BSG: Why I am not a shipper

[dangermousie]

I have realized something today.

I am not a BSG shipper. At least not a Kara/Lee shipper (the jury is out on Helo/Boomer). I love the show, enjoy each episode (yes, even Litmus and the Farm), and find the characters interesting, but sometime between the end of first season and now, I've lost my shippy tendencies when it comes to BSG.

I was a mild Kara/Lee shipper by the end of Season 1. It had all the potential for trademark angst and conflict I prefer in my ships. But somehow, it's now gone. Maybe it's because they haven't been together for 6 episodes, and I am fickle (that wasn't true for Farscape, however). Or maybe because I don't really get to be a frothing-at-the-mouth, write and read fic obsessively shipper unless the TBTB spend a lot of time on development of the ship, showing it's the one. I am not much on extra-canon shipping. Farscape? So John and Aeryn story. My newest obsession Roswell? The whole thing is a star-crossed lovers tale masquerading as scifi. Even Firefly got a regular work out on the Mal-Inara front including a couple of episodes that focused on it. But I would have to be deluded to think BSG is a Kara/Lee show. Or that we will get whole episodes dedicated to their pining and how love is so angsty!pure. That is fine by me, but it certainly impedes rabid shipping.

Or maybe it's the compatibility issue. All the couples I have ever shipped (be it TV, movies, or books) convince me that they are each other's soulmates (whatever the nebulous term means), that they are the best for each other, that they are ready, or that dysfunctional or not, they can't live without each other. It is not a coincidence that with most of my ships, I enjoy the couples in RST mode as much as I do when they burn with UST.

Lee Adama? Probably my favorite character in the series. Kara Thrace? A character I adore and admire (and I don't fear the Mary Suefication of, not yet). But no, I don't think they can't live without each other: Kara fell for Anders quickly enough. Nor do I think they are ready for a relationship, nor do I think "I can't not touch you" (TM Roswell) applies to them. Yes, there is something there, and they are certainly physically attracted to each other (Lee's reaction to Kara in a dress, Kara's little fantasy), and are very good friends, but there is a huge step from that to True Love 4Eva.

Apollo has been functioning just fine without Kara. He does not do a Crichton and go psychotic. Kara had a romantic and sexually satisfying relationship with Anders, with no "You do know I am not her" (TM Firefly) type of comment from Anders.

Could a relationship betweeen them work in the future? Possibly. But do I think they are one soul in two bodies? Not really.

And that brings me to another couple on the show. The one that is closest to OTP for me than any other one. That is, Helo/Boomer. They certainly have a star-crossed lovers thing going. At least Lee and Kara are the same species. He loves her and protects her despite the fact that her "people" murdered his world, and she gives up everything she's ever known, betrays the Cylons, agrees to go to Galactica where she will be in dire trouble, for his sake. There is desperation, and urgency, and proof of love, and the TBTB confirmation that yes, they do love each other. So, why am I not frothing at the mouth? I belong to hidden_elysium, I enjoy H/B fics immensely, but I don't think I am a major H/B shipper. Maybe because there hasn't been enough screentime devoted to them. Or maybe that whole storyline is so full of twists and who knows what, I am just waiting for the writers to pull the rug from under me. Or maybe because I always prefer the main characters.

I think in the final analysis it's because I enjoy BSG on an intellectual level more than the emotional one. I have yet to be emotionally involved (which is fine by me) in any different way than appreciation for the great job Moore and Co. are doing. Aeryn walking away from John at the end of S3 of Farscape tore out my heart. I cried like a baby after seeing Roswell's "The End of the World." I wanted to jump into the TV and shake Inara until her teeth rattled during the tag of "Heart of Gold." Buffy killing Angel in "Becoming" is still not something I can rewatch without peeking through my fingers and requiring ice cream. Kara and Lee fight in KLG1? My reaction was a gleeful appreciation of how many fun directions you could go with this. It's not better or worse. Just different.

Of course, Helo/Boomer is teetering on the brink of becoming a real ship of mine (even if not in the best OTP list), so we will see.

