David Hesmondhalgh's essay Rock Culture and Visual Culture touches on something that has bothered me for a while. Why is the popular music of my generation seen as so unworthy praise in comparison with which my parents were raised? Hesmondhalgh argues, essentially, that the golden age of rock has been mythologized. This isn't a particularly controversial thesis, but it is particularly interesting when discussed in the context of Battlestar Galactica , a show that has taken the mythologizing of the golden age of rock to a quite literal level.
By the end of the show's third season, seven out of twelve models of Cylons - the human-looking machines bent on destroying humanity – had been revealed. Every one had at one point seemingly been human with a later reveal of the true nature that often spun the show in a different direction. After three seasons of these reveals, the audience was very much prepared for five more. What no one could prepare for though was when a central character drunkenly blurted out the first line of Bob Dylan's 'All Along the Watchtower.' Imagine the shock, then, when four main characters each quoted a line from the song, thus signaling the realization of their true nature as Cylons. Few fans were particularly shocked at the revelation Most are still trying to understand the diegetic significance of Dylan's classic.
Ron D. Moore, the show's executive producer, has discussed the fact that the song is exists to demonstrate a connection between our world and the show's. It is not that Bob Dylan exists in their Galactica universe, but that this song, like the inclination to explore or the fear of God, is part of human consciousness. As the show has progressed, though, 'All Along the Watchtower' has become like Ezekial's chariot, a signal of the divine.
The use of the song on Battlestar Galactica seems to be another portent of Hesmondhalgh's mythologizing of classic rock. Both its composition and lyrics are dissected by the show and given enormous power. The music, now laden with sitar and duduk, becomes an integral part of the show's score in the fourth season, always coupled with a transcendent experience. The show has been noted for its diverse score that ignores cultural or geographic boundaries. The music veers away from orientalist stereotypes. Japanese Taiko drums, signal that the Galactica is ready for battle, while a piano solo inspired by Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," accompanies the alien Cylons on their geometrically schizophrenic Basestars. Through all of this, though, it is the American rock classic that is tied to the great mystery of the show.
A central theme of Battlestar Galactica is questioning what it means to be human, as well as what it means to believe in God. 'All Along the Watchtower,' as it is used on the show, seem to represent the best of humanity and of our beliefs. The song is apparently something so beautiful and profound that it is nothing short of divine. In fact, it's function is to push the audience to do what the characters on Galactica cannot: look into our past and marvel beauty we have created rather than looking into our future in search of our next conquest. This is particularly ironic for a show that has had to constantly overcome the inclination of viewers to look back and compare the show to its source, the 1970's Galactica .
Galactica does not harp on popular culture – after all, it is popular culture – the way those who revere Dylan and Hendrix over modern musicians often do. On the other hand, it's interesting to note that out of all the touchstones it could use to signify the grace of humanity, the chose a rock classic. Though critics will continue to argue about whether or not the use of the 'All Along the Watchtower' enhances or destroys the narrative, there can be no doubt that it was a bold decision. It was also one that shows how much, for better or worse, we still worship the golden age of rock and roll.
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