Metaphor as commentary in action: 9/11
I recently wrote about how videogames would do a better job dealing with controversial subject matter if they did so metaphorically. I think a great example of this phenomenon is TV shows and movies about 9/11.
I can think of three different works in the film / tv medium that attempt to address 9/11. Of those three, two of them are critically acclaimed, but only one of them is without a certain level of controversy. Only one of them is often shared between friends. Those three are Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, Paul Greengrass’ United 93, and Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica. You can probably guess where I’m going here.
Ronald D. Moore’s post-9/11 masterpiece
9/11 inspired a lot of creative people. For former Star Trek: The Next Generation writer, Ronald D. Moore, the images of raw destruction – and their political implications in the months to follow – made him realize that a compelling, challenging story was burried beneath the cheesy ’70s sci-fi finish on the original Battlestar Galactica. With those images of 9/11 fresh in all our minds, the Cylon attack on the human race, as well as the moral questions posed by what they should do next, were suddenly more relevant. In fact, I think Salon summed it up fairly well in its primer to Battlestar Galactica:
Ronald Moore uses “Battlestar’s” universe as a funhouse mirror for American post-9/11 cultural anxieties. Since the miniseries’ initial Cylon attack — with its parallels to the events of Sept. 11 — “Battlestar” has broached topical debates about torture, military occupation, abortion, genocide and war crimes. It has managed to do so while avoiding the trap of strained allegory and partisan politics, and has maintained the escapist thrill that makes science fiction, well, science fiction.
Fox execs also saw the connection between BSG and 9/11
At Comic-con a few weeks ago, attendees got to see some of the CGI work done for a Battlestar Galactica series that would have been directed by Brian Singer, set to appear on Fox. However, when 9/11, Fox executives canceled the project, because they felt the subject matter hit a little too close to home. Which is just fine, because this is Fox, and they would have cancelled the show after less than thirteen episodes anyway.
Why the metaphor works so much better
We can choose to deal with controversial subjects literally in our creative work, or we can deal with them in metaphors. In the case of Battlestar Galactica, metaphor works very well because the emotional reactions of the characters are removed from our current political climate. Many of us hate President George W. Bush, but love Bill Adama, even though both of them have had to make many of the same choices, and same sacrifices.
The fact of the matter is, putting these crises in a metaphorical context makes it extremely easy to break these matters down to their very core, examine them without context, and understand them for what they really are.