Battlestar Galactica: Above the Genre?

Are science fiction fans so in need of critical acceptance of their shows that they will accept backhanded compliments and act as if they are completely reasonable? I avoided talking about the “Battlestar Galactica rises above the genre” statements as long as I have been able to resist but it makes me mad.

I like Battlestar Galactica,  I didn’t even hate it’s ending but the idea that it rises above the genre is frankly offensive because what it’s really saying is that science fiction is for stupid people but that somehow this one show managed to actually be good. This is important because it allows them to watch the show and like it while continuing to feel superior and dismiss everything else.

This is same problem that leads book stores to put books that are clearly science fiction into the other parts of the store so that they won’t be tainted by the association. This is the problem that makes writers such as Kurt Vonnegut claim that a book like slaughterhouse 5 isn’t science fiction.

There are many smart people writing good books, movies and TV series in genre fiction and the only way we are ever going to be able to convince people that the genre isn’t for 14 year old boys is if we stop accepting the premise that anything which isn’t for 14 year old boys rises above the genre.