My presentation was about how Battlestar Galactica, the reimagined TV Series, is a modern interpretation of the Bible. As I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy reading a paper, I'll try to lay it out in a more entertaining fashion:
So, first there are the easy parallels. Between the characters, we have figures of Moses in Laura Roslin (the dying leader/prophet), Paul is Saul Tigh (a military commander that persecutes Cylons, then finds he is one), and Gaius Baltar as Satan, just to name a few.
Also, the basic storyline follows that of Genesis and Exodus: There is a fall from Paradise (Kobol), and then the Twelve Tribes - like those of Israel - travelled out to new lands - in this case worlds - to continue their ways. Then came an exodus from those worlds, at which point they lived in the wastes - outer space - for several years, endured many hardships, then came to the Promised Land. Oh, and their leader died right when they reached it.
However, the storyline also follows the basic comedic style of the Bible, the "U." This happens in almost every episode - high at the beginning, then a catastrophe causes a fall, but they overcome it and reach a high point at the end - but so does the main plot points. They begin in paradise, but fall, then they rise to prominence on their twelve worlds, but those twelve worlds are laid waste by the Cylons, so they had to leave, but they found a new planet to inhabit, but the Cylons found them there too and the humans were enslaved, and there was another Exodus, and then they found Earth, and they populated the land and interbred with the natives (which were humans, just 150,000 years ago, but still homo sapiens). Notice the parataxis? Of course you did.
Anyway, we can also find it in the symbols: the mountain, garden, cave, and furnace. The characters experience epiphanies upon alighting on the Mountains of Earth, they inhabited the Gardens of Paradise (Kobol in actually in a couple episodes, and is pretty much a jungle) they drifted through the Cave of space, and they were purged through the Furnace of war and some nebulae.
Another point I talked about concerned the kerygmatic. Professor Sexson often said that the kerygmatic answers the question: "How can I live a fuller life?" The Bible attempts to answer this question. Battlestar Galactica asks the same question, but in a different form: "Why should humans survive?" This series provides no tangible solution, but you are left with a feeling that you understand why we should survive. The characters also undergo this kerygmatic process; upon reaching earth, each human goes out and finds his needful thing. For some, it's a spouse; for others, it's a nice, quiet farmstead. For Bill Adama, the Joshua or military leader, it's a cabin up on the mountain that his lover wanted to build.
Anyway, I would strongly recommend Battlestar Galactica to anyone, even if only for the cultural experience. For, as Frye says on page 97 of Words with Power, "The many religions of the world... accept a specific mythological background and then translate it into a conceptual doctrine that is to be believed (quid credas). Belief then bears fruit in the actions and lifestyle of the believer (quid agas)." Battlestar certainly covers those, as it affects many actions and lifestyles:
Not to mention, Battlestar completely revolutionized distribution practices, and thus makes it a fascinating economic study as well.
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