TV Piracy, the Good and Bad

The good news: Jim Henley reports on a report of how the pirating of Battlestar Galactica episodes in Britain led to an increase in ratings for the show there.

The bad news: It's still Battlestar Galactica.

Comments

[Warren]

But it's really about how advertising will continue to ruin the viewing experience. I can't believe people will watch a movie with commercial interruptions. And the sort of ad overlay this guy is talking about is already being done (TNT I think) and is absolutely infuriating.
If you are an old geek like me you will have found memories of watching every night of Carl Sagan's Cosmos when it first aired. That was decades ago and last year I heard they had give the series a facelift with new computer graphics. The entire series was set to run on the Discovery Channel. It was insufferable. After the second set of commercials I changed the channel.

[Chad]

I see this same silly argument over and over. Every time any new program becomes popular, the file-sharing crowd claims they caused it to happen, because their piracy preceded the show's popularity. Of course, this ignores the obvious fact that shows became popular before file-sharing. Honestly, there is no way to know what would have happened to the new Battlestar Gallictica without file-sharing, as is true of any counterfactual.

However, I generally believe that file sharing hurts most major media. File-sharing has two major effects, one of which is positive (which I call the "viral marketing" effect and the second which is negative (the "free-rider" effect). File sharers, of course, like to talk up the first effect. The problem is one of scale. The viral effect does not scale linearly - you only need so many seeds for something to spread through an entire network of fans. After that point, adding additional viral marketers does not help the distributor's cause, as virtually everyone who would want to know about the product already does. The free-rider effect, however, scales the other way. The first few viral marketers on the scene are probably the type that love the product so much that they will both participate in file sharing and buy the real product. However, less die-hard fans who enter the scene later are less likely to do both.

Therefore, as additional file-sharers are added to the system, the benefits level off while the costs increase faster than linearly. Eventually the two lines cross. Hence, it is likely, in my opinion, that file-sharing is good for the artist on the small scale and harmful on the big scale. This is mirrored by what I see in the real world. For small, realitively unknown media, file sharing is good - getting the word out is more important than losing a fraction of your sales to free-riders. However, for popular artists, the problem gives the opposite result - just about everyone already knows about your product, so the benefits of file-sharing are minimal. Meanwhile, the costs are enormous.

Ultimately, file sharing should be controlled by the artist. For many new or unknown artists, it is positive. For artists that have achieved fame, it is negative. Either way, they should have the choice as to who can use their creation.

[Ed]

I'd prefer to let the owners of this or any other property have the final say on what's good for them. If theft = positive buzz = improved ratings, let the producers of the product act accordingly. But to argue for the dismantling of property rights because occasionally the victim is compensated in serendipitous ways is, to me, intellectually lazy and morally corrupt.

[Rhywun]

Since I'm always on my PC while watching TV, I don't mind commercials so much, because it just gives me a few minutes to divert more of my attention to the computer. But I agree, there seems to be another advertising war going on, to see how much they can annoy us DURING the show. As if dispensing with opening and closing credits wasn't enough. There's a channel called "G4" that shows a lot of Star Trek re-runs; they came up with the "clever" idea of signalling their self-promoting animated bugs with tricorder noises that jump all over whatever dialog happens to be in the way. Yes, infuriating.

[Rich Ard]

Hey - you kids and your ads, get off of my lawn!

Seriously - it cracks me up that people send a check each month to a company that provides the service of piping advertising into living rooms.

Shit, the only way we could have a revolution these days would be if it were televised.

[Julian Sanchez]

Nick-
Obviously, you haven't seen the new BSG.

[Allen]

Yeah. What Julian said. It's not the same BSG. At all.

-Allen

[madpad]

The bad news: It's still Battlestar Galactica.

Echo Julian, Nick. BSG is terrific. It fits a lot of nice homages to the old show while bending the concept in thoroughly original ways.

[Sandy]

Even Tyler Cowen's a convert.

Plus Starbuck and Boomer are now hot chicks, and the main cylon is an even hotter chick. What's not to like?

