nBSG Episode 409: "The Hub"

[Uraniun235]

I missed that one, I'll have to go back and watch it now

It's the part where Adama is reading to Roslin.

I found it interesting that Colonial Vipers can carry Cylon Raider nuclear ordnance - it was also interesting that such nuclear ordnance was sufficient to completely destroy one nearby Basestar and probably another, yet a direct hit from one of them back in the miniseries (looked the same to me) only damaged Galactica's flight-pod.

I'm wondering if a lot of the damage being dealt to the Basestars wasn't from the nukes themselves, but from debris from the Hub hitting them. I think we saw the same thing with Cloud 9 and surrounding Colonial ships.

That and Basestars definitely appear to be much more lightly armored than Battlestars, given that three Basestars can pound on a Battlestar for some time and not destroy it outright, yet two Battlestars can reduce two Basestars to debris fairly quickly in a straight-up gun battle.

[Minischoles]

I missed that one, I'll have to go back and watch it now

It's the part where Adama is reading to Roslin.

I found it interesting that Colonial Vipers can carry Cylon Raider nuclear ordnance - it was also interesting that such nuclear ordnance was sufficient to completely destroy one nearby Basestar and probably another, yet a direct hit from one of them back in the miniseries (looked the same to me) only damaged Galactica's flight-pod.

I'm wondering if a lot of the damage being dealt to the Basestars wasn't from the nukes themselves, but from debris from the Hub hitting them. I think we saw the same thing with Cloud 9 and surrounding Colonial ships.

That and Basestars definitely appear to be much more lightly armored than Battlestars, given that three Basestars can pound on a Battlestar for some time and not destroy it outright, yet two Battlestars can reduce two Basestars to debris fairly quickly in a straight-up gun battle.

I always think of Basestars as equivalents to a pure aircraft carrier instead of as the Battlestars are a kind of hybrid aircraft carrier/battleship. Their strength is purely on the huge amount of planes they can put in the air, not on their ability to take a pounding and still deliver huge amounts of firepower with their gun batteries.

[tim31]

Wait, what? A battlestar is indubitably a combination warship; Galactica has relied heavily on its air wing since the first exodus because they've got a large fleet of civilian ships to cover, for which they allocate vipers as perimeter defense. As already mentioned, we've seen Galactica and Pegasus handing out punishment to basestars with minimal air cover because their air wings were engaged with taking out the resurrection ship.

[Ohma]

Wait, what? A battlestar is indubitably a combination warship; Galactica has relied heavily on its air wing since the first exodus because they've got a large fleet of civilian ships to cover, for which they allocate vipers as perimeter defense. As already mentioned, we've seen Galactica and Pegasus handing out punishment to basestars with minimal air cover because their air wings were engaged with taking out the resurrection ship.

I think that's what Mini was saying.

[tim31]

You're right, I read it completely wrong. Why, why did they name the two types of capital ships in such a way as to appear very similar in print? My apologies, Mini!

[Starglider]

I always think of Basestars as equivalents to a pure aircraft carrier instead of as the Battlestars are a kind of hybrid aircraft carrier/battleship.

Basestars have very little armour but can release large numbers of missiles at a rapid rate. That makes them a missile cruiser/carrier hybrid more like the Russian 'heavy aircraft carrying cruisers' (i.e. carriers that sacrifice some aircraft capability to mount significant missile armament).

[Sarevok]

The episode was a dissapointment. Was expecting something suitably more epic for the pivotal event of destroying cylon resurrection ability. Something that would put Resurrection Ship II to shame. The actual battle was lame. They did not even send joint Centurion / Colonial Marine strike teams to assault the Hub. Instead opting for hollywood style two guys with pistol raid on bad guys fortress. Which is such a wasted oppurtunity to develop some unlikely relationship between the machine warriors and the human soldiers. Watching how Centurions and Raiders react to fighting alongside their former flesh and blood enemies could had been very interesting.

Also inside of the base star felt like a star trek alien ship. Previously base stars had such an enigma to them. You were not sure what was it like inside. The cylons remained a mystery. In this episode it lacked that atmosphere.

[Uraniun235]

The episode was a dissapointment. Was expecting something suitably more epic for the pivotal event of destroying cylon resurrection ability. Something that would put Resurrection Ship II to shame. The actual battle was lame. They did not even send joint Centurion / Colonial Marine strike teams to assault the Hub. Instead opting for hollywood style two guys with pistol raid on bad guys fortress. Which is such a wasted oppurtunity to develop some unlikely relationship between the machine warriors and the human soldiers. Watching how Centurions and Raiders react to fighting alongside their former flesh and blood enemies could had been very interesting.

Also inside of the base star felt like a star trek alien ship. Previously base stars had such an enigma to them. You were not sure what was it like inside. The cylons remained a mystery. In this episode it lacked that atmosphere.

