MovieChat Forums > Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (2012) Discussion > Things that annoyed me - SPOILERS

Things that annoyed me - SPOILERS

posted 11 years ago by holden88
9 replies | jump to latest

Just finished the pilot and I was unimpressed. I was hoping to like it a lot more. Here are some of the issues I had with the production:

1) The dogfight battle in the simulator started out pretty awesome but the whole “pull out your hand gun and shoot down the Cylon Raider” was ludicrous beyond belief. First of all, I highly doubt that personal side arms would be simulated in a Viper cockpit simulator. Second, even if this aspect was simulated, it would be nigh impossible to hit a rapidly moving target with a sidearm (luckily for our hero the enemy decides to fly straight and level for 30 seconds despite the crazy acrobatics demonstrated before this). Third, how flimsy are Cylon Raiders that they can easily be shot down by a pistol?

2) I can't stand the lack of military discipline and protocol in this movie. There is a war going on and everyone behaves like a whiney bitch whenever they get the chance. Orders appear to be open for debate at any time. No wonder these yahoo's are losing the war.

3) They arrive at the rendezvous point and discover the Colonial Cruiser they are to meet up with is destroyed (which is never explained). You'd think they would immediately don helmets and adopt a defensive posture (perhaps vacate the area rapidly). Instead they go for a leisurely sight seeing tour (and of course get attacked). Not to mention they casually fly through an unbelievably dense debris field that no sane pilot would risk if they didn’t have to.

4) If the Raptor has a rear gunner position why isn't it manned at all times during combat? I'll buy that the Colonial Fleet is short of personnel maybe, but once they get attacked why does it take so long for the co-pilot to decide to run back and man the rear turret? It's almost as if they forgot that they had rear guns?

5) When the Osiris if fighting the Cylon Basestar the situation gets desperate the captain orders that the nukes are to be detonated manually (since the launch doors have jammed). The rest of the bridge crew shows little or no reaction to this death sentence. I thought this scene was really cool when I first saw it. No one really shows emotion and it’s not played up at all (these were all volunteers and knew this may be a suicide run). Then the scene cuts to the main heroes for a bit and then back again to the Osiris. For some reason the captain announces that the nukes will be detonated manually - again!? This time the announcement is accompanied by fateful and sorrow music and everyone on bridge reacts emotionally? Did no one hear her order the first time? Why re-shoot this scene? Did the director forget that this dialogue was already shot?

Also, I love the fact that the nukes are actually referred to as "nukes" even on the computer display control screen. Nuke is kind of a slang term. I find it hard to believe that the controls wouldn't use "nuclear".

6) When the Vipers are dog fighting the Raiders in the atmosphere above the planet I'm sure I saw some shots of Viper's pulling their reverse direction and fly backwards trick!!??

7) At one point Coker's Viper pilot friend gets hit and he simply announces that's "he's sorry" but "he's going home now"? With that he simply flies out of the shot never to be seen again!? Where did he go? Did he crash? He was tasked with escorting the Raptor to the planet surface. You'd think he would at least try and complete his mission before deciding to just fly off on his own. It was just a confusing and poorly played out scene.

8) When they crash on the planet the Raptor of course comes to a halt half hanging of the edge of a cliff (groan).

9) They decide to set out on foot from where they crashed to try and reach the beacon. Of course, they have ample supplies of winter white camo survival gear on hand including parka's, gloves, boots scarf's and goggles? Do the Raptors come equipped with all manner of survival clothing just in case they need it? Do they also have jungle or desert clothing on hand. Do they have scuba gear in case they crash land on an aquatic world?

Also, isn't it convenient that they crash landed within walking distance of the beacon (groan)?

10) They reach the beacon and find that the marines are dead (the active beacon being found on one of the corpses). Unexpectedly, they are saved by the crazy sole survivor marine (groan). He tells them that they are late. Why didn’t he have the beacon on him? Why didn’t he at least strip all of his dead comrades of their equipment and weapons?

11) When the Cylons attack them in the resort the special forces expert marine who is the sole survivor of his elite unit pops up stupidly and gunned down immediately!? The two pilots and the computer programmer however, manage to take out multiple Cylons and continue on with the mission. This is a common plot device used where space pilots are the main characters. They get into a tactical ground combat situation and they excel. In reality pilots generally receive basic firearms training and some rudimentary survival training. I hated in the re-launched BSG series when Starbuck was the best Viper pilot which somehow translated into her being the best shot with small arms and a tactical assault expert?

