“The Cold Equations” is a classic science fiction story that carefully juxtaposes shopworn clichés with a scientifically rigorous premise, leading to an inevitable conclusion that no one wants, but the reader is ultimately forced to accept. When first published, it caused a minor controversy that manages to spark debate even today.
Battlestar Galactica had a chance to do something similar last night, and instead it walked away. (some spoilers below the fold).
The last few episodes of BSG have been well-wrought character studies and even if they barely moved the main plot forward, they were enjoyable enough – even though every episode has made it harder and harder to like any of the main characters (Helo is self-righteous, Adama and Roslin are opposed to torture, except when they want to torture someone, etc.).
Last night’s episode was gut wrenching and it seemed aimed at rigorously pursuing its conclusion to a heartbreaking but inevitable end. Both Tyrol and Adama were right – but we had competing truths that, in such an extreme situation, couldn’t really be reconciled. But then the creators blinked, and we were given a five minute, uber-happy coda that was tonally out of place.
Perhaps, if the show had at least spent five minutes transitioning between the depressing but inevitable story that we were presented with, and the overly happy “as long as we have labor unions, humanity is worthy to survive” moralistic ending, it might have worked.
But instead, the ending felt forced, as though Moore and company refused to accept the logical conclusion of the premise of this episode and the entire series. They’ve rewritten the ending of “The Cold Equations” so that the pilot ignores the laws of physics and yet somehow everyone lives happily ever after.
Still, it was 90% a good episode, marred only by an ending that hadn’t been earned and did not really, truly follow what had come before. But since Moore & Co. think the bizarre boxing episode was the best episode this season, I’m worried this is going to occur more and more.