The mini-marathon last night got me thinking about this. And I'm not talking about the complex human-cylon relationship - I'm talking about in real American terms. The original series had a much better integrated cast and black characters that were greater parts of the show. Does adding central hispanic and asian characters really make up for the lack of black actors on the show?
Out of the entire human population in the civilian and military fleets, there have only been two black characters. One completely minor, and the other the subject of an entire episode (which exposed Admiral Adama's abandonment of him in Cylon territory previously.
How do we even attempt to measure racism in a science fiction show? Is it just that there weren't that many blacks that escaped Caprica, the colonies and New Caprica? Earth presumably represents the Atlantis-like 13th Colony, and those settlers came from the same places as the other members of the fleet. We know empirically that earth has a diverse racial/ethnic mix (which are meaningless terms outside of politics - biology and genetics have demonstrated that there is more variation within racial groups, than there is between them).
At least the show makes up for the extreme lack of diversity by beginning to address class issues that exist on the fleet and its original (now destroyed) civilzation.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
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I will admit the lack of credible black characters bothers me about the new Battlestar Galactica. As progressive and creative as the show appeared to be, I was surprised to see that the producers didn't seem to put forth the slightest effort to even match the original show's black cast (I would have thought they would have exceeded it.) It's too bad because while I think it's a well-written show; it will take a big hit for it's incredible lack of black characters.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point. I've been thinking about BSG as an analogy for racial xenophobia, but there is a startling shortage of black actors in the cast. Was it the Sci-Fi channel who produced a version of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy in which the main character Ged was cast as white? There's a very small possibility that the 13th tribe is black.
ReplyDeleteUneven Steven's response to daniel
ReplyDeleteI believe SciFi did do Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy, and your point about Ged is valid. However, I'm not sure that the producers of that show are the same as the ones that produce Battlestar Galactica, and the channel may buy talent but I don't know if they're ultimately responsible for its content - that could be an interesting intellectual debate.
Re: the 13th tribe being black, that's an interesting spin I hadn't thought of. Especially because the 12 tribes with at least one missing tribe is a meme straight from the bible and actually the 13th, lost tribe, in reality was found in Ethiopia and obviously are black (the Lemba). I especiall appreciate the signature "daniel," a biblical hero, in this context.
I'm just happy this question arises, because it's such an issue in sci fi. Black people seem to be either excluded (BSG), marginalized (Star Wars, Heroes) or demonized. It's not a happy circumstance. And, when other groups are included, such as Hispanics and Asians, it's almost a certain bet, there will be no black people. It's as if there is antipathy towards the race. I always make a stink about it and there is always someone who a) calls me a racist for wanting to see black people, b)calls me easily excitable over a non-issue or c) offers some off-the-screen tonic, e.g. 13th colony of BSG. To these people I say, let's retcon Star Wars and make Han and Luke black. Those who call me racist always freak out, which voids point b, obviously. And, in my mind, if such a thing did happen, we could always say there are white people OFF the screen, so don't feel too bad.
ReplyDeleteDee is black. She's hardly minor.
ReplyDeleteThey also killed her off in season 4.
DeleteUneven Steven Response to Dee (Dualla) is black:
ReplyDeleteOk, I recognize and acknowledge this oversight in my original post. However, the centrality of Dee's character was more important in the mini-series and has varied season to season during the actual show. IMHO she has not been a consistently major character except in the mini-series and the 2nd Exodus episodes.
Generally, her character has been used as a secondary character to further the development of other, primary, characters such as as Presidential Aide Billy Keikeya. Her character primarily (in the series, not mini-series) was used for two central purposes: (1) to explore the class/caste issues. Specifically, the issue of Colonial citizens from certain planets being discriminatd against vs. those of other planets (i.e., Capricans being supreme and Sagitaurons and others being relegated to lower status; and (b) as a transitional love interest for both Lee Adama to help heighten the conflict between him and Starbuck (afterall, every tv show/novel has to have conflict between characters).
Her role has not been especially central througout the seasons. Additionally, while it may be an academic/cultural point, Dee strikes me as being more South Asian than African American. And even if that is not true, my central thesis that the updated (and superior) Battlestar Gallactica has a dearth of black characters when compared to the original.
Thank you for your comment.
