The re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series shares a humorous and sometimes mysterious affinity in placing numbers with popular-culture cross-references or inside jokes in episode content.
"1701"[edit]
This is part of the registry number of the famous "USS Enterprise" of the "Star Trek" TV and movie series. In the Mini-Series, Colonial One rescues a passenger liner named "Gemenon Liner 1701." This is an inside nod to RDM's work in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" TV series.
"47"[edit]
This was the last lottery number held by a lucky refugee on Caprica, who was rescued by Lt. Sharon Valerii during an emergency stop on the Colony during the initial Cylon Attack. Dr. Gaius Baltar appeared to momentarily consider using the number for himself as the older woman could not read her number (her forgetfulness led her to neglect her glasses on top of her head). But Baltar was frightened out of the idea when Karl Agathon recognized him, and Baltar feared arrest for treason.
The number 47 was a very common in-joke in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", where the number was placed as many times as possible throughout the series in technobabble, props, and visual references.
"33"[edit]
Ron Moore has explained, "Why 33 minutes?" Here are the facts about 33:
- 33 is the name of the first episode
- 33 is the number of minutes between Cylon attacks in the episode 33
- 33 is the largest printed number on the Radio Magnetic Indicator
"13"[edit]
- There are 13 Colonies - the Twelve Colonies, plus one: The thirteenth Colony, Earth
- When Gaius Baltar asks Number Six if there were any others like her, she says that there are 12 others - speculation on whether she is stating that there are 12 including her, or 12 plus her.
- There are 13 episodes in the first season of the re-imagined "Battlestar Galactica."
- Number of pilots killed by communication drone accident in "Act of Contrition"