Sunday, November 23, 2003
All I need to know about Mormonism I learned from Battlestar Galactica
It's hard to resist commenting about the links between Mormonism and Battlestar Galactica, because it's one of the most interesting things going on in the show. Glen Larson explained on the interview included with the DVD that the Mormon religion, among other things, influenced Battlestar Galactica.
But because I comment on it, some might get the false impression that I am some kind of expert on the Mormon religion, and that would not be the case. But I had a friend who was Mormon (or LDS as they like to call themselves), and he told me about the magical underwear and how God came from another planet and all the other Mormon beliefs that aren't well known to the general public.
Most of the Mormon influences in the show aren't that subtle, so they are relatively easy to point out. Just like the Egyptian influences weren't that subtle. For example, in the "Lost Planet of the Gods", when you see the Galactica crew walking into what looks like the Great Pyramid in Egypt, you don't have to be a scholar of Egyptology to suspect that there might be some kind of Eyptian influence in that episode.
Perhaps the Mormon connection in "Lost Planet of the Gods" is more subtle. Kobol is obviously an anagram for the planet (or is it the star system?) Kolob from which the Mormon God is supposed to have come from.