Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques

This page is one of Battlestar Wiki's many projects. This page serves to coordinate discussion on a particular aspect of this Wiki. The formal recommendations of a project may be treated as policies.

Members of Battlestar Wiki: This page is to coordinate all questions to any official members of the cast or crew of "Battlestar Galactica." Please sign your question after you are done. The "summary" of the question should be be first, if any, and then the questions, in short form, should be placed at the bottom. This is to not confuse people and to keep the quetions distinctive.

Cast/Crew: These are questions we are seeking from you. If you have the time, please answer them as best you can. We will move these questions/answers to the correct page once they have been done. You can also check out Category:Seeking Official Information for larger items - particularly pictures.

All questions which have been previously answered can be found on the archive pages. Questions get moved to the archives once items and questions seeming from the issue have stopped.

Ask a new question or begin a new discussion by clicking here.

Who's the Mop Guy?

Hi there. We have a humorous article dedicated to our administrators: Mop Boy. We have a screencap of a Galactica crewman who is mopping the floor in the documentary of "Final Cut" (which, metaphorically, is what admins do). Did that character have a name? If not, can you give him an unofficial one? "The Unknown Mopper" is the administrator's patron saint. :) --Spencerian 18:40, 8 October 2006 (CDT)

I'll ask Mark to give him a name when I get back to LA - Ngarenn 22:56, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Hamish "Skulls" McCall

Hello Mr. Bradley, is there a rank available for Hamish "Skulls" McCall? Is he Ensign, Lieutenant JG, or Lieutenant? I imagine that he's not anything higher. Also, is he Racetrack's ECO or Co-Pilot? Somebody was calling him a co-pilot and I didn't know if maybe he was a converted Raptor pilot because of ECO shortages or something like that but I figured I'd ask. --Straycat0 23:12, 8 October 2006 (CDT)

Hi, Straycat. I have no official rank on Skulls -- you'll have to look at his pips. Skulls is currently an ECO, but all ECO's are cross-trained with piloting skills. Attrition has forced some (such as Racetrack and Helo) to assume pilot in command duties more than once. - Ngarenn 22:21, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Apollo's pilot wings

Is there a particular reason why Apollo is wearing junior wings in Season 3 while he's wearing senior wings in "The Captain's Hand" (I think) and LDYB? Personally I prefer that the wings signify actual piloting experience and aren't just awarded together with becoming Major or Colonel. But aside from it being a possible error, there might be some in-universe reason for the change. --Serenity 11:06, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

Lee's promotion to Major in Captain's Hand brought with it the senior pilot rank badges, as he started out as a pilot and the skill level that got him the Major's rank also warranted the new wings. - Ngarenn 22:24, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

So why did he lose them in Season 3 then? Other senior officers still have theirs despite not being active pilots anymore. Like Cain, Adama or Tigh --Serenity 08:29, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

Colonial Calendar

In Precipice when Baltar is singning the death varent. There is clearly seen SIGNED THIS SECOND DAY OF 3454-91 over his signature.

Does it mean Tuesday (second day), 91st day of year 3454 after The Exodus from Kobol?

Screencap --Deus 14:17, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

It all depends on when the week starts. A week can start on either Sunday or Monday -- and there has been absolutely no evidence that they use those names to denote days of a week. There are also too many variables to determine whether or not it has been 3454 years since The Exodus from Kobol. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 15:01, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

Well, that's why am I asking Mr. Thmpson. "91" can also mean 91st week of year... --Deus 15:14, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

91st week of the year? This doesn't compute, given it's been pretty much established repeatedly that the Colonial time or calendar is really no different than the Gregorian calendar or the 24-hour system we use on this spec of dust. :-) For comparison, there are only 52 weeks in a standard Earth year. Also, it has been previously established that the exodus occured 2,000 years ago; so the Exodus is discounted as being "Year 1" in the Colonial calendar. However, any answers that Mr. Thompson can provide in this regard would doubtless be appreciated. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 15:52, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

Interesting find. Maybe it's some weird Cylon way of timekeeping --Serenity 15:54, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

For that matter, is Mars Day a holiday or a day of the week? The days of the week on Earth are named after gods, Norse gods in English and Roman gods in Italic languages. ex. English: Tuesday, named for the Norse war god Tyr; French: Mardi, named for the Roman war god Mars. English: Friday, named for the Norse love goddess Freya; French: Vendredi, named for the Roman love goddess Venus. Noneofyourbusiness 17:37, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

