Battlestar Galactica: A Mirror

I have head it said that science fiction can provide a mirror to ourselves and our society.  This is certainly the case with the new Battlestar Galactica series on the Sci-Fi channel. Tonight is the second episode of the 3rd season of the TV show.  While many people may think of all sci-fi as “hard science fiction” wherein the story is about future technology and its effects, much of modern science fiction (including Battlestar Galactica) takes a different, more human-centered approach.  This show is what I can only describe as hyper-realistic.  The situations are true to today’s political and moral dilemmas. The storylines are not about the technology – in fact there are only enough technological differences in the series and our own current reality to allow a change of setting.  This series takes a hard look at the way we really are and it is often not a pretty sight.  The show has dealt with very relevant issues of the day: genocide, the treatment of prisoners, election-rigging, and terrorism.  Recently the storyline has dealt with the motivations of people held under a foreign occupation.  It puts ideas of terrorism, collateral damage, and morality in a time of war into a new perspective.  This is what science fiction can do at its best – hold a mirror to ourselves and our current situation. If this show had been set in a more “realistic” genre we might have missed the insights that are brought out. To stay with the analogy, in a more “realistic” genre, perhaps the mirror is too close to see the whole reflection. Battlestar Galactica provides a mirror at just enough of a distance that we can see ourselves and our society.