Comments on: Jack-O-Cylontern http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:25:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: mungascr http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22726 mungascr Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:41:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22726 My vote would have to be for Babylon-5 as best ever SF TV. Firefly and the New Galactica were pretty cool too - & then there's Dr Who - and someone on that Evil Mad scientist site, the same one as theCyclon Jack-o-Lantern actually, has also made a pumpkin Dalek!! Now that takes first prize if I were judging! ;-) Babylon 5 starfuries and the battle scenes there actually used a NASA science advisor (wasn't you was it Phil?) and were accurate or at least as accurate as TV can be. Oh and er ..Simon .. *what* do you think was over-rated? My vote would have to be for Babylon-5 as best ever SF TV.

Firefly and the New Galactica were pretty cool too - & then there’s Dr Who - and someone on that Evil Mad scientist site, the same one as theCyclon Jack-o-Lantern actually, has also made a pumpkin Dalek!! Now that takes first prize if I were judging! ;-)
Babylon 5 starfuries and the battle scenes there actually used a NASA science advisor (wasn’t you was it Phil?) and were accurate or at least as accurate as TV can be.

Oh and er ..Simon .. *what* do you think was over-rated?

]]> By: mungascr http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22725 mungascr Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:41:30 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22725 My vote would have to be for Babylon-5 as best ever SF TV. Firefly and tehNewGalactica were pretty cool too - &then there's Dr Who - and someone on that Evil Mad scientist site, the same one as theCyclon Jack-o-Lantern actually, has also made a pumpkin Dalek!! Now that takes first prize if I were judging! ;-) Babylon 5 starfuries and the battle scenes there actually used a NASA science advisor (wasn't you was it Phil?) and were accurate or at least as accurate as TV can be. Oh and er ..Simon .. *what* do you think was over-rated? My vote would have to be for Babylon-5 as best ever SF TV.

Firefly and tehNewGalactica were pretty cool too - &then there’s Dr Who - and someone on that Evil Mad scientist site, the same one as theCyclon Jack-o-Lantern actually, has also made a pumpkin Dalek!! Now that takes first prize if I were judging! ;-)
Babylon 5 starfuries and the battle scenes there actually used a NASA science advisor (wasn’t you was it Phil?) and were accurate or at least as accurate as TV can be.

Oh and er ..Simon .. *what* do you think was over-rated?

]]> By: The Centipede http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22724 The Centipede Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:36:13 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22724 Also can't forget the decidedly three-dimensional feel of the nebula run, no? Or how /Galactica/ and /Pegasus/ orbited that one basestar, only banking because it brought more guns to bear... Meanwhile, /Firefly/ had no sound in space but also had no battles in space. There were definitely sounds in space in /Serenity/. Don't give me any "upper atmosphere" or "nebula" crap either; makes one sound like a rabid Warsie when it comes to defending one's favorite bit of camp as if it were art. I agree that there should be no Honorverse movies, but for a different reason than Denny. There is nothing worse to the credibility of hard s-f than Weber and a graphing calculator. As it stands, I don't have much of a problem with short on-screen engagement ranges and things being oriented. In the old days, 2D was simply how model-making worked and now it's simply an artistic conceit. Why do characters on BSG wear business suits? Short engagement ranges are fine because silent ships shooting at random directions towards invisible targets a million kilometers away would be BORING and it rarely pays to have what would be an action sequence be BORING. Also can’t forget the decidedly three-dimensional feel of the nebula run, no? Or how /Galactica/ and /Pegasus/ orbited that one basestar, only banking because it brought more guns to bear… Meanwhile, /Firefly/ had no sound in space but also had no battles in space. There were definitely sounds in space in /Serenity/. Don’t give me any “upper atmosphere” or “nebula” crap either; makes one sound like a rabid Warsie when it comes to defending one’s favorite bit of camp as if it were art.

I agree that there should be no Honorverse movies, but for a different reason than Denny. There is nothing worse to the credibility of hard s-f than Weber and a graphing calculator. As it stands, I don’t have much of a problem with short on-screen engagement ranges and things being oriented. In the old days, 2D was simply how model-making worked and now it’s simply an artistic conceit. Why do characters on BSG wear business suits? Short engagement ranges are fine because silent ships shooting at random directions towards invisible targets a million kilometers away would be BORING and it rarely pays to have what would be an action sequence be BORING.

]]> By: sirjonsnow http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22732 sirjonsnow Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:06:50 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22732 BG doesn't always have ships lined up in a 2D plane. For instance, when destroying the Resurrection Ship the Vypers were all around it and all kinds of angles, shooting directly at it as they "fell" past it, not strafing it. BG doesn’t always have ships lined up in a 2D plane. For instance, when destroying the Resurrection Ship the Vypers were all around it and all kinds of angles, shooting directly at it as they “fell” past it, not strafing it.

]]> By: 247200 Blog Verification http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22733 247200 Blog Verification Mon, 30 Oct 2006 17:45:14 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22733 <strong>247200 Blog Verification...</strong> 247200... 247200 Blog Verification…

247200…

]]> By: DennyMo http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22728 DennyMo Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:31:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22728 Honestly, I've never watched Firefly. But now you've given me reason to, so maybe. ;) As for the "Honorverse", I almost hope they don't make any movies. I'd hate to find out that my imagination's visualization of the books is "wrong"... But you're right, the scale of some of those battles is something we've never seen on screen yet. Honestly, I’ve never watched Firefly. But now you’ve given me reason to, so maybe. ;) As for the “Honorverse”, I almost hope they don’t make any movies. I’d hate to find out that my imagination’s visualization of the books is “wrong”… But you’re right, the scale of some of those battles is something we’ve never seen on screen yet.

]]> By: DCB http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22727 DCB Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:26:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2006/10/26/jack-o-cylontern/#comment-22727 When you use the word "port" it's a nautical term which always refers to the left of the object in question. When you're on a boat and someone says look port, it's always to the ship's left. So it is a much more specific term than saying "left." When you use the word “port” it’s a nautical term which always refers to the left of the object in question. When you’re on a boat and someone says look port, it’s always to the ship’s left. So it is a much more specific term than saying “left.”

]]>