# Battlestar Galactica 1.8 — "Flesh and Bone" (spoiler spoiler bo boiler) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937 "2005-02-25T21:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/41 "2005-02-27T16:38:19Z")
Add me to the list of those who thought Adama could have found a more qualified interrogater than Starbuck. If the Cyclon is so good at being sneaky and tricky, why send a valuable, injured pilot to do the questioning - especially if she’s as unstable as Starbuck? I’m also feeling like I’m a little ahead of where an average viewer is supposed to be. Aren’t the Cylons a legitimate new lifeform? Why is it so difficult to accept them as thoughtful “people?” Other than that, I love this show. I look forward to it all week. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/42 "2005-02-27T16:47:17Z")
I forgot one question - wouldn’t an x-ray machine act as a pretty good cylon detector? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/43 "2005-02-27T17:48:38Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > I’m also feeling like I’m a little ahead of where an average viewer is supposed to be. Aren’t the Cylons a legitimate new lifeform? Why is it so difficult to accept them as thoughtful “people?” Because they nuke entire worlds, what to exterminate the human race and break the necks of little babies? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/44 "2005-02-27T17:52:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Because they nuke entire worlds, what to exterminate the human race and break the necks of little babies? > 🙂 You’re one of those glass half empty kind of people, right? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/45 "2005-02-27T17:57:20Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > You’re one of those glass half empty kind of people, right? Naw, it’s half full. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/46 "2005-02-27T18:02:01Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They can’t help it. They’re only foreigners. > Why don’t they use the airlock as an air lock? Why throw away all that breathable atmosphere? Pump it out the airlock (you get to watch the bad guy suffocate) and open the airless airlock to the vacumn of space. _That’s why the call it an airlock, you morons!_ Poetic license be damned. Perhaps they did pump out most of the air. Notice that when the button gets pushed, sirens and flashing lights go on in the airlock. Maybe most of the air is getting pumped out during this time, and the air we see getting “whooshed” out along with the Cylon is only a small remainder. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/47 "2005-02-27T18:13:44Z")
> [@Mr. Excellent](#): > > Perhaps they did pump out most of the air. I don’t know if you’re basic cylon would be sucked out that fast if most of the air were gone. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/48 "2005-02-27T19:15:12Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > I forgot one question - wouldn’t an x-ray machine act as a pretty good cylon detector? Because it seems that the cylons are pretty fleshy, or some flesh substitute that’s hard to tell from the real thing. What they really need is a glowing spine detector… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/49 "2005-02-27T21:33:51Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > What they really need is a glowing spine detector… I volunteer. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/50 "2005-02-28T00:52:18Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > I forgot one question - wouldn’t an x-ray machine act as a pretty good cylon detector? No, they aren’t robots full of gears and wires and chips. They are indistinguishable from people on the inside too. > [@AlbertRose](#): > > I’m also feeling like I’m a little ahead of where an average viewer is supposed to be. Aren’t the Cylons a legitimate new lifeform? Why is it so difficult to accept them as thoughtful “people?” What are you? Some kind of liberal? They are still a lifeform that they are at war with. I’m just wondering why no one asked the Cylons why they attacked them in the first place. Who cares about the airlock? If they didn’t have air in the airlock, they couldn’t BLOW the body out into space. Plus explosive decompression always looks cool. Maybe they had Starbuck do the interrogation for the same reason I do interviews at work. Because I just happen to be available at the time. She wasn’t very good at it. Is any explanation given by the producers why the soldiers dress in Earth-style body armor as opposed to say, surplus Starship Troopers armor or painted football pads or other props that make them look like they don’t come from Earth? Is it just cost or did the producers try to make the settings as familiar as possible? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/51 "2005-02-28T01:06:50Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Who cares about the airlock? If they didn’t have air in the airlock, they couldn’t BLOW the body out into space. I would want to save my air, should I need to breathe it. > [@msmith537](#): > > Plus explosive decompression always looks cool. Good point. > [@msmith537](#): > > Is any explanation given by the producers why the soldiers dress in Earth-style body armor No, but here are some ideas: 1. they want to keep it “period”, old fashioned like the lack of computer networks, wired handsets and clocks with hands. 2. They don’t want it to look like Star Wars or Star Trek 3. Hi, Porthos! _dammit_ 4. Hi, Boomer! ---
