Time Immortal

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.

Well, Grace and I just watched the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica, Revelations, and I have to say that on the whole, I rather agree with Barb Nicolosi as far as the last few minutes of the show are concerned. The discovery of Earth (pictured below) is a delight, a moment of pure and unrestrained joy. It’s exceptionally well-filmed (or well-rendered, in the case of the effects), well-timed, and well-scored (in fact, the music is phenomenal)…so uplifting.

And then, three minutes later, the show leaves you with the feeling that you’ve been punched in the gut, as the show ends in “desolation and shock.” The transition between high and low is at once sudden and (impossibly) gradual, as Earth turns out to be not the “promised land” that everyone on the Colonial fleet — even the atheistic William Adama — thought it would prove to be. Instead of teeming with vibrant human life in the form of the Thirteenth Tribe, Earth is a burnt-out, irradiated wasteland.

What is more, the nuclear holocaust does not appear to be a recent one — this is not the handiwork of the Cylon faction headed by the Cavils (Number Ones). The series producers were very good about showing us a world in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear attack with the scenes set on post-apocalyptic Caprica; it was yellow, the atmosphere was murky, and it was obvious that fallout had polluted the atmosphere. By contrast, Earth is blue, its skies cloudy, but not in that “airborne dust” kind of way. Whatever the nature of the destruction that is evident in those final, gut-wrenching moments of the mid-season finale of BSG, it is not a recent destruction.

The episode as a whole is intense — some of the best television I’ve seen in a while, in fact. About halfway through the show, Grace remarked that there was a lot of interesting stuff happening, and indeed there was…the events of the show could easily have been spaced out into at least two, maybe three episodes. I suppose, taken in comparison to the relatively plodding pace of events so far this season, the argument could be made that Revelations feels rushed. But I observe that for myself, the only reason that the rest of the season feels rather plodding has to do with hindsight. I’ve had no problems with the pacing of the other episodes this season, either as rushed or as plodding, and I’ve no problems with the intense level of action and narrative that is in this mid-season cliffhanger.

The episode splits into roughly three acts: a first, longer act that deals with D’Anna’s attempts to liberate the Penultimate Four Cylons from the Fleet, a shorter second act that deals with the Colonials playing hardball right back, and a third act that deals with Earth both as a legitimate destination that is finally within reach, and as a larger, unifying principle. Spread throughout each act are the seeds of an idea that Kara Thrace explicitly states during the bridge between second act and the third: something or someone beyond human comprehension is orchestrating events.

What’s more, her reasoning is edifying. It’s rare when I actually applaud (inwardly, at least) something theological said on a television show these days — most of the entertainment industry, it seems, has no clue about how serious, intelligent religious people actually think. But there went Starbuck with her analysis of events, and it really was spot-on. With a dubious Lee Adama, sarcastically dismissing the notion that a “higher power” might be at work in events, Starbuck replies with conviction and clarity, and makes her case well:

Kara: Gaeta’s confirmed it. The channel is empty except for this Viper. [pause] It’s gotta be a signal from Earth.

Lee: You’re reaching, Kara.

Kara: C’mon Lee, add it up. [Lee gets out of the Viper] I vanished into a storm, ride this Viper to Earth. Coming back, I get a vision that leads me to the baseship. It’s Hybrid tells me that the Final Five Cylons have been to Earth. But we need the missing Three — D’Anna — to bring them out to the open.

Lee: [somewhat sarcastically] And now we’re starting to get messages from the beyond.

Kara: You heard the signal. The final Cylons led me to it. If it’s Earth, they’ve given us the home of the Thirteenth Tribe…just the way the Hybrid said it would happen. Like it or not, Lee, something is orchestrating this for a purpose

Lee: [still sarcastic] *sniff* A higher power.

Kara: Call it whatever you want. But it seems to want us to find Earth with the Cylons.

God has, within the BSG universe, been ever more present as the plot has progressed, and here again He turns up, defying the expectations of most. It will be interesting to see how the second half of the series, which all leads up to the finalé, will handle the issue of deity.

(Interesting note: in the final scene, as the camera pans over the various people standing amidst the ruins on Earth, take note of the cross rather plainly emblazoned onto the rock near Helo and Athena.)

>> The Final Five

Well, it turns out that I was completely wrong on one account — Samuel Anders was not the first of the Final Five to be outed. Indeed, the argument could be made that he was the last one to be outed, in a more or less complete reversal of what I had expected. Tory Foster is the first one revealed (though not on Galactica proper; she uses duplicity to get onto the rebel basestar and it is there that she outs herself, eventually telling off Laura Roslin).