[Warren]

The benefits of piracy may be overrated, but the myopia of the establishment can not be. Remember how VHS was going to be the death of TV and movies? But after being strengthened by defeat, the establishment refortified. The ad-zap feature of TiVo has been successfully litigated away, and the RIAA is suing their customers (now there's a great business model).

On the other hand, the Firefox web browser has great ad blocking features. Producers need to embrace new technologies and adapt to new paradigms. People won't put up with the 'clutter' if they don't have to, and increasingly they don't. Advertising is going to need to be something people want to watch. Product placement seems to straddle the 'I'll put up with it line'. If it's subtle you don't even notice it, but it's becoming less subtle and more obnoxious. Amazon has a great model, the ads you see are tailored to what they know about you. The offer lots of free content that helps you to make purchasing decisions.

[Nabil]

One more vote in favor of BSG. One of the best shows on TV, even if you are not into SciFi. My girlfriend (not into scifi) loves it.

[bubba]

BSG is the favorite show in my household. South Park is 2nd. These are the only two shows we record.

Combat, politics, metaphysics. What's not to like? In HD!

[Lurker Kurt]

One more vote for BSG.

My wife does not care for scifi but I got her hooked on BGS.

Its quality is light years beyond the original.

[bubba]

Oh, and BSG was first with the soft woman unexpectedly becomes President and learns to play hardball.

Geena Davis ain't got nothing on BSG.

[Number 6]

I knew that a bunch of libertarians wouldn't let the besmirching of BSG go unanswered.

[SR]

I will add my voice to the "nBSG is a Great Show" chorus.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm a fan, too. I expected it to suck, and I watched the miniseries on DVD (acquired for free from my DVD-sharing public library) fully prepared to shut it off in disgust. Well, it's pretty danged good. Other than Firefly, it's the best TV science fiction I've seen in a long while. I thought that the second season was weaker than the first, but this one is starting off strong.

By the way, the president has got to be a Cylon.

[Jennifer]

By the way, the president has got to be a Cylon.

Jeff says the same thing! Why do you say that? I haven't seen anything she's done which would bolster that argument--if she is a Cylon, she's a deep, deep sleeper agent who hasn't been activated yet.

[Corsair09]

So the Cylons "evolved" to the point that they can get pregnant, and die of cancer? I think they should have stuck with the metal "toaster" bodies....

[Jennifer]

So the Cylons "evolved" to the point that they can get pregnant, and die of cancer?

When the human-looking Cylons die their memories are downloaded out of their bodies and into new ones. They get the benefits of being human without various unpleasant side effects, like mortality.

Though now that the Resurrection ship has been destroyed, we'll see if anything changes. . . .

[Pro Libertate]

The whole "Psychic President" thing said it for me. The Cylons obviously knew where Kobol was, so planting it in Roslin's head was easy enough, right? There have been other moments, too, where she seemed to act oddly. Of course, the show goes out of its way to shock the audience, so it could just be due to that. Who knows?

Sometimes I think the big secret is that humans are artificial, too. They (or "we", though maybe Earth is an outpost of the original biological humans--hmmm) killed off the original humans on Kobol, then eventually forgot their origins.

[Mac Daddy Hoon]

Hey Bubba,

How do you get BSG in HD? I have Dish Network and they only have it in STD.

Thanks.

[Pro Libertate]

. . .And the Cylons are, for whatever reason, goading Galactica et al. to find Earth. Maybe that's to find the real humans for extermination purposes, but my bet is that they want to find Earth (and the real humans) for some religious reason. Naturally, I could be completely wrong.

[Rhywun]

One more vote in favor of BSG.

Same here. Nick, it's not 1977 anymore 🙂

[Jennifer]

Pro LIbertate--

Makes sense. I've been theorizing that the Cylons view themselves as these quasi-religious avenging angels--wiping out the impure humans so that the Cylons can take their place. Kind of like, Galactica is Noah's Ark and the Cylons are the rain.

You've heard about the Mormon symbolism behind the original Galactica, right?