**Author:** ![jeffh3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/34f0e0/32.png) [@jeffh3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffh3000)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/52 "2005-02-28T01:27:08Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Might be related to that weird vibe she was giving off right at the end there. Anybody else get that? Like she was having sort of a… vision or a Messanaic revelation or something. Connected to her cancer? This was her simply deciding that Adama might be Cylon ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/53 "2005-02-28T04:58:32Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#): > > Plus, for dramatic reasons, it had to be one of the main characters I find it interesting that on _Star Trek_ we don’t bat an eye when Riker has to pilot the shuttle to lead the starship safely through the minefield or whatever, but that on _Battlestar Galactica_ we are bothered by the same use-a-lead-character-for-big-actions phenomenon. Says a lot about how realistically we perceive the world they’ve created, doesn’t it, that these little implausibilities bother us whereas on other SF shows where less attention is paid to realism they don’t? > [@msmith537](#): > > Is it just cost or did the producers try to make the settings as familiar as possible? The official [scifi.com](http://scifi.com) website has a set of short documentary videos on various aspects of the show, and the latest one they just added discusses the show’s low-tech design philosophy. I haven’t seen it yet but the others I’ve watched were pretty good. Might be worth going to check it out, see if the producers say something like, “We wanted the familiarity, and the fact that it’s cheaper is a bonus.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/54 "2005-02-28T05:00:07Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Is any explanation given by the producers why the soldiers dress in Earth-style body armor as opposed to say, surplus Starship Troopers armor or painted football pads or other props that make them look like they don’t come from Earth? Is it just cost or did the producers try to make the settings as familiar as possible? I don’t see a problem with it. They’re marines, they wear body armor. It’s a hell of a lot more convincing looking then the Marines on _Enterprise_, or any starfleet security. Actually, the Humvees bothered me more then the body armor(but not much). ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/55 "2005-02-28T05:10:53Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > I’m also feeling like I’m a little ahead of where an average viewer is supposed to be. Aren’t the Cylons a legitimate new lifeform? Why is it so difficult to accept them as thoughtful “people?” Well, 1.) the cylons nuked their entire civilization and the remainder of humanity even now is being hunted by the Cylon fleet. 2.) They aren’t actually humans. Both of those would contribute a lot to the fact that cylons have no civil liberties. Hell, the first would be more then enough(My leanings are libertarian and I had no problem with Roslin shooting him out the airlock). You’d be amazed how much becomes permissable in interrogations in such a situation. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/56 "2005-02-28T05:27:25Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Maybe they had Starbuck do the interrogation for the same reason I do interviews at work. Because I just happen to be available at the time. She wasn’t very good at it. Well, she is still limping around on the bum leg of hers. Wasn’t it last week they were saying it was still too weak for her to fly? But I like **Cervaise’s** point that we expect more realism from this show. > [@](#): > > Is any explanation given by the producers why the soldiers dress in Earth-style body armor as opposed to say, surplus Starship Troopers armor or painted football pads or other props that make them look like they don’t come from Earth? Is it just cost or did the producers try to make the settings as familiar as possible? Don’t tell me you’re missing those silly Egyptian head gear thingies they wore in the original series! They seem to use projectile weapons (at least they do in the vipers–I haven’t seen any guns outside of the ceremonial ones in the funeral salutes), so it would make sense that marines would have body armor. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/57 "2005-02-28T05:37:08Z")
> [@MaddyStrut](#): > > They seem to use projectile weapons (at least they do in the vipers–I haven’t seen any guns outside of the ceremonial ones in the funeral salutes), so it would make sense that marines would have body armor. I’m guessing you missed every scene with Helo shooting at the Cylons and the Cylons shooting back. All projectile weapons. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/58 "2005-02-28T08:54:36Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why don’t they use the airlock as an air lock? Why throw away all that breathable atmosphere? Pump it out the airlock (you get to watch the bad guy suffocate) and open the airless airlock to the vacumn of space. … and watch the body sit there in the airlock. Explosive decompression wraps up execution and body disposal into one neat(?) package. If all you want to do is suffocate the guy, why not just tie him to a chair and put a plastic bag over his head? Or use that bucket of water they had? Of course if I were them, I’d have wanted to keep the body for dissection, but that doesn’t seem to be the direction this series wants to go. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/59 "2005-02-28T13:31:22Z")
Do we have any reason to believe you can suffocate a sleeper cylon in the vacuum of space? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937/60 "2005-02-28T13:48:52Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > … and watch the body sit there in the airlock. Hey, I know some folks who would get off on that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-1-8-flesh-and-bone-spoiler-spoiler-bo-boiler/291937.md?page=4)