084 THE BSG (Battlestar Galactica and the politics of polytheism)

Weird Religion

With Brian having finally finished BSG, it is now time for Leah to guide him through thinking about its meaning and weird religious implications. Along the way, we’re offering a sampler of highlights from the world of religion and pop culture scholarship engaging with the show. We consider the gritty political context of the BSG universe and the show’s spiritual messages, and we ponder the fate of polytheism as a concept.

SOURCES CITED AND TO ENJOY

Professor Juli Gittinger: https://www.gcsu.edu/artsandsciences/philosophy/faculty-staff-department-of-philosophy-religion-and-liberal-studies

Dr. Shayna Sheinfeld: https://twitter.com/ShaynaSheinfeld

Zuleyha Çetiner-Oktem, “The Eternal Return, Gnosticism and Battlestar Galactica”: https://www.academia.edu/36062177/The_Eternal_Return_Gnosticism_and_Battlestar_Galactica

Barry Buzan, “America in Space: The International Relations of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica”: https://bit.ly/3J9f7Bo

Jay Twomey, “The Five That Remain: Versions of the Messianic in Battlestar Galactica”: https://bit.ly/3J9f7Bo

Van Leavenworth, “Making Starbuck Monstrous: The Poetics of Othering in Battlestar Galactica”: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpcu.12156

Chris Klassen, “Research Note: Rejecting Monotheism? Polytheism, Pluralism, and Battlestar Galactica”: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537900802373205