Battlestar Galactica-Questions,theories and Spoilers

[fluxchild]

So what did you guys think about the premere? I missed the first half of the show, but was drawn in when Baltar shot the Cylon from Quantum Leap. Noww I have a question. Why can't they detect Cylons? They should be able to tell synthetic material over the real thing. And if they can't be detected then what are we? Are earthlings from the 13th colony or are we cylons?
I think the question is valid from two points.
1. We worship as Cylons worship. One god.
2. Who knows what happens when we die? Some people think we are reincarnated, and others think we go to heaven. Either way we are reborn...who's to say this process of rebirth isn't the way cylons are reborn, but programmed not to remember their death or whatever.

Apparently in the series, religion is at the center of the war. At least for the cylons it is. They are kinda exterminating the humans that aren't worshipping the one true god in a "crusades" sort of way. Very human like....or at least earthling like.

I think Baltar is a Cylon. I think that's the way the original ended anyway. Makes sense. Although I don't get the whole Caprica being in his head. Apollo's wife will probably die so they can have the whole triangle thing going on. That kinda sucks too. Apollo and Star buck can't be hitting skins, that's just nasty. I like how close to character each actor has portrayed their respective parts....down to Kara smoking a cigar. Maybe Kara will die, and her husband will take the starbuck handle. I don't want that, but I don't want apollo and starbuck screwing either.
Getting back to who get to earth...What if another Cy-man was born and those two are Adam and Eve....or Zues and Hera?

[kdmelrose]

So what did you guys think about the premere? I missed the first half of the show, but was drawn in when Baltar shot the Cylon from Quantum Leap. Noww I have a question. Why can't they detect Cylons? They should be able to tell synthetic material over the real thing.

That's one of the big points of the series: the "skin-job" models are virtually identical to humans. Baltar spent part of Season 1 (?) creating a blood-screening process to detect Cylons. At this point, the only other way to tell is if a person's spine glows while he/she is having sex.

Are earthlings from the 13th colony or are we cylons?
I think the question is valid from two points.
1. We worship as Cylons worship. One god.

"We" don't worship one god. Christians, Muslims and Jews do, but there are polytheistic faiths. So I don't think I'd put much stock in the "one god" connection.

2. Who knows what happens when we die? Some people think we are reincarnated, and others think we go to heaven. Either way we are reborn...who's to say this process of rebirth isn't the way cylons are reborn, but programmed not to remember their death or whatever.

Um ... okay.

Apparently in the series, religion is at the center of the war. At least for the cylons it is. They are kinda exterminating the humans that aren't worshipping the one true god in a "crusades" sort of way.

I don't think there's a consensus among the Cylons about what they're doing, or why they're doing it. We saw that on New Caprica. Some of the models may view the conflict as a holy war or an attempt at religious conversion, but others see it as a matter of self-preservation: If they don't stop the human menace, some day humanity will grow strong enough again and destroy the Cylons.

I think Baltar is a Cylon. I think that's the way the original ended anyway.

In the original series, Baltar wasn't a Cylon; there weren't any humanoid models. He was a traitor to the human race, in a campy, over-the-top way. James Callis' character is more complex, and differs significantly from the original.

But I think Baltar as a Cylon would be too, I don't know, obvious?

It's far more likely that Starbuck is a Cylon.

[jparks]

From what I have been able to catch the Cylons can be detected. Baltar successfully developed a screening system for them, but it was time consuming and when he did find one (Boomer) he lied about it.

Basically without exposing them to radiation or dissecting them, it’s very difficult to tell them apart from us. Apparently they are less synthetic and more biological but with an artificial brain.

The war is more complicated then religion alone. There already was one war where the humans defeated the cylons and drove them off into deep space. The cylon took some time… couple generations by the look of it and created the new human-like cylons. They planned a new invasion, which included the idea of creating a cylon-human hybrid race. From what I have gathered the thinking is that they either need to destroy all the humans or assimilate them to break the cycle of violence against each other. Basically if they leave the humans alone the humans descendants will someday come back to hunt the cylons down… so either get rid of all of the humans or assimilate them into the new cylon race.

