Battlestar Galactica: Final Season (SPOILERS)

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Yeah, don't get me wrong, Baltar's definitely going to be involved. I don't think he's just going to sit on the sidelines; never have. Remember, I was the dude who kept harping on the Baltar-as-Gollum (sorta-kinda) thing, where he just manages to survive every crazy event and it ends up being important that he did. Never was really sure whether or not that meant he'd do something good or just luck into doing something good (like Gollum), but either way, he's too important.

BUT, the show's definitely going to mess with us in the end, and even if things are happy overall, there's going to be some bleak stuff. Baltar helping out, but still ultimately being selfish, doesn't seem out of the question, though I agree it's not the most likely explanation. The most likely explanation is that they had to show us his flashbacks so we could see Caprica Six showing him the value of doing something right (which she did, by paying attention to his father). He's ruminating on that, presumably because it's going to really hit him. It just hasn't yet, is all.

And yeah, I think the Tryol thing simply came from them being worried about having enough volunteers. Lee was on the phone telling someone that even people imprisoned for the mutiny were to be let out in order to help, and they did something way worse than Tyrol.

Agree about the Roslin stuff. I don't know if it really told me anything significant about her character (except that she doesn't freak out and cry when terrible things happen, which I suppose is relevant given her rise to power).

Really worried about Adama going down with the ship at this point...probably with Roslin by his side. It just fits too well...he's been breaking down, he's going on one last mission, he's still on the ship even though almost everyone else is leaving. Ugh...it just makes too much sense.

By the by, we still don't know exactly what Adama was trying to talk his way out of in his flashback. Something to do with Galactica? Something that, if he'd gotten his way and not done it, he'd never have ended up on the ship, and therefore would have died on Caprica? That's my guess, at least.



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The Adama flashback? I assumed it was just going back for the decommissioning ceremony. I seem to recall in the beginning of the series that he hated all that stuff and didn't really want to participate.

So I assumed this flashback was reminding us of that -- of his reluctance to get back on the ship just to watch them get all gooey and then turn it into a museum. And yet, we know how important it was for him to coincidentally be back on the ship when Caprica got nuked.

No?

Aha, re. Tyrol. I must have gone into brain fuzz right at the moment of Lee's phone call. I remember thinking the phone looked so old-fashioned tethered to the wall, but that probably meant I wasn't listening to Lee's words.



Standing in the Sunlight, Laughing
I loved the flashbacks. If nothing else, we're reminded of who these people were when the show began five years ago - people with lives not unlike our own. They had everyday concerns and losing the five people closest to you was a rend in your universe. In the post-Cylon attack world, if you only lost your family, you were insanely lucky. The flashbacks went back to 'normal' times and laid bare the threads that we're about to see tied up, for better or worse. There was a beauty to it that touched me. Given that the title of the ep was "Daybreak, Part 1", I don't think they needed to show us the relevance of these flashbacks in this hour. If, in fact, the whole point was to remind us that these were people with lives who were thrust into this cataclysmic scenario, that's worth the time to me.

Roslyn's story made me feel all the worse for her, knowing that when she got that diagnosis, she had no family to turn to for support. Her scene in the fountain seemed like a negative recreation of the fountain scene from La Dolce Vita, and could be seen as a really dark reminder that even if you value your family, do things for others, live carefully, you can still (and really, will still) end up bereft.

My private explanation of where Adama didn't want to go was to renew his drivers' license, but that's just me.

Hybrid Anders has the ability to jump the ship, which means he's connected to the Universe in a metaphysical way, and his muttering about finding a perfect world for Kara Thrace is the most hopeful thing we've seen in ages. Great point that he's about to be at the edge of a wormhole - maybe that's exactly where he needs to be to find it.

Adama telling Kara that he considers her his daughter was a nice moment, despite his having said it before.

I want to see Baltar step up and be the person he wants to be. Lee's point to him that Baltar doesn't even live up to his own standards of what a man should be was totally valid and a clarifying moment for him, and Baltar's failure to cross that line and volunteer was really disappointing in light of that. I'm with Yoda that we may not see that happen. In fact, Head 6's thing to him about being the author of humanity's final chapter may simply mean that he survives to write the history - becoming a present day Pythia - surviving like the cockroach as the more heroic people go off to their deaths (or a perfect world).

Did Racetrack say "f*ck"??????!!

Athena volunteered, as did Helo. They were in the back of the group, but on the volunteer side. I too think Boomer is set to switch sides. Interestingly, if she does, it will be her humanity that makes that happen (which has been reawakened by Hera calling for her, possibly also by being reminded she loved Tyrol), and Cavil will see that as a failure/personal slight to his notion of machine supremacy. Outlook for Boomer: dark.

