Downloaded (218)

[Craig Ranapia]

Saw both licenses. Very cute. But has anyone else wondered why a civilization with starships and the ability to build the Cylons in the first place, still has 20th/21st Century looking cars?

No, not really. That kind of fan-boy neurosis really got tired about an hour after the mini-series finished. You know what, folks, they're making television on a television budget. Steven Spielberg has the money, time and resources to production design the s**t out of A.I. and Minority Report. RDM doesn't - listening to the podcasts, he had a hard enough time justifying spending the money on that shot of CGI centurions planting trees. Perhaps we're just spoiled by the cinema, but it strikes me as a little naive of people to complain that RDM isn't turning out a Peter Jackson-slick production values when he's got to turn out a commercial hour of television on the same amount of money Jackson spent on, what 90 seconds of King Kong?

Also, a conscious design decision was made to not go in for self-consciously 'futuristic' production design. Now, there's always going to be people who are never going to accept that as a valid creative decision for science fiction. Fine, but if it still bothers you (and that's an editorial you, Rodan, not a personal dig) that badly after a mini-series and thirty odd episodes move on. Life's too short to get that upset over a television show, not matter how excellent I think it is.

[thebiggfrogg]

What I dont get is that with all these nukes going off, how come so many buildings are intact? Surely there woud be a lot more destruction - for example, we see the human models planting trees just under Boomer Cylon's apartment, yet there is wisted metal and a considerable amount of wreckage strewn on the ground around them, but the buildings are intact.
AFAIAA, I thought that the epicentre of a nuke blast was compltely destroyed, and the dstruction moved out for x miles (depending of the size of the nuke) desruction total for up to 1 mile, severe desruction up to 10 miles, and then less destruction the further away from the blast you go. Now we saw that there were many bombs going off (and largish ones at that) from the opening sequences and from the mini-series and I would assume that the nukes would have targeted major cities in order for the detruction to be absolute. So how realistic would it be for these buildings to still have the artifacts in them after such an attack?

There is a nasty little nuclear bomb called the neutron bomb, developed by our very own Dr. Strangeloves. Obviously some of the bombs on Caprica had significant blast effects (re: Baltar's house), but if the Cylons wanted to destroy the people and leave Caprica relatively unscathed for colonization they may have used something like this. Here is what the Atomic Archive says about these evil little weapons (http://www.atomicarchive.com/Fusion/Fusion5.shtml):

The Neutron Bomb

The neutron bomb is a small hydrogen bomb. The neutron bomb differs from standard nuclear weapons insofar as its primary lethal effects come from the radiation damage caused by the neutrons it emits. It is also known as an enhanced-radiation weapon (ERW).

The augmented radiation effects mean that blast and heat effects are reduced so that physical structures including houses and industrial installations, are less affected. Because neutron radiation effects drop off very rapidly with distance, there is a sharper distinction between areas of high lethality and areas with minimal radiation doses.

This was desired by the forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), since they have to be prepared to fight in densely populated areas; any tactical nuclear explosion will endanger civilian lives and property.

[thebiggfrogg]

Mesmerizing episode. One of the best of the season. I am not worried about unanswered questions on the Cylons--that is for season 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, et cetera (at least I hope for that many as long as the quality stays as it has). Again great stuff to ponder. I love how this show blends philosophy, politics, individual human drama, and just plain good ole' sci fi and action. By the way, I loved the tip of the hat to Blade Runner--definitely a forerunner of Galactica--calling the humanoid Cylons "skin jobs" (Just like the occasional B5 references to that great 1960s show "The Prisoner"--"Be seeing you").

I am glad they held off on introducing new Cylons since there are only 12. Better to wait until they can spend the money on a quality actor and someone who can sign a contract to return to the show for several eps, than some "throw away" tossed in who will never appear again because of other obligations.

I like how Rosyln has had to do some nasty things. The job and the circumstances have hardened her. I also feel for Helo, poor guy. And I love Sharon Valerii. I always thought her character and her dilemma were the philosophical "heart" of the show and this episode showed that in spades.

