Was he just trying to add their computing power?

Yes. He needed to do several complicated calculations as quickly as possible. I think that networking was just a way to give the FTL machine a quick upgrade.

---

This is my first post here, so hopefully I get all of the ettiquitte / slang right.

I've been listening to the podcasts for Eureka. Overall, I liked Primal. I agree that some of the camera angles are really odd. In the scene with Jack and Allison outside of the tunnel into the computer, I found that the camera angles were tilted in such a way that I kept turning my head over to one side or the other, trying to straighten out the frame.

The "romantic" music was definitely not romantic, but I think it can be argued that fits Eureka. I would've like more traditional romantic music better though. I loved that there were a bunch of people typing on their laptops in the back of the room. (Having gone to a number of dances at scientific conferences it isn't that unusual to find people poking away at their Treos.)

I'm glad they got the physics of the sand right in a couple of spots. I feel sorry for Colin that he must've gotten splashed in the face with sand / cream of wheat lots of times in a row, but since Nano!LoJack was running towards Jack, it makes sense that Colin got covered in sand. And then in the scene with Nano!Stark and Allison, it makes sense that the sand fell straight down. (IIRC, I think they goof up this aspect in SG1.) The nanoids flying around, well I don't know... suspension of disbelief I guess.

In contrast, in Right as Raynes, while I loved the scene with the magnetic fence (which is probably the best scene we've seen so far), the physics seemed a bit off. The sherriff's shield landed out to the left of Jack, whereas it should've been right behind him or out to the other side (given that the shield was pinned on left and then Jack rotating around on right foot). On the other hand, if the shield was out to Jack's right, we would've seen the shield fall down when the fence was turned off, which probably would've taken away from the scene.

I realize I'm probably slightly crazy for noticing these things.

---

For those who think Doctor Who and Torchwood are not enough Who....

Let's just hope it's more successful than the last Sarah-Jane spin-off, which never made it past the pilot.

---

If Galactica is still operational, that doesn't help; Galactica is still the fleet's defense. And if Galactica is out of the picture, they don't need to mess around with viruses to pick off the other ships.

But if you bog down a bunch of their ships with viruses, it ruins their normal fight while everyone else runs away, and then run away themselves tactic. All of a sudden a handful of ships don't make the jump and Galactica either has to abandon them (including their people and possible resources) or risk destruction trying to defend them while they trying figure out what's going on. Not to mention the networks on those ships are probably naturally integrated, which means the virus has a larger chance to spread and cause havoc as it would take a lot longer to pull the plug.

It took at least a month for the virus to start affecting the ship. And I don't think it's a trick that you'd count on working more than once.

This is all theoritical, but considering Gaeta pulled the plug on the network just as the firewall was broken, I imagine the complete virus didn't get through and it had to rebuild itself (a possibility, since it was said to adapt and grow) before it could start seriously affecting things. A civilian ship that didn't know it was coming and didn't interrupt the upload wouldn't fare as well, I think.

Of course, if the Nav computer is tied into the Comms (or whichever system allowed the Cylons to upload the virus), I'm not sure how it didn't end up with the full virus, network or no network. Pulling the plug on the network would stop it from spreading, but it wouldn't stop it from infecting the initial computer.

Speaking of Gaeta, I've been rewatching Season 1 with commentary, and I noticed he initially doesn't have pilot's wings on his uniform and then they suddenly appear around episode 5 or so. Very odd.

At least, I assume the large winged diamond on the left breast indicates a pilot, since Apollo gives one to Hot Dog after he shoots down his first Cylons, telling him "You earned these today." All of the pilots have them, while Adama and Tigh have a similar badge, but the wings are horizontal instead of angled, which I assume represents Battlestar command or something.

All the other officers we see milling about in the background in assorted scenes don't have them, and the rank insignia seem to be the two pins on the lapels of the uniform. Boomer and Starbuck have a diamond with a single "stripe" on the top [which I assume means Lt, jg], while Apollo has two stripes on top and one below [which makes sense since he's a captain]. Tigh and Adama have a bunch of stripes and little raised symbols in the middle of their diamonds.

The non-coms seem to use slightly different insignias and in silver, though I haven't got a really good look at them.

So did Gaeta suddenly earn his wings at some point, or did the costume people forget he wasn't a pilot? (Which wouldn't surprise me. In one episode, "Hand of God", I think, Tigh is standing the backround wearing the circle above square clasp thingy from his dress uniform in place of his wings on his blues.)

Yes, I realize I'm getting ridiculously nit-picky, but things like this sort of stand out when I can't hear the dialogue and I don't get swept up in the story. (Though there a couple points where I caught myself straing to hear the dialogue and completely ignoring what Ron Moore was saying before remembering why I was watching again.) I was mostly just trying to figure out how rank was signified on the uniforms. (How sad is it that I can recognize ranks from TV shows better than I can the real-life military?)

---

I realize I'm probably slightly crazy for noticing these things.

Welcome, Amlai. You'll likely find you fit right in here.

---

No, not completely crazy. For this forum, appropriately nit-picky. I know with the tight production schedule for a TV show (not to mention modest budgets) you can't always expect perfection, but even if viewers don't consciously notice something like sand falling incorrectly, there's subliminal expectations based on the way we're instinctively wired. So it, um, grinds away at the suspension of disbelief where it should be, um polishing up the sense of wonder.

---

Hi amlai!

but even if viewers don't consciously notice something like sand falling incorrectly, there's subliminal expectations based on the way we're instinctively wired

People here regularly notice things that I will never consciously notice while watching a show. I will pay attention on repeat viewing or sit here nodding as I realize the details I missed. I’m oblivious to the details while at the same time I require their existence.

When I find a show or an episode particularly noteworthy it often means that I will pick up details I didn’t originally notice on the subsequent viewings. I love when I watch an episode for the 4th time and discover that a character has the absolute perfect choice of reading material sitting on their desk.

When I sit down to be entertained I’m most aware of character believability and consistency. I treasure clever dialogue. I want aesthetically pleasing people, sets, costumes. For the most part I don’t notice the brilliant details at the time I am watching. I either enjoy reading about them here, or think of them later as I review the episode in my mind. With detail rich shows I watch the first time for the overall plot advancement and interesting character moments, and then I can notice the details on a repeat viewing.

It is probably fortunate that I enjoy so few shows since I seem to require multiple viewings to gain full appreciation.

---

It is probably fortunate that I enjoy so few shows since I seem to require multiple viewings to gain full appreciation.

Ha. Tivo has not been healthy for me in this regard.

---

Welcome, Amlai. You'll likely find you fit right in here.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

---

I realize I'm probably slightly crazy for noticing these things.

and

Yes, I realize I'm getting ridiculously nit-picky

The "pedant" tag never really closes here, does it?

t /Buffista

When I sit down to be entertained I’m most aware of character believability and consistency. I treasure clever dialogue. I want aesthetically pleasing people, sets, costumes.

nods

---