-- Uneven Steven
I was thinking about this topic while watching the show 'Black Market' from season 2.5, and it really worried me. There are a number of secondary/tertiary black female characters - Dee, the priestess, the councilwoman from Gemenon - but almost no secondary black male characters. The three that we do get are as all presented immediately as targets of deserved suspicion or animus. (I'm including here Number Four, AKA 'Simon': first appears in the hospital on Caprica where Kara Thrace is imprisoned; is almost immediately suspected to be a Cylon and turns out to be such.)
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying the writers are consciously racist. But there do seem to be some issues with black men. I'm kind of glad to see someone else on the interwebs making this point as well.
Dee was black. She has since committed suicide leaving not even a single secondary black character on the show. Her relationship with Lee Adama really bothered me as a black man. Not that I am against interracial relationships, but I am so tired of seeing beautiful black women being paired with white men. As if they are some exotic prize. The pairing of Dee and Lee proves the writers' concious or unconcious rascism, or at least their collective insecurities. You mean to tell me that there were no strong black men that survived that she could be with? Here is a news flash -- all things being equal, black women, not unlike white women by-in-large prefer to pair with men of their own race. Its true here on Earth and it would be true on the fictional planet of Caprica.
ReplyDeleteIts too bad this is the last season. It would have been interesting -- post Obamba -- if they would have felt the impetus to include a strong black man in the cast as a major character.
Dee was black. She has since committed suicide leaving not even a single secondary black character on the show. Her relationship with Lee Adama really bothered me as a black man. Not that I am against interracial relationships, but I am so tired of seeing beautiful black women being paired with white men. As if they are some exotic prize. The pairing of Dee and Lee proves the writers' concious or unconcious rascism, or at least their collective insecurities. You mean to tell me that there were no strong black men that survived that she could be with? Here is a news flash -- all things being equal, black women, not unlike white women by-in-large prefer to pair with men of their own race. Its true here on Earth and it would be true on the fictional planet of Caprica.
ReplyDeleteIts too bad this is the last season. It would have been interesting -- post Obamba -- if they would have felt the impetus to include a strong black man in the cast as a major character.
Why do people always have to complain that there aren't enough black characters on TV? Why can't I now complain that there are no white characters on that godawful show Tyler Perry's House of Pain? Black people are hardly marginalized. The president is now, thanks to rampant media obsession with political correctness, black. How about this: enjoy BSG for the good show it is and stop WORRYING that the characters are not black. White guilt can't seem to get over the idea that what YOU are is not diabolical, and black people are doing fine.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people always have to complain that there aren't enough black characters on TV? Why can't I now complain that there are no white characters on that godawful show Tyler Perry's House of Pain? Black people are hardly marginalized. The president is now, thanks to rampant media obsession with political correctness, black. How about this: enjoy BSG for the good show it is and stop WORRYING that the characters are not black. White guilt can't seem to get over the idea that what YOU are is not diabolical, and black people are doing fine.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people always have to complain that there aren't enough black characters on TV? Why can't I now complain that there are no white characters on that godawful show Tyler Perry's House of Pain? Black people are hardly marginalized. The president is now, thanks to rampant media obsession with political correctness, black. How about this: enjoy BSG for the good show it is and stop WORRYING that the characters are not black. White guilt can't seem to get over the idea that what YOU are is not diabolical, and black people are doing fine.
ReplyDeleteBSG was cast using mostly Canadian and British actors, only three cast members i can think of are american born. Lets not forget EJO is considered a pillar of the latin american community. also, it appears as though the majority of black characters are from Gemini, and its explained quite early that the majority of Gemini are killed. They are considered poor and more religious than other tribes, and in that i see a reflection of america.
ReplyDeleteSomeone had to decide to have the Gemini killed off in the storyline. How convenient for them that they did not have to worry about incliding strong black men as main characters. There are plenty of afro-canadian actors available. BSG is racist and they thought they could buy diversity on the cheap with EJO. Moreover, I see plenty of black males as unnamed security personnel, so there really is no excuse.
ReplyDeleteOld but interesting thread...
ReplyDeleteThe show's finale (which I won't comment on here for spoiler reasons) was, I found, particularly racist and, I might add, fairly disappointing. I think what the vast majority of people who want to deny that racism exists (in anything they like or are connected too, that is) fail to understand that when people are talking about racism they are not talking about a personal, willful vendetta against people of colour, but rather about structural oppression, knowledge, understandings of life and history, etc. Like, to pull an example completely at random, that white people from Atlantis were the fount of human civilization that then spread among other lesser-evolved races (the old Aryan theory). You don't have to espouse such beliefs to live in a society that was shaped by those kind of understandings in ways that come out in the structure of language, foreign policy and, yes, tv shows.
