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Technology in BSG

  • 13-04-2011 12:41pm
    #1
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,468 ✭✭✭✭


    So how come they've huge space ships that can go faster than light yet still rely on basic enough medicine, petrol driven cars and trucks and weapons less advanced than today's standards?

    At this stage I've watched nearly 2 series and it's something that constantly annoys me...


Comments

  • #2
    DeepBlue
    Registered Users Posts: 3,668 ✭✭✭DeepBlue


    The finale may give you a different perspective on that. Just two seasons to go. :pac:


  • #3
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,468 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    DeepBlue wrote: »
    The finale may give you a different perspective on that. Just two seasons to go. :pac:

    I've seen it when shy showed it a few years ago, bits anyway
    jump to earth, ship is ****ed, land somewhere, lots of basic humans, ships into the sun, or something like that. I can't remember


  • #4
    DeepBlue
    Registered Users Posts: 3,668 ✭✭✭DeepBlue


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    jump to earth, ship is ****ed, land somewhere, lots of basic humans, ships into the sun, or something like that. I can't remember
    Yeah, something like that.
    Main point really is that the events of BSG happen far in the past and thousands of years ago so the issue of some of their technology not being as advanced as today's technology is a moot point.


  • #5
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,468 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    DeepBlue wrote: »
    Yeah, something like that.
    Main point really is that the events of BSG happen far in the past and thousands of years ago so the issue of some of their technology not being as advanced as today's technology is a moot point.

    yeah but my point is how can you have tech advanced enough to build faster than light ships yet only basic weapons and healthcare?
    It doesn't make sense that they would be so advanced in one area yet not in others, especially considering the military nature of the ship.


  • #6
    robby^5
    Registered Users Posts: 1,969 ✭✭✭robby^5


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    yeah but my point is how can you have tech advanced enough to build faster than light ships yet only basic weapons and healthcare?

    The same reason we're still using projectile-firing weapons after hundreds of years of technological advancement, it's cheap and effective. Also there's always the possibility they are using advancement technologies in their projectile weapons along the lines of railguns/coilguns.
    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    It doesn't make sense that they would be so advanced in one area yet not in others, especially considering the military nature of the ship.

    The colonials turn their backs on a lot of technology after the first cylon war. The cylons exploited the colonies advanced technology, such as large networks, to their advantage so they took a step backwards in some areas.


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  • #7
    Aeterni
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭Aeterni


    Computer-generated effects and sophisticated physical props/sets are expensive, so sci-fi is really quite limited in terms of the imagined futuristic technologies it can portray. Unfortunate for nit-picky sci-fi fans, but such is the way of the genre.

    In the case of BSG, the visual effects budget is splurged on the special effects battles and explosions in space. Given the choice between creating fascinating futuristic gadgets for the crew to use in their daily lives, versus the space battles... it's an understandable decision really. Finite money to spend, so it has to be spent in the right places. There's a reason why that exact same animation of Vipers landing on board Galactica after each battle gets re-used over and over - saving money for other demanding scenes.

    Also, the mix of 20th century-ish technology and futuristic technology makes the show easier for the average Joe to relate to, arguably resulting in wider appeal and higher ratings. This worked very nicely for Stargate SG-1, which lasted a healthy ten seasons.

    One can actually imagine a point when too much technology would actually take drama and suspense away from the show. As of the present day, the US is making increasing use of remote-controlled drones. You would expect this trend to continue over time - where possible, it makes sense not to risk human lives. Furthermore, as AI advances, you would expect on-board computers to become more capable, allowing a drone to act largely autonomously.

    You would *definitely* expect this sort of technology to be extremely highly advanced in a civilisation that possesses faster-than-light travel... but BSG would be less exciting if all of the Vipers were computer-controlled, or remote-controlled from on board the Galactica. A lot of the danger and suspense (and ability to relate to the show, for 21st century audiences) would be gone.

    In the end, it's just entertainment; the product of a bunch of creative folks doing what they can with limited resources, and taking some creative license with physical laws (sound travelling through a vacuum) and special effects (showers of sparks and steam out of every orifice on the bridge when the ship is under attack) and technologies... in order to provide a bit of added enjoyment and suspense.

    I gave up on expecting sci-fi to make any sort of sense a long time ago. Just turn off the gray matter for an hour and enjoy. :pac:


  • #8
    noodler
    Registered Users Posts: 26,138 ✭✭✭✭noodler


    I see absolutely no reason why one aspect of society in a world billions of light years away would have to keep as tecnologically advanced as another anyway.


