# The New Battlestar Galatica....thoughts. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376 "2005-01-12T12:12:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 12, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/21 "2005-01-12T15:58:47Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I thought some of the nuke graphics were good and the fighting scenes in space were pretty on par with what they looked like 25 years ago…medium budget driven by plot. I’m also going to disagree with this. 25 years ago, the small craft space ships flew like Tomcats, i.e. in an atmosphere with gravity. This series realistically portrays momentum in space, as well as no sound in a vacuum. There’s a scene from the mini where the cylons cut power to the incoming smallcraft fleet - they all begin drifting from their last vector, and spinning from their last correction. Incredibly realistic. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/22 "2005-01-12T16:12:37Z")
I also liked the fact that this is one of the few sci-fi series I’ve seen where wars aren’t fought with weapons that are actually less effective then the ones we have today. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/23 "2005-01-12T17:45:57Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > McDonel also got into a lot of memories when she played the President’s Doomed Wife on ID4. She also played **Donnie Darko** ’s mother. ---
**Author:** ![murky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@murky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/murky)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/24 "2005-01-12T18:07:01Z")
I can’t wait for this show to premiere on Friday. So far I’ve heard really positive things about “33” and I’m eager to finally see it in the flesh, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/25 "2005-01-12T18:39:42Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > You’d probably remember Mary McDonnell from _Dances with Wolves_. At least I do. _Matewan_ for me. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/26 "2005-01-12T19:41:49Z")
Has the actual tv show started showing or was last night a replay of the mini-series? I thought the show started this Friday night(in the US). ---
**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:** [January 12, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/27 "2005-01-12T19:55:56Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > Has the actual tv show started showing or was last night a replay of the mini-series? I thought the show started this Friday night(in the US). Went and looked it up. The doees start Friday night. I was very worried. Can’t miss any new sci-fi. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/28 "2005-01-12T21:46:03Z")
> [@The Long Road](#): > > Went and looked it up. The doees start Friday night. I was very worried. Can’t miss any new sci-fi. Apparently, it’s already started in the UK. Thus the British dopers have seen several of the episodes already. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/29 "2005-01-12T21:53:54Z")
We’ve just had episode 11 over here. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/30 "2005-01-12T22:24:15Z")
I liked the nods to the original series…the Cylon Centurion in the display booth, the Base Star model, the original theme music piped in. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/31 "2005-01-13T15:56:35Z")
The note somebody (Baltar?) left for Adama said “THERE ARE ONLY 12 TYPES OF CYLONS”. There were 5 in the miniseries: The fembot like the one Baltar was humping, the battle droid, the crazy guy in the Ragnar weapons depot kind, the guy Baltar framed who really was a Cylon after all kind, and the Boomerbot in the final scene. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/32 "2005-01-13T16:20:53Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The note somebody (Baltar?) left for Adama said “THERE ARE ONLY 12 TYPES OF CYLONS”. There were 5 in the miniseries: The fembot like the one Baltar was humping, the battle droid, the crazy guy in the Ragnar weapons depot kind, the guy Baltar framed who really was a Cylon after all kind, and the Boomerbot in the final scene. Yeah, I was going to ask about that today. 1. How did Baltar know how many models there are? 2. Did we hear at some point that there are either (a) only 8 “robot” models or (b) only 4 “sleeper” models? Because the camera work made it pretty explicit that they were trying to build up to the fourth Boomer model for the reveal. I’m guessing answer A on a hunch. ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/33 "2005-01-13T17:36:38Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > How did Baltar know how many models there are? The fembot told him. This was in Part 1 of the 4-hour movie. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/34 "2005-01-13T17:52:23Z")
Excellent, CHTT - thanks. Did she also go over the “there are 8 types of non-humanoid models” with him? ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/35 "2005-01-13T18:36:41Z")
We saw a sixth model of Cylon in the miniseries: The Cylon fightercraft were autonomous Cylons, without separate pilots. At least, that was my impression. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/36 "2005-01-13T18:41:33Z")
Baltar seems to young and not slimy enough. In the original version, he looked like a cross between Neimiah Persoff and Anthony Zerbe – you don’t get any slimier! The new guy just doesn’t impress me as a supergenius, either. Also, whatever happened to the Cylon with the blue transparent head? The one that sort of looked like Robbie the Robot? I like how the Cylon ships have the Cylon Ping-Pong eye on their bows… ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/37 "2005-01-13T18:51:31Z")
OK, I have a question. I had my machine set to record the mini series, but it didn’t. With the excitement surrounding the new series, I finally broke down and downloaded the torrent the other day(yea, I know, boo, hiss me. I’m gonna watch it and thats it. If the VCR had worked right, I wouldn’t have had to). The show I got is 3 hours long with no commercials. Does this sound like the full mini-series with the commercials cut, or the edited NBC one? ---
**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:** [January 13, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/38 "2005-01-13T19:16:51Z")
WD, that sounds like the real thing. I remember thinking it all seemed so short - but it’s basically a glorified pilot. BrotherCadfael - I think Baltar’s more interesting this way. In the original series, he was evil for no apparent reason. This way, he has an actual Fall to make, and his character arc will be more interesting for it. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/39 "2005-01-13T19:40:50Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Baltar seems to young and not slimy enough. In the original version, he looked like a cross between Neimiah Persoff and Anthony Zerbe – you don’t get any slimier! The new guy just doesn’t impress me as a supergenius, either. He’s also Bridget Jones’ gay friend. I can’t get past that. I keep expecting some one to ask him if he had recorded that song in the eighties. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376/40 "2005-01-13T19:45:40Z")
The miniseries is 5 hours with a load of ads, so 3 hours straight seems about right. This is a different Baltar, but more interesting - the old one was a cartoon villain, lacking only a mustache to twirl. This one is conflicted between his humanity and his hots for the blonde in his brain chip. She’s interesting, too - not just a part of the Cylon hive mind, devoted to destroying humanity. She actually likes Baltar mixed in with her contempt for his inferior humanity, and even helps him out when it doesn’t interfere too much with the Cylon plan. I don’t think Boxie is getting a mechanical dog though, somehow. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-battlestar-galatica-thoughts/284376.md?page=3)