a Couple Random BSG questions

[lls_mutant]

Okay, so a few questions

Comments

[blue_crow]

1. I thought they were supposed to be rather like interpol or the UN or something. Adar seems to have ordered them to invade... Aerilon, was it? And a few people died. I think they go in when the quorum decides intervention is needed and straighten up a planet or something.

2. I have no idea. I think the callsigns are totally random and while it probably has some significance, I actually sort of like that it seems so baffling. It emphasizes how arbitrary they are.

[lls_mutant]

Thanks! That makes sense.

I remembered the other one: was there REALLY NOTHING ELSE on the algae planet that was edible?????

[puszysty]

Not to mention the fact that in that episode, they mention that they're just contaminated until they can be cleaned (or something), not that all the food ever is gone, yet they're still eating algae at the end of the series...

[rebelliousrose2]

Ooh, I can take this one. They are still eating algae because the Fleet needs a high-protein, basically self-renewing, GREEN food- or everyone's getting scurvy and dying. It may taste gross, but nutrition-wise, algae's one of the most efficient foods there is.

[lls_mutant]

Well, Starbuck didn't do it, but I LOVE the Colony's equivilent of Godzilla. Either that or it's a porn actor, because I could totally see my Narcho getting himself named after a porn actor :)

Must make myself a Narcho icon!!!

[blue_crow]

Or he *was* a porn actor. Makes me think of Jeff Ganon- did you hear about that scandal a few years ago? The reporter for "talon news" or whatever that always tossed GW Bush the softball questions that was on a gay military fetish escort site.

[let_fate_decide]

I think each Colony had their own military before the First Cylon War, but probably had to combine forces in order to neutralize the cylons. I mean, after they beat them (and with the possibility that they could come back at any time, really) what would be the point of splitting up the Colonial forces again?

I just figure that in those years of peace between the First and Second Wars, there was the Colonial fleet/forces, and then each individual Colonies had their own individual units, eg. National Guard units. I'm going to use the Air Force as an example, because that's the US mil. branch that I know the most about, haha. Basically, I'm thinking the Fleet would be equal to the Air Force. As in Active Duty personnel. Then each colony, IMO, would have Guard units like the Air Force Reserves, where you go back interview and get a slot at an available unit that's already near your location

[lls_mutant]

That makes sense. Thanks! It's never really been addressed in canon, and now that I'm writing a story that takes place between the two Cylon wars.... Yeah. It gets confusing a bit, and actually important.

Thanks so much!

[kappamaki33]

You're not going to like this (heck, *I* didn't like this), but the Colonial military is most likely a whole lot like the Alliance in *Firefly*. The Colonies have only been allies for, what, forty years at the beginning of the series? It seems there are still planets, like Aerilon (which we know about from Roslin's comment about Adar), Tauron (used dissidents as an excuse for the original mission with Bulldog in "Hero"), and Sagittaron (Tom Zarek), that aren't thrilled with being a part of this new semi-cohesive government, or at least aren't very happy about their status in it. Also, both the Alliance and the Colonial military have "boogeymen" of sorts sitting out in the wings that the higher-ups don't really seem to want to acknowledge, but they do know and fear them: the Reavers and the Cylons.

The good news is, that sort of makes Zarek into Mal and Gaeta into Simon. ;)

[rayruz]

Wow... that's kind of... terrifying. And accurate.

[lls_mutant]

Actually, I love it.

The truth is, the Alliance doesn't seem to be the big bag boogieman that Mal thinks it is. I mean, I get his point and certain things the Alliance does I don't agree with, but Mal also has no issues with theft :) So, it makes sense.

And the funny thing is, when I was debating doing my own Firefly/BSG crossover, Gaeta and Simon were going to become very good friends. :)

[rayruz]

I think the major difference is, for all intents and purposes, The Alliance seems to be a military dictatorship. There doesn't seem to be any kind of representation of the people or politics of any kind. That's my impression, and what I'm working with for OotB.

[rayruz]

I think they said something about in the past battlestars represented specific colonies... I guess they integrated after. And it does seem like there was war among the colonies (Seems to be what the Caprica pilot is pointing too).

Thank you for asking #2... my brother and i obsess over that question.

[millari]

Yes, I remember this too. I think that the battlestars were created after the first Cylon War - twelve of them were created, one to represent each colony. As I remember the vague backstory, the Colonies had a very loose alliance before the invention of the Cylons, with no central government. They squabbled a lot with each other and had civil wars. I seem to remember someone referring to the fact that one of the early uses of the Cylons were as cheap soldiers that could be sent in to fight in interplanetary conflicts and to quell dissidents. I also seem to remember that they were used on Sagittaron to quell dissidents (but I might be remembering the Tom Zarek "Origins" comic

[lls_mutant]

Thanks, both of you! That makes some more sense.

I remember the other question now:

On that damn algae planet- you know, the one with plenty of trees, was there really NOTHING ELSE they could eat besides algae???????

[millari]

Heh, I remember thinking similar things. I mean, the planet *did* look pretty scrubby, but the second time watching that episode, I realized that it wasn't as much of a desert planet as they made it seem in the close shots and Tyrol's "hot fudge planet" remark. I was like, "New Caprica looked like it had less vegetation..."