May 28, 2007
GWC Podcast #45
We jump right in to Six Degrees of Separation this week and take a few more listener calls. Highlights: we discuss the evolution of Baltar over three seasons,question (yet again) the nature of six, compare lousy-shot centurions to lousy-shot stormtroopers, note how Roslin helps keep BSG “babe-a-licious,” and comment on Tigh’s “weight loss patch.”
Galactic Watercooler 
Modern Geek 
Save Eureka 
Eff This Week 
FitSmart
Yeah, the centurion voice was as close as I could manage with the default voices on my Mac. It’s too high to be a dead ringer, but I figured close enough.
Flying cars? Right here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_car
I liked the RDM-style ‘casts as well, but they should come out earlier on Sunday, so that I… er, we can watch them at home with the episode.
Note on the cut-corners aesthetic: If something opens, like a book, folder, or notepad, the outside corners are cut but the binding side is not.
Cylon depth perception: If, like Tigh, you have one eye, you can figure out depth by moving your head from one side to another and observing the relative apparent motion of objects. Cylon Centurions have only one eye, but it is constantly moving from side to side so they probably have decent depth perception.
Hello Recognizable, Artistic and Coolest Ones,
Unfortunately working on Memorial Day, but on the plus side enables me to listen to the podcast.
Besides designing a Cylon detector (that worked even if he lied about it) and plotting the path to Earth, there are two other points that lead me to believe in the ‘Supergenius’ status of Baltar
1) He came up with the cylon baby blood cure for Laura Roslin, which even Doc Cottle could barely understand, and
2) He has written a well read treatise on the developing social stratification and power structure of the Fleet, which by the judgment of many of the people is pretty accurate.
While individually each of these accomplishments would qualify someone as simply ‘pretty darn smart’, demonstrating expertise in computer science, astrophysics, biology and social theory would suggest to me one is a wily ‘supergenius’.
Cold Squat? COLD SQUAT? Yikes Audra! In the RDM podcast known as the Galactica Roundtable Tahmoh clearly states that he starred on the series Cold Squad that aired on CTV which is a Canadian television network. Your caller stated CBC but that was a wee bit wrong. The Tigh-clops also starred on that show with Helo and Doral. Unfortunately Tahmoh got on the show right before it got cancelled so he fell back into being Helo.
If you want an interesting look at where some of these actors have performed before, think about Dark Angel. Chief and Sharon popped up in guest roles in the second season while Gaeta had a minor supporting role during the show’s two seasons. If memory serves, Tory was on that show too as a Dr. Shankar.
I’ve only seen a few episodes of Dark Angel, but the ones I’ve seen had Kandise McKlure (Dee) and Sam Witwer (Crashdown) in them.
First time I saw the Chief was in a little film called Walking Tall, starring The Rock. He’s only got a small part, but it’s a good part. And he looks so young.
The Alpaca Herder – No offense intended! Just being silly.
FWIW, I grew up practically on the U.S. – Canada border and appreciate our friends to the north more than your average bear. I watched CBC, listened to Canadian radio, and spent plenty of time in Kingston, Toronto, and the Falls. I remember the comedy sketch “Talking to Americans.” I can sing the national anthem. I’ve been to Canada’s Wonderland in ON and to Victoria and Vancouver BC. I know how to pronounce Regina. I love Labatt Blue and summer thunderboomers and -AND- I know the words to the Mounty Song!
P.S. I remember now also seeing Aaron Douglas (Chief) in a Stargate episode or two.
The “mounty song?” Is that anything like the “Lumberjack song?”
By the way, let me second Audra’s statement in the podcast that to be a “supergenius” one not need be ultra-smart in all facets of life. I think the misconception most of us uperate under is that genius defines all aspects of a person’s life and that such people are somehow far above us mere mortals (kind of like secular saints, if you will). All we need to do to disprove that is look at the man who epitomizes the modern ideals of a genius, Albert Einstein, to realize that this is, in fact, not true (the man couldn’t tie his shoes and wasn’t very good at math, after all, and his relationships with women and his own children were apparently less than stellar).
