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M$1 February 19, 2009 07:37 PM

Explain to me "Bears.Beets.Battlestar Galactica"

Hi, there is this quote from The Office, which became really famous :

Which BEAR is BEST?
Black Bear.
Fact: BEARS eat BEETS.
BEARS.
BEETS.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA!!

As english is not my first language, i'm really dubitative with this sentence. Is it funny because of the nonsense of "battlestar galactica" quote in the logical chain (battlestar galactica being dwight favorite tv serie) or any play on words based on beets/beats ? Or both ?
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lon lon
 
February 19, 2009 07:40 PM
The joke is that these are three things about which the character of Dwight Schrute obsesses. He frequently talks about the ways to defend one's self against a bear attack, he runs a beet farm and he's a sci-fi fan who takes "Battlestar Galactica" very seriously.

So Jim is merely doing an impression of Dwight, and thus mentions these three things, matter-of-factly, in a sentence together.

I'm not aware of any particular double-meaning to the words, other than the alliteration of 3 "b-" words in the same statement.
Asker's Rating:
• You clearly explained and reassured me about what i originally understood; i'm always afraid to skip play on words :)


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February 19, 2009 08:27 PM
Your question has already been answered but I thought I would comment. Recently in the news was a study about the nature of modern humor. It seems that there is a new sort of humor based on random, surprising conjunction of words or pictures. It differs from the more traditions format of jokes having a build up and surprise punch line. So, you are not alone in not seeing any joke in the joke you quote. I don't either. It may be a cultural thing but I hope it's not generational. I'd hate to think future generations will find ordinary randomness funny.

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February 19, 2009 08:29 PM
thanks for your comment !

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February 19, 2009 08:55 PM
It's my opinion that the "BEARS. BEETS. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA" quote is famous because is aims to encapsulate the Dwight character in Office Space so efficiently. One would have to be familiar with the show to know how each phrase connects to him.

In this episode Jim (speaking) decides to mock Dwight (opposite) by imitating his image and personality. Jim's goal in this is to undermine Dwight's strong efforts to present a superior self-itentity to others.

To mimic his image physically, Jim wears a pale-yellow shirt, large glasses, and parts his hair down the middle. Dwight doesn't yet notice the mimicry at this point.

The bear question and the "BEARS. BEETS. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA" quote all symbolize Dwight's urge to present a superior self-identity over others. Very often he will boast about his skills and knowledge about living and working on a farm (he grows beets). He prides himself in thinking that he too knows most about self-defense (often speaking about bears being the most dangerous animal). Also Dwight sees his knowledge in science-fiction as something that makes him an asset over all others (namely the TV series Battlestay Gallactica).

When Jim asks the Bear question, Dwight first interpretes it as a compliment to his perceived superior self-defense knowledge. After Jim challenges his answer Dwight becomes upset and realizes how eloquently Jim has copied the image that he works so hard to project. He is greatly offended.

It's my opinion that the humor in this exchange comes from the efficiency that Jim is able to drill through and re-create Dwight's much-labored self-image. (only six lines!) I think that this is funny because it is great mimicry and not a play on words.
Source(s):
My own watching of The Office


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