Science of 'Battlestar Galactica' Revealed at NY Comic Con

NEW YORK ? Fans of the revived science fiction TV show"Battlestar Galactica" might have foreseen the ending of the series,if only they'd paid attention to the science behind the show, an authorrevealed Saturday at New York Comic Con.

At the end of the fourth and final season of the 2004-2009 SyfyNetwork series, it was revealed that humans on Earth today are the descendantsof an ancient race of human ancestors and artificial beings called Cylons,according to the show's mythology. For those who were looking, there were cluesplanted all along that this was the case, said Patrick Di Justo, author of anew book, "The Science of BattlestarGalactica."

"We had the story in the second season and pretty muchno one put it together, but the clues were all there," Di Justo said.

Cylon blood types

For example, in an early episode a half human, half Cylonfetus is examined by a doctor onboard the ship Battlestar Galactica. The doctorannounces the child, Hera, has no blood type ? her blood has no antigens. Thedoctor and the scientist present are shocked and amazed.

Yet, "I have no blood type. Approximately 40 percent ofyou have no blood type," Di Justo told the NY Comic Con audience.

For homo sapiens, this is normal ? having "no"blood type, i.e. blood without antigens in it, just means a person has Type Oblood ? a fairly common occurrence for us. But among the "humans" on BattlestarGalactica, apparently no one had Type O blood; everyone had A and B types.

The Cylons, however, apparently had Type O blood, which is amutation of Type A blood, Di Justo said.

These facts imply that modern humans, with our diversity ofblood types, are descended from both the Battlestar humans and the Cylons, inthe universe of the show.

Cylon disease

Another revealing clue was planted in season three, Di Justosaid. Cylons get sick with a disease called lymphocytic encephalitis, but thehumans on the show are immune to it.

This disease also exists in the real world, but humans inreality are not immune to it. The disease, spread by rats and mice, leads tofever and swelling, and can occasionally be fatal.

"There we are once again in the middle of the thirdseason, we didn't know consciously where the show was going, but here is agreat clue," Di Justo said.

The fact that the colonial humans on BattlestarGalactica are immune to the disease, and we are not, implies that we mightbe descended from a mix of colonial humans and cylons, in the show's universe.

Keeping it real

Even though the show was primarily character- andplot-driven, science played an important role in shaping the series, said DiJusto and his co-author, scientist Kevin Grazier, who served as the officialscience advisor to the show. Grazier works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin Pasadena, Calif.

And the writers strived to keep the futuristic show rootedby believable science, they said. Producers would often consult Grazier aboutthe accuracy of plot points, and ask for story ideas that fitted in withrealistic science.

"There are moments when technology affects you and thescene in a dramatic way," agreed actor Richard Hatch, who portrayed thecharacter Tom Zarek in the new series, and played Captain Apollo in theoriginal series. "When the writers are being innovative and creative theyfind a way to let the technology affect the scene."

Yet sometimes, the demands for good television win out overscientific concerns.

"There are times when you have to stretch thescience," Grazier said. "There are some times when you have to cheatto tell a story."

• LIVE Video From NY Comic Con
• New Video - When Science Fiction Turns Space Fact
• David Eick Talks Battlestar Galactica's Past, Present, Future