[Pro Libertate]

Mormon symbolism? Missed that one, though I was a youngster when the original series was out. I wouldn't know Mormon symbolism if it hit me in the head today, though, so my cupidity back then isn't much of an excuse. Was the series actually just religious propaganda? Figures.

I did notice some Egyptian symbolism, though 🙂 And I liked their cool jackets.

[Warren]

OK here's a little history for you. Jimmy Carter ruined BSG.

The primmer of BSG was a two or three hour special (making a full length movie to launch a new show was a new concept in the 70's) and was heavily promoted. I very much wanted to watch but it ran past my bedtime (it was a school night). I whined and pleaded for a week and extra hard on the big night and was given special permission to stay up (with loads of concessions about getting up and doing chores etc.)

Well right in the middle of the action, they interrupt it to bring a breaking news item. Sadat and Begin were signing the famous Camp David peace deal brokered by President Carter and the signing ceremony was televised live and late at night (politicians hadn't gotten as sophisticated about capturing prime-time I guess). My father was glad I was up to see it. I remember him saying "these men are playing poker with the world". I remember it going on for a long time and everybody hugging at the end. That's about all I remember of that. Of course by the time BSG resumed (and it did resume where it left off), it was far too late and I was ordered to bed. I watched the series pretty regular, but I don't know if I've ever seen the end of the premier.

[Jennifer]

Libertate--

If you do a Google for "Galactica Mormon" you'll get a lot of stuff. However, most of the Mormonism was washed out of the remake. It's not that Galactica was Mormon theology--it just used some aspects of it to tell a story. Similar to the way a story can use the Devil or the Four Apocalyptic Horsemen without necessarily being a "Christian" story, for all that it used certain elements of Christianity.

[matt]

"I knew that a bunch of libertarians wouldn't let the besmirching of BSG go unanswered."

I really don't see a whole lot of libertrian themes in the show (although maybe I haven't been looking hard enough). At least none like Firefly/Serenity where the anti-government message seems loud and clear. I watch it just because it's a great show.

[Leoben]

Nick Gillespie is a cylon.

[Garth]

I love the new BSG but I gotta tell you it's mostly bcse they got ridda that damned kid and his stupid squeeky fuzzy robot dog. How I hated those two!

[*]

Nick,

As a fan of Philip K Dick, you are definitely missing out if you haven't been watching BSG...

[Sandy]

Has any kid ever been a boon to any show?

[Shawn Smith]

matt,

I think the besmirching post was related to the perceptions that many libertarians are nerds, and nerds like sci-fi, ergo, many libertarians like BSG.

I would also agree that the new BSG is a much better show than the '77 version. One of the best touches--in the miniseries, they showed the cute orphan who lost his dog, but Kira (Starbuck) told him to get over it and we haven't seen him since. Some other examples of its superiority:

Bill Adama (original) Larger than life, always makes the "right" decisions, and deals with all problems in the most PC-way possible.
Bill Adama (new) Conflicted, was ready to retire before the main Ceylon attack, has a strained relationship with his surviving son. Occasionally makes really "fracked-up" choices.

Colonel Tigh (original) Competent by-the-book second-in-command to Cmdr. Adama. Otherwise, nothing notable--he could have been killed in any episode and it wouldn't have made much difference in any of the stories.
Colonel Tigh (new) Washed-up alcoholic thrown into a position he is obviously not ready for, mainly because he's an old friend of Cmdr. Adama.

Lieutenant Starbuck (original) cigar chomping, hard-drinking, gambling, womanizing excellent pilot. One of the more interesting characters on the show.
Lieutenant Starbuck (new) cigar chomping, hard-drinking, gambling, best pilot in the fleet, and a chick. Was once the girlfriend of one of Cmdr. Adama's sons, until she passed him through Viper flight school even though he couldn't handle it and it resulted in his death.

Gaius Baltar (original) Cardboard-cutout villain. Thoroughly evil and corrupted with no redeeming qualities.
Gaius Baltar (new) Also gave the Ceylons access to the Colonial defenses (through Number 6) and now regrets his involvement. He is quite insane, and sees Number 6 in his head, but has come up with the only certain test for identifying the human-like Ceylons.

