put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

[somedaybitch]

I also frankly enjoy watching Kara take on many of the traditionally male roles in the show, as the leading hero(ine), which more often than not involves being extraordinarily adept at more than one thing. (James Bond, anyone?) Some of it is just my own perverse pleasure at watching us explode gender roles and stereotypes and seeing Kara Thrace be the go-to character in a genre which typically demands that person be a man. And truth to tell, if she were still a he, I strongly suspect that this question wouldn't come up at all.

from Ron's latest blog entry.


:::goes back to watching "Hand of God" and ignoring the chick issues:::


okay, i lied. this part is also frakking perfect.

It's up to you to decide who you like and who you don't. Personally, I like all of them. I like their flaws and I like their virtues, and for me, it's not a matter of finding redemption for anyone as much as it is a matter of allowing each character to be true to who and what they are and finding the most emotionally truthful storyline for them each week.

Sure, Tigh's made bad decisions and he'll likely make more, but isn't it interesting how all the good he did last season, all the good decisions he made, are suddenly overshadowed by the few bad choices he made this season? Tigh saved the entire ship during the miniseries, held the crew together through the nightmare of "33", located the lost fleet in "Scattered" and knew how to defeat the Centurion boarding party in "Valley of Darkness," but now that he's made a few bad calls (and some were really bad) he's called a worthless loser. What does that say about the nature of heroism? Does it mean that bestowing the title of Hero is less about discerning the intrinsic nature of a man than it is simply another example of the old game of "Yeah, but what have you done for me lately?" We love you today, but if you screw up tomorrow, you're history. Maybe that's only fair. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to work. Maybe. Again, it's up to you to decide, you're the audience. Me, I love Tigh and Starbuck and all of'em. Warts and all.

sing it, brother.

:::*now* am really ignoring the chicks with chick issues and going back to ep viewing:::

Comments

[arthurfrdent.livejournal.com]

heh... but Mr. Moooooore, you are taking me in uncomefortable directions, and I don't know how to feel. Tell me how I should feeeeeel about the characters... ... ron gets up and gets a beer, and thinks 'probably shouldn't have started this whole blog thing'...

Doesn't bother me at all that Kara is all that... All the things that would make you a top pilot are there, INCLUDING the sheer moxie to apply those skills to new situations. She's in the military damnit. [For me it would be TOO perfect if she was also reeeeealy good with interpersonal relationships too. Although it could happen, the story needs her to be flawed like a real person.]

**And truth to tell, if she were still a he, I strongly suspect that this question wouldn't come up at all.**

you mean like no one is bitching about the character Lee is... or maybe they do and I missed it...

**"Yeah, but what have you done for me lately?" ** heh, everyone knows that coming through in an emergency, causes the emergency to be the new baseline... ;)

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

you mean like no one is bitching about the character Lee is... or maybe they do and I missed it...

nope, not that i've seen. what they bitch about regarding Lee is how he could help Roslin because he's OHMIGODMILITARY!!! well, yeah, but he's also human....and that's the part that makes him compelling to watch. cuz real officers get conflicted too.

**"Yeah, but what have you done for me lately?" ** heh, everyone knows that coming through in an emergency, causes the emergency to be the new baseline... ;)

ain't that the truth? and i ADORE that Tigh frakked up so badly while Adama was down, because it is so very in keeping with the character that was introduced in the mini.

[mirageofmae.livejournal.com]

Heh, I just thought "zing" when I read these... I hope it hit some people between the eyes. The idea that "if she were still a he, I strongly suspect that this question wouldn't come up at all" is such a true one. No one doubts that a male hero will rise again to save the day, pulling skills and tactics and miracles out of his ass.

But put a female in a traditionally male role and you've got some dissension. And she can't have depth, the painting and musical background? She can't have layers? It's alright that Lee can be a military brat, leader of men and women, a bit uptight, but still have read a banned book when he was on the fast track to a military career? I don't recall anyone complaining about that bit of depth.

I love how BSG is breaking through some of these gender (and other) stereotypes; with a female President and a smoking male doctor who's more likely to bite you with his bedside manner than to soothe you. It's a huge chunk of why I love this show: the constant breakthrough of humanity, real and visceral.

[somedaybitch.livejournal.com]

absofrakkinlutely.