# Battlestar Galactica 2.2 — "Valley of Darkness" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736 "2005-07-23T00:36:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/61 "2005-07-26T19:22:58Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I’m curious what Helo & Starbuck are going to get up to. All last season it was important for Helo & Boomer to move on foot, as stealthily as possible so as not to alert the Cylons. > > Now Starbuck shows up and she’s all, “let’s ride in my loud hummer!” Surely that thing will immediately get the attention of every Cylon for miles? > . Maybe they figure that speed is more important the stealth at this point? If it gets them to the spaceport and off the planet quickly, I say go to for it. > [@levdrakon](#): > > Didn’t Starbuck, (or was it Helo) say, “maybe we can find a Raptor” so they could get off Caprica? I hope the writers aren’t going to suddenly forget that Raptors can’t jump very far. > . Did they ever say what the maximum range of the Raptor is? After all, the cylon raider made it all the way to caprica. I wonder if it’s more a matter of making short jumps before because they were in unknown space. If you’re going back through known space, presumably you could jump back with as few stops as possible. No, I’m more worried about the fact that Starbuck no longer knows where the Fleet is, considering they’ve had to jump. She can get to Kobol, but if that Base star is still there… So unless she’s the best navigator in the fleet or an expert at taking down basetars in a raptor, she’s going to have problems. > [@levdrakon](#): > > I hope they’re also not going to forget that Caprica is radioactive, and the radiation meds Boomer was giving Helo were more effective than normal anti-radiation meds > . Good point. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/62 "2005-07-26T19:47:46Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > After rewatching, I have a different take on the silly challenge/password scene. I think we may have whooshed ourselves. Tyrol meant it to sound really lame. You know, I think you’re right. As I replay that scene in my head, this makes sense. Somehow I missed the whole “where are all the bodies” explanation. Anyone care to let me in on this one? > [@HPL](#): > > So unless she’s the best navigator in the fleet or an expert at taking down basetars in a raptor, she’s going to have problems. Uhh … maybe the Force is with her? 😉 Yea, the “Starbuck is best at everything” angle is wearing on me too. And while the Force is obviously not an issue here, maybe she’s blessed by the Lords of Kobol or something along those lines. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/63 "2005-07-26T19:50:29Z")
Helo told Starbuck that CB had told \*him \* that the toasters had hauled all the bodies away to giant incinerators. Yep, the only jump coordinates Starbuck knows that are worth a damn are the ones back to Kobol. Wanna bet she saves the Raptor 1 crew too? ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/64 "2005-07-26T19:51:36Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Somehow I missed the whole “where are all the bodies” explanation. Anyone care to let me in on this one? I’m paraphrasing, but I believe Starbuck asked about it, and I know that Helo responded saying basically that Cylon Boomer told him that the robotish Cylons had been busy clearing the streets and dragging the bodies to mass incinerators. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/65 "2005-07-26T21:01:12Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I hope they’re also not going to forget that Caprica is radioactive, and the radiation meds Boomer was giving Helo were more effective than normal anti-radiation meds. How much time has passed since Caprica was blown up? It’s very possible that the bomb fallout has decayed away to short-term survivable levels by now. Not everything you put in a bomb has to have a half-life of 10,000 years. > [@John Mace](#): > > Starbuck’s little pitstop at her old apt was really cool. The theme music, from her father no less, worked really well in linking the various sub-threads of this episode. So Starbuck’s father is David Gray? Guess it’s better than something composed on a theremin. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/66 "2005-07-26T21:13:51Z")
Screw where all the bodies went. Why are the BUILDINGS still standing? I thought they nuked everything? Anyhow, when did this “Starbuck is good at everything” thing start? I don’t see that she’s particularly good at ANYTHING! -She’s a competant pilot but is often high strung in the cockpit -She busted her plane -She’s a terrible flight instructor on many levels -Her interrogation of the cylon was a joke (it’s a freakin machine! It can’t be intimidated, physically beaten or coerced! Not to mention not asking the most obvious question - “so…what’s YOUR problem with humans?”) -Not to mention she’s kind of a bitch The impression I get is that she does all this crap that no one else does simply because she’s tough, has a busted up knee and everyone else is busy doing stuff. Not because she’s the best for the job. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/67 "2005-07-26T21:26:36Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Screw where all the bodies went. Why are the BUILDINGS still standing? I thought they nuked everything? Neutron bombs with high radiation like NATO would use in Europe against tanks. They would leave structures standing and have low resisidual ratiation. Maybe the areas we see weren’t bombed. Maybe there was a Sunbeam toaster factory in that city and they didn’t want to kill their own kind, sent in troops to kill the locals and rescue their enslaved pals. 🙂 ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/68 "2005-07-26T21:41:56Z")
> [@Corner Case](#): > > I laughed seeing that Starbuck’s next great talent is painting. What’s her great talent next episode? Opera? Origami? Well, to be fair, the paintings really weren’t all that great. 😉 And I like **levdrakon** ’s take on the password moment. It makes a lot of sense that Tyrol would be putting pressure on the lieutenant to get his shit together but would stop short of being openly insubordinate. Re the radiation-meds observation, I had the impression during the first season that it wasn’t that Boomer’s meds were any better, but that Helo was curious about how they they seemed to work better _for her._ Obviously we know it’s because she’s a Cylon and more resistant (compare a related moment in “33” where someone noticed she wasn’t as fatigued as the rest of them), but Helo didn’t at that point. Oh, and did anybody else read that the season two premiere episode was one of the highest-rated shows of the night in its time slot for people with cable? How cool is that? ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/69 "2005-07-26T21:46:34Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Oh, and did anybody else read that the season two premiere episode was one of the highest-rated shows of the night in its time slot for people with cable? How cool is that? Cooler than a deep space probe in the shadow of Pluto. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/70 "2005-07-26T22:25:29Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Oh, and did anybody else read that the season two premiere episode was one of the highest-rated shows of the night in its time slot for people with cable? How cool is that? Not just for people with cable… > [@](#): > > The second-season premiere of Galactica was the number-one program on television, **including broadcast and cable** , among men aged 25-54 and 18-49. (Emphasis mine. Entire article is at [http://scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31699](http://scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31699) ) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/71 "2005-07-26T22:44:55Z")
