What Battlestar Galactica Would Have Us Believe

Warning: this article contains details about the final season and series finale of Battlestar Galactica. If you have not seen these episodes and are planning on watching, please do not read further.

Friday night, the final episode of Battlestar Galactica aired on the SciFi Channel. Providing a closing to what has been one of the most successful and complex television science fiction series must have seemed a large burden for the writers. While behind the scenes information will eventually leak about how far in advance the ending was planned, if it was part of the original plan or something that came out along the way, the final episode will leave its own statement of the theme for the entire series.

The ultimate theme of Battlestar Galactica, a science fiction series set mostly in space, is that we should all hate technology and science. From the moment the twelve colonies’ defense network was compromised, leaving all of humanity under the protection of the least advanced battleship in the fleet, to the last episode of the series, where the remaining humans (along with human-cylons) decide to send their ships packing into the sun to settle down for the agrarian life on Earth 2 (really, our Earth), the moral of the series is the end result of human technology will be self-destructive and bad for us. Our planets will be wiped out by psychotic killer robots we created, and we will be left to fend for ourselves all over again. In the last moments of the final episode, they skip ahead 150,000 years to modern Earth, and play a little video montage of robots we have today, as if warning us that we are creating cylons that will destroy us even now.

The writers and producers of Battlestar Galactica would have us believe there is no point to science, mathematics, physics, or any of the thousands of disciplines that have advanced humanity. They would have us believe that a prior society would become so frustrated, tired, and perhaps angry of such advancements, that they would unanimously decide to eschew all technological innovation and leave themselves stranded on a planet to forget all they know. They would have us believe this society would leave behind the things that any scientist, doctor, nurse, technician, artist, or practitioner of almost any trade had worked to learn and start all over again as farmers, hunters, and gatherers. They would have us believe there would be no sense of curiosity, exploration, and innovation, that they would be a people completely without hope within themselves and anything they had done in their lives.

As much as I still believe the show is one of the highest quality science fiction shows ever created, and I believe the writing has consistently been excellent, I am disappointed in the final ending to the story; that the surviving humans and cylons have turned out to be our ancestors. I think they had to take the show somewhere, and they had to leave it on a note that would give it closure, but pulling a “find Earth and they all lived happily ever after” and a “now you know the rest of the story” lacked creativity and failed to deliver upon the promise of an otherwise great show. The show needed hope for an ending, and to place that hope in modern society by making us the heirs of the cycle of violence that led to Battlestar's tragedy, and making the entire show a warning on the dangers of technology is just a bit too hokey.

ConCarolinas 2008...

This weekend I attended ConCarolinas, a science fiction convention in Charlotte, NC.  As this was only the second convention of its kind that I have attended (Hickory Con two weeks ago was the first, although I would not compare them), I did not know what to expect about the activities, atmosphere, or people.  Contrary to what most people think, to what I have allowed many to think, I tend to be nervous about large groups.  I do not know if it was growing up in a small town, or something more along the lines of social anxiety, but I much prefer small groups of people I know than large gatherings with strangers.  That said, I ended up having a wonderful time at ConCarolinas, and look forward to going to more events like this in the future.

Arriving at the Marriott Executive Park, I went inside the hotel and found my way to the registration table.  After paying my fee for the weekend, I was given a program and name tag to clip on.  Again, really not big on name tags, either.  Looking over the program, I made out a list of panels I wanted to see and participate in, so at 7pm on Friday I went to the room that I thought was supposed to be "Sci Fi Trivia Battle".  After all, who doesn't love a little trivia.

The first rule of a convention is, make sure you have the right room.  I ended up in the room for the Suzie Plakson panel.  Suzie Plakson is an actress that has been in several Star Trek episodes as a number of various female aliens.  Considering it rude to get up and walk out at the beginning of the panel, I stayed along for the hour.  I am happy I did, as she turned out to be funny and entertaining for the entire discussion.  Even better, as I looked at her more, and read her bio in the program, I realized I remembered her from Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes when I was younger.  

Walking around the convention were a number of costumed participants.  Everything from Star Wars to Stargate and beyond were represented.  While many were still dressed in normal street clothes as well, most of the discussions I encountered were of a grade above those that I encounter in normal life.  I do not think I have been around such a large group of intelligent people in my life.  Yeah, most are what people would call outside the norm, but I liked it.  

The highlight of my convention came at my last event of the first night, when I attended the "Read my Blog" panel.  Ironically, I was the entire audience for a panel of three, but it ended up being a great discussion, and I learned so much in such a short time that I hope will be a positive impact on my desire to write.  So, I would like to send a very special thanks to James Maxey, J.F. Lewis, and Steven Euin Cobb for taking their time with me to discuss their books, writing, podcasting, and blogging.  

The second day was filled with more writing discussion panels, photos, and a little shopping.  I purposefully went to the discussion panel with Gary Jones, a regular on television's Stargate SG-1.  As a former improv comedian, he was absolutely hilarious!  Not something you'd expect from the guy that normally says "First chevron locked..."

