You’re a Cylon. No, you are.
Christ in the bathtub! There is a geek contigent here that I never anticipated. 147 comments and going on the Battlestar Galactica thread. All right then. Let’s geek out.
I’m on the 11th episode, I think, “Colonial Day.” They just had an election for vice president because that terrorist/freedom fighter dude demanded it. And for the first time, they finally answered some of my questions, like, what worth is their money now? Billions of people died, only 47,000 are left, which would seem to mean nothing at all is worth anything. Or everything is worth a hell of a lot. I’m confused.
Anyway, here’s your chance to really shine. I have questions, and I certainly don’t mind spoilers. I like knowing what’s coming up.
-When is this supposed to be taking place? 500 years from now? 5,000 years from now?
-Is that terrorist/freedom fighter dude an original cast member of the original BSG? If not, why does he look so frakkin’ familiar to me in a 1970’s cheesy sci-fi-show way?
-Why doesn’t someone torture (just for fun) and then kill Colonel Tigh’s whore wife? Will they? Soon? By the end of Season One? Please?
-Are there ever going to be any aliens on this show?
-Why doesn’t Captain Lee Adama run around the ship shirtless more often?
-Are Commander Adama and President Roslin gonna get it on?
-How come, half of the time when Gaius Baltar is talking to Number Six, who only he can see, other people notice and think he’s psycho, but the other half of the time, they seem completely oblivious?
-How would it be in any way acceptable to these people for the testing to find out who’s Cylon to take 60 years? Why don’t they put more computers and men on it? What’s even really the point of testing if you’re not gonna find out results for decades?
-Do we ever find out exactly why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity? TELL ME.
Okay. There’s one more episode on the disc I have, and the next disc is checked out from Blockbuster so I’ll have to switch to Firefly/Serenity while I wait. I can smell your excitement from here. I share it. But in the meantime, I demand answers to my BSG queries. K thx.
We don’t know when this happens, there are lots of theories and it doesn’t much matter because they never make contact with Earth. It could just as easily, and more likely be, the past.
I believe you’re referring to the man that used to play Apollo. He later becomes vice president. And then isn’t. It’s all so confusing how fast they change jobs.
Gaius and his alter ego are a schtick and others don’t notice because his behavior appears normal.
The only plot feature that has me watching is to learn of the theological debate between the polytheist colonialists and the monotheist cylons.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:24 pmOld Battlestar Galactica w/Lorne Greene: Good
New Battlestar Galactica w/Edward James Olmos: Bad
Here’s my rationale: Has the new Battlestar Galactica inspired in its fan base the kind of fanaticism that would lead a viewer to commit suicide upon finding that it would be taken off the air? No? Then old B.G. is better. Unless that’s an urban legend. I believed it when I was ten and heard it for the first time, though.
Old B.G. reminds me a lot of the old arcade game “Berserk.”
Intruder alert. Intruder alert. Got the humanoid. Got the intruder.
Regarding Cylon rationale: there is not explanation for their hatred of mankind. They just hate because that’s what they’re programmed to do. Kinda like Palestinian radicals and jihadists.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:31 pmWell if it is like the old BSG it is happening NOW earth time.
Yes the radical politician is the guy that played Apollo.
Of course we are not going to tell you what happens to Thai’s wife, but, well, you will be titillated.
I am starting to think that Baltar may BE the cylon God.
Incidentally you are in for some great TV. Lots of people had some issues with the later seasons of Galactica, but there are amazing episodes in each. You won’t even have to endure the major cliffhangers for more than a couple days.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:32 pmI’m waiting for the remake of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:34 pmHere you go.
I don’t think when it takes place is really relevant. It could be now, it could be 5000 years from now.
Tigh’s wife dies a nasty death, and you will feel a tiny bit sorry.
A good place to go for more on the show is www.televisionwithoutpity.com, there are lots of super geeks in the BSG forums, and you can read recaps of the shows.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:37 pmI’m here to help:
#1. When TBD. Earth is supposed to be “discovered” by the end of Season 4.
#2. Tom Zarek is played by Richard Hatch, Apollo of TOS. They tried to get Dirk Benedict (original Starbuck), too, but he declined, allegedly due to health.
#3. Tighe’s wife gets offed, but far in the future.
#4. No aliens.
#5. I’m not gay, so I don’t care.
#6. Not yet!
#7. The special assistant to the second director for continuity lost his old scripts. Or something.
#8. Baltar, uh, well you have to keep watching.
#9. Some Skinjobs might be changing their minds down the road . . .
May 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pmHi Rachel! My hubby turned me on to your blog. Gotta say–love it.
You’re stuck with the whore until season 3. Don’t worry, it comes early. I also recommend that you watch the webisodes (find all BSG episodes and extra stuff at surfthechannel.com) that come between seasons 2 & 3. And the movie Razor pretty much anytime after the Pegasus appears.
Jamie Bamber is very pretty and he should not be allowed to wear clothing. Neither should Adrian Paul from Highlander. I think that for one of my laws should I become dictator, I’d have a list of pretty men who were always nekkid for my pleasure.
