Passing for Human in Science Fiction: Comparing the TV Series Battlestar Galactica and V

This article discusses passing for human and constructions of humanity in the original and re-imagined versions of science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica and V. On the one hand, humanity is negotiated in the series through inhabiting "the right kind" of body; on the other hand, it is constructed by taking part in certain performances. The article examines the role that gender, sexuality, and race play in the process of passing for human, and how they intersect in constructing the signifying practices that mark what is human and non-human. These intersections are connected to cultural and political dynamics current at the time of the series' creation. By drawing on Judith Butler's work on gender performativity and Sara Ahmed's work on sensations, emotions, and encounters, the text establishes how humanity is constructed in the series through encounters with others, and how signs of humanness and inhumanness stick and slide between humans and "the others" in these encounters.