Despite, the moans and groans I liked the "one off" eps like "Black Market," "Scar," and "Sacrifice" for their character development and how they showed another side to the fleet--giving it more conflict, depth, grit, and a feeling of reality, but I have to say "Downloaded" was probably the most satisfying because it hit on all the things Galactica does so well (again: the philosophy, politics, individual human drama, etc.)

I love this show and am so glad it went to iTunes so I can watch it from afar in China. The only way it could be better is if I were writing it.

[Captain Safety]

Frakkin' intense.

Well, we learned that Baltar is definitely not a Cylon.

I despise the Number 3/Lucy Lawless model.

The rebirth fluid should be more transparent.

Will the "peace overture" in the next episode have anything to do with Sharon and Baltar's #6?

What will happen on Caprica in season 3?

How can Baltar not be a Cylon?

Here is why I currently believe Baltar may be Cylon Model #1:

1. The Cylons created clones to mimic God or the gods. God's first human creation was a man.

2. If Model #6 was killed in the explosion at Baltar's house then, would Baltar not have died as well? I mean, humans are many things but sufficient blast protection we are not.

3. Only Cylon to human physical manifestation has been demonstrated. Or perhaps not, maybe this is an undocumented form of Cylon communication.

4. What high ranking military advisor/software engineer would give up the goods to such a degree as genocide without being a Cylon at heart.

5. Like Boomer/Sharon, Baltar has never harmed a Cylon. He may have provided tatical information from time to time but like Boomer/Sharon his actions are somewhat passive. In fact, he has always, at times with help, aided Cylons in need. Even when they needed nukes!

Stay safe,

[rejven]

2. this is the most logical part that proves that he might be a cylon

others are just speculations from my point of view , he˙s more concerned with his own well being rather than pick one side or another.

[yaaayoubetcha]

Man is Roslin turning into an Uber BI*CH or what?? I actually dislike her a little after this episode.

Yes, as a leader, she is becomming quite imperious.

[yaaayoubetcha]

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

[*]We see now that the Cylons clearly think and feel as individuals. How do they refer to each other as individuals? "Hey, you, the 5 model in the blue jumper"? The naming system is lame, if the best they can come up with is "Caprica 6" for one of their only celebrities.

Actually we've seen nothing of the like. All we've seen are 2 units in a product line that have gained a bit of noteriety, hence the best they can come up with is Caprica 6 or Galactica Sharon. If you listen, it's only humans and now Caprica 6 and Galactica Sharon that refer to Cylons as Cylons. 3 always refers to being part of Cylon. The whole, not individuals. That was the point of the ep, to show the individuals (6 and boomer) being a threat to be eliminated as they have become more than part of Cylon

[*]What do Cylons do in their "day jobs"? The only gainful employed human-looking Cylon, aside from the "mentor" 3 model (Deanna Beers), was the barista in the coffee shop. Don't they have better things to do? Didn't we see glimpses of more useful occupations in season one in the Helo/Sharon on Caprica thread?

why do they need jobs other than to keep busy? the bulletheads seem to do all the work. as the chosen of God, they're free to just follow their enlightened lifestyle and enjoy philosophy and espresso.

[*]How does a Cylon become "boxed"? Is it like capital punishment, the living body is killed, and the consciousness is "downloaded" into a "dormant body" or a "data store"?

this also leads me to believe there is a central server from which the various models can retrieve data. turn off their port and when they die, they can't ftp their memories back to host and the new model won't be effected by the memories of the newly dead model.

