WARNING: THIS ITEM ON LAST NIGHT’S BATTLE-
STAR GALAC-
TICA SEASON FINALE CONTAINS SPOILERS.
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SERIOUSLY.
Okay, so for those of you who watched last night’s Battlestar (be sure to read Marc Bernardin’s TV Watch here), Holy Frak!Revelations about the identity of not just one of the final fiveCylons, but four of ‘em? (Well, presuming that the alleged sleepermodels’ "awakenings" are to be believed.) I honestly didn’t see itcoming till maybe 45 minutes in, but throw in a resurrected Starbuckand a riveting end to the Baltar trial, and well, I’m still trying tocome down of my sci-fi high and figure out ways to make sense of it all.
The one question that’s haunting me most, though is this: Who’s thefinal unknown Cylon model? One might guess Starbuck, since she’sapparently risen from her fatal raptor explosion, but that almost seemstoo easy. Ellen Tigh? Intriguing thought, seeing that in hindsight, anumber of sleeper Cylons have been attracted to one another. (AlthoughI guess that logic would apply to Starbuck, too.) Still, I’m wonderingif perhaps the correct answer is President Roslin, a character I’velong suspected might not be human. How else to explain her sharedvision with Six and Athena? Her response to cancer treatment usingHera’s blood? And the way that some of her decisions (the hiding ofHera, the botched attempt to fix the election) have managed to playinto Cylon hands. Who do you think is the final unknown Cylon? Put yourbest guesses in the comments section below.
UPDATE: EW.com’s Adam B. Vary got the inside scoop on the twisty finale from BG stars Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos and executive producer Ronald Moore. Read interviews with all three of them here.
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I think Roslin is the 5th Cylon as well. She reacted to something right before the power went out-I think she heard the music, as well.
Part of me thinks that wasn’t the Cylon 5. Just a hunch.
And Slezak, Starbuck’s Viper exploded, not Raptor.
So many questions…
Why would a Cylon get cancer?
We’ve seen Tigh in flashback episodes youger haven’t we? Do Cylons age?
Did Lee see the Cylon ship before Starbuck “blew up”?
If Kara’s in a Viper, what blew up?
I personally am not convienced that those four are cylons, but I do believe President Roslin is one. Great show!
oh, last night was good, I’m torn, much like the TV watch here. But the four out of five cylons were such great choices. I totally believe they are the cylons, and that the writers were not pulling one over us. Those four are part of the final five. But I don’t think Roslyn is. She was having the dreams, because she was infused with Hera’s blood. Somehow Hera’s Blood has connected Roslyn to the cylon counsciousness… but I don’t think she’s a cylon.
The thing rattling around my brain is a question of their song choice. Does this mean that the Cylon’s have already been to Earth? Or, was Jimi the 5th Cylon…
I’m not entirely convinced the ‘awakened four’ ARE cylons, and I think Roslin is more likely having the shared visions as a result of her transfusion. That said, if the final four aren’t cylons–or even if they are–what to make of it? I mean, we know these–unlike other models–must age, or else Adama would have noticed his friend of 40 years staying pretty well preserved. Does the fact that they were all singing a song by an actual earth-person (Dylan) connect them in a real, tangible way to Earth? I doubt in BSG world, Bob Dylan was Caprican. If so, does that connect them to earth as agents of an unknown kind, or does it connect the Final Five Cylons to humanity in a fundamental way? Arrgh…way, way too many unanswered questions for a season finale, but definitely good stufff.
oh my lord, BOB DYLAN is the fifth CYLON….
If you assume Roslin’s dream-sharing means she’s a Cylon (as I, too, considered at first), then you also have to include Gaius in that. Since they can’t both be Cylons, as there’s only one left, that means the dreams don’t prove anything. I think it has more to do with Roslin and Gaius both being “chosen ones” or part of the prophecies, etc.
Also, the four are definitely Cylons. Ron Moore says so:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07085/770732-352.stm
I think the 5th Cylon is either Starbuck, who somehow acquired a new Viper, or Gaeta, who’s always been shifty.
Also, according to composer Bear McCreary’s blog, the song is not supposed to have been written by Bob Dylan:
“I learned that the idea was not that Bob Dylan necessarily exists in the characters’ universe, but that an artist on one of the colonies may have recorded a song with the exact same melody and lyrics. Perhaps this unknown performer and Dylan pulled inspiration from a common, ethereal source. Therefore, I was told to make no musical references to any “Earthly” versions, Hendrix, Dylan or any others. The arrangement needed to sound like a pop song that belonged in the Galactica universe, not our own.”
http://www.bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm
I think President Roslin is the fifth Cylon. She was having some sort of head problems after they jumped to the nebula. Secretly though, I’ve always wanted Gaeta to be a Cylon. He just seems so shady.
I’m glad and surprised that Mike Slezak is watching this show -I had no idea.
The woman that spirited away Baltar (and asked him to bless her child) is the final cylon.
In the interigation of Baltar epsiode he “sees” the final five, in the background is that actress. Along with the other final four, which included all the characters in disguise.
Tyrol has a kid. That seems to really count him out. My guess is the four awakenings are actually from some Cylon Manchurian Candidate like torture or brainwashing. Hey lay off Gaeta, he’s a good guy.
Having a kid counts you out? Someone better tell that to Sharon and Helo.
I would also guess it’s the woman who took Baltar away and asked him to bless her child.
can i just point out that it doesnt make since for roslin to be a cylon. she had cancer. can cylons have cancer?
