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Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques/Archive3: Difference between revisions

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Archive
DO NOT EDIT OR POST REPLIES TO THIS PAGE. THIS PAGE IS AN ARCHIVE.

This page is an archive. Do not edit the contents of this page. Please direct any additional comments to the current talk page. Please add new archives to Archive 04.


No HUD's in Vipers?[edit]

I've noticed that the Colonial Vipers don't seem to be equipped with any type of Heads-Up Display (HUD) or any such device. I was wondering if this was a design feature of the Vipers or if it was born simply as a way to reduce the number of VFX elements in a cockpit shot. Also, without a HUD, is there some other form of gunsight in the pilot's line of sight? --Thetruthseeker 15:55, 24 June 2006 (CDT)

Actually, if you look really hard at screenshots from "The Hand of God", etc., they do seem to have HUD's, although they haven't been prominently displayed on the show.--The Merovingian (C - E) 20:02, 24 June 2006 (CDT)
What appears to be a HUD in screencaps of "The Hand of God" seems to actually be reflection of the Viper's central display on the cockpit window. It's most evident in the first pov cockpit shot on this page, where there are several upside down DRADIS screens.[1] --Thetruthseeker 13:34, 25 June 2006 (CDT)
No HUDS in the Vipers. We haven't put gunsights in them, either. I'm not sure what the design reasons were for these decisions, but I'm guessing that it came down to VFX money that was better spent elsewhere. Our pilots simply have to be that much better. - Ngarenn 16:01, 28 June 2006 (CDT)
Perhaps because a HUD would require several systems linked together via a computer, and this would be vulnerable to manipulation by the Cylons? The MkII was, after all, designed NOT to be vulnerable to this sort of attack.--Madbrood 15:01, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

FTL and the cylons[edit]

What is the range of Galactica's FTL engines? I have read some were that it is 30 light years. If this si true then it means that the fleet would have jumped around 7500 light years due to all the jumps they made in '33'. So were in the galaxy are they?

Also in the show the Cylons are divided into two types. Skin jobs and Centurions. The thing is that the Cylons say that they are better than humans but they are making the same mistake the colonies made made. I say this because Ron Moore has said that the Centurions are not sentient and so are treated as expanderble, like the first cylons were treated by the Colonies. So will we ever see the Centurions rise up against there flesh and blood counter parts. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Viper1982 (talk • contribs).

  • I have always speculated (pure speculation) that there is NO "range" on FTL engines in theory...but there is an "effective" range of practicality: That is, based on Admiral Cain's order for a blind jump and the way they talk more about "plotting coordinates at such a distance" (as Ragnar) than engine range, I always assumed that an FTL Jump can take you anywhere in the universe, but "it ain't like dusting crops", and if you just go without safe coordinates, you could easily wind up in a star or planet, so it's too unsafe to use. The Cylons have better computers than the Colonials, and thus are able to plot safe jumps along longer distances in their Nav computers, that's why they can jump back to Caprica relatively easily compared to the Colonials. Theoretically (This is my longstanding *assumption*, is it correct?) Galactica could Jump across the entire galaxy...it's just so unsafe without good coordinates and the odds of winding up in a star or something so big that it's deemed not worth it. --The Merovingian (C - E) 20:07, 24 June 2006 (CDT)
  • I agree, there's also the question of how much fuel is invested in each FTL jump, which would also prove as a limiting factor. And if Tylium is as rare as they said it was, then they must have some form of calculating how to spend it best. --Sauron18 22:05 24 June 2006 (CDT)
  • Exactly. If, as we speculate in the FTL article, the propulsion is wormhole-based, then it stands to reason that to make a bigger wormhole, one would need more jucie, so to speak. It also stands to reason that the further away one's desired exit point is, the more difficult it would be to pinpoint said location. An analogy- have you ever tried to land the end of a long piece of string on a particular point? It's MUCH easier to do with a shorter piece. --Madbrood 15:12, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

Sleeper Agents[edit]

