timeimmortal

TK writes in with a comment on my surprisingly prolific final Cylon theory (which, for the Reader who does not know, points to Karl Agathon — Helo, by callsign — as the final Cylon yet to be revealed on the television show Battlestar Galactica).

I’m finding myself somewhat in agreement with your hypothesis regarding Helo as a Cylon, well the numero uno cylon. I was watching The Farm the other day and I noticed when Starbuck had her vision (dream), that it was [Samuel Anders] and Helo who held her wrists while Anders said he wanted to have a baby with her. When it was all said and done, it turns out Anders is a Cylon, and they are interested in procreation. Why was it not Lee Adama holding Kara’s other hand??? He is her other love interest, so why shouldn’t he be there in opposition to Anders?? Your essay was well thought out and presented. I wish we did not have to wait until 2009 to see who the big kahuna Cylon is.

TK

TK raises a valuable point, one I had previously not considered — the vision in The Farm. I am going to have to re-watch that episode this weekend to refresh my memory as to the specific sequence, but if so, it could indeed be another valuable clue.

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Mind the spoilers!

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It is a pity that we have to wait until 2009 to find out who the last Cylon really is, but I don’t imagine that we’ll have to wait that long once the series starts back up again. The next episode, Sometimes A Great Notion, would have served as the series finalé had the WGA strike gone on too long. Since I can’t see Ron Moore leaving us hanging in such an eventuality, there’s a good probability that the opening episode of the second half of this final season of BSG may in fact see the last Cylon revealed.

Certainly, the trailer for the next episode implies this to be the case. And really, I can’t see the producers thinking it a wise choice to waste time — when there’s already going to be fan tension due to a delay — going back and re-shooting parts of the episode just to prolong the tension a bit more.

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You may resume reading now, O avoider of spoilers!

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At any rate: thanks, TK, for adding your own insight to this matter.

At the end of Revelations, the mid-season cliffhanger of Battlestar Galactica’s fourth and final season, the Colonial fleet and their renegade Cylon allies find and land on a planet that all involved believe to be Earth, the legendary home of the 13th Tribe of Kobol.

The planet itself appears blue from space, but is quickly discovered to be a nuclear wasteland, devoid of life and marked only by decimated buildings and burnt-out ruins. The immediate conclusion that the producers of the show likely wanted us to jump to was that yes, this was Earth, and that the 13th colony had somehow destroyed itself. As a lesson in human concupiscence, that wouldn’t be a bad ending in and of itself, but there are a few questions left unanswered if one simply assumes that one can take the show at face value as to the identity of this ruined planet.

First off, there’s the issue of how vague and masked the shots of the planet from orbit are. I mentioned this before, but I just found a handy comparison image (as well as a reasonable theory about who the final Cylon might just be) on another blog that tells the tale better than before:

Now, there’s been a fair bit of argument that the ruins themselves tell the tale. In particular, a number of people have made the association between the ruined bridge seen at the end of Revelations and the Brooklyn Bridge. Personally, I’m not convinced; this show has been marked by repeated examples that what the characters think they see is not necessarily what is (e.g. Starbuck’s seeing a gas giant that was thought to be Jupiter, but turned out not to be, or her seeing a comet that turned out to be the damaged rebel basestar). I certainly think that the ending scene was composed so as to make us think of New York, but I won’t say for certain whether that’s what was being depicted.

At the end of the third season, the CGI was unambiguous: Earth was easily recognized, and the shape of the North American continent was distinct. As the comparison photos above tell, in this discovery of Earth there is nothing about the planet itself which obviously suggests that it is Earth. No continents are visible, and much of the world is dark. Ron Moore et. al. are far too “tricksy” (apologies to Smeagol) for this to be a mere coincidence, or simple artistic license. There is some meaning to the sudden lack of clarity.

There is also the matter of pretty much every main character, including Laura Roslin (supposedly the “dying leader” who will not live to see the proper end of the journey of humanity across the stars), being on the surface of the planet. Unless the producers are setting us up for some kind of “actually, it was this dead character all along” sort of letdown, it seems that a second objection to the probability that this devastated planet is actually Earth must be raised¹.

