Battlestar Galactica, COVID-19 and the media

By Jandoli Institute on March 19, 2020 • ( 0 )

By Richard Lee

At a journalism conference I attended a few years ago, a speaker made an interesting observation about Battlestar Galactica, a science fiction television series that suddenly seems more pertinent today than when it aired.

In the series, an android race launches an attack that devastates the human population, reducing its numbers from the billions to just 50,000. Although COVID-19 has taken a toll on life as we know it, the world is taking steps to prevent an impact as severe as that in the television series.

But back to Battlestar Galactica and the journalism conference — the speaker made the point that no matter how much the human race dwindled, reporters always were there to cover press conferences and bring the public needed news and information.

In the television series, the threat came from an android attack, not a virus, but in both cases, journalists rose to the occasion and did their important and valuable work.

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Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, is a former music journalist who often writes about the intersection of entertainment and current events.