I have been updating an article on the Miniseries novelization. The novelization gives a lot of extra info about Aaron Doral, making a big point that he is a sleeper agent. Was this from official sources or artistic license by the author? The main point is that his realization (unlike Boomer's) that he was a Cylon was easy. Also, if true, might imply that Brother Cavil from Galactica might be a sleeper agent? Thanks. --FrankieG 11:56, 26 June 2006 (CDT)

Writing a novelization involves fleshing out much of what the original presentation only hints at. To my knowledge, the extra information was not gleaned from any of the documentation/bibles used on the series. How "official" that makes it is an open question. If we don't address it in the show, then everyone's entitled to their own theory. - Ngarenn 15:55, 28 June 2006 (CDT)
Was Galactica's Brother Cavil a sleeper agent, or was it never considered or discussed? Thanks, --FrankieG 17:05, 28 June 2006 (CDT)
We discuss a lot of stuff, but if it doesn't show up on screen, it's as if it never happened. That philosophy leaves us open to more possibilities. Was Cavil a sleeper? Until we find a story where that matters, we won't define it -- and leave you wondering. Ngarenn 15:27, 29 June 2006 (CDT)

Cavil definitely seemed not to be a sleeper. It's odd that Boomer appears to be the only one. There should be more, I would think. Noneofyourbusiness 19:11, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Didn't Internal-Six same "some are sleepers" in the Miniseries? --Shane (T - C - E) 19:25, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

Galactica's Armor Skin[edit]

Just to clarify more than anything - and mainly so that people can stop arguing about it. Did the Galactica always have such a patchy armour skin, or before the days of decommissioning, was it more like Pegasus in terms of looks? Here's an image as an example, just in case ;) [2] --Fordsierra4x4 18:56, 29 June 2006 (CDT)

I asked Eric Chu about this on the MediaBlvd messageboards, and he said the ribs were supposed to be there, so only a missle coming from a perfect 90 degree angle would connect. Of course, I think that might have just been his opinion. --The Merovingian (C - E) 19:06, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
It makes sense for there to be SOME ribs, but the ventral plating (there i go, using trek terms again...) looks....oddly laid out. As though half of it has been stripped off. Look at an image of Pegasus for comparison. I know they're different classes and all, but it just seems....wrong...somethow, for the galactica to be so oddly patchy. --Fordsierra4x4 19:09, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
To be annoyingly particular, "ventral plating" is just a phrase composed of two normal words in their normal meanings, so it is not peculiar to Star Trek. --CalculatinAvatar(C-T) 19:37, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
Troo dat, but it sounds like it's lifted straight out of an episode of DS9 :D --Fordsierra4x4 19:45, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
(You mean dorsal plating (top); ventral plating means on the bottom). --The Merovingian (C - E) 20:11, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
It's 2:38am - not work brain! --Fordsierra4x4 20:33, 29 June 2006 (CDT)
Surely the lack of armour across her entire hull hints that she did, at one time, have a full complement of armour? Perhaps the armour was being stripped off for other uses, due to the decommissioning of the ship? --Madbrood 15:04, 12 July 2006 (CDT)
This was my point, and i'd like to believe that this is the case, although i dont want to end up being a fanboy about it - just would be nice for clarification! --Fordsierra4x4 21:01, 12 July 2006 (CDT)

SkyOne Biography Canonicity[edit]

We've been debating the status of some information from SkyOne for some time now: Around the Miniseries, biographies for several main characters were posted on SkyOne's website. You can wee one at the bottom of the William Adama article, as well as for Kara Thrace, Galactica-Sharon, etc. ----->This information was taken down from SkyOne's website over a year ago. To our knowledge, BattlestarWiki is actually the only site keeping this info posted. We didn't know if it reflected Series bible things, or even if it did, if these still "counted" any more. You see I've made little notes on the bottom of each pointing out that they're not consistent with how the show turned out. For example, Galactica-Sharon's bio says she was on Galactica a different period of time, that Troy blew up recently not years ago, etc. Bits and pieces of other things are also kind of weird, and the only source for some things, i.e. Starbuck's mother's name, which honestly I don't think is official anymore. The SkyOne bios even say that Starbuck a Picon and Baltar a Sagitarron, while we had assumed both were from Caprica. --->Long story short we're debating whether to delete these from BattlestarWiki entirely, and base nothing we have on information from them, because A) The information was taken down, probably because it wasn't "right" anymore, B) It actually contradicts things from aired episodes, throwing dubious light onto their status. So we wanted to know if this information from SkyOne's website, no longer extant, is invalidated. --The Merovingian (C - E) 16:48, 3 July 2006 (CDT)

