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Cylon-icity
I have been going through my own personal Battlestar Galactica re-watch in anticipation of the March release of Season 3 (now on sale at Amazon for for $38.99 with Amazon Price Guarantee attached) and the SciFi network airing of Season 4.0 starting in April.
(Production of Season 4.5 has been held up indefinitely due to the WGA strike, pending DGA negotiations, and threatened SAG walk-out.)
I can say without spoiling anyone on my FList who's watching for the first time via the magic of DVD (like *cough*![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stoney321 *cough* ) that there is much fun to be had in snickering at some things in, oh, Season 1 or Season 2 once you've seen all of Season 3 and Razor.
Also part of the joy in the rewatch is guessing who is [censored for the spoiler-phobes on the FList] Cylon?
First, some unpopular opinions.
Let me get this out of the way.
So, that's my unpopular opinions from the re-watch.
Now, my Cylon Guesses!
As every BSG watcher knows by know, we've got one last Cylon reveal in Season 4.
In one corner: The Significant Seven (minus poor Boxed Number Three)
In the other corner: The Final Five (the Dylan Four plus the unrevealed Final Cylon)
First, my thots...let me show you them.
The major clue as to the identity of the Final Cylon is in this now-infamous Entertainment Weekly photo (below):
The printing may be a bit to small to read, but in that mess of text there, Ron Moore states outright that the Final Cylon is not pictured in the above photo. In fact, he or she conspicuously absent.
Although Ron Moore has been known to mislead viewers, he does everything in his power to avoid outright lying to them. So, it's safe to believe him when he says that the Final Cylon is not in the photo.
Also important to note, the Final Cylon was actually the fourth Cylon identified by the writers. In fact, they knew going into Season 2 which character was going to be the Final Cylon. By contrast, the identity of the Dylan Four wasn't decided until mid-S3.
Here is the order of reveal:
If you look at the above list, that means that whoever the Final Cylon is, they've been with us since at least Season 1.
Between the photo and the timing of when the production team decided who'd be the Final Cylon reveal, an awful lot of characters have been eliminated as suspects.
Here's my bet:
So, there it is. My guesses.
I can't wait to see if I'm right.
(Production of Season 4.5 has been held up indefinitely due to the WGA strike, pending DGA negotiations, and threatened SAG walk-out.)
I can say without spoiling anyone on my FList who's watching for the first time via the magic of DVD (like *cough*
stoney321 *cough* ) that there is much fun to be had in snickering at some things in, oh, Season 1 or Season 2 once you've seen all of Season 3 and Razor.Also part of the joy in the rewatch is guessing who is [censored for the spoiler-phobes on the FList] Cylon?
First, some unpopular opinions.
Let me get this out of the way.
- I cannot stand Kara/Lee. Hate. It. I love Kara and Lee with the brother-sister vibe, but as a 'ship? I want to airlock it.
- In contrast, I adore Kara/Sam liek woah.
- I don't hate Dualla because she broke Billy's heart. Shit like this happens in real life all the time. Besides, the meta-reason for the break-up was that Paul Campbell left the show, so yeah...
- I think Dualla/Lee was supposed to be a fucked up relationship from the get-go. And not fucked-up in the grand opera way that Buffy/Spike was supposed to be. It was supposed to be fucked up on the details while looking good "on paper," y'know, like a lot of other human relationships that just don't work out.
- I like Cally. So there. I like her in all her seasons. Yes, she's got a fairly simple personality, but she's always had that simple personality. Sure, I'd find her tiresome in a real life situation, but you need someone like her to contrast all the other characters in the mix.
- Can someone explain to me how Chief is a borderline abusive personality? Because I just can't see it.
- S3's "Crossroads, Part 1 and Part 2, especially Lee's long speech and all of his actions in those episodes, make a fuckload of sense when you power-watch the fist two seasons. That was a car crash that was a long time coming. The only wonder is that it didn't happen a whole lot sooner.
- It's not unpopular to say that you love the Fighting Agathons (my OTP!). It is, however, unpopular to say that you not only love Helo, but you agree with him more often than not.
So, that's my unpopular opinions from the re-watch.
Now, my Cylon Guesses!
As every BSG watcher knows by know, we've got one last Cylon reveal in Season 4.