  • #9
    robby^5
    Registered Users Posts: 1,969 ✭✭✭robby^5


    Aeterni wrote: »
    Furthermore, as AI advances, you would expect on-board computers to become more capable, allowing a drone to act largely autonomously.

    You would *definitely* expect this sort of technology to be extremely highly advanced in a civilisation that possesses faster-than-light travel... but BSG would be less exciting if all of the Vipers were computer-controlled, or remote-controlled from on board the Galactica.

    This society has already achieved A.I. and it turned against them, they use as few layers of technology that they can. They wont have computer-controlled vipers because they'd be no different than raiders. They wont have remote-controlled vipers because if cylons can hack a battlestar they can hack a drone. Having a person in the cockpit makes sense in this universe. When they started adding more layers of technology again just before the fall this allowed the cylons to switch off the colonies entire fleet.

    There's a tv explanation, but I've always been pretty happy with the scifi reasoning behind the use, or lack of use, of certain technologies in the show.


  • #10
    don ramo
    Registered Users Posts: 4,533 ✭✭✭don ramo


    yeah if my society was nearly wiped out by an advanced A.I that i created, it would probably send me back to the stoneage,

    i think that why BSG worked so well, this is a civilisation that was not even 3 generations out of a war with and A.I, galactica survived because it was designed to fight such an enemy, wheras the rest of the feelt (bar pegasus) was wiped out due the there advanced tech and wireless capabilities,

    i think caprica showed well what there civilisation was like before they created A.I, they were probably 50 or 60 years ahead of where we are now, but with interplanetary space travel, i dont think they had battlestars, so when war began (as it always does) technology started to advance at a faster rate, they created the battelstars, advanced warships to fight the war they now found themselfs in, the cylons were electronic drones so nuclear warheads seemed like a good idea with the massive EMP that they produce, they probably didnt have the resources or time to work on more advanced weapons,

    i dunno why people consider flying cars and electronically augmented human the future, 50 years ago we were suppose to be living on the moon by the year 2000, as we now know that was a bit ridiculus, even if we head out into space well still be living in houses, there will still be slums in places around the world, car might drive on something besides petrol but will most likly still be driving on roads, due to the nightmare that would be flying (imagine 20 million car flying around a city), i dunno maybe one day well learn how to transport a human from one place to another by breaking down every cell in there body and reassembling it elsewhere, but till them we probably will be reliant on some from of transportation vehicle to get us from A to B,


  • #11
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,468 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    but surely at the very least hand weapons would have advanced a lot. Shown consistently that regular machine guns have little impact on cylons, where are the more powerful assault rifles, heavy machine guns, armour piercing rounds etc etc, even if you don't go do the road of more advanced tech weapons, even sg1 had more advanced weaponry in the p90


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  • #12
    robby^5
    Registered Users Posts: 1,969 ✭✭✭robby^5


    Cookie_Monster wrote: »
    but surely at the very least hand weapons would have advanced a lot. Shown consistently that regular machine guns have little impact on cylons, where are the more powerful assault rifles, heavy machine guns, armour piercing rounds etc etc, even if you don't go do the road of more advanced tech weapons, even sg1 had more advanced weaponry in the p90

    I regularly recall seeing cylons taken down with handguns. Also there was explosive ammo/armour piercing ammo used when the elite armoured centurions boarded Galactica.

    BSG and SG1 have very similar approaches to weapons. They both use weapons that would be a little more obscure to the average viewer or guns that have interesting designs. For instance if they used the M4 or AK47 regularly on BSG you'd lose your suspension of disbelief.

    Most of the guns used as colonial weapons are relatively new guns in reality too. We regularly see the likes of the MP7, Beretta Cx4 Storm and UMP, which have been around for about 10 years. The P90 definitely isn't an advanced weapon anyway, it has been in use for 20+ years. We do see some old guns used in the show (I remember Cain had a Tommy gun in her office) but I think for the most part they try to make the colonials weapons look futuristic.

    Also I always just assumed that there projectile weapons would be closer to the technology used in rail and coil guns, that maybe an M4 wouldn't even put a dent in a cylon...


  • #13
    Flashgordon197
    Registered Users Posts: 233 ✭✭Flashgordon197


    Im more than two thirds through Season two and find it bizarre how Earth like many things are. Its lazy set control if you ask me. How can we control costs-oh lets see-lets just make them wear ties and avoid expensive technology. I dont buy the Cylons might infiltrate blather-cost cutting. Cheap Sci Fi. I still think its a good series but one that looks even more 1970s than the original-if that makes sense.


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