Too late on the apollo and starbuck screwing. They already did that in a earlier episode. Not sure who the remaining five cylons are, I thought Tie’s wife was one… but we will see.

[fluxchild]

I know the war is more involved, but the cat from quantum leap seems to be on the religion aspect as well as Lucy Lawless's character...although on different ends of the spectrum.
I don't know why I thought the original Baltar was a cylon. It seemed to me like he discovered it at the very end of the show. hmm. Maybe it was how I would have ended it. I don't think it would be too obvious though. I'd rather it be him and not Starbuck. I actually think it would be much slicker for madam president to be a cylon. Starbuck being a cylon would be like Adama being one...but that's not possible hun? Anyone with children could be taken off the list because so far only Boomer has been able to procreate.

There are far more people that worship one god than a bunch of gods. Didn't the christians wipe them out? but seriously, monotheism is the top 40 of religious theme currently. Who's to say that some of the "humans" didn't survive....if this was battlestar land.

[Biofungus]

I think *everybody* is a Cylon, but the no one really knows that, except one or two really high up Cylons whom we haven't seen yet.

[Kep!]

But I think Baltar as a Cylon would be too, I don't know, obvious?

It's far more likely that Starbuck is a Cylon.

No question about Baltar...too easy.

I read a few interviews recently where the question of Starbuck being one was brought up, referencing she ends her run on the show four episodes before the season finally. In every case they hedged (of course), but it was pretty well implied she's not...too many people expect it at this point. It was made very clear though that she doesn't die...so there is that.

Me, I'm of a few minds on this...but the only one I'm pretty confident on is Sol's dead wife. She's one of the final five...I can smell it.

[Kep!]

I thought Tie’s wife was one… but we will see.

HA! Great minds think alike. Of course, so do we...

[kdmelrose]

Me, I'm of a few minds on this...but the only one I'm pretty confident on is Sol's dead wife. She's one of the final five...I can smell it.

Ellen would be somewhat interesting, as it would reach back to her introduction, when Adama suspected she might be a Cylon. But I would be incredibly disappointed if that turned out to be the case, because it would cheapen what was a very powerful, meaningful death. I just can't see the writers doing that.

[Lovecraft13]

I love the show and never miss an episode, but some of these latter episodes feel like the writers are making up the scenes are they shoot them. They just don't feel focused.

[kdmelrose]

I thought this week's episode was a return to form after a couple of bumpy weeks. Still, the ending was a bit rushed and convenient.

I know they had to get the key players back on Galactica, but everything -- the rescue of Starbuck, the escape from the Base Star, the supernova -- just all came rushing in at the last minute. The pacing was just weird.

[fluxchild]

Sol's wife being one would make sense. I still like my Madam President idea.

[Kep!]

I thought this week's episode was a return to form after a couple of bumpy weeks. Still, the ending was a bit rushed and convenient.

I know they had to get the key players back on Galactica, but everything -- the rescue of Starbuck, the escape from the Base Star, the supernova -- just all came rushing in at the last minute. The pacing was just weird.
Agreed! Another couple of weeks and I'd be yelling "SHARK!". But if they keep in the direction they're going it'll be fine.

[Kep!]

Sol's wife being one would make sense. I still like my Madam President idea.
I've considered that too, and I like it. She was extremely low level in the government (47th in line for the presidency?), so to make sure she assumed the post would be a logistical nightmare...but would certainly make her look all the more trustworthy. the betrayal would be spectacular...

...and so it's too obvious. It would almost be a disappointment.

