Battlestar Galactica Hides History’s Greatest Villain In Plain Sight
Part of the rebooted Battlestar Galactica’s initial charm is that its world was very different from our own, from humanity’s expansion to the stars to everyone’s favorite F-word being “frak.” However, the show eventually brought in more and more connections to the real world, all of which culminated in the bonkers revelation that the series was meant to be a prequel showing how humanity on Earth truly evolved. That’s all well and good, but one insane Battlestar Galactica connection to the real world was Adolf Hitler appearing on the cover of a book in the episode “Act of Contrition.”
Hiding In Act Of Contrition
In order to understand the cameo of Battlestar Galactica’s bizarre Hitler cameo, you need to know more about the episode that it heils…er, hails from. “Act of Contrition” was a Season 1 episode focusing chiefly on the tragic accidental death of a pilot and the subsequent revelation that Commander Adama’s son Zak died in a similar way. The B plot of this adventure was Helo and Boomer’s continuing adventures on a largely barren Caprica, where they end up holing up for temporary safety in an old fallout shelter.
Paper Books Hiding In A Bunker
That shelter is where this Battlestar Galactica episode brings Hitler into the picture, though we doubt that producers ever intended for audiences to notice. The shelter mentioned above has plenty of books on a shelf, and sharp-eyed audiences immediately noted how the books are rectangular rather than octagonal, like all the paperwork in this fictional universe. The reason the books were rectangular is quite simple: they are real books from modern-day Earth, and once the shelf falls over, even sharper-eyed fans can get a good look at their covers.
From Medical Fiction To Hitler
One of the books in question is The Final Diagnosis by Arthur Hailey, a 1959 dramatic tale about a beleaguered doctor who has to make one hard decision after another while working in a crowded hospital (we can only assume Dr. Cottle would have loved this). Inarguably, though, the most fascinating text is one that we can’t make out the title of. In this Battlestar Galactica episode, one of the books is adorned with swastikas and what seems to be the face of Adolf Hilter on the cover.
Now, the smart money is that the Battlestar Galactica producers simply threw some random books on the shelf for this episode and that nobody counted on anyone noticing Hitler’s face on what is likely just a history book. During the next episode, the shelf gets knocked over, and we get a better look at the odds and ends of Caprica reading material.
The Original Series Went To World War 2
However, the more tantalizing possibility is that this might have been an intentional homage to Galactica 1980, the short-lived spinoff of the original show, which had a prolonged story about our heroes traveling back in time (Star Trek-style) to World War II. There, they must stop Xaviar from helping the Nazis win the war with modern technology, all part of a crazy gambit in which they will eventually have weapons sophisticated enough to defeat the Cylons.
The Cameo Was Never Meant To Be Noticed
In short, Battlestar Galactica’s inexplicable Hitler cameo was likely never intended to be seen by audiences, but it might just be an homage to the franchise’s strangest moment. Either way, it’s a surreal sight since the series finale establishes that Hitler wouldn’t be born until 150,000 years later, the unknowing descendent of the Galactica crew and Earth’s original indigenous people.
And the fact that this completely disrupts the Nazi leader’s idea of a Master Race is a rare bright spot in an otherwise bizarre series finale.
