Poll: Battlestar ending - what do you think?

[Elim Garak]

OK, I've just watched BSG finale. Suffice it to say that I am glad I missed most of the first season, second season, third season, and most of the fourth. I won't spoil it if you guys like that sort of thing.

I want to know what you guys think.

 

[McClaud]

I'd vote, but there's no option that covers my feeling, which was -

"The entire thing was okay, and the ending was fitting for the entire season. It's not perfect, but it was worth watching. And better than the first campy POS called Battlestar Galactica."

 

[Elim Garak]

I'd vote, but there's no option that covers my feeling, which was -

"The entire thing was okay, and the ending was fitting for the entire season. It's not perfect, but it was worth watching. And better than the first campy POS called Battlestar Galactica."

I just added an option to that effect.

 

[dalek sec]

I liked it, loved the battle at the colony with both cylon models fighting each other.

 

[Geoffrey42]

I'm confused. It appears that you voted for "I didn't even watch the show, but I definitely didn't like the last episode, and now I'm looking for internet validation of my incompletely informed notion" but I don't see that option in the list.

 

[Elim Garak]

I'm confused. It appears that you voted for "I didn't even watch the show, but I definitely didn't like the last episode, and now I'm looking for internet validation of my incompletely informed notion" but I don't see that option in the list.

Nope. I watched enough to know that it is dumb. Too much trippy religion, too much melodrama, not enough cold hard logic. Visions, prophecies, and really annoying characters. If I wanted to see that, I would go to a bible theme park.

 

[stiver]

I'm confused. It appears that you voted for "I didn't even watch the show, but I definitely didn't like the last episode, and now I'm looking for internet validation of my incompletely informed notion" but I don't see that option in the list.

Nope. I watched enough to know that it is dumb. Too much trippy religion, too much melodrama, not enough cold hard logic. Visions, prophecies, and really annoying characters. If I wanted to see that, I would go to a bible theme park.

haha awesome, the series just wen right over your head.

One of the best series in Years. Ending was perfectly fitting. Nice wrap up.

 

[matrix3509]

Sorry, but if you didn't watch the whole thing, your opinion kind of (completely) invalid. If you watched the whole series, you would know the context of the religion(s), and then realize that its totally appropriate.

You can't just sit there for a couple of episodes and then say, "Oh he talks about God, this show is too religious."

I assume that you are referring to the scenes where Baltar is preaching. If you had watched the show, you would know why he became a religious figure.

EDIT: At least you aren't a TOS fanboy. So my respect for you would have went up a little had you watched the entire series.

 

[Elim Garak]

Sorry, but if you didn't watch the whole thing, your opinion kind of (completely) invalid. If you watched the whole series, you would know the context of the religion(s), and then realize that its totally appropriate.

Real religion is never appropriate in science fiction. Faith is, talking about religion is, believing in stuff is, but actual religious crap that happens? That moves things directly into the realm of fantasy.

You can't just sit there for a couple of episodes and then say, "Oh he talks about God, this show is too religious."

No, it wasn't just talking about god. It is the head "angels" the visions, the prophecies, etc. From what I gather there were even more dumb things in there.

I assume that you are referring to the scenes where Baltar is preaching. If you had watched the show, you would know why he became a religious figure.

Nope. I don't care that he is preaching - I understand the kind of pressures he has been under. That sort of crap can twist a man in strange ways. I don't begrudge him his beliefs (not too much anyway).

What I do care is that there were "real" religious things happening. That is pretty much pushing a concept of spirituality and the idea that gods are real on me. And that rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Antidamacus]

I really enjoyed the ending. I liked the show. Not everyone will, not everyone has to. Whatever. It's cool.

I see a lot of people elsewhere saying it didn't answer a lot. It did, but people want the guy in the white lab coat to pop up and give us the answers at the end.

It tied up most of the loose ends and I'm glad it did.

 

[Elim Garak]

EDIT: At least you aren't a TOS fanboy. So my respect for you would have went up a little had you watched the entire series.

What's wrong with TOS? TOS was awesome most of the time. Especially for the era it was in. I really didn't like the one religious episode (the one where they went to the Roman planet with the religion of the son of god). Other than that it was pretty good.

 

[Antidamacus]

What I do care is that there were "real" religious things happening. That is pretty much pushing a concept of spirituality and the idea that gods are real on me. And that rubs me the wrong way.

Wait, robots and people shooting it out (in space!) in a battle to the death is ok even though it's fake because it's science fiction but "real" religious things are bad because they're fake?

Wouldn't "real" religious actions have a scientific explanation? Making them... science fiction?

 

[Jack Da Ripper]

The ending made me mad... if i was a captain in the fleet i would've been like "No I don't want my spaceship launched into the sun fuck you Adama".

The Battle was cool ,but the show didn't need the ending technology is evil rant

 

[matrix3509]

EDIT: At least you aren't a TOS fanboy. So my respect for you would have went up a little had you watched the entire series.

What's wrong with TOS? TOS was awesome most of the time. Especially for the era it was in. I really didn't like the one religious episode (the one where they went to the Roman planet with the religion of the son of god). Other than that it was pretty good.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the TOS was built upon religion just as much as the new series. I don't get this whole stigma you seem to have attached to religious discussions in works of fiction, as if its somehow more off limits than any other controversial thing. There isn't really a single thing that happens in the series than can be convincingly chaulked up to "god(s) did it." Sure, there are a lot of really unlikely things happening, but isn't that par for the course in science fiction? Alot of the things you are complaining about (such as prophecies) are pretty cliche, I will admit, but again, thats par for the course in sci-fi/fantasy settings (genres which are becoming nigh impossible to separate these days).

