“Battlestar Galactica” had Cylons — We have AI

As I recall, the main problems nonbelievers had with “Battlestar Galactica” were tech-related: The cable network revival, which began as a miniseries, demoted its monocular Cylon Centurions to favor new Cylons that looked and behaved like us.

When “Battlestar Galactica” was introduced as a miniseries in 2003, America was still reeling from 9/11. Meanwhile, here was a drama about humans living in a galaxy far, far away, broadsided by an enemy they didn’t take seriously enough.

The first Cylon introduced...