Genetic Algorithms FTW!

You don't need to know how to do something, just what you want done. Just put in a genetic algorithm, and sit back and watch as your system constantly improves itself! The first few (or hundred) times it will fail in an epic way, but after than it will get progressively better over time until it reaches the optimum solution. And the best part is, since the genetic alorithm doesn't stop... It allows the program to adapt to new environments. Ah, the wonders of evolution.

Here is an example at work: http://www.wreck.devisland.net/ga/

The graph in upper right shows the best (black line) and average (green line) traveled by each generation. Let it run for about and hour and watch to see how it goes much much farther than at the start (most of them dont even move at all at the start).

Which is why you dont distribute it to the raiders. The raiders only get the resulting programs, not the algorithm itself. A central control computer could then track the progress of each raider (fitness step) and select the best distributed algorithm based on which few are operating the best (selection step). Mix a bit of code around (recombination step). Then it would add in some random mutations (mutation step), and either A: distribute new code based on the new program generation during the battle via communications or B: only distribute in factory when the next raider generation is built.

This system would be very much superior to the individual raider situation, since all programs would be stored in the central computer as well as the active programs in the raiders themselves. This means there is no need to 'resurrect raiders' to get their experiences, since the computer has been tracking their progress and rating their program accordingly. Now, since each central computer would have to be within a short range (to prevent problems tracking the raiders), there would likely be one central raider computer in every fleet. I do not know much about the BSG universe, but I would assume they (like most other sci fi shows) have FTL communications. If this is true, they would then occasionally use those to share their best programs with the other raider using fleets. This would result in all raiders ability in combat increasing with each battle fought.

Here is how it would work: the main algorithm is just the mechanism through which it would act. It is essentially just the evolutionary mechanism. It would do the following: find a fitness 'score' for the radiers' programming, use that score to pick out the best programs, recombine those programs, add random mutations to some of the programs, distribute and collect data on the programs' performance. It would do these in essentially that order. 
Now, the programs the raiders themselves would be running would be completely different programs. They would be like the DNA of an organism. Changes in the program would result in changes in behavior of the raiders, and thus increase or decrease how well they work. This would raise or lower their 'score' which ranks how well they are performing. This 'score' would then be used to choose the best few and then combine the best programs, just like how sexual reproduction turns the DNA of 2 parents into the DNA of the children. The algorithm itself would not need to change.

If they used this sort of system, raiders would be pushovers during the first and maybe second battles... But would get better and better over time. Which needless to say wouldn't work well for a sci-fi show, since everyone knows that at the beggining enemies are always big bad and scary, taking entire groups to kill one, but over time get to be crappy little things that can't win even with superior numbers. For example the Wraith in Stargate Atlantis, who in one of the early episodes they ended up firing at it from a jumper since they kept shooting it and it still didn't die, compared to later on where they frequently take on multiple wraith in hand to hand combat and kill them all...

remeber the humans only get one chance so they are fighting to stay alive.  The raiders on the other hand are just fighting doesn't matter if they live or die until the ressurction ships go bye bye.

There is a world war 2 battle called midway where sheer weight of numbers did not offset the lack of skill.  Remember in world war 2.  We sent our aces home to train our fliers where as the japs kept theirs on the front line.  Thus the number of aces dropped as they were shot down.  Where as ours were training better nuggets because they were at home.

Thinking about it the japs had both skill and numbers and still lost.

I guess you didnt watched the whole BSG series am  right?
because if you did then you knew about the biological part of the Cylon raiders

*SPOILER*

they are alive but insted of bones they have iron
there even was a rebelion denger among cylons and the raiders at one point

/*SPOILER*