Gaius Baltar as Cain
Feb. 17th, 2011 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mishalakWhile finally watching the end of the new Battlestar Galactica I thought that Dr. Gaius Baltar reminded me of Cain, the first murderer. In all the stories of Cain he is a farmer of crops as similarly Baltar was raised in an agricultural setting on the colony of Aerilon, though he described it as a dairy farm. Cain commits the first murder and then is forced by god to become a restless wanderer. Likewise Baltar commits a sin by allowing the a Cylon agent inside the defense computers and making all the remnants of humanity restless wanderers in the wilderness. Finally the fleet reaches the new Earth Baltar becomes a farmer again while it seems the rest of the major characters set out to be hunter/gathers. Cain is a farmer once more and sets out to live separately from the rest of humanity as Cain settled east in the land of Nod.
In the myth Cain kills Abel out of jealousy of god's favor of his younger brother's sacrifice over his. Baltar's sin is different, it is one of lust and greed, but it has elements similar to Cain's sin. Baltar wants the adulation and respect of people rather than of god or the gods and creates a system that is flawed and compromised due to allowing the Caprica Six, whom he thinks is an industrial spy, to help him create the system and gives her access to the defense mainframes.
Like Cain he seeks to cover up his crimes with bluster. "I know not," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" Baltar likewise denies his complicity with the Cylons with shouting his innocence. And Baltar is given a trial at the end of which he finds that though not found guilty his place in the fleet is gone paralleling Cain's curse of alienation. But as with Cain he finds a new place to settle in the cult that is growing up and he is marked, in a way, by his visions of the Angel Six.
In the end humanity finds a new earth and become hunter-gathers. Except for Baltar, who is it seems will settle down with Caprica Six to become a farmer. "Over there, between those two peaks, I saw some terrain that looked good for cultivation."
The parallels are not overwhelming and the story of Dr. Gaius Baltar is not a retelling of that of Cain, but it certainly reminds me of it.
In the myth Cain kills Abel out of jealousy of god's favor of his younger brother's sacrifice over his. Baltar's sin is different, it is one of lust and greed, but it has elements similar to Cain's sin. Baltar wants the adulation and respect of people rather than of god or the gods and creates a system that is flawed and compromised due to allowing the Caprica Six, whom he thinks is an industrial spy, to help him create the system and gives her access to the defense mainframes.
Like Cain he seeks to cover up his crimes with bluster. "I know not," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" Baltar likewise denies his complicity with the Cylons with shouting his innocence. And Baltar is given a trial at the end of which he finds that though not found guilty his place in the fleet is gone paralleling Cain's curse of alienation. But as with Cain he finds a new place to settle in the cult that is growing up and he is marked, in a way, by his visions of the Angel Six.
But Cain answered the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear! Since You are banishing me today from the soil, and I must hide myself from Your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me."
Then the Lord replied to him, "Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain vengeance will suffer vengeance seven times over. " And the Lord set a Mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Then Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
In the end humanity finds a new earth and become hunter-gathers. Except for Baltar, who is it seems will settle down with Caprica Six to become a farmer. "Over there, between those two peaks, I saw some terrain that looked good for cultivation."
The parallels are not overwhelming and the story of Dr. Gaius Baltar is not a retelling of that of Cain, but it certainly reminds me of it.