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If you’re me, which I am, you think Battlestar Galactica is one of the finest shows that has ever been on television.  Lofty praise, sure, but the remarkable effects, complex storylines, deeply developed and sympathetic characters, and overall package give my claim as much support as it needs.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the show, Battlestar Galactica, now with only 4 episodes left, tells the story of a fleet of humans who are stranded in space, seeking a planet to call home after their civilization was nearly wiped out by the Cylons' nuclear holocaust.  Cylons are machines created by humans who eventually revolted and warred with the humans; one of the reasons being—what else?—difference of religion.  In space, the fighting continues until, eventually, a necessity to cooperate emerges in the interests of survival of both human and Cylon.  Remarkably, yet expectedly, the mutual distrust held by most humans and Cylons cannot instantly dissipate, leading to a bubbling cauldron of emergency need, civil disagreement, escalating warfare, and increasingly dire humanitarian crises.

This sounds vaguely familiar.

Many could argue that the conflict in the Middle East is the longest running that we’ve seen in the known history of civilization.  While many countries (and even entire continents) have had extremely tumultuous pasts, the key players are constantly changing, and the unfortunate genocide or relocation of people has led to an ever-changing set of characters in many regions.  Somehow, many of the most basic groups in the Middle East have, in some capacity, maintained their unique and specific conflicts over thousands of years.

The battle for Jerusalem and the reasons behind it are ancient and unchanging.  The blood shed between people in the region has been constant, and as their circumstances have worsened, their dislike and mistrust of one another has become so deep, it is almost inextricable from them.  As technological advantages (the internet!) have opened the conflict so clearly to such a vast audience and the global trend increasingly desires diplomacy over bloodshed, the stubborn and complicated conflict in the Middle East has again become a situation considered key to the future of International peace.

One of the most remarkable and enduring hostilities between Humans and Cylons centers around the search for Earth. But not just any earth—The Earth, discovered by the Gods and the land considered to be holy to both Human and Cylon.  The longstanding hate between the groups makes it seem all too obvious to both the Humans and the Cylons that they cannot share the land they both see as holy.  Moreover, while hyper-obsessed with ensuring the failure of the “other side” to reach the Holy Land, neither side has allowed itself the ability to take a step back and realize how similar their beliefs (and they themselves as beings) actually are.

This writer has a theory that the Gods of Kobol are the Final Five and/or Ellen and Saul, and the monotheistic God of the Cylons is Ellen and Saul (combined through millenniums of folklore).  If true, ultimately, everyone is going to find they’re worshiping the same beings or, if that theory isn’t correct, they are still worshiping the same ideas.  The ideas of love and progression, the ideas of support, strength, and survival—they are universal, even in the universe of BSG.

As we watch the majority of Humans and Cylons battle one another for survival, we find a growing group of people who realize that they just want to find a home, and they just want to worship their Gods in peace.  These people come together, regardless of their differences, in an attempt to better direct the future.  Some Cylons, like Boomer, make conscious decisions to defy other Cylons in order to further the larger goal: survival.  Unlike the current situation in the Middle East where the battle for the Holy Land has taken a far larger precedence than the aim for survival, and no one seems to pay any attention to the fact that, on this current path, death will come to all and the land so strongly desired will be won for no one.

After years of zealous struggle, the Earth they find is a nuclear wasteland...

Also interesting is the character of Cavil relative to both the leaders of IDF and Hamas.  Currently, leaderships in Israel and Palestine have been moving in opposite directions.  Israeli leadership has settled on economic and humanitarian roadblocks to prevent the success of Hamas, which in turn refuses to acknowledge Israel or cease rocket attacks against them.  What is the result?  The result is that the leaders of Israel AND Hamas continue to wage ideological war against one another while millions of people living in Gaza and Israel suffer starvation, economic suffering, fear of rocket attacks, death in the streets, and nonstop bloodshed.  All of this devastation affects the citizens and “normal folk” in Israel and Gaza far more than it does the leadership who facilitates, encourages, and exasperates the conflict as a whole.  Cavil, a Cylon leader, demonstrates no desire to change, evolve, or ask questions.  Unlike the rest of the skinjob Cylons who, over time, love, trust and emote, Cavil seems unwilling or unable to move beyond what he has known for his entire existence and refuses to embrace any sort of personal evolution.  In this regard, despite being the decision-maker of most of the Cylon fleet, he regularly jeopardizes his fellow Cylons and their goals by refusing to acknowledge the increasingly clear reality that a cooperative effort will be the only way for Humans and Cylons alike to escape genocide.

Battlestar Galactica, as it has evolved from season-to-season since its 2004 debut, went through different allegories as it kept up with the real world problems, from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib to the Iraq War and finally its current Gaza-like stalemate.  It has ultimately led to the stark realization for Galactica's crew, their enemies, and the viewers that the cycle of violence is, in fact, a cycle.

There are just a few episodes left to tell me, and the rest of us watching, if the humans or (and?) the Cylons will emerge victorious in their battle against the cycle of violence or if violence, again, destroys all or most of them.  We cannot declare a last episode for the Middle East, so that conflict promises to continue, ensuring centuries of the same.  I am not so bold as to suggest that anyone use Battlestar Galactica as a guide regarding a better or worse way to solve any international crisis, but I may be bold enough to suggest that anyone who hasn’t watched the show should do so, and do so immediately.  Since most of us don’t want to sit through unnecessary Sociology or Psychology sources, and too many don’t wish to be disturbed by the harsh realities of the world, Battlestar Galactica may help to lend you an understanding as to why we, sometimes, can’t all get along but, really, we need to.

Plus, it’s a great frakking show.