[Babel-17]

"A recap of Season One halfway through Season Two."

Cast commentary ....... hosted by Sackhoff and Helfer.

Just saw this listed on TV Guide Online, sorry for the last minute heads-up.

That's the Sci Fi Channel for me, channel 48.

Not digital so I can't cap it. I'm too cheap for a recorder box.

I get UHD but they aren't showing this. On a brighter note they have started running the HD version of the first episodes of Season Two now. 1280 x 1080i

[digitalwanderer]

Originally Posted by Babel-17

On a brighter note they have started running the HD version of the first episodes of Season Two now. 1280 x 1080i

/me kisses my new 42" plasma & dual-tuner HD/DVR!

I can't wait!!!

EDITED BITS: It's on again at 11:30 my time, in about 2 hours.

[RussSchultz]

Lee sounds funny as a Brit.

[Babel-17]

Originally Posted by RussSchultz

Lee sounds funny as a Brit.

Yup!

Off Topic: This Sci Fi special triggered me into making a real speculative leap.

Cliff Notes: I'm thinking the the captain of the Pegasus might be a Cylon.

What better lab to plumb the depths of humanity than a starship on the run?

Who better in a spot to be the puppet master?

Frank Herbert did something along those lines in an early work ..... google time!

There could be other benefits for the Cylons in controlling the Pegasus.

P.S.: I guess the "twelve models" detail goes against this ...... but I would think any model should be able to don a different skin.

And yeah, the idea of having the captain being model 6, Helfer, and in effect torturing herself has a twisted appeal. Would somehow be more ethical I suppose.

It might be way to Byzantine to think that the captain was a Cylon conflicted in its programming between its ultra strong imprinted human personality and its Cylon directives.

[Tim Murray]

P.S.: I guess the "twelve models" detail goes against this ...... but I would think any model should be able to don a different skin.

They are, as far as can be seen with anything short of Baltar's detector, identical to humans. E.g., you can't just swap out the skin.

NOT A CYLON. Remember, the show is one big political statement.

[Babel-17]

Originally Posted by The Baron

They are, as far as can be seen with anything short of Baltar's detector, identical to humans. E.g., you can't just swap out the skin.

NOT A CYLON. Remember, the show is one big political statement.

Salient points, thanks.

Fwiw, the Herbert novel I was thinking of is Destination: Void.

If you read some of the reviews you might see what triggered my thoughts.

My mind is stuffed with a lot of sci fi minutiae, lol.

Premise:
Voidship Earthling, 7th serial spaceship on a mission from Unified Moon Base, is on its way to colonize in the Tau Ceti star system. The members on the ship are clones who a programmed to certain orientations and duties. Bickel is the frontier pusher who is programmed to refuse turning back from the mission, Timberlake the life systems engineer, Flattery the chaplain-psychiatrist with orders to destroy the ship if he feels it is necessary, and Prudence, who is directed to prod Bickel.

Central to the operation of the ship is the OMC, or organic mental core, a specialized brain that coordinates ship functions. After the original OMC and two backups fail, the crew has to manually direct many gross ship functions. This is extremely difficult for them and it becomes apparent that they will have to devise another approach to ship operation.

The arrived at alternative is to take the ship's computer as a basis and attempt the creation of an AI using inorganic components available in ship stores. This attempt is the crux of the novel.

It becomes apparent that the difficulties that confront the ship (failure of 3 OMCs and other incidents) were orchestrated by the project team back at UMB. Why? To put the crew into survival mode, forcing them into hyper-alertness in order to create the artificial consciousness. If they don't successfully create the consciousness, they die. Also, having the attempt take place on a ship far away from UMB is a safety measure, as there is some concern that the consciousness created by the crew could be dangerous.

Summary

In the future, humankind has tried to develop artificial intelligence, succeeding only once, and then disastrously. Little remains of the first experiment, except for a transmission from the remote site, garbled but for the words "rogue consciousness!" The site is now an empty hole.

The project has been moved to the moon, where the scientists have cloned themselves. These clones, identified with the middle name "Lon", are kept isolated and raised to believe that they are the crew of a spaceship that will colonize another planet. The spaceship will be multi-generational, needing only a crew of six, and carrying thousands of other clones in hibernation. As the original crew dies off, other clones will be awoken.

The clone crew is really just a caretaker: the ship is controlled by the disembodied human brains (known by the euphemism "Organic Mental Cores") that run the complex operations of the vessel and keep it moving in space. But the brain dies, and when the backup is awakened, it dies as well. After the third backup fails, the crew is faced with a choice: turn around, or build the computer systems that will enable the ship to continue. Their orders from the moon base are to continue at all costs; if they turn back, they will be destroyed.

The clones have been bred and carefully selected for psychological purposes to reinforce each other, as well as to provide various specialized skills. As the crew deals with their situation, they come to understand the dilemma they're in: build an artificial intelligence to carry on the mission, or die.

This is one of Herbert's more psychological novels, deeply exploring the nature of consciousness, religion, and human interaction. The crew includes a priest/psychologist, Raja Lon Flattery, who knows their real purpose, and that the breakdown of the organic brains was planned. He's aware that several ships have gone out before theirs, each one failing. He understands the nature of the test: create a high pressure environment in which brilliance may break through out of necessity, and create in the safety of the void what humans couldn't safely create on Earth.

This universe is continued in Herbert's other novels The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect and The Ascension Factor.

Most people working creatively within the realm of sci fi are either quite aware of the body of work that precedes them or at least have been influenced by it on one level or another.

As a long time fan of the genre I get many half formed moments of deja vu when seeing the results of that influence in action.

Hey, it keeps me off the streets.

[IgnorancePersonified]

Good series that: the Jesus incident blew me away.

[bouy]

The show wasn't too bad, I liked the preview teaser on the Season 2.0 DVD set better, this one on Sci-Fi seemed the same only with commentary. I wish it lasted an hour or something. Maybe they could have done a recap like they do with Lost when they take breaks.

I've read a interesting list of spoilers that is on the chud forums for the remainer of the season. But I still can't wait for Friday!

[Chalnoth]

Originally Posted by bouy

But I still can't wait for Friday!

Seriously! I just wish sci-fi would spread their shows out a little bit. I watch all three of the new ones (Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis, and BSG).

[bouy]

Originally Posted by Chalnoth

Seriously! I just wish sci-fi would spread their shows out a little bit. I watch all three of the new ones (Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis, and BSG).

TV shows this month is incredible.

You not only got the Sci Fi shows (I only watch BSG), but Lost is coming back, Season 5 of 24 and the Shield, and my new favorite E-ring is back Wednesday!

I bet there's a lot of other good shows But I can't devote that much time to TV, I still have college and games.