Battlestar Galactica

Though things have been busy around here lately, I have found the time to slowly continue working our way through Battlestar Galactica. We are currently 2 or 3 episodes away from the end of season 4 (the first half), and knowing that things are ramping up to the end of the series, I have begun to think about some of the overarching themes of the show. Adding to this, I have been reading a lot about the way fans deconstruct and relate to various tv-shows, so I am deep in the analytical mindset.

Some of the things that I really like about BSG is the characters, the fact that they aren't all shiny, perfect and new. The characters are broken and hurting, complex and definetly not nice. They are real people and it is painful to watch them struggle with hard situations in which there are no right answers. This is particularly true for Laura Roslin, who I think is one of the most interesting characters. She was recently pointed out as a wonderful female role-model, demonstrating that you don't have to be butch or physical to be strong and effective.

Religion is obviously one of the big themes of the show. The writers have focussed mainly on the emergence of a powerful and seductive new monotheistic religion and the effect this has on the polytheistic people of the fleet. Interestingly, this feeds directly into the way that people have traditionally dehumanized followers of different faiths, as this new religion comes from the Cylons. The Cylon's humanity is repeatedly questioned throughout the course of the show, and as the new religion gains more ground among the human fleet, we see more human-like interaction between the humans and Cylons.

Finally, in the last episode we watched, Laura Roslin and Bill Adama finally admitted their love to one another, making the relationship most integral to the plot a romantic one. Interestingly for a modern show, these characters do not fit into the young and sexy mold. This, in my opinion, is awesome and I fully approve! (Please don't spoil me for what happens next. . )

So does anyone have any thoughts on any of these aspects of BSG? Other shows?

Experiencing the divine and pilgrimage

I listen to a really good podcast The Dark Side of Fey. The most recent episode was a thought-provoking one on Experiencing Deity. The discussion itself was fascinating, and an issue that I have struggled with myself, it triggered some thoughts on recent issues concerning experience and archaeological sites.

My field work is located very close to the famous site of Catalhoyuk. This site is now the pilgrimage location of many different goddess groups due to some scholarship from the 60's that suggested that the Neolithic community living at Catalhoyuk were goddess-worshippers. While this interpretation is no longer accepted in the archaeological community (many of the images are now believed to be bears rather than women), the pilgrims continue to come and are an integral part of the experience of visiting Catalhoyuk.

To these women, and indeed any pilgrim of any religion, the act of travelling to some particular location brings them closer to the divine and allows them a truer experience. I find this difficult to reconcile. On the one hand, I am a pantheist and believe that all things are divine, therefore no one location will provide a "better" or "truer" experience than another. On the other hand, I truly believe that you gain a better understanding for having visited a site, and have submitted many grant applications for a research trip through the Middle East based on this very belief.

Does location matter?

It seems as if I'm a hypocrite, because I would say that it didn't matter for spiritual reasons, but for academic reasons it does. But, my spiritual beliefs center around the understanding that divinity is everything and that there should be no separation. How does that work??!

Having this contradiction handed to me means that I need to reevaluate my assumptions, and I think it is very true that different experiences are available in different locations. You see/feel/smell/taste/etc different and therefore travelling is very valuable (thank goodness!), but I can't justify prioritising one experience, or one person's experience over another. All are perfectly valid and valuable, and should contribute a person's understanding of the world.

This means that the women who travel to Catalhoyuk to experience the lives of the "goddess-worshippers" will gain something from their trip, but also means that they should not think that it is the only place they can connect.