The Science of Battlestar Galactica
Page 27
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)
&nbs
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.