On the other hand, there is the matter that Felix Gaeta did match the various constellations when the fleet first arrived into orbit of this ruined planet. Initially, I remarked that “it would be very nearly impossible to find another point in the galaxy in which all those stars appeared to align in just that way.” However, in making that statement, I forgot to take three things into account, which I was reminded of when I read this article at The Science of Battlestar Galactica:

1. How accurate were the images of the constellations that Gaeta was working from?
2. How many of the constellations were visible to Gaeta when he made his checks (e.g. were any of them occluded by the planet or the system’s Sun)?
3. Is it actually impossible that the stars might not line up in more or less the same manner from some other point?

The answer to the third question has actually already been given to us in a subtle way by BSG’s producers: the constellation Orion appears, more or less properly configured, in the episode The Ties that Bind, in the backdrop of the ambush on the rebel basestars by the pro-Raider-lobotomy Cylon faction. Surely the Cylons would have noticed whether or not there was a habitable world in reasonably close proximity to the location of said fracas?

Of course, one constellation lining up could just be a coincidence — in theory, so long as the Cylons were on a more or less straight-line path between Earth and the approximate middle of Orion’s shape, the alignment of the stars would remain the same — one would expect to see the constellation get “larger” in one’s view, perhaps, and one might also reasonably expect to note changes in the apparent brightness of the various stars themselves. The shape of the constellation, though, would be essentially unchanged.

That by no means implies that the shape of eleven other constellations visible from Earth would likewise remain constant. This illustration demonstrates how different Orion would look to us were we viewing it from a position situated roughly 90 degrees counter-clockwise from Earth’s present location.

However, the distances we are talking about in such a hypothetical situation are immense; were we fairly close to Earth, would the constellations look drastically different, or would they appear somewhat similar?

It turns out that “similar” is the correct answer (and it further turns out that this brings us to the second question):

If Gaeta was checking the position of the zodiacal constellations with a sketch made from the Temple of Athena data, he’s out of luck. As seen from Alpha Centauri, those constellations would be virtually identical to those seen from Earth, the chief difference being that Castor and Pollux, the Heads of the Gemini Twins, don’t quite line up with their bodies. If Gaeta had incomplete data, or if the constellation Gemini was not visible for some reason (being occulted by Alpha Centauri, for example), he’d be absolutely correct in reporting that all “visible” constellations are a match, even though the fleet would be in the wrong place.

In the same way, the fleet could have arrived at Tai Ceti or Epsilon Eridani, two other type G sunlike stars in our local neighborhood. The zodiacal constellations as seen from those systems would be more distorted, especially around the cancer-Leo and Aries-Taurus regions. But again, if Gaeta’s data are sketchy and the local star is blocking out the appropriate regions of the zodiac, the rest of the constellations should pass muster.

This issue of distorted constellations leads us back to the first question. The data set Gaeta would be working from would be some manner of representation of the constellations seen by those few who entered into the Tomb of Athena and saw the holographic projection therein. As far as we, the viewer, know, nobody took any kind of recording of the images displayed therein, and it is reasonable to assume that any reproduction of the positions of the stars would be hand-drawn sketches made while the memory of what was seen was reasonably fresh. That’s all well and good, but it is by no means an assurance of accuracy.

Lt. Gaeta, when checking to see whether the fleet had jumped to the right spot, said that the visible constellations are a match. But a match with what set of data? Lee said that they had “projected a course to the signal” and that it would probably take some revising. That tells me the Colonial beacon signal did not include a 3-d starmap. Is Gaeta checking the constellations with what the jump calculations predicted the resulting constellations should look like? That would only prove that they jumped to where they expected to jump — it wouldn’t prove that they had jumped to Earth.