Comments

[repr0b8.livejournal.com]

I think the H/B ship is a bit of a tough one, cause there is so little screentime. And you're absolutley right about the possibility of the writers pulling the rug out. I find myself constantly wondering if the next episode will bring the relationship to a crashing halt. (Please, please, please don't let RDM have replaced c!boomer with another copy).

I think the next couple episodes will tell a lot about this ship. Hopefully enough to make you a permanent H/B shipper. *grin*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

True. I've seen the H/B pics you've posted on your lj, and one from 2.07 that make me interested to say the least. It would definitely be my OTP for the show if only it had more screentime and if I trusted the writers more (not in a sense of delivering a good story, but in a sense of having that love be real and not a mindwarp exercise of some kind).

[poisontaster]

I don't know that I ship Kara/Lee either. Some of that is the rabid shipping that's going on in the fen. It's sort of killing my interest from oversaturation, like an overwatered plant.

I DO agree with you that, while interesting, the other thing that prevents fangirl cling is that the lack of any sort of focus on them as star-crossed lovers. I mean, three's potential, but nothing that's developed from the embryonic stage. They could be good together. But they'd be okay apart too.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

sort of killing my interest from oversaturation, like an overwatered plant.

Yes, that can happen to me too, at least when the ship is incipient. However, if the canon is strong on that point, the stuff doesn't bother me. I've waded through enough bad Anakin/Padme fics (not to mention Buffy shipper wars) to know that.

They could be good together. But they'd be okay apart too.

And that's the key for me. If they are not desperate for each other, how could I be desperate for them?

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

If they are not desperate for each other, how could I be desperate for them?

This sums it up very well. I thought I was a K/L shipper, but not so much anymore. Whatever was there was so embryonic, and now...*shrug*

The H/B ship is more developed in the sense that at least they've sacrificed for each other out of love for each other. We'll see if it lasts, and how it develops (or not). But I can climb aboard that ship with a greater sense of its existence.

Okay, I just re-read what you wrote, and I had another thought. IF a K/L ship were to emerge, maybe what we're seeing with them is the path that would lead them to each other. With John and Aeryn they walked that path together, and indeed, I don't think Aeryn's development could have happened without John. They were so intertwined. But with K/L, they have to discover who they really are individually before they can do anything else. They have to become more. This is something we already see H/B doing, and doing together.

Nevermind, in my disjointed way I'm convincing myself more and more out of K/L entirely.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, the Farscape comparison is a really good one.

If anyone is on the J/A track, it's Helo/Boomer, what with coming from different cultures and the male being more "human" and teaching the woman about emotions.

I like relationships where both people grow and become something different as a result. And/or are less without the other, however dysfunctional the rest is.

Mind you, starting with tomorrow's ep they can go guns blazing and develop the heck out of K/L for all I know. But for now, there is not enough passion or love or sacrifice there for me to ship them.

[kitsah.livejournal.com]

Yes and no. I was not a shipper in Season 1 until about mid-season for Kara and Lee. You're right, they're not star crossed lovers. And I definitely didn't miss the kara/lee thing so far this season. Until I saw a very innocent spoiler pic where they were standing next to each other and I was all happy again. Fickle, yes. Why? I'm not sure yet. For me it either works or it doesn't.

I do wish that if they're going to throw in a character we are supposed to care about, they'd give them more screen time.

On the other hand I wish every episode were about 3 hours long, so we could get every little bit of Ensign John Smith whose sole job is to recycle Tigh's used liquor bottles, and who then spends the rest of his day making snarky comments about all the crazy people on the ship. :)

When I fall for a show, I fall hard. Usually exclusively.

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

I do wish that if they're going to throw in a character we are supposed to care about, they'd give them more screen time.

This I wholeheartedly agree with. I also wish we'd gotten that H/B hug!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I saw that pic and I liked it.

Basically, if the show does go in the K/L direction, I will like it, I won't be bored by it or wondering "where did this come from?" But if it never does, I won't be bothered by it either. Which I think means I am not a shipper.