[Jennifer]

Shawn--

Did you see the last episode? Baltar is now acively engaged in treason; he helped the Cylon prisoner escape and is now, presumably, hiding her somewhere in the fleet. When the President dies and he takes over, things ought to get even more interesting than they already are.

My only complaint about the new show is a contradiction: Earth is so far away in the distant past that people aren't even sure if it is real or a legend, and yet they are familiar with Greek mythology? How can you remember ancient Greece and talk about the gods they worshiped, but doubt the existence of the planet it is on?

[Droid]

Well, this thread managed to stay on point for three whole posts.
Get a room, geeks.

[Pro Libertate]

Jennifer, I suppose the idea is that the Greeks somehow managed to hang on to the "original" religion. Or that there was some contact between Earth and the Colonies in the past few thousand years. Of course, that begs the question of what happened to our star-traveling ancestors and how to reconcile our colonization of the Earth with evidence of our independent evolution here. The writers have a lot of work to do, that's for sure.

[Shawn Smith]

Jennifer,

Yes, I saw it, and a little spoiler warning might have been nice for the people who haven't. Oh well.

*** SPOILERS ***

It really became obvious to me, after Adama's conversation with Sharon, that the Ceylons see themselves as God's cleansers and they are simply helping the galaxy / universe become more perfect (by exterminating imperfect humans) to better please God.

Well, there are plenty of (continuity) things to pick apart on the show--like how does the FTL work? Why would two Battlestars be able to take out two Base Ships when one Battlestar couldn't take out one Base Ship? In those cases, I like to suspend disbelief and dream up possible scenarios where humans found the Greek gods on Kobol, a la Who Mourns for Adonais in the original Star Trek, and started worshiping them there for a few thousand years.

[Jennifer]

Why would two Battlestars be able to take out two Base Ships when one Battlestar couldn't take out one Base Ship?

This time they had the Blackbird stealth fighter.

[Ed]

But do they respect intellectual property rights on the Battleship -- er, Battlestar? Or did science and innovation somehow evolve without those protections?

[Pro Libertate]

Ed, that's how this will all get resolved. The Colonies' surviving IP counsel will sue the Cylons for violating humanity's patent and copyright rights in the expression, design, and function of the human form. In a crushing defeat at an extraordinary session of the U.S. Supreme Court (that's why the Galactica is looking for Earth, to litigate the case), the Cylons are forced to pay $2 trillion for various forms of infringement. Which buys four new battlestars that are used to destroy the Cylon home world (the location of which is uncovered during the discovery process).

[Anonymous_Rex]

You can purchase and download all the episodes, up to the most current one, from iTunes. That's an FYI for Nick, so he can see for himself whether he's going to hate it at $1.99 a pop.

[Shawn Smith]

Pro Liberate,

ROTFLMAO! That was great. 🙂

[Eric the .5b]

My only complaint about the new show is a contradiction: Earth is so far away in the distant past that people aren't even sure if it is real or a legend, and yet they are familiar with Greek mythology? How can you remember ancient Greece and talk about the gods they worshiped, but doubt the existence of the planet it is on?

Why would two Battlestars be able to take out two Base Ships when one Battlestar couldn't take out one Base Ship?

The Pegasus is a much newer, more advanced Battlestar - remember that the Galactica was being decomissioned to become a museum at the start of the miniseries.

This time they had the Blackbird stealth fighter.

That, to.

[Jennifer]

Eric, good point about the decrepitude of the Galactica. (But that begs another question--how did the Pegasus avoid the Cylon computer virus? Was it uncomputerized, like the Galactica?)

I just remembered another detail about the Greek thing--I don't remember who, but somebody in the first season was talking about "the ancient Greeks, who believed Apollo was the god of the sun." That is when I first said "Wait a minute. How can they remember Greece but not remeber Earth?"