The show never pushes the concept that the gods are real on anybody. There are plenty of characters that are or became atheists as the show progressed. In fact the only religious figure left by the end was Baltar. But, even he didn't really believe what he was preaching.

The only character they purposly set up for a religious ending was Starbuck. While I did think they went over the top with her, it didn't take away my enjoyment of the rest of it.

If you would have actually watched the entire thing, I'd be much more inclined to take your complaints seriously.

 

[matrix3509]

The ending made me mad... if i was a captain in the fleet i would've been like "No I don't want my spaceship launched into the sun fuck you Adama".

The Battle was cool ,but the show didn't need the ending technology is evil rant

You say that, but I doubt you would feel the same way if you had just spent the last 5-6 years couped up in a dilapidated space ship with no hope of survival. As Adama said, "Don't underestimate people's desire for a clean slate."

 

[Elim Garak]

Wait, robots and people shooting it out (in space!) in a battle to the death is ok even though it's fake because it's science fiction but "real" religious things are bad because they're fake?

LOL - never thought of it that way. Kind-of. IMHO the problem with religion is that it takes away the human capacity to reason. Replaces logic, intellect, and the scientific method with something that cannot be explained - and thus doesn't even need to be investigated. For example, I think that if people still believed in Zeus, then nobody would have discovered electricity.

Wouldn't "real" religious actions have a scientific explanation? Making them... science fiction?

Heh. True - if they had given it an explanation. Or even suggested that one might exist. Without that it becomes faith in space people.

 

[Elim Garak]

The ending made me mad... if i was a captain in the fleet i would've been like "No I don't want my spaceship launched into the sun fuck you Adama".

The Battle was cool ,but the show didn't need the ending technology is evil rant

You say that, but I doubt you would feel the same way if you had just spent the last 5-6 years couped up in a dilapidated space ship with no hope of survival. As Adama said, "Don't underestimate people's desire for a clean slate."

LOL, true, but I don't see everybody agreeing with the decision. They didn't have to carry even a single guy out of his or her ship? Remember how much Adama loved Galactica - he loved the ship itself. Why didn't anybody else form similar attachments?

I think that if Galactica was still space worthy Adama would not have suggested that they just go off into the wilderness.

 

[Antidamacus]

LOL - never thought of it that way. Kind-of. IMHO the problem with religion is that it takes away the human capacity to reason.

I'm curious what hokey religious part of the show you felt didn't stand up to any reason.

Replaces logic, intellect, and the scientific method with something that cannot be explained - and thus doesn't even need to be investigated.

Two things..

1. Your cold hard logic people were in the show you didn't watch. They were the big metal things with guns and no feelings. And Cavil, who specifically wanted what you just said.

2. How can "robots that look like people" and "faster than light travel" meet your levels of plausibility for a fiction but throw in a god and suddenly you're all "this isn't believable at all!"

For example, I think that if people still believed in Zeus, then nobody would have discovered electricity.

Only atheists can be scientists? Try again.

Heh. True - if they had given it an explanation. Or even suggested that one might exist. Without that it becomes faith in space people.

They did give an explanation. It was called "god". Would it make you feel better if that god was an alien?

Are you really that mad that a guy dressed in a white lab coat didn't pop up at the end of the series and explain everything to you? Would you have felt better if they described how a god could exist in this fake universe they thought up?

 

[Elim Garak]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the TOS was built upon religion just as much as the new series.

Huh? What are you talking about? There are two - count them, two - episodes that really went into the religious thing (beyond the level that Stargate did, anyway). One was a pretty bad episode of TOS - the Roman planet - and the other a much, much dumber episode of Voyager.

If any series depends on religion, it is BSG. The original story had to do with "Adam" and his "arc".

I don't get this whole stigma you seem to have attached to religious discussions in works of fiction, as if its somehow more off limits than any other controversial thing. There isn't really a single thing that happens in the series than can be convincingly chaulked up to "god(s) did it." Sure, there are a lot of really unlikely things happening, but isn't that par for the course in science fiction? Alot of the things you are complaining about (such as prophecies) are pretty cliche, I will admit, but again, thats par for the course in sci-fi/fantasy settings (genres which are becoming nigh impossible to separate these days).

I disagree. There were a ton of things that weren't explainable in any way. Shared waking hallucinations? Ghosts running around (Starbuck)? Music that everybody hears but doesn't understand - and which deciphers into jump coordinates for a specific planet? Shared dreams?

And what about the last shot of the series? Head Baltar told head 6 that "it" doesn't like to be called God. Unless you postulate a superintelligence with powers on the level of Q, that's religion right there.

The show never pushes the concept that the gods are real on anybody. There are plenty of characters that are or became atheists as the show progressed. In fact the only religious figure left by the end was Baltar. But, even he didn't really believe what he was preaching.

I disagree. The fact that unexplained and unexplainable things happen left and right sort of implies that they are stating that gods exist. Baltar is a special case that has been virtually tortured emotionally for years - but if at least they explained the invisible people, it would have made a little bit more sense.

The only character they purposly set up for a religious ending was Starbuck. While I did think they went over the top with her, it didn't take away my enjoyment of the rest of it.

If you would have actually watched the entire thing, I'd be much more inclined to take your complaints seriously.

That's the problem - I couldn't bring myself. I really, really didn't like it. The reason I watched now is that I hoped they explained the magic crap in some logical manner. But to the end virtually everybody behaved like total idiots - all the way from the cylons to Adama.

Only the tin cans were cool - probably because they didn't talk. If they could talk, the authors would probably had them spouting prophecies as well.