NationStates Jolt Archive

So my theory of the final Cylon being Starbuck's mom is still in place.

But there are a number of other questions and issues raised by the episode last Friday night.

Things to Consider:
-The goal of the Cylon fleet is NOT, at this moment, the destruction of the Colonial fleet. (Although it is not clear which set of Cylons were in control of the fleet that attacked at the Nebula.) If it were, they had the perfect opportunity. Tigh even admitted that they were hopelessly overwhelmed during this attack. What changed? Anders being detected as a Cylon by one of the raiders.

-Cylon Raiders can sense the presence of a skinjob Cylon. Since we know Raiders do not routinely pause in the gunsights of a Viper to do a quick scan, then somehow that raider knew Anders (or SOME Cylon) was in the cockpit. Either it can detect their presence from a short distance or it has intelligence indicating that the viper with that particular tail number was to be manned by a Cylon. I think the latter is unlikely given that Anders was a last minute addition to the squadron that day.

-This eliminates Starbuck as a possible Cylon. No Cylon has ever hesitated to fire on Starbuck's Viper and, in fact, at least one Cylon raider is known to have gone out of its way to try and kill her.

-To our knowledge, has a Raider ever fired on Boomer's Raptor? Athena's?

-If the goal of this Cylon fleet ceased to be the destruction of the colonial fleet, then they want something else. What? One presumes they want to find Earth and cannot do so without the Colonials, but for some reason Ander's presence in that Viper changed things. How?

-Apparently, the 'Magnificent 7' Cylons KNOW who the Final 5 are but are programmed not to think of them. By whom? The hybrid in control of the Basestar in 'Razor' indicated his children think of him as a god. Does he ferer to the skinjobs? If so then did HE program them that way? Is he the 'God' that Six keeps refering to? He also prophesied that Starbuck would lead the fleet to its doom. Was he lying, or are Roslyn and Adama doing the right thing by not listening to her?

-It seems unlikely that Starbuck's little jaunt was the work of the Cylons. If their goal was to trick the fleet into following her then surely they'd have come up with some sort of convincing evidence. In fact, the almost total lack of evidence regarding her trip suggests that whoever IS behind it wants to test the faith of those around Starbuck. This seems likely. Her viper was replicated in precise detail but in pristine condition. Her nav computer memory was completely blank. Her gun camera film was unaltered but it stands as the ONLY record of her wherabouts.

-If the Cylons aren't behind her disappearance, and the Colonials aren't, then who is? The only 'faction; remaining is the people of Earth. Are they trying to assist the Colonials in finding it? Was it they who brought Starbuck to Earth and sent her back to act as a guide? Are they testing the Colonials' faith?

-Why can Saul Tigh age? Can all skinjobs age, or only the final five? Does that mean these Cylons were not all built at the same time? Adama has known him for 20 years. We've seen flashbacks of a younger looking Saul. While his memory of serving in the first Cylon War could have been fabricated, he does need to be able to account for at least the time since Adama knew him.

-The Temple of Jupiter seems to be associated with BOTH Earth and the Final 5. This is clear from both Deanna's vision of the 5 as well s the fact that the temple is called the Temple of Jupiter and not Zeus, as it would be if the Colonial pantheon were behind it. There seems to be some sort of connection between the Final 5 and Earth. What is it?

Frak me, I don't know why this needs to be so complicated ... all you need to figure out the whole plot is given at the end of the third season.

Clearly, the music in the season finale meant that Bob Dylan is the twelfth and final Cylon. His mission was to find Earth, but he's programmed not to realize that he's a Cylon (that's why he has concerts and plays the harmonica. Does any Cylon who knows what he/she is ever play the harmonica? Of course not.) so he could blend into the Earth population undetected. However, at certain times his Cylon programming takes over, making him transmit cryptic messages in the form of his hit songs into outer space.

-Apparently, the 'Magnificent 7' Cylons KNOW who the Final 5 are but are programmed not to think of them. By whom? The hybrid in control of the Basestar in 'Razor' indicated his children think of him as a god. Does he ferer to the skinjobs? If so then did HE program them that way? Is he the 'God' that Six keeps refering to? He also prophesied that Starbuck would lead the fleet to its doom. Was he lying, or are Roslyn and Adama doing the right thing by not listening to her?

If I remember correctly, he told Starbuck she would lead the fleet to its "end", not its doom.

He said that she would be the harbringer of the apocalypse.

And I have no frakking idea what's going on...that's why I love this show!

-To our knowledge, has a Raider ever fired on Boomer's Raptor?