Your definition of the series bible is accurate. Ron came up with it before the series went into production and we use it as a reference, a starting point. It isn't carved in stone. Sky One may have had access to pieces of it, but what happens on screen supercedes anything that doesn't. - Ngarenn 13:09, 7 July 2006 (CDT)


For my part, I'm just curious as to what role the writing staff had in the creation of those bios in the first place. --Peter Farago 20:54, 5 July 2006 (CDT)
In the beginning was the bible. Then came the staff. - Ngarenn 13:09, 7 July 2006 (CDT)

Basestar losses in Res Ship II[edit]

In "Resurrection Ship, Part II", were both Basestars destroyed (which is what I think) or was one destroyed, and the other escaped? Some say that because we didn't see the second one explode on-screen, it might have escaped...though I thought it was implied that it was, and it was taking a pounding from not one but two battlestars focused on it. --The Merovingian (C - E) 20:56, 11 July 2006 (CDT)

Cylons build tough ships and nobody's better at making repairs on machinery, so we have to follow standard Colonial Fleet procedure in this -- unless it's confirmed as destroyed (by gun cameras, witnesses, or wreckage) Galactica can only claim it as "Damaged." -- Ngarenn 19:27, 13 July 2006 (CDT)
The Colonials just can't win. When the Red Baron scored his first kill, the brass said it was unconfirmed and didn't count. He flew into a rage, and the next time he scored a kill, while behind enemy lines, he landed, went to the downed craft and carved off the identifying insignia, and flew back to base with them. --The Merovingian (C - E) 21:08, 13 July 2006 (CDT)

Webisode series[edit]

In this article it's said that Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance, the webisode series bridging the gap between seasons 2 and 3, will have 10 episodes. In a recent interview, David Weddle mentioned that the Thompson & Weddle writing team were behind the webisode series. Not giving spoilers, just clarifying production details: How long will each of the 10 webisodes run? Will they be run on TV right before season 3 starts (I assume they would). Did the Thompson & Weddle writing team write each of the 10 webisodes? Do you have any idea who directed them? (were they made by one director, or did different ones do different webisdoes?)--The Merovingian (C - E) 20:48, 18 July 2006 (CDT)

It's true that David Weddle and I wrote the webisodes. Ron Moore and David Eick assigned them to us during the production of Exodus. The ten short segments combine to tell one story, which takes place during the Cylon Occupation that ended Season 2. The webisodes plant seeds that come to fruition in Season 3. They were all directed by Wayne Rose, the veteran director who's been doing 2nd Unit and 1stAD work for the series. The original title of the story was "Crossroads." The running lengths will vary with what's necessary to tell each segment of the story. The first cut I saw of all ten ran about 25 minutes. The run plan we were told was that they'd put up one a week as a countdown to the season premiere -- but SciFi may have other ideas on that by now. - Ngarenn 16:48, 20 July 2006 (CDT)
Are the webisodes live action or animated like the Doctor Who web series? --Mercifull (Talk/Contribs) 17:15, 20 July 2006 (CDT)
Thanks Mr. Thompson; at first from rumors we heard we thought each segment had it's own title and the first webisode out of 10 was titled "Crossroads". Mercifull, I've heard RDM in interviews talking about people actually filming it live, plus Leah Cairns said she wasn't one of the people appearing in it, implying that live-action people actually are. --The Merovingian (C - E) 09:45, 21 July 2006 (CDT)
The webisodes are all live action, using our actors - Ngarenn 14:01, 24 July 2006 (CDT)
In determining on how we should list it here on BSG Wiki, should it be associated with Season 2 or Season 3? --Shane (T - C - E) 14:10, 24 July 2006 (CDT)
I'm leaning towards Season 3. --The Merovingian (C - E) 14:13, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Scar Podcast Transcribed[edit]