Am I to understand that you have never watched Firefly/Serenity? I cannot wait to hear your review.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pmTom Zarek the terrorist eventually becomes vice-president. A good guy. It’s true. Now he and the President may get it on some time but unfortunately Admiral Adama and the Prez can’t because, well, she’s his commander in chief.(Tragic parallells with of O’Neill and Carter on SG-1. Sniff)..So we shall see what becomes of this trio.
I agree on Apollo/Lee Adama and the shirt issue. Wait until season 3 when he gets fat. That’s tragic, too.
They haven’t made it to Earth yet, but they are trying. I’m guessing it’s about 5000 years in the future (3000 years since they left the original homeworld of Kobol, plus a couple more to allow emigration from Earth). I say in the future because they all believe in the Greek gods.
No aliens, thank God (does that make me a Cylon)? There are no aliens. Instapundit has the link up today that proves it. I hate sci-fi aliens. That’s what makes it cheesy. That’s why I like Firefly. No aliens.
Gaius Balter should have been put out the airlock. That is all I will say about him.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:43 pm-When is this supposed to be taking place?
We don’t know. Maybe they’ll tell us by the end of the 4th (last) season.
-Is that terrorist/freedom fighter dude an original cast member of the original BSG?
Richard Hatch played Apollo in the original series.
-Why doesn’t someone torture (just for fun) and then kill Colonel Tigh’s whore wife? Will they? Soon? By the end of Season One? Please?
She’ll get hers .. and you’ll cry when it happens.
-Are there ever going to be any aliens on this show?
The creators of the show said ‘never’. It was a condition of Olmos’s agreeing to take the role.
-Why doesn’t Captain Lee Adama run around the ship shirtless more often?
You’d like that too much. And Rupert would get all jealous.
-Are Commander Adama and President Roslin gonna get it on?
Maybe. They’re getting closer to each other - it’s really cute.
-How come, half of the time when Gaius Baltar is talking to Number Six, who only he can see, other people notice and think he’s psycho, but the other half of the time, they seem completely oblivious?
How many people are dead? What’s their situation? Walking mentally wounded people are the norm, now.
-How would it be in any way acceptable to these people for the testing to find out who’s Cylon to take 60 years? Why don’t they put more computers and men on it? What’s even really the point of testing if you’re not gonna find out results for decades?
You got me. See above for a possible answer: mentally these people are really messed up.
-Do we ever find out exactly why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity? TELL ME.
No. Keeping Lukis in suspense is fun.
May 1st, 2008 at 5:49 pmBrian Dunbar that is a very interesting point about Olmos. He’s a smart man. It’s the whole thing about aliens that makes non-scifi fans roll their eyes about scifi and not take it seriously. He’s a serious actor.
I will admit to my friends that I like BSG and Firefly. Only my family know about my addiction to SG-1 because of the whole cheesy alien angle of it. A lot of it was really cool science fiction, though. Those are the episodes I like the best. Since they don’t do much of that on SGA, I don’t like it as much. It’s all aliens and spaceships.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:05 pmWow, pretty much all the answers got taken care of in the first few comments!
I’ll just add this re: why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity - from the miniseries, we know that they see themselves as “humanity’s children” and the idea is that it’s time to kill off the parents because they are ready to take over the galaxy. Or something like that.
However, some Cylons - ones who have interacted closely with humans - begin to have reservations about what has happened, believing that their faith in the Cylon God should not have allowed them to take the lives of most of the human race. This has interesting repercussions (which are stil ongoing in season 4).
Ah, Rachel, you have so far to go… and FYI to all the people who are recommending the webisodes between seasons 2 and 3 - the webisodes are included on the season 3 DVD set, on disc 2, as a special feature. You can even hit “play all” and just let ‘em run.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:11 pmSG-1 is by far the best sci fi show ever made, until season 8 when it went completely to pot. Very intelligent, yet campy.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:11 pmI was a ‘Pigs in Space’ girl, myself. The height of science fiction television.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:15 pmSince you don’t mind spoilers: I had the distinct impression that when Roslin moved in with Adama, they were gettin’ it on. Also, didn’t they have some sort of interlude together after they discovered New Caprica and she lost the election? RE: the cylon desire to kill the humans: I thought it was because the humans created the original cylons but continued to enslave them after they attained sentience, and the desire to kill is a vestige of the cylon rebellion and first cylon war. That was covered during the introduction to each show during the first season, right? And by the way, you’re really NOT gonna cry when you see Tigh’s wife die. She totally deserves it.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:20 pmI would like BSG a whole lot better if they had named it something else. I can’t wrap my tastes around THAT serious a change in the tone of the show.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:29 pmAnd by the way, you’re really NOT gonna cry when you see Tigh’s wife die. She totally deserves it.
If you don’t cry - or at least weep or at the very least have some strong, tender emotion at the conclusion of that scene - you’re a Cylon.
Not a skinjob - you’re a clanking sub-sentient centurion.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:30 pmAs a result of reading the BSG thread a couple of days ago, I’ve started watching Firefly again, this time on Hulu, since I haven’t watched it since that marathon session I put in several years ago where I watched the whole thing, then want to see Serenity the next day. It is such a treat to see that series again, and I am absolutely dying to hear was Glorious Leader Lukis has to say about it.