I don't see the Galactica being ok for long at the edge of a wormhole. It's barely holding together without gravitational stresses on it.

The closing credits coming up with no music actually made me kinda gasp. It made me realise the whole thing is about to go silent. Seriously:
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Well, wait -- how do you guys who don't necessarily seeing Baltar stepping up to the plate explain his being in the visions all the time? Just curious -- because I think that part is suddenly becoming very important.

Anyway ... I guess I liked the backstory more than I let on... but everything I watch now is clouded by how little time is left for them to tell us SO much. I mean, if they took time *now* (as opposed to, say, last season) to show us this stuff and then don't have time to show us important stuff about Kara's destiny or where all these people end up ultimately ... I am going to be miffed. If given the choice, I would certainly not choose learning more about Roslin and her sisters...



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Yoda, I have to take issue with your implication that Caprica Six was showing Baltar the benefits of doing something good ... unless you meant it in a very selfish way. That is, my take on that flashback is this:

-- Caprica Six NEEDS to stay close to Gaius in order to gain defense department secrets ... and he had just kicked her out of his dad's house and told her to get a ride home. So she figures the only way to be able to seduce Gaius effectively is to make sure he isn't distracted by the situation with his dad. So, she makes Dad happy, thereby freeing up Gaius to pay attention to HER and not HIM.

-- This also has the effect of Gaius taking her more seriously and we know (of course) that he will not stay with the brunette bimbo we see but will rather turn to Caprica Six ... thereby sealing the fate of mankind.

-- In the interim, Gaius may have learned a lesson about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar ... something we've seen him do well many many times. He apparently learned how to be subtly sly from Caprica Six, and has since perfected it to an art form.

Nobody's mentioned the Anders flashback in the soaking tub being interviewed after a game. His speech on action/reaction and physical perfection. "Find the perfect world for the end of Kara Thrace," he says as the hybrid just after his flashback. Odd.

Oh, side question: How did the original hybrid come to be? Were we ever told or shown this? Who is/was this person/entity? Did she turn into a hybrid in much the same way as Anders? If so, was she a model too? Or some totally unnumbered cylon created simply to be the hybrid? Just curious....



Standing in the Sunlight, Laughing
I don't really feel like Baltar's presence in the dreams is a deciding factor in what he'll do, or be in a position to do, for a couple of reasons:
1. These are visions. They don't really come with a guarantee of accuracy - things can change that would change the future of the person who had (or the person who gave) the vision. Maybe?
2. Baltar wasn't sentient in any vision. He was in a projection that Eyelet Lace Six made, and he was in the vision with Hera, 6, Roslin and an 8, but they were all aware of each other there and he wasn't. Maybe he was but wasn't in the room with anyone and didn't know that they'd connected over the vision, or maybe he's a part of the fabric of the vision.

If it's any consolation, I hope you're right and he plays a part and redeems himself. But if he doesn't, I think it'll work for his character, too.

Hybrids were created during the "first" Cylon War by the Centurions, out of humans they captured. (Yikes.) This was revealed in Razor, which I really wish I'd rewatched when I rewatched the rest of the series. :/



The Adventure Starts Here!
I see your points about Baltar and the visions, but let me add this:

-- If Baltar doesn't have to be in any real-life outworkings of the vision, then neither does Athena. Let's face it -- we're making this up as we go along since they never gave us rules for interpreting these visions. But if I had to guess, I would bet that putting a person in these visions repeatedly (Baltar) means that the writers want us to attach significance to that. In fact, I'd argue that putting him in these visions for years would be entirely RUDE of the writers if he has no actual significance in their outworking.

I don't mind if the outworking doesn't have an Opera House, or if they're not wearing the same clothes, or if they don't say the actual things or wear the same hairstyles they do in the visions. But I assert that we will see each of those actual people involved in this final Hera-thing in some fairly direct way.

The question of whether one of them is Athena or Boomer is still up for grabs, but ONE of them will be involved directly.

Oh, and one tiny detail about the visions. I noticed when they first started showing these visions years ago that Roslin's hair looked vastly different than she was wearing it at the time. (It was stick-straight in the visions.)

And now look: That wig she's been wearing since losing her hair is ... stick-straight hair.

I like details like that.



