Battlestar Galactica breaks the Star Trek formula.

A key part of the fleet’s interaction is their style of dialogue, which comes across as meaningful to them but is not spelled out for the audience. One example is “nothin’ but the rain”. This seemingly simple phrase, however, holds a surprising secret. While many believe it carries profound meaning, showrunner Ron Moore reveals its true origin lies in a military tradition: the "jodie."

Starbuck & Adama's "Nothing But The Rain" Exchange In Battlestar Galactica Was Designed To Sound Militaristic

Nothin’ But The Rain Is BSG’s Military “Jodie”

One of the best quotes in Battlestar Galactica is the iconic line, “nothin’ but the rain”. One of the most beloved aspects of Battlestar Galactica is its familiarity; rather than an unfamiliar group dynamic, it is similar to the militaristic culture viewers already know. This contributes to the show’s gritty realism. Ron Moore has spoken on the meaning behind this piece of dialogue, addressing its origin directly. In a now-archived blog post (via Galactica Fandom), Moore explained:

“I came up with this in the miniseries, and it's essentially a riff on contemporary marching chants or cadences used in the military called, "jodies." You've seen them in films: the platoon is marching or jogging along and the drill instructor sings out something like, "Up in the morning in the rising sun/Gonna run all day 'til the running's done," and the platoon either repeats the lines or adds the next line in the jodie.”

As Moore states, the line first appears in the miniseries. The second time it appears is in episode 1 of Battlestar Galactica. For many viewers, this is their first interaction with the rebooted series, rather than the miniseries – although it’s recommended to watch the miniseries first in the Battlestar Galactica watching order. By episode 1, the exchange sounds like it is already an in-joke between Adama and Starbuck. This adds a layer of authenticity to the fleet dynamics. It also makes it even easier to like the characters and become familiar with them.

Battlestar Galactica Left The Phrase's Real Meaning Ambiguous

The Viewer Is Left To Imagine The Phrase’s Backstory

Part of the writing genius of Battlestar Galactica is that the phrase “nothin’ but the rain” is kept as an ambiguous “jodie”. The amazing thing about it is that even if it essentially means nothing, the repetition of it (much like “so say we all”) throughout the series gives it an emotional poignancy without having to know its origin. Battlestar Galactica consistently does a good job of ambiguity throughout the series. In the same archived blog post, Moore remarked on this deliberate ambiguity:

“I never wrote out the entire jodie, but I liked the nonsensical nature of the lines and thought it was more effective to suggest the cadences without spelling them out.”

– via Galactica Fandom

This allows viewers to come to their own conclusions. For example, a contentious issue among BSG viewers is the finale and the true nature of Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica. Similar to the military “jodie”, too, is the secret language of music in the lore of the series. Regardless of whether or not the actual lyrics to Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower are significant to Battlestar Galactica, the recurrence of the song throughout speaks to its philosophy. Repetition is used poetically to emphasize the show’s key message – that “this has all happened before and it will all happen again.”

Starbuck & Adama's Line Sounds Like A Warning To Stay On Guard At All Times

Despite Moore’s Statements, A Meaning Can Be Read Into The Exchange

Despite the phrase essentially having no meaning, audiences have still read into “nothin’ but the rain.” This has added another layer of appreciation for the catchphrase. It is given further context by the surrounding dialogue in the first episode. After Starbuck es the line back to Adama, he responds further by saying, “grab your gun and bring in the cat,” to which Starbuck replies, “boom, boom, boom.” This suggests that in hearing nothing but the rain, there is a sense of anticipation of danger.

Their exchange implies that in hearing nothing but the rain, anything could jump out and surprise the fleet. “Grab your gun and bring the cat in” further s this interpretation – it is a direction to be on high alert and ensure the safety of the fleet. Perhaps the meaning of the phrase had an origin in a particular event, which then became an anecdote, then evolved into a familiar shorthand to be ed back and forth, obscuring its significance. The brilliance of the line is its flexibility to be meaningful and meaningless in Battlestar Galactica, depending on the context.

Source: Galactica Fandom