By Chris Snellgrove
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The Battlestar Galactica remake is pretty traumatizing in lots of respects…in spite of everything, it is a collection whose backdrop is the apocalyptic near-genocide of all mankind. Apparently, one of many present’s most traumatizing moments got here early on within the Season 2 episode “Valley of Darkness,” which confirmed a dream imaginative and prescient of Commander Adama drowning a child. Producers had been involved that this is perhaps too traumatic for viewers, however Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore insisted on preserving the scene as a result of he felt prefer it constructed up the present’s lore in defining the connection between Adama and Dr. Baltar.
Battlestar Galactica Goes Onerous For Its Lore
This explicit Battlestar Galactica episode was already fairly dense in lore as a result of it had our characters go to Kobol, the unique ancestral dwelling of humanity earlier than mankind started colonizing the celebs. Whereas many issues occur on this episode, probably the most stunning is that Baltar begins receiving dream visions a few mysterious child, one which he palms to Adama. The Battlestar Galactica Commander drowns the infant in a really horrific second, however Ronald Moore insisted this scene was important to the present’s lore as a result of it confirmed that Adama was destined to be Baltar’s adversary.
As with so many issues within the Battlestar Galactica remake, followers weren’t capable of perceive the complete implications of this episode’s lore till a lot later. For instance, we finally study that Baltar’s imaginative and prescient was about Hera Agathon, the human/Cylon baby of Karl Agathon and Sharon Valerii. She was the primary such hybrid and was thought-about instrumental to God’s will by the model of the Cylon Six that resided in Baltar’s head.
Due to this fact, the dream sequence of this early Battlestar Galactica episode arrange some essential lore about this child and her eventual significance in addition to the antagonistic relationship between Commander Adama and Dr. Baltar. Producers wished to chop the scene as a result of they thought it will be too traumatic for viewers, however showrunner Ronald Moore insisted on preserving the scene to construct up the present’s mythos. The ultimate scene was one thing of a compromise: it confirmed Adama drowning the infant, however a few of the extra violent moments (like seeing the infant’s air bubbles on the floor of the water) had been finally minimize.
Looking back, this Battlestar Galactica episode’s infanticide dream sequence may be very complicated from a lore perspective. Certain, it units Adama up as an impediment to Baltar, however the Commander was by no means actually an enemy to Hera Agathon…in truth, the climax of the collection finale was Adama main his crew to rescue the kid, and he teamed up with Baltar to do it. Arguably, this dream sequence is certainly one of many issues from the present that show what Ronald Moore later admitted: regardless of the present’s opening insisting the Cylons “have a plan,” the showrunner did not have an iron-clad plan for the collection’ mythos or its finale.
These nitpicks apart, it’s enjoyable for any Battlestar Galactica fan to get perception into how Moore created the present’s lore. On this case, it was apparently a little bit of vibes-based storytelling the place an important factor was establishing Adama and Baltar as foes. Relating to the truth that Moore wasn’t afraid to traumatize viewers to construct up that lore, nicely…what else did you count on from a showrunner who by no means hesitated to make followers cry with one emotional intestine punch after one other?