This weekend was also a chance to get more practice with my new digital camera, a Canon Rebel XTi.  Definitely no buyer's remorse around here.  I will be posting some photos on the site soon of the weekend.  

So, off to another fun-filled week in the world of contract security.  I will be posting again at least by Thursday, and my regular schedule will be new content at least every Monday and Thursday.  

Have a good week.

How did I miss this?

Slashdot Poll-Favorite Sci-Fi Ship?


Be sure to follow the link to the results. The Millenium Falcon won out, but Serenity was a close second, followed by the NCC-1701 D (Star Trek: The Next Generation). Aside from being able to do the "Kessel Run" in record time, I would have voted for the NCC-1701 D; it seemed to have the comfort of an intergalactic cruise ship, opposed to the more spartan accommodations of the other ships. Besides, who wouldn't want a holodeck on board?

OK, now that I have far surpassed my self imposed geek limit for the day, I am going to bed. Work has been very hectic, but I am enjoying it immensely, and things have finally turned for the better.

I will be updating soon with what has been going on, it may be a good idea to subscribe to the RSS feed to get an automatic update, and if you don't know what one is, I'll explain soon. Promise.

Adios.

Speaker for the Dead...

Lately, I have been reading a series of science fiction novels written by Orson Scott Card. Known informally as the Ender series, it takes place in a distant future where mankind has begun colonizing distant planets due to lack of resources and population overcrowding. The first book in the series, Ender's Game, is about a war between humans and "buggers", a distant alien race similar to the bugs from Starship Troopers. Ender, the main character, is selected by the military as a small child, removed from his family, and placed in a training center to develop him into an incredible military tactician.

Normally, I do not like revealing too much about book and movie plots, but to lead into the concept of a Speaker for the Dead, I do need to discuss a little about what happens in the first book.

At the end of the Ender's Game, Ender is successful in defeating the buggers, but, also unintentionally succeeds in almost killing off their entire species, the only other intelligent life man had encountered to this point in time. Through his own guilt, and by encountering the last remaining hive queen of the buggers held in cocoon stasis, Ender comes to understand the true intentions of the bugger species, and through the pseudonym "Speaker for the Dead", writes a book on their behalf telling their complete story, and enlightening humanity of the tragedy of the bugger's xenocide. Leading into the second book, "Speaker for the Dead", Ender, in possession of the hive queen cocoon, begins to seek redemption by searching for a planet which will allow the buggers to live again. Ender becomes the first of many Speakers, leading a movement to better understand the dead by speaking the story of their lives in full truth, the good and bad.

It is the Speaker concept in the books which has grabbed my attention. According to Urban Dictionary: Speaker for the Dead-

Someone who retells the life of a deceased person. A Speaker for the Dead tells the story in all truth, holding back neither good nor bad, so that the deceased may be better understood.

I have been to several funerals in my life. Some have been pretty fast, less than a half hour. My great-uncle, who was a Baptist preacher, had a funeral that lasted over four hours and had seven preachers speaking. Most fall somewhere in between. Without getting into any sort of judgment about what makes a good funeral or a bad funeral, let me say, I think the funeral needs to reflect the person in whose honor it is held. My great-uncle's definitely fit him.

When I was a police officer, those closest to me made mention several times to have plans in order in case the worst happened. Obviously, it never did, but a couple of times, I actually sat down and thought about it, and what I would want my funeral to be. I have heard several people talk about what they wanted over the years; "it needs to be a party", "just put me in a box and bury me", or "I want so and so to sing" were common requests. I have had a lot of ideas over the years, but never one that just fit me.

I want someone to Speak my life at my funeral. I want someone to tell everything, the good, the bad, my successes, and my failures, without holding back or sugar-coating anything about it. I want it to be dead honest (forgive the pun), and I don't want it to turn into a religious crusade or someone else's idea of what a funeral should be. Not that there may be no mention of religion, I am a religious person and it should reflect my choices, but I want it to be about full remembrance of my life and how I have lived.

The Speaker should be carefully chosen, non-clergy, and preferably someone who did not know me in life; someone that can be objective and have no self-interests. He or she should have complete access to anything about my life, journals, people, and anything else about me. Someone of integrity, but also someone that tries to understand others in their own life; to see not only acts and deeds, but to also see the reasons underlying them. Finally, they obviously need to be able to write clearly and speak well. I can hardly stand in life to bear a poor speech or presentation, and I certainly do not want that in death.

Finally, several transcripts of the speech should be published, a copy to my family, a copy to the Smyth-Bland Library in my hometown of Marion, VA, and a copy to the library where I was living at the time of my death. It should also be published online, most fittingly as a last entry on either this blog or any other page or work I have at the time of my death.

