battlestar galactica

I am now sorry I even started questioning the reality. SCI-FI = 75 - 80% imagination and 20 - 25% reality (give or take a few percentages here or there. Galactic is cool no matter what decade it is in

LOL is this a discussion on Battlestar Galactica or on BattleTech

Rail guns or gauss weaponry would be ideal for space combat, with missiles for long range combat. Even today naval vessels use high velocity, high cyclic projectile weapons to destroy missiles at short to medium range. I would imagine this would be no different in a space battle between opposing forces.

I always thought blasters projected bursts or bolts of superheated (ionised) plasma, which detonated on impact against the target. That would cause a fair bit of explosive and splash damage.

cheers

Mike

How do bullets fly through space?
Newton's First Law: An object not subject to an unbalanced force shall remain in its current state of motion. Note: this was first written down by the Arab scientist Al Hazen in the 1200s, but Isaac the Arrogant took credit for it. I digress; the relevant points have already been made in the posts above mine. I can see a railgun projectile being very effective in a space-opera setting. The only downside would be the energy required to haul the projectiles around until they are fired. I'm not sure I'm really adding much to the discussion, just mouthing off I guess .
Brian the real-live physicist

Maybe Bullet is the wrong term for the weaponry in Galactica. How about Accelerated Massive Slug.

Moon rockets fire off their engines to adjust their orbital trajectory. It is a compensation to counteract the force of gravity. Going faster or slower is what shapes the curve of a craft's orbit.

The nice thing about "bullets" is that there is no internal mechanisms that need to be wasted in machining time and human labor. A solid chunk of metal can be cast or turned and put into a cartridge. Or be accelerated by a series of powerful electro-magnets. A rail gun, if you will.

Blasters, or Lasers do get used up in the thin vapor of space. Space is not empty. But they do fire much straighter in close orbit than projectiles do. Also a laser will only punch a hole the diameter of it's beam through it's target. The kinetic energy of a projectile is far more caotic and destructive.

From everything that I have heard or read about space and it characteristics of it, the question is, how would a bullet keep going. A rocket still has to have a burn once in a while to get ot the moon. I was always told that as soon as the bullet leaves the barrel of a gun, due to lack of gravity, it will keep going but the question always remained, how far, how long, and how strong. Light passed through a vacuum very easily. Other types of matter still has variances on its travel. Plus, there are different types of gravity in space. Scientist are now coming to a conclusion that space has a lot of characteristics we do not yet comprehend.

Yes, blasters have been done a lot but even today, bullets are becoming obsolete and missle are the anwser these days. I am just saying that in Battlestar Galactic, it is a technological advanced race but they still use bullets and cylons used nuclear missles.

I hope I am not p#$#%%# anyone off. Not trying to. Just my own stupid opinion and if a bullet is an effective weapon in space, then I should probably go back to school and retake my science courses again.

I am sure it will be a good series to watch, and I will. Atleast there might be some great looking scratchbuilds coming from it.

Have got the DVD of the New Battlestar Galactica and have watched it, although this is nothing like it's 1978 predecessor it is still a good Sci-fi story, however I would love to point out one thing, and that is, that not once has the Cylon species been correctly portrayed, and in no way are they even close to the Cylons in the original books.

Cylons are a reptilian Species using inorganic augmentation. They were never robots or robotlike and most definitely not created by humankind as in this new series.

However this does not in any way ruin the fun or storyline of both the 1978 and the 2004 Series of Battlestar Galactica. After all without artistic license on behalf of the writers, producers and directors it would probably never get off the ground, after all the cost of having the Cylons in Reptilian Costumes would probably of blown the budget of the series completely out of production worthiness.

My 5c worth

Lori

And without the strong effect of gravity, a bullet in space will fly straighter that on a planet. Bad logic. Blasters have been done to death on TV anyway. It's the characters and story that make the show.

Why wouldn't bullets fly through space? The lack of air resistance and gravity would vastly improve their performance. They still have a version of the silver Cylon, I just hope we see more of them in the new series..

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeym_us its basically a "Carrier show " and more realistic compared to its 1978 predacessor the charachters are like someone you run into.

I am not sure exactly how real it is. The story line was okay but not quite the same as the original in 1978. I mean, how do bullets travel through space. Also, how about the cylons now looking like humans. Not to mention them being able to have sex without anyone noticing something different. I admit it was cool. At least the first series, Adama had everything under martial law and he could do that because he was part of the original council. I will not judge it until I have seen the series. It is just that bullet thing. How do they go strait. Also, if they have jump capability, wouldn't you think they would have laser technology, just something to think about.
Beside, I was rather fond of the mechanical looking cylons from the battle driods and the intellectual see thru head, cylons.

its basically a "Carrier show " and more realistic compared to its 1978 predacessor the charachters are like someone you run into.

I can't wait! I'll then have two weekly shows to follow, Enterprise & Battlestar Galactica.

I waatched the mini-series on Sci-Fi and thought it was very good. I was disappointed when I learned it wasn't a new season at that time. Now I have something to look forward to as football season winds down in Jan.

I downloaded it the same day it aired in Britain. It is very good. I can't wait to see it with comercials!

Yes, January 2005 is the start for the new series. I suspect that Sci-Fi will replay the pilot movies one more time before then.

Enjoy your modeling...

i think it starts in the US in Jan. 05.