The Science of Battlestar Galactica

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The Science of Battlestar Galactica Page 27

by Di Justo, Patrick


  Pauli, Wolfgang

  Pauli Exclusion Principle

  Pegasus (battlestar)

  “Pegasus” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  pharmacopeia

  anti-radiation medication

  bittamucin

  bloodstopper

  genetics and

  interrogation drugs

  morpha

  Moxipan

  serisone

  stimulants

  Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Newton)

  Phobos, water and

  phosphate radicals

  photons

  EM radiation and

  EM spectrum and

  gravity and

  Special Theory of Relativity and

  vacuum and

  physics

  E = mc2

  energy and

  nuclear weapons and

  Special Theory of Relativity

  “Pillars of Creation” (Hubble Space Telescope image)

  Pioneer 10

  Plan, The (television movie)

  planetary systems

  atoms compared to

  exoplanets

  planets

  Algae Planet

  Dead Earth

  gas planets

  Kobol

  Maelstrom

  New Caprica

  Ragnar

  satellites and

  solid

  tidally locked planets

  Twelve Colonies

  plantesimals

  platelets

  Pleiades

  plutonium

  Polaris

  position, navigation and

  positrons

  potassium iodide

  potential energy

  “Precipice” (episode)

  Prime Meridian

  Principia, The (Newton)

  programming

  Project MK/ULTRA

  prokaryotes

  propulsion systems. See also rockets

  proteins

  protons

  protoplanetary disks

  protoplanets

  protostars

  Prowler

  Proxima Centauri

  pulsars

  pulsed inductive thrusters (PITs)

  Pyramid

  Quaid (Total Recall)

  quantum entanglement

  Racetrack

  radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging). See also DRADIS (Direction, RAnge, and DIStance)

  radial distance (r)

  radiation

  alpha/beta/gamma rays and

  atoms and

  electromagnetic

  heat transfer and

  ions and

  neutrinos and

  nuclear weapons and (See also nuclear weapons)

  particulate

  planets and

  radioactivity

  rocket technology and

  Special Theory of Relativity and

  synchrotron radiation

  See also nuclear energy

  radio waves

  radius of curvature

  Ragnar

  Raider Cylons

  Raiders

  rail guns

  Raptors

  artificial gravity and

  astronomy and

  physics and

  “Razor” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  physics and

  technology and

  red giants

  “red line,”

  red stars

  relativistic time dilation

  relativity. See General Theory of Relativity (GR); Special Theory of Relativity

  Republic Rome, truth drugs and

  rest length

  resurrection

  Resurrection Ship

  “Revelations, Part II” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Rhea, water and

  right ascension

  “Road Less Traveled, The” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Robert, Dr. Michael

  rockets

  history of

  propulsion and

  in science fiction

  rodents

  Roslin, President Laura

  astronomy and

  physics and

  technology and

  rotations per minute (RPM), artificial gravity and

  Russell, Henry Norris

  Rutherford, Ernest

  Rutherford Model of atom

  Sagan, Carl

  salting, nuclear weapons and

  satellites

  ice moons

  Kara’s orange moon

  navigation and

  See also Moon; moons

  Saturn

  astronomy and protoplanetary disks

  Cassini

  gravity and

  moon of

  water and

  “Scattered” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Schwarzschild, Karl

  Science

  science, study of

  science fiction genre

  scopolamine

  seconds, defined

  selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

  self-awareness

  sentience

  seratonin

  serisone

  SETI

  Seven Sisters

  sex, Cylons and

  Shanidar 3

  Shanidar, Iraq

  Shapiro, Ehud

  Shaw, Major Kenra

  signals intelligence (SIGINT)

  Significant Seven

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  nuclear weapons and

  “silica pathways”

  Baltar’s Cylon detector and

  defined

  medical routines and

  planets and

  silica (SiO2) and

  single-celled organisms

  single-event upsets (SEUs)

  singularity

  Sirius

  Six (Cylon model)

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  intelligence and

  memory and

  physics and

  technology and

  “Six of One” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Skin Jobs

  Skulls

  Small Magellanic Clouds

  SMART-1 (European Space Agency)

  Smith, Brad

  Society of Mind (Minsky)