As I watch it again, I am again absolutely amazed at how awesome the series was in every way, and then I think: “Wait, while awesome, it was clearly not yet as good as it was surely going to get in future seasons.” It kills me that I’ll never be able to see what the hell was GOING to happen in the series. They were lining things up for a thousand different story lines, a hundred each for the main characters. So many hints, so much anticipation, and of course, so many things about each character’s back story that I was waiting to learn. All cut short by stupid Fox Execs. Assholes.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:34 pmYou are going to be SO SAD when you watch all of Firefly and it’s over in a blink and you realize that there really is no God. I mean, how could American Idol survive for all these years and Firefly have only one season?
no, seriously though.
Did anyone else see (or save) the Tivo recap thing that was hanging out a few weeks ago in the ads section of now playing? It was a recap of the whole BG up till now in fed-ex guy fast-talk and oh my god it so so funny! And also filled in some crucial details that I must have missed here & there.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:37 pmYou want BSG geekiness?
May 1st, 2008 at 6:39 pmThe first time I saw one of those trash cans that has a motion sensor which opens the lid when it senses movement, I wanted to add a cycling red LED and have it say “By your command” when it opened.
Of course I’d never have a nother visitor to Chez BlogDog but it might be worth it.
I will add that the episode where Tigh’s wife dies is simply one of the best episodes period. Exceeded only by the episode ending season 1 which has one of the best show endings I have ever seen. You have no idea how well the writers make these characters grow and change based upon events that happen. What is truly amazing is how well they thread the storyline throughout the episodes such that little things that happens in an early episode take on much greater signifiance in a later season.
Simply the best frakking show ever!
May 1st, 2008 at 6:55 pmHere’s some more BSG geekiness: I got my husband this t-shirt for Christmas a couple years ago. It’s the only one I steal and wear myself.
I wrote another comment awhile ago, complete with a link to a nekkid Apollo, but it hasn’t shown up.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:56 pmWhat is interesting to me about the Cylons in BSG:New is the strong religious, messianic overtones in their philosophy. I have only seen through most of season 1 so I’m way behind but I really enjoyed what I saw and intend to watch the rest as soon as possible.
That and a million other things.
Like Lost. Tonight.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:01 pmI know I’ll lose sci-fi geek points for this but I honestly can’t stand Battlestar Galactica. The original series was just repugnant to me for some reason (never did figure out why exactly) and the new series, while better than the original, has never excited me. The effects are real nice to look at (especially compared with the original) and the plot/dialogue are both a lot more tolerable, but it’s only ever gotten a “meh” from me.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:30 pmLate to the party, but I can’t resist.
Colonel Tighs wife?
She gets it in the end.
Heh!
May 1st, 2008 at 7:37 pmWhile the revelations (spoilers) submitted above may ease the anticipation, they in no way diminish the completely awesome experience of seeing really fine acting carry the stories out.
And, we all get to hum along as you come up to speed. Knowing what is going to happen is readily available by viewing the original’s story line online, which is being reasonably well followed in this version. Anyone can do it. So spilling the marbles isn’t that big a deal.
Reading you geek out: Priceless.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:38 pmchickia
That 8 minute recap is called “What the Frak?” It’s on YouTube.
Rachel, I highly recommend watching it. It’s a great summary of the events up to season 4 and hilarious.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:45 pmAs others have covered, the Cylons were originally created by man. They developed sentience, became rather bitter about their servitude, and left. I think this was even the excuse for the Cylons in the original BSG, but don’t hold me to that.
I’ve started to watch some of the original BSG episodes on Hulu and… well, I can see why some people don’t like it. You want to talk about messianic overtones… wow. There’s a fair amount of LDS (Morms) imagery floating around there, methinks.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:53 pmWhy I don’t like BSG? Well, the acting is terrible. The continual use of sotto voce is annoying. The ridiculous scenes of women in the boxing ring. The unrealism of the human interactions. The supposed “heroes” are alcoholics that couldn’t be trusted to wipe their butt let alone be leaders. The confusing association of that really ugly Starbuck as a great throttle and stick pilot with the idea that she has skills at leading others even though her personal life is a chaotic, drunken, depressed, example of misanthropy. The fact that the cylons are more human than the humans are, it’s a post-modern spiral into nihilism. The humans are so screwed up that you really want to root for the cylons because they’re the sane ones. The plot is disjointed, nothing ever gets any development beyond triteness.
Someone here mentioned that the humans are rightfully messed up because of the crisis they’re living through. This is precisely why it is so bad. People generally rise to the occasion when the going gets tough. That’s how we survive as a species, and I’ve seen it in action, as have most of you.
Yeah, not a great show, but worth watching just because it’s different and I keep hoping it will get better. I think that the ending will probably be that we are the cylons, having finally found Earth and settled it away from the more mechanical cylons who are now in rebellion. Note the interbreeding, the monotheism, etc.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pmWoo! Two things that haven’t been covered. People give Gaius a pass when he starts talking to himself because he is a wierdo and when you just lost 12 planets, everyone kinds wierdo out. I mean, if Tom Cruise started mumbling to himself would you think it is a big deal?