While I personally HATE listening to recordings of myself, I thought I'd let you know that we've finished transcribing the Scar podcast in case you interested in checking that out. We did our best, though it is sometimes hard to sort out who's who or pick up everything that is said. Any corrections are welcome. --Steelviper 10:37, 21 July 2006 (CDT)

Let me get this straight: we lost both a "Starbuck naked in the bowels of the ship with a revolver" scene, and a "Starbuck strips off her flight suit, soaked in sweat, and takes a shower" scene from this episode? But it would have shown the mental state her character was in....--The Merovingian (C - E) 11:01, 21 July 2006 (CDT)
The armed Starbuck naked in Galactica's bowels was an image Ron gave us to communicate an emotional place he wanted her to reach. It was never a scene. The soaked in sweat scene was shot but time didn't allow it to appear in the show. The shower part of it was not shot. - Ngarenn 14:12, 24 July 2006 (CDT)
Odd, it was not included on the recent set of deleted scenes posted on Scifi.com; of course, I think they're saving most of the deleted scenes for the DVD set to encourage us to buy them...which I will. Yes, if you check our transcript for "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I" when Terry Moore insists to Ron that "yes, there are 5-6 people that listen to these things the day that they're posted online"....we're about half of those people :) --The Merovingian (C - E) 14:53, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Caprica[edit]

Are any of the current BSG writing staff considering or expressing interest in writing episodes for the prequel series Caprica?--The Merovingian (C - E) 14:50, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

The issue has not yet come up. - Ngarenn 20:34, 27 July 2006 (CDT)

"Cally Henderson"?![edit]

On the Scifi Messageboard: "At Comic-Con, I asked the writer Bradley Thompson what Cally's first name is and he said, "Cally is her first name. Her last name is Henderson." He said he didn't think her last name was ever used in the first two seasons, but he's pretty sure it comes up in Season 3." ——— Can you confirm this?--The Merovingian (C - E) 15:38, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

I'm not sure when we established Cally's surname as Henderson, but it's been in and out of several scripts. I know we originally had it in a line during the webisodes, but it vanished during a later draft. The art department has been using it to label her clothing, lockers, etc, since Ron christened her. She took Tyrol as her last name when she married the chief. - Ngarenn 15:43, 26 July 2006 (CDT)
Thanks! Yes, the BSGverse is very gender-neutral, and although Caroline Adama, etc. established that many women do take the surname of their husband, I wasn't entirely sure how far the gender-neutrality of everything extended (Indeed, Ron apparently has even toyed with the idea of saying that Admiral Cain's colony, Tauron, was matriarchal). But this is excellent news. --The Merovingian (C - E) 16:33, 26 July 2006 (CDT)

I guess this would make her (as of season 3) "Cally Henderson Tyrol"? Actress Nicki Clyne always felt "Cally" was her first name too. How is this reconciled with how at some points in the series (I'd have to look hard to find them) people have called her "Specialist Cally", as if that were her last name (by including rank)....come to think of it, there is a possibility that no one ever actually called her "Specialist Cally" in dialogue. I will check. (Btw, while I'm on the subject, who is this "Mexichick": she's one of the regulars in Terry Moore's thread on the Scifi board, and seems to have contact with several cast or crew members).

I must say, Cally is one of the best characters on the show. She won Best Supporting Actress in our large-scale online fan awards supported by Ron himself, beating out Dualla, Racetrack, Kat, and Ellen Tigh (it was a landslide victory). Sorry to get so excited, but I'm a card-carrying member of the Nicki Clyne fansite. You see I've actually been watching Trek from Next Gen, through DS9, and then the Voyager and Enterprise years, and I really feal that "lets get ratings fast by inserting Seven of Nine! Put T'Pol in a blatant shower scene!" stuff was a big blow to scifi genre tv, as it took out a lot of seriousness and believability. I viewed Cally as the "Anti-Seven of Nine" and living embodiement of Ron's essay on Naturalistic science fiction: instead of one Lara Croft-esque supersoldier Hot Space Babe [TM] main character surrounded by redshirts, on BSG Cally is a *third tier character* and a *female* who gets incredible development and characterization (note: I AM a male aged 18 to 25, it's just that even WE got sick of 7 of 9 and T'Pol).