What is interesting is how the rift that had previously emerged in the Penultimate Four has now, more or less, become a fixed divide. Foster more or less completely embraces her Cylonity, to the point of misanthropy. Her hatred of humanity is palpable, and I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point she flipped sides to join Cavil’s faction, when next we meet them.

Tigh’s revelation to Adama was shattering, and Adama’s flipping out was a perfectly natural result. Kudos to Edward James Olmos for a dramatic and heart-rending scene; one would totally believe that Adama had, in the span of mere minutes, been totally broken and reduced to primal rage, and then to tears. A lifetime worth of emotional pain exploded out of the Admiral in the aftermath of what was, for him, one final act of betrayal…and then by his best friend of three decades. Every act, every bad call, and every kid he sent out in a Viper to get killed haunted and hounded him, until he was drooling and sobbing into his son’s arms.

It was a painful scene to watch.

>> Old ways, new ways

I liked that Lee Adama raised an interesting point when talking with Number Three — D’Anna Biers. It was actually a point I’d raised before: throughout the mythology of the series, the idea that history is somehow cyclical has been the predominant philosophy. The way out, if any existed, was in my view to somehow break that cycle, to strike out in a new direction.

Lee Adama said this directly when proposing an alliance, and a peace, with the rebel Cylons.

What was interesting is how soundly this episode utterly rejected, in multiple ways, the old paradigm of eternal conflict between man and Cylon. D’Anna is operating on that paradigm, and Tory Foster (expressing her anti-human sentiments well) eggs her on in a violent, standoffish course when it comes to dealing with the humans. The humans react in kind, and the situation escalates almost to the point of a nuclear exchange between the two sides, which surely would have resulted in the near-anhiliation of humanity and the rebel Cylon faction (and, quite probably, the Final Five).

Into the midst of this, nothing less than God steps in to intercede. Baltar appeals to D’Anna, arguing passionately that the violent course of action failed on New Caprica and then again on the algae planet just prior to her being boxed — why would she think that this time, violence would achieve the desired ends? Meanwhile, Starbuck pleads with Lee Adama that events have been unfolding in an orchestrated, planned, intentional way that involves both humans and Cylons playing the agentic roles in God’s greater design. She all but begs Lee to realize that whatever the way forward must be, it must be in partnership with the Cylons, because everything unravels without their involvement as well. Both arguments — that of Gaius Baltar and that of Kara Thrace — are arguments from faith, and have resounding, and astounding, power.

There seems to be dawning, on everyone, a realization that the old way of doing things — hatred, distrust, eternal war — will only lead both human and Cylon closer and closer to their respective endings, which are already dangerously close enough.

>> The Other Cylons

Just a couple of remarks here. I agree with Dale Price’s remarks concerning Leoben. The Leoben Conoy Cylons began as tricksters and deceivers, like Loki with stubble and a slightly raspy voice. Since then, they have become genuinely devout prophets and servants, and are increasingly benevolent in both their desired ends and the means they use to achieve them.

I also observe that the Number Eights are still fickle, and readily swarm to the aid of D’Anna when she returns and launches her initially anti-human crusade for the Final Five.

>> Earth

One thing I noticed right off the bat was that the producers weren’t showing us everything about Earth.

Think about it for a minute, O Reader. At the end of Season 3, in the final wild, galactic-scale zooming shot, the Earth was very visibly our planet — North America was prominently featured:

And yet now, with the fleet having finally arrived at this fabled planet, the shots are murky or dark (and one notes that there’s a subtle visual clue in the dark portions of Earth suggesting it is abandoned — were it populated, lights of cities would surely be visible!), clouds obscure the continental landmasses, and in the ruins there are no easy visual indicators suggesting a familiar location to the viewer (some have tried to suggest that the one bridge-like ruin in the background might be the Brooklyn Bridge — I remain agnostic on this point).

So is this Earth? It would seem to be, especially since Felix Gaeta confirmed the presence of constellations. And yet, the producers are being deliberately vague; it is possible that the Fleet has gone astray, and somehow arrived at the wrong place in spite of all the signs. Is this Earth?

The issue of Laura Roslin actually…you know…surviving to see the surface of the planet is a key point here; if she really is the dying leader of the Pythian prophecy, she shouldn’t actually get to see Earth (think of Moses and the Promised Land). But here she is, standing right beside Bill Adama on the surface of the planet. Most intriguing…either this isn’t Earth, or else Roslin isn’t the dying leader the thought she was (though she is dying, to be sure).

