By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 32 seconds ago
Battlestar Galactica is the most successful reboot of a series in history. The change from the horrible Galactica 1980 with its reliance on stock footage and annoying characters to the dark, grim tone of Ronald D. Moore’s reboot was a hit.
It also helped that the more mature series was able to tap directly into the state of American politics of the early 2000’s and managed to turn the Cylons into an obvious metaphor for the rampant paranoia that reshaped society. Episode 6, “Litmus” is when the subtle metaphor was delivered to the audience with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer as the colonists trade freedom for safety and security.
The Paranoia Of Battlestar Galactica’s Skinjob Cylons
Following the water-tank sabotage in Episode 2, “Water,” and a Cylon suicide bombing by a copy of Number Five (Matthew Bennett), Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) orders Sergeant Hadrian (Jill Teed, a guest star on every 90’s/00’s sci-fi series) to launch an investigation that, at her urging, is an independent tribunal. The news that the Cylons can now appear in human form can’t be kept a secret any longer. President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) makes the announcement to the Colonial Fleet, hoping that while it’s going to stoke paranoia, it will ultimately lead to the capture of any more Number Two and Number Five models hiding in plain sight.
Roslin’s announcement is a large, neon sign that might as well point directly to the Bush administration’s actions after 9/11, when, in an effort to protect the public, the TSA was created as an extra layer of security at all airports, and a large, nationwide campaign was set up asking for civilians to share tips with the FBI on anything strange and suspicious they see. Countless shows and films tapped into the political movement of the time to either show how its punishing citizens, or is a necessary evil. It’s a complex question, how can you protect a society without informing them of a very real danger, but then again, that danger may or may not actually be there, and if anyone can be a Cylon, isn’t that setting up a witch hunt?
Battlestar Galactica Showed There Are No Easy Answers
Hadrian’s tribunal comes across as a witch hunt in-universe, but to the viewer, we know how close she came to finding out the truth. Focusing on a hanger hatch that was found open, which led to a room with a dead marine and the missing explosive cache, Hadrian questions Chief T yrol (Aaron Douglas), who tries to turn the security failure back on her, when Hadrian lays a verbal reverse-UNO and says the real security concern is Boomer (Grace Park). Unknown to her, Hadrian is able to piece the entire puzzle together, from Tyrol and Boomer’s relationship to the pilot’s true nature as a Cylon.
Adama shutting down the Tribunal and declaring it a witch hunt is both satisfying, as Tyrol and Boomer are sympathetic characters, and horrifying since Hadrian was on the cusp of putting Boomer, an actual Cylon, away. Instead, Hadrian’s the one arrested, and Socinus, a low-ranked specialist on the flight deck, takes the fall for the hatch being opened. Tyrol argues that his friend is covering for him, and comes clean about the relationship with Boomer, but Adama forces the Chief to leave with the consequences of his actions.
“Litmus” was written by Jeff Vlaming, a name you might not know, but he wrote for The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., NCIS, Xena, Stargate Universe, The X-Files, Fringe, and even more sci-fi hits during his long career. It’s a testament to his skill that Battlestar Galactica’s sixth episode wasn’t subtle at all in what it was really about, but managed to leave open the question of which path, Hadrian’s or Adama’s, was the correct one to take. It comes down to the viewer’s personal politics and philosophy, but as with most of the questions that the series raises, there’s no easy answer.
