# Battlestar Galactica 2.17 — "The Captain's Hand" (spoilons) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 17, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007 "2006-02-17T21:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**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 23, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/101 "2006-02-23T20:11:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Sounds like they’d better find Captain Kirk and rip his shirt. KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…ra Thrace. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/102 "2006-02-23T20:57:52Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…ra Thrace. Ooooh, yea. Rip _her_ shirt. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/103 "2006-02-24T02:22:58Z")
Even if the Cyclons simply left the colonial planets, the humans would still be fucked. You can’t un-nuke a planet. Every one of those planets is now uninhabitable in the longterm. The anti-rad meds aren’t good for permanent use, and odds are that the natural resources are hopelessly compromised. They need new planets without the threat of Cylon action. ---
**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 24, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/104 "2006-02-24T02:34:54Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > They need new planets without the threat of Cylon action. I was being a smart ass. Humor. It is a difficult concept. ^ :dubious: ^ ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/105 "2006-02-24T03:01:14Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I was being a smart ass. > Humor. It is a difficult concept. ^ :dubious: ^ Well, I got it. I’m just a hopless pedant :p. - Tamerlane p.s. - Pfft! 15 battlestars indeed! Of all the ignorant… 😃 ---
**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 24, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/106 "2006-02-24T03:10:31Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > p.s. - Pfft! 15 battlestars indeed! Of all the ignorant… > > 😃 Well, 15 Galacticas, or 15 Pegasus? (Pegusi? Pegususes?) And what if 15 Galacticas caught five battlestars? What if they attacked on Tuesday, Mr. Smartpants, Hmmm? What if it was an _African_ Swallow? Wait, wait, wrong show… ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/107 "2006-02-24T22:19:21Z")
Hey! Can’t they go back to Kobol? They did kill the Cylon guards there; maybe the Cylons back at Caprica have no more use for Kobol . . . hey, you never know. Okay, I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/108 "2006-02-25T08:49:56Z")
> [@brossa](#): > > I seem to have a hazy recollection from the Patrick O’Brien naval books that a lower-ranking naval officer (eg Lt.) could be called Commander, but only when he was actually in command of a ship; on land he would revert to the lower rank. Does this make sense? The way I understand it, it’s proper to call the person who commands a ship “Captain”, no matter what their rank. Used as such, it’s a title of respect not a rank. That may be what you’re thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007/109 "2006-02-25T17:40:03Z")
> [@brossa](#): > > I seem to have a hazy recollection from the Patrick O’Brien naval books that a lower-ranking naval officer (eg Lt.) could be called Commander, but only when he was actually in command of a ship; on land he would revert to the lower rank. Does this make sense? > [@Linus Van Pelt](#): > > The way I understand it, it’s proper to call the person who commands a ship “Captain”, no matter what their rank. Used as such, it’s a title of respect not a rank. That may be what you’re thinking of. Commander was an official rank. It was above lieutenant but below a true or “post” captain. Even though commanders were almost always the master of a vessel and called “Captain” by courtesy, the crucial difference was that from post captain on up, you could be promoted solely on the basis of seniority. A post captain could in theory become a flag admiral simply by living long enough. So a commander was more of a glorified lieutenant than a junior captain. In much the same way, a commodore was more of a glorified captain than a junior admiral. A commodore would be in overall charge of a mission involving more than one vessel working in conjunction. Unlike a true admiral, a commodore could not directly order a captain to do anything, or interfere with the captain’s authority aboard his own ship. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-17-the-captains-hand-spoilons/345007.md?page=5)