Battlestar Galactica (spoilers/speculation)

[Oban]

What? 2009? Shit, there's a good possibility I won't be able to generate enough interest in myself to watch it by then. And if Lum is correct about tonight's episode pissing me off, it's very likely.

Yeah, whatever happened to Lost?  Did they ever do a third season?

[Triforcer]

I CALLED THIS!

EDIT: That doesn't make it any less unbelievably stupid

[HaemishM]

I suppose it's possible they could do something that stupid, but it would fly against all the 'rules' they've spent all this time setting up with regards to how the Cylon hierarchy is set up.

They've never followed the rules with their characters, why should they bother with anything else?

[Abagadro]

You maniacs!

[Lum]

Have fun on Earth guys!

Hope they know how to grow high-radiation crops!

I had the ending spoiled (they screened it in LA a few days ago) and the emotional manipulation at the end still pissed me off.

[Margalis]

You guys believed my fake spoiler?   I did think someone else had already mentioned it.

That episode was...interesting. First 55 minutes were spent hastily wrapping up, the last 5 undoing that wrapup. You can tell they left themselves room for an alternate ending if the series was ending - yay we found earth and it's awesome!

The scene with Kara running to stop Lee was annoying. Doesn't anyone have a phone or an intercom or something?

I like the overall plot point they ended up at but the episode was the typical hastily produced cancellation wrap-up. Really did nothing for me.

In all honestly I was totally expecting a Planet of the Apes turn. No way they could hype up earth that much and then it turns out to be a sunny paradise.

[Triforcer]

You guys believed my fake spoiler?   I did think someone else had already mentioned it.

That episode was...interesting. First 55 minutes were spent hastily wrapping up, the last 5 undoing that wrapup. You can tell they left themselves room for an alternate ending if the series was ending - yay we found earth and it's awesome!

The scene with Kara running to stop Lee was annoying. Doesn't anyone have a phone or an intercom or something?

I like the overall plot point they ended up at but the episode was the typical hastily produced cancellation wrap-up. Really did nothing for me.

In all honestly I was totally expecting a Planet of the Apes turn. No way they could hype up earth that much and then it turns out to be a sunny paradise.

I was expecting either more Cylons or a Goa'uld/Wraith sorta twist.  So...based on Deanna's "we just need four" comments, can we assume it was narrowed down to one of the three notables on the basestar?

[Lum]

You can tell they left themselves room for an alternate ending if the series was ending - yay we found earth and it's awesome!

I vote for the alternate ending plz. These guys have been kicked in the nads enough. Why is a happily ever after ending so bad?

Bonus points for no one pointing out during the celebration the total lack of signs of life :P

[Jayce]

At least there's no flying motorcyles.

[Margalis]

Bonus points for no one pointing out during the celebration the total lack of signs of life :P

They don't even have ship-wide intercoms, you think they have fancy-schmancy planet scanning tech? They probably just look out a window with binoculars.

[Triforcer]

Another thought.  Why is Earth so damn important if the Cylons and humans are BFF now?  They have twelve perfectly good planets.  

[Lum]

The BFF cylons are a very small splinter (as in, one rebel base ship.)

The rest of the cylons are probably more than slightly pissed at having their immortality yoinked.

Which, given the lack of Cylon reproduction, is a genocide on the order of the nuking of the 12th colonies. Something that I suspect will be brought up more than once.

[Triforcer]

The BFF cylons are a very small splinter (as in, one rebel base ship.)

The rest of the cylons are probably more than slightly pissed at having their immortality yoinked.

Which, given the lack of Cylon reproduction, is a genocide on the order of the nuking of the 12th colonies. Something that I suspect will be brought up more than once.

I was given to understand that all the Leobens, Sixes, and Eights were on their side- I think at the very least its a half and half war. 

[Nevermore]

Have fun on Earth guys!

Hope they know how to grow high-radiation crops!

I had the ending spoiled (they screened it in LA a few days ago) and the emotional manipulation at the end still pissed me off.

I didn't really feel all that manipulated, to be honest.  There were really only two options the writers had to go with:  Wait until the last episode of the series to find Earth and end happily ever after or find Earth before the series ends and find out that it's largely destroyed.  I was surprised that they went ahead and found Earth this episode (mostly because of the extremely fast pace they had to move things along to get there) but once they did the only question running through my mind was would they drop the other shoe at the end of this episode or at the beginning of the next half of the season.  I was actually relieved that they went ahead and revealed it now instead of dragging out a 'what's down there?' question for 7 months.

[tazelbain]

Pretty worthless.  Obviously the first 2 seasons were fluke.