Yes. In the mini-series, after the Cylons cripple and destroy Galactica's Viper squadron with their computer virus, they attack Boomer and Helo's Raptor.

He said that she would be the harbringer of the apocalypse.

And I have no frakking idea what's going on...that's why I love this show!

But apocalypse for who? The colonials? The cylons? Earth?

Yes. In the mini-series, after the Cylons cripple and destroy Galactica’s Viper squadron with their computer virus, they attack Boomer and Helo’s Raptor.
Problem is, there’s big continuity errors between the mini-series and the series proper.

That’s why I feel this massively in-depth analysis of the show is a wasted effort; the writers aren’t as exacting as you are in the plot.

I use to watch this show in the 70's. If I remember correctly the goal was for the fleet to get to Earth and get Earthlings overwhelming superiority in destroying the Cylons. Although my memory isn't the best on the 1970's TV shows.

Something just occurred to me, not only do they have to find Earth, but they have to ditch the Cylons somehow before they get there. But if they're able to do that they can just land on whatever the next livable planet they find.

Aren't they going to be bummed that we only have that one livable planet? Well, I guess for the first few generations it won't be an issue...

Something just occurred to me, not only do they have to find Earth, but they have to ditch the Cylons somehow before they get there. But if they're able to do that they can just land on whatever the next livable planet they find.

Aren't they going to be bummed that we only have that one livable planet? Well, I guess for the first few generations it won't be an issue...

how do you think it will be dealt with on the show? will they find earth on the final episode and leave us to imagine how that will play out?

there is a whole series worth of plot implied in the meeting of the galacticas and earth.

I use to watch this show in the 70's. If I remember correctly the goal was for the fleet to get to Earth and get Earthlings overwhelming superiority in destroying the Cylons. Although my memory isn't the best on the 1970's TV shows.

there were only 24 (poorly written) episodes. i dont think they had time to advance the plot all that much.

Something just occurred to me, not only do they have to find Earth, but they have to ditch the Cylons somehow before they get there. But if they're able to do that they can just land on whatever the next livable planet they find.

Aren't they going to be bummed that we only have that one livable planet? Well, I guess for the first few generations it won't be an issue...

I fully expect the Cylons to arrive at Earth too. There is a connection between the humans on Earth and the Cylons that we're not quite aware of yet.

-If the Cylons aren't behind her disappearance, and the Colonials aren't, then who is? The only 'faction; remaining is the people of Earth. Are they trying to assist the Colonials in finding it? Was it they who brought Starbuck to Earth and sent her back to act as a guide? Are they testing the Colonials' faith?

I would certainly have to wonder, if Earth was behind the reappearance of Starbuck, wouldn't they likely also be fully capable of dispatching a squadron of their own warships to whip some robot ass in mad style?

As it stands, there is the weirdness of the "Lords of Kobol", and what they are, who they are, and what they do. Or, if they even still exist. Perhaps they had a hand in this.

-Why can Saul Tigh age? Can all skinjobs age, or only the final five? Does that mean these Cylons were not all built at the same time? Adama has known him for 20 years. We've seen flashbacks of a younger looking Saul. While his memory of serving in the first Cylon War could have been fabricated, he does need to be able to account for at least the time since Adama knew him.

They can certainly suffer from disease and physical degradation, as can be seen in the Six from Pegasus, and the disease that Galactica considered using against the Cylons. Perhaps they are, indeed, vulnerable to aging. In which case, what would a new model Tigh look like?



Regardless, this series is far superior to the old series.

there were only 24 (poorly written) episodes. i dont think they had time to advance the plot all that much.

And too much mormonism.

And the fact that the Cylons had something to do with ancient aliens, and not significant mistakes on the part of mankind. The entire original series was totally frickin' ridiculous.

And no, I will not use that word.











Other question: How about the exclamation of "Jesus" by Colonel Tigh in the miniseries?


I know that it was a gaffe, but it's worth making a joke about

Tigh is a cylon? Frak me I need to catch up. I haven't watched the show since Apollo crashed the Pegasus into that Cylon base star.

As far as the Starbuck Thing, what seems the most likely possibility is that someone from the 12 Colonies already found Earth. Perhaps during the first Cylon War? Perhaps Starbuck's mother(both her parents?) had some involvement in that discovery. Then for reasons that probably seemed good at the time, they kept it a secret(from the Cylons?), with Starbuck being either intentionally or unintentionally a living map to Earth(hence those paintings she made as a child).