A few of use on the messageboards in early 2005 just said "hey, that girl from the Miniseries was cool, we hope we see her more"...then came "Bastille Day" and her popularity exploded. She's the girl next door. And it just became a treat to see she was in and episode, like "Six Degrees of Separation", or "Flight of the Phoenix", or Fragged and Resistance (her standout episodes). It's the same reason we like Kat and Racetrack: they're well rounded, secondary female characters; and like Tyrol and Helo, minor characters can *actually die* in a given episode, increasing the tension. (I.e. Starbuck wouldn't die in Scar, but Kat might have, so I was actually invested in her fate).

And Cally just gradually grew into this really popular character online, from the grassroots up. Some people think it's a joke, but it's because we seriously like the actress and character and think it's one of the elements of scifi genre tv that BSG has fixed.

Btw, have you decided what colony she is from yet? (That is, will it be mentioned in Season 3?)--The Merovingian (C - E) 15:55, 24 July 2006 (CDT)

Not yet. Hasn't been relevant so far in 3, but we've got seven more shows to break. - Ngarenn 15:43, 26 July 2006 (CDT)


Cally vs Caprica-Sharon[edit]

I've been listenning through the writer's podcasts that Ron put up on Scifi.com, like the one for "Sacrifice" etc. -->Was a scene of Caprica-Sharon bumping into Cally in a Galactica hallway ever filmed and was then deleted? I'd assume that Cally would encounter Galactica-Sharon (one she shot) on New Caprica next season, so if that other scene was never filmed I guess this would be their first encounter. --The Merovingian (C - E) 20:51, 2 August 2006 (CDT)

I the room talked about several versions of this scene in several places but I'm not sure if it was ever actually shot. - Ngarenn 21:24, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Tyrol's Pegasus service[edit]

In "Resistance", Chief Tyrol listed off that he had served on Battlestars Atlantia, Columbia, and Pegasus, since he was 18. This was actually the first time Pegasus was mentioned in the series, and it led some to speculate that Tyrol knew some of the Pegasus crew from before: in an intervew, Aaron Douglas said that a fan asked him about this at a convention, and he said he had never realized that about the referrence, and as far as he knew his character's behind-the-scenes backstory contained nothing particular about his time on Pegasus, (i.e. he didn't really have a relationship with anyone on it, he just served on it along with a dozen other ships); however he said he didn't know what the writers intended. Was there supposed to be any higher significance behind this?--The Merovingian (C - E) 15:52, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

There's always higher significance. We just don't always get to it. - Ngarenn 21:11, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

Helmets[edit]

I've noticed that the helmets the piliots wear in Season 2 are different from the ones used through Season 1; were they changed because the actors thought the old ones were too bulky or something? I liked what Ron and David said on the Miniseries DVD commentary, that it's kind of weird but cool how the helmets scrunch the faces of the pilots so they look like they're in an entirely different world (i.e. Grace Park's face looks drastically different when she puts a helmet on, and Jamie and Katee too) so it doesn't just look like "a person on a soundstage" but seems more like they're actually in this other environment. --The Merovingian (C - E) 16:31, 5 August 2006 (CDT)

Just thought I'd note the helmet discussion at the end of act two in the Captain's Hand podcast. In it, Ron indicated there were some lighting and sound problems with earlier models. --Steelviper 08:08, 7 August 2006 (CDT)
Word is that they fog up and the actors can't look up or back with them without cracking them. We're working on that. - Ngarenn 21:13, 9 August 2006 (CDT)

RE: Military Ships[edit]

