Amid a heated labor dispute, Tyrol asks the imprisoned Baltar for advice. Seelix becomes involved and reveals that she may have romantic feelings for Tyrol.
Another wonderful episode to Battlestar Galactica. And like so many of them, it touched on major societal issues that humanity faces every day. Class warfare; working conditions; unions; skilled versus forced labor; the rise of charismatic, socialist leaders in exploited labor populations.
Such an amazing show. And centered on Tyrol as well!
The story fits right in with Ronald Moore's aim to portray the survivors in the fleet in a realistic manner. We've seen episodes about food shortages (The Passage) and radical insurgents (Bastille Day). Now we have a story about the harsh working and living conditions, along with the simmering tensions about perceived inequalities among members of the various colonies.
I liked how the producers made an effort to film in a factory-like area onboard the refinery ship. For those who might be wondering why the refinery operations aren't automated, I'm sure much of the equipment was improvised when the ships fled the initial Cylon attack. Also, there may have been a general prohibition against using industrial robots in the Colonies after the failed experiment with the Cylons in the first place.
The differences among the Colonies is far more realistic than the monolithic cultures we see in most sci-fi series. For example, in the Star Trek series, even though there are different alien races, the human race is usually portrayed as a single culture. The nationalities of Scotty and Chekhov on the original series were never really explored in depth.
Some may say that it wouldn't be realistic for the workers to strike when their actions could jeopardize the entire human race if the Cylons attacked. I would disagree with that. I've met numerous people in real life who are so bent on their causes that they would rather have a project or organization fail than to "give in" to the "other side," whatever that may be. I found the attitudes of Cabott, Fenner and Tyrol to be very realistic. (Not saying that I agree with all of their actions though.)
I truly think this episode marks another high point of the series. And it managed to hit its marks without involving the Cylons at all. A masterful piece of writing and an interesting treatment of some touchy socioeconomic topics.
Such an amazing show. And centered on Tyrol as well!
The story fits right in with Ronald Moore's aim to portray the survivors in the fleet in a realistic manner. We've seen episodes about food shortages (The Passage) and radical insurgents (Bastille Day). Now we have a story about the harsh working and living conditions, along with the simmering tensions about perceived inequalities among members of the various colonies.
I liked how the producers made an effort to film in a factory-like area onboard the refinery ship. For those who might be wondering why the refinery operations aren't automated, I'm sure much of the equipment was improvised when the ships fled the initial Cylon attack. Also, there may have been a general prohibition against using industrial robots in the Colonies after the failed experiment with the Cylons in the first place.
The differences among the Colonies is far more realistic than the monolithic cultures we see in most sci-fi series. For example, in the Star Trek series, even though there are different alien races, the human race is usually portrayed as a single culture. The nationalities of Scotty and Chekhov on the original series were never really explored in depth.
Some may say that it wouldn't be realistic for the workers to strike when their actions could jeopardize the entire human race if the Cylons attacked. I would disagree with that. I've met numerous people in real life who are so bent on their causes that they would rather have a project or organization fail than to "give in" to the "other side," whatever that may be. I found the attitudes of Cabott, Fenner and Tyrol to be very realistic. (Not saying that I agree with all of their actions though.)
I truly think this episode marks another high point of the series. And it managed to hit its marks without involving the Cylons at all. A masterful piece of writing and an interesting treatment of some touchy socioeconomic topics.
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