Amph New Battlestar Galactica Discussion Thread - HTR Future Spoilers until east coast airing

Razor was released in the year between Seasons 3 and 4, although the "present day" segments take place between the Season 2 episodes "The Captain's Hand" and "Lay Down Your Burdens." It foreshadows some things in Season 4, but it's extremely vague at best and not spoilerish at all.

Yeah, Razor was designed to be viewed between seasons 3 and 4. Without it some of the things in 4 might not make sense, or could at least be a little confusing. I'd say definitely watch it before season 4.

Anyone have cable with on demand service? As I mentioned, when I was home in New York last week, I taped eps 20 and 21, unfortunately the finale (ep 22) wasn't available yet. My Dad checked again yesterday, and it still wasn't up. The TW website says it's been available for several weeks already, though, which doesn't make sense.

Could someone who gets on demand check if the finale is up where they live? Thanks!

Possibly my favorite BSG track:
Season 2 OST, Track 2, Baltar's Dream

Just saw the miniseries, and WOW I love it.

I'll be spending money on more DVDs methinks.

I picked up the miniseries DVD for ?6 on amazon, have now started lurking on ebay for the series -- got Season 1 for ?10 last night! (Costs ?30 new on amazon). Picked up the 2 Season 2 sets for ?25 combined (incl shipping) last week. The show is incredibly addictive, even if you go in spoiled.

Although you know the major plot elements, the characters tend to be the best part of the show.

Definitely agree with you there, Guy.

So I'm currently watching an episode of Season 2 every night (in addition to the season three ep that airs every Wednesday) and I have 1 question -- what on earth does the old man see in Tigh? He seems like an absolute nimrod. Martial law? Yeah, that's a good idea.

EDIT: One other question -- one thing that made no sense to me is how Adama figured out the Conoy at Ragnar was a cylon. Is that explained solely by the Razor flashbacks?

Watch the deleted scenes for "Scattered."

Going back to this for a sec, I'm currently watching the Season 2 DVDs for the first time, last night was Resurrection Ship Part I, and I watched the first few minutes of Part, just enough for Helo and Chief to get bound. I then turned it off, leaving myself one heck of a cliffhanger for tonight. Question: are we going into Deliverance area here? Should I cue the dueling banjos?

As for Iello's Caprica post, it highlights a problem I have with BSG's conclusion: one of the underlying ideas of both TOS and the new one is that life here originated "out there". Part of this is the shared "culture/religion of the Greek gods, and now, the Greek language. But given when the Colonists arrive on earth, and the implication that they integrate into existing human society, how owuld those Greek cultural elements essentially vanish for several millennia, and then reappear? And if they do reappear, why just in that one place (ancient Greece) and not elsewhere?

I asked the same thing regarding the song All Along the Watchtower. According to jangoisdrunk, all the elements we have in modern society were passed down through the "collective unconscious" until "extracted from the void." Which can be used to explain similar languages, beliefs, dress, etc. I don't know if jangowasdrunk when he typed that, but that seems to be the best answer we're gonna get.

But if it's in the collective consciousness, why do these elements only manifest themselves in certain cultures, but not all? Why, for example, don't cultures other than the Greeks worship Zeus, et al?

From what I remember RDM saying, humanity tends to follow the same path of development and, in the case of "old" Earth, even the Cylons. That is why the Colonials developed Centurions even though they had forgotten all about the Cylons developed on Kobol (presumably the originals, although from what the "angels" say in the finale one could think that Kobol was not actually the first human civilization and the "cycle" had been going on for far longer).

Quick question: After "Earth" was found in the series finale, why didn't anyone take a Raptor back to the "real" Earth to rescue D'Anna?

Because she was kinda a *****.

And that brings us to my second problem with the finale -- we establish that there is a cycle that has happened several times (at least 3 times, once on Kobol, once on Cylon earth, once in the colonies), and that it is god's/the gods' will to break the cycle. Given the adage "He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it", why start fresh on our earth, without leaving any record of what happened in the colonies as a warning to future generations?

Presumably the newly-exiled-from-Kobol Colonials and Cylons wanted to remember the lessons... but they forgot after a few thousand years.

And again, there is no luddite message in the finale.

On a more positive note, I watched 2 more Season 2.2 eps last night (Resurrection Ship Pt 2 and Epiphanies) both were really great. a few questions, though:

1. Do people think either Cain or Adama had an idea of what the other was up to? Regardless love the reactions of both Starbuck and the Pegasus XO when they don't get the go-ahead order.

2. What triggered Apollo's depression and suicidal tendency exactly? Just the fact that Roslin was in on the Cain assassination plot?

3. What was the deal with Starbuck's eulogy, "we're less safe without her"? Adama should have smacked some sense into her.

1. Well, the fact that they almost fought an all-out battle between two battlestars probably gave Cain and Adama a good indication of what the other might do.

2. This seemed to come out of nowhere to a lot of people. It's somewhat understandable, though. A pilot who has to fight battle after battle, losing comrade after comrade, and now humans fighting humans. "Black Market" goes more into it, although it's widely agreed to be the worst BSG episode.

3. Did you watch the extended cut of "Pegasus"? At the beginning that episode, there is a scene where Starbuck tries to convince Adama and Roslin to let her organize a rescue mission to go to Caprica and save Anders and co. She was shot down, so she was pissed off and thus eager to jump on Cain's "let's go on the offensive" bandwagon. Cain had also led the Colonials' greatest victory against the Cylons since the holocaust, and that meant something to Starbuck as well. Fittingly, Adama agrees to let Starbuck go to Caprica because Pegasus's arrival significantly bolstered their manpower and materiel.


Caprica is pretty good-- definitely a lot better than I thought it would be. I'd say that, acting and story-wise, it's a stronger pilot than the BSG miniseries.

Also, I don't think anyone has brought out the idea that Starbucks is an awful person, so you'd expect her to be the one advocating for Cheney-esque, morally bankrupt ideas.

She certainly had no problems with waterboarding Leoben.

There's definitely a connection to Cain's promise regarding the colonies, though would recapturing them make the colonists safer? Seems more to be an appeal Starbuck's need for retribution and to fulfill her promise to Anders.

EDIT: If Cain had survived, priority one for Roslin should have been giving her the "making babies" talk she gave Adama in the miniseries.

So up next in my Season2 DVD set is black market. Part of me is tempted to skip it, given how bad everyone says it is. Should I.

On my parallel season 3 track, last night's broadcast ep was "Taking a break ...". Baltar really has gone off the deep end, hasn't he?