How The Most Serious Sci-Fi Series Ever Made A Snuck Toilet Comedy Over The Network
By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Battlestar Galactica has a well-earned reputation as one of the most serious sci-fi series ever made. Under the direction of showrunner Ronald D. Moore, the show wasn’t everything Star Trek was: gritty, dirty, and full of character conflicts. The original series began with attempts at the extermination of humanity, and later episodes often feature President Roslin keeping track of how many people are left as soldiers and civilians are taken over by evil robots. In other words, Battlestar Galactica It’s not a program that pops up when you want to enjoy a few laughs!
That being said, the show is peppery at times, which is especially funny because it’s surrounded by serious scenes. One of the best examples of this is the Season 1 episode “Six Degrees of Separation.” Most of the plot is appropriately sinister, as Dr. Baltar is worried that he will go mad and rush to clear his name for betraying humanity. However, in the midst of all of this, Moore went out of his way to insert some unusual toilet humor in such a way that Baltar happily confronts Gaeta in the toilet!
When the Story Goes Down the Toilet
If you want to freshen up before we go to the bathroom, here it is: “Six Degrees of Separation” Battlestar Galactica the episode where Dr. Baltar is startled by the appearance of a woman who claims to be a secret Cylon organizer. The twist? He looks exactly like the type of Cylon Six he keeps talking to in his head. He frantically tries to clear his name, and is finally thrown into custody for trying to destroy a potentially incriminating photo. But after praying to God for forgiveness, his accuser disappears, and the portrait is revealed to be a fake meant to be clever.
So, where does the weird toilet joke fit in? Gaeta is the one assigned to investigate the picture, and while in the bathroom, she is visited by Baltar. The not-so-good doctor wants to interrogate Gaeta for information, but one of his questions comes out the wrong way: “How’s it going there?” The man in the bathroom asked. After Gaeta gives a confused “uh…”, Baltar clarifies that he’s talking about how things are going in the lab. After Baltar fails to ask the man to reach the lab, Gaeta runs out of there, leaving the doctor yelling at him, “You forgot to wash your hands!”
Best Order
Just when things are getting weird, Baltar’s accuser walks into the bathroom. He criticizes her for being a secret Cylon while denying all his claims. Finally, she goes into the bathroom and closes the store door, effectively ending the conversation. This leaves a frustrated Baltar to utter an exasperated exclamation that turns out to be an echo of his first name: “no more Mr. Gaius!”
If you think this weird toilet joke is out of place Battlestar Galacticayou are not alone. As recorded in Battlestar Galactica: Official Companion“The network had its problems and wanted to cut it at one point, and I said, ‘No, I can do this and make it work. The runner was good for confidence, as the last scene was funny without being silly or bad. According to Gaeta actor Alessandro Juliani, one of the reasons it was so funny was that director Robert M. Young stuck to the script, “which said in capital letters, ‘STAY OUT’ OF THE DEALS’.
Best Advanced Line
About the Dr. pun. Weird little Baltar, the first line was just “no more Mr. Nice Guy,” which was pretty funny. Actor James Callis developed “no more Mr. Nice Gaius” because the joke just “seemed obvious.” The development made executive producer David Eick laugh, but warned the actor that “I’m not sure that’s going to work for the audience.” Fortunately for both Callis and the fans, Moore liked the song well enough to make the final cut.
You’ve got it, you frakkers: the story of how Ronald D. Moore snuck a bathroom joke. Battlestar Galactica. The network’s toasters were horrified that he couldn’t pull it off, but the showrunner managed to sneak in some well-deserved laughs from the most serious sci-fi show of the modern era. Is it possible to turn on the many intellectuals who are watching with the hope of Tricia Helfer yelling at them in the toilet? Maybe, but we’ll try not to hold onto that.