Or is he comparing the visible constellations with the constellations they saw in the planetarium show back at the Temple of Athena on Kobol? It’s hardly likely — the display in the temple focused on the twelve constellations of our Zodiac. Lee spotted the Lagoon Nebula, and his father backed him up by calling it “M8” — but did we see either of them record those constellations? (If it was a shared hallucination, was it even possible to have recorded the constellations? ) And if they did record the constellations, to what level of precision did they do so? I think it’s much more likely that the pilots come out of the planetarium and, at best, drew the stick figures from memory. And if that’s that happened, then Gaeta’s comparison data are going to be literally sketchy.

To this point in the series, we’ve seen or heard of over a dozen human-habitable worlds: the Twelve Colonies, New Caprica, the algae planet, Kobol, and now this newly-discovered ruined world. That’s a fairly substantial chunk of real estate that the humans have discovered simply by jumping from place to place.

In the original series, there was an instance of an Earth-like planet being found, and for which several hints were dropped suggesting that it might be Earth. That planet was Terra, home of two warring factions that nearly wiped each other out in a nuclear confrontation. Indeed, they were saved only by Galactica’s timely arrival.

It’s possible, then, that in this iteration of BSG, Galactica has arrived too late, and has discovered a wiped-out Terra. But perhaps, in the ruins somewhere, will be found the final pointers toward Earth. This would certainly be a good reason for the show’s producers to make the planet so ambiguous when viewed from orbit as in Revelations — an unfamiliar continental form would give things away far too quickly².

At any rate, we know this show must go on from here³, and a big part of where it goes come 2009 is likely going to be caught up in the exact identity of this ruined world that the Colonials and Cylons have now come to. There’s plenty of good reason, based both in fact and in the idea of dramatic, message-driven storytelling, to think that the planet that was found was, in fact, Earth. But there’s also plenty of room for doubt. This season especially, BSG’s writers have pulled off one act of sleight-of-hand after another, and it’s entirely possible that they’re doing it to us again.

In fact, I think it’s probably likely.

Notes — mind the spoilers:

1. Admittedly, in the case that this planet is actually Earth, and the “promised land” which the dying leader shall not see is another planet (e.g. Terra or its equivalent), this objection is pretty much null and void.

2. Edward James Olmos asserted that there would be a dark end to the series, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this blogger’s counter-theory regarding Earth/Terra: perhaps this really is Earth, and the Fleet moves on to find the Thirteenth Tribe on Terra (or some analogous world).

3. Scenes for the final episodes of the series were shot in and around Kamloops, British Columbia, and involved lots of physically fit extras with crop-cut hair or dreadlocks. Scenes were also evidently shot in the city of Kamloops proper, which would imply that the series ends on some manner of inhabited world. Whether this is the Colonials realizing that they are the 13th tribe — itself perhaps a product of the twelve tribes united into one — and accepting that it is their bitter fate to be the ones to re-settle the Earth, or whether this is the Colonials finding their bretheren on another planet is yet to be seen.

Also, it should be noted that other scenes of the series finale were shot at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, in the area that had previously been used for the Riverwalk district on Caprica. The scenes apparently involved Laura Roslin. This would suggest either a return to Caprica (now that would be dark!) by the remnants of the Fleet, or perhaps various persistent visions/hallucinations on the part of some of the characters (William Adama, perhaps, pining for Roslin?).

Then too, perhaps my theory that BSG is an eschatological tale for our time will pan out, and the closing scenes of the series will be like those in Roslin and Emily’s dreams in the episode Faith. Certainly, there is a religious metaphor (and possibly more than just a metaphor — one would not be surprised to see humanity come into a confrontation with the divine in this show) at work within the plot of the series, and it has more or less been confirmed that God is an active, present force within the BSG universe.

More than a few people have suggested that there is a “creation myth” element to the series, and while many of these appeal to the significance of Hera Agathon, I think they miss something. Assuming I am wrong — that is, assuming that Karl Agathon — Helo — is not the final Cylon, and assuming that Hera is the humano-Cylon child who is exclusively significant (in keeping with everything we’ve seen on the series to date), then in her and Nicholas Tyrol there is not to be found a parallel in Adam and Eve.

There is, however, a parallel to be found in Joseph and Mary, in the Blessed Virgin and her carpenter husband.

Dani writes in all the way from Barcelona to offer his opinion on my final Cylon theory, which I recently expanded a bit toward the end of this article.