I’m of two minds about the planet that everyone seems to think is Earth, myself.

On one hand, it could very well be Earth. As noted, everyone — even the non-believers — had built themselves up a myth of Earth as some kind of promised land. I don’t know why, but it honestly seemed as though the people of the Colonies thought they could just show up in orbit of their long-lost brothers and sisters in the Thirteenth Tribe, drop anchor (so to speak), land, and be welcomed with open arms into a lush, fruitful land overflowing with ambrosia and…uhm…Tauron sugar biscuits…?

Whatever…the point is that their expectations failed to take one thing into account: the Thirteenth Tribe was also composed of humans, flawed and imperfect, and prone to things like murder, dishonesty, and all the same sins that Bill Adama listed off in his speech during the Miniseries. Not more than a few hours prior to finding Earth, humanity and the Cylon rebels were no more than a handful of seconds away from using nuclear weapons to wipe each other out…can they really be surprised to find, then, that the Thirteenth Tribe may well have done the same?

On the other hand, maybe this isn’t Earth. Maybe it was just a way-station on the way to Earth, just another marker/pointer like the beacon, the algae planet, and the Ionian Nebula. It’s wholly possible that Kara Thrace’s mission as guide is not over, and that her Viper was just pointing out the next waypoint rather than the final destination. This seems unlikely given Gaeta’s confirmation of the constellations, however — 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.

Whatever the reality, the discovery is going to cause real problems in the coming episodes. The alliance with the Cylons is fragile enough as it is, and this could potentially weaken it to the breaking point again. Or it could make the alliance stronger, as humanity and Cylon have now come face to face with the fullest implications of their mutually destructive ways.

It will almost surely trigger a wave of despair and suicides in the body of the Fleet proper. Riots too, most likely. For many of the Colonial survivors, Earth was not only their final hope, but their only hope — now that it’s gone, it will drive many of them to instability and violence, either against others or, more probably, against themselves.

>> The Last Cylon

If we pick apart D’Anna’s curt statement — that there are only four Cylons in the Fleet — we have to come to one of a handful of conclusions as to where the final Cylon might be. As I see it, the possibilities are thus:

1. Earth
2. The rebel basestar
3. Cavil’s basestar (or one of the other ships loyal to him)
4. Caprica
5. The final Cylon is not someone currently known to be living (e.g. a character currently listed as “dead”

Each of these theories is problematic, save one. Every other possibility save for the second has one major glaring flaw, and that is the scope of D’Anna’s knowledge. She has been boxed for (about) a year. In that time, she has received no knowledge of what has transpired between humanity and the Cylons, nor does she have the slightest reason to think, apart from the claims of those on the ship with her, that any other humans besides those that are on the rebel basestar are even alive.

The question that we must raise here concerns the scope of D’Anna’s knowledge of individual human beings. One of two things is possible:

1. Either she knew all of the Final Five on sight when she encountered them in her vision, or
2. She only knew four of them; the fifth was someone she’d never met before

The latter option is unlikely; D’Anna has always, always maintained that she knows all of the Five. So really, the former is the only option that makes sense, both from the perspective of the narrative thus far, and from the perspective of the quality of the series (introducing some new face just to out him or her as a Cylon would, I think, be a rather insulting cheap-shot by the series producers).

Assuming, then, that D’Anna knows who all of the Final Five are, her knowledge that only four of them are with the Fleet means one of three things:

1. D’Anna encountered the final Cylon on the rebel basestar, but did not acknowledge him or her
2. D’Anna has exterior knowledge of every human being currently in the Fleet, and knows that none of them is the final Cylon

That second option splits into two possibilities:

• Her knowledge stems from when she was briefly among the people of the Fleet as a journalist; she was somehow able to catalogue every last survivor and knows all of them on sight
• Her knowledge has a supernatural origin

Personally, I discount the two possibilities above as unlikely, which renders the second point above them equally invalid. I trust the Reader can see why I elect to do this.

Which leaves the first point — D’Anna encountered the final Cylon on the rebel basestar, but said nothing. This is actually a very reasonable conjecture — D’Anna’s silence can be explained away by the fact that the D’Anna Cylon model always has an agenda, and her silence could easily be useful in service of that agenda.