Second, they won’t throw more computers at the Cylon detector because Cylons pwn computers pretty much at will. More computers would mean networking, and networking is verboten.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:08 pmLOL marla. Nicely done.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:09 pmThe old vs new BSG is a cycle that repeats, like a wheel of time. There are 12 lords of kobold (12 cylon models, right?). Eventually they reach earth and then thousands of years later humanity goes out and colonizes the stars. Earth becomes a distant memory, the cylon models are long dead and worshipped as the new lords of lords of kobold. No one remembers what a cylon is and humanity makes cylons again and the cycle repeats. There is a references to this repeating cycle in one of the episodes by the preacher/prophet lady.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pmWatch Firefly. Go - WATCH IT NOW.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:20 pmBrian Dunbar:
No, I’m a lawyer, which is like a centurion with the mental governor removed (as in the most recent episode).
May 1st, 2008 at 9:29 pmAs a super huge omega BSG addict, I have to recommend the recaps and forums on Television Without Pity. The guy who writes the recaps, Jacob, is a brilliantly manic genius and I’m constantly amazed by his insight into the deeper themes of the show. The forums are an invaluable source of information.
Oh, I happen to think that Razor should only been seen after season 3. It’s another one of the “Us vs Them, there is no Them- it’s always only Us seen from a different perspective” trips that BSG so loves. But it’s such a major journey to take immediately after the introduction of the Pegasus, that you really have to follow characters you’ve come to know and love to a really scary place (season 3) before you can really get Razor’s trip.
That was longer than I intended.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:33 pmCan I please have an American Idol post?
May 1st, 2008 at 9:55 pmIn the original BSG (which I grew up watching and LOVED, which delayed my acceptance of the oh-so-much-better-and-cooler BSG), the Cylons were a race of insect aliens (which we only got silhouette glimpses of via their “Imperious Leader”) which had been at war with the 12 Colonies for a period of time. The Centurions were their robot foot-soldiers. Count Baltar then brokers a peace treaty that is supposed to stop the war, but he turns out to be a spy working for the Cylons, and facilitates a sneak attack by the Cylons on the eve of the signing of the peace treaty on the 12 Colonies, resulting in the exodus for Earth. We never really find out in the 1978 series why the Colonies and the Cylons went to war in the first place.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:16 pmThe Cylons were reptillian, not insects, and they made models of themselves thousands of years ago. The original reptiles were extinct but the robot cylons lived on and retained their name.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:40 pmRachel, I will oblige your desire for spoilers, and then some. Your other readers will probably shun me and think me a Cylon for my heartlessness. But, as the Supreme Dictator for Life, you demand them, and so I will not deny what you wish. As they say…by your command…
Undetermined. However, the presence of “All Along The Watchtower,” by Bob Dylan, in the last episode of Season 3, gives me the hope that it’s contemporary or in the near future. As the song is used to signal the final 5 Cylons who are with the fleet, I personally think it means either a: the humans on Earth are Cylons, or b: Bob Dylan is a Cylon.
Others have answered this.
Well, they torture Tigh. Then he kills her for ratting out the human resistance. He has lots of angsty moments over this. But since he’s an alcoholic, I think he can handle it.
Answered by others.
You are so going to hate it when you get to season 3 and 4 when he becomes a spineless lackey to anyone who is smart enough to manipulate him. I think he’s a Cylon. Oh, and yeah, he’s ripped. But I’d rather see Starbuck or Athena shirtless (actually, I’d rather see Racetrack shirtless than either of them, but that’s just me).
Nope. Roslin is Adama’s version of Charlie Brown’s “Little Redheaded Girl.” He’s going to pine and pine and never make a move. His first love is Galactica and he’ll never cheat on her.
Half the time, the conversation is actually in his head. Revealed in the last episode, she can actually physically interact with him. It is when she’s in this state that other people notice.
Haven’t figured this out, myself. They should just photograph everyone in the fleet and then airlock anyone who has a doppleganger.
I think it’s because they’re jihadists.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:41 pmOh, yeah, reptilian. My bad. I was trying to get the kids ready for bed and type a comment at the same time.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:00 amI’m so glad you like BSG! I only discovered it a few months ago, and I’ve already become hopelessly addicted. My favorite blog to discuss it is Church of the Masses, btw. Here’s a sample post highlighting what I think is the central theme behind the show, one you hint at in your question about why the cylons hate mankind: what is the difference between cylon and man?
Church of the Masses is a religious Catholic blog, but don’t let that scare you away, because the BSG writers are very heavy on religious imagery themselves. I mean, how cool is this poster?
Also, I know this was brought up in the other thread, but if you end up liking Firefly, you should really watch Buffy and Angel, which are even better (for my money, first two seasons of Angel are the best of the bunch). But none of that is as good as BSG! There was some special on it a few weeks ago that interviewed Whedon, and he was just in awe, he said watching it was a humbling experience because it is so much better than anything that has ever come before.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:37 amLooks like plenty of posters beat me to it, but here are my answers:
-When is this supposed to be taking place? 500 years from now? 5,000 years from now?
We probably won’t know for sure until the Rag-Tag-Fleet reaches Earth.
-Is that terrorist/freedom fighter dude an original cast member of the original BSG? If not, why does he look so frakkin’ familiar to me in a 1970’s cheesy sci-fi-show way?
Richard Hatch fought tooth and nail to do a continuation of the original show, but Universal Studios had other ideas. Now he’s the only cast member from the original series to be a regular guest star on the new series. Maybe they offered him money.
-Why doesn’t someone torture (just for fun) and then kill Colonel Tigh’s whore wife? Will they? Soon? By the end of Season One? Please?