Dear Brad,

I like to thank you for joining the discussions on BattlestarWiki. It's nice to see cast and crew and even producers talk to the fans, and act politely compared to many pompous skinjobs out in the frakking world. The question I pose to you, is that I'm aware of a statement Cylon Number 0, also known as "Ronald D. Moore" said in his Scifi Podcast that the Battlestars had support ships in the fleet in Battlestar Groups, analogous to modern day Aircraft Carriers. What I want to know is that the possibility of ALL military ships being destroyed is very how to say; unrealistic. That's not to say that this series has been unrealistic, the fact that many in the Colonial Military reverted to networking after a semi recent war with heuristic machines seems about right with human nature and their lazy ways. But to get back to the point, would it be likely that some military vessels (besides the obvious, Galactica and Pegasus) survived. Many have pointed out that the Todd Boyce fan produced ship model, the 'Defender' has been seen, but I'm not sure how to take this as an "official" military spacecraft. If so, can they maybe rejoin the fleet? --Volostheguardian 01:49, 7 August 2006 (CDT)

Not meaning to speak for Mr. Thompson, but A) Within the mythology of the show, Galactica is the "Last battlestar" and Pegasus is the "shockingly, another ship that survived" B) It's not unrealistic given that the Cylons through Caprica-Six had information on the tactical deployment of all ships within the Fleet, knew where every single one was, etc. Ships smaller than battlestars could not survive against the Cylon fleet on their lonesome. I am unaware of anyone pointing to any fan-produced ship models. --The Merovingian (C - E) 13:19, 7 August 2006 (CDT)
I did some checking and found this page (Scroll down a bit): rather than "Undeniably canon", I see a similar ship to the design this guy made, propably the same basic CGI model, but that's hardly another surviving military ship. They just used the basic CGI model as another Rag Tag Fleet civilian ship. --The Merovingian (C - E) 15:18, 7 August 2006 (CDT)
I'm not trying to start a text war, I was just meaning to ask a question to Mr. Thompson, which you seemed to answer on a matter of your personal opinion. I'm not one to doubt what you said, since your answer has some validity to it, but I won't take this as a solid answer unless Mr. Thompson says so. Also what's not to say that the design wasn't used as intended; many ships in the fleet have yet to be designated a definitive role. --Volostheguardian 21:25, 7 August 2006 (CDT)
Oh I'm not answering it I'm just putting my thoughts on the matter out. I must admit it was a pretty good question, given the uncanny resemblance of the CGI model and the ship in the screenshot.--The Merovingian (C - E) 21:58, 7 August 2006 (CDT)
Then again, I was thinking not about like other Battlestars, more like cruisers or the Colonial Analog of Coast Guard Cutters. That would be an interesting plot point or strategic matter in later episodes.--Volostheguardian 18:42, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
The more I look at that screengrab, the more I'm leaning in your direction Volos; perhaps some stray ship that joined the others in an event skipped over during the course of "one year later"?--The Merovingian (C - E) 19:32, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
Dear Volosthegardian - Galactica was essentially retired at the time of the initial attack and did not have the usual military escorts associated with a commissioned Battlestar. We only know of the ships in our fleet. If other ships have survived, military or otherwise, we haven't yet made contact with them. - Ngarenn 21:22, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
Well lads, that answers and raises up more questions; like a usual episode of Lost. So, is there room for other survivors? I mean, of course that would downplay the effect of Pegasus coming back. But that does some options open...maybe not. Regarding fleet escorts, would the characters in the series ever look back at their battlegroup and show what the battlegroup would be made up of? --Volostheguardian 21:59, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
I personally think that Galactica and Pegasus were the only surviving Battlestars, as the backbone of the Fleet, the battlestars would have been high priority targets. Any smaller surviving ships would have quickly been picked off one by one. --The Merovingian (C - E) 22:07, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
The Galactica and the Pegasus are THE only Battlestars left, because three would be unstoppable, but I always hold out some other military ships left.. The smaller ships would definitely be crushed, but maybe something a bit larger, like a cruiser or maybe something with a curved forward section and two engines, I wonder what that would be like? --Volostheguardian 23:17, 9 August 2006 (CDT)
Additionally, we must remember that Pegasus was attacked in dock. The escorts would have probably been themselves docked or if on patrol destroyed by the Cylon attack. I think from the eponymous episode we're made to conclude that Cain's blind jump is what saved the Battlestar. Panther 18:39, 23 August 2006 (CDT)