Now, with that said, let's consider a big clue we were given: Lucy Lawless KNEW the one she saw...and seemed pretty familiar with it...more than just strategically, but like she had spent time with the person and was impressed with the brilliance of the insertion. Now, she's only had limited exposure to the main cast...who, besides Baltar...has she had excessive exposure to? Figure that out, and THAT is the next Cylon.

though not possible under the Lucy Lawless test, I believe we will discover Apollo is a Cylon...perhaps not now, but eventually. I know people keep saying "eliminate the ones with children or parents", but that's crap...anyone can adopt...or switch children at birth. Apollo is a perfect candidate...close enough to Command to know everything and influence policy and far enough away to not completely unraval the show (as Adama or Roslin would). of course, the writers are not against that, clearly with the YEAR AHEAD stunt, but outing either Adama or Roslin would be too much for most of the fan base (especially Adama, because if he were suddenly on the other side, there's no way the humans could ever win, and therefore hope is lost...end of show).

Outing Apollo would be just shocking enough and still give room for character development...now the Cylons would have a hardened flight commander...giving us many, many episodes of Starbuck/Adama Vs. Apollo...which gets us back in space, an element of the show the fans have missed with all the other plots taking precedence.

Apollo is a Cylon...I said it first.

[kdmelrose]

I don't see how Lee could be a Cylon. That revelation would make for some awkward, and unbelievable, rewriting of history, with Admiral Adama having to admit that his son was secretly adopted, and he's never, ever told anyone. There haven't even been any clues to suggest he might be adopted (at least none that I can think of).

If the writers were to pull out "Ah-ha! Apollo's the Cylon," I would be completely done with Battlestar Galactica -- not because Lee is some sort of sacred cow, but because the revelation would stretch all credibility.

The groundwork has been laid (http://blog.wired.com/tableofmalcontents/2007/01/is_starbuck_a_c.html) for Starbuck to be a Cylon, but the more I think about it, all the evidence is too neat and tidy. As Kep said, too many people expect it at this point. I'm convinced the writers are leading us in one direction, only to thrust us in another.

I'm going to say the Cylon is revealed to be one of these three characters: Laura Roslin, Saul Tigh or Galen Tyrol.

D'Anna/Number Three's apology when she had the vision at the temple makes more sense if it's one of the first two.

[Lovecraft13]

What if there are two factions within the Cylons? The models we know today split from the pack to seek revenge against the humans, while the original five were programmed with the intent of saving humanity and were executed by their evil counterparts long ago? That tension between factions is probably why the evil models never like to speak about the original five, not of fear but of guilt ala the execution of Christ.

Starbuck may be a good cylon, one who has returned like the prodigal son.

[Kep!]

I'm going to say the Cylon is revealed to be one of these three characters: Laura Roslin, Saul Tigh or Galen Tyrol.

D'Anna/Number Three's apology when she had the vision at the temple makes more sense if it's one of the first two.

All three are good and likely choices. I believe, for the reasons I said above, that Roslin would be a major blow to the show itself and after the shock value wore off would prove to be a huge mistake.

Saul is clearly a great choice. As is Galen. Pretty much for the same reasons...they both have the bosses ear and are his eyes. Of course, because of that, as spies they are interchangeable...neither offering any signifigant advantage over the other.

I'm sticking with Apollo. I agree, suddenly making him adopted would be poor writing. However, we've never seen how and why the Cylon skinjobs are made/born...it would NOT be too big of a stretch to have the real Apollo been replaced somewhere along the way...and that would be in cannon.

[Calloway]

I think *everybody* is a Cylon, but the no one really knows that, except one or two really high up Cylons whom we haven't seen yet.

Speak for yourself..I, for one, am not a cylon...I'm an autumn.

[Kep!]

What if there are two factions within the Cylons? The models we know today split from the pack to seek revenge against the humans, while the original five were programmed with the intent of saving humanity and were executed by their evil counterparts long ago? That tension between factions is probably why the evil models never like to speak about the original five, not of fear but of guilt ala the execution of Christ.

Starbuck may be a good cylon, one who has returned like the prodigal son.
I like that idea, but I think we would have had to of seen it before now...at least something of a setup of it. As it is, I think it's coming so far out of left field it would take too much to explain and validate to make it worth doing.

