UNifeed: UN / BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

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UN / BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Whoopi Goldberg moderates a retrospective of the science fiction TV series "Battlestar Galactica" at UN headquarters. In interviews with UNifeed, the show's Oscar-nominated actors Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos, and UN Assistant Secretary-General Robert Orr talk about the portrayal of UN themes like human rights, terrorism and reconciliation among civilizations and faiths. UNTV / SCI FI

Duration:03:24Date:18 March 2009

Categories:

United Nations Television, CULTURE

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Full Script

STORY: UN / BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
SOURCE: UNTV/ SCI FI
TRT: 3.24
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 17 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

17 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, ECOSOC chamber
3. Med shot, Goldberg, Olmos and McDonnell pose for photographers
4. Med shot, audience
5. Wide shot, Goldberg at the podium
6. Pan right, audience
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Whoopi Goldberg, actor, entertainer:
“BSG is both entertaining and audacious and challenges its viewers to question what is right, what is wrong, what are we all still trying to figure out in this very complicated times. Much like the fictional ships and planets in the BSG universe, the UN is an imperfect place. But the fight for justice, equality and understanding remains fundamental to both.”

FILE – SCI FI – UNDATED

8. Various shots, clips from Battlestar Galactica

17 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning:
“One thing I think you can get from a fictional world is to get people to think about issues that they don’t really want to think about on a daily basis. I don’t remember too many people that I’ve met that really want to think about terrorism or think about nuclear annihilation, but when they are watching a show, maybe they are a little more open to start thinking about those things. So, we deal with these issues on a daily basis here at the UN. It’s really important to have an opportunity to reach out to people that don’t deal with the UN everyday and don’t deal with these issues.”

FILE – SCI FI – UNDATED

10. Various shots, clips from Battlestar Galactica

17 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Edward James Olmos, Actor:
“It became a situation where I was very grateful that we were given the opportunity to do this kind of a show, because basically what we did was allow ourselves, to you know, entertain people, but have substance to the situation which I think is, whenever you can do that, it’s wonderful. We put eighty-four hours of television on the air and some people took the entire ride for the eighty-four hours, and I think they were better for it.”

FILE – SCI FI – UNDATED

12. Various shots, clips from Battlestar Galactica

17 MARCH 2009, NEW YORK CITY

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Mary McDonnell, Actor:
“So, in Battlestar we had several moments where reconciliation was the point of order, and in one instance it was basically necessary for the survival, because humanity had become so fractured and the only way to continue was to call for reconciliation of the past and a clean slate to begin again and it opened up an opportunity for them to have a future.”

FILE – SCI FI – UNDATED

14. Various shots, clips from Battlestar Galactica

STORYLINE:

The United Nations this week hosted a retrospective of "Battlestar Galactica" ahead of the television series’ finale on Friday (20 March). A panel discussion examined the portrayal of issues such as human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith.

The panel discussion moderator and avid fan of the show, Whoopi Goldberg said that Battlestar Galactica “challenges its viewers to question what is right, what is wrong, what are we all still trying to figure out in this very complicated times”. She said that issues portrayed in the series such as “the fight for justice, equality and understanding” were as fundamental to the work of the United Nations as they were to the narrative of the series.

UN representatives on the panel included the special representative of the UN Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy; the deputy director of the New York office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber; and Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, Robert Orr.

Orr told UNifeed that the goal of the event was “to get people to think about issues that they don’t really want to think about on a daily basis”, and “to reach out to people that don’t deal with the UN everyday and don’t deal with these issues.”

The "Battlestar" contingent on the panel consisted of executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick, as well as stars Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos.

Olmos, who plays Admiral William Adama on the show, commented that he was "grateful that we were given the opportunity to do this kind of a show” which offered substance as well as entertainment. He said he believes that people who “took the entire ride” for the duration of the series, “were better for it”.

McDonnell, who plays president Laura Roslin, added that the show’s emphasis on reconciliation was important because it gave these fictional cultures “a clean slate to begin again and it opened up an opportunity for them to have a future”.

The science fiction drama “Battlestar Galactica” about a rag-tag space fleet debuted six years ago on the American Sci Fi Channel, and will wrap up this week when the series finale airs on Friday (20 March).

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