[Brian Doss]

It has been established before that Colonial technology and more importantly colonial pilots & crews' native intelligence surpasses Cylon military capabilities; the destruction of the two basestars (new model) bereft of fighters vs. an old battlestar and a new one shows fairly definitively *why* the Cylons had to sneak attack through a backdoor. Head to head they can't match up, and one imagines that the reason they were able to fight to a standstill in the beginning is only because then, too, the Cylons did a sneak attack and started out with an industrial edge. As soon as the industrial/material edge is lost, the Colonials wipe the floor with the AIs.

Supporting this is the fact that originally cylon fighters needed three centurions to fly them, and the metal AI was removed in favor of an organic fill-in system; quicker reflexes and reaction time than the presumably fully-sentient silicon-based centurions. And yet still the Raiders can't use the technology anywhere near its performance potential because it's still too slow and dependent, mentally. Starbuck notes this when she commandeers the brain-dead raider and flies back to the fleet.

In any case, part of the point of the Cylons (as evinced by their creation of biocylons) has to be to erase the intelligence/innovation gap between their networked, computer-based selves and that of the human colonials.

[Brian Doss]

jennifer-

My theory is that Earth came first, the beings that ruled Kobol as the Lords either invented or genetically reengineered the base stock of humans, adopted ancient Greek mythos for their rule, and when their paradise unraveled for one reason or another, the 'humans' left for the colonies while one set went back to Earth. The fact that the 12 tribes are originally named after the english names of the Zodiac and the flags represented the star patterns visible only from Earth is pretty much (to me) a dead giveaway that life here (Kobol area) started 'out there' (on Earth). 🙂

[Eric the .5b]

But that begs another question--how did the Pegasus avoid the Cylon computer virus? Was it uncomputerized, like the Galactica?

I think it was similarly hardened, with no internal networks. According to the miniseries, the Cylons had been 133+3 hax0rs during the last war even without a premade virus, hence the paranoia about such setups. Cain fled instead of committing to a suicidal defense, so her crew presumably took time to rip out all the infected avionics in the Vipers aboard the Pegasus.

I don't personally remember anything about mentioning Greece or the Greeks. "The ancients", referring to the people of Kobol, I think, and the "Lords of Kobol" for the gods themselves.

[Eric the .5b]

Brian -

Well, the setup could be that way back in Earth's prehistory, a starfaring civilization arose (to later fall, leaving only Greek myth as evidence of its religion and culture), went to Kobol, and met some friendly, advanced aliens who let them settle alongside them. Then something went down and the aliens had a civil war, causing the humans to leave for the Colony worlds. Shortly after, everyone dies off on Kobol. Some time later, the Cylons all but exterminate humanity on those colonies.

Of course, it can't have been that many thousands of years ago - the constellations on the colony flags would have been warped too much by the proper motion of stars.

[Akira MacKenzie]

The bad news: It's still Battlestar Galactica.

Oooooh Nick, you did NOT just go there. As most have pointed out, this isn't the cheesy, Erik Von Daniken disco fantasy that you remember. This show is dark, gritty, and briming with 9/11-WoT analogies.

Buy it, rent it, download it off iTunes. I swear you won't be disappointed.

[Brian Doss]

Eric-

I suppose they could go the route of Star Trek ala the Preservers, and have the Lords pluck the original (apparently highly genetically representative sample ^_^) population for Kobol to live with them in Paradise and assumed the names of the Gods (Greek Pantheon for whatever reason), and then, after an unspecified amount of time, the native humans rebelled (though I think there was a 'rebellious 13th lord who proclaimed himself the One True God', IIRC), and left, with one set going back home, the others founding the 12 colonies. Since it has been established that there have been 2000 years since the exodus and today, that would mean a "preserver" idea would still put Earth's current time thousands of years ahead of now.

[Eric the .5b]

Brian -

Plausible, though the Kobol religion really doesn't closely resemble Greek myth except in some aspects of the Gods. It's rather allegorical and prophetic. If Greek myth were to have sprung from it, that culture could be rather older than classical Greek civilization, which would give enough time for "now" in the series to be the present day. Though, admittedly, that's an echo of the original series' cheese.

[Jennifer]

I distinctly remember the "ancient Greeks worshipped Apollo" bit, but have no idea who said it.