Hey there!

Well, first of all I want to apologise for my poor english… (I’m from Barcelona, by the way) So please, consider this if at any moment I could use rude or innapropiated words… It is really NOT my intention!

Second, the way I arrived to your site. I just looked for “Helo final cylon” on Google

Why I did it? Well, I’ve allways suspected about this issue about Helo (I’ve heard it many times) “it was planned for him to death at the beggining of the show, but just because he did quite well the producers — or whoever — decide to keep him”. I’ve never swallow it, sounds to me like the producers pretends to divert the attention from him. Don’t you?

And third, I would really like to say congratulations for your fantastic theory regarding Helo like the final five. Absolutely, deep and precise. I’ve really enjoyed.

But the point is I need just one more answer. What about the Moore sentence: “the final five is NOT in The Last Supper picture”. Maybe you have wrote something about this, but I really didn’t find it out… So, was Moore cheating us? Or maybe there is anything else behind the picture that we can’t see yet?

I would really appreciate if you could send me just a few words…

Many, many thanks! And, again, congratulations! I’m sure you’re right!

There was certainly some debate, O Reader, as to whether Tahmoh Penikett’s charachter — Karl Agathon — was supposed to be a “one shot” personality who would have been assumed to have perished after the miniseries had ended. The rumour goes that Penikett’s performance was well-liked by the producers, and so the writers kept him in the plot first as a survivor, then as the Cylons’ mark for a possible “mate” for the Number Eight who eventually became Sharon Agathon, and finally as one of the more important recurring characters in the series.

But right there, the Reader should be able to note that while the genesis of Helo makes sense within the narrative of BSG, Helo himself has climbed pretty far up the totem pole for someone who was supposed to be a “one-shot” character. It’s certainly quite possible that the rumours concerning his supposed expendability are a clever bit of deception on the part of Battlestar Galactica’s producers. Then again, maybe not — the whole idea of the Final Five had not yet been formed during the series’ first season. Of course, that’s just another rumour.

As to the last question that Dani asks, concerning the “Last Supper” photograph, I did actually take into account what Ron Moore had said regarding the identity of the final missing Cylon and its relationship to the picture. Concerning this issue, I wrote: “I wouldn’t put it past Ron Moore, good Reader, to mislead people a little bit, especially if there was a danger of too much being revealed in some way. Equally, it’s entirely possible he was telling the truth. I do know that he later remarked that he “probably shouldn’t have said” what he said about the people in “The Last Supper,” but whether that was because he felt he’d given too much away or because he had now put himself into a position whereby he’d have to contradict himself later on, I can’t say.

…I think the main point here is that whoever the final Cylon is revealed to be, he or (possibly) she will be the parent of one of the babies currently believed to by half-Cylon and half-human. The whole series has revolved around the issue of the “humanity” of the Cylons and their apparently inability to reproduce. I think that the revelation of the final Cylon will necessarily accompany the additional (and simultaneous) revelation that Cylons can, in fact, reproduce successfully.

And I still think that [Hera Agathon] will be revealed as the fully Cylon child, given that Season 3 spent an awful lot of time trying to build up her significance. I’ve only read the first Dune book, but it seems to me that there is a parallel between the Kwisatz Haderach and what Hera is.

Which brings us back to Helo.

So, did Ron Moore lie to us? Time will tell…but I will say that I have no problem believing that Ron Moore is trying to deflect speculation down incorrect avenues.”

Now, I will admit, O Reader, that I lost one bet; Hera turned out not to be the first fully Cylon child revealed to the viewers (that honour goes to the child of Caprica Six and Saul Tigh). That said, I don’t think this diminishes Hera’s significance in any way. And as I noted more recently, we must come back to “the issue of the First Hybrid’s prophecy that the final Cylon would be revealed only in the “howl of terrible suffering”. Given Sharon Agathon’s passionate defence of Hera in the past — including her willingness to kill any Cylon who might even remotely threaten her child (even by way of mere proximity) — it stands to reason that if D’Anna harbours any designs on Hera, that fact will bring Sharon and D’Anna into direct conflict in the near future.

