What if the initial Cylon attack on the colonies had not been nearly as successful and mankind could fight back?
Short answerThe panel expects the Cylons to lose if the Colonial fleet remains effective; phased updates and shipboard technical review are offered as reasons the opening software attack should encounter resistance.
NotesIf the Colonial fleet survived the opening attack in fighting condition, the panel expects it to defeat the Cylons. The longer discussion challenges the fleet-wide software failure used to disable it. Software normally enters service in phases, so one defective release should not reach every ship at once. A counterargument proposes a concealed backdoor in an established system, activated by a later patch. The reply points to technical ratings, junior officers, and shipboard IT staff inspecting or modifying software locally. Commanders who remember a damaging update would also insist on their own checks or wait several weeks to see what happened aboard other ships.