re: Could Colonials still beat Cylons w/out sneak attack in BSG? Newer series.

The Battlestars are way more resilient than the Cylon Base Ships. The Cylons would not have been able to withstand even a surprise attack at the Pikon shipyards. Several Battlestars would have survived. It would have been a more conventional war similar to the first one.

There’s a reason the Cylons’ plan involved getting the security codes. It was the only way they could win. A prolonged war was not in their favor. Remember, they’re machines. They calculated multiple scenarios and determined wiping humanity out in one swift blow was the only way to win. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the surviving humans and ended up ruining their own society.