I'm sure some whites, I'm black, will think what's the big deal? Movies are very powerful. They shape opinions and enforce or destroy stereotypes. For many people around the world American films are their key source for understanding our country. It was interesting when Obama became president. A news reporter spoke with people for other countries to get their perspective. Many were amazed thinking blacks in America were only maids and drug dealers.
ReplyDeleteThe producers of these shows think about EVERYTHING. Race, sex, age, nothing is overlooked. This is a business. So when you look at BSG and see that main black characters from the original were removed there is a message behind that. When you see NO leading black male. They are sending a message.
I looked forward to the show when it started but quickly saw this issue and refused to watch any more.
Iseque I here you and you put my ideas out very well. I agree whole heatedly.
ReplyDeleteDuala, the only black woman is of mixed ancestry from south Africa.
The character was very pretty, but only cared about being with white men. She hated her own culture(sagitaron), and talked about them like dogs in that one scene where everyone played pyramid ball.(or whatever its called)
And she brutalized her self at the end... nice...
I think perhaps you're missing the point about the lack of black male actors. I completely agree towards the majority of attitudes that the exclusion of black male characters in central or even secondary roles is racist, however is this neccessarily a reflection of the writers being racist, or is it purposeful in order to reflect a society who is undoubtably racist? Look at their attitude towards the Sagittarons in their superstitions, or the blatantly obvious racist attitude towards the Cylons or "toasters". I don't think that it's the writers being uncomfortable with the idea of black males in central positions. I think it's quite likely the result of a racist society.
ReplyDeleteAs Byron said, the majority of black characters, with the exception of Dualla being Sagittaron, are from Gemenon. The Gemenese are constantly ridiculed for their literal belief in the Scriptures, therefore a society who mocks them for this is likely to have a "glass ceiling" for anyone from this planet, regardless of physical race.
I think this show is not really physically racist, but certainly racist as to where the characters come from in terms of colonies. It's certainly not a subconscious representation of the writers racism if it can be looked at in this way.
I think this is a great blog, and Uneven Steven posed a thoughful question that make a good discussion... It's unfortunate that other commenters are guilty of prejudice and bringing unrelated opinions to their comments and make this debate ugly.
ReplyDeleteOpinions of black people in 'real life' areaffected little by their presence in Battlestar. Uneven Steven was right to consider whether racism is easy to identify in sci fi. I think the show makes a very powerful statement on race issues through the human/cylon conflict that people choose to isolate as merely plot. I think it was more than that. There are a lot of factors that would have impacted the choice of actors, I've directed for the stage and ultimately the priority is to find the best actor for the role. Considering one's race with preference when making such a decision is prejudicial no matter what their race. I am disappointed that there are not mire major black characters, and I do think it's a big deal, but even with black characters viewers will find racism some other way.
I have been watching BSG and I am coming to the end of Season 2 and I am very disappointed with the series so far. I would like to echo a lot of the points already raised regarding the lack of credible black characters. There were plenty of missed opportunities for the producers to redeem themselves and introduce some interesting black characters to the series. In fact, I would have liked to have seen a part written for the actor J.A. Preston; maybe playing the role of Saul Tigh or as a commander of one of the other star ships. I think he would have been a fantastic addition to the series. When the Pegasus storyline was introduced in season 2 that would have been a perfect opportunity to introduce a prominent new black character. Instead, they offer us the brilliant Bill Duke as an intergalactic pimp, and he was barely in the series 5 minutes until he was killed off, how insulting? I have to agree with every point Reginald Milton stated in his post. I am certain the executive producers would have had lengthy discussions about the intended target audience of the series and demographics around gender, race, class etc, would have been closely scrutinized. I can only assume that the producers either simply did not wish BSG to have any appeal to black audiences or did not figure “us” into their equations. Whatever the reason, there can be no excuse for a prime-time series like BSG not to include at least one or two prominent black male characters.
ReplyDeleteOne must consider what the show's original creator, Glen A. Larson, was a devout Mormon (LDS, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Why is this important?
ReplyDeleteThe history of the LDS church is marked by extreme prejudices, white supremacy, mortal sins with regard to sexual unions with inferior races. The Book of Mormon (BOM) is where this comes from. Until 1981, 2 Nephi 30:6 in the BOM taught that dark-skinned Lamanites (Indians) would eventually experience a change in the color of their skin should they embrace the BOM:
"...their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and a delightsome people."
