How well does the series Battlestar Galactica (the recent one) portray military life?

Posted 28Jun2017.

I’m starting to note a potentially worrisome trend in answering more questions about BSG than other topics of relevance and interest… however…

Realism of Battlestar Galactica (the recent one) regarding:

“Power relationships”

There are times when BSG gets it right – the hierarchy/chain of military command Adama acknowledged when faced with Admiral Cain’s ruthless, yet barely within the realm of legality, orders. Even for the humanoid Cylons, disagreements were handled much like I have seen (and been party to) disagreements between NCOs of the same rank – a relatively level playing field where influence is only as good as the support and intent behind it.

On the other hand, while BSG gets other things wrong, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is erroneous. I was going to say “condoned fraternization,” but Boomer/Tyrol’s relationship was continuously disapproved of and a point of contention for Adama (two to the chest tends to bias one’s consent of a budding romance). I almost pointed out “familial favoritism,” but I was impressed with the recurring appearance of the surname “McCain” while working on my recent thesis. Even pointing out the relationship between key male and female characters is problematic – Roslin did say that they needed to “start making babies,” after all. So, it would be difficult to assign accurate similarities in this sense to current military life, as we have only had to contend with the Global War on Terror, and not the destruction of our home, assembly of a “rag-tag fugitive fleet,” and the general diaspora-through-pursuit of homicidal creations of previous callous indifference.

“Respect (or disrespect) of orders”

This is where the comparison continues to lose steam. Off the top of my head, there were at least three different mutinies/coups (maybe more, but I am really resisting starting the entire series up again and need to stay focused on this question). It is nearly impossible to find any real similarities to the events which happened in the series, though there can be some parallels with Hugh Thompson’s actions at Mai Lai in 1968 and the events surrounding the William D. Porter’s… adventures… during its escort of President Roosevelt in 1943. Further reading of similar questions along these lines may be found in other discussions here on Quora, but this is yet another dangerous temptation to digress even further. One of the most important issues which are found in both the fictional world of BSG and the military, however, is the camaraderie, loyalty, sacrifice, and sense of duty shared by character and individual alike. Having said that, I must emphasize the fact that BSG managed to portray the wide scope of human emotions – good and bad – in conflict fairly well, which was what made the series so enjoyable for those of us watching from Iraq and Afghanistan during its run.

Have I ever spoken to superiors like Lee or Kara did? Not to the same extent, but I have firmly stood my ground on some shady orders. Have I known the sudden and dizzying loss of a friend in combat? Yep. Have I had to quickly weigh the morality of two distinct courses of action which would be the result of a trigger pulled? Absolutely. Have I traded blows with another servicemember when we were both in uniform and armed? Ha. Yeah, but there were no rounds in the magazine in our weapons. Have I had to contend with the sudden realization that there are many “buck nekkid” copies of me running around a creepifyin’ ship? Thankfully, no. While there are some parallels, the show pushed the boundaries and established the premise for debates like this and other published rantings based around one of the most intelligent televisions series I can remember.

“Interaction with civil powers”

One could only hope for civilian and military leadership half as effective as the Adama/Roslin combination – even when they were trying to pull the rug of leadership out from under each other early in the series. With Mattis being the Secretary of Defense, one can easily hear Adama-like tones in his communications with the press and the determination to remain above the petty politics of proximity to D.C., and it will be interesting to see how the interaction between the SecDef and the President will play out if (and when) this foolishness with the Cylons – er… RUSSIANS continues along the route of “that which has happened before.” As for the series, the existential threat the Russians… excuse me, Cylons… presented to the humans evolved into a tense cooperation to deal with a mutual and formidable threat to both. There were times where either Roslin or Adama were fully committed to nuking/biologically exterminating the threat and moving on, but they both understood, communicated, and emphasized the ethical and moral problems involved in doing so.

The Cylons were no saints, either, when it came to interaction with civilian leadership. Cooperation through fear, psychological warfare, manipulation of information – these methods of “administration” were reminiscent of, and as brutal as, Soviet actions against their own citizens during the height of the Cold War. To a certain extent, one could say the same thing about our current media organizations, but 863 words at this point is far longer than I planned on writing.

“Does it give a realistic (albeit transposed in a sci-fi environment) view of how armed forces work?”

Sorta… kinda like how a glass of water is representative of Niagara Falls – neither the fictional world of BSG nor the U.S. military are easily categorized/analyzed/described. Even then, what one person gets from watching the series or serving in the Uniform may be completely different to someone else. The only thing to do would be to watch the series and enlist/receive a commission in the armed services to answer that question as pertains to you.