Election for Governor: Lianova Campaign Transmission

Fellow survivors,

We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been pursued relentlessly, attacked time after time. Even after the holocaust, when we thought we could lose nothing more, we have lost ships from those few in our fleet that survived. We don’t need any more strife. So the last thing we want right now is another divisive election – we just want the government to work the way it’s meant to. I’m hoping you’ll let me be the person to fix that, so we can all start prospering instead of just surviving.

I’m not going to reel off my resume here; I’m sure our friends at the press will take care of that. What I can do is tell you how things would work if I were elected.

First up: the Cylons. Now I think some of our leaders have forgotten entirely how we got where we are. For their benefit: the Cylons tried, twice, to exterminate our entire race. And now they’re sitting in their own quarter of the Myriad; until recently, they had a ship flying as part of this fleet. We’re told that some of them are Variants and some of them are Renegades. But we have nothing more than their word that they’ve turned against their people; and even if they genuinely have, does that absolve them of their crimes against humanity? I say no; but the choice, if I get elected, will be yours. There will be a fleet-wide referendum on whether the Cylons may remain a part of our fleet. If the decision goes against them, I will order Commander Dorian to eject them. Permanently.

Second, economy. This is working quite well; the socialist system is keeping us all fed, watered and sheltered. But we need to take it further. Right now, there’s no one talking for the different workers. The Tylium refiners have no one to push their priorities; the farmers have no one to speak out for them. That must change. Unions will be organised for each group, contributing to a Labour Committee responsible for production in the fleet.

But that is not the only way your leaders need to be more accountable. I will set up a Quorum, elected by you, the people, to communicate your needs to me directly. Unlike the useless Fleet Council, this Quorum will not slow down decision making but will simply advise me of the will of the people.

But these are just means to our survival; we still have to decide what we are going to do with our futures? It is not enough to simply survive the Cylon assault, we need to choose a future. Some say we should find some new world to call home; others say we should find the Battlestar Galactica and its survivors, seemingly numbering in the tens of thousands. I say we shall do both: if, while searching for the Galactica, we find a habitable planet, there will be a referendum on whether or not to colonise it – as long as our scientists say we have a good chance at long term survival there.

Scientists. This brings me on to an important point before I sign off. Dr Perseun is a truly remarkable scientist. He was too modest to note that it was his invention that helped free us from the Cylons when the Battlestar Charybdis captured us. But this is just why he cannot be allowed to become Governor; he has far more important tasks to undertake. If he were Governor, he would have a fraction of the time to devote to science; what if we had been captured and Dr Perseun had not been working on his devices but had been distracted by politics? We would all, right now, be slaves of the Cylons. Dr Perseun would be a good leader, but is an outstanding scientist; we may not survive if he is asked to be the former instead of the latter.

Thanks for your time.