thatjeffcarter was here: Morally Valueless Religion in Battlestar Galactica

When that day comes
I shall search Jerusalem by lamplight
and punish the men
stagnating over the remains of their wine,
who say in their hearts
“Yahweh can do nothing
either good or bad.”

Zephaniah 1: 12

I am, unabashedly, a fan of science fiction and fantasy. I am also an ordained minister within the Christian faith. Some might say that these are but different names for the same thing but we’ll let that slide for now. Part of why I have always liked science fiction and fantasy novels and movies and television programs (aside from the laser blasters and green bug-eyed monsters and beautiful intergalactic women) is the frequent overlap of religious and spiritual themes.

I have recently finished watching the re-booted Battlestar Galactica series which ran from its opening miniseries in 2004 through 2009. (I know. I know. I’m usually a few years behind everyone else…) And as a minister, I was interested to watch the portrayal of religion in the series.

After the destruction of the twelve colonies by a race of robotic life-forms known as Cylons, a small remnant of human survivors make their way across the galaxy in search of a planetary refuge remembered from their distant past through myths and legends – Earth. The humans of the series are either polytheistic or agnostic. The Cylons, too, have a religion, though their faith is monotheistic. Through the show’s four seasons there were numerous references to religion and faith and the spiritual realm. Some of these were direct and obvious, others were more subtle. For instance, the character Colonel Saul Tigh begins the series with an intense and burning hatred for the Cylons. But, like his biblical namesake, he is blinded (in one-eye) and undergoes a sort of conversion experience when he realizes that he himself is a Cylon, and ceases to persecute them.

During a memorial service for the dead during the show’s initial miniseries the priestess recites a Hindu mantra.

Asato mā sad gamaya From ignorance, lead me to truth;

Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya From darkness, lead me to light;

Mṛtyormā amṛtam gamaya From death, lead me to immortality

Aum śānti śānti śānti. Aum peace, peace, peace.

Reflecting the pluralist society in which we live there are references many religious beliefs including: Greek gods and goddesses, Stoicism, Mormonism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. And this is important. Despite the science fiction trappings of the show such as the Robotic life-form and faster-than-light travel through the galaxy, Battlestar Galactica is really a show about us. Although the setting and dressing of the show is futuristic, it is a reflection of and a comment on the time in which it was produced. [i]

But for all the religion and spirituality in the show there is little indication that the polytheistic religion of the human characters or the monotheism of the Cylons has any effect on their morality or ethics. Their religions are morally valueless.

They read their sacred scrolls, specifically The Book of Pythia, but not for moral instruction. Instead, they read The Book of Pythia as a sort of interstellar treasure map that will guide them to the celestial-x-marks-the spot. They remind me of modern Dispensationalist Christians reading the book of Revelation in order to determine the identity of Antichrist.

The faithful characters of the show are morally indistinguishable from the atheists and agnostics of the show. They plot and scheme and lie and steal. They beat up their friends and torture their enemies. They murder and begin plans for genocide. They read the sacred scrolls and they have dreams and visions from god or the gods, but they have no compassion, mercy, and little forgiveness or patience. There is a lot of hatred among the characters but little love.

Now either the writers and producers of the show either completely misunderstood the nature of true religion or they are making a very sharp criticism of those who claim to be religious and spiritual – particularly those in political and military leadership. Is it possible to call yourself a follower of Christ (or the Torah, or Buddha, or Allah) and still live lives of fear and hatred and violence?

If religion doesn’t correlate with ethical behavior, then what is the point? Why bother? Just drop the charade and do as thou will.[ii]

But the show’s criticism of this sort of hypocrisy is itself negated and undone. In a dialogue near the end of the series Gaius Baltar, one of the more spiritual minded humans of the show, discusses the nature of God with one of the more atheist Cylon characters.

… there's another Force at work here. There always has been. It's undeniable, we've all experienced it. Everyone in this room has witnessed events that they cannot fathom let alone explain away by rational means. Puzzles, deciphered in prophecy. Dreams given to a chosen few. Our loved ones... dead! Risen...Whether we want to call that God, or Gods, or some sublime inspiration, or a divine force that we can't understand. It doesn't matter, doesn't matter. It's here… it exists! And our two destinies are intertwined in its force."

"If that were true, and that's a big if! How do I know if this force has our best interests in mind? How do you know that God is on your side, doctor?"

"I don't. God's not on any one side. God's a force of nature. Beyond good and evil. Good and Evil we created those. Want to break the cycle. Break the cycle of Birth, Death, Re-Birth, Destruction, escape Death! That's in our hands...and our hands only. It requires a leap of faith. Requires that we live in hope, not fear."

God is a force of nature … beyond good and evil. Gaius Baltar’s religious sentiments by the end of the show have a sort of new-age-all-inclusive-no-judgment-post-modernism about them. There’s no good. There’s no evil. There’s no moral absolute. God (or the gods, or the divine force, or the sublime inspiration) is beyond all of that… But if the gods (or God, or the sublime inspiration, or the divine force, whatever you want to call it) are beyond good and evil then there can be no basis for the show’s criticism of religious hypocrisy.

The show moved quickly to its happy ending. The humans and Cylons come together (almost… that too is quickly undone in a fit of rage) and the survivors make a new home on a new Earth. Everything is green and sunny and wonderful. In a sort of epilogue two of the show’s angelic characters (angelic as in “messenger” – the meaning of the Greek word) discuss whether or not the human race can survive, whether or not we’ll continue in the same sort of self-defeating paths.

And again I wonder – if there is no divine / absolute standard by which good or evil can be determined, then what does it matter how we treat each other? If the divine force (or sublime inspiration, or god, or the gods) is unconcerned with good or evil, then the only thing that has eternal value is survival.

Ultimately I was disappointed with the show. Despite the strong performances from the actors, the terrific writing, and the spectacular effects, the show fizzled at the end like a soggy firework. It had the potential to say something powerful and challenging, but instead went with a “can’t we all just get along?” Until the end the show was provocative and daring. The ending was not.

Still and all. It was fun to watch. My son and I are now watching the original series – and usually laughing at it.