The good news is, I have the whole Season One on DVD (got it as a gift last week); the bad news is, there's no way that I'll be able to watch them all and find the Greek mention before this thread dies.

Nick, you should watch the new Galactica. Or at least the two-hour movie at the beginning of it. It really is great.

[Brian Doss]

Jennifer-

What you're thinking of is Tom Zarek's monologue to Apollo in "Bastille Day". I don't believe there was a mention of Greek in there, just "the ancients".

[Brian Doss]

Eric-

The fact of Colonial Religion being allegorical and not a close match of classical Greek would seem to support the idea that humans were plucked from the area and they just used the surface names to represent themselves.

Alternatively, Kobol was settled in our Earth's future by a group of effectively immortal transhumans who recreated humans on the world to make a utopia, and copied the names for the hell of it to represent themselves.

In any case, I think the canonical evidence of "Earth First" is pretty definitive, and I'll be quite disappointed in RDM & Co if they try and suggest a Kobol origin for Earth.

[Brian Doss]

completely off topic, but classical Greek religion was pretty allegorical and not really akin to belief systems and systemized/universalized rituals, etc, like modern monotheistic religions or Eastern religions. It was more "stuff pertaining to Gods" and a slightly more formalized form of superstition/folk animism, which isn't that different from what appears to be the "civic religion" of the colonies, where you pay public praise to the Lords because they're the Lords but otherwise, eh. (ala Rome back in the day)

[Jennifer]

Brian, that could very well be it. I'm still wondering if that was deliberate, though, or a mistake the writers or editors didn't catch.

[Pro Libertate]

Or Earth is inhabited by Cylons. Meaning us.

[Jennifer]

Of course, it can't have been that many thousands of years ago - the constellations on the colony flags would have been warped too much by the proper motion of stars.

Good point, but here's another possibility--maybe this all takes place in the distant future, and we are the ancestors of these people.

[Eric the .5b]

Good point, but here's another possibility--maybe this all takes place in the distant future, and we are the ancestors of these people.

In which case they're going to have a hard time using outdated constellation maps to find Earth, depending on how distant that future is. (Heck, in just five thousand years, we'll have a completely different North Star.)

[Eric the .5b]

Or Earth is inhabited by Cylons. Meaning us.

Or the Cylon/human hybrids. In which case, we apparently lost any benefits of being anything other than human. 🙂

[Pro Libertate]

Or we're resurrected on the secret base on Mars. Cool.

[Brian Doss]

Eric-

OTOH, if the Lords were as advanced as they seem to be, and have still-operational equipment after 2000 years of ruin & desertion (on a planet that, arguably, was rendered desert wasteland for centuries), then its not much of a leap to think that their built in holo-planetarium could update the sky pattern. Shrug. I don't think RDM et al have thought of that much at all, much like contrary to the opening credits, I don't think the Cylons have a plan (or, if they do, I don't think RDM et al really know what it is- its Chris Carter disease all over again ala the X Files, and only a matter of time before the lack of forethought results in a critical inconsistency).

[Eric the .5b]

Alternatively, Kobol was settled in our Earth's future by a group of effectively immortal transhumans who recreated humans on the world to make a utopia, and copied the names for the hell of it to represent themselves.

That fits, to. Of course, if you throw in transhumans/posthumans, you lose any silly aspect to ancient Earth starfarers, since the advanced civilization of that time could have engaged in heavy ecological reconstruction that removed any long-lasting evidence of their technological civilization. 😀

In any case, I think the canonical evidence of "Earth First" is pretty definitive, and I'll be quite disappointed in RDM & Co if they try and suggest a Kobol origin for Earth.

That would be very cheesy, yes.

[Eric the .5b]

OTOH, if the Lords were as advanced as they seem to be, and have still-operational equipment after 2000 years of ruin & desertion (on a planet that, arguably, was rendered desert wasteland for centuries), then its not much of a leap to think that their built in holo-planetarium could update the sky pattern.

But it couldn't retroactively adjust the flags that were carried by the original colonists - the ones Roslin realized matched the star patterns.