Standing in the Sunlight, Laughing
I see your points about Baltar and the visions, but let me add this:

-- If Baltar doesn't have to be in any real-life outworkings of the vision, then neither does Athena. Let's face it -- we're making this up as we go along since they never gave us rules for interpreting these visions. But if I had to guess, I would bet that putting a person in these visions repeatedly (Baltar) means that the writers want us to attach significance to that. In fact, I'd argue that putting him in these visions for years would be entirely RUDE of the writers if he has no actual significance in their outworking.

I don't mind if the outworking doesn't have an Opera House, or if they're not wearing the same clothes, or if they don't say the actual things or wear the same hairstyles they do in the visions. But I assert that we will see each of those actual people involved in this final Hera-thing in some fairly direct way.

The question of whether one of them is Athena or Boomer is still up for grabs, but ONE of them will be involved directly.

Oh, and one tiny detail about the visions. I noticed when they first started showing these visions years ago that Roslin's hair looked vastly different than she was wearing it at the time. (It was stick-straight in the visions.)

And now look: That wig she's been wearing since losing her hair is ... stick-straight hair.

I like details like that.
I respect your assertyness. Good catch on the wig thing. I noticed the wig the first time we saw it, but never connected the meaning of it til you just pointed it out.

I dunno what they have in store for us, of course. I hope that they put Baltar through a redemptive process. My only point is that if they don't, I'm not going to feel cheated, for the reasons I gave. I'll be disappointed in him, but I've been disappointed in Baltar before.

I like the details, too, and the pains they've apparently taken to make them all work, whenever possible. One thing I love that I don't think we've touched on - the titles of episodes. I've seen the complaint that this show takes itself too seriously. I don't think you can title eps with names like "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" and "Taking a Break from All Your Worries" and be rightly accused of that. The show takes it's themes seriously, but those are life-issues that we grapple with. The titles of some of these episodes totally crack me up, by contrast.



OK - fresh speculative issue: how many tissues to you expect to cry your way through, watching Daybreak 2? I've heard Ron Moore cried while writing it. I'm guessing about five, for me. Get your predictions in by noon Friday!



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Tissues? RATS, I didn't even think about that. I'll be watching that last episode here, with Yoda and his special lady friend.

I so don't want to start bawling over a TV show (because, ya know, I've never done THAT before ... *cough*) in front of everyone ... but I probably will.

My prediction? For myself? Three tissues, because I will be trying to restrain myself.



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SIDE NOTE: Tonight (Monday, Mar. 16) Sci-Fi is showing a special on BSG. It seems to be a behind-the-scenes thing, from 10-11 p.m.

Get those DVRs fired up if you cannot watch it as it airs!



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Spoilery thing I saw in the preview for Friday that they just showed during the special:

WARNING: "BSG" spoilers below
Baltar stalking down a hallway with a gun, looking extremely terrified...



A system of cells interlinked
I missed the special!! Arg!!!! Will they load it into the OnDemand BSG section, perhaps?
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No frets, Seds. They are replaying it on Friday evening sometime before the finale. I THINK the schedule is:

7 p.m. BSG special replay
8 p.m. Replay of last week's episode (Daybreak, Part 1)
9 p.m. Finale (Daybreak, Part 2)

Check your local listings, but that's what I heard them say last night. (Sorry, not near the TV to go check on OnDemand, though.)



Okay, I was talking about the show with my dad, who just caught up (save for a few scattered 4.5 episodes, I think). We've been going over some stuff, and he has an interesting theory. He told it to me, and then I compared that to some of the other ideas we've been tossing around here, and some other theories, and the more we thought about it, the more we realized it pulled a lot of things together. It's one of those theories where, the more you think about it (IE: looking for holes), the more holes it plugs up. Usually a surefire sign you're onto something.

So, technically, this is not a spoiler, because we don't know it to be true. But I'm gonna go as far as to say that I'm 95% sure that the below -- or something like it -- will end up taking place. So for that reason, I'll wrap it in spoiler tags...

WARNING: "Battlestar Galactica Series Finale" spoilers below
Two words: time travel.

There's just no other reason to introduce a black hole/naked singularity/what have you in a science fiction series at this point. And no reason to wait so long to introduce its existence, either. If they'd been saying "all of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again" alongside the constant presence of a black hole all season, we'd have seen this coming a mile away, but without the black hole it's easy to take the phrase as being more metaphorical.

The basic idea is that, at some point while battling The Colony, they jump into the black hole/singularity, and go back in time. Possibly to Earth...but probably to Kobol. On Kobol, they find themselves reenacting the events in the Book of Pythia; they become the Gods of their own legends, and start the cycle anew. For example; Athena is named after one of the Lords of Kobol. The Athena of old killed herself in despair by jumping from twin mountains named the "Gates of Hera." I say she reenacts this in some form after losing Hera in the Opera House.

