Battlestar Galactica Uses Tense Historic Handshake As Episode Inspiration

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 32 seconds ago

Part of what made Ronald Moore’s Battlestar Galactica show so popular is that it frequently mixed allusions to real-world events with its futuristic storytelling. For example, all fans know that huge plot points in the show were meant to dramatize things like governmental power consolidation and the endorsement of torture in the wake of post-9/11 America. However, most of the Battlestar Galactica fandom missed one real-world connection in the episode “Colonial Day”: a handshake plot regarding Zarek and President Roslin written to reference the Oslo I Accord of 1993.

Battlestar Galactica And A Historic Handshake

For this tale about Battlestar Galactica’s handshake history to make sense, you’re going to need a crash course on “Colonial Day.” In this Season 1 episode, President Roslin reinstutes the Quorum of Twelve to allow specially chosen individuals to represent their respective colonies. Tom Zarek, a man who tried to previously force Roslin to resign, ends up running for the vacant vice president position, and the members of the press speculate about whether or not Roslin will run for the man who once openly defied her authority.

The reason most Battlestar Galactica fans didn’t clock the handshake subplot as a specific reference is that the show as a whole is steeped in modern politics. This included the politics of the time (much of the show serves as a critique of George W. Bush’s presidential administration) and the in-universe politics of the show (these characters spend far more time fighting each other than fighting the Cylons). However, it turns out this moment was inspired by a slightly older historical event. Namely, the 1993 signing of the Oslo I Accord.

If you’re a younger Battlestar Galactica fan, you may not remember this event and the weird handshake debate that surrounded it. You see, the real-world press was consumed by speculation as to whether PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin would be able to get over their fairly steep political differences and shake hands. They did so and ended up making history; this was the first time that the PLO and Israel formally acknowledged one another.

Tensions Between Leaders

Of course, the only ones in Battlestar Galactica that really seemed to care whether there would be a handshake between Roslin and Zarek are the members of the press. And the only reason they appeared so prominently in “Colonial Day” is that the previous miniseries revealed that most of Colonial One’s passengers were assorted reporters and photographers. Putting them in this episode establishes that life is returning to some semblance of normality for

The presence of the surviving press and their role in this story was inspired by the Miniseries, which established that most of the passengers on Colonial One at the time of the Cylon attack were reporters and photographers; their presence here further solidifies the theme that life has returned to normal. But that presence also cements the high stakes of future episodes because we know that every action taken by President Roslin and Commander Adama will be intently scrutinized.

And that’s all, folks: not only is “Colonial Day” a standout episode of Battlestar Galacticabut it has a minor handshake subplot referencing a momentous historical occasion. All of this serves as a reminder that no matter how many times you’ve watched the show, there’s always something new to discover. And our own tumultuous national politics make this the perfect time to revisit this iconic series. So say we all.