Series explores territory that used to be off-limits for sci-fi
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Exploring religion through 'Battlestar Galactica'
Series explores territory that used to be off-limits for sci-fi
Click on the link to read the entire article...some excerpts:
By JOHN BLAKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
09/30/2006
The stunning blonde in the clinging red dress had just triggered the near annihilation of the entire human race when she embraced a shaken survivor and whispered in his ear:
"God is love."
That's what Number Six, the android who looks like a Victoria's Secret model, declared in a pivotal scene from the Sci-Fi Channel's hit show "Battlestar Galactica." Her statement of faith came while she was trying to convert an atheist to her belief in the "one true God" - after a toe-curling sexual tryst.
That scene offers a glimpse into why critics and fans are calling "Battlestar Galactica" one of the most provocative explorations of religion on television today. Androids are nothing new in sci-fi. But an android who believes humans need to convert or be exterminated is an audacious leap.
Making religion a central focus wasn't planned, Moore says. It happened when he impulsively decided to give a Cylon the line, "God is love." A network executive memoed Moore: Go with the religious angle.
"I was like, 'Yeah, baby!' "Moore says. "Nobody gives you that kind of note. The whole thing sort of happened organically. It wasn't something I set out to do. It was almost an accident."
Moore was exhilarated by the Sci-Fi executive's note because it violated an unwritten rule in Sci-Fi television: Keep an ironic distance from religion. That rule was set by the granddaddy of all sci-fi television shows, "Star Trek."
Peter Krug, a virologist at Georgia State University, says he likes the show for its less edifying reasons.
"I like stuff blowing up in space," he says. "In some ways, it seems incredulous. There are thousands of ships flying around. It's sublime. It's very three-dimensional. It's insanity trying to figure out what's going on."
Exploring religion through 'Battlestar Galactica'
Series explores territory that used to be off-limits for sci-fi
Click on the link to read the entire article...some excerpts:
By JOHN BLAKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
09/30/2006
The stunning blonde in the clinging red dress had just triggered the near annihilation of the entire human race when she embraced a shaken survivor and whispered in his ear:
"God is love."
That's what Number Six, the android who looks like a Victoria's Secret model, declared in a pivotal scene from the Sci-Fi Channel's hit show "Battlestar Galactica." Her statement of faith came while she was trying to convert an atheist to her belief in the "one true God" - after a toe-curling sexual tryst.
That scene offers a glimpse into why critics and fans are calling "Battlestar Galactica" one of the most provocative explorations of religion on television today. Androids are nothing new in sci-fi. But an android who believes humans need to convert or be exterminated is an audacious leap.
Making religion a central focus wasn't planned, Moore says. It happened when he impulsively decided to give a Cylon the line, "God is love." A network executive memoed Moore: Go with the religious angle.
"I was like, 'Yeah, baby!' "Moore says. "Nobody gives you that kind of note. The whole thing sort of happened organically. It wasn't something I set out to do. It was almost an accident."
Moore was exhilarated by the Sci-Fi executive's note because it violated an unwritten rule in Sci-Fi television: Keep an ironic distance from religion. That rule was set by the granddaddy of all sci-fi television shows, "Star Trek."
Peter Krug, a virologist at Georgia State University, says he likes the show for its less edifying reasons.
"I like stuff blowing up in space," he says. "In some ways, it seems incredulous. There are thousands of ships flying around. It's sublime. It's very three-dimensional. It's insanity trying to figure out what's going on."
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