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The Procreation Problem
by Dana Taryn Sweeney
It’s all about the Asgard.
For those who didn’t watch Stargate SG-1, the Asgard’s tragic end as a species came about due to the long-term effects of cloning on their genetics. They had long since abandoned biological procreation in favor of duplication. Rather than birthing new generations, they simply recreated the existing Asgard over and over and over as their bodies wore out, downloading their consciousnesses into identical models. Sound familiar?
Where their race failed was in allowing their genetic stock to become so degraded by lack of new material that even their cloning process began to suffer the copy of a copy syndrome, and they realized they had allowed their technological progress to doom their people entirely.
(Ironically, their primary nemeses throughout the series were the Replicators, mechanical entities capable of multiplying endlessly, increasing their numbers by assimilation of any base materials they could gather, the perfect metaphor for a genetic melting pot.)
What does this have to do with Battlestar Galactica? I’m in the middle of showing BSG to my boyfriend for the first time, and he kind of made fun of the Cylons’ conjecture that “true love” was the missing element in their failed attempts to reproduce. In our discussion of the procreation problem, I realized I felt like I did know why they couldn’t mate among themselves successfully. It’s evolution at its finest.
We know from Razor that the Cylons have based their entire humanoid line on the genetic material they harvested from a small number of Colonials during the first Cylon War. In the years since, they have refined that material to the point where they have the ability to perfectly mass-produce 7 distinct forms that function in every way to mimic human biology and are even capable of reproduction…in theory. However, when two Cylons try to mate, it is a failure every time, because they are, essentially, inbred. Two Cylons together lack sufficient biodiversity for fertilization to occur. They desperately need the humans in order for there to be a future for their own kind. Once they let go of childish metaphor notions for their inability to breed (True Love), they may be able to see the humans as their potential partners rather than natural enemies.
It’s all about the Asgard.
For those who didn’t watch Stargate SG-1, the Asgard’s tragic end as a species came about due to the long-term effects of cloning on their genetics. They had long since abandoned biological procreation in favor of duplication. Rather than birthing new generations, they simply recreated the existing Asgard over and over and over as their bodies wore out, downloading their consciousnesses into identical models. Sound familiar?
Where their race failed was in allowing their genetic stock to become so degraded by lack of new material that even their cloning process began to suffer the copy of a copy syndrome, and they realized they had allowed their technological progress to doom their people entirely.
(Ironically, their primary nemeses throughout the series were the Replicators, mechanical entities capable of multiplying endlessly, increasing their numbers by assimilation of any base materials they could gather, the perfect metaphor for a genetic melting pot.)
What does this have to do with Battlestar Galactica? I’m in the middle of showing BSG to my boyfriend for the first time, and he kind of made fun of the Cylons’ conjecture that “true love” was the missing element in their failed attempts to reproduce. In our discussion of the procreation problem, I realized I felt like I did know why they couldn’t mate among themselves successfully. It’s evolution at its finest.
We know from Razor that the Cylons have based their entire humanoid line on the genetic material they harvested from a small number of Colonials during the first Cylon War. In the years since, they have refined that material to the point where they have the ability to perfectly mass-produce 7 distinct forms that function in every way to mimic human biology and are even capable of reproduction…in theory. However, when two Cylons try to mate, it is a failure every time, because they are, essentially, inbred. Two Cylons together lack sufficient biodiversity for fertilization to occur. They desperately need the humans in order for there to be a future for their own kind. Once they let go of childish metaphor notions for their inability to breed (True Love), they may be able to see the humans as their potential partners rather than natural enemies.
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Latest page update: made by bansidhewail
, May 14 2008, 8:05 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| dexgal | <Spoiler Alert> But what about Number Six and Tigh? | 4 | Jun 17 2008, 10:12 AM EDT by dexgal | ||
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Thread started: May 31 2008, 6:05 PM EDT
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In this week's episode, Adama and Tigh had a knock-down, dragout because the doctor told Adama that Number Six, a prisoner in the brig, had been impregnated by Tigh...? The original idea was that Sharon (Athenea) and Tyrol did procreate is that they were both Cylons, but each successfully produced a child with human partners. But Col. Tigh is one of the 'secret' Cylons...?
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