The Science of Battlestar Galactica

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Format: eBook
Pub. Date: 2010-10-01
Publisher(s): Wiley
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Summary

The official guide to the science behind the Battlestar Galactica universeBattlestar Galactica (BSG) has been called the best show on television, and as real as science fiction gets. It has dealt with issues of religious freedom, patriotism, terrorism, genetic engineering, and the ultimate science fiction question: what does it mean to be human? While the re-imagined BSG may not be packed with cool techie tools (the bad guys don't even have laser guns for frak's sake!), this book shows that the science in the series has a lot to say about the use of science and technology in our lives today.What are the principles behind artificial gravity and sublight propulsion? Are Cylons men or machines? How are humanoid Cylons able to interface with computers? By tackling these and other intriguing questions, The Science of Battlestar Galactica takes us billions of miles away from Earth so that we can turn around and see ourselves from a different perspective. Tackles fans' most pressing BSG questions, from how an FTL drive might work to how the 12 colonies of Kobol could co-exist to the principles behind Gaius Baltar's Cylon-detector Features behind-the-scenes anecdotes, quotes from the BSG Series Bible, and over 60 photos Includes a foreword by BSG co-executive producer, Jane Espenson, and an afterword by actor, Richard Hatch, who played Tom Zarek in the reimagined series and Captain Apollo in the classic series Co-written by BSG's scientific advisor and a Wired contributing editorPacked with must-know details and scientific background, this thought-provoking book will help you see Battlestar Galactica as never before.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Moore's Law
Life Here Began Out There
Are You Alive?
The Cylons: Man or Machine?
Are We Creating Our Own Cylons?
How Can Cylons Download Their Memories?
Cylon Intelligence and the Society of Mind
A Dialogue Between A Smartass Fanboy and a Real Scientist, viz: The "Silica Pathways" to the Cylon Head
Colonial + Cylon + Natives = Human?
The Colonial Pharmacopeia
The Physics of Battlestar Galactica
Energy Matters
E=MC2
Special Relativity
General Relativity and Real Gravity (or Lack Thereof)
The Wonderful World of Radiation
The Effects of Nuclear Weapons, or How the Cylons Can Re-Occupy Caprica After a Few Days but Not Dead Earth After 2000 Years
The Twelve Colonies and the Rest of Space
Our Galaxy
A Star Is Born
The Many Different Types of Planets
Black Holes
There's No Sound in Space, and No Color Either
Water
Battlestar Tech
The Rocket's Blue Glare: Sublight Propulsion
Faster than Light: Galactica's Jump Drive
Artificial Gravity
Navigation
Battlestars, Raptors, and Vipers
Toasters and Jam: The Complexities of Electronic Warfare
How Did the Cylons Infiltrate the Colonial Computer Infrastructure?
So Where Are They?
Afterword
Notes
Author Biographies
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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