I think at some point you start to run into budgetary limitations, not only of money but of time. This episode was absolutely jammed full of development and action. We got the "tension between Cylons and humans" in the pilots' briefing and I think that's all we could ask for; it's not like we could get much bonding between grunts and Centurions because the Centurions can't talk. (I for one was really, really hoping for a synthesized voice response to Baltar's preaching, but alas...)

Also, at some point the mystery needs to be stripped away. I want to see everything about the Cylons. I expect to be disappointed in this fashion, but I hope that before the end of the series we get to learn just how the skinjobs came to be created, how and why their society was ordered the way it was, how they came to decide to live where they did and what did they do when they got there, how did they get the crazy idea to make a big "resurrection hub" that would be the lynchpin for the entire bloody race...

They're not mystic beings, they're people of a sort, and I want to know how that people was born, and lives and breathes, and soon will die.

[NeoGoomba]

I noticed that the Rebels did not launch normal Raiders after the battle had been joined, and at first I thought that was odd. But then I remembered the Hybrid stating that Raiders won't kill their own, hence, no Raider vs. Raider dogfighting. That said, there must be a fundamental difference between the regular Skinjob Cylons and the Final models, since the Raiders have no problem blasting the normal models, yet went into full retreat upon ID'ing Anders.

All that said, I loved the episode. And the final scene was a truly wonderful way to cap it off, with the fantastic combination of music and acting. Its not often you see happy/teary eyed Olmos, but man can he pull it off.

[LadyTevar]

I just saw it on youtube....

I think the hybrid was talking Roslyn.

[dworkin]

Nice episode. Things are finally moving to the conclusion.

One thing that confused me. The destruction of the Hub destroyed all cylon resurection? Isn't this just a pursuit fleet chasing after the humans?

I refuse to imagine that the entire cylon civilisation is that tiny. This bit that's obsessive about the surviving humans, sure. All the Cylon? And anyway, why not build a new Hub? Or are they all out of plotdevicium?

[General Zod]

Nice episode. Things are finally moving to the conclusion.

One thing that confused me. The destruction of the Hub destroyed all cylon resurection? Isn't this just a pursuit fleet chasing after the humans?

I refuse to imagine that the entire cylon civilisation is that tiny. This bit that's obsessive about the surviving humans, sure. All the Cylon? And anyway, why not build a new Hub? Or are they all out of plotdevicium?

There's only 12 models. Their civilization is that tiny. As far as building a new hub, do you really think they have the ability to take on that massive an undertaking while they're in the middle of a civil war?

[LadyTevar]

Nice episode. Things are finally moving to the conclusion.

One thing that confused me. The destruction of the Hub destroyed all cylon resurection? Isn't this just a pursuit fleet chasing after the humans?

I refuse to imagine that the entire cylon civilisation is that tiny. This bit that's obsessive about the surviving humans, sure. All the Cylon? And anyway, why not build a new Hub? Or are they all out of plotdevicium?

This was the CENTRAL HUB... not just any Resurrection Ship. This is not just what controls all other Resurrection Ships, but what holds the 'Group Mind' of each model, thus the 8's comment about all being separate now as they escape with De'anna.

[dworkin]

So the entire cylon civilisation is chasing after the humans in the fleet? All the ones that were on Caprica chasing all the humans left after the very light nuking? All the ones that built the basestars and ran the factories for them and so on? I thought the Resurection Ship in season two was there because the bunch chasing the humans were too far away from home. Emphasis on home.

[NeoGoomba]

We have no idea the distance covered by the Rebel Baseship as it headed to the Hub. All we know is that they took a hell of a lot of jumps to get from Galactica to the destination.

[xerex]

didnt the entire Cylon civilization abandon both thier home and conquered systems prior to invading New Caprica ? which would mean that while the entire civilization prob isnt chasing directly after galactica the entire civ is probably in a nomadic state at the moment.

[SpacedTeddyBear]

We have no idea the distance covered by the Rebel Baseship as it headed to the Hub. All we know is that they took a hell of a lot of jumps to get from Galactica to the destination.

They wouldn't have been that far ( or as far as Selix thought they were) since Pike's Raptor was able to make it back to El G in one jump.

[Gil Hamilton]

This was the CENTRAL HUB... not just any Resurrection Ship. This is not just what controls all other Resurrection Ships, but what holds the 'Group Mind' of each model, thus the 8's comment about all being separate now as they escape with De'anna.

Now that I've watched the episode, it's kind of silly, isn't it? It's kind of like a boss battle in a video gave where they have a clear "Hit here to win" spot. You'd think the Cylons wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket and would have some sort of backup system that at the very least allows the Resurrection ships to act independently until they could bring online one of the numerous backup Hubs they should have and reboot the system.

That kind of damps the episode, a little, because despite the episode being fairly fantastic, I can't shake the feeling that the last few episodes with the whole mission to raid and then blow up the Hub should have been completely pointless if the Cylons had a bit of sense.