12) Adama fires a shotgun off into a Cylon warriors face at point blank range. The Cylon appears to be relatively unaffected by the shot and knocks the gun away from Adama’s hands. Adama then picks up a pipe and beats down the Cylon until is non-functional!? Lead pipe > shotgun.

13) Both Adama and Cocker are both suffering from gunshot wounds at the end and decide to undertake a hike of several miles during a blizzard for no apparent reason. They don’t bother to attempt any sort of first aid at all.

14) In the end Adama activates a magical homing beacon which summons a Raptor to pick them up and return them to the fleet?! Where did this come from? It’s not really made clear that this was the plan all along. Where did this Raptor come from? How were the 50 marines supposed to get back to the fleet? How many people can a Raptor hold? How did this Raptor get there so fast? It’s noted that the Raptors were not FTL capable. So what ship is being used to ferry them in and out?

The whole ending was just a massive kick in the balls. One moment the main characters are dying from gun shot wounds on a remote blizzard planet. They lie on top of one another totally exhausted and bleeding out. Their transport home (the Raptor they flew here in) lies miles away and is severely damaged. Next thing you know “hey, I’ll activate this beacon I got here in my pocket” and “beep” suddenly they are home with the fleet and recovering!!!???

I really wanted to like this but in the end it was total tripe.

[–] President_Ackbar_Impeached 11 years ago

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes

and other science facts,

Just repeat to yourself "It's just a show,

I should really just relax."

President of the BSG Boards

[–] vwvoyager 11 years ago

7) I assumed it was set up if it became a series that they would pick up that storyline and show where he went, to see his son.

Dude, you need to suspend your disbelief or you won't enjoy much entertainment.

[–] jakeconhale 11 years ago

Immediate responses spring to mind:

7) I'm surprised the whole routine with the wife and kid didn't make it obvious he was being set up to die so as to pull on the heartstrings. It's the same as a soldier pulling out a picture of a loved one saying he'll marry them when he gets home - 9 times out of 10, he dies because its more tragic.

9) - The raptor was equipped by the Osiris because Dr. Kelly's mission was to go to the surface, thus they were properly equipped for the planetary conditions. Should they have received their artic survival gear from the marines they were supposed to meet up with?

Also, they were initially headed for that particular location anyways, it makes sense that they wouldn't land too far from their actual destination.

10) - He was worried about Cylons tracking the signal, so scouted the location from a distance to make sure the newcomers were human.

11) - A fair point, but your grammar needs work.

I hated in the re-launched BSG series when Starbuck was the best Viper pilot which somehow translated into her being the best shot with small arms and a tactical assault expert?

Are you asking me how you felt about it?

12) - Bullets are devastating to organic life because of the shockwaves sent through the water based organs. With mechanical things, the best you can hope for is to penetrate something important. And the pipe inflicts damage over a greater surface area than shot.

Jake Meridius Conhale, at your service!
"Old Man" of the BSG (RDM) boards.

[–] beckmen 10 years ago

I dunno, the amount of kinetic energy from the business end of a shotgun at point-blank range seems a lot more devastating than a metal pipe swung by a skinny, exhausted puny human.

-------
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Beckmen

[–] xystophoros 10 years ago

"2) Go look at how American soldiers behaved during WW2 and Vietnam, especially those who were drafted. A lot of textbook discipline goes out the window when war actually happens, especially when you get close to the front line. Practicality takes over protocol."

Meh. OP is right about this one, sorry to say. Relaxing discipline is a different beast than defying orders and ignoring the command structure. Many TV shows and movies get this wrong consistently, and BSG isn't an exception.

But the main reboot series also had this recurring problem. No one ever followed Adama's orders, and he always forgave them. People threw tantrums and argued like children when they got assignments they didn't like. And promotions are wildly unrealistic -- you'd never see a person assigned to kitchen duty suddenly elevated to XO of a vessel. You wouldn't see that on the smallest of commands, let alone a flagship with a crew of thousands.

Not to mention all the really egregious stuff, like the times Starbuck stole aircraft to go on unauthorized missions, Lee's several failed mutinies, and Adama refusing to investigate after Helo kills six diseased Cylon prisoners before they were brought in range of a Resurrection ship.

It's a TV show, so there must be drama to fuel the story, but IRL it would be impossible for a military unit to operate with that kind of routine, consistently insubordinate behavior.