But, after 1981, the LDS Church decided to change "the most correct book on earth" and switched the word "white" with the word "pure." Political correctness forced them to capitulate.
Blacks were long recognized as the "seed of Cain" by the LDS. Furthermore, the BOM says that there was a war in heaven and the casualties were divided up into 3rds. 1/3 became demonic, 1/3 became holy angles and subsequently born as spirit babies in white bodies, and 1/3 became born as spirit babies in black bodies.
Though it doesn't happen as much, there is the phenomenon of "Avenging Angels" in the LDS church. They are summoned by LDS leaders to "cleanse" the sin of someone who commits a sin which cannot be forgiven. Having sexual relations with a black man/woman was punishable by death...moreso in Salt Lake City, but loosely enforced in other states/regions. The Avenging Angel was a hitman hired by the LDS priesthood. Freaking scary!
The correlations between BSG and the LDS are uncanny. Larson was deliberate in his injection of Mormon theology into BSG.
Kobol: BSG home planet
Kolob: LDS church teaches this is where God lives near the Pleiades constellation.
13th Tribe: in BSG, they left thousands of years ago for Earth.
13th Tribe: in LDS, they left Israel thousands of years ago to settle in the New World (Americas), and became the Native Americans. LDS believe they are ancestors of Jews.
Quorum of 12: BSG ruling counsel
Quorum of 12: LDS ruling counsel
Polytheism: in BSG, they often refer to "The Gods"
Polytheism: in LDS, they teach that every man can ascend to the office of God, and become a God himself over his own planet, populating it with spirit babies by impregnating his many spirit wives (reminds me of Gaius Baltar's harem of chicks in season 4)
Instead of posting them all here, do a Google keyword search for "Battlestar Galactica Mormonism" and you'll be quite surprised.
Caprica is even worse. The white are all good & geniuses, brown folk are criminal and corrupt. The one Asian character is an assistant with no character development and the black folks are servants or security guards with no lines. I hope the rumors about it's cancellation are true.
ReplyDeleteBattlestar was "Glen Larceny's" unapoligetic extreme "righty" answer to the very leftist "Star Wars" there is nothing subtle about this work and the modern producers and writers are actually more purist in their approach to the original material than the original series. sad but true. So anyone having an issue with Battlestar is in the essence of the work itself. Glen clearly had no intention of paying homage to a diverse multicultural modernist society. Sadly whatever diversity that was present in the 70s original run probably was due to politically correct outward social pressures, and the desire not to too obviously look like Nazis and the desire to water the original extreme content. So so Sad.
ReplyDeleteThe producers of the new BSG series must have given each other smiles for being under-the-sheet racists. It's simply beyond belief how apparent the lack of African-American characters are in the show. It's pretty clear that it's about money and target then risk. Ok, changing Starbuck from a man to a cigar puffing woman surely made them happy with risk. Especially if their Caucasian mothers, wives, sisters and daughters love them for it. After-all, the inspiration is for them.
ReplyDeleteThe new Battlestar Galactica has as much in common with the original show as Space 1999 and Three's Company. The people that made the new show didn't like the original show and did not watch it. That's why they are all having sex with each other and even the robots. It's also annoying that they call the daggits 'dogs'. What the frak is a 'dog'? Felgercarb!
ReplyDeleteIf you really need white guilt you can make a continuation of Diff'rent Strokes staring Katt Williams and have them living on the International Space Station. He can daggit for an hour each week about how racist whites are.
I do not know if ya noticed that at the end, all people on earth they found where black tribes people, I think they went with the theory that earth was originally habituated by black people, and whites came from space. :-)
ReplyDeleteWho cares! There is no rule that says you have to have a bunch of black people on the show to make it good, or equal. If more black people watched sci fi they would have cast more black people, or maybe no one good at acting showed up at casting that was black, whatever reason, there are plenty of all black shows and no white people are getting all butt hurt
ReplyDeleteI love SF, and BSG is one of my favorites. Uneaven seven adresses an interesting topic, and many of the arguments gave me a broader perspective. The tread had even more interesting issues. Thank you for the knowledge! :) Unfortunately as everywhere else the tread also is stained with speculative crap as well. As a white male living in a homogenious country of whites in northen part of Europe I searched "BSG racism," when I after S3 Exsodus wondered why so few africans, hispanics and asians where represented in the series. After seen most of SF series, this was the first time I asked myself this that question...
ReplyDelete