The idea that they become their own ancestors explains a lot. Most prominently, it explains why there's a "Temple of Five" that seems to predate the Final Five. That aspect of the timeline here has never made sense, logistically, but this makes sense of it.

It also explains how the 13th Tribe could have been made up of Cylons. Perhaps they all settle on Kobol, but not in perfect harmony; we still have Cylons like Tory who believe in the idea of a "pure" Cylon-only society. So, they keep to themselves a bit, break off from the rest of the "mixed" tribes, and next thing you know they're heading to Earth (which, in the past, hasn't been nuked yet), and round and round we go.

It also ties the show's themes of techology and mysticism together: the Lords of Kobol were real people, but they weren't actually Gods. The myth has been idealized and morphed over time, but was based in real events, which they themselves are about to engage in.

There are lots of smaller details that make a lot more sense when viewed in this light, but this covers the big stuff. I realize this show has made fools of all of us, but the more I think about this, the more elegant it seems. I'm convinced that this has to be it.

Another reason this fits...

WARNING: "Battlestar Galactica Series Finale" spoilers below
...Ron Moore, IE: the BSG showrunner guy...wrote a number of episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Among his credits is the series finale, in which Captain Picard (spoilers within spoilers coming up!)...solves a problem in three different periods of time simultaneously. It all turns out to have been a test for humanity administered by a near-ominpotent race of beings (the Q Continuum), which they pass.

So, not only does this make sense of a lot of the dangling plot threads, but this wouldn't even be the first time Moore has used time travel in a sci-fi series finale.

I'm becoming more sure of this with every minute. Assuming the above is true, a small prediction...

WARNING: "Battlestar Galactica Series Finale" spoilers below
...that even as they begin the cycle again, something slightly different happens, implying that there is incremental change, which may one day break the endless loop.

EDIT: I particularly like this wrinkle, because it allows the show to retain its trademark bleakness, but offer us a glimmer of hope.



A system of cells interlinked
It has to be. I thought we were smart! How have we all missed this the entire time?

WARNING: "Battlestar Galactica Series Finale" spoilers below
Just even considering it, especially when we know these same people were around 2000 years ago. We all just assumed some sort of hibernation or something, eh?



I thought we were smart, too! We're not!

Hope you don't mind; I added spoiler tags to that last bit, just in case. I dunno it any of this constitutes spoilers, but it could conceivably take away from watching it for some people, I suppose, so I hope you don't mind.

Back to us not being smart...

WARNING: "Battlestar Galactica Series Finale" spoilers below
...I think delaying the revelation about the black hole plays a big role here. The time travel thing was sitting there the whole time, but the black hole makes it a lot more obvious, and they just revealed in its existence in the last 5 minutes of the penultimate episode. That was definitely deliberate. They couldn't have it sitting there for more than a week, or a lot of people would have figured it out. Also, in our defense, the whole thing about Cylons and humans being indistinguishable, and the presence of Earth, leads us to believe that the show is going to tie into our timeline, which also satisfies the idea of a cyclical process.

Still, it does make me feel a little silly. I guess we like to rule out things like time travel because they sometimes feel like escape hatches. But if it happens the way described above, I admit, it's pretty elegant. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't usually like time travel, unless its introduced as part of the story from the get-go.



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Well, STUPID ME. (Yes, I read them.) But only PARTLY STUPID ME.

WARNING: "BSG" spoilers below
Honestly? I thought of something like a time travel explanation, but am so NOT a sci-fi geek that I didn't think to try to tie it in more thoroughly. (Plus, I usually watch the show alone and often only discuss it here online, which isn't the same as bouncing ideas off a real live person.)

You know why I never took myself seriously? Because I kept assuming I was just pulling my theories from my other favorite show, LOST... which is HUGELY into time travel right now. I immediately thought, "No, there's no way BOTH of my favorite shows are using time travel as an excuse."

And I let it go.

I *certainly* wouldn't have tied in quite so many loose ends as this does, though. (I still don't have the whole history -- the Kobol and 13 tribes stuff -- very clear in my head, so I'm never even quite sure what the loose ends actually are.)

You know what I kept thinking while reading your spoilers, though? That this fit almost TOO WELL, given the semi-haphazard underfeeling of this entire last half-season. But honestly, any other ending than yours doesn't really fit everything into one last episode, does it? So now I hope it is true, if only because I might actually get answers!


So, errr, one last question, though: WHAT IS KARA?