Ellen WILL die. You WILL cry. But you’ll cry for Tigh, not for Ellen.
-Are there ever going to be any aliens on this show?
Nope. Previous posters are correct in that Olmos has been quoted as saying that he’ll walk off the set if anyone shows up with bumpy foreheads.
-Why doesn’t Captain Lee Adama run around the ship shirtless more often?
More importantly, why hasn’t the fleet-wide towel shortage had more of a visible impact on military personnel?
-Are Commander Adama and President Roslin gonna get it on?
Definitely…maybe.
-How come, half of the time when Gaius Baltar is talking to Number Six, who only he can see, other people notice and think he’s psycho, but the other half of the time, they seem completely oblivious?
It’s a bit of a camera cheat. What we see on camera isn’t necessarily what other people near or around Baltar see. Or people on Galactica are more oblivious that most. Whichever.
-How would it be in any way acceptable to these people for the testing to find out who’s Cylon to take 60 years? Why don’t they put more computers and men on it?
Their computers aren’t even networked together because of the whole retrograde technology binge the Colonials have been on since the first Cylon War.
-What’s even really the point of testing if you’re not gonna find out results for decades?
The point is that Baltar is fixing the results thereby lulling the military brass into a sense of complacency.
-Do we ever find out exactly why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity? TELL ME.
You know during the opening credits when the text says that the Cylons “Have a Plan?” Whoever wrote the credit blurbs is LYING THROUGH THEIR TEETH! Later on the Cylons will be divided over whether wiping out humanity was a good idea. You can only please some of the Cylons some of the time.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:49 amActually they revealed early on the she could physically interact with him, It was either in the miniseries or in the first episode or three of the first season. Baltar was like “You’re a figment of my imagination, I’m ignoring you.” Six grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head into a bulkhead to get his attention. He hasn’t ignored her since.
Galactica isn’t networked, but then it’s a relic of the first Cylon war and Adama said flat out that there would be no network installed while it was under his command. The Colonies’ defense systems were networked, as were those on the the newer Battlestars and Vipers. The Cylons used that to their advantage in the attack, literally shutting the defenses down and leaving the ships drifting in space.
In one episode they networked some of Galactica’s systems to help plot jump coordinates for the fleet, with the provision that they could pull the plug at any time. The Cylons attacked it with a virus almost immediately, with the systems barely finishing the required calculations before the virus gained control. Needless to say, Galactica hasn’t been networked since.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 amYou could have watched Firefly and you watched this crap? Watch Firefly NOW!
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:16 am-How would it be in any way acceptable to these people for the testing to find out who’s Cylon to take 60 years? Why don’t they put more computers and men on it?
When you consider that there are only 40,000 odd survivors, the chances of finding those with the appropriate skills are prob pretty low for that type of scientific undertaking. If you figure most surviviors were the ones already in space when the attack happened, the chances for another uber brain go down some more. Cause if you are among the best and the brightest of the Colonial minds, unless you were on vacation, odds are you were in your lab when it got fused into a self illuminated glass floor parking lot. Blatar got saved by either random chance, or design (Boomer was directed somehow to his location.) Dr. Baltar at this point might be pretty much the entire hard science R&D department in the fleet. Your other big thinkers are prob going to be people like Cheif Tyrol with more of a mechcanical bent. They can build you a Viper out of palm fronds, snot and an old shuttle engine, but a Cylon detector might be outside their skill set.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:47 amYou could have watched Firefly and you watched this crap?
The idea of sci-fi fans looking down their nose at ‘the other show’ is .. funny.
There is never a subset of freaks and losers that can’t find yet a smaller subset of even bigger losers and freaks to sneer at.
Bias warning - I’m a freak and a loser: i love BSG and Firefly, equally. But they ain’t making no more Firefly and I’ve already _seen_ that show.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 amFirst and foremost, Jamie Bamber is delicious man candy. However, if you want to continue thinking of him as delicious man candy I strongly suggest you never, ever watch an interview with him out of his Apollo character. He is British (bet you never would have guessed!) and absolutely wreaks of gay. That is not to say that he is gay, he is just very, um, non-Apollo.
Um, no. The idea that “leaders” must be non-drinking, morally upright citizens is not only a modernized, conservative Christian idealist projection, but wholly laughable. The gritty realism of the characters on BSG, including their demons, is way more “real” than the sanitized versions of leaders that are presented in modern society.
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:44 amI had a conversation with my daughter about arguing on the internet, and she told me that she sometimes gets into a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” chat room. One time the topic was “If the series were revived, how would you cast it?” She described some of the vicious arguments about this imaginary scenario (think Huffpo or DKos). I told her something I’d seen on the internet (I think on Ace, but not sure). “Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you’re still a retard.”
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:48 amSorry … you’re saying that because I’ve been a SF fan since I started reading Asimov back in grade school … I have to like all SF?
Don’t buy that … I never liked Star Trek, while I do like Doctor Who … which a lot of Trekkies find loathsome.
I don’t look “down” at BSG … just didn’t find anything to hold my interest …
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 amOf course if you want sci-fi TV at its finest, you can’t forget Land of the Lost or Far-Out Space Nuts, either!
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 amAmanda, no one mentioned anything to do with christianity.
