Battlestar Galactica Theology

[qos]

I've only watched the miniseries and the first two eps of season one ("33" and "Water") but one topic is becoming increasingly prominent to me.

I might not have even noticed fully if athenian_abroad hadn't raised the subject of the Cylons' monotheism: but it's fascinating to me how the representative of the mechanical race speaks so frequently of "God," and what a clear distinction she makes between those who created her race and the being she calls "God."

Unless I'm mis-remembering my classwork, it's almost gnostic: the separation of the Divine One from the fallen 'demiurge' who is the creator of the material world.

And unfortunately, that's all the mental horsepower I can muster on this topic tonight.

Comments

Hmm...

[princesca.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I got the monotheism part, but the separation she makes between God and a creative force hasn't been prevalent, in my mind. She does speak of the human race as their 'parents', with the Cylons as their 'children'... so I suppose I simply let the metaphor rest at that. I did, however, find the idea of the more 'advanced' society (Cylons) being monotheistic, while the less 'advanced' society (humans) is still pagan/polytheistic.

Do you think they're trying to make a thinly-veiled comment that monotheism is the way of an advanced people? And if so, what happens with the third generation? Does it go from polytheism, to monotheism, to 'enlightened' belief in only science, technology, or nothing at all?

In some ways, it reminds me a little of Elizabeth Hand's life-changing book (for me, anyway) Waking the Moon. She writes about the push and pull of matriarchal versus patriarchal religion, and the positives and negatives of both, and similar concepts are fairly plainly illustrated in BSG. I just wonder how much we can buy in to those stereotypes.

I have no idea if these thoughts make sense. I'm having a low blood sugar moment. ;)

[bbovenguy.livejournal.com]

There's more to come. Ron Moore has said in a number of interviews that he wants to explore the Cylons' belief system and their motivations behind what they're doing. But the gnostic aspects don't really hold up, or at least it didn't look that way to me.

You'll get to see a lot more of the humans' religious beliefs, too.

[preacha.livejournal.com]

Ok, this is totally off the subject, but I think I need that icon every day. I swear Mr. Spock was my surrogate father. I saw his picture on your post and I wanted to go wrap my arms around his shinbone and never let go! Hmmmm...I sense I am craving security right now. Fascinating!