Today's Cylons Are Far Too Human

Source: SciFi Weekly

I have a great disappointment with two plotlines currently being perpetuated on Battlestar Galactica. I am a fan of both the original and the reinvented series, and I have become quite fond of many aspects of the new series, especially the performance of Edward James Olmos. My resentment lies first in the Starbuck–Apollo love affair. In season one, it was revealed that Starbuck was engaged to Zack (Apollo's younger brother); therefore the Starbuck–Apollo relationship was a closely bonded friendship. Apollo regarded Starbuck almost like a sister, and Adama viewed her like a daughter. I think by now having the married Apollo lusting over the married Starbuck is a detriment to the character of Apollo. I feel it reduces the drama of an otherwise excellent show down toward a Jerry Springer type lowness.

I realize the new series widely uses the "reinvented" license, but the original character of Apollo was always of the highest moral integrity and was thus able to help guide Starbuck away from his normal immoral dispositions. Secondly, the new plot involving the revealing of the "five final Cylons" seems awkward. I see no motivation for Lucy Lawless' Cylon character to be obsessed with learning their appearance. Furthermore, Baltar's insecurity and fear of potentially being a Cylon himself compromises the notion that the Cylons are a feared race of man-made beings. If anybody might turn out to be a Cylon, then what separates them from humans and why should we fear them? The original Cylons, albeit a bit toaster-looking, were a monstrous race of mechanical beings, and thus a drama of the show was founded in humans fearing being conquered by Cylons. The new series is making the Cylons far too human in every aspect and thus diminishes the reasons why humans should fear them.


Vern Hartsock
Vhartsock1 AT comcast DOT net