Battlestar Galactica 3.5: "Collaborators"
Written by Mark Verheiden
Directed by Michael Rymer
It would have been easy to skip over the consequences of the New Caprica Occupation, especially with everyone back on Galactica and dispersing throughout the Colonial Fleet. But the writers for “Battlestar: Galactica” have seldom taken the easy road, and it would be unfortunate to ignore the effects of the Occupation on the general population. This episode manages to explore those effects on a number of individuals while providing a logical excuse to put the Occupation behind them as much as possible.
In the most general terms, this is a case of politics serving the worst impulses of humanity. Zarek’s political goals, taken objectively, make a great deal of sense. Roslin will clearly resume her presidency, but her term of office would be dominated by the search for traitors and the need for justice and revenge. Zarek takes a draconian approach to the matter and creates a “jury” to weigh the evidence against apparent collaborators and execute them quickly and quietly.
One way or another, it seems that Zarek understood that some members of the fleet would be more willing to see the process through than others, so he lets Tigh run the show and pick the jury. On the face of it, using the members of the resistance makes sense, but it is a bit obvious. There’s little doubt that Roslin and Adama will know who stood on that “jury”, and so will a lot of people in the fleet. Why not choose less visible members of the resistance, if the idea is to help clear the air?
Roslin’s solution is purely political, because policy will not and should not change the hearts of the people. She sets a good example, but it’s definitely a case of following through on Zarek’s intentions. Roslin’s hands are clean, and now any action taken against the former collaborators will be illegal. The tensions should remain, however, until something happens to unify humanity once again.
All of this serves the greater purpose of exploring how individual characters are dealing with the post-traumatic stress. It’s not pretty, to say the least. Tigh has returned to some bad habits, but with a streak of resentment that puts him at odds with any moderating authority, including Adama. Part of it is a defense mechanism, because he doesn’t want to admit that he has regrets. But part of it is a belief that his actions were justified. The Occupation has left Tigh a far more interesting character.
Kara is also a complete mess, and it’s painful to see her deal with the self-loathing. Kara is angry for letting her emotions get the better of her, and she’s punishing everyone else around her as a result. She doesn’t feel worthy of happiness, so she acts in a manner that makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Within that psychological space, her quick and cruel end to her marriage with Anders is hardly surprising.
In keeping with his characterization this season, Tyrol tries to be the voice of reason. I’m not quite sure how Tyrol and Gaeda could have set up the information exchange without some kind of initial contact, but that’s a minor point of contention. Tyrol tries to find a way to make the process fair and moral, much as he did on New Caprica. He ultimately helps to save Gaeda, and perhaps that’s enough to assuage his conscience. It’s interesting to note, however, that he is the only one of the “jury” with a young child; he cannot help but consider the future consequences of his present actions.
Overall, this episode continued to explore the consequences of the Occupation, paving the way for the next turn in the season arc, which should come in the next couple of episodes. The subplot on the Cylon Basestar will inevitably lead into that next plot turn; otherwise, in terms of this episode, it was a somewhat unsatisfying excuse to explain why the Cylons permit Baltar to live. It will only work if the writers are willing to make it an important plot point. Given how they’ve done so far this season, that shouldn’t be a problem.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Directed by Michael Rymer
It would have been easy to skip over the consequences of the New Caprica Occupation, especially with everyone back on Galactica and dispersing throughout the Colonial Fleet. But the writers for “Battlestar: Galactica” have seldom taken the easy road, and it would be unfortunate to ignore the effects of the Occupation on the general population. This episode manages to explore those effects on a number of individuals while providing a logical excuse to put the Occupation behind them as much as possible.
In the most general terms, this is a case of politics serving the worst impulses of humanity. Zarek’s political goals, taken objectively, make a great deal of sense. Roslin will clearly resume her presidency, but her term of office would be dominated by the search for traitors and the need for justice and revenge. Zarek takes a draconian approach to the matter and creates a “jury” to weigh the evidence against apparent collaborators and execute them quickly and quietly.
One way or another, it seems that Zarek understood that some members of the fleet would be more willing to see the process through than others, so he lets Tigh run the show and pick the jury. On the face of it, using the members of the resistance makes sense, but it is a bit obvious. There’s little doubt that Roslin and Adama will know who stood on that “jury”, and so will a lot of people in the fleet. Why not choose less visible members of the resistance, if the idea is to help clear the air?
Roslin’s solution is purely political, because policy will not and should not change the hearts of the people. She sets a good example, but it’s definitely a case of following through on Zarek’s intentions. Roslin’s hands are clean, and now any action taken against the former collaborators will be illegal. The tensions should remain, however, until something happens to unify humanity once again.
All of this serves the greater purpose of exploring how individual characters are dealing with the post-traumatic stress. It’s not pretty, to say the least. Tigh has returned to some bad habits, but with a streak of resentment that puts him at odds with any moderating authority, including Adama. Part of it is a defense mechanism, because he doesn’t want to admit that he has regrets. But part of it is a belief that his actions were justified. The Occupation has left Tigh a far more interesting character.
Kara is also a complete mess, and it’s painful to see her deal with the self-loathing. Kara is angry for letting her emotions get the better of her, and she’s punishing everyone else around her as a result. She doesn’t feel worthy of happiness, so she acts in a manner that makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Within that psychological space, her quick and cruel end to her marriage with Anders is hardly surprising.
In keeping with his characterization this season, Tyrol tries to be the voice of reason. I’m not quite sure how Tyrol and Gaeda could have set up the information exchange without some kind of initial contact, but that’s a minor point of contention. Tyrol tries to find a way to make the process fair and moral, much as he did on New Caprica. He ultimately helps to save Gaeda, and perhaps that’s enough to assuage his conscience. It’s interesting to note, however, that he is the only one of the “jury” with a young child; he cannot help but consider the future consequences of his present actions.
Overall, this episode continued to explore the consequences of the Occupation, paving the way for the next turn in the season arc, which should come in the next couple of episodes. The subplot on the Cylon Basestar will inevitably lead into that next plot turn; otherwise, in terms of this episode, it was a somewhat unsatisfying excuse to explain why the Cylons permit Baltar to live. It will only work if the writers are willing to make it an important plot point. Given how they’ve done so far this season, that shouldn’t be a problem.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Battlestar: Galactica”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
posted by John Keegan | 15:30
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