And your comments make me think you’ve never had to work in a dangerous environment that required someone be a strong leader. Let me explain: If you’re an undependable person who can’t control basic bodily functions and has a habit of making a spectacle of yourself because of booze or boys, trust me on this, no one will trust you to lead them when lives are at stake.
They may trust you to be a hot shot pilot, but not as a leader. It’s absurd. BSG is not “gritty realism” except to people who live their lives through TV and the movies. Gritty realism is that a people rise to the occasion when under extreme threat to their existence. BSG is post-modern unrealism. I don’t understand the allure of post-modernism that makes humans look like animals that can’t organize or behave civilly, but it’s not realism.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:03 amSome BSG haters out last night, I see. To bad for them.
#1 - Does it matter? you’ll find out if & when they find Earth.
#2 - Answered well enough
#3 - I was soooo ready for her to die. It gets even worse in season 2. But quite honestly, when she did, I didn’t enjoy as much as I thought I would. You really do feel bad for Tigh.
#4 - No, and I like it that way.
#5 - Ewww… if someone has to run aound topless, I nominate Boomer/Athena/Number 8
#6 - In a nondescript, ultraconservative old folks way, yes.
#7 - Same reason no one pays any attention to the lunatic that stands on the corner by the McDonalds I go to every morning having an argument with passing cars. We’re used to him. Personally, I think he is the last Cylon or 12th Cylon, because although #6 is in his head, he is in Caprica 6’s head later on.
#8 - As I recall, it only took half a day or a whole day per test. It was testing the entire fleet that would take sixty years. And it was in the script.
#9 - Jihadist comes close enough, I guess. SciFi swears all will be revealed this season. Maybe they’re just angry they didn’t have models #6 & #8 before.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:16 amSkyler-
I dunno. I worked oil/gas fields for a time, and there were guys who I would trust with my life on the job, but no way in hell would I give them the keys to my car offshift.
In any case, it is a TV show, and the characters tend to be writ large. In the words (paraphrased) of Flannery O’Connor (oe was it Eudora Welty?), “Sometimes for the blind you have to draw big picutres and sometimes for the deaf you have to shout.”
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 amI liked the first 1 1/2 seasons - I felt that it went down hill after that and turned into a soap opera in space: Dramatistar Soapoperica. Although the episode where they get the people off New Caprica is righteous in it’s own right.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 am+1 on that. There was some discussion of this between a Doral, a Sharon and a Six on “Cylon-Occupied Caprica”. IIRC, most of the discussion revolved around the will of their “One True God”, how corrupt and flawed (and deserving of destruction) humans are and, finally, something about humans being the Cylons’ “parents” but parents have to die before children can inherit.
For more non-ghey Jamie Bamber (but with British accent), rent the A&E Horatio Hornblower (or whatever it’s called) with Ioan Gruffud. (I don’t play for that team, but the women in my life consider him prime man-candy also.)
As for the ‘talking to himself’ thing, wasn’t Baltar supposed to be a famously eccentric genius, even before he got all loved up by Six and then traumatized?
We all know this is sadly beside the point, since the guy who ‘invented’ the Cylon detector is a coward, a liar and a tool who will [spoiler alert! spoiler alert!] fudge the results of the test when it suits his cowardly, lying, toolish purposes to do so.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 amBTW, I think Skyler doesn’t like BSG.
Noted. Can we move on?
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 amHey, don’t knock it too hard - a friend of mine once (brilliantly) observed that shows with long, complex, serialized story arcs involving politics, exploration, espionage, war, gunfire, explosions, very large and/or fast vehicles and the occasional, smoke- or bloodstained manly tears are really soap operas for men.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:42 amDearRachel,
1. The original BSG sucked because it was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the success of Star Wars (it went off the air because the movie studio sued the TV studio and won). The only good thing about it was the women and their revealing outfits - yowza!
2. In the pilot show Baltar was “physically interacting” with the female Cylon, usually in bed. She was physically there, and seduced him into his treasonous activity. Since there are multiple models of each type, he can still physically interact with others of the same model and bystanders can clearly see this. But most of the time he is mentally interacting with her in a kind of dream-like state. Bystanders dont notice this, unless he gets (ahem) really into it. There was one scene in season 2 I think when he was “physically interacting” with her in his mind and someone entered to room to see him dry humping the table. He asked at some point if he was insane or if the first Cylon had put something in his brain to allow them to mentally communicate and she dodged the question, so we dont really know.
3. Baltar had agreed to build a Cylon detector in order to get his hands on a nuclear warhead. His detector actually worked (he detected that Boomer was actually a Cylon) but he lied about it, so everyone thinks the technology failed. Because of this, they are ‘accepting the inevitable” that a Cylon detector will require a leap of technology.
