This is War
Hello everyone, I hope your weekend is starting off well!
In the US, of course, this is memorial day weekend, and that's gotten me thinking about BSG as a specifically military drama. My husband and I have sometimes said that we thought BSG was a better military show than it was a sci-fi one; those gritty, realistic elements were often the ones that struck our emotions most strongly and got us thinking about ethical issues that might actually play out in the real world. I'm curious about how you think BSG compares with other war dramas set in real history -- series like Band of Brothers, or films like Saving Private Ryan, Patton, The Great Escape, Twelve O'Clock High, Valkyrie, etc. Do you think the BSG story and actors could have worked just as well in the setting of a historical or modern war, or in the aftermath of a nuclear exchange between real superpowers? Did the sci-fi elements create important story-telling opportunities? Did making the enemy into robots allow the creators to side-step any important ethical or dramatic issues about warfare? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Saving Private Ryan?
In the US, of course, this is memorial day weekend, and that's gotten me thinking about BSG as a specifically military drama. My husband and I have sometimes said that we thought BSG was a better military show than it was a sci-fi one; those gritty, realistic elements were often the ones that struck our emotions most strongly and got us thinking about ethical issues that might actually play out in the real world. I'm curious about how you think BSG compares with other war dramas set in real history -- series like Band of Brothers, or films like Saving Private Ryan, Patton, The Great Escape, Twelve O'Clock High, Valkyrie, etc. Do you think the BSG story and actors could have worked just as well in the setting of a historical or modern war, or in the aftermath of a nuclear exchange between real superpowers? Did the sci-fi elements create important story-telling opportunities? Did making the enemy into robots allow the creators to side-step any important ethical or dramatic issues about warfare? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Saving Private Ryan?