>> Predictions (mind the spoilers)

1. Invigorated by the fact that D’Anna specifically stated that only four of the Final Five were in the Fleet, I remain steadfast in my conviction that Helo — Karl Agathon — is the final Cylon.

The reason for this renewed conviction has to do with what Grace and I discussed about D’Anna’s meaning when she said that only four of the Final Five were in the Fleet. Grace agreed that the statement most likely meant that the fifth was on the basestar…but she wondered why D’Anna had not singled the fifth out in that case.

My reply was the last line of the analysis section pertaining to this topic, above: D’Anna has an agenda. Grace wondered what her agenda would be, and how her silence would benefit it. In thinking about this today, it seems to me that the answer might once again be little Hera Agathon. D’Anna was passionate in her search for the child, and could well be after Hera once again (for all we know). She could well be keeping silent on the matter of Helo’s Cylonity in order to achieve that end.

Which brings us 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.

2. It is ultimately Roslin, in a tender, loving moment, who pulls Adama out of his abyss. More and more, she is affecting him, and it’s a beautiful, if subtle trend.

I think she’ll eventually lead him into the fold of faith; I don’t think he’ll end the series mired down in atheism.

3. As noted above (and as predicted), Tory is increasingly anti-human in her outlook and actions. When next we see Cavil (and we will see him soon, methinks), I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Tory joined up with his forces.

4. The basestar Hybrids seem to have their own agenda as well, and I’m thinking that Cavil’s people will find out from their own Hybrids that Earth has been discovered.

Update: Welcome, Dale Price readers!

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).

Grace and I sat down to watch the latest episode of Battlestar Galactica last night. Being that we don’t get Space Channel as part of our cable package, the arrangement that we have in place involves me getting my younger brother to tape the episodes for us (which reminds me: I need to lend him the second season of Deep Space Nine at some point).

Guess What’s Coming to Dinner was, I thought, just a great episode. It wasn’t as theologically deep as the previous episode, but it was a nice return to the methodical, paced, straightforward and tense drama that has been such a hallmark of the show. It moved rapidly, fluidly, from scene to scene, and kept a good pace.

Some observations I took away from the episode follow.

>> The Final Five

The Colonials now know that the Final Five are in the fleet, that it was the Raiders that discovered this fact, and that it was their discovery — and subsequent refusal to fight — that was the impetus behind the Cylon retreat from the Ionian Nebula. Colonel Tigh doesn’t appear to have made the connection between this revelation and what Samuel Anders had to say about the events of the nebula battle.

>> Justice and morality

Once again, the tension is there between human and Cylon concepts of justice and Morality, and the Cylons in particular seem to be struggling mightily to move away from “eye for an eye” justice. Intially, the stage is set with basically back-to-back scenes of first the humans (Laura Roslin, Saul Tigh, and William Adama) plotting to in effect double-cross their newfound Cylon allies by withholding the Final Five once they are revealed, then of the Cylons planning to hold the human crew aboard the basestar hostage until the Final Five are turned over. Both plans hinge on re-activating the Number Threes.

Natalie goes back on the plan, though. While her initial argument was that while the Cylons may have changed, the humans haven’t, her follow-up argument is basically that it is more important that the Cylons have changed, and that this reality needs to be demonstrated. Again, the message is clear: the cycle of tit-for-tat has to end in order for both races to progress.

(This is interesting for another reason: assuming my prediction is right about the series being, essentially, eschatological in nature, and given my guessing that the end of the show hinges, in part, on the idea of breaking the cycle of history that has so far driven the backstory of the show, coult it perhaps be the case that the attempt by the Cylons to break out of the cycle of blood for blood and betrayal for betrayal is a hint of things to come?)

This shift appears in another place. Natalie, perhaps correctly guessing at Roslin’s apparent bloody-mindedness where Cylons are concerned, initially offers the possibility of an attack on the Resurrection Hub as a method by which humanity might get some vengeance. But it is made clear later that she doesn’t actually believe this: for Natalie, the issue is not one of revenge, but of development and meaning. Her speech to the Quorum of Twelve reflects this:

In our civil war, we’ve seen death. We watched our people die. Gone forever. As terrible as it was, beyond the reach of the Resurrection Ships, something began to change. We could feel a sense of time. As if each moment held its own significance. We began to realize that for our existence to hold any value it must end. To live meaningful lives we must die, and not return. The one human flaw, that you spend your lifetimes distressing over — mortality — is the one thing…well, it’s the one thing that makes you whole.