4. Lots of folks had mentiioned the post-traumatic stress these survivors have suffered as potential reasons why they appear slow to figure things out. There are other reasons, and I think they relate to a post I put on a previous thread - this is a very realistc show about life on an aircraft carrier. This relates two ways:
a. Navy people are phenominally overworked at sea. A normal day is 16 - 18 hours and it is not unusual to go days without sleep. While not in combat. This is the normal routine. (I found out my personal limit at sea - four days without sleep and I become functionally useless). These guys are simply so constantly fatigued that their mental processes are slower than they would otherwise be.
b. GALACTICA was the oldest ship in the Fleet and in the process of being decommissioned in the pilot episode (this is why she was not destroyed by the Cylon computer virus - she didnt have a LAN because Odama didnt want one and the budgeteers didnt press because it wasnt a wise fiscal investment to install one on a soon-to-be-shitcanned ship). Anyway, there is a tendency that the oldest ships, especially those in the process of being decommissioned, do not always get the highest caliber personnel assigned (an example being the alcoholic XO); the hot runners always want to go to the newest ships. So, in BSG, GALACTICA started with a pretty ratty crew (I think that the tag line of the original BSG even included the term “rag tag crew.”) In addition, the old saying “the good die young,” like most old sayings, has a basis in fact. The top performers are usually the ones who get put in the most dangerous/critical jobs because they are the top performers, so they die faster than their less impressive contemporaries. So the natural selection process is that the best people rise rapidly or die, leaving less experienced and less capable people at the lower ranks. So GALACTICA’s crew complement is literally dumbing down as the series progresses. It is not surprising that, at this point, they are missing things that should be obvious.
Yr Obdnt Srvnt,
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:44 amMike
DearRachel,
I just read the back-and-forth about Skylers comments. On the general subject of military heroes versus personal traits, one could easily find many examples of people with less than stellar personal behavior who were heroes and good leaders. One classic example was Greg “Pappy” Boyington. See
http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington.html
v/r
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 ammike
HI, Carbo : )!
Also, I liked MST3K - but only in the early days. They ruined it after the first stellar two seasons.
That wasn’t a sci-fi show so much as a show about two robots and a human being forced to watch sci-fi B-movies against their will. And ‘B’ is being kind. More like Z movies. Great stuff. Hadn’t thought about that in years.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:54 amFor that matter, did we ever find out why Count Baltar betrayed his species to a genocidal enemy? Or was he just cartoonishly, one-dimensionally evil, played with great, hammy relish by the late, great John Colicos? thankyouverymuch.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 ammhuete, love your 4-a&b explaination. I’ve only seen one season so I need serious catching up.
Somebody mentioned Bamber being British and so why he might seem a bit ghey. Reminds me of the show Just Shoot Me where a tiger trainer is mortified when he finds out that people thought he was gay and shouted “I’m British. Why on earth did you think I was gay?!” while flipping his long mane of hair and wearing a sparky jumpsuit.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:25 amNo the best show ending on BSG EVER was the end of suicide six…
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 ampete in midland:
“Old” Doctor Who or the new series? I do not like the new series. There is no Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, nor any Sergeant Benton.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 amThe fact that the men and women of BSG continue to fight the fight shows that the characters in that universe do rise to the occasion. It’s just that other stuff happens as well. When the entire universe is in extreme crisis mode even the most stalwart develop stress fractures.
The Responsible Leader Role is covered by Adm. Adama and POTC Roslin as surrogate father and mother to the “Gang on the Run”. Everyone else gets son/daughter/brother/sister they never had. No, it’s not reality- it’s TV so archetypes abound. However the characters are developed honestly from their initial setup and it strikes a true place.
That is not to say that you have to like it or any other such nonsense- just to say that “it’s not real” is sort of false and completely missing the point in an epic sort of way.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 amCall me old school, but when I think of The Doctor, I see Tom Baker in my head, with a 16 foot scarf.
Although, to be fair, I don’t think any of the Doctors were bad, aside from Colin Baker, who was atrocious. To their credit, BBC at least saddled him with an extremely busty Peri, played by Nicola Bryant. Grooowwwwwl.
Although, I thought things were much better when the Doctor had a companion who was his equal, and thus Romana has to be the best. As a Time Lady, she was certainly his equal, and saved his skin numerous times.
K-9 was a total annoyance, though.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 amPappy Boyington was a great pilot who was, for the most part, not loved by his men because he was a drunk and pretty much only concerned about himself and his exploits.
And Boyington got command of a squadron simply because he was older, a good pilot, and they needed quantity, not quality. On BSG, they have the opposite need.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 amFYI, Jamie Bamber is very British and very married. His wife plays the nurse/medic in the first few episodes of season 2 who ends up having to perform emergency surgery when Doc Cottle isn’t around and - um - something happens.
To facilitate a little more father-son similarity, Bamber (who has much lighter hair) dyes his hair darker while Olmos wears blue contact lenses. They have also glossed over the physical differences by commenting in the show that Lee took after his mother, while Zak looked more like his father.
May 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 amAs I believe I mentioned previously, Tom Baker IS the Doctor. The writers have done a pretty job job in the continuity and assigning slightly different personalities to the various Doctors … but the man with the scraf made the show.
The original two Doctors, Hartnell and Pertwee were not as much “fun” as Baker … and I was glad when they decided to actually have the show encompass time travel to a greater degree.
