Why shouldn’t they have to do a genetic analysis? Bioluminescence is the result of genetics, which tweaks certain organs into release certain enzymes. We know that humans can’t but we’re also learning that the tweak to make it so humans can isn’t that big, we know from our experiments in making these mods in lower animals that it is not a macroscopic change, proven by the fact that most of them can breed with their normal counterpart.
The download and resurrection ship stuff I’m not sure about. It would have to be a pretty strong receiver, probably coupled with some changes to the bio-electric field of the Cylons to make it more of a carrier wave type signal.
But there’s nothing wrong with not knowing yet. There’s still a dozen episodes to go, you don’t want to have all the answers with half a season yet to show, then there’s nothing to do.
They’re the final five because they’re the final five. Gotta have a name, heck they aren’t even the final five within the Cylon numbering scheme (they’re 7, and 9-12). Remember they aren’t just the final five to be revealed to us, they’re the final five to be revealed to them, in spite of the number scheme, regardless of the order of creation, they are the last five Cylons to be known.
Implausibility is a major part of story telling, the bigger the story the more implausible it tends to be. How plausible is it that two barefoot midgets walked up the side of a volcano in the heart of the bad guy’s territory and threw his most precious item in the drink? How plausible is it that the best person at every single command position wound up on the same Starfleet ship? How plausible is it that the votes of a couple hundred people would decide whether or not we had a president that would stand and fight after 9-11?
I’m not conceding anything, just pointing out that expecting things to mesh before the story has been told to its completion is asking to be disappointed. That’s what the dénouement is for, explaining the unexplained parts and making the story mesh.
Well JMS had B5 running around in his head for a decade before eh even got the pilot green lit, Ron Moore kind of stumbled into this project. But there’s tons of B5 that didn’t appear to mesh until end. And even with all the prep work things changed due to changes in JMS’s thinking. Sinclair wasn’t supposed to leave after the first season, he was supposed to leave for Sheridan to come in but it was supposed to be late in the second if not all the way to the third. But after the first season JMS realized he’d pushed Sinclair further down the “gone Mimbari” path than he should have so he made the switch. Plans change, whether they’re plans come up with over the course of months like Ron Moore with BSG or the plans come up with over the course of a decade like JMS in B5.
Well, virtually everything is the result of genetics one way or another. But do you need a genetic test to determine how many arms and legs a species has, or whether it has horns, or something along those lines? Or can you just...you know...look?
I think we must have a crossed signal here. I'm making a very basic point: the stuff in one's spinal column either can glow or it can't. You can tell this by examining the stuff. You don't need to trace back the genetic causality to tell you the end-state result of whether the stuff can glow. (People knew fireflies glowed, and probably a lot about the glowing stuff, without testing their genes, or even knowing about genes at all.)
What genetics might tell you is why/how the critter has glowing stuff. But I wasn't talking about that as a basis for the 'Cylon test' in the first place. My proposed basis was simply: 'does he have glowing stuff in his spine?' Again: one simply doesn't need genetics to test for that sort of property.
We know that humans can’t but we’re also learning that the tweak to make it so humans can isn’t that big,
Ok fine, the tweak wouldn't be that big in the DNA/informatics sense. Nevertheless, any humans so 'tweaked' would be relatively easy to tell from humans not tweaked: examine the gunk in/near their spine and see whether it contains material that could be biolumniscent.
we know from our experiments in making these mods in lower animals that it is not a macroscopic change,
'making the change' may not be macroscopic, but the evidence of the change (in your example) would be. In the case of 'glowing stuff in your spine', it definitely is. I still think you must just have missed the point I'm trying to make.
proven by the fact that most of them can breed with their normal counterpart.
This doesn't prove two critters have no macroscopic differences. It, rather, proves that they are the same species (by the conventional definition of species).
And by the way, I already made the point that I think humans and 'skinjobs' are the same species (by the most rational interpretation of what we've seen on the show), since as we have now seen, they can interbreed just fine. And so I think the 'glowing spine' stuff was just a cheesy thing they threw into the miniseries.
