BSG, Caprica, Blood and Chrome series topic discussion - May Contain Spoilers

[RCgothic]

Over at Sci-Fi.com, there's a big arguement at the moment between:

There are those who believe that Cylons are people and Genocide of them is wrong, though feel free to take down any frakker who jumps to the fleet's location and tries to take a pop.
Those who feel that the Cylons are people, but are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure survival of the human race.
Those who think the cylons are no more than machines, and you don't leave a bunch of killer machines running about.

I'm in the first group. I think that the Cylons are clearly sapient, and equivalent to humans on many levels. I don't believe in souls, so I treat anything that acts human as if they were. There are also those who think that the cylons do have souls in this group.
Then there are the pragmantists who acknowledge the above, but are still willing to take them down even so. Personally I would rather be dead and admired by my enemy, with them maybe even trying to live up to my example, than alive but with my enemies spitting on everything I stand for because I fight dirty. This may just be me, and I'll admit it gets complicated when making that choice for other people.
Then there are those who are just plain wrong.

[Tuskin38]

Someone needs to find out the exact name of what the Doctor said the decises is, I'm wondering if it is a real one or amde up for the show.

[MLeo]

Someone needs to find out the exact name of what the Doctor said the decises is, I'm wondering if it is a real one or amde up for the show.

Doctor Cottle said it's: "lymphocytic encephalitis" which after a quick glance at google is a real one.


http://www.sadgeezer.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=823

[MickJo]

Over at Sci-Fi.com, there's a big arguement at the moment between:

There are those who believe that Cylons are people and Genocide of them is wrong, though feel free to take down any frakker who jumps to the fleet's location and tries to take a pop.
Those who feel that the Cylons are people, but are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure survival of the human race.
Those who think the cylons are no more than machines, and you don't leave a bunch of killer machines running about.

I'm in the first group. I think that the Cylons are clearly sapient, and equivalent to humans on many levels. I don't believe in souls, so I treat anything that acts human as if they were. There are also those who think that the cylons do have souls in this group.
Then there are the pragmantists who acknowledge the above, but are still willing to take them down even so. Personally I would rather be dead and admired by my enemy, with them maybe even trying to live up to my example, than alive but with my enemies spitting on everything I stand for because I fight dirty. This may just be me, and I'll admit it gets complicated when making that choice for other people.
Then there are those who are just plain wrong.

This is what Ron, David and the rest of the Battlestar writing team want, television that challenges the viewer in all ways, in this case morality.

[Senator]

So let me get this straight. The Cylons have the technology to download their conciousness into the ressurection ship. And they can't identify which part of the data represents a virus?

First they get a sample. If they are afraid so much they can use, ahem, expendable humanoid robots. I am sure they can figure them out. And if they have seen a space suit, they can figure out and a clean enviroment suit.

Then they see how the virus's data is represented when it gets "downloaded". They do this by pretending they actually want to do so. Obviously, the physical virus gets translated to an amount of electronic data.

Then with a process known, only since the first antivirus in existance, you search for this strain of data, and filter it out of every incoming transmission. As a bonus, any infected Cylons can jump off a cliff and re-download themselves clean from the now immune ressurection ship.

[MLeo]

So let me get this straight. The Cylons have the technology to download their conciousness into the ressurection ship. And they can't identify which part of the data represents a virus?

First they get a sample. If they are afraid so much they can use, ahem, expendable humanoid robots. I am sure they can figure them out. And if they have seen a space suit, they can figure out and a clean enviroment suit.

Then they see how the virus's data is represented when it gets "downloaded". They do this by pretending they actually want to do so. Obviously, the physical virus gets translated to an amount of electronic data.

Then with a process known, only since the first antivirus in existance, you search for this strain of data, and filter it out of every incoming transmission. As a bonus, any infected Cylons can jump off a cliff and re-download themselves clean from the now immune ressurection ship.

Actually, this whole virus thing smells of "bad use of a plot device". I mean, the conciousness is transferred, not the body.
So, how can a physical virus be transported?

