Bento 17 is published August 2005 by David Levine and Kate Yule for Interaction, the Worldcon in Glasgow, Scotland If you ask us during a science fiction (or square dance) convention “What’s new with you? What have you been up to?” the answer may well disappoint. We’re in convention space, you see! The real world is far away; home, job, and political crises all equally insubstantial. The crappy signage by the registration desk—now that’s a scandal worth discussing, that is— So do have a chat with us at the Worldcon. Buy us a pint, or a nice cuppa. And if you’d like to know a bit more about those strange people who just slid under the table, when you get home take a look at www.LiveJournal.com. Our usernames are kateyule and davidlevine respectively. One doesn’t have to register in order to read public entries. David has lots to say about the process of novel writing, plus com- puter natter and smatterings of real life. Kate’s earli- est posts are all about our kitchen remodel, and in February 2005 she got a CPAP machine to cope with sleep apnea. “Hey, Rusty’s in the club!” We’d love to have you drop by. We can also be reached at: 1905 SE 43rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97215 [email protected] — [email protected] www.BentoPress.com he gift shop at the San Jose Art Battlestar Gray Museum had nightlights for Tsale that had been part of their As I write this, the second season of Battlestar Galactica has “blobjects” exhibit. I picked one up, just begun and DVDs of Season One are available. If you haven't curious about its heft, and said “Oh! It been watching this series, you should. It's the best science fiction has a belly button!” show on television since Firefly was canceled. David said, “No, that’s its mouth. First off, cast aside all memories of the Seventies show of Because if that’s a belly button then the same name with Lorne Greene. Yes, the characters in this those other dots are stigmata, and Galactica have some of the same names; yes, the twelve human eeeuw.” Colonies were destroyed by the robotic Cylons in a sneak attack; “Really? Naw. They could still yes, the space battleship Galactica leads an ill-assorted fleet of be eyestalks and there just isn’t a mouth.” survivors toward the legendary planet Earth. But those implausible “But a belly button implies a womb and everything.” names (Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer) are fighter pilot call signs— I said that I didn’t feel a need to posit an entire alien biology these people have first and last names just like actual human in order to believe it feasible to have both navel and eyestalks on beings. The Cylons are not one-dimensional killing machines, but the same organism, especially when that organism was a complex and mysterious adversaries. And that “rag-tag fugitive glow-in-the-dark plastic nightlight. fleet” is populated by a diverse and combative group of characters Looking on, the clerk commented happily “No one has ever who, although they know the fate of humanity rests on their shoul- done that before.” ders, nonetheless often work at cross-purposes, creating tension “What?” within the small and embattled survivor community. “Said, ‘what if this were a mouth’ or ‘I think they’re eyes.’” The relationship between President Roslin and Commander Really? Nobody? Adama is particularly well drawn. Laura Roslin, who was Secre- How very sad. —KY tary of Education before most of the government was killed in the Cylons’ initial attack, is derided by her critics as a “jumped-up ex-schoolteacher.” William Adama, the Old Man of the fleet, was “Yeah, he does kind of walk like a piñata.” about to retire along with his antiquated battlestar; he’s tired, estranged from his son Lee (call sign Apollo), and occasionally clumsy walking toasters—the various new models include fear- despairs that the gods have dumped a bigger task in his lap than he some computer-animated centurions, lethal pilots integrated with can handle. Yet of these two it’s Roslin who is most frequently their ships, and biotech creatures indistinguishable from human on hard-nosed and unsentimental, while Adama is the one who argues even a cellular level. Humanoid Cylons do not necessarily know from the heart that the men and women under his command must they are Cylons, which makes for some interesting speculations. be respected as individuals. Randy, cigar-chomping Starbuck—might she be a Cylon? How The differing goals about Adama or Roslin? and priorities of these two, Another real difference from the old series is that the Cylons the civilian and military have motives—some, at