By Chris Snellgrove
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Whereas issues have gotten progressively higher, many nonetheless see science fiction as a style that primarily appeals to males. Due to this, sci-fi showrunners are significantly delicate about airing something which may doubtlessly drive away feminine viewers. An incredible instance of that is “The Farm,” a Battlestar Galactica episode whose plot about ladies being pressured to turn into “child machines” made the manufacturing crew fear they’d lose their feminine viewers.
To know why producers frightened about “The Farm” a lot, you might want a fast recap on what this episode was about. Whereas the B plot concerned Commander Adama and President Roslin vying for management, the A plot concerned Starbuck linking up with the Resistance on Caprica earlier than the Cylons captured her. She wakes up in one of many titular farms, which she discovers are specialised prisons through which the Cylons use ladies to attempt to create man/machine hybrid kids.
In its personal method, “The Farm” is among the creepier Battlestar Galactica episodes as a result of it exhibits the depths of depravity that the Cylons are able to and that there are fates actually worse than dying for the surviving members of humanity. Plus, the Cylon Simon spouts off about how child-bearing ladies are a “valuable commodity,” which echoes a few of the nastier real-life debates over the position that ladies ought to play within the face of inhabitants decline. For all these causes and extra, the episode’s manufacturing crew frightened this specific story would drive feminine viewers away.
This tidbit about “The Farm” involves us courtesy of Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore’s podcast commentary for the episode. He revealed that a few of his manufacturing crew thought that the episode’s story was so darkish that it could drive ladies away from the present. These considerations affected manufacturing, and Moore disclosed that solely the Season 2 episode “Valley of Darkness” had such a contentious course of.
Apart from the final plot factors of “The Farm,” the Battlestar Galactica producers have been additionally involved about particular story beats, together with the heavy suggestion that Simon had given Starbuck a pelvic examination. It definitely match into the awful story through which Starbuck destroys Cylon equipment and successfully dooms ladies who make clear that they’d quite be lifeless than be “child machines.” The producers pressured forward with the episode, however they have been understandably frightened that every one of this might drive lots of the feminine viewers away from this new present proper when it wanted as many individuals watching as potential.
“The Farm” is a good episode of Battlestar Galactica, however we are able to’t assist however assume this story of its troubled manufacturing is simply as fascinating as something we noticed onscreen. In any case, the producers have been proper to be involved…it’s an episode that paints human ladies as particular targets of Cylon violence, all whereas not-so-subtly drawing consideration to the sorts of sexual assault actual ladies are topic to on daily basis. It’s a miracle the episode made it to air, however the actual fact that Ronald Moore and the remainder took such an opportunity is simply another reason BSG is probably the most bold sci-fi present ever made.