In one corner: The Significant Seven (minus poor Boxed Number Three)
In the other corner: The Final Five (the Dylan Four plus the unrevealed Final Cylon)
First, my thots...let me show you them.
The major clue as to the identity of the Final Cylon is in this now-infamous Entertainment Weekly photo (below):
The printing may be a bit to small to read, but in that mess of text there, Ron Moore states outright that the Final Cylon is not pictured in the above photo. In fact, he or she conspicuously absent.
Although Ron Moore has been known to mislead viewers, he does everything in his power to avoid outright lying to them. So, it's safe to believe him when he says that the Final Cylon is not in the photo.
Also important to note, the Final Cylon was actually the fourth Cylon identified by the writers. In fact, they knew going into Season 2 which character was going to be the Final Cylon. By contrast, the identity of the Dylan Four wasn't decided until mid-S3.
Here is the order of reveal:
- Mini-Series: Aaron Doral (Number Five), Caprica (Number 6), Sharon Valerii (Number Eight), and Leoben Conoy (Number Unknown)
- Season Two: D'Anna Biers (Number Three), Cavil (Number Unknown), and Simon (Number Unknown)
- Season Three: Galen Tyrol, Sam Anders, Saul Tigh, Tori Foster (The Dylan Four)
If you look at the above list, that means that whoever the Final Cylon is, they've been with us since at least Season 1.
Between the photo and the timing of when the production team decided who'd be the Final Cylon reveal, an awful lot of characters have been eliminated as suspects.
Here's my bet:
- Anastasia Dualla:
If I was a betting woman (I'm not), I'd bet a whole paycheck on her. For a start, Ron Moore sure loves to play with his names. Anastasia is a Greek name that means "resurrection." Hmmmmmm.
It's simply shocking how often Dualla crops up right when the shit is about to hit the fan. No, she's not causing shit to happen, but she sure as hell is directing the traffic more often than not. All along the way, she's gently pushed and prodded other characters (most notably, Lee and Bill Adama) in certain directions. Sure, unlike the Dylan Four she wasn't leading the resistance down on New Caprica, but she had an awful lot of pull up there in the Fleet. Plus, she played a key role in "helping" Lee to decide to disobey orders and go back to help the the Galactica get out of its sticky wicket.
Finally, there's Leoben's statement that "Adama is a Cylon." Duuuuude. Dualla was an Adama all through Season 3.
What's that you say? In the mini-series we saw little Dualla trying to post pictures of people she cared about who was missing? Guess what. She never said they were pictures of her family (they could've been friends). Plus, we just so happen to find out in Season 1 that unlike just about every other Saggitarran in the Fleet, she can't stand Zarek, and in Season 2 we find out that she hadn't spoken to her family for years.
Okay, so she wasn't affected by "All Along the Watchtower" like the Dylan Four, but whose to say she was a sleeper? For all we know, she could've been the Watchman on the Watchtower charged with waking the other four up in case things went pear-shaped. - Felix Gaeta:
An odds-on favorite among fans, but I'm less convinced. In my book, he's a strong second, though.
However, he does have some things going for him. His obvious crush on Baltar, the fact that he's waaaaaaay too good with computers (light years ahead of just about anyone in the Fleet, in fact), and has zero by way of personal life both before and after the destruction of the Colonies. In fact, he himself said that his goal in life was to be an officer aboard a battlestar and that he sacrificed everything for that very goal.
Definitely a strong contender, but I think he's too obvious. - Doc Cottle:
My dark horse candidate. Really, he's here for shits-n-giggles. I think there's a snowball's chance in hell that he's the Final Cylon, but you'd hear my squee halfway around the world if it turned out to be him. It would be the Best. Reveal. Ever. - Other Names Being Thrown Around, But I Don't Agree:
Helen Tigh:
Intriguing idea. And she and Saul never did have kids (the Cylons already know they can't breed with each other). But I say no, mostly because I just can't see it.
Helena Cain:
Another odds-on favorite, but I'm not buying this one at all.
Elosha:
I can hear you asking, "Who?" remember Roslyn's personal priestess waaaaaaay back in Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 who all but pushed Roslyn into breaking off from the Fleet to go find Kobol? Yeah. Her. The one that got killed on the planet's surface. I think she's too distant to make an impact as a Final Cylon, but anything's possible. I guess.