[Nevermore]

Pretty worthless.  Obviously the first 2 seasons were fluke.

I'm still enjoying the story that's being told, but I think the pacing has been much worse the last couple of seasons compared to the first couple.  Especially this season.  The story seems to move much too slow at times, and way too fast at other times (like this last episode).  Seriously, in the time it took Tigh to walk down from the admiral's office to the airlock, Adama went from disbelief to anger to a falling down drunk broken wreck.  The pacing was all off.

On another note, some questions that still need to be answered:

Who's the fifth Cylon?  D'Anna was pretty certain that only 4 of the final 5 were in the fleet.  It wouldn't surprise me if there are some survivors of the 13th colony still on Earth and the 5th is among them (no doubt hiding in the ruins of Salt Lake City ).

What exactly are the final 5 and how did they get separated from the rest of the Cylons?  That also goes to the question of who or what is directing all this?  Who or what wrote all the prophesies, left all the clues to be followed and is sending all these visions?  Who resurrected Kara and gave her a magic Viper?

Will we ever find out what Baltar's head Six and what Six's head Baltar were?  Just visions or something else?  We haven't seen either one in a very long time...

Are they finally going to tell us what's so important about the half-Cylon kids?  I'd say Athena's daughter might be a candidate for the last Cylon but that would mean Terrell's kid should be one too, which would make 13 'models' (if you can call the final five 'models').

[HaemishM]

You maniacs!

Goddamnit, that's the exact same thought I had at the end.

It was a better episode, but it felt terribly rushed, which it might not have if they hadn't spun their wheels so much this season.

[Riggswolfe]

Who's the fifth Cylon?  D'Anna was pretty certain that only 4 of the final 5 were in the fleet.  It wouldn't surprise me if there are some survivors of the 13th colony still on Earth and the 5th is among them (no doubt hiding in the ruins of Salt Lake City ).

One thing that occured to me. What if she was playing semantics games and the 5th wasn't in the fleet. At the time. This would mean that the 5th was one of the people on the basestar. We know it's not Roslin or Baltar. Adama was back on the fleet. I'm trying to think who else was there. Was Helo on the basestar?

As for your other questions, they damn well better explain them. Especially why Baltar can see things as he wants, like the Cylons, yet apparently is not one.

[Tale]

Who's the fifth Cylon?  D'Anna was pretty certain that only 4 of the final 5 were in the fleet.  It wouldn't surprise me if there are some survivors of the 13th colony still on Earth and the 5th is among them (no doubt hiding in the ruins of Salt Lake City ).

That's it, I'm pointing out she has a normal English name. Deanna. No exotic dark elf apostrophes or software product mid-word capitalisations. 

Random speculation follows. Maybe the fifth member of the final five is the being that led them to Earth. Maybe it's also the One God (of Baltar and the Cylons) but probably not an actual god, just whatever is summoning them.

Re Galactica lacking tech - remember Galactica survived because it was being decommissioned as a museum piece. They also unplugged everything newfangled as soon as they realised the Cylons were using a digital virus.

And why is Earth is in ruins? The original 1970s series was presumed to be taking place in the past. Characters had names like Adam(a) and Apollo because they were going to discover and settle Earth as our ancestors, entering our mythology. In this series, we're told "this has all happened before". So maybe the timeline has been 1970s Series Capricans reach Earth and start civilisation, which is destroyed thousands of years later. A new civilisation grows on Caprica, is destroyed, then the 2000s Series Capricans reach Earth.

So what exactly are the four known final five members? How have they "been to Earth before"? Perhaps when our civilisation ended, there were five survivors? But that probably took place long ago, so perhaps the four Galactica members of the five are the genetic descendants of our Earth civilisation's final five? Did their ancestors go as refugees to Caprica when Earth's civilisation ended?

Perhaps the fifth is still on Earth. How can it have lived this long? Perhaps it's a computer programmed by our dying civilisation to try and bring humanity back. (And the answer is 42.) Perhaps it rebuilt Kara and her ship, and made the Cylons.

Maybe there's an intergalactic human survival mechanism consisting of all the markers they've found along the way on different planets, plus the prophecies they've carried through the ages, so that humans will always repopulate themselves after their civilisations wipe themselves out?

Whatever, hell yeah, the next bit has gotta be humans vs finite cylons.

[Tannhauser]

I was really hoping the pres and Adama would have followed Starbuck on nothing but faith.  THAT would have been amazing, for the handful of humans to follow her on blind faith.  Of course I guess they are doing so right now with Rosiln.