And perhaps neither Sharon nor D’Anna will survive the encounter. Perhaps Hera will be gravely endangered. And perhaps Helo will weather that terrible suffering only by discovering, and somehow coming to terms, with his Cylonity.”

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Mind the spoliers, please!

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Given that the current rumours suggest that the character of Number Three — D’Anna Biers — will only be on the show for another episode or two, it’s quite possible that just such a violent resolution will come to pass. After all, D’Anna has to disappear from the narrative somehow, and she could well turn out to be the first casualty promised by the producers when they said that the Cylon Civil War would result in the death of three Cylon models.

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Ding! Spoilers are done.

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Time will tell, O Reader.

I do have to say, though, that I’m more than a little surprised that something I wrote is being read in as far away a place (from Edmonton, at least) as Barcelona. Thanks very much for writing in, Dani — that’s really cool.

Sine Qua Non, that would be, the episode of Battlestar Galactica that aired not last night, but a week prior. Yes, this review is coming a bit later than one might expect, but I am at the mercy of those who tape the episodes for me, and either their ability to deliver the episodes to me or my ability to pick the episodes up from them.

Strangely, both vectors failed this week, until yesterday.

But be that as it may, this will be a fairly short review (by comparison, at any rate).

First, a bit of a note. Although the episode wasn’t structured according to a rigid understanding of this theme, the trinitarian issue of “faith, hope, and love” seemed to percolate through the narrative, popping up in the oddest of places (and faces). This was especially true in the case of William Adama, who displayed ample amounts of all three qualities in the wake of Laura Roslin’s abduction by the Cylon hybrid.

That’s not to say, of course, that Admiral Atheus suddenly found Religion, but it’s evident that he has tremendous faith in Laura Roslin personally, and in her ability to lead the people to Earth. Indeed, he believes that Earth can be found solely because of her, and her sudden abduction is a massive shock to his system. That he loves her is plainly obvious — he outright states that he “can’t live without her.”

It’s Adama’s sense of hope — something he hasn’t had much of lately — that really stands out, though. Faced with evidence of a mighty battle, nuclear detonations, and basestar wreckage (along with the wreckage of several of the Colonial vessels loaned to the rebel Cylon faction), he nevertheless persists in his hope that Roslin is alive, even going to the extraordinary step of ordering the fleet to leave him behind at the pre-arranged rendezvous point that Galactica and the rebels had agreed to; the episode ends with a scene of his Raptor aimlessly drifting in space.

Hope and faith also appear, visibly, in the person of Lee Adama, who even is threatened with murder at one point because he represents the best hope for the fleet’s leadership — with his attacker wanting to kill him because “hope is the last thing [the fleet] needs.” Lee’s rejoinder to the charge is that it’s all a choice — one can either choose to give up, or have faith that things will work out; his choice is to struggle with his every breath to see that they do…and it’s this conviction, this love for the flawed creation called humanity, that saves his life and sees him sworn in as interim president of the Colonies.

Anyhow, some other notes:

>> The Final Five

One of two things is now possible: either the Cylons can actually reproduce, or only the Final Five are capable of reproducing with other Cylons, either from within their own number or with members of the Significant Seven. At any rate, Saul Tigh and Caprica Six have created another child, ostensibly the first Cylon-Cylon child (although I have an obvious doubt about this).

One interesting theory I tripped over — sorry, no link — was that the Final Five were like the original Cylon attempts at assuming human form, but that the five models ended up being somehow “too human” and so were mind-wiped and, in effect, exiled to the Colonies. There’s some merit to the theory, although it seems somewhat dubious to think that, in a span of less than forty years, such a comprehensive mythology could have emerged concerning the Five. This is especially true given that there haven’t exactly been a few subsequent generations of Cylons that have passed on between the creation of the Final Five and the creation of the Significant Seven — that makes it rather difficult for any sort of mythos to take shape, since a key component of such a thing is the way it is shaped as it is handed down from one generation to the next.

