Since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by the Arthurian legends. They were amongst my favorite stories as a boy and I continue to seek out novels and books about King Arthur and his knights to this day. The stories certainly have an epic quality. They tell of the rise and fall of an ideal kingdom in England, where knights defended the rights of the helpless, completed impossible quests, and battled mysterious, magical enemies. Some of the characters, such as Galahad, are virtuous beyond reproach. But most, like Gawain, Lancelot, Guinevere, and even Arthur himself possess real flaws and struggles. Ultimately, despite mistakes and disasters, they respond heroically to the threat of evil, and vanquish it. Early exposure to those stories predisposed me to love tales of epic adventure, and gave me an appreciation for heroes that overcame their own shortcomings to triumph.
I guess that is one reason that I love Battlestar Galactica. It is a grand adventure story in which a group of men and women, faced with overwhelming odds, fight to protect the last remnant of humanity. A group of warriors battle to protect the innocent and helpless from an unfeeling, ruthless enemy. In many instances, the characters do not only have to overcome near impossible circumstances, but they must struggle inwardly to do what is noble and right. Time and again we’re shown heroes that choose to take the path that is more difficult because it is morally the right course to take. When I was young, I looked up to characters like Apollo, Adama. Starbuck, Boomer, and Sheba. They were heroes that were worthy of emulation.
I have many complaints about the new mini-series. But one of my chief complaints is that, from all I have learned, the characters appear to be devoid of the inner nobility that I’ve discussed. Rather than a group of men and women who work to overcome their external and internal problems to protect and preserve the greater good, we have a group of undisciplined thugs that are primarily self-centered, but who occasionally can work together when their won survival is on the line. There’s no grand sense of purpose, just a desperate attempt to avert disaster before returning to infighting and selfish pursuits. Not a role model in the bunch. At least, no positive ones.
If you want heroes, look to the original series. They’re the kind of heroes I’d like my son to be exposed to. The kind of heroes I still want to emulate. And, as Jewels rightfully pointed out, heroes come in all genders and ethnicities.
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