least, are profoundly religious (and mono- leaders of the fleet respec- theistic, as contrasted with the humans’ worship of the Lords of tively, lead to a Constitu- Kobol), and seem to be working toward some grand unification of tional crisis and an armed humanity and its machine children under the light of God. insurrection by the end of I’m beginning to think that—despite their apparent destruc- the first season. But it’s far tion of most of humanity at the beginning of the series—the from clear which of them is Cylons do feel they have humans’ best interests at heart. (“Appar- “right.” Apollo, in particu- ent” destruction because in the scenes set on Cylon-occupied lar, is torn—he’s both Caprica, there are no dead bodies anywhere. Isn’t that a little odd?) Adama’s lead fighter pilot When their full motivations are revealed I suspect we will find that and Roslin’s liaison to the some humans will agree with them. Possibly even some of the military, and though he audience. sometimes hates his father Nothing is straightforward here. Much of what we think we (there’s backstory galore to know about the Cylons is via Baltar, the most complex character that relationship) he’s an army brat who can’t always understand of them all. In the old series Baltar allied with the Cylons for the civilian politics. With friends like these, who needs Cylons? sake of personal power and acted as the lead one-dimensional vil- The Cylons themselves are the most intriguing thing about lain. In the new series Gaius Baltar is a vain and lazy genius, a this very intriguing series. For one thing, they are no longer self-sacrificing coward, a gallant and imaginative asshole of the first water. Yes, he did help the Cylons slaughter most of human- here, but what would you expect from a shipful of randy space ity, but unknowingly, deceived by a beautiful female Cylon who fighter jocks (of both sexes) who know they are responsible for the knew exactly where his weak point lay (accent on the “lay”). Now continued existence of the human race? he’s half-insane with guilt. Or possibly completely insane—Baltar The new Battlestar Galactica is subtle. All the characters, and only Baltar can see Evil Blondie now, and it’s utterly ambigu- including the Cylons, are drawn in shades of gray. It’s complex, ous whether she is a Cylon mind implant, a figment of his imagi- morally ambiguous, and a great shoot-’em-up besides. It might nation, or even a vision from God. She does give him information even be good enough to drive the memory of Galactica 1980 out that only the Cylons could have. But if she really is a Cylon... why of my head. — DDL would she tell us how to defeat them? Again, I suspect the Cylons have humanity’s best interests at heart. Their repeated attacks on Galactica might only appear to be Morning radio news: “...Canadian cattle prohibited an attempt to destroy the last remnant of humanity. Might they be from crossing the border.” trying to herd them in a particular direction? And might that direc- Kate: That’s because they don’t have passports. tion be as much spiritual as physical? Perhaps they believe that David: “How long do you plan to be in the country? suffering strengthens the soul, or that the weakest elements of Mooo. humanity must be weeded out. At this point I have no idea what That’s not an answer, sir— the answer is, but I trust the writers enough to believe that there is MOO one, and that it will be revealed in time. —ma’am.” Are you getting the idea that I really like the writing on this series? That’s not all it has going for it. The acting is often impres- sive. The sets and special effects are top-notch. There’s sound in space, but it’s muted, as though the producers are embarrassed to little tadpole guy have to include it, and most of the space battles are shown in a cinéma vérité style, filmed as if by hand-held cameras. The intriguing percussion-driven music doesn’t sound like anything else on television. And there’s plenty of sex—no “sociolators” Nerve Gas Chicken Chop up a green pepper, and a small piece of ginger. Get 1/2 by popular demand cup of roasted peanuts out of the freezer. What we have here is a wok recipe that calls a few pieces of Mix sauce: dry red pepper, which you fry in hot oil “until it turns almost 1 tsp cornstarch black.” That word “almost” there is the kicker. Kind of like “turn 2 Tb soy sauce left at the second street before the stop light.” 1 Tb wine Imagine a kitchen filled, not with smoke exactly, but with a 1 tsp sesame oil fine mist of oil droplets, each one infused with the essence of hot 1/2 tsp sugar pepper.