[*]There is no hint of a "networking" shared memory model for the downloaded Cylons, no telepathy or automatic data sharing. Otherwise the other Cylons would be aware of Caprica Six's visions of Baltar. Without such a model, how does Caprica Sharon (now on Gallactica) remember her past relationship with Tyrol and Starbuck? Since the Sharon Valerii now downloaded on Caprica didn't know she was a sleeper agent, she could not have explicitly reported details like that. Was she debriefed during her other unseen "blackout" periods? If so, who took the "minutes", and how was it relayed? We know from "Final Cut" that the relay distance is finite.

actually everything indicates that their is a networking system in place, perhaps, extending via relays as far as the Cylon homeworld. Sharron once indicated that she didn't know something because she had not accessed that data and when Baltar was threatening to kill Tyrol, he stated that he believe Sharron could just dig up the information somehow, indicating that he also believed there was a central repository of knowledge somewhere.

you're on the web, but you've not been to EVERY page on the web because the sum total of pages is staggering and 99% of it is stuff that is not relevant to what you're doing at any given time.

[*]The model numbering system seems to imply a hierarchy of authority. The Beer's model, number 3, is the lowest known. She seemed to have authority over the resurrected Six and Sharon. Are the "handler" or "midwife" models randomly assigned, or purposely assigned? Is the number 1 model the one in charge of the Cylon Plan? Who decides which models are sleepers, and which are self-aware agents? Will the sleeper agent program be re-assessed in the light of Sharon's reaction and counterproductive activities?

my personal theory is that #1 doesn't exist. if we look at the Christian parallels with the Cylon 1 God concept and 12 apostles, then #1 could be the original human model that died somehow and inspired the others to develop the resurection technology. i think we'll eventually see models 2 - 13 not 1 - 12.

as for how duties are determined, there's no way to know with so little background.

[*]Why do Cylons remain clothed on Caprica and prance around au naturel on the BaseStars?

again, looking at the Cylon 1 God as a parallel to Christianity, then modesty is required. as for why they were naked on the basestar, perhaps they feel closer to God and don't need to worry about modesty at those times? who knows.
[/QUOTE]

[apollo123]

1. The Cylons created clones to mimic God or the gods. God's first human creation was a man.

According to our Bible maybe, but we don't know yet what *their* Bible says.

2. If Model #6 was killed in the explosion at Baltar's house then, would Baltar not have died as well? I mean, humans are many things but sufficient blast protection we are not.

Well we saw that he had a lot of scratches and bruises from the explosion, so he certainly wasn't impervious to the blast. Also, he might've just gotten lucky and Six wasn't so lucky (maybe a piece of glass pierced her skull).

3. Only Cylon to human physical manifestation has been demonstrated. Or perhaps not, maybe this is an undocumented form of Cylon communication.

We still don't know what is causing them to see each other in their heads like that. So this is pure speculation.

4. What high ranking military advisor/software engineer would give up the goods to such a degree as genocide without being a Cylon at heart.

Well I doubt he ever would've imagined that this blond sexpot would cause the destruction of mankind. And besides, what software engineer wouldn't sell his family to have sex with a supermodel?

[Scooteristi]

How can Baltar not be a Cylon?

Because in his podcasts RDM has repeated over and over that Baltar is human. Go to SciFi.com and download the podcast for this show.

[bondious]

2. If Model #6 was killed in the explosion at Baltar's house then, would Baltar not have died as well? I mean, humans are many things but sufficient blast protection we are not.

Don't forget, when the blast hit Six had Baltar "duck and cover". If our Cold War government from the 50's - 80's can be trusted, "ducking and covering" can save you from all sorts of things: earthquakes, tornados, lava flows (a la South Park)...even nuclear blasts!

[Othere]

[snippity snip]

The Neutron Bomb
[more snippage - apologies ]

The augmented radiation effects mean that blast and heat effects are reduced so that physical structures including houses and industrial installations, are less affected. Because neutron radiation effects drop off very rapidly with distance, there is a sharper distinction between areas of high lethality and areas with minimal radiation doses.

Yes, but if you look at that shot where the Cylons are having their own little arbour day planting session there is a twisted hunk of metal (like a support iron in a building/warehouse) which looks a little out of place with the buildings that are still intact - well, I thought it looked out of place.
Also, did Caprica have that eerie orange/yellow hue before the attack, or is that an after effect of the attack?