I do wish that if they're going to throw in a character we are supposed to care about, they'd give them more screen time

For me that is the biggest drawback to being emotionally entangled. All the other shows I have strong emotional connections to had plenty of character-oriented time and drama. BSG, being a true ensemble and a show about a concept is not. This is not Cmdr. Adama show. This is not "this is how Lee who is this and that kind of person deals with apocalypse." It's more of "here's what humanity could do." And it makes it intellectually engaging but does not make me attached to the characters.

[morwen_peredhil]

I still ship Kara/Lee, but Helo/Boomer has never done much for me. I've given up on the podcasts and I ration the amount of Kara/Lee meta (both pro- and anti-ship) I read for the sake of my own sanity.

In any case, my main focus as far as ships go has shifted to Stargate Atlantis (John/Elizabeth, Ronon/Teyla). It's not nearly as good as BSG, but I love the characters and they're a lot of fun to ship even when there is some angst.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I ration the amount of Kara/Lee meta

ROFL.

I have never seen SA (and it doesn't seem like my type of show) but I have to say Ronon looks HOT. The problem for me is I am not a default shipper by nature, so unless the show itself ships the characters, with plenty of canon and canon attention on the ship and its rightness, I am not going to be a shipper.

[phylogenetics.livejournal.com]

I'm not a Kara/Lee shipper by any means. I think they are both good looking people and it would be interesting to watch them attempt a relationship, but it's not something I'm dying/hoping to see--or even want to see anytime soon. I think part of the reason for my lack of shippiness is:

1. The Adama/Lee relationship is far more interesting and what drew me to the show in the first place. This relationship trumps any other for me.

2. The relationship of Kara/Lee is not the focus of the show, unlike Buffy/Angel (up until season 3 at least...sniff), and it's not the main conflict of the show. The show has no center character where everyone revolves (well, Adama may come close), and everyone has their own relationship, some romantic, others not. In the end, I don't get the Kara/Lee thing thrown in my face often enough for me to want to see them together.

3. Both Kara and Lee functions fine without the other, they don't pine after each other. It's simply two people that have like each other and may have a mutual attraction.

4. The two started out as siblings, and I like that relationship better than if they were lovers. I think part of the reason I'm not all over this ship is because their relationship as siblings creates a more interesting dichotomy than as lovers (b/c lovers would be so cliched, making them competitive siblings who don't screw each other would be unique and certainly rarely seen in tv today).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think they are both good looking people and it would be interesting to watch them attempt a relationship, but it's not something I'm dying/hoping to see

That is precisely my attitude to the whole thing.

Re: your points.

1. Yes, I agree. I find Adama/Apollo (and actually Apollo/Roslin) more interesting and complex and just too much fun to digest.

2. Yes. I miss that with BSG. I like a show that is oriented around a character or two and where romantic relationship is the heart (pardon the pun) of the show. I can ship that. While I can enjoy BSG which has neither of these things, it inhibits the shipping.

3. That's the key for me. I can't rabidly ship people who are not madly in love. What's the point. They don't ship each other. There is not enough there for me to grab.

I could get behind K/L. It has a potential to be a kind of ship I like. But until it does go there, I am not shipping them.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

For some obscure reason I ship Lee/Laura, which I know is soooo not going to happen on the show.... (I'm guessing it'll be Lee and Kara by about season 3.)

I'm not sure why I didn't go for Kara/Lee as I like both the characters and they would be pretty together. It might be because the show has so much angst that I am not hugely keen on seeing more relationship angst (which sort of wore me out in Buffy and Angel as well) swallow them up.

As for Helo/Sharon...I have to admit I preferred Tyrol and Galactica Sharon. Poor man had to cradle her dying body in his arms and now has to face her copy coming back pregnant with another man's child - it's all so tragic and he's such a good guy that I know I'll be cut up about it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

For some obscure reason I ship Lee/Laura, which I know is soooo not going to happen on the show

See, I can't ship a ship that I know will never happen on the show. It's just a canon Nazi sort of thing, or a lack of imagination, or whatever.