K-9 could certainly be annoying … but the one character I think they dragged on for FAR too long was the Master. I mean … even a pacifist would eventually understand that being Mr. Nice Guy to that clown was going nowhere …
I dcn’t mind the new Doctor too much … at least I’m able to watch it again. We used to get it on PBS out of Spokane for years … and then poof … cable and satellite stopped carrying them and no more Doctor. It’s been much more than a decade since I was able to watch it … now if those morons at NBC would have Doctor Who marathons with the OLDER shows (especially the decade I “lost” … instead of repeating the BSG and SG1 marathons for the umpteenth time … LOL
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pmYeah. For real father-son similarity, look at Hotdog (Bodie Olmos). I just wish they’d give him a few more speaking parts…
Oh, and who’d they get to play young Lt. Adama in Razor. He looked scary like a young EJO…
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 pmRachel,
Watch Firefly NOW! Don’t wait any longer. After you finish the TV series then you should watch the movie Serenity, but watch the TV shows first.
When you finish with firefly you should try Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you want Sci-Fi instead of vampire stories settle down and watch all five seasons of Babylon 5.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pmWarning! Fanboy anal-retentive content ahead!
You forgot Troughton, who was Doctor #2 - Baker was Doctor #4.
Baker was the best.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pmIndeed, and I thought the actor had an eerie resemblance to Jamie Bamber also. It was the perfect EJO/JB mix, and it was a little creepy.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 pmAhh Rachel.
I’m so glad someone else shares my love of BSG. While I don’t have much to add in the way of answering your questions, I would like to comment on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The creepy crawlies in that show are something I hate. However, the sardonic wit and the peppy blonde kicking some vampire ass are just too hilarious to pass up.
Not to mention David Borneaz’s later appearance brings some much needed eye candy to the show. Rawrrr.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pmIf I were writing BSG, what they’d find when they reach Earth is — us. The time frame of the show is RIGHT NOW. We’re the retards they left behind when the smarter part of the species left Earth and didn’t bother to remember where it was because it was, well, full of retards. Now they’re finally returning “home”. This will end BSG but present the opportunity for a follow-on series.
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pmDearRachel,
Handy
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/posters/a56c/
Jest tryin’ to be helpful.
v/r
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:58 pmmike
-When is this supposed to be taking place? 500 years from now? 5,000 years from now? Not defined. BSG and the RTF (rag tag fleet) are on their way to earth, we’ll find out when they get here.
-Is that terrorist/freedom fighter dude an original cast member of the original BSG? If not, why does he look so frakkin’ familiar to me in a 1970’s cheesy sci-fi-show way? Richard Hatch was the character Apollo in the original 70’s BSG, he plays Tom Zarek in the new version.
-Why doesn’t someone torture (just for fun) and then kill Colonel Tigh’s whore wife? Will they? Soon? By the end of Season One? Please? Ellen Tigh is a bad influence on Col. Tigh but he loves her so what can you do? All I can say is, with the benefit of hindsight, this sets up an utterly epic character arc.
-Are there ever going to be any aliens on this show? Hell no.
-Why doesn’t Captain Lee Adama run around the ship shirtless more often? Men watch this show too. Hetero men.
-Are Commander Adama and President Roslin gonna get it on? No.
-How come, half of the time when Gaius Baltar is talking to Number Six, who only he can see, other people notice and think he’s psycho, but the other half of the time, they seem completely oblivious? They always notice when he talks to himself, its not always so blatant and intrusive upon his conversations with other people that it justifies being rude to him. People are willing to tolerate eccentricities in those they respect.
-How would it be in any way acceptable to these people for the testing to find out who’s Cylon to take 60 years? Why don’t they put more computers and men on it? What’s even really the point of testing if you’re not gonna find out results for decades? Testing an individual doesn’t take much more than a day. Testing 40,000+ people would take 40,000+ days. Do the math. There are no extra computers to put on the task, and few people can fill in for Baltar.
-Do we ever find out exactly why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity? TELL ME. Apocalyptic religious motives are at work. (”This has all happened before…”) It is impossible to present such things credibly in real life, I can understand why the topic is mostly dodged in the show.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 pmWho cares…..Iron Man is the most awesome movie ever! Robert Downey Jr. rocked.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:26 pmRachel: Think Geek also has a Cylonesque robotic snowman with one scanning eye:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/854a/
One has adorned my desk at work the last two Christmases!
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:09 pm-Do we ever find out exactly why the Cylons want to wipe out humanity? TELL ME.
Feh. There’s a lot of hand-waving about their motives. I’ve boiled it down to “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
The Cylons are retarded. If the really wanted to eliminate the last humans, you stop chasing them, keep your spies with them, and let them colonize some planet for a few years.
When they’re firmly planted, show up with your fleet. You have a couple of years, so build a dozen of those huge battleships while you’re waiting. Throw a “Crush all humans” party. It’ll be great.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:32 amOne correction, Earth was the 13th colony. Kobol was the original homeworld.
In the original series, the Lords of Kobol are referenced, but names aren’t mentioned. There’s no Greek god tie-in except in the names of Adama’s children Apollo and Athena. Zak a.k.a. Rick Springfield died in the pilot. It’s more Egyptian, from the pilot helmets to the pyramids on a planet they found to point them toward earth.
The white aliens are kind of god-like and Patrick McNee is the Imperious Leader of the Cylons. He was the only “human-form” cylon in the original series.
John Colicos was Baltar. He was good at playing a Klingon too. Back then it was good and evil, not so many gray areas.
May 5th, 2008 at 3:32 pmThere are 12 lords of kobold
Is one of them Deekin maybe?
Lords of Kobol aren’t Kobolds. :p
July 17th, 2008 at 10:30 pm