Chances are that Starbuck's new Viper was probably manufactured at a Colonial facility. Possibly a Battlestar. Maybe more. As for her lack of memory yet unexplainable assurance that she can find Earth if they follow her, this is probably some form of memory alteration and implantation to guide the survivors to Earth without risking compromising it's location(probably to prevent the Cylons from finding it).

:)

Other question: How about the exclamation of “Jesus” by Colonel Tigh in the miniseries?
I realise you know it’s a gaffe, but this goes to show my point about too much in-depth analysis of nothing. I mean, Ronald Moore didn’t come up with the whole plot before he shot the pilot; it was written on the fly. The identity of four of the last five Cylon models was only conceived during the writing of the 3rd season. It’s not as if Tigh, Tyrell and the others were originally written as Cylons. Heck, they probably only came up with the idea of the ‘final five’ sometime after the second season.

It’s a kick-ass show all right, but don’t think you’ll figure out what’s going on from close analysis of every little line.

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

Tigh, Tyrol, the Presidents aide and Sanders and Starbuck are cylons. They also like Bob Dylan. The Cylons eventually catch the Colonial fleet at Earth where it is revealed that the Cylons actually rebelled because a race of triple-brained reptiles reprogrammed them. The lizard-people then eat the human-cylon babies and blow up Earth to make way for a hyperspatial express route.

Yes. In the mini-series, after the Cylons cripple and destroy Galactica's Viper squadron with their computer virus, they attack Boomer and Helo's Raptor.

True, but that could be accounted for in 2 ways:

1)IIRC they used missiles. Suppose a raider's ability to detect a Cylon skinjob has a very limited range?
2)Could just be a continuity error as that did happen during the pilot.

I realise you know it’s a gaffe, but this goes to show my point about too much in-depth analysis of nothing. I mean, Ronald Moore didn’t come up with the whole plot before he shot the pilot; it was written on the fly. The identity of four of the last five Cylon models was only conceived during the writing of the 3rd season. It’s not as if Tigh, Tyrell and the others were originally written as Cylons. Heck, they probably only came up with the idea of the ‘final five’ sometime after the second season.

It’s a kick-ass show all right, but don’t think you’ll figure out what’s going on from close analysis of every little line.

That's why generally I've been trying to focus on the 'clues' from the more recent episodes and Razor, with only a few references to longer ago events that either would still have to be accounted for, or from when hard precedence was set.

I'm still betting that Starbuck found the Terra from the Eastern Alliance story arc and not our Earth. And that her Viper was new because she lost time being on the Ship of Lights.

...remember, they follow TOS pretty closely.

If there is a ship of lights story, then they'd have to come from Earth as Ron Moore has said categorically that there are *NO* aliens in BSG.

If there is a ship of lights story, then they'd have to come from Earth as Ron Moore has said categorically that there are *NO* aliens in BSG.

Which would square with the BSG original storyline, as in the "Hand of God" episode they got the Apollo 11 transmission in the astronomy sphere. That would mean that everything happens in the far future for Earth's timeline.

OR they could be another faction of humans.

As for aliens, there was that pig-like thing in "The Magnificent Warriors", but I hope that's something they skip, like the Carillon excursion with the disco singers...

Which would square with the BSG original storyline, as in the "Hand of God" episode they got the Apollo 11 transmission in the astronomy sphere. That would mean that everything happens in the far future for Earth's timeline.

OR they could be another faction of humans.

As for aliens, there was that pig-like thing in "The Magnificent Warriors", but I hope that's something they skip, like the Carillon excursion with the disco singers...

I've heard a theory that the Earth will be entirely populated by Cylons...

I dunno I think that might break the whole story...

If the Cylons dont want to destroy the fleet or barring that just want them as a tool to lead the Cylons to Earth, why tip their hand to the fleet that they are even following them? The Cylons clearly have the ability to track the fleet above and beyond a leaking engine signature so why not just hang back till the humans get to their destination?

If the Cylons dont want to destroy the fleet or barring that just want them as a tool to lead the Cylons to Earth, why tip their hand to the fleet that they are even following them? The Cylons clearly have the ability to track the fleet above and beyond a leaking engine signature so why not just hang back till the humans get to their destination?

Good point. Maybe the Cylons either a)Don't really care about earth or b)Are confident they can find it themselves and were ready to just destroy the fleet right then and there, but the discovery that there are members of the Final 5 in the fleet made them reevaluate the attack. I presume we'll have some insight into that in tomorrow night's episode.

There's a Battlestar Galactica Wiki.

It is wonderful.

It even has stuff that's happening in upcoming episodes.

Don't make the same mistake I did. :(