Galactica, a battlestar from the first Cylon War, is equipped with sound-powered telephones.
These phones are useful when electrical power to the main telephone system of the ship is cut off. The technology was likely developed for the first Cylon War to ensure that a ship's communication systems could not be overcome by Cylon tactical warfare, which could otherwise disrupt a vessel's power, computers and other technology.
Jammer reports to Lee Adama that these phones are available (but jammed with other communications) as Cylon Centurions board the ship and a Cylon computer virus reeks havoc with the battlestar's computers and subsystems (Valley of Darkness).
Notes
- This technology likely uses piezoelectricity, which uses crystals such as quartz to generate a small electrical impulse when the crystal is flexed or otherwise physically altered.
- This technology is reminiscent of similar phones available in submarines.