Okay… that was one moody episode of Battlestar Galactica. Fair warning. If you haven’t seen the first of the final 10 episodes, turn back now. There be major spoilers ahead.
So… wow.
I’m not quite sure what to say about that episode.
If the episode was designed to make us feel sort of aimless and disconcerted, mission accomplished. The scenes just kind of meandered. Lots of jumping from person to person, with mostly little bits of scene, and very little dialogue. I did get the impression of the wind being knocked out of everyone’s sails. So good job on that bit.
There didn’t seem to be much urgency about anything. Well, until Dee blew her own head off. That’s one Cylon candidate off the rolls. I actually think they handled that pretty well, though I’m sorry to see her go.
Tigh and the rest of the final 4… interesting that they remembered being here 2000 years ago.
But Tigh walking into the water seemed weird. Kinda like an afterthought. It didn’t seem to belong. And to have that lead to the revelation of the fifth Cylon, and that it was his wife, seemed anti-climactic. His wife’s been dead for quite a while now (heck, she didn’t even make it to my poll). And she was a bit of a lame character to begin with. I hope as the story progresses it’ll make more sense, but as it stands, I think I’m a bit put-off by it.
A couple other things: If Earth was a Cylon colony, why do they have to be invented 50 years prior to BSG? And if Earth was a Cylon colony, why do we see so many different people in Tyrol’s flashback? Shouldn’t it have been the same 12 over and over again? Or am I misremembering that, and it really was a bunch of clones?
Lots of unanswered questions. A bit of a disappointing reveal. The Starbuck story looks interesting. Seems like there has to be a cloning or time travel aspect to that one.
I say everyone’s really a Cylon.
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I came to the same final conclusion, everyone is a Cylon.
I thought maybe Dee was a Cylon and killed herself because of the memories, or maybe Starbuck was, then maybe Tighs wife. Then I just figured that everyone in the fleet is the final Cylon.
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Jeff says:
January 17th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
I’d still go with Tigh’s wife being the final cylon if we hadn’t seen unknown models in Tyrol’s flashback. Though truthfully, the “everyone’s a Cylon” argument still seems like the best answer regardless.
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See with Starbuck I almost think that says that she is a Cylon too. I hadn’t considered a time travel issue. I’m surprised too that they don’t have the technology to reverse a lot of the damage on that planet.
Everyone is a Cylon LOL that’s great
Did not see the Dee scene coming, not at all, so I’m glad they still have the ability to shock me. It is also interesting though that the four cylons all happened to live in the same stretch of beach.
I felt the same as you whilst watching it and I think the effect was on purpose.
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Jeff says:
January 18th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the Final Five’s proximity to each other in the past, but given that there is something special about them, as yet unrevealed, it’s maybe not surprising that they would be together in the past.
If they hadn’t been adamant about saying there are only 12 Cylon models (Centurians being the 13th), I’d go with you on the Starbuck being a Cylon. But they’ve got the confirmed count maxed out now, so that doesn’t make room for more… unless of course they’ve been lying this whole time. Which I’m sure they would never do.
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Lee says:
January 18th, 2009 at 12:34 am
Ah but the entire planet was made up of cylons 2000 years ago so there are technically more models out there – there has to be so the idea of 13 models has to be wrong (what about the raiders too? Are they just considered to be centurians?).
Either way I’m now more convinced that everyone is Cylon
Do 6′s backs still light up like they did in the pilot? Or am I dreaming that that happened?
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Jeff says:
January 18th, 2009 at 1:18 am
heh … that’s the best argument for an all-Cylon universe I’ve heard! I forgot about the raiders… I think they’re variations on Centurians, though.
No dreaming… that really happened. Boomer did the same thing in the first season on Caprica. I always wondered if they have to have the light on in the room so the guy doesn’t go “What the heck was that?”
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In addition to Dr. Who, Jeff, I am also a big fan of BSG. I agree about the reveal of the fifth cylon to be a little bit of a let-down, but it sure brought the element of surprise since I never saw it coming. The walking into the water thing was a little odd and hard to figure out and how it triggered the memory. Oh yeah, and what are the odds that the chief engineer would land in the precise location that his clone died at 2000 years before?
And the Starbuck paradox. How wierd that she gets to put her own body on a funeral pyre. So, what does the finding of herself mean? The most logical explanation is that she is another cylon and the prophecy did not reveal all. Does it mean a parallel universe? Does it indicate that there is another dimension in which the earth of their hope lies??
I think the one theme that will solve all questions is the constant statement in the series that “all this has happened before and will happen again..” Perhaps the Galactica is going to populate what will eventually become the New Caprica seen in the first episode?
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Jeff says:
January 25th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Surprising, yeah. Satisfying… eh.
Never tell a sci-fi writer the odds.
I never considered a parallel universe explanation for the whole thing. I kind of doubt that’s it, though. Doesn’t seem to fit into the milieu of the show.
“All this has happened before…” is undoubtedly the answer. The whole reason to watch the show now is to figure out what that means!
I don’t remember anything about “New” Caprica in the first episode. Did I miss something? I’m gonna have to go look that up, I guess.
Btw… glad to see you found your way here.
Welcome.
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