On a semi-related note: I just picked up the Season 1 DVD set at BestBuy. $49, and you get a bonus DVD for _Serenity_, too! Get them while they’re hot, boys and girls. BB has them featured with a big display. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/72 "2005-07-26T22:55:18Z")
Bonus disc for _Serenity_? What’s that about? (without movie spoilers, please.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/73 "2005-07-26T23:09:46Z")
It’s about 18 minutes. 😃 It’s called _The Universe of Serenity_. Clips from the film, background explaination by Joss, some bloopers, comments by the cast, “Making of…”-type stuff behind the scenes, then a section on Comic-Con 2004 (wherein yours truly may be seen, if you freeze-frame it and look very closely!) and the preview screenings, with fan comments, scenes from the screenings, and some final words from Joss. A nice bonus, that just may get some **BG** fans interested in seeing what the fuss is all about. 😃 ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/74 "2005-07-26T23:30:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I just picked up the Season 1 DVD set at BestBuy. [I’m considering waiting](http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=20841). I already have the miniseries, but I’d like the commentaries and other material. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/75 "2005-07-26T23:33:39Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > [I’m considering waiting](http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=20841). I already have the miniseries, but I’d like the commentaries and other material. I considered that, but since I already have the miniseries, I decided that the commentaries weren’t that important to me. Plus, I have gotten my wife hooked on the show, and since she missed most of the first season, I’d like to get her caught up before we get too deep into\*\* this\*\* season. YMMV. 😃 ---
**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:** [July 26, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/76 "2005-07-26T23:51:03Z")
My Wild-A\*\*\*d Theory (which I concede could be completely wrong): Galactica Boomer is human after all! As an infant, when the Cylons destroyed the outpost she was born at, they took DNA samples from her AND implanted Cylon synthetic molecules into her brain. Their purpose is to enable the Cylon-Sharons to download her emotions and memories along whatever link allows Cylons to upload themselves when their bodies are destroyed. This is so Cylon-Sharons can be the most humanlike model of Cylon. The occasional fits of Cylonlike behavior the original Sharon suffers from come when she spends too much time in the vicinity of of those mysterious devices, allowing some “backflow” of Cylon thought into her brain. Oh, and a theory about “33”. Most of the Cylon agents in the colonies knew when D-Day would be, and arranged to be on transports when the attack came. Everytime the fleet jumped, one of the Cylons on board that ship would commit suicide so their position could be sent back. The complete download and reprocessing time takes 33 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/77 "2005-07-26T23:55:51Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Cooler than a deep space probe in the shadow of Pluto. 🆒 OK, I’m probably being whoosed. But, did you purposely not mention that [_other_](http://www.nineplanets.org/uranus.html) planet? ---
**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:** [July 27, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/78 "2005-07-27T01:12:53Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Oh, and a theory about “33”. Most of the Cylon agents in the colonies knew when D-Day would be, and arranged to be on transports when the attack came. Everytime the fleet jumped, one of the Cylons on board that ship would commit suicide so their position could be sent back. The complete download and reprocessing time takes 33 minutes. That’s, well, that’s pretty good. Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Limpy? Are you one of those space aliens? Can I drive your tripod? Can I shoot the heat ray? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/79 "2005-07-27T02:49:10Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Well, to be fair, the paintings really weren’t all that great. 😉 I was thinking the same thing! Grabbing some paint and scribbling all over your walls might make you a genius artist, but then again, it might just make you a crazy person in an insane asylum. > [@](#): > > Re the radiation-meds observation, I had the impression during the first season that it wasn’t that Boomer’s meds were any better, but that Helo was curious about how they they seemed to work better _for her._ Obviously we know it’s because she’s a Cylon and more resistant (compare a related moment in “33” where someone noticed she wasn’t as fatigued as the rest of them), but Helo didn’t at that point. I base my opinion on the end of season one, after Helo had found out about Boomer, he had shot her and they were sitting in that alleyway, while it was raining. Helo was looking sick and injecting himself with anti-radiation meds and Boomer said “doesn’t work like it used to, does it?” I got the impression now that they’re on the run from the Cylons and don’t have access to the “good stuff” Helo was starting to show the effects of radiation poisoning. **Sean Factotum** has a point though. It could be the radiation is dropping to less harmful levels. We can assume the Cylons _did_ want to permanently occupy Caprica, so they wouldn’t have used nukes with a half-life of more than a few months. From what I remember without going back & checking, season one took about 45 days? ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736/80 "2005-07-27T03:36:20Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I also liked the Freddy Kruger claws. One of the things I don’t understand about the usual human vs. robot story is why robots would limit themselves to the human form. You’re made of metal. You can have any form you want, why not take advantage of it? If I were a robot, I’d be covered in sharp pointy things. …and big chainsaw hands RZZZZZZZ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/battlestar-galactica-2-2-valley-of-darkness-open-spoilers/313736.md?page=5)