Humans in Battlestar Galactica have super-long lifespans

I'm talking about the old series (haven't really seen the new one, but it may apply to that too).

Okay, it's established at the forefront that the Human-Cylon war has been going on for a long time. I could swear I heard somebody say that it's gone on for at least 3000 "Yarens." And yet there are a few episodes where characters (mostly the older ones) comment that they "remember what life was like before the war."

A bigger evidence, though, is that this rag-tag fugitive fleet has no problem crossing lightyears of space without going at light speed (they're specifically avoiding that for the sake of the slower ships, and to conserve fuel). And yet, they apparently are getting closer to Earth as the series goes on, if the final episode "The Hand of God" is to be believed. The only explanation that makes sense, then, is that people from the twelve colonies have lifespans many times the length of your average Earthling—our lives are probably the blink of an eye to them!

So, what do you think?

No scale.

But, yes, I do imagine them to be thousands of years old. I like to think of them as space elves.

edited 25th Dec '10 6:41:17 AM by Completion

Wait, if they were travelling near the speed of light (say, 99% of it) of it, then thousands of years could be passing outside the fleet while only a few years passed inside.

Relativity, motherfucker, DO YOU SPEAK IT?

edited 25th Dec '10 3:49:50 PM by Medicus

Okay, new development that might possibly Joss my theory:

In "War of the Gods" Adama tells Apollo that humans have a life-expectancy of 200 "Yarens." The question is, then, how long is a "Yaren?" (Even if you assume its just their word for a year, we don't know if their planets all had 24-hour days, four seasons or 365-day calendars)

Maybe because they had the technology or the means to extend their lives before the Human-Cylon war. And when the Cylons nuked the colonies they have lost that ability and were unable to duplicate it, as all knowledge of it was lost.