[–] wuhrer36d 11 years ago

Seriously, dude...14 things? Little hard to please there. Wouldn't it have been quicker to list the things you liked? If any.

I don't know why you had such an issue with the planet, for example. They were briefed on the mission. If you were told you were landing on a snowbound planet, you would bring gloves, yes? Just because we didn't see them packing, where's the confusion?

And the other poster was spot-on: they were on course for there drop zone. Just because they had engine trouble from the raider doesn't mean they couldn't get close enough to walk.

About the First Wave guy - who knows? A Viper is not a Raptor. Maybe, he felt if he landed, he would never be able to break orbit again. Since they were to escort them in, maybe they didn't have the survival gear. Maybe they were meant to orbit, only to wait and escort the evac. Who knows...not a big gripe for me.

I just think with 14 bullet points, paragraphs each, it seems like you're looking for something to complain about.

I loved BSG, I miss it (mini-series, dozens & dozens of episodes, another series, a few tv movies and counting) and I welcome any attempt to keep it alive. Be grateful.

You could be a Firefly fan like me. A dozen episodes and one film and I will likely never see it come alive again. So buck up, cowboy and enjoy.

[–] georgijeg1 11 years ago

I agree with most of these points, this movie was really terrible. Full of stereotypical scenes and plot twists that we have all seen a million times before.

Today we were watching this movie with my brother for the first time and when they landed on the ice planet he said to me "Wow an ice planet, i bet they are going to get attacked by some kind of monster", to which i replied "No silly, there are no aliens in BSG, its storywriters are too innovative to follow that old cliche".

[–] ttaskmaster 11 years ago

1) High powered round at short range delivered to a weak point, sounds plausible enough.
Besides, that scene was supposed to be ridiculous.
If they're at war, makes sense that troops go round permanently armed.

2) Go look at how American soldiers behaved during WW2 and Vietnam, especially those who were drafted. A lot of textbook discipline goes out the window when war actually happens, especially when you get close to the front line. Practicality takes over protocol.

3) They were investigating, as the first thing they'd be asked upon return is to report. Need intel to report.

4) Seems a non-standard thing as I don't recall it at all in the main BSG series. Also seems that duty fell to the co-pilot/navigator/systems operator, which means the Raptor loses those functions while Blokie is in back taking pot shots.

5) When you're under duress like that, death sentences likely take time to sink in, especially if you're busy doing stuff. Maybe they didn't quite twig the first time, or think teh Captain was serious...

Why wouldn't they call these things nukes, either for slang or military jargon? The military is full of slang, even officially. Klik for kilometers - NO-ONE calls them kilometers in the military... well, no-one worth listening to, usually.
Also, tt's not our contemporary Earth here, it's a derivative culture. Look at how many other (often similar) terms there are for other stuff in the BSG universe.

6) Perfectly plausible, depending on the atmosphere and gravity at that altitude, especially if it's brief. Helicopters pull a similar trick in real life too, so as long as the manoeuvreing thrusters are properly balanced, it should work. Seen a Harrier jet do it at an airshow, although it was more of a flight trick and not something I'd imagine would be used that often in real combat.

7) Not sure, but fairly certain we hear him either crash or explode.

8) It's a movie. What do you expect?

9) The Raptors likely do have some range of survival clothing. Jungle kit just means stripping down and carrying a couple of different bits of kit. Scuba is probably covered by their flight suits and helmets.

Convenient, yes, but if they didn't then the next ten months would be footage of them just walking. Again, it's a movie. What more do you want?

10) He's crazy. That explains mostly everything.

11) Again, the Marine is crazy and made a crazy mistake. He's not only lost his edge but gone off it.

Starbuck is an officer. Most officers receive superior training, as they're usually in command, so have to really know their stuff. Also, it seems that Viper jocks have much more Mariney inclined roles than modern day pilots.
Lastly, Starbuck likely spent a lot of time between flights hanging out on the pistol range.

12) Shotgun = lots of small pellets, easily deflected by armour.
Metal pipe = Extreme blunt trauma, the focussed force of which is actually transmitted by the armour and impacts the delicate electronics housed inside.
This is why soldiers used to use blunt weaponry against armoured knights - Blunt trauma > Penetrating force.

13) They want to move away from the AO in case more cylons arrive. No idea on the first aid. It's a movie. Heroes do that kind of thing.

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[–] muqker 10 years ago

0) No "all of this has happen before and it will happen again" stuff, just ships and pistols and robots and whatever, it's been done to death.