Battlestar Galatica Miniseries

Work Title: Battlestar Galatica Miniseries
Medium: TV Episode
Episode Title: Episode 2
Year: 2003
Writer(s): Glen A. Larson
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Ronald D. Moore
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Christopher Eric James
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: No
Summary:

from imdb.com In a distant galaxy lie The Twelve Colonies of Man, a civilization that has been at peace for some forty years with an empire of machines, the Cylons, who were created generations before as worker drones for mankind, but became independent, rose in rebellion, and launched war on their masters. Now, the Cylons have evolved into more human form, into machine-created biological beings, who seek to exterminate true biological humans. To this end they use a human scientist, Gaius, to help one of their infiltrators, known as #6, penetrate the Colonies' master defense mainframes; Gaius is reluctant but smitten by #6, a Cylon woman of seemingly insatiable sexual desire, and the result of their affair is a nuclear sneak-attack that obliterates the Colonies and the star navy deployed for their protection. One ship, however, survives, an obsolete battlestar known as the Galactica; scheduled for decommisioning, the Galactica instead must lead 50,000 surviving humans on a quest for a new homeworld, where they must bear children to rebuild their race. First, however, the Galactica must lead surviving ships of the Colonies to a weapons deployment base within a spatial storm, a rendezvous that leaves them trapped when two Cylon base stars track them down and open fire. Written by Michael Daly

Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

Distant future: space travel is common between multiple planets. Robots were created yaers ago.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: Number 6
  • Description of the technology: Number 6 is a Ceylone robot - the latest and most advanced generation. She is indistinguishable from humans. She is very attractive in a stereotypical fashion: blond, tall, white. She communicates with humans by speaking, and seems to communicate to her peers through another, silent, means. She is very intelligent, yet cruel and mean. She appears to dislike humans. She is able to have sex with human men.
  • Nature of task or activity: She interacts as if she is human. She seduces a man and uses him to obtain information on human defense system. She then appears to him even when not physically present.
  • Performance of the Technology: very well.
  • Description of creator(s): Humans.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): Presumably to advance science and make life easier.
  • Description of users of technology: All ages and races - they think she is human,
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: Until Dr. Gaius Baltar realizes she is a machine, very pleasurable. After, he is disgusted by her, yet fascinated.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: no.
  • Valence of experience: enjoys it - until the knowledge sets in.
  • Specific responses: enjoyment, involvement, physiological arousal, persuasion, distorted social judgments, more intense parasocial relationships, some sort of hallucinations.
Long-term consequences:

the people must continue their search for earth. They are alive, but everyone else is dead.

Other:

Coder name: Amanda Scheiner
Coder email: amandags@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University