Audra — My apologies. I should also note that GWC starts my podcast listening week and is followed on Monday by the R3-30 music countdown from CBC Radio 3 and so on.
When I finally finished listening to the podcast, I kinda felt pretty awful with the above. Again, my apologies. It is difficult switching from lurker to somewhat participating listener.
To clarify my previous point and follow-up the point made by Armando, from personal experience in academia I can vouch for the fact that being a ‘Supergenius’ in no way implies mental sanity or emotional stability. I view Baltar as simultaneously embodying all the qualities of a supergenius and a whack job.
Don’t get me started on academia, Phil! That’s a field definitely full of whack jobs. (And I should know, as I am one!) 😉
I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK
I sleep all night and I work all day…
The song did not refer directly to Mounties, but Monty Python would dress up as them when performing on stage.
I do not know of anyone up here in Canada who has “buttered scones for tea”, but it sound better than “a double double and a donut at Tim Horton’s”.
Funny song 🙂
Babe factor: All apologies to Laura, but my quarter is on Cally
sean is the coolest, best funniest and awesomeist
chuck is reconisible and ummmmmmmmm has grey hair
I just realized this morning by hearing the podcast, when Chuck, Audra and Sean werre talking about Billy being a cylon, and when Bernunit said that the countdown to next episode was like 200 days that the Pegasus movie is in like 2 or 3 months, so maybe we could have a BILLY CAMEO, since everyone was alive before the “Pegasus” storyline began, so I just wanted to say that.
And on the Battlstar stars before fame, I wanted to mention that the chief (I don’t actually know how many people know this, but I was deeply surprised two weeks ago) was in a little movie I like to call “X2” right whe Storm enters Stryker’s base and there’s an “electrical interferance”.
Good luck everybody.
elo was a replicaor in Stargate speaking of stargate, the Jaffa cant shoot either. And are you sasying the toastwers are gonna pull an asgard, cause id be pissed
everybody on june 6th there is a specil screening of a senak peak on S4 in Seallte only 500 seats. Look for it on youtune the next day
alos you red my mind your all f—ers —ing—ers—ing hating Boxy and all
NonBSG geek out moment alert:
On Sean’s theory on why imperial stormtroopers are such bad shots: are they all still clones by the time of the original trilogy? I’m under the impression that by then the empire was recruiting non-clones, since none of the stormtroopers have a Kiwi accent.
You may now resume your regularly scheduled Galactica-themed geek-out.
Armando and Phil – Right on about academia! “The Nutty Professor” is more than a character – it’s an archetype, hehe.
The Alpaca Herder – No worries at all. And we’re glad to have you here!
Luc – *singing* “Oh no the RCMP – is not the life for me!” 😉
Boxy – your posts increasingly remind me of my students’ papers. And thanks for the heads up on Seattle!
So Audra-your students have a Joycean penchant for near absurdist turns of phrase too? 😉
Hi all,
After listening to the podcast (couldn’t get to it until Tuesday morning!), I had a thought – we need a contest for “Subtitle Names” for the Galactica Watercooler podcast. For example (following the themes of the day):
“Galactica Watercooler: Audra and her Posse”
“Galactica Watercooler – I Can’t Get No . . . Cylon Action” (apologies to Mick Jagger)
“Galactica Watercooler – Audra Does Galactica” (sorry Audra, couldn’t resist!)
“Galactica Watercooler – Two Men and a Star”
“Galactica Watercooler – You can’t digitally enhance this podcast!”
“Galactica Watercooler – Where men are Cylons and the women are hot!”
I’m sure you’ll all have better ones than me.
Cheers,
BernUnit
Armando: “Joycean penchant for near absurdist turns of phrase” – my Facetious Alarm just hit the “Driest” setting. I thought she was alluding to a “Luddite tendency for anti-qwewty turns of the keyboard.”
Or just Paroxymal Prose.
Armando and writch: You guys know big words! 😉
BernUnit – Audra Does Galactica?!? Oh no!!! *head in hands* I’m not that kind of cylon.
So Michael Hogan was in “Cold Squat”…
CRAAAAAAAAAP!