Also, the Cylons have shared databases, not oral traditions, which makes the formation of a mythology in almost any span of time improbably.

Personally, I think it comes back to love again. Tigh’s visions of Ellen when speaking with Caprica Six are, I think, significant here, in that Tigh learned how to genuinely love Ellen at some point (perhaps only after losing her to his own hand?). Perhaps the issue is not that the Final Five are somehow “more human,” but that by virtue of their ignorance of their nature were somehow able to…come to understand love on its own terms, through the relationships they formed.

This goes back, then, to something I said before: if love is such a necessary component of Cylon procreation, it stands to reason that it makes rather a lot of sense why the “in the lab” results of procreation experiments amongst the Cylons all came up negative. When one is reduced to taking a clinical approach to such things, or when one acts out of fear that by not acting one is committing a sin, one’s actions are not motivated by love. Guilt? Yes, probably. Inquiry and curiosity? Most assuredly. But love? No, probably not.

The Final Five have learned to love, something which was missing before. Perhaps, in the future (especially if the Resurrection Hub is actually destroyed at some point), the other Cylons will learn to love as well…and if so, it will be interesting to see what results (assuming Ron Moore will take us to that future).

> Returning characters

It was good to see Romo Lampkin again, although it’s a pity about his cat. Then too, he’s provided a home for Jake the dog (Hero of the Resistance!), so at least he’ll “have a new animal to loathe.”

I’ve a feeling we’ll be seeing Romo again in later episodes, but I’d just like to state here and now that I don’t think he’s the final Cylon; to those that are speculating that he might be, I can only say “red herring.”

>> The Quorum of Twelve

Can’t we just airlock them all? None of them is the Cylon, but their endless bickering is about as helpful to the people of the Colonies as a Cylon nuclear strike would be — and is far more agonizing given that at least the nuke would kill people quickly. Talk about presenting, by way of example, a convincing case for military rule.

>> Saul Tigh, father?

Grace threw up her hands at the revelation. On one hand, it wasn’t surprising — though the show didn’t really ever show a scene of Tigh and Caprica Six sleeping together, it was pretty much assumed that this was the case. I admit that the news of the pregnancy came as a bit of a surprise, although in retrospect I wonder if it should have.

At any rate, Grace was rather perturbed at the idea of Tigh abusing his power over a prisoner that way, and complained that he should have had self-control. I certainly don’t disagree. Sex does seem to be the biggest moral weakness of the characters on this show, which I suppose is reflective of the real world more than most of its other allusions.

One other note: Grace felt that the revelation of the pregnancy strenghtened the case for Helo — Karl Agathon — being the final Cylon. Certainly, my guess that the final Cylon would in some way be related to the issue of Cylon reproduction hasn’t yet been borne out, although I observe that I certainly wasn’t far off the mark (even if I am ultimately wrong): Cylon reproduction has re-appeared as an issue, and the Final Five (at least) seem to have some involvement with that plot aspect.

>> Saul Tigh, admiral?

I think Tigh put it best himself: the promotion to command didn’t work out very well last time around. What was Adama thinking?

Then too, Tigh’s expression was classic when Adama noted that Tigh was a different man than he was a couple years ago. This is…true, certainly, and perhaps Tigh won’t make a hash of things this go-round, especially since Ellen Tigh isn’t there to goad him on.

>> God

Natalie — the Number Six shot by Sharon Agathon — dies in this episode, and as she does she first envisions a forest, and then a progressively brighter light as she passes away. As to whether she resurrects, I’m not sure, although I imagine that she’s gone for good.

Which is interesting, because again we get to see the moment of death from the perspective of the dying character, and again it appears that the God of the BSG universe is very real, and that there is a definite crossing between life and death…and that death is quite a lot more than the nothingness that atheism posits waits for us all beyond the veil.

I might also note that as she is being wheeled to the operating room, Natalie prays a Cylon prayer, the same one used last season on the diseased baseship. It’s nice to see reverent faith get a half-decent treatment in a show on television these days.

