Customer Reviews

Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy: Mission Accomplished or Mission Frakked Up? (Popular Culture and Philosophy)

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Overall the book is interesting, but there are some issues that detract from what would otherwise be a great companion to the series.

First of all, there are a number of glaring editorial mistakes, i.e. spelling errors, incorrect words, duplicate sentences, and so on. In one paragraph alone I counted four mistakes: honestly, how does that get into the final printing of a book?

Secondly, I felt like I was reading "Battlestar Galactica and Psychology" more so than philosophy. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was expecting something a little different. Many of the articles dealt with the theme of identity issues, which is definitely relevant but it is somewhat redundant after the third or fourth essay on basically the same topic.

Thirdly, the essays are a mixed bag: some are excellent, others are not so much.

Finally, clearly the essays were written/the book was published before the series was over. While this is not a major problem, many of the speculations of the various authors turn out to be wrong, and this takes away from the book in my opinion.

Again, overall it's not a bad read. Some of the essays are quite insightful and thought-provoking and add a new dimension to the series, even if the focus is often psychology and not philosophy.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA AND PHILOSOPHY: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED OR MISSION FRAKKED UP? Joins others in the publisher's 'Popular Culture and Philosophy' titles, offering an in-depth analysis of some of the philosophical issues of the series - including what counts as human, if killing an intelligent species is morally correct, and how a 21st century system can survive corruption and challenges to the concept of humanity itself: issues affecting our times as well. Any high school to college-level collection strong in philosophy or science fiction needs this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch