User talk:Bradtem

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We look forward to your contributions to the community! --CalculatinAvatar^(C-T) 13:43, 27 October 2006 (CDT)

Recent contribution

Hi there. I removed a recent edit that you added in the article on Earth.

It is worth noting that it's a very strongly established scientific fact that humans come from Earth. All life on Earth is closely related, and has been here for billions of years -- as has been revealed by DNA sequencing done after the original Galactica. Indeed humans share over a quarter of their genes with Earth plants. A story depicting Earth humanity as descended from a tribe from another planet would be in serious contradiction with scientific reality. Of course, this sometimes happens in SF TV.

The scientist's findings have a bias in that we haven't anything (or anywhere) to compare their results to. While I understand that genetics connect the human race, official sources for the show indicate that viewers must not assume that the Earth in the series is that of our relative past, present, or future. Therefore we should not make inappropriate speculation until the series writers define more for us. You might want to visit the Sacred Scrolls article for what other contributors have derived regarding the multi-exodus theory based on what's been presented in the show thus far. --Spencerian 15:38, 27 October 2006 (CDT)

Recent rollback

Hi Bradtem. I rolled back your contribution to the article Temple of Five. Your edits simply expanded on the brief descriptions there without giving any new specifics on the article's subject, which goes against our status quo policy of not repeating or creating episode narratives in an article unnecessarily: that's what the episode article itself (Rapture) is for. One unrelated matter: to make easier for others to know who we replying to in talk contributions, be sure to enter your signature after your comment. You can use two hyphens and four tildes (--~~~~) or you can use the signature button at the top of the page that appears while you edit. --Spencerian 09:30, 1 February 2007 (CST)

I am wondering why the fact I added (that there are 6 drapes and 5 cylons with one drape standing empty, which is not documented elsewhere) is not germane to the question of the temple or opera house. (I just noticed there are 8 drapes in the Baltar/6 version of the Opera house, 7+1?) The note about Tyrol's hesitation is documented in the episode summary, but I felt what is written in the Temple article leaves out something important about the Temple - Tyrol's emotional bond to it, which starts with his unexplained compulsion for him, the only person who will recognize it, to walk into the mountains. Why did you feel so strongly that these are not important facts to document about the temple? --Bradtem 18:20, 1 February 2007 (CST)

My personal fanwank

I won't post the text here, but if you want to read my imagined timeline for a grand unified theory of the history of Earth, Kobol, the Cylons (versions 1, 2 and 3) and the rest, it's on my web site at http://www.templetons.com/brad/battlestar.html.

No real spoilers past Rapture. Unless you consider speculation on future episodes as spoilers.

Re: Final five

Thanks for your note, Bradterm. Actually, I hadn't forgotten Shelly Godfrey (I even mentioned her myself elsewhere), but I just don't think we can assume she was wtill with the fleet at the time of Boomer's statement. In addition to the question of whether she was real at all (raised in the Shelly Godfrey article), there's the fact of her mysterious disappearance, along with the difficulty of her remaining hidden in the fleet after the widespread circulation of her photograph.

Frankly, I don't think we can conclude a lot about this unknown Cylon, if it exists. I would guess it is either Godfrey or a copy of Simon (he was the only one of the 12 who hadn't either had his cover blown or had a copy with the fleet already). I've reworded the statement on Final five to reflect this uncertainty, though I've left in a reference to Godfrey as a possible candidate. Later, --Saforrest 17:54, 11 April 2007 (CDT)

Yeah, I know the Shelly theories, but right now they're in the highly-speculative category, and there's no real way off the fleet short of death, so I would have to presume she's there until we get evidence otherwise. If she's a physical version of virtual-six, then that's a very major revalation, as much as we might suspect it. As now it's unexplained how, after Gina was found, they did not turn up Shelly in a fleet hunt, but if Gina could hide, so could she.--Bradtem 18:06, 11 April 2007 (CDT)

Traffic, and guest bloggers

Thanks for the links! If you're curious sometime, I think Shane can run some stats about how much traffic you're sending our way (at least directly through links). We generally rate pretty high on Google searches for specific terms, and thankfully due to relevant content (and not the "keyword spam" games of old, if such things work anymore). Traffic will likely be light, though, until show-related activity resumes.

I might be interested in writing a guest piece. I doubt I could be a regular, and my "wiki-training" of citing sources has created something of a mental barrier with regards to actually generating content, but I have an idea for a little piece comparing and contrasting the new and old Baltar. It'd likely do me some good to flex my creative writing muscles now and again. --Steelviper 09:19, 12 April 2007 (CDT)

Ok, to try your hand, create an account on the blog, and E-mail me btm of templetons.com so I can enable it with posting permissions. The rest is explained at the writing guide. --Bradtem 18:26, 12 April 2007 (CDT)

Flesher/Colonial/Cylon neurobiology

I like your "made-up back-story for Battlestar Galactica". The technology described to create fleshers clearly is synthetic biology (the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, and the re-design of existing, natural biological systems). It's different from conventional genetic engineering in that it aims to construct entire new living systems from wholly new DNA created by human design. Living systems that do not already exist in the natural world.

Here is a description of flesher/colonial/cylon neurobiology that perhaps you could incorporate into your theory:

The neurons of fleshers (e.g. colonials, humanoid cylons) have many internal components and chemical compounds that are completely unique. Although organic, they do not exist in normal human nerve cells or anywhere else in nature for that matter.

The unique properties of these components causes the neurons to generate electrical signals that are digital in nature. This means that the consciousness that emerges from flesher/cylon brains is based totally upon electronic digital information transfer rather than electrochemical interactions like the natural human brain. This in turn means that flesher/cylon consciousness is fundamentally an advanced artificial intelligence software program encased in what is essentially an organic computer system (i.e. highly advanced computing platform). That's why their consciousness can interface with a ship's computer and can even be trasmitted like a computer program...because it IS a computer program. A computer program via biological hardware.

What do you think of this theory?

-- Troyian 03:37, 28 September 2007 (CDT)

Apocalyptic Thoughts

Hi, Brad. Just wanted to say "well done" to the sourced insight on the term "apocalypse" in the The Destiny. Believing it a significant find, I expounded on it with several examples, noting that oracles appear to be willing heralds to both sides, whereas Hybrids are opposite. Take a look when you have a moment and adjust as you see fit. --Spencerian 10:33, 1 December 2007 (CST)

• Thanks. I wrote a bunch more (with speculation) at this blog post but I think right now the role of Hybrids and Oracles in prophecy is mostly speculation. In particular, I think the first hybrid is on no side (being both man and machine) and is in fact an incarnation of the Cylon god. But we'll see. What is factual is the ambiguous (or commonly misinterpreted) meanings of apocalypse, harbinger and "its end." I do think that the title of an upcoming episode being "revelations" is important. --Bradtem 14:26, 1 December 2007 (CST)

E-mail conversation about The Last Supper

Do you still have those e-mails? Would you (and Ryan, of course) agree to them (or an excerpt of them) being put in Sources:The Last Supper? --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 10:31, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

I do have the E-mail, it was just yesterday. She said she has mailed to Moore to get him to clarify, but he is on vacation, and she will publish her result, so I was holding for that, however, I felt the report from her that he did not say what she put in brackets was worth documenting as a temporary measure. --Bradtem 17:30, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

OK, we can just source her when she publishes it then. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 19:26, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Rollback of Galen Tyrol

It's been awhile since I watched that episode, but I don't recall that happening. -- FrankieG 15:22, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Your "made-up back-story"

• Just out of curiosity. When are you going to update your "A made-up back-story for Battlestar Galactica..." on your website with the info that was revealed in "No Exit"?

With Jane Espenson's latest comments that imply there is no real Earth (ie. that as far as she is concerned Kobol is the human homeworld in this universe) it seems the writers are not going in that direction, and I guessed wrong. So I may never do that unless we get some alternate clues that say she's lying. Right now it looks like the show takes place not in the future and not in the past, but in another reality. Now, some of the ideas might turn out to be true as to why there were AI wars on Kobol and Cylon Earth, but I don't even know if the show is going to explain that at all. The Kobol story is going to be left to other media like comics, it sounds like.--bradtem 01:05, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

Battlestar Galactica: The Final Five

• Just curious. Have you checked out the comic book miniseries? --- Troyian 22:51, 9 July 2009 (UTC)

Yes. I know it's supposed to be some form of canon, but a lot of it doesn't fit. Sam being a drifter killed for experimentation doesn't feel right, he was supposed to have been a major rock star, author of All Along the Watchtower, and an essential part of the team (Ellen said it needed all 5 to recover the resurrection plan.) Ditto Saul having almost no involvement in the tech. In the show they were a team with deep feelings and emotions.

I was glad to see some suggestion that centurion memories got into the human Cylons, at least Cavil. it's not clear if they made it into anybody else, though. Does Cavil remember being Zoe or Tamara?

The small number of generations shown also doesn't make sense. They built all of Earth-1 in just a generation? Perhaps with metal robot labour. We were told they had lost resurrection and switched to sexual reproduction, but that was just once?

Pythia as Starbuck? I didn't like Starbuck's fate so I don't like this either. And if the angel always shows up as Helfer in a red dress, where did they get the DNA for six from?--bradtem 23:04, 9 July 2009 (UTC)

Re-imagined Series definition: Artificial Intelligence, research into such technology was deemed illegal by the Colonies after the First Cylon War ^{(TRS: "Miniseries")}