I enjoyed the episode, for a change Starbuck's screaming fit made sense.  Apollo's ceremony was filler to me though.  I wonder what he's gonna do in the government, be a pain in the ass for Roslin I bet.  I bet she spaces him after what he did at the trial.

As far as Earth, heres my thoughts on the Earthlings.
1.  Ancient Earth would be no help vs. the Cylons.  Plus it would be boring as they worship the raptor as it touches down.  Not gonna happen.
2. Modern day Earth would be more interesting, but the urge to put in flying motorcycles might be too tempting to Ron Moore. :)  But again, no help.
3.  A futuristic Earth would help vs. the Cylons but I'm not sure how they would fit in the story.  Unless Earth is populated by Cylon/Human hybrids! zomg1
4.  They find Earth but no humans who have died off, fled to the stars etc.  Quite possible to me as Earth is re-colonized and the circle begins again.  "All of this has happened before."

BAM!

[Merusk]

The humans are all underground.  They find vault 13 and it turns into Fallout:The Series. 

[Tebonas]

So war never changes because it happened before and it will happen again?

Sure, why not! 

[Nevermore]

That's it, I'm pointing out she has a normal English name. Deanna. No exotic dark elf apostrophes or software product mid-word capitalisations. 

O rly?

[tazelbain]

On another note, some questions that still need to be answered:

Who's the fifth Cylon?  D'Anna was pretty certain that only 4 of the final 5 were in the fleet.  It wouldn't surprise me if there are some survivors of the 13th colony still on Earth and the 5th is among them (no doubt hiding in the ruins of Salt Lake City Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?).

What exactly are the final 5 and how did they get separated from the rest of the Cylons?  That also goes to the question of who or what is directing all this?  Who or what wrote all the prophesies, left all the clues to be followed and is sending all these visions?  Who resurrected Kara and gave her a magic Viper?

Will we ever find out what Baltar's head Six and what Six's head Baltar were?  Just visions or something else?  We haven't seen either one in a very long time...

Are they finally going to tell us what's so important about the half-Cylon kids?  I'd say Athena's daughter might be a candidate for the last Cylon but that would mean Terrell's kid should be one too, which would make 13 'models' (if you can call the final five 'models').

Basically the same questions we had at the end of season 3. Obviouslly they no clues how to finish up all the loose ends and are ignoring them.  I have no problem with the earth being ruined.

[Oban]

[Abagadro]

The original 1970s series was presumed to be taking place in the past.

Nope. In the original series, the first signal they detected from Earth was of the Apollo 11 moon landing.  The mythology has always been that the lost 13th tribe settled Earth long before the current exodus from the 12 colonies. 

[Tale]

That's it, I'm pointing out she has a normal English name. Deanna. No exotic dark elf apostrophes or software product mid-word capitalisations. 

O rly?

Je'sus, who thought of th'at? Sorry for not che'cking :(

[Tale]

The original 1970s series was presumed to be taking place in the past.

Nope. In the original series, the first signal they detected from Earth was of the Apollo 11 moon landing.  The mythology has always been that the lost 13th tribe settled Earth long before the current exodus from the 12 colonies. 

Ahh OK - sorry I do remember that Apollo 11 bit from watching it as a kid. My recollection was a childhood interpretation of the opening narration: "There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. That they may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis." Somehow I didn't absorb the last line "Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens..."

[Raguel]

The next episode should start with Adama waking up in Galactica saying, "Maybe fixing the election is a good idea." 

I would have enjoyed this episode more if Apollo was more pro active instead of just reacting to what D'anna was doing, and that he negotiated from a position of strength, as opposed to weakness, but whatever.

[Tannhauser]

Ok here's who I think is the last cylon.

It's God.

Well, to be more precise it's Head Six/Head Baltar/Shelly GODfrey.

Evidence
1.  The #6 that was with Balter when the nuke hit his house was in the red dress.  How does Baltar survive it?  Only God could do that.
2.  Head Six constantly pushed Baltar to be the first human to believe in the Cylon God.  When Head Six speaks of God it's in the royal 'we' mode.
3.  Shelly Godfrey showed up not only to put the fear of God (heh) into Baltar but to forever remove him from suspicion of the genocide.
4.  Head Baltar showed up for Natalie(?) and showed her a different way...a way to live with the humans not kill them.  She was much easier to convince
     since she was already a believer. 
5.  Who is carrying Hera at the Opera House?  Natalie and Baltar and they are standing before a blinding light, which is God.  Hera may be God's replacement.
6.  In the hall against the marines, God literally picked up Baltar and made him stand against them, watch the scene, he looks like a puppet.  That was direct
     physical evidence of an unseeen force acting on him. 
7.  How do the hybrids jump?  I think they are plugged into the cylon god.  In the context of the show I don't see how it could be otherwise.  Not even the
     Cylons know how the hybrids do it.
8.  As the cylon god, it is the soul of the cylons.  Like the collective consciousness (more or less) they share, they also share a single soul.  The cylons seemed
     to be in complete agreement together until Natalie and Athena(?) stirred the pot.
9.  In the Last Supper picture we see Head Six in the Christ position,  maybe a clue there.
10.  I think the #6 models channel god.  That would explain Ellen's appearance to Tigh and the miracle of a cylon/cylon birth. First evar!