I only ask because it seems a little odd because we see a shockwave that annhilates Baltar's house, but the same explosion in a densely populated area does very little damage to buildings.
Is this because perhaps different bombs were used.
Also, the radiation seems wide-spread as the resistance fighters were in some kind of woodland and had been to military bases to raid supplies. Radiation seems to be a big concern for them - hence my nuke question.
(I'm an artist not a scientist, though am interestedin science, just can't get me head around the maths bits ).

[dec55]

Originally Posted by Rodan
Saw both licenses. Very cute. But has anyone else wondered why a civilization with starships and the ability to build the Cylons in the first place, still has 20th/21st Century looking cars?

Anime did this all the time, combining elements from our world and adding
more future technology, incorporating a more realistic look instead of the
ultra imagined Star Trek look that for the most part, looks less believable.
Even cheesy.

The 1st Star Wars sort of did this with weapons and designs too, which
worked well for the whole theme of the trilogies.

Bladrunner incorporated this style, and it has influenced BSG big time.

[Andrew Joshua Talon]

If I were able to talk to the Cylons after this episode, here's a few things I'd like to say:

1: "So, you killed billions of innocent people, who personally had nothing to do with your enslavement or defeat, just so you can replace them for your God?"
2: "I get it... You had to get rid of the humans. Not for God, but for yourselves. We remind you that you're just a cheap knock-off of us. That you've yet to become anything more than machines."
3: "What, you guys never heard of plastic surgery? VA-RI-ET-Y! Heard of it?"
4: "Blah blah blah, Xerox-girl. Tell me another one."
5: "So, she's a hero for seducing and manipulating an egomaniac, and helping to wipe out an entire civilization of mostly-decent people. That's funny: On my world, we'd call her a mass murderer and a whore. Ah, the nuances of language."
6: "Enough, Gina and Sharon! You guys have experienced LOVE! You're not machines! Or murderers! ... Well... Okay, you ARE, but only because that was before you evolved to develope true emotions, rather than basic programming. So, ENOUGH ANGST! Do some good!"
7: "... You're putting up coffee shops. This makes you better than us HOW?"
8: "Thou shalt have psycho British-accented chicks meddling in everyone's affairs."
9: "I'd find you attractive if you weren't one of a million..."
10: "I'm going to be struck down by God...? ... Feel anything?"
"Nope. Little thirsty."
"That doesn't count..."


Things to Say to Roslin after this episode:

1: "Did that Cylon blood turn you insane or what?!"
2: "Um... Pissing off the member of a race that's already wiped out most of you, by taking her child away. Gee, that's smart."
3: "Qualified parent? For what, a hamster?!"
4: "All this double-dealing behind-closed-doors crap isn't helping your public image much, sweetie."
5: "Adama's totally not taking you under the mistletoe this year."
6: "Baby. Cylon baby. Granted, CYLON, but only HALF-Cylon. Yah know... Baby? Helpless? Innocent? Not programmed to kill people?"
7: "As long as you have the baby, do you think the Cylons are going to risk killing it to get you?"
8: "Say it with me: Cylon insurance."
9: "Say this with me too: Therapy."
10: "Could you TRY to not pretend to be a Cylon?"

Good episode, but MAN...

[Carewolf]

6: "Baby. Cylon baby. Granted, CYLON, but only HALF-Cylon. Yah know... Baby? Helpless? Innocent? Not programmed to kill people?"

Funny how people cannot see it was an act Roslin had to put on. If the cylons/Baltar are to believe the baby died and possibly was terminated; Roslin needs to act as if she wanted to terminate the baby. Also the baby is much safer with a new parent than one in constant fear of being discovered or killed due to political changes or terrorism (see previous episodes).

Roslin was really warm-hearted in this episode, and her action made a whole lot more sense than in the last.

[Lady Snow]

Well I doubt he ever would've imagined that this blond sexpot would cause the destruction of mankind. And besides, what software engineer wouldn't sell his family to have sex with a supermodel?

*snicker* So true... grumblegrumblemenarestupidgrumble