It’s almost as if she’s moved past the whole issue of fighting the civil war at this point; her desire seems to be for the Cylons to, in her words, become “whole.” She desires that her brothers and sisters be able to live “meaningful lives,” and she realizes that another cycle must be broken for this to happen: the cycle of Cylon resurrection.

>> Kara Thrace and her special destiny

It really does sound like the name of a bad cover band, doesn’t it?

At any rate, Starbuck’s destiny begins to move in a potentially different direction with this episode, and both Grace and I sat up a bit straighter during the rather well-edited sequence of Natalie giving her speech to the Quorum. Inter-cut with that sequence are a series of momentary flashbacks that Kara Thrace (watching the speech from a few feet away) has of the Cylon Hybrid professing to her that she is the “harbinger of death” who will “lead them all to their end.”

I think Grace realized it first, actually. “I thought of that too,” she remarked, meaning the possible implication that Starbuck would be the “harbinger of death” for the Cylons. I kind of talked about the idea when discussing the previous episode, Faith: rumours concerning what will transpire later on in the season suggest that the Colonials will attempt to destroy the Cylon Resurrection Hub, without which no Cylon will be able to resurrect even if a Resurrection Ship is present. I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps the repeated warnings that Kara Thrace is the harbinger of the apocalypse might be an indication that if the Colonials follow her, she will lead the Cylons to their end, if not humanity.

>> Hera

Little Hera Agathon basically is the last act of the episode, and while she only gets a few minutes of screen time (and even fewer lines of dialogue), she is back in a big way after being essentially ignored since the previous season. From her cryptic, spooky “Bye bye!” that she says to Sharon Agathon after the latter awakes from another opera house dream, to the scribbler full of sixes (and Sixes!), the fact that Hera is significant in a way that Nicholas Tyrol is not is very evident.

>> The Hybrid and the President

Starting with Razor, and now with the events of this episode, little hints are beginning to develop that the Hybrids may have their own agenda that is at cross-purposes with the intentions of the Cylons and the humans. Laura Roslin’s decision to visit the Hybrid on the basestar, in the wake of Starbuck revealing that the Hybrid has intimate knowledge of the content of Roslin’s visions, is foolhardy at best, and demonstrates an almost hubristic impulsiveness that may well be her undoing.

I have no idea what the Hybrid’s motives might be in abducting the President, if in fact that was “her” intent (Possible spoiler: episode summaries released to various television guides specifically mention that the Hybrid has abducted Roslin). I expect it ties in to the bit about the “dying leader” coming to know the “truth of the opera house,” although that’s hardly a certainty either.

>> Predictions, various and sundry

1) I still think Karl Agathon — Helo — is the final Cylon, especially in light of the attention (and the nature thereof) given to Hera in this episode.

2) I still think the identity of the final Cylon is in some way tied up with Cylon reproduction, especially in light of what is shaping up to be a major mission to destroy the ability of all Cylons, everywhere, to resurrect. If in fact the Cylons are to survive as a species, in the wake of the Hub’s destruction (which is by no means a certainty, although it probably will happen), then they will need to be able to reproduce.

3) I’m almost certain, now, that Cally Tyrol is not the final Cylon, especially if the unboxing of the Number Threes is to coincide with the destruction of the Resurrection Hub. It would be hard for the Threes to reveal the identity of the last Cylon if, in fact, there was no means by which that last Cylon could be introduced back into the narrative.

Although, having said that, I suppose there might be a certain dramatic validity to the revelation that one of the Final Five is permanently gone.

4) There’s a lot of nervousness in Anders, and I’m still fairly certain that he’ll end up being “outed” first. His nervousness was played up a lot in this episode, and if the Threes do not out him at once I’m almost certain he’ll do something to out himself.

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

6) An interesting situation has developed with the abduction of Roslin by the rebel Hybrid. 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. Indeed, it’s certainly possible that she won’t make it back to the fleet alive. Another issue that crops up is the issue of the attack on the Hub itself; will Galactica make the attempt on her own, with what Vipers and pilots remain?

7) Did anyone else notice that the camera lingered on a very nervous-looking Leoben Conoy after he told Natalie to stall for time while he dealt with the Centurions? Obviously, the Hybrid’s actions change everything, but I wonder if perhaps he’ll end up getting killed off permanently — especially since we know that the Leoben that Kara interrogated way back in Flesh and Bone did manage to resurrect, and yet nevertheless told Kara that her destiny would be to send his soul off to God.