>> Without which it could not be

The episode title, Sine Qua Non doesn’t appear to be an allusion to Andrew Jackson in any meaningful way, so I assume it can be taken on its literal meaning instead. And indeed, the whole episode focuses on those things which, for various people in the show, life isn’t worth living (or, at least, living well).

For Romo, it was his family and the cat, which was his only connection to that past. Lee Adama resolves this by giving him the dog, severing Romo’s ties to history and anchoring him in the present (and hope for the future) instead.

For Adama, it was Roslin. She was abducted, and he all but came unglued.

For Sharon, it was little Hera Agathon, and Adama realizes this in reflecting on his own actions. His last order, before he departs in his Raptor (using his old callsign, I might add), is for that family to be re-united, in spite of his previous declaration that the brig “is no place for a little girl.”

>> Predictions, of varying sort — do be mindful of possible spoilers

1) I still think Karl Agathon — Helo — is the final Cylon, obviously. I also would like to note one addendum to my theory: since the identity of the last Cylon is tied, in some way, to an act of great suffering, I wonder if there is any significance to the fact that in Colonial prophecy, the goddess Athena — whose tomb was discovered by, and whose probable place of suicide was noted by, Sharon Agathon (callsign: Athena) — despairs and commits suicide some time between the point of the twelve tribes arriving at “the home of the gods” and the arrival of the people of the colonies at their destinations?

We’ve already seen Helo’s agony at Sharon’s death even when he knew she’d be resurrected, after all. And now she’s betrayed Adama’s trust and has landed herself in the brig again. Added to what is happening with Hera, might she have cause for despair?

2) I still think the identity of the final Cylon is in some way tied up with Cylon reproduction, as the Final Five certainly seem to have something to do with that. The Resurrection Hub has probably been destroyed — there was a lot of wreckage in the one scene, more than one would think a single basestar was capable of being reduced to.

3) I still think Adama will not end the series an atheist.

Also, it’s interesting how reckless Adama is willing to be — and then with the fate of what’s left of humanity! — when someone close to him disappears.

4) The issue of Roslin’s cancer came under discussion, echoing my previous musings on the matter: Firstly, Roslin herself is in the end stages of her cancer; that far from the Galactica and its doctor, she may end up in very dire straits in the coming episodes. But given that Adama has now left to wait for her, I can’t see the writers not affording them an opportunity to meet again. I very much doubt that Roslin will die “out there” without making it back to Galactica.

Of course, if Roslin is the dying leader, she is supposed to pass on (pace Moses) before entering into the “promised land” (Earth?). Given that Earth is supposed to appear in another couple of episodes (according to rumour), this either means that Roslin a) will die rather soon, or b) might not be the dying leader at all.

5) With Adama sending the fleet off to find Earth again, I very much doubt that Galactica will attempt its own attack on the Resurrection Hub (especially since they don’t know where it is, by all accounts).

jeff writes in with a comment about my final Cylon theory. I have cut down the text of his letter, because the rest of it concerned an issue I had already addressed — the Last Supper photograph and its relevance to the identity of the Final Cylon in Battlestar Galactica.

one thing that might be interesting-
maybe the cylons can only reproduce with a final 5 cylon model? cause they are closer to human? sharon+helo = hera, tigh+caprica(?)=new baby

One interesting theory I tripped over is that the Final Five are “first run” humanoid Cylon models, and that they were deemed to, in essence, be “too human” — and so were mind-wiped and dumped into the Colonies. Discussion of them was, thus, forbidden.

It’s a theory with some merit (certainly, I think it makes more sense than the idea that the Final Five are “Earth Cylons” — although I do have confidence that if that is the actual truth of the matter, Ron Moore will present it to us in a stylish, acceptable way), although I do have one minor gripe with it: the handful of decades between the first and second wars with the Cylons does not seem to be a long enough time for a comprehensive mythology pertaining to the Final Five to have formed.

The theory, though, that the Final Five are “more human” (if that term makes sense) than the Significant Seven Cylons does have some merit for the reasons that jeff points out: perhaps it is only the Final Five that can interbreed with their fellow Cylons, perhaps due to something fundamentally different in their nature.

I guess we will have to wait and see.