Progressive Collaboration

Something I have been mulling over:
I was recently listening to “Battlestar Galacticast,” where writer Marc Bernardin and actress Tricia Helfer discuss each episode and the associated backstories/behind-the-scenes events…

Over the course of the podcast, one recurring theme has been pointed out: there was no solid idea of where the story was going to go or how the various story arcs would manifest.

The writers were essentially “winging it” – exploring and expanding upon how roles were played, expressions in a scene, or the incorporation of feedback from the cast as the became more comfortable with their character.

Many of the guests who were part of the series shared a common observation – that the level of collaboration in the course of filming was nothing like they had ever experienced before or since. The result was an amazing series which crossed genres between science fiction and drama, offered a study of ethics and decision-making while providing entertainment, and addressed the interaction between intangible faith and absolute belief.

This leads me to realize that fiction and the art of storytelling can provide an interesting perspective in something that is often overlooked: progressive collaboration.

Relevance:

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder is attributed to one of the most realistic philosophies of life: “no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” In this case, this is most definitely applicable – even in creative writing. The initial idea behind the reboot of the series was to revive a cherished, yet campy, science fiction classic from the 1970s. Beyond that, it seems that there was little consideration for exactly how the story was to progress.

In the case of leadership, this is also an applicable truism: that it is an art of not necessarily knowing every detail and how they relate to the end product; rather, it is about building upon the moments, talents, and opportunities as they emerge – progressive collaboration. History is full of examples of how an effective leader incorporated the input from many different sources and responsively adapted the course of action each step of the way. To list each example would burden this post and may continue to be pondered over on this blog later under a separate subheading as it is worthy of more scrutiny.

Success, in this case, was the completion of a story which defies logic – the complex patterns of stories were interwoven as the series progressed and resulted in a series which stands as an amazing story which bridges several genres, touches on several philosophical, ethical, technological, and psychological themes throughout 76 individual episodes and two associated stand-alone shows (“Razor” and “The Plan”).

A path towards a destination is only as good as those who see chance opportunities and understand their own limits of comprehension, ability, and action. Success, therefore, might be more of an issue of how well those elements are realized and incorporated.