I’m rewatching Battlestar Galactica with Stevie (well, she’s watching it for the first time) and it’s made me think about recent events. For instance, there’s a scene where the people are rioting on a ship. They send in untrained people, with guns, to deal with the ground and people get shot. The culpability lies with the commander for the error. So, let’s not get caught up in people vs. police.

Secondly, I really like Gaius Baltar as a character. He shows an incredible survival instinct. He’s not a very morally admirable creature, but he manages to stay alive throughout big changes. When I first watched the show, I really identified with Lee, but I liked Tigh and Gaius as interesting characters. Anyway, what I’m wondering is if I should be more like Gaius. Or rather: What if the revolution fails?

I know, it’s a leap to even say there’s a revolution going on. There may or may not be. It’s like a recession. You won’t really know until things are all fucked up. There’s a good likelihood it can fail. People aren’t organized well. The police have become increasingly militarized, so it’s easier to stop the people. Those in power have been able to act with impunity, so it’s unsurprising if things get more violent but they win.

Now, there are degrees of freedom. Cicero died because he loved the Republic, but people lived pretty well under the Empire. Not every tyranny is a police state. If there’s a revolution (or a lesser degree of it), there are questions to consider: How much freedom can I lose? Can the revolution succeed?

If it can’t succeed, it may be smarter just to keep one’s mouth shut. If we keep the status quo, things aren’t that bad for me. And even in China, many people live decent lives.