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Monday, April 06, 2009
Battlestar Sonatica - Baltar's Theme
This piece was written for BSG to musically score Baltar's experiences on the Cylon basestar. It has a classical sound to it, but when paired with Baltar it has a requiem-like tone in regards to who he is and what he has done.
It is interesting that the official title of this is "Battlestar Sonatica" and that it was written specifically for Baltar's character. In an earlier blog I noted that BSG seems to focus on Baltar's fall from grace and his redemption.
A couple of weeks ago I watched some of the original BSG episodes from 1978. The original Baltar character is similar to the reimaged character. Both fall from grace and both are redeemed, although in the original series Baltar's redemption is not fleshed out completely or satisfactorily.
"Battlestar Sonatica" has a somber and sad mood. This fits Baltar perfectly because, although he is directly linked to the annihilation of the colonies and also responsible for signing (at gunpoint) the authorization fo the Cylons to round up and execute Human resistance fighters on New Caprica, Baltar experiences extreme angst and Anfechtung throughout the series. This occurs all the while when he is receiving visions from God. BSG did an excellent job keeping this tension, especially when Baltar (and we the viewers) were not sure if he was only a con-man, delusional, suffering a nervous breakdown, or really chosen to be an intregal part of God's plan for Humans and Cylons. "Daybreak" finally settled the issue: he was really getting guidiance and visions from God; he really was an agent in God's plan.
The weakness of the BSG series regarding Baltar's redemption is that there was no real, specific person who took upon him or herself Baltar's guilt and paid the price for his freedom. The closest we get is when he is on trial and Lee Adama becomes his lawyer. Lee's passionate arguments persuaded the jury to find Baltar "not guilty" of his crimes against humanity on New Caprica. The deciding vote on this verdict was Adm. Adama.
No human ever tried to save Baltar out of the pure goodness of his or her heart. Lee came the closest, but his reasoning for defending Baltar was not out of kindness or love, but because he believed everyone deserved a fair trial. Lee probably wouldn't have been too heart-broken had Baltar been found "guilty" because, after all, he got a fair trial.
In a small way, Baltar and Caprica Six are BSG's Abraham and Sarah characters. Yes, they imperfectly fit that description, but both Baltar and Caprica Six believe in a monotheistic God. In Baltar's case, he, like Abraham, left a polytheistic culture and embraced the one God. Baltar's farm on Earth is akin to Abraham's settling in Canaan -- the future promised land. If we play this theme out, then Baltar and Caprica Six are the forerunners in the BSG universe for monotheism. Like Abraham, Baltar is still a sinner while also a saint, albeit in Baltar's case his sins make Abraham's pale in comparison. Nevertheless, Baltar seems to embody the monotheistic concept, faith, and justification by faith when he deserved nothing but a sack over his head and a firing squad.
Baltar, then, becomes the character who embodies hope and deliverance from God. He becomes the character who embodies hope for all people. I read one blog where the person was upset that after all Baltar and Caprica Six had done, they get to enjoy a lush piece of land on Earth. Well, that's what happens to those who are redeemed and delivered -- they get what their actions don't deserve, they get grace instead of condemnation. This is the whole point of justification -- someone else merits our salvation. There was no mediator and propitiator for Baltar, but we have one who is called Jesus Christ. He suffered, died, and rose again for us. Praise God for His great gift.
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AMERICAN BARBARISM (Part II)
It seems that the news coming from the United States have only a criminal court.
Again on Saturday April 11 in Washington state, a man who upon learning that his wife was leaving for another man, killed her five children between 7 and 16 years and then committed suicide.
In addition, the crime occurred in New York, where a Vietnamese killed 12 people in a support center for immigrants and then committed suicide.
It is clear that there is an evil in American society that leads people to commit these assassinations, partly encouraged by the freedom of American law to allow citizens to bear arms, and also produced by a psychological flaw that appears nested in the minds of the American settler.
It is also clear the fault of the American government not only veto the indiscriminate sale of weapons to the public, guns that are sometimes high-power, nor the governments have not been striving to make a call to disarmament.
If the government of Barack Obama does something to block these laws, or the companies behind them, which will be more clear is that this year there will be more assassinations in the United States and in other countries.
Obviously also the passivity of the American churches and religious leaders, who are more worried about their family lives to preach on the last pirouette of a pet or not to invade your blog.
I appeal to all people who love life, to the families of those who have suffered such tragedies, the communities who were frightened to death of innocent people, and even the churches that their pastors were killed or brothers in Christ, to join in a crusade to stop something in this wave of violence that shook the United States.
Really enjoyed reading your analysis of BSG and Baltar's character. Thank you.
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