[fluxchild]

well didn't Lucy Lawless' character know the president? I not sure but isn't that how she got onboard the first time, as a favor from madam president? Saul would be a good choice, and he'd probably be very conflicted once he found out. Another Boomer type series.
anyone else hate that they boxed up Xena?

I don't think it's Galen. Him and that ugly chick has a kid together.....what about the dude that was helping Galen on New Caprica? I think he's the new cylon, and Lucy Lawless would know him from New Caprica

[KultBaby]

Here's my question: what do you think Baltar's destiny is in all this. This week, they gave him a messianic shot before he entered the temple. What's his role in all this.

And does Carpricia Six still have a Baltar in her head?

[Lovecraft13]

I like that idea, but I think we would have had to of seen it before now...at least something of a setup of it. As it is, I think it's coming so far out of left field it would take too much to explain and validate to make it worth doing.

True, but it could at least give the writers a new season's worth of material to use that'd lead up to the final season.

[fluxchild]

So what if Baltar is a descendant of the original maker of the Cylons? Maybe he isn't one, but maybe they are all designed to not kill him, therefore it would make sense that he always gets out of trouble.
maybe that's a stretch, but wouldn't that make sense with having Caprica in his head?
and are the skin jobs reflections of the people that either killed off Cylons or made them.....I think the cylons are such a complex piece of the story. Far removed from storm troopers and Borgs...I love it!!

[Particle9]

They are building Baltar up to be a Cylon waaaay too much, if in fact he is...they're probably gonna pull another character out of thin air that we weren't suspecting to announce they are a Cylon. Otherwise, I'll be majorly disappointed. lol.

[HaphazardJoy]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WTF WTF!!!!!!!!?!?!?

Good episode and all, but that was the season finale?! ALREADY?!

...and no new episodes till 2008?!!?

They're killing me here.

[Gonzogoose]

I know, 2008?! Man, I am so hooked on this show now!

And what about the reveals! Man, saw some of it coming, but not quite all that!

I'm really glad I haven't seen seasons one and two now because I can go rent those to keep me busy until 2008!

[Kep!]

"We're all Cylons and have been since the beginning." TERRIBLE line!!!

Of course, this does mean there's another Cylon/human hybrid.

[HaphazardJoy]

Yeah, assuming we know the truth about the number of cylons, than those four are part of the final five, with only the last cylon model unrevealed. This kind of all throws me for a loop though, I was right along with some fan sites that speculated on who could be a cylon and went into depth examining criteria of things like if they fought in the previous cylon war and if they had established connections to other characters for so many years etc, and then ranking their likelihood of being a cylon.... one of those four was pretty much writen off as not being possible of being a cylon based on what we knew.
It makes me worry that they're throwing out some of the rules instead of working within what they set out within the first season. So many yet-to-be-explained twists at once, it's worrisome that they'll start the next season with a flurry of events and hope we forget that none of this episode got explained.

[Gonzogoose]

I think there's more to it than that. I'm not sure if they're really cylons or just have been led to believe they are. There's definitely some kind of connection between the four, but I think that's too easy to throw four of the final five in there at the last minute. I think it's a red herring. But they did say that we would see one of the final five by season's end, and that it would be someone we knew. So, either one of them is definitely a cylon or it's someone else. I'll be honest, from the dreams I actually thought Roslin might be one.

And who's to say there aren't more than five final ones? I mean if the other cylon models don't know who they are it's conceivable that there are actually more. And since there were 12 colonies, but earth is the 13th, maybe there is at least a 13th cylon? Very interesting. I can't believe we have to wait until next year as opposed to this Fall though.

[Mike225]

I think there's more to it than that. I'm not sure if they're really cylons or just have been led to believe they are. There's definitely some kind of connection between the four, but I think that's too easy to throw four of the final five in there at the last minute. I think it's a red herring. But they did say that we would see one of the final five by season's end, and that it would be someone we knew. So, either one of them is definitely a cylon or it's someone else. I'll be honest, from the dreams I actually thought Roslin might be one.

