Comments | no_takebacks: DPP: BSG Without Pilots

winegums in no_takebacks

DPP: BSG Without Pilots

Mar 19, 2012 19:22

Hello, Shipper Nation, and welcome to this week's DPP!

Today's question is one that I suspect very few of us (self included) like to think about too often, or at all: what if there were no pilots?BSG is a big show, with a massive cast to match. Our pilots, much as we love them and important as they were, were just two of those, and their story ( Read more... )

what if?, dpp, daily pilots post, my otp are hot space pilots

Comments 60

kballgetlost March 19 2012, 16:57:55 UTC

Oooh....gonna have to give this one a resounding NO!!! No pilots at all???? Now don't get me wrong, the show has a lot of merit without them BUT they were so central to not just each other but so many of the other characters that I just can't see the show working without them. The relationship between Bill and Lee and all that backstory needs to be there for Adama's character, and without Lee where would all that tension with Roslin in the first season be? How would it have resolved without Lee siding with Roslin and being the common factor between Roslin and Adama?

And Kara? What about her relationship and backstory with Bill? Not to mention her as Galatica's top gun shaping most of the other pilots and their attitudes.

And that doesn't even get into everything that would be missing if those two didn't exist with each other. There are plenty of fantastic moments from the show, but a large majority of them involve pilots.....so I just can't see it without them.

winegums March 19 2012, 17:15:30 UTC

That's so true. Bill, for one, would lose so much character-wise if you removed Lee and Kara from the picture. I can imagine that plot devices could cover the gaps left by pilots' actions, but without them the show wouldn't be quite itself, no matter what RDM thinks.

scifishipper March 19 2012, 17:44:26 UTC

I was pondering this question as I ate my lunch and my first response was that I would have shipped Adama/Roslin. And I might have even gotten fannish about them because you know, she died and all. (And because honestly, I *ALWAYS* ship no matter what. I don't even know of a show I don't ship on - IDK maybe SVU, but nothing else comes to mind ( ... )

anamarya March 19 2012, 18:23:16 UTC

I can say I doubt I would have ever identified so strongly with a character like I do with Lee. IDK. Has never happened, will probably never happen again.

*cries inconsolably*

Don't get me wrong but AMEN, sister!

*joining your in crying*

workerbee73 March 19 2012, 18:27:39 UTC

I had declared up above that I hardly ever ship-- but now I'm curious. When you say you always ship, does it mean you're always rooting for some couple or other and hope they get together, or are you talking hardcore fangirling? Because I feel generally nice and magnanimous towards lots of ships, but I never really ever think about them once I turn off the TV. And that's where pilots stray into totally different territory. THEY EAT MY BRAIN. And no other ship has ever done that. For everyone else it's like "Aww, they're cute. Wouldn't it be sweet if they got together?" But I never lose sleep over it. I never obsess over it or write fic about it or would ever consider drinking a fifth of bourbon by myself if things ended badly for them in a field.

Um yeah. So I guess for me, there's casual shipping and then hardcore-threaten-to-ruin-my-life-and-all-that-I-hold-dear shipping. (And for the record, I'm gld the latter has only happened to me once. I don't think I could handle another one of these. ;P)

What say you?

winegums March 19 2012, 18:37:03 UTC

For everyone else it's like "Aww, they're cute. Wouldn't it be sweet if they got together?"

Exactly! And then once they get together and then break up, it's all "oh hey, here's a new love interest! They're cute too!" It's like being distracted with shiny things.

And that's where pilots stray into totally different territory. THEY EAT MY BRAIN. And no other ship has ever done that.

EXACTLY. I'm glad not to be the only shipping virgin who first saw the light with these two. And like you, I'm glad pilots are so unique because I don't think I can take feeling this way about another couple ever again.

Thread 17

rayruz March 19 2012, 19:30:45 UTC

Starbuck's special brand of female badassery is so damn iconic, I'm not sure if I would have particularly cared as much. Though, my BSG!mom was a Gaius/Six shipper, she would have still been into it and probably would have asked me to watch... but I'm not sure I would have had as much investment in it? I mean... I would have appreciated it for the political stuff... but Kara's my baby dammit and I identify with Lee so hard... ugh I do not like this thought.

But it would still be a great show...but I don't know how emotionally invested I'd be?

winegums March 19 2012, 19:42:26 UTC

I know, I would have watched it for crazy!Gaius lols and maybe on my own part, some Laura fangirling, but it'd be easy to let go of it instead of biting my nails and eventually whimpering/crying my way through heaven knows how many episodes.

BSG without pilots would probably still be a good show, just not quite as intensely gripping for most of us. The characters are why I got emotionally invested in the first place, and without my two favourites, it wouldn't matter as much.

ninety6tears March 19 2012, 20:31:29 UTC

I would have still been pretty interested in the show at least from the start; I might not have been as into it in later seasons. I remember being very invested in Laura Roslin as a character and eventually Adama/Roslin, but they just weren't as interesting or admirable in the final season in particular. It might have needed Helo being more of a central character and his relationship with Sharon being more developed for me to stay interested.

winegums March 19 2012, 22:27:32 UTC

lol yes. It's surprising how one-dimensional they managed to make the whole 'falling in love with a Cylon' thing in his case, I can't believe he found it so easy to buy what she told him about things feeling real to her when they were actually Boomer's memories she had.

ninety6tears March 19 2012, 23:43:28 UTC

Yeahhh...I definitely wasn't opposed to the pairing but I would have liked to get more of a feeling for why they were so trusting and devoted to each other outside of their status as parents; but even though they were kind of cute later on as this unusually functional little family, their entire romance was defined by the fact that they had a child together.

winegums March 20 2012, 19:05:37 UTC

their entire romance was defined by the fact that they had a child together.

So true. Hera basically removed all conflict between them before Boomer came along. As far as human/Cylon relationships go, even Gaius/Six (either Caprica or Head!Six) were more interesting, even if it was a parade of crazy at times.