  Socinus

  sodium thiopental

  Sol. See also Sun

  solid propellants

  Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs)

  solid-state memory chips

  SONAR

  Soviet Union, Cold War and

  space

  Sagan on

  “Second Law” of

  space-based telescopes

  temperature of

  See also astronomy

  space shuttles

  space-time warp

  Special Theory of Relativity

  General Theory of Relativity and

  Lorenz-Fitzgerald Contraction

  navigation and

  relativistic time dilation and

  species, determining

  specific impulse

  speed, velocity and

  speed of light

  black holes and

  Special Theory of Relativity and

  spiral galaxies

  Spitzer Space Telescope

  spot jamming

  spying

  stars

  black holes

  classification of

  extraterrestrial life and

  habitable planets and

  life cycle of

  navigation and

  star clusters

  star systems

  Star Trek: The Next Generation (television series)

  Star Trek: Voyager (television series)

  Star Trek (television series)

  dilithium

  Moore and

  “Wink of an Eye” episode

  Star Trek Voyager (film)

  Star War
s

  state/state vector

  stealth, defined

  stem cell therapy

  stimulants

  stimulated emission

  storms, on planets

  strength, “silica pathways” and

  “SU,”

  sublight propulsion systems

  suicide

  Sultan of Mysore

  Sun

  gravity and

  Milky Way Galaxy and

  star life cycle and

  See also Sol

  supernova

  black holes and

  colored gas of

  Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Chaff (SRBOC)

  Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

  sweep jamming

  symbiotic relationship

  synapses

  synchrotron radiation

  tachyons

  “Taking a Break from All Your Worries” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Tata Institute (India)

  Taurus

  “technobabble,”

  technology

  artificial gravity and

  computer viruses

  extraterrestrial life and

  navigation and

  rockets and

  telencephalic inhibitor

  telephones

  teleportation

  telescopes

  temperature

  of space

  star life cycle and

  See also heat

  terrestrial planets

  Algae Planet

  Dead Earth

  Kobol

  New Caprica

  Twelve Colonies

  See also Earth

  Tethys, water and

  thermal radiation

  thermodynamics

  “33” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Thompson, Bradley

  Thrace, Captain Kara “Starbuck,”

  astronomy and

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  intelligence and

  pharmacopeia and

  physics and

  technology and

  Three (Cylon model). See also Biers, D’Anna

  thrombocytes

  thrust

  thymine (T)

  tidally locked planets

  Tiger Cruise

  Tigh, Colonel Saul

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  physics and

  “silica pathways” and

  technology and

  Tigh, Ellen

  “Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Titan

  Tomb of Athena

  “Torn” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Total Recall (film)

  touch, intelligence and

  traits, genetic

  transfusion

  triangulated positions

  trinary star systems

  Triton

  truth drugs

  T Tauri phase, of star development

  Twelve Colonies

  astronomy and

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  9/11 and

  nuclear weapons and

  planets and

  technology and

  Two (Cylon model)

  tyllium

  Type A/B/AB/O blood

  Type M stars

  Tyrol, Cally

  Tyrol, Chief Petty Officer Galen

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  pharmacopeia and

  physics and

  “silica pathways” and

  technology and

  Ukraine

  ulcers

  ultraviolet (UV) light

  ultraviolet (UV) radiation

  underway replenishment (UNREP)

  United States

  Caprica as

  Cold War and

  See also individual names of U.S. agencies

  Università degli Studi di Bologna

  University of Chicago

  unobtanium

  uranium

  Uranus

  Urey, Harold

  Ursa Minor

  U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

  U.S. Missile Defense Agency

  U.S. Navy

  USS Fitzgerald

  vacuum

  electronics in space environment and

  nuclear weapons and

  Valerii, Sharon “Boomer”

  Cylons as men vs. machines

  physics and

  “silica pathways” and

  technology and

  “Valley of Darkness” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  velocity

  escape velocity

  navigation and

  speed vs.

  Venter, J. Craig

  Venus

  Goldilocks Zone and

  lightning and

  stars and

  Vipers

  visible light

  volcanoes

  Von Frisch, Karl

  Voyage dans la Lune, La (Méliès) (film)

  Voyager 1

  warp bubble

  water

  diuretics and

  physics and

  rocket technology and

  “silica pathways” and

  Special Theory of Relativity and

  stars and

  zeolite and

  “Water” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  Weddle, David

  weight, mass vs.

  Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel)

  “wetware,”

  Wheeler, John

  Whipple, Fred

  white dwarfs

  WiFi-n

  “Wink of an Eye” (Star Trek television series episode)

  Wired (magazine)

  wireless data protocol

  wireless networks

  “Woman King, The” (Battlestar Galactica episode)

  work, physics and

  World War I

  black holes and

  nuclear weapons and

  World War II, nuclear weapons and

  wormholes

  X axis

  xenon

  X-rays

  Y axis

  Yeshiva University

  Zarak, Tom

  Z axis

  zeolite

  Zephyr (“Ring Ship”)

  zero-G environment

  Zero Minute

  a For example, each episode does not automatically have a space battle.

  b Of course, the genius mind-frak of that scene is that we were manipulated into agreeing with one crypto-Cylon talking to two other crypto-Cylons about fighting the regular Cylons, only nobody knew that yet.

  c But does it?

  d But are they?

  e Well, yes and no.

  f Okay, that one is real.

  g This idea was explored very well in the Star Trek TOS episode “Wink of an Eye.”

  h That innocuous definition is under debate to this day, even within NASA itself.

  i The chemical formula for ozone is O3 .

  j Thus capturing the “Worst SF Backronym” title, previously held by C.H.U.D.

  k In the show they’re also called Skin Jobs. “Skin job” is a direct homage to the film Blade Runner, which explored similar issues of engineered sentient creatures and the difference between what is human and what is not. In that movie it is an extremely offensive term.

  l Sam Anders tells us this just before he’s wheeled into surgery to remove a bullet from his head in the season four episode “No Exit”: “Back on Earth the warning looked different to each of us. I saw a woman; Tory saw a man.”

  m Gaius Baltar is at the top of the Colonial Pimp Daddy list for gettin’ a little sump’n sump’n with at least three Cylon models: various Sixes, D’Anna Biers (a Three), and Tory Foster. The others are:• Karl Agathon (Sharon and Boomer, both Eights)

  • Specialist Calley (Chief Tyrol)

  • Starbuck (Anders)

  • Admiral Cain (Gina Inviere, a Six)

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p; n And what a kludge it is! By implication, someone has got to go around installing these modules in every Centurion that comes off the assembly line. Simply changing the Centurion design to remove the capacity for sentience would make a lot more sense, if such a thing were possible. It’s like a governor put on an engine during manufacturing to keep the rpms down to safe levels.

  o A term that first appeared in the fourth season episode “Six of One.”

  p “BY. YOUR. COMMAND.”

  q I mean, really—with that name, it’s as though they’re asking you to create Cylons.

  r Which basically says that Cylons are sufficiently like humans that Boomer, Tigh, and Tyrol can endure years of military medical checkups without being outed.

  s That additional software might contain functions that would work phenomenally well on our brains, but that we just don’t have because they showed no evolutionary advantage. One of the marines watching Six-in-the-Brig wonders how the Cylon doesn’t go crazy. The other marine suggests that maybe Six has a way of shutting off parts of her brain. If such ability ever became available to humans, the line to sign up for it would stretch around the block.

  t Incidentally, this offers one theory as to why “smart” people also tend to be more neurotic than most: bad experiences are learned and remembered as equally well as good experiences, and tend to be carried in the brain long after other people would have forgotten them. Remembering bad stuff from the past can have negative influences on decisions and actions a person takes in the present. Sometimes ignorance can be bliss.

  u Or so you think.

  v Remotely piloted vehicle.

  w This sense of solipsism shows up even more strongly in house cats. Place a small shaving mirror on the floor in front of your cat. You cat will see its reflection and may hiss and posture to scare away the “other” cat. Eventually it will look around the mirror to see the rest of the intruder, and won’t find anything. This will drive your cat crazy for a few minutes. When the “other” cat consistently refuses to appear, your cat will lose interest and go to sleep.

  x This was clearly proved in the forehead dot experiment. Ape researchers painted a small dot on the forehead of a chimp while it was asleep, and then presented it with a mirror upon awakening. It took most chimps a few seconds to realize that the reflection was of their own face and that there was a dot painted on their forehead, which they proceeded to wipe away.

  y Something clearly pointed out in the rebroadcast of Caprica’s pilot episode.

  z Moore’s law, don’t you know.

  aa But then again, so do humanoid Cylons.

  ab Some studies indicate that this might have happened as many as three times in the course of history.

 

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