And who's to say there aren't more than five final ones? I mean if the other cylon models don't know who they are it's conceivable that there are actually more. And since there were 12 colonies, but earth is the 13th, maybe there is at least a 13th cylon? Very interesting. I can't believe we have to wait until next year as opposed to this Fall though. :laugh:

[Gonzogoose]

:laugh:

What? :slap:

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Sorry for my geekyness but I have to say I absolutely love how they wink at the original series.

In the opening theme, you´ll notice that there´s a scenne where the cylon raiders descend from the top left corner of the screen toward us, a scenne which is carbon copied from a cylon attack stock footage from the original show.

And in a former episode (18 or 19, can´t remember),there´s another scenne that was lifted directly from the 78´s original , a stock footage scenne I used to call "cavalry to the rescue" where a viper squadron bursts toward the screen, coming from the bottom right corner.

It just doesn´t get any better than this! :har: :banana:

Unless of course they find a wayu to incorporate Count Iblis into this new series, but that would be just too cool for words. ;)

[Kep!]

So, since Gius heard the music, does that make him a Cylon too?

[Gonzogoose]

I thought he heard it at first too, but I don't think he did. Watching it back it just looked like he was reacting to his surroundings.

I'm still not convinced they're actually cylons just because they heard the music.

[HaphazardJoy]

Yeah, for a sec I thought he heard it, but then I quickly dismissed that idea.

[Kep!]

I'm sure he did. Didn't he hear it last week as well?

[Johnny B]

I heard somewhere that the producers confirmed these four are definitely cylons, but they won't comment on Starbuck's fate. They're making us wait until 2008 to find that out.

Oh, and I totally dug the cover of "All Along the Watchtower." Supposedly, the song hints at some sort of link between the humans from the twelve colonies and the humans on Earth.

I'll see if I can find the link to the interview.

[Johnny B]

Does anyone think the fifth Cylon is Bob Dylan?

[Biofungus]

Does anyone think the fifth Cylon is Bob Dylan?
The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer? Is blowing in the wind.

[Lovecraft13]

Here's word from the show's mastermind (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32045)

[Kep!]

Real or not, Katee Sackoff will return to her status as series regular next season.

Gotta tell ya, I'm glad to hear it. While she isn't the most accomplished (read: Brilliant) actor on the set, she is part of the soul of the series.

[JasonM]

Is it possible that the Cylons perfected a way to copy memories to new models? It would have been the perfect opportunity on New caprica to replace the 4 real humans with cylons. Remember, up to this point, cylon models only first appeared a couple years prior, but these ones, at least with the Col. there are shared membories going back decades.

Just a thought.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

SPOILER!!
I don´t think the four are cylons, it´s that place they´re inb.
The moment they got closer to that nebula, shit started happening.
Roslin had a seizure, all systems shut down, the music got lowder, now Starbuck appears....

I´ll bet the cylon fleet is actually just hoovering there as well, with all their systems down like what happened to that first skin job back at the Ragnar Anchorage.

[HaphazardJoy]

^^^:: post-spoiler warning ::^^^

:p

[compton]

There's also talk of the 5 humans that lead the way to earth the first time. Is it possible the 4 are hybrids? not human not cylon?

[HaphazardJoy]

Well what I'm wondering is: what's all the emphasis on Hera, because if these ones are cylons, there's at least one other human-cylon offspring. If it is "5 humans that lead to Earth" that is confusing too, because the President and Starbuck have clear spiritual ties to that process, adding these four, that'd be six, unless Prez does die and she's the one that fell along the way, leaving these four and then Kara.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

This show sure doesn´t pull any punches.

Anyone else freaked out a bit with the Ressurrection ship episode, when they blow the thing up and you see all those naked corpses venting into space?

That coupled with the suicide bombing in this new season and man!, do the writers of this show treat a minefield.

[Aaron Wilder]

The final Cylon is Zak Adama, Apollo's dead brother that died during a "training" accident.