Tom Zarek:
While giving Richard Hatch the nod as the Final Cylon would make me giddy just for the meta alone, I don't think this is likely. It'd be a fun joke, yeah. Some fans of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica would just love it, others would think the joke's on them. But beyond meta reasons, I can't think of a single good reason why Tom Zarek would be the Final Cylon.
So, there it is. My guesses.
I can't wait to see if I'm right.
It's all a simulation
(Anonymous) 2008-01-17 01:09 am (UTC)(link)Last Supper
(Anonymous) 2008-01-17 01:26 am (UTC)(link)no subject
Just a thought...
Bear with me... Killed Sharon, which caused the Cylon Civil War. Had a kid, which, would be the second half cylon, based on what we now know.
Re: Just a thought...
Re: Just a thought...
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Plus that photo - full of couples. From Starbuck/Anders to Athena/Helo, Baltar and Six, even Roslin and Adama in their respective corners. The only gap is by Lee. And who should be by Lee's side? His wife Duala.
(Or maybe Ellen Tigh as another long shot :P)
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I highly recommend it, even though it's a WiP.
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URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3396972/1/
Summary: GalacticaStar Trek Next Generation. What do you do when you're a lost Starfleet officer in the Beta Quadrant? You blend in and hope for the best.
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Dee as the Final Cylon, huh? That could be really awesome. And I kinda love your 'watchman on the watchtower' idea, it has the potential to do some really fun things to my brain.
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bullet points
Liked Cally up until the luv for Chief overrode all brain function, which wasn't that great to begin with.
I could see how Chief could be considered a little controlling, but think borderline abusive is excessive.
I haven't finished the second half of season three, so I can't say much except my god I hate Lee Adama's daddy issues so much.
And Helo is always right.
So maybe not as unpopular as you thought?
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I love Sharon/Helo, and I think Helo is a whole lot smarter than he's given credit for.
Dee as the Final Cylon makes sense, especially given that "Adama is a Cylon" theme. I don't think Cally is the Cylon (and I don't hate Cally either), simply because she and Tyrol had a child..and unless it's different with the final five, two Cylons together can't have offspring.
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I need to go slap them around.
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*bounce*
The holy grail... the lady in the red dress...
(Anonymous) 2008-04-19 08:04 am (UTC)(link)They don't really exist, do they?
The S7 are really different from the "4 of 5", aren't they? First of all, the 4of5 have to age.... I mean, Bill has known Tigh for how long? If he wasn't aging don't you think he would have noticed?
The S7 are immortal through the reincarnation ship....
Are the 4 of 5 immortal? Maybe in more of a.... pheonix sort of way... Where they are actually born, age... die and somehow are reborn again. I don't know, that's really a tangent... But the point is that the 4 of 5 are very different from the S7.
What if the final unrevealed cylon is different still? What if it is... not really corporeal... or at least we haven't seen it's corporeal body... Maybe it's a huge machine buried deep inside Kobol (or earth)... capable of transporting Kara to earth.... Who knows... But it can appear to people (and cylons)... maybe it is the woman in the red dress in Baltar's visions (thus, it would... in a sense be the CENTRAL FIGURE in the picture and yet, still, not really be pictured because it's just impersonating another cylon model there). Maybe it's what causes the Hybrid to mutter half truths... Thus, searching for it among the rest of the cast would be like searching for the holy grail. It's not there... and yet, it's been there all along.
This explains the visions that Baltar sees. It explains the visions that Six sees. It explains the visions that the president sees, along with Athena (the new name for one of the Boomer models). And, it explains how they can all be sharing the same visions. It explains how Kara can be transported to earth and back and appear in a brand new ship... and having "magical feelings" on how to get back to earth. (Yes... it's a bit convenient since this last cylon has such incredible technology that it can basically be used to explain anything... but it's elegant all the same.)
The best part about this theory, IMO, is that the last supper picture actually FEATURES the final cylon model (which would be appropriate, don't you think). Furthermore, putting it in Christ's position (considering that Christ was God and hinting that this final cylon is incredibly powerful).
What do you think?