A SEARCH FOR HOME: NAVIGATING CHANGE IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA KIMBERLY S. YOST A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August, 2012 Signature Page This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled: A SEARCH FOR HOME: NAVIGATING CHANGE IN BATTLESTAR GALACTICA prepared by Kimberly S. Yost Is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Change. Approved by: Carolyn Kenny, Ph.D. date Chair Lize Booysen, D.B.L. date Committee Member Holly Baumgartner, Ph.D. date Committee Member Kristin Bezio, Ph.D. date External Reader Copyright 2012 Kimberly S. Yost All rights reserved Acknowledgements Many doctoral students comment that it takes a village to write a dissertation. I would like to thank my village. My committee chair, Carolyn Kenny, and the members of my committee, Lize Booysen, Holly Baumgartner, and Kristin Bezio, for their support, encouragement, insightfulness, and enthusiasm. They took extraordinary care in their comments and even took the time to watch the series. I hope you all had fun. I would also like to acknowledge my peers in Cohort 9 of the Antioch University Leadership and Change program, particularly my “study buddy” Tammy Stachowicz, as well as the entire faculty for their encouragement as I plowed ahead with a project that may have seemed a bit odd to some. I would also like to thank my family for their forbearance as I concentrated on my academic work these past few years. In particular, I would like to acknowledge those who were not physically present, but always a part of my heart: my mother, Sue Yost, and my grandmother, Jessie Yost. i Abstract This dissertation explores the various ways in which the multiple leaders portrayed in the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009) navigate extreme conditions of continual change. In addition, the dissertation contains a discussion of the larger narrative themes of love, forgiveness, redemption, and embracing the Other as principles effective leaders must cultivate. Through an interpretation of this specific popular media text, a deeper emotional sensitivity to and understanding of leadership, positive and negative, during extreme crises is gained. Furthermore, the series serves as a vehicle through which viewers can reflect on and engage in their own self-awareness about issues surrounding leadership and reconsider personal paradigms based on the depiction presented in the narrative. The choice for using an interpretive hermeneutic method for this dissertation comes from the specific desire to understand the visual text of Battlestar Galactica in relation to leadership studies. The goal is neither to predict behaviors nor to examine an individual case against theory. My intent is to develop our further and deeper understanding of leadership in extremis, while questioning how the visual text may influence our perceptions of leadership theory and practice. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd ii Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Leadership Studies and the Humanities: A Perspective of Symbiosis ....................................... 1 An Interpretive Hermeneutical Approach ................................................................................... 6 Purpose of the Dissertation ......................................................................................................... 9 Summary of Dissertation .......................................................................................................... 10 An Introduction to Battlestar Galactica ................................................................................... 12 Chapter II: Review of the Literature ............................................................................................. 14 The History and Social Function of Science Fiction Narratives .............................................. 14 Defining the genre ............................................................................................................. 14 Ancient Greek influences .................................................................................................. 18 The reemergence of science-fictional literature ................................................................ 18 Science fiction in the Age of Enlightenment .................................................................... 21 Science fiction narratives in the 19th century .................................................................... 24 Struggles for cultural ascendancy in the 20th century ....................................................... 29 Competency During Crisis ........................................................................................................ 39 Crisis phases and competencies ........................................................................................ 41 Basic follower needs ......................................................................................................... 42 Crisis, Charismatic Leadership, and Religion .......................................................................... 43 An overview of charismatic leadership ............................................................................. 46 Personal attributes of charismatic leaders ......................................................................... 47 Leader-follower relationships in a charismatic model ...................................................... 48 Situational factors for the emergence of charismatic leaders ........................................... 50 Power and legitimacy ........................................................................................................ 51 The ‘dark side’ .................................................................................................................. 52 Narrative Themes Associated with Leadership Principles ....................................................... 55 Love .................................................................................................................................. 56 Forgiveness ....................................................................................................................... 58 Redemption ....................................................................................................................... 60 Being human and being other ........................................................................................... 62 Chapter III: Methodology ............................................................................................................. 65 Evolution of the Hermeneutic Tradition ................................................................................... 65 Historicality of understanding........................................................................................... 71 Fusion of horizons............................................................................................................. 74 Further understandings on dialogue .................................................................................. 75 Visualizing the Hermeneutic Circle .......................................................................................... 77 Key Characteristics of Hermeneutics ....................................................................................... 79 The Role of the Hermeneutic Interpreter .................................................................................. 80 Interpretive Hermeneutic Process ............................................................................................. 82 Strengths and Limitations ......................................................................................................... 84 Chapter IV: Interpretation of the Findings for Leadership Practice ............................................. 85 Military Leaders ........................................................................................................................ 85 William Adama ................................................................................................................. 86 iii Adama and Cain .............................................................................................................. 104 Saul Tigh ......................................................................................................................... 107 Lee Adama ...................................................................................................................... 110 Why Starbuck is not a leader .......................................................................................... 114 Political Leaders ..................................................................................................................... 115 Laura Roslin .................................................................................................................... 115 Gaius Baltar .................................................................................................................... 132 Tom Zarek ....................................................................................................................... 138 Lee Adama .....................................................................................................................