So this actually happened: on March 17, 2009, the United Nations sponsored a panel discussion that "explored some of the themes that are of importance to both the United Nations and the critically acclaimed television show: human rights; terrorism; children and armed conflict; and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faiths." Yes, that's right, a sci-fi show generated high-level dialog within the U.N. The panel was moderated by Whoopi Goldberg, and the panel members included Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, and executive producers Ronald D. Moore and David Eick (in addition to various dignitaries, and a hundred high school students in the audience). Oh, and they taped the whole thing. You know you want to watch this.

Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite TV shows. It actually has a lot to say about terrorism, torture, reproductive rights, race, and of course blowing stuff up. Edward James Olmos kinda ripped up the joint with his opening speech about race. Check this out, and be prepared to yell "So say we all" at your computer screen:

After the jump, you can check out the whole thing, two hours of BSG analysis and retrospective. It's geek heaven, people.

For more coverage, check out this NPR story, this first-hand account from io9, or this summary from EW.com.