Question about BSG Finale

[catsclaw227]

In my opinion, much of the series from the very beginning dealt with highly spiritual matters, even if not readily apparent. And I am not talking religious matters, though the religious facade over spiritual matters manifested itself at times throughout.

From the existential "Who am I" question that Boomer experienced in the early episodes (interestly, Chief also questioned his existance at the same moments), to the creator/creation blanket that shrouded the entire series.

The ending pissed lots of people off, I imagine, because they saw the ending as a cop-out deus ex machina, but if you take the entire series together, watch it over a short period (including the 2-hr sub-stories like Razor), it really gels at the end.

It tested the idea of "humanity" and what it means, it leaned on the ideas of both science and creationism and stood it on it's ears. It showed weakness among the cylon.

Weakness? Weakness and vulnerability and guilt and betrayal and loyalty (not programmed, but emotional) in a machine? These are meant to be the domain of souls.

What's in a soul?

That is the question that I think the show finally asked. And I am glad that it never had the preposterousness to try to answer.

 

[Jack7]

In my opinion, much of the series from the very beginning dealt with highly spiritual matters, even if not readily apparent.

I agree.

What's in a soul?

That is the question that I think the show finally asked. And I am glad that it never had the preposterousness to try to answer.

I concur. Because in the end you can't really answer what's in a soul, but rather, what's in yours. And the point of art like BSG (or Lost for that matter) is not to provide answers, but to ask the kinds of questions that remind men that you won't find those answers in art. Or technology. Or science. Or even in religion. But only by living them.

Art, and science, and religion, they are all potentially very useful tools. I'm not implying otherwise. But in the end they are not men, and they are not souls, but rather the stuff of souls, and the matters of men.

I liked BSG by the way, and I liked the ending, for the most part.
I too was glad it ended not with a bang, but a whisper.

 

[Ahnehnois]

What's in a soul?

That is the question that I think the show finally asked. And I am glad that it never had the preposterousness to try to answer.

This is pretty much the philosophy of the showrunner, who seems to be a spiritual agnostic. Based on the commentaries throughout the show, the finale apparently follows this philosophy. The Six/Baltar at the end are superhuman entities of the sort that someone might describe as angels, but which are really beyond human understanding.

Personally, I found this conclusion entirely appropriate and satisfying.

 

[Banshee16]

In this context, "angel" is just a convenient word for what appears to be a unreasonably-albeit-incompletely-omnipotent supernatural manifestation. It could well be some kind of super-science or whatever.

Hmmm.....Gozer the Gozerien?

It all makes sense now...

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

So, Kara wasn't really the destroyer of humanity. She basically led humans to a situation where their society was ended......they went back to the stone age, or even earlier. But they did persist.

I was thinking, right before the end, that it was a setup whereby the survivors of the 13 colonies, and the Cylon rebels would create a civilization Earth that was, maybe, Atlantis...leading to all the myths of a highly advanced civilization of people in ancient times. But 150,000 years back? That's a long time for a story like that to persist.

It was pretty obvious when they found humans on the planet that this was an implication of the verity of some form of higher power guiding events.

Banshee