Battlestar Galactica

[ratcreature]

I've just watched the Battlestar Galactica remake and overall I thought it was fun. I wouldn't mind if it was picked up as a series, though I don't really trust the Sci-Fi Channel anymore. I don't really remember the original series, it's been years since I've watched an episode, and I never followed it like I did with other series, so I can't compare the two. I have a question about the ending of the remake though:

What was the message that Commander Adama got at the end, the one that said "There are only 12 Cylon models." supposed to signify? I mean, who send it and why? In the scene at the end there are nine human looking Cylons, then there was the woman who seduced Gaius, the one they killed on Ragnar Station, and that pilot, who seems to be a sleeper agent, that makes twelve. However if that's the meaning of the 12 they made different numbers of each kind, i.e. four each from the blonde woman and the one played by Callum Keith Rennie, and two each from the PR guy and the female sleeper agent (I'm, so bad with names, I have no idea what all those people were called), and I'm not sure those are what's called a "model" in the first place, I mean, it could also be that "humanoid Cylon," "metal Cylon," "ship-shaped Cylon," and such are models.

Otherwise I don't really have any interesting comments, except that the "gritty" style/atmosphere worked rather well for me, and I also liked that the music wasn't some pompous orchestra, but that drum rhythms were quite prominent (at least that's what stuck with me, I'm very unqualified for any music commentary, I didn't even manage to play recorder in school and they threw me out of the voluntary choir too...)

Comments

[littlesammy.livejournal.com]

12 *base* models, which I'm guessing they count only for the humanlooking-Cylons.

Of each base model, there seem to be various incanations - which is also the part that confuses me slightly, since in part 1, that six-girl told Balthar that she has 12 bodies in total. If one is killed, her 'consciousness' jumps to the next (that - until then - lies dormant). But in the end scene, we see different versions of the same base model activated simultaneously - wouldn't that mean they'd have to share a consciousness?

[ratcreature]

Now that you mention it, I remember that conversation. And it were really twelve bodies? I wonder what's with them and their obsession with the number twelve.

At first I had assumed that the consciousness jumping was some kind of fairy tale told to the Cylons by their leadership so that they're not afraid to die. But then again, they seem to have embraced some kind of religion anyway, so maybe that's not necessary. A shared consciousness might explain why Cylons with the same type of body are active at the same time, but it makes the "sleeper agent" thing complicated, because the Cylon would have to know and not-know it's a Cylon at the same time.

[littlesammy.livejournal.com]

And it were really twelve bodies? I wonder what's with them and their obsession with the number twelve.

And I wonder what happens if the twelve bodies are used up. Some fancy tunes and a voice saying "game over, insert coin"? ;)

At first I had assumed that the consciousness jumping was some kind of fairy tale told to the Cylons by their leadership so that they're not afraid to die.

Hm, they're machines. Until they're programmed to (which would be a stupid thing to do) they shouldn't be afraid to die, I guess.

A shared consciousness might explain why Cylons with the same type of body are active at the same time

I still find it confusing because it contradicts what Six said earlier. Then again, maybe *each* of the different incarnations has has twelve backup bodies and a seperate consciousness. Which sounds logical, but still stupid.

Aargh. ::pulls hair:: I'm confused.

[ratcreature]

Until they're programmed to (which would be a stupid thing to do) they shouldn't be afraid to die, I guess.

I figure once an AI is conscious, artifacts outside of the immediate intentions of the programming code were to appear, because of unforeseen interaction of parts, confluences, or whatever, and not just the random kind of artifacts that make computers today suck, with their weird unpredictable crashes and such. *g* And some degree of self-preservation would make sense to have been put into even the original machines (they cost money and resources and should risk themselves except for good reasons) so fear of death could have evolved from that. Also the humanoid Cylons were built to pass for humans, some even for thinking that they are humans, so those have to simulate human emotions very convincingly, and I suspect that if a machine has to "simulate" self-preservation and fear of death, it isn't that different from really having those reactions.