I don't think RDM et al have thought of that much at all

Probably not - I think they just had a cool idea and went with it. Unless any of the writers had a serious astronomy bug, they probably weren't aware that stars move over time.

I don't think the Cylons have a plan (or, if they do, I don't think RDM et al really know what it is- its Chris Carter disease all over again ala the X Files, and only a matter of time before the lack of forethought results in a critical inconsistency).

I really hope it doesn't go that way.

[Pro Libertate]

All I ask is that when they finally get to Earth, they don't have flying motorcycles. Please, Zeus, not again.

[Randolph Carter]

Brian Dross,
Not so about the Greek (and Roman offshoot) religions. They were intensely ceremonial, and the religious ceremonies really set the paramaters for most people's lives. Read "The Golden Bough" for more info about Greek religious/ceremonial "magic" and worship (as well as a lot of other cultural miscellany).

[wsdave]

Let me geek in here.

My take is that "humans" created machines which became self-aware and decided to rebel. They saw their limitations and decided to create humanoid versions of themselves which contain almost no non-human material (I'm not clear on what Baltar's machine was actually looking for), and are able to get pregnant. Soon, there will be no difference what so ever between Cylons and Humans. The humans won't need to be destroyed because the Cylons wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The human will have been assimilated (or the Cylons will have been assimilated by the Humans, depending on your point-of-view).

In the end, a few scappy surviving people will find a destroyed Earth and need to rebuild. At first the Greek gods will be the primary religion, but over time the Cylon's monotheistic version will win out and we'll flash forward to present day Samual Alito hearings.

You see, BSG is a story of Earth's past, not future. Of course, as we present day humans learn to create our own machines, head off to colonize the stars, and forget where we came from ("earth that was" and all that) the cycle will repeat itself.

That's just my take.

And as for how the humans know about Greek religion but not Earth: It's because the Greek gods are REAL!! Duh...

[Jeff]

They've done the Kobol and Pegasus stories from the original, now we need Ice Planet Zero, Count Ibli, the Eastern Alliance, and Galactica 1980 with Robbie Rist as the human computer.
And we need Audrey Landers in a fur bikini.

My main reason for thinking the prez is a cylon is the fact that she's slated to die very soon. A dying leader fit the prophecy a little too conviniently.

I would also like them to tell us what the fuck is going on! Why did Cain and Adama back down? Do they have any plans for Caprica? Are the elections still on track? How and why were Helo and Chief released? What about the civilian fleet that Cain abandoned? The Pegasus two-parter, as exciting as it was, really did nothing for the plot except add a new ship in the mix. In hindsite it resembled an Andromeda/Voyager/Earth: FC/Insert-shitty-SF-show episode. I hope they get a move on soon and start progressing the plot a bit.

As for the timeline, the original took place pretty much concurrent with our present, and I see no reason why this one can't as well.

The main stylistic difference between the two BSG series is that the first one rode the coat tails of Star Wars and made running away from robots look cool and fun, with cigar-chomping daredevils and hot chicks and big guns with sizzly sound effects. The new show makes you realize just how much the situation would suck. Aside from a handful of troops, no one in the fleet has seen daylight or breathed unfiltered air in six months. The frazzled nerves of all involved are quite understandable.

[MJ]

"I don't think the Cylons have a plan (or, if they do, I don't think RDM et al really know what it is..."- Brian Doss

Listening to the commentaries from the 1st season DVDs, no they don't. They made quite clear that on several important plot points, ( in particular, Sharon being a cylon and trying to get pregnant by a human) they just threw in at the spur of the moment without apparently any real idea of where they wanted to go with it. That kind of seat of the pants writing may be fun but I hope they don't write themselves into an embarrassing corner because of it.

On another point: it seems that Mr. Gillespie does not quite share his audience's enthusiasms

[DustinR]

I dont get how the cable companies can sue me or complaing about downloading Tv shows. When I already pay for the fucking cable, for christ sakes
the reason we were supposed to pay for Tv is so there wasnt any advertisments.