Why indeed, I like to minimize my communicative potential by using as much superlative verbiage within a sentence as I possibly can (perhaps with a parenthetical remark–or two–within said structure, adding to the level of total incomprehensibility of the entire construct [a rather baroque tendency, I admit]), an unfortunate side-effect of my academic training.
Whew!
(I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean…S-M-A-R-T…remember what I said about academic whack jobs?)
And English is not even my first language, folks!
Michael Hogan, Susan Hogan (Captain Franks in Crossroads parts 1 and 2), Nicki Clyne, Tamoh Penikett, and Erica Cerra (Maya, Hera’s mom-for-a-while) have all been on The L Word. Michael and Susan Hogan played the parents of one of the main characters. Nicki and Tamoh were in the same episode but not in any scenes together. Nicki’s character picked up one of the main characters who was hitchhiking, and Tamoh played the sheriff that the character’s boyfriend tried to talk to. Erica played a dancer and later a vampire, I mean, a vampirologist.
huh, I just now noticed on Susan Hogan’s imdb page that she was also in Cold Squad and Dark Angel.
Michael Hogan’s missing eye has also been doing work. I heard that he was an extra for the pop out eye for POTC 3.
Hehe,
Audra, I always knew you were the 5th Cylonette!
BernUnit
On BSG cast in other venues: Aaron Douglas (Tyrol) also shows up in a first-season episode of “Smallville” as a local police officer (or sheriff, possibly).
I also enjoyed the commentary podcasts — keep ’em coming!
Alright, I finally listened to it today. I keep thinking about Sean talking about the Bush chuckle (I guess that’s what that is) and that gal from “Litmus”. I love to watch him talk for that reason alone! It’s terribly amusing. And like Chuck, I’m a huge fan of politics, so I can’t wait to see “Colonial Day” again. Actually, I shouldn’t say I’m a fan of politics, more like a follower of politics. I feel that 99% of politicians aren’t to be trusted. At all. I don’t know enough about the other 1% to make a judgement. lol Really though, I’m not quite that cynical… yet.
Also, Tigh and his real life wife have appeared together (as husband and wife) in “The L Word”. I can’t help but imagine him and Kate Vernon because Ellen is his real wife as far as I’m concerned. Those two had a GREAT chemistry together. My only complaint with Season 3 is that they killed her off. The least they could do is make her a Cylon. Nobody cares about Tory the Robot. Who will spread swirls throughout the fleet?
And one last thought- check out the awful BSG action figures. There’s an Anders, Helo, Hot Dog, Six, Six, and Lee (off the top of my head). Anders, oh my goodness. He looks like a shaven chimpanzee.
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=DMC10646&mode=retail&picture=out
OK – I am not quite done with the podcast, but wanted to chime in on one thing – I like the RDM style podcasts, of course I was able to get them synced up relatively well.
While I would like to hear more, I would miss the great discussions on my way to work if you did more then a few. It takes me 2-3 days to get through the podcast (it only takes me 15 minutes to get to work).
Chuck – Colonial Day is one of my favorites too (and it wasn’t the first one I saw – I was a late comer to Galactica, The Farm was the first epi I saw)
Note in “Flesh and Bone” how Mary McDonnell gets the no make-up treatment as well, when Roslin is waking up from her nightmare. (What is up with that nightmare, anyway??!)
13th – The Anders action figure is a little odd – I think they made his face too wide. And I’m not sure about the high-waisted, 1960s-style tight action hero pants either! (lol – a shaved chimpanzee!)
Where’s the tattoo??
(Re: action figures) Oh no! That’s Hot Dog?!? I thought at first it was Sharon with her hair tied back!
13th, aren’t you a little young to be so cynical? 😉
(I’m with you on the trust one should place on politicians. Every now and then, when I’m really impassioned about something, I think that I should run for office–something small, at the local level like schoolboard or something like that–then I remember how corrupting power at even such a low level in the beaurocracy can be. Thanks, but no thanks!)
I’ve seen not just Tyrol on Smallville, but Cally as a waitress at the Talon (and possibly also Kat), Helo was just on as a Frankenstein soldier and Elosha had a recurring role as Lex’s psychologist. I guess when all the shows are filmed in Vancouver, you start drawing from the same pool of actors.