Piloticians wish you a very happy Fourth of July!

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone! Happy 4^th of July! I hope you’re all having a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I’m Rachel, and it’s my pleasure to be hosting the DPP this week. I'm jumping the gun a bit by posting a day early, but I didn't want the 4th to pass without a chance to honor our pilotician heroes :)  I’m planning on posting a discussion topic each day except for next Sunday, which I’d like to leave open so that people who are too busy to comment every day can still have time to read over the weekly developments and add their thoughts to earlier posts at the end of the week.  Sunday will also be an opportunity for all of you to start new conversations as the spirit moves you :) But till then, you’re stuck with me! BWA-HA-HA-HA.

Today’s post is a split-personality patriotic celebration, half silly and half serious.

 

Silly first:

                                  VS                         

 Be Smarter.  And Wronger.                                               Sometimes you gotta roll the hard six.
 VOTE APOLLO / STARBUCK                                                      VOTE ROSLIN / ADAMA
           148,000 B.C.E.                                                                         148,000 B.C.E.

Let’s imagine presidential competitions between our favorite characters. I think Apollo/Starbuck versus Roslin/Adama could be entertaining (imagine the Vice Presidential debates!), but feel free to run our pilots against each other, or alone, or in different pairs as you see fit. Give them political slogans, bumper stickers, campaign posters, party names and platforms, or write a little snippet of their speeches and debates. Have fun!

 

And if anyone is in a more contemplative mood…

On the Fourth of July it seems only natural to think about the men and women of the armed services. I would say that BSG in general provided a positive view of the military, and we’ve certainly discussed what our pilots’ individual roles and callsign personas meant to them. But I’m curious: what do you think the military itself meant to them? What did they value about the ethics and lifestyle of the service? What did they dislike about it? Were Kara and Lee’s views of the meaning of their work similar or different? To what extent was soldiery their true calling at any given time?  What aspects of their personalities, good and bad, did it develop, which might otherwise have gone unrealized? It’s interesting to me that the military seems to have been a second choice for both of them. They were each pressured to join from an early age by a domineering parent, though both apparently planned to make their own way pursuing other careers (Lee was a reservist, and Kara had dreams of professional pyramid). Looking back, what do you think they’d say about this ‘second choice,’ and how it ultimately shaped their lives and the lives of others? And, not to get into any real life controversies, but if you’d like to share, I’d be curious as to whether having Kara and Lee as your favorite characters affected the way you thought about the military at all?

 

Comments

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I am a big fan of Lee as prez. I love that he comes into his own and seems more confident than he ever was as CAG. The "smack you in the mouth" scene exemplifies Lee's discomfort for me. It's funny how he's so comfortable making presidential decisions, but struggles a little more with being the CAG.

As for the military, I also love it in the show. I am generally not a fan of military tv, but there's a simplicity to the command structure that fascinates me. It adds an extra layer of tension to many of the interactions - especially Lee's defiance - it's not just a son defying a father, it's an actual punishable offense. There's also that bit in Pegasus where Roslin and Adama are speaking to Cain and Roslin mentions "forgetting" the military structure (and expressing recognition that Cain is a superior to Adama). It's a fascinating insight into the differences between civilian/military life.

I may return later with a campaign poster! Excellent DPP! HAPPY 4th of July!

(http://s784.photobucket.com/albums/yy126/scifishipper/BSG/BSG%20GIFS/?action=view&current=bsg-cheers.gif)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on all counts - I never really watched much military fiction until BSG (I couldn't handle "Saving Private Ryan" and tended to avoid "Full Metal Jacket"-style movies on the assumption that they'd make me miserable). I guess the exception were period pieces - early 19th century stuff like 'Horatio Hornblower' or 'Master and Commander.' But I do find the constant underlying tensions of power and duty fascinating. And I was moved by the cynical, adrenaline-fueled, but nonetheless real courage of so many characters.

Cheers!

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

And I was moved by the cynical, adrenaline-fueled, but nonetheless real courage of so many characters.

Yes, it's easy to forget how much courage it actually takes to fight against an enemy when your life might very well end. I love that BSG does not shy away from the terror of that, even when the soldiers are trained against the fear. I'm thinking about Starbuck coming back in the mini with a blown off tail section: the Chief asks how she landed the bird and she makes an off-handed comment about not wanting to think about it. Other characters make similar comments throughout. Of course, BSG doesn't really gloss over the pain and fear, does it. I think that's one of the things that makes it so remarkable.