It is apparent that anyone or EVERYONE might turn out to be the 5th Cylon after last nights show. (I suspended disbelief long ago to just go with the fun parts of this well written show.) But if I have to make a guess: From the Ironic Department of Irony, I’ll say Admiral Adama. This show crackles when it makes anologies to how messed up this world actually is–no matter onwhich political side you lie. No Small Feat, that. And Slezak…I dub you Sir M-Zak, for being so cool with and about Sci-Fi on TV. I love you for all the PopWatch help you gave Heroes last Fall to get the show on the EW radar. And you continue to support well written science fiction. I hope Sir M-Zak gives you street Cred in the ‘hood and at Sci-Fi events everwhere. Disclaimer: I don’t live in the ‘hood, but sometimes I wear a hoodie.
I’m rooting for the Cylons to end this misery.
Man, did they geek-out BIG TIME for this finale! The creators MUST be desperate to hold onto their slipping fan-boy base and create some positive buzz for season 4. If that was the case, they somewhat succeeded, because for the mess the finale and the entire season was, I’m inclined to watch in 2008. But please, BSG, tone it down will ya! You don’t have to cover every single topical issue at every possible angle- you just drive us nuts!
I’ve been saying for quite a while now that the remaining model is Adama – 1) Leoben called it 2) It will be the final mindfuck to cap the series meaning it’s too perfect, that reveal, right at the end will make everyone sit back, take notice, question what they’ve seen since the beginning and talk about the series for YEARS after it’s off the air.
Leoben said “Adama is a Cylon.” He could have been referring to Lee.
Or Zak Adama. Although I always found those possibilities hard to swallow. Adama was there for the births of his sons; how could they be Cylons? (ooo….Unless Cylon agents switched them at birth! But that’s too crazy, even for me.)
I’ve always liked the idea that Leoben was perhaps referring to a future Adama…Like, say, Dee? Did she change her name after she married Lee?
I’m ruling out Starbuck; I think she’s something else entirely different. My best guess right now would be Gaeta, who is simply too smart to be a normal human being. Honestly, though, I don’t care who it is, as long as they don’t pull out some random background character (Capt. Kelly, anyone?) and make them a Cylon.
Ay ay ay. Look. Starbuck’s NOT Dead. The original series had starbuck “die” under similar circumstances. He then returned an episode or two later in an all white viper with all white clothes. While the redone series has added elements of the cylon sleeper agents, MOST of the plots still follow the flow of the original series. Like when they blew up the Cylon fuel planet, when they saw the light show with the map to Earth and when they captured Baltar only to see him slip away. Like the Leoben kept saying “all this has happened before” Yeah, in 1978.
If they arrive on Earth just after Neil Armstrong lands on the moon like they did last time, you all owe me a bottle of ambrosia.
Isn’t Bernadin the tv watch guy who said “Katee Sackhoff’s name wasn’t in the credits this week” when it was Katee Sackhoff’s voice who did the voiceover on the same episode? I demand a TV watcher who actually knows something about this show. Bring on Scott Brown!
when D’anna saw the final five, she apologized to one of them. Meaning its someone she hurt and had no idea they were a cylon. That being said, I think the final five is someone we don’t know, who was killed in the initial bombings, woke up on Earth, realized cylons had gone too far, and is serving as a beacon. I think its Adama’s other son.
I’ve noted that when the writers add a new character to the mix, they usually turn out to be cylons (i.e. Doral, D’Anna, and Brother Cavil).Obviously this isn’t the case every time but in most cases it seems to happen and I think this is one of them. They appear to be helpers or there to provide assistance in some capacity but I’ve always had a feeling that the characters seemed out of place or just wrong. Lampkin, I think is the ring leader, essentially the grand daddy of all cylons. I don’t think thatwasn’t the last we’ll see of him. Beyond the fact that he walked away without a cane and my gut feeling, I don’t have any other reasons to believe that he’s a cylon.
Mark in NYC made an intriguing comment down below about the Final Five being “revealed” in disguise to Baltar during the interrogation sequence in Episode 13. I went back and checked. He’s right: I could clearly make out Chief Tyrol, and I’m pretty sure I spotted Anders. There was also a character with Colonel Tai’s exact eyepatch. One of the ladies looked like it could have been “bless my child” chick — as Mark says — but I really couldn’t be sure. As for Roslin being the 5th Cylon…I’ll address that in another post…
The link mentioned below does confirm that the “Four” are indeed Cylons. I suspect D’Anna’s apology was to Colonel Tai (for what happened on New Caprica). But I’m far from convinced that President Roslin is the 5th Cylon. I think that “oh what’s wrong with my head” moment upon arriving at the nebula was meant to throw us off a bit, or open a new plotline. Plus there was no indication that she’d heard the music before, as the rest of the Four had. Also, the other four felt “compelled” by the music to show up in that room: I think that’s a major point (which also works against bless-my-baby lady, I must admit). Finally, Roslin has terminal cancer. I doubt that would happen to a Cylon. I suspect her “connection” to the Cylon vision — which is similar to Baltar’s visions, btw, and there can’t be a “sixth” Cylon — is related to her infusion of blood from Hera. Now, others have mentioned Leoben saying that Adama was a Cylon. When/where did that happen? Anyway, this is just my two cents.
Ames, D’Anna was most likely apoligizing to Anders seeing as how she personally tried to kill him back on Caprica (during the resistance bombing when Anders was trapped Caprica Six and D’Anna at the end of season 2).
The producers have said that there are no child models of the cylons, which elimates either Adama boy as the fifth. However, they’ve never said that they don’t age. That being said, I love that Tigh’s a cylon, it makes you wonder how far back have these humanoid models existed, and that means he’s been in place since the end of the last war.
Audrey’s argument about D’Anna and Anders is much better than mine…I think she’s right on that one. D’Anna was apologizing for what she did — and wanted to do — to Anders in the “Downloaded” episode near the end of Season 2.
I don’t have the time to comment meaningfully right now, so I’ll just say this–
Damn, I love this show!