Scriptural Reference

Mr. Bradley, was it intended that Colonel Tigh was making a scriptural reference to the colonial scriptures when he said: "Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the garden of paradise sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. Surprised you didn't know that." This feels and sounds very like he is refering to some 'Colonial Bible' and the expressions on Tyrol's and Anders' faces give me that sense? Was that the intent from the writers room with that saying? Gotta say that I loved some of the dialog in Occuprice and can't wait till it comes out on iTunes.--Straycat0 18:24, 9 October 2006 (CDT)

I haven't read all of Colonial scripture, so I can't really speak to that. But it wouldn't surprise me if Saul Tigh did read the scriptures at some point in his life. - Ngarenn 23:16, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

We know what the cast looks like..

But we have very few pictures of the Crew. Any chance you can round up a digital camera and do a group and individual photos? :-) --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 14:24, 13 October 2006 (CDT)

Nope. I already got a message from TPTB that there will be no unofficial photos coming from this source. - Ngarenn 22:27, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

TPTB? --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 23:15, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

The Powers that Be. I imagine its more or less for privacy and confidentiality reasons. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 23:22, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Roger. --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 23:25, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

We have a few crew pictures, but I can't ID them. md:Category:Seeking Official Information

Left Image - In the center is Supervising Producer Harvey Frand, who works miracles in Vancouver by making the impossible happen regularly for miniscule budgets. - Ngarenn 22:38, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Center Image - The guy on the left is VFX Supervisor Gary Hutzel, Master of Visual FX. Without him, the ships don't fly, the nukes don't explode. Much of what you love about this show comes out of his brain. - Ngarenn 22:38, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Right Image - is Harvey Frand, whom you met on the left. - Ngarenn 22:40, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

• 
  I have no clue. David is one the left, RDM on the right, and Center...well is the Question :)
• 
  Dir. of Photography?
• 
  I still have no clue.

Erica Cerra back Exodus, Part I?

Is she back just for these few episodes or was this another actress or a standin? --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 13:09, 14 October 2006 (CDT)

It's her. - Ngarenn 22:54, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Gunnery Sgt Mathias

Hi, I was directed to ask these questions here; they were initially posed at the "Exodus, Part I" talk page.

1. First off, is she one of Pegasus' onboard company? She doesn't look familiar to Galactica, and Hadrian's reputedly the seniormost Marine onboard the latter ship. My guess is the former rather than the latter, but it's never stated.

We often don't state things until there's a compelling reason to state them, such as where Mathias came from or what her story is. It may play into future episodes, but until then, we keep you guessing. - Ngarenn 22:45, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

2. This one ties into 1: considering the above, why is she so (relatively) friendly with Sharon? There might be some leeway if she stood Brig duty and got to know Sharon, but then that would prove contrary to the Hadrian issue, not to mention that it's highly unlikely someone as senior as a Gunnery Sgt would be standing brig duty. OTOH, if she's a Marine from Pegasus, she obviously should have a marked level of disgust about taking orders from a "skinjob". Granted, military professionalism and bearing might play a role in overriding that disgust, but Sharon's nature as a Cylon can't be denied, regardless of what side she's on. Additionally, she may have been posted to brig watch while Sharon was in Pegasus' brig, but again, there's the rank vs. watchstanding issue.

See what fun you're having? It's been said in drama that one good question is better than a dozen good answers. But you don't make gunnery sergeant without learning to obey the rank, not the person. - Ngarenn 22:45, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Just a few thoughts that came to mind. Thanks for your time.--み使い Mitsukai 00:30, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

You're most welcome. - Ngarenn 22:59, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

New episode names

Hello Mr. Thompson, we have a couple more "working titles" if you'd care to confirm them as such: Episode 15/16 - Dirty Hands, Episode 16/17 - Maelstrom. --Straycat0 22:41, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

So far, "Dirty Hands" is the title of Episode 15. - Ngarenn 22:46, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

BTW, "Download City" is Seelix's slang for wherever Cylons go to get resurrected. - Ngarenn 22:51, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Darn. Oh well.. i liked the idea of a city. lol. --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 23:14, 19 October 2006 (CDT)

Episode Numbering

Mr. Thompson, you are counting "Dirty Hands" as the title of episode 15. This means that Occupation and Precipice are the same episode. But Ron in his podcast calls them episodes 3.01 and 3.02 which would make "Dirty Hands" episode 16. What do you guys consider "Occupation/Precipice", a.k.a. "Occuprice", Episodes 1 and 2, Episodes 1 and 1.5 or just episode 1? And then Exodus, Part I is then episode 2 or episode 3? --Straycat0 15:04, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

Given this original list that Mr. Thompson provided, he's counting "Occupation" and "Precipice" as episode 1.0 and 1.5 respetively. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 15:15, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

Just to add further clarity, like Joe said the production staff is using the 1.0 and 1.5, and everyone else is not (I think). It was easier for the wiki to go with Precipice as 2.0, because it matches the info at scifi.com and the podcasts. --FrankieG 18:19, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

Why weren't more Colonial factions visible on New Caprica?

