Goodbye Battlestar

I am admittedly a fan of science fiction but I was never a fan of the original 1978-1979 Battlestar Galactica (the one starring Lorne Green). I thought it was too campy and even though it had ten years to learn from and build upon the standards established by the original Star Trek, it just didn’t measure up. When the Sci-Fi network offered an updated remake, however, I watched and was hooked.

Last night was the season finale, and what an ending it was (no spoiler here). In a sense the ending was also a new beginning. The over two hour episode also offered a month’s worth of philosophical and theological sermonic material. I mean, when was the last time God, angels, and revenge, reconciliation, war and peace were seriously portrayed during prime time? The final scenes offered both hope and a warning.

Western (Greek) culture has traditionally embraced a cyclical understanding of history. Semitic culture has traditionally embraced a linear view of history. The story arc of Battlestar Galactica was based on the premise that history is indeed cyclical but the concluding episode proposed that the cycle of violence and destruction can be broken. Anytime a cycle is disrupted, does a new cycle begin or is a totally new trajectory established?