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.

Ah, you're assuming that the delay was only because the virus was interrupted during transmission, and it was supposed to have an instant effect? I can't buy that. One of the things the virus did was send a signal to the Cylon fleet, so that they'd know where Galactica was once it was vulnerable. If they'd expected it to work while the battle was still going on, there's no need for that.

Gaeta does say that it took a while for the virus to crack the ship's security codes. I've done plenty of "maybe what really happened is..." myself, so I have no problem with that, but at a certain point I assume that the writers are at least trying to give us the information we need to understand the story.

I don't know if this helps, but pictures of the various rank insignia are here: [link]

---

Ah, you're assuming that the delay was only because the virus was interrupted during transmission, and it was supposed to have an instant effect? I can't buy that. One of the things the virus did was send a signal to the Cylon fleet, so that they'd know where Galactica was once it was vulnerable. If they'd expected it to work while the battle was still going on, there's no need for that.

But the virus was also described as learning and adapting. Maybe it's intitial function wasn't going to involve sending a signal. On the other hand, if you're right and it wasn't meant to take effect right away, I still don't see why it wouldn't make sense to infect as much of the fleet as possible with it. If Galactica knew they were attacked with a virus, and it was still able to hide undetected in the systems for weeks, they could just as easily infect civilian ships with it and let it run it's course undetected, at which point it shuts down the ships and sends a signal home, meaning Galactica suddenly has a bunch of crippled ships to worry about in addition to the imminent Cylon attack.

Gaeta does say that it took a while for the virus to crack the ship's security codes. I've done plenty of "maybe what really happened is..." myself, so I have no problem with that, but at a certain point I assume that the writers are at least trying to give us the information we need to understand the story.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying the hell out of the series (and anxiously awaiting my season 2.5 DVDs so I can be caught up for the premiere of season 3) This plot device just struck me as odd, not only the network suddenly making Galactica vulnerable, but the Cylons magically knowing that that was the the time to try using a virus. (The other idea is they've always been trying to use viruses, in which case the question becomes why haven't they used them on the rest of the fleet. Especially since, as we learned in Home part 1, there are other ships in the fleet with weapons beyond Galactica, they just don't have nearly as much firepower.)

I don't know if this helps, but pictures of the various rank insignia are here: [link]

Thanks. The LT JG seems to be off, as the name plate on Boomer's Raptor lists her as a JG, but she's got the little diamond divided off on the bottom on her insignia and I haven't seen anyone on the show with a solid insignia like that. (Also, there apparently are some promotions in the latter half of season 2 I wasn't aware of. Oh, well.)

I will say, while it was hardly authentic-looking, at least the Star Trek: Next Gen-era ranks were real easy to read on-screen. Just count the pips. (Though it got more iffy once they made Chief O'Brian a major character and realized they had no designation for enlisted and non-coms. I think they started out with him having a single hollow pip, and then moved to having him wear a pin that looked like a set of enlisted stripes.)

---

Maybe it's intitial function wasn't going to involve sending a signal.

I don't know what to tell you. If the virus was originally supposed to do something totally different, and if it was not just a virus but an AI that could come up with its own independent goals and strategies (and coordinate with AI programs in the other computers), and if severing the network slowed it down initially, and if the civilian ships are networked, and whatever I'm forgetting... then yeah, there are big problems with that. But I don't see where any of that has a basis in the show. So, to me, the problems you're bringing up seem like a good reasons to reconsider your premises.

---

I don't know what to tell you. If the virus was originally supposed to do something totally different, and if it was not just a virus but an AI that could come up with its own independent goals and strategies (and coordinate with AI programs in the other computers), and if severing the network slowed it down initially, and if the civilian ships are networked, and whatever I'm forgetting... then yeah, there are big problems with that. But I don't see where any of that has a basis in the show. So, to me, the problems you're bringing up seem like a good reasons to reconsider your premises.

In the mini-series they made it pretty clear that Galactica was unusual because none of its computers were networked, which suggests networked computers is the norm for "modern" ships.

I already conceded (in addition to my other theory) that it's possible the virus actually worked as planned, but even so, I'm unsure how the Cylons knew to use it right when they did, and why they never tried it on the civilian ships when the results, while not nearly as devastating, would still be advantageous.

---

which suggests networked computers is the norm for "modern" ships.

Modern military ships. The fleet is civilian. In the real world, I assume that the tech aboard aircraft carrier is slightly different from what you find on a cargo freighter. Of course, the Pegasus has networked computers and didn't ever have this problem. Which is another reason I just don't think it's that unreasonable to believe that creating an ad hoc network aboard the Galactica made it uniquely vulnerable.

I do think the timing should have been explained -- if they are always attempting to hack in, or if God really does love them, or if they could detect that the network existed, or if Gaeta's a Cylon, or whatever. But the other stuff doesn't seem like a problem to me.

---

Anybody else wondering what life would have been like for Buffy if Jack Carter had indulged his law enforcement proclivities in the general vacinity of Sunnydale?

My brain is enjoying the mental image of a conversation with Giles, Carter, and... say... Oz. Oz would be highly amused by Carter, I think.

---

I love Andi's scenario...

Ooh, those of you who get HGTV, set your TiVos! I recorded a thing over the weekend called "Keys to the Castle" and didn't have a chance to watch it till last night. It's a visit to four castles in the British Isles, each still being lived in, which was interesting in itself. But it was hosted by John Barrowman! He was having such fun! Especially when he showed up at Cawdor Castle dressed in his own tartan, with a rekindled Scots accent, and admitted he'd been born and raised near there. As the lady of the castle has no Scots accent, he soon lapsed back into American, though.

Worth watching, just to see Barrowman get his goof on over his haunted bedroom.

---

Dear heavens, it must have been a tragedy to hear those oh-so-authentic midwest vowels shoved through Barrowman's lovely nose after hearing the Scots out of him.

---

Well, it was only a remnant of Scots. An echo, if you will, but yes, lovely.

---

"BtVS love"

....what is that exactly?....

I really liked tonight's episode, by the way. It's one of my favorites - but that's because of what it is. My buddy Scott would have put it somewhere in the middle but I really liked it.

It should have aired BEFORE last week's episode and because of the wedding ring but besides that it works in this order.

I think it's really fun.

---