[Master Thief]

We don't know exactly how a Cylon consciousness works, so it could be that, by sheer chance, this disease could alter the brain patterns of a cylon, allowing it to be transferred with consciousness. That'd explain how raiders and centurions were affected by it

[Weasel]

We don't know the details of the "download" process, either. Perhaps it's something akin to ST's "transporter", and the virus can be physically transported amongst the data.

But really, I have a slight problem with the whole "skinjob" thing, to begin with. They are so much like actual humans as to be indistinguishable from them, or even unaware of whether or not they themselves are infact, Cylon.
So logically, there's a good reason that they are susceptable to our diseases.

But anyway, I think they really took the "skinjob" plot device a bit too far.

[tiqhud]

But It (can't be) the transporter we've seen in ST cause there are several referances to filtering out stuff (biological problems, deactivateing weapons fire, so the cylons just must not be to the level of sophiscation of ST , (IMHO)

[Master Thief]

The idea of the skinjobs hasn't really been explained really. Nobody has explained why they took on human form rather than remain in a more machine-like form. Perhaps it has to do with the biological nature of their technology. Even the Raiders are biological to an extent, so why not just see the skinjobs as a further step down the line of experimenting with organic technology?

[Weasel]

Well, the why of it seems perfectly logical, and straightforward to me. From a tactical standpoint, appearing completely indistinct from my enemy allows me to infiltrate them without fear of discovery.

My problem is just how perfectly the Cylons managed to do this- so that trained medical personnel, and equipment could not detect them. Further more, just how much of the skinjob is actually cybernetic?  

The way it's protrayed in the movie, my vice president is more artificial than Six and Co, by an order of magnitude.... which isn't really a surprise.

But if a person has an average number of orthodontic, and dental implants- it seems they are sporting more artificial material than Caprica. If that's the case, then I'd have no reason to feel squeamish about tapping Six's tight little ass. By the show's reasoning, she is as much flesh and blood as I am.

[Phaser]

Yea.  I, too, would like to the extent to which the Cylons are cybernetic.  All we really have to go on is that:
1) they can recieve information from an optic fiber cable inserted through their wrists and up their arms
2) they can recieve information from a flashy computer terminal submerged in a water-like fluid by sticking their hand in it
3) their spines glow red when they have an orgasm

Hey, wait a second...I just discovered the coolest Cylon-detector of all time!

[Weasel]

Certainly not that hard to detect that last one...  

[Tuskin38]

Yea.  I, too, would like to the extent to which the Cylons are cybernetic.  All we really have to go on is that:
1) they can receive information from an optic fibre cable inserted through their wrists and up their arms
2) they can receive information from a flashy computer terminal submerged in a water-like fluid by sticking their hand in it
3) their spines glow red when they have an orgasm

Hey, wait a second...I just discovered the coolest Cylon-detector of all time!

Wait did you make thos up? Or Hav i been not paying attention...

[MLeo]

Another reason, they want to surpass their creator.
Best way to do that is to emulate them first, and then improve.


Also, I don't think that the original Cylon were cybernetic (the real toasters).

And what Phaser has written is true (I've read the transcripts).

[Weasel]

Another reason, they want to surpass their creator.
Best way to do that is to emulate them first, and then improve.


Also, I don't think that the original Cylon were cybernetic (the real toasters).

And what Phaser has written is true (I've read the transcripts).

Interesting, but somehow I don't see them taking human form, just because they want to be Humanity 2.0.
And if the first weren't cybernetic, ( robots ) then what were they?

What Phaser wrote has been seen in the episodes- including Six's "spine tingling orgasm".

[RCgothic]

And boomer too in S1. Six's spine was the miniseries.

[MLeo]

And if the first weren't cybernetic, ( robots ) then what were they?

I (usually) see cybernetic as machine/organic hybrids.
Most of the time humans with mechanical components (think Borg).

"Normal" robots are mechanical/electronic in my book.

[Shinzon]

And boomer too in S1. Six's spine was the miniseries.

boomer? when?

[MLeo]

And boomer too in S1. Six's spine was the miniseries.

boomer? when?

Season 1, in one of the scenes with Helo on Caprica.
Don't know what episode exactly.