I am still torn as to the disposition of my remains. I have hardly cared for my body in life, so I have great difficulty considering proper care in my death. If I am to be buried, I think it would either need to be at Round Hill cemetery in Marion, overlooking the town, or perhaps at Rosemont, where my grandparents are buried. If a wife or children proceed me in death, perhaps another preference will be made then. If there are no survivors to seek a tombstone, it is better to have none at all and cremate me. Spread the ashes somewhere warm and pretty, and leave them be. Whoever puts them in an urn on their mantle will be haunted for eternity!

In writing this entry, I have realized that it sounds awfully fatalistic of me. I note that I have no intentions or plans of dying anytime in the near future, by accident or my own accord. If this entry happens to have been written on or near my actual date of death (I sure hope not), it is purely of absolute coincidence or divine design, whichever you prefer to acknowledge.

By the end of the second book, humans have discovered another species of intelligent life, Ender yet another, and he finds a planet to resurrect the buggers. I have begun the third book in the series, Xenocide, where humanity again faces the option of destroying a complete species of intelligent life.

I was told this series was a good read, but when I started, I never thought it would be such as to finally lead me to my own choices about death. I do not know how it turns out yet, there are still several books to go. Hopefully, they won't ruin the comfort I feel knowing how I want to be remembered.

Now enough with this death stuff. Let's go live.

Coming out of the closet...

I have had a secret that has been privy to only my closest friends and family for many years. I have held it in shame since my early teens, when I became aware that it set me apart from the norm in the area I grew up. Every now and then, others have figured out my little secret through little slips, things I would say, or a point of view I might have that doesn't really fit with the exterior that I have projected over the years. As I have matured in life, I was hoping this would be something that would pass. I hoped I could go on with a "normal" life and put away the things of my past.
Perhaps it is living in a different area. Being around a more relaxed culture, and more people here that share in what I have considered my own secret that now causes me to come out and openly declare to anyone who will read.

I am a major nerd. Geek. Dork. Dweeb. Poindexter. Pocket protector jockey. That's me.

There. That part of it is out now.

I realize that the close observer had clues; my favorites lists on my Myspace page are a big giveaway. I think that is about the main giveaway I've had all these years.

So, what kind of geek am I? Well, let me count the ways.

I think it started with comic books. I blame that on my mother. She is a geek herself, but I think in her younger years she had even more limited access to media and like minds than I had. Thanks to my mother, my first memory is seeing Superman II at a movie theater when I was 3. Extreme early memory, I know, but that was the impression it left. The first book I could read on my own was a well weathered Spider-Man children's book. After that, my mother would get me comics as a reward, or even a just because sort of treat. Secretly, I think she enjoyed them as much as I did.
Next up on the list was my early interest in taking things apart to figure out how they work. I have been told a story of when someone bought me a digital watch I had been wanting when I was around 5 years old (I think wanting a watch at 5 is a sign unto itself). As the story goes, I had it all of five minutes before I took it apart to figure out how it worked.
Then, there were cartoons and toys. I grew up in the action figure golden era in the 80's of He-Man, GI Joe, and the ultimate toy for any curious young boy as myself, Transformers.
Then, there was Star Trek. Not the original, Kirk kicks alien ass Star Trek, but the utopian Star Trek of my age, The Next Generation. I remember sitting down to watch the pilot episode on a Saturday night, and from there I was hooked.
Through intermediate school, my favorite classes were my science classes. I took advanced courses in BASIC, LOGO, and even tagged along with my aunt to a computer class at her college where I remember having something to say in the class. I had a really clear interest. I would get those Radio Shack electronics kits and learn to wire circuits and electromagnets. I built model jets and cars.
I was into a lot of technical stuff at a young age, but I also began to have some social problems. As my teenage years hit, my social problems became greater than my other interests, and I began to do the things that truly interested me less and less due to a desire to fit in. I never really found anyone like me that I wanted to be around in my area. There were a couple of guys that were really, really, smart, but I didn't quite fall into their area either. So, I kind of sold out and went with the crowd. I'd like to say part of it was a shitty seventh grade science teacher that about killed all interest in science for me, but ultimately, it was a really great seventh grade civics teacher that turned on my interest in law.
Now I have found that I have never really stopped being that dorky kid that took apart the first watch I was ever given. I still like computers, sci fi, and thrive on various documentaries and other edutainment. I'll peruse Discover and Scientific American if I get a chance, and have a subscription to Wired running three years now. I have a shelf full of fantasy books and I love going to Renaissance fairs. I understand Hawking and quantum theory, and I've managed to keep hold of my coin and comic book collections through all of my moves and changes. I like tinkering with things, and I can take apart, upgrade, and repair computers like second nature. I run Linux, for Christ's sake.

So, why have I still been in denial about this to everyone? I think I still have some of the fear that I will not fit in that I did when in my early teens. I am almost 30 years old now. There are some things in my life that, as they have been here this long, will be here for years to come, probably the rest of my life. It's time for me to accept what I am and roll with it. So, here is to not being afraid to be me now. I am still everything I was yesterday. Just in my line of things that I admit to being, cheap, asshole, etc, I'll now openly add geek to that list.