It has nothing to do with whether Laura and Lee could make a good couple in an alternate reality (I think they could, she understands him better than Kara does, I think, even though I get a bit of a Mom vibe). It just doesn't have enough romantic interaction between them for me to ship them.

Poor man had to cradle her dying body in his arms and now has to face her copy coming back pregnant with another man's child - it's all so tragic and he's such a good guy that I know I'll be cut up about it.

I simply adore Tyrol and am looking forward to the drama. I do think BSG is more interested in abstract and philosophical ponderings than real in-your-face personal kind, but I hope there will be some.

[phylogenetics.livejournal.com]

I do think BSG is more interested in abstract and philosophical ponderings than real in-your-face personal kind, but I hope there will be some.


I like BSG for all both it's philosophical ideas and it's personal conflicts. The only problem I have with the interpersonal conflicts is that they put their characters through way too much angst at times. Look at what happened to Tyrol, first on Kobol, then on the Galactica, and the worst has yet to be revealed with the return of Boomer. There's just so much angst you want for your character before it becomes overkill.

But I do like the personal conflicts people have. I think part of the reason is the fact there's no reset button. They don't let people get away with their behavior, right or wrong. Someone will remember. And that's what appeals to me in the show, the character relationships aren't contrived or forced to appeased a larger plot (for the most part), the characters' actions/motivations drives the story, not the other way around (yes, I'm looking at YOU, ST:Voyager).

Moore has mentioned again and again that he doesn't try to make a point that one side was right and the other was wrong, he just let's the plot unfold and make sure the characters stay true to form. That's why I think I can watch the show on an emotional level, these characters feel real to me. But then again, I'm just a sucker for great TV in general. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I'm just a sucker for great TV in general

And i think BSG certainly earns that label!

[taffetadarling.livejournal.com]

I remain a Lee/Kara shipper probably for all the well-stated reasons why some people are not. I love how flawed these two characters are, how inappropriate they are, how by all intents and purposes... they should not be together yet are polar opposites and drawn to each other. I love the loyalty they feel towards each other and the rivalry between them for Commander Adama's affection. Finally, I love that they are best friends, that each of them knows the other better than they know themselves.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The thing is, I can see them together. If it happens I won't be surprised or dislike it or whatever. But because I don't sense this unbreakable romantic bond between them (at least yet, it might change in the future of course), I can't ship them.

I do wonder how well Kara understands Lee. Would she be able to appreciate his standing up for abstract principles (with Roslin) over personal loyalty? She is all about personal loyalty after all.

[shadowserenity.livejournal.com]

I originally started shipping Kara/Lee because they are so... mainstream, but gradually I became more attached to Helo/Boomer because of the people I met. I'm obsessive about H/B because even though they don't get enough screentime, I like filling in the blanks (sometimes grudgingly, as with "The Farm"). I think if we got more Helo/Boomer moments, we'd definitely be a larger group and we'd have a firmer grasp on their relationship.

Friending you because I should have done so ages ago :).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

:)

The thing is, I am one of those unimaginative shippers who can't really be into a ship unless there is a lot of material (which due to BSG being an ensemble cast there isn't).

But H/B is the one ship on BSG where both partners are alive and clearly love each other.

[ingridmatthews.livejournal.com]

Interesting post. I'm a slasher, so I don't have any het ships on my shows, usually, although I wouldn't mind a little Cally/Tyrol. Mmmm.

However, this struck me as interesting ...

[Boomer] betrays the Cylons,

Is it possible for her to do this? Do they have that sort of free will that can't be easily reigned in by a beamed command from Cylon Central?

Me? I don't think Caprica!Boomer is doing anything that isn't already ordered and sanctioned by Cylon Command, even if it looks like she's changing sides. But, then again, on this show ... who knows? ;)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Do they have that sort of free will that can't be easily reigned in by a beamed command from Cylon Central?

I have no idea. It's an interesting philosophical question, because the notion of free will is often what defines humanity and God's grace. I would imagine the most likeliest scenario is the Cylon command knows of Boomer-model flaws and exploits it. Not to say she isn't going to decide for herself, but they know how she is likely to decide and jump to use it.