The download and resurrection ship stuff I’m not sure about. It would have to be a pretty strong receiver, probably coupled with some changes to the bio-electric field of the Cylons to make it more of a carrier wave type signal.
How are the Cylons creating this 'changed' bio-electric field that you think they must have? What is in their bodies that creates such a bio-electric field? Why can it be picked up by a resurrection ship but not by someone standing next to the Cylon who wants to test for Cylons?
But there’s nothing wrong with not knowing yet. There’s still a dozen episodes to go, you don’t want to have all the answers with half a season yet to show, then there’s nothing to do.
My complaint is not merely that we don't know. My complaint is that not only don't we know, but that there's really no logical explanation that would tie together such things, and thus even if we do get some 'answer' it will be something made up and insufficient.
You really don't think BSG in the final half-season is going to explain scientifically stuff like how Cylons download, or their glowing spines, do you?
Implausibility is a major part of story telling, the bigger the story the more implausible it tends to be.
I don't know if "bigger" is the word you mean there. Lots of "big" stories are not in the least implausible. Also if "implausibility is a major part of story telling" is meant to be a principle, rather than an empirical observation (i.e. the beloved 'everybody does it' defense), I disagree with it.
What I think you're trying to say is that sprawling and fantastical stories (like BSG, and most sci-fi) are inherently implausible. This is 100% true, which is precisely why things such as getting the rules of their universe straight and abiding consistently by them is so important.
How plausible is it that two barefoot midgets walked up the side of a volcano in the heart of the bad guy’s territory and threw his most precious item in the drink?
Not plausible at all. Which is precisely why it's a good thing that Sam didn't turn to Frodo at the last minute and go "oh by the way, I'm really an Orc in disguise, and always have been. And that ring you have? It's really a meaningless paper clip, and always has been. Also, I don't even like you." The story was fantastical but consistent, and painted a picture of a world that was imaginary but believable on its own terms.
How plausible is it that the best person at every single command position wound up on the same Starfleet ship?
Not plausible at all, which is a knock against Star Trek in my book. Because it makes that world less believable on its own terms.
I’m not conceding anything, just pointing out that expecting things to mesh before the story has been told to its completion is asking to be disappointed.
Silly me, I think things should mesh pretty well all the way through.
It seems like what you're talking about is the fact that stories don't reveal all their mysteries. This is true but it's not what I'm complaining about. If I merely thought that BSG had a bunch of unexplained but conceivably explainable mysteries, I'd have no complaint whatsoever. Part of the reason for my criticism is that I know full well by this point - and I think you do too - that no satisfactory 'explanation' for these sorts of things is going to be forthcoming.
That’s what the dénouement is for, explaining the unexplained parts and making the story mesh.
There is no conceivable way for them to do this at this point. That's the problem with making things up as you go along and contradicting yourself in the process.
Well JMS had B5 running around in his head for a decade before eh even got the pilot green lit, Ron Moore kind of stumbled into this project.
Ok so "it's okay" if BSG is inconsistent then.
Wait a minute. Are you arguing with me or not? Seems like not.
But there’s tons of B5 that didn’t appear to mesh until end.
But there's more of BSG that doesn't mesh and is never going to. I'd bet on it. Do you honestly disagree? You really think a great, all-explanatory 'explanation' is coming up? Sounds like you're the one setting yourself up for disappointment.
By the way, I don't want to make it seem like I only like these serial stories if they're all 100% plotted out in advance. Plotting them out is a way of minimizing the inconsistency, but another way would be just good writing. Deadwood would be an example, I don't believe he plotted out the entire story. Indeed, I think he was making a lot of it up as he went along, and in many cases just following the characters and story whereever it took him.
But he did this in a way that respected the integrity of the world he created. He never did the equivalent of 'let's make Tigh a Cylon'. I honestly don't know how anyone can watch BSG all the way through and think it makes any sort of sense for Tigh to be a Cylon.