Journey to Earth

I am already on the record as being a big fan of the newest version of Battlestar Galactica (BSG).  It is what television should be: thought provoking, edgy, true to life where it counts, and fueled by a fertile imagination and talented cast and crew. This is a show that unflinchingly confronts some the toughest moral dilemmas in a way that is hugely entertaining, defies pat answers, and leaves an important place for the sacred and the spiritual.  There are no cut and dried divisions between “good guys” and “bad guys,” no cookie-cutter story-lines or simple solutions to difficult problems. Instead, we are faced with realistic, complex, imperfect people forced into an impossible situation, struggling to do the best they can.

 

In the words of BSG’s producer, Ron Moore, this show, “dare[s] us to invest ourselves in flawed characters who face ambiguous choices in an imperfect world.” Moore also states that the point of the show is “to raise questions in the minds of the audience, and make them think.” Questions like:

 

• Is it ever justifiable to sacrifice some lives for the sake of others?
• Is lying to and torturing a known spy acceptable if it might save thousands?
• Is political intrigue warranted if it is necessary to prevent a charismatic terrorist from taking office?
• Does a positive result justify the questionable risks accepted to achieve it?
• And is the survival of the human race even worth the trouble if we must abandon everything that makes us human to accomplish it?

You will find no easy answers to these questions here, nor will you find characters that always choose correctly, but you will be forced to consider all of them and more. There are no pious platitudes and this is no morality play, but it is a powerful human drama that presents a realistic (though fictional) theistic worldview through a great script, some fantastic acting, and quality special effects.

 

BSG also maintains a high view of organized religion that is almost unknown in contemporary television, especially science fiction. Even better, this is a show that allows not just a vague human “spirituality” in the tame Hollywood sense, but a truly active role for the divine.  With that said, BSG is also a show that explores some very “adult” themes; including wartime violence, torture and sexual promiscuity. It maintains a deep belief in moral truth, but an unflinching honesty about the struggles and ambiguities real people face in the struggle to survive. The theology is certainly not Christian, not even allegorically.  It has as much in common with ancient Greek myth as with traditional Christianity. But that’s OK, because this is not a show that asks to be accepted unthinkingly, but one to be chewed on and debated.

 

As I have now made my way through season 3, and have watched the first half of season 4, I find myself questioning whether the worldview of BSG can ultimately be reckoned moral or immoral.  I also find myself questioning the show’s underlying presumption about human life, and if it can be said to be true or a lie? And if it is a lie, it is the kind of lie that, in the words of noted theologian and philosopher Francis Schaeffer, is appropriate in art – a false vision that would provoke people to seek out the truth?

 

I am finding that questions like this can cut a lot deeper than the normal “how much swearing/sex/violence does it have?” Not that content-based questions aren’t valuable, but they can be misleading if that’s all we use to evaluate whether a piece of art is morally good or not. A bleak, unpleasant work of art can point to ultimate truth, and a squeaky-clean work of art might not.

 

Francis Schaeffer held a proposition that art can and does point to truth.  The question then is what is the truth?  And as Christians who hold the real Truth, how can we express it in today’s world?  It is interesting to note that Schaeffer, who died in 1984, saw much of the television shows of his day (including Star Trek and Star Wars) as “campy,” and predicted that as time went on, television dramas would get darker and more depraved because that is the state of our soul without a Savior. The BSG characters clearly show a state of hopelessness that has yet to be rivaled by any other TV show I have seen, as they are in an epic search of hope. They have led immoral and self destructive lives that led to their down fall, while the Cylon “villains” show more supplementary spiritual-centered lives and morality, however misguided.

 

Bottom line…yes, it is a depraved show; but, it shows the world as it is, the state we are all in and headed too.  The questions that come to my mind as I watch this drama unfold weekly include:

 

• How do we as Christians address the issues posed in shows like BSG?
• How do we show real hope?
• How do we articulate our “journey to Earth,” or in our case, faith in Christ?

 

As Schaeffer points out, it is our nature to seek the depravity without the Savior.  As a Christian, how do we show the Savior to a depraved mind?

 

I would love to hear your thoughts and responses to this post.