Over 2 seasons, you've shown us that Colonials aren't the same. They have different cultures, and internal conflicts.

Going into season 3, I expected to see sharp differences within New-Caprican society: Different strategies, power-plays, and sophisticated reactions to the Cylon presence. Instead, we only saw things through the prism of the Tigh-Vs-Baltar conflict.

The popularily-elected Quorum members were nowhere to be seen. Zarek was completely sidelined. The religous establishment was hardly seen. The 'peace movement', who believed in Six's 'unity' platform were unseen/unheard of. ETC.

What prevented the writers from playing up inter-Colonial differences?

--Ashoka 03:30, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

I'm going to guess lack of screen time. It can probably be assumed that the extremist colonial groups fell into the respective resit/collaborate camps, with a lot of messiness in the intervening months. The relative quiet of the Cylons' "crap, this isn't working" camp and the ascendency of the "see, told you it wouldn't" camp has many RL examples. --PrePressChris 18:47, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

I agree that there wasn't time, unless you wanted to run four more eps on New Caprica. As for Gina's "Demand Peace" movement, it seems that the bulk, if not all, went up in the radioactive boom along with Cloud 9.--み使い Mitsukai 21:58, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

If what you guys say is correct, then doesn't this kill the tapestry of the Colonials? Before this 'occupation' storyline, Roslin faced convincing challenges from the above elements. But now, she's a war hero who won the day. While the others were MIA, or talentless. Who can convincingly mount dissent in Colonial society now? Perhaps if they had implied that the quorum was in hiding; that the Geminese held protests; or that the prisoners rioted (ala Bastille Day);..it would maintain that Roslin wasn't the only Colonial leader fighting. So I'm wondering if the writers actively wanted to end the internal Colonial conflicts. Unify the fleet, in order to go after Cylons? --Ashoka 00:09, 24 October 2006 (CDT)

Shaver

A few of us at my college, where I go to the BSG parties, are wondering if we can get real working replica of Adama's shaver. Any one we should contact? ;-) --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 03:26, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

Thats the most odd request for a replica prop i've ever heard :D --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 04:11, 24 October 2006 (CDT)

Pegasus starboard flight pod

In Exodus part 2, when Pegasus comes to Galactica's rescue and flies past the camera firing, a main battery turret can be seen firing from the foreward dorsal surface of the starboard flight-pod. However, there is no corresponding battery on the port flight pod, nor are there any signs of this weapon later, when the starboard pod is seen drifting after Pegasus' death ride into the base-ship. I've also been unable to locate it on any of the other images of the starboard flight-pod I've been able to find. Is the turret an FX goof, or are the flight pods' armaments asymetrical?--Grin Reaper 03:56, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

There are turrets on the Pegasus flight pods. They can be seen in "The Captain's Hand"... I can grab a few screenshots, which I'll add to the Pegasus article later. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 11:56, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

Here's an image from "Captain's Hand": Image:Pegasus flight pod turret.jpg. Is this what you're referring to, Grin Reaper? -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 17:43, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

Negative. I know about those turrets. The one I'm talking about it on the top of the hangar, not underneath it, and on the leading edge of the flight-pod. here is a good shot. You can see it firing there, and it looks like it's just about in line with the first spar, but in the shot of the drifting pod, it isn't there, and there's definately no corresponding weapon on the port pod. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Grin Reaper (talk • contribs).

Wouldn't the assumption be that it was blown/shorn off sometime before/during the destruction of the Pegasus? --PrePressChris 08:03, 24 October 2006 (CDT)

I considered that. However, I couldn't see any wreckage or broken plating around where the battery would be on the starboard pod and there is literally no sign whatsoever of a battery in the same place on the port pod, either in this episode, or any others. Hence the reason I'm asking for clarification here.--Grin Reaper 18:07, 24 October 2006 (CDT)