear to have a religion behind their actions, its okay? Oh wait, Jedi IS a religion..But still.

What about the original text version of Starship Troopers? I hate bugs and loved the story but in the end I didn't throw the book down because of the man characters self realization..

I am not saying that you are un-intelligent if you choose to not ignore the politics I am just saying that as an intelligent person, it is your choice to ignore them and cheer for the side you like best, enjoying the boomy w00ty 'splosions rather than feel indignant.