As far as Starbuck and the magic viper I am not sure yet.  The hybrid DID say that Starbuck would lead them to ruin, or
 something like that.  Well this planet is full of them.

[Tale]

BSG gag reels

Season 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKeBepwwc60
Season 2 http://www.clipstr.com/videos/BattlestarGalacticaBloopers/
Season 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmo_KCsutI

Shitty 1970s BSG gag reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UShnyQK8aas

Edit - also found this funny Katee Sackhoff clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SipOGdPT8H8

[Venkman]

The episode wasn't bad, but it was too predictable. Same problem any series have. Unless you knew three months in advance that the specific show you're watching is the final show, you know no delivered closure can actually be closure. Man behind the curtain sorta thing.

Earth needed to be never-developed or ruined if they were going to find it anytime before the end of the series. It pissed me off that they were trying to misdirect people though with all that celebration. That was too much screen time to an obvious lie.

So my guess is that this isn't Earth but some sort of outlier colony. I'm reminded of Foundation and Earth when the crew were looking for, well, Earth and found these progressively older planets all deserted at lengthening periods of time in the past. Of course, Earth by that point was a barren wasteland done in so by the release of a lot of radiation (not though war but through the belief in the Zeroeth Law in, err, the fourth of the Caves of Steel series I think). Err, yea, anyway...

I still would have preferred this happen at the end of the series with a system-spanning civilization of Cylons and Humans with crazy high technology waiting to welcome the stragglers home. I want something upbeat from this show at some point godsdammit!

[angry.bob]

This episode needed more t-800's. That would lead into the best show ever, Cylon vs. Terminator.  Catfighting armies of 6s, 8s, and 3s vs. Summer Glaus. All wraslin in the radioactive mud, uniforms being torn off...

Of course they'd have to jury rig Resurrection crap on the Galactica.

[Raguel]

Ok here's who I think is the last cylon.

It's God.

Well, to be more precise it's Head Six/Head Baltar/Shelly GODfrey.

Evidence
1.  The #6 that was with Balter when the nuke hit his house was in the red dress.  How does Baltar survive it?  Only God could do that.
2.  Head Six constantly pushed Baltar to be the first human to believe in the Cylon God.  When Head Six speaks of God it's in the royal 'we' mode.
3.  Shelly Godfrey showed up not only to put the fear of God (heh) into Baltar but to forever remove him from suspicion of the genocide.
4.  Head Baltar showed up for Natalie(?) and showed her a different way...a way to live with the humans not kill them.  She was much easier to convince
     since she was already a believer. 
5.  Who is carrying Hera at the Opera House?  Natalie and Baltar and they are standing before a blinding light, which is God.  Hera may be God's replacement.
6.  In the hall against the marines, God literally picked up Baltar and made him stand against them, watch the scene, he looks like a puppet.  That was direct
     physical evidence of an unseeen force acting on him. 
7.  How do the hybrids jump?  I think they are plugged into the cylon god.  In the context of the show I don't see how it could be otherwise.  Not even the
     Cylons know how the hybrids do it.
8.  As the cylon god, it is the soul of the cylons.  Like the collective consciousness (more or less) they share, they also share a single soul.  The cylons seemed
     to be in complete agreement together until Natalie and Athena(?) stirred the pot.
9.  In the Last Supper picture we see Head Six in the Christ position,  maybe a clue there.
10.  I think the #6 models channel god.  That would explain Ellen's appearance to Tigh and the miracle of a cylon/cylon birth. First evar!

As far as Starbuck and the magic viper I am not sure yet.  The hybrid DID say that Starbuck would lead them to ruin, or
 something like that.  Well this planet is full of them.

Isn't there a phrase for making your plot so convoluted only a deity can resolve it? 

[Comstar]

Can someone say or PM me what *kind* of ruins did they find? Greek? Modern Day? High Tech? Nothing but rocks in a pile?