Since Daniel asked so nicely, and because Battlestar Galactica conveniently ended its third season this weekend (and won't be airing season four until sometime in 2008!), here's how the universe stands as of the end of season three. Tremendously huge spoilers follow.
The Trial of Gaius Baltar
What had been hinted at in the previous week was struck home in the finale by a fantastic speech on the part of Lee Adama. In it, he accused society in general for making Baltar a scapegoat, holding him accountable for actions that not only had mitigating circumstances but in many cases were no worse than the crimes committed by others, all of which had been pardoned. He named plenty of names too, just in case anyone had forgotten, like how Helo and Tyrol had murdered a Pegasus officer and how Lee himself had fired on a civilian ship presumed to be infiltrated by Cylons.
And then he did a complete 180 from the "boy scout" approach I credited with last week, explaining that the reason people have done these things is because, quite simply, this is no longer a civilization but a struggle for survival. The rules simply cannot apply as they once did because they were based on a reality that died the day the Cylons destroyed the twelve colonies.
Admiral Adama likewise 180ed on the issue of Baltar. While he had previously stated that Baltar was so guilty he didn't even deserve a trial, he ended up voting Baltar not guilty.
President Laura Roslin did an about-face as well but in the opposite direction. While she has always staunchly supported following Colonial law, one has to wonder if it has always simply been most convenient for her to do so. She strongly supported giving Baltar a trial in the first place, but she had also been confident that he would easily be found guilty. She took Adama's not guilty vote as a personal betrayal and flat out states that they both know Baltar is guilty regardless how well it can be argued in court. Apparently she only respects the law when it rules in her favor.
Baltar himself is left to wander the ship alone. He has no quarters now and no obvious friends... and lots of obvious enemies. The last we see of him, he is being whisked away by a woman who came to his cell believing that Baltar had miraculous healing powers. No doubt Baltar will flourish in this new environment, being cared for by people devoted to him and wishing to follow his guidance. This has "cult" of the David Koresh type written all over it. And while Baltar originally and earnestly insisted that he had no such powers, there are few things in Galactica more powerful than the ego of Gaius Baltar.
The Return of Starbuck
In a move that I'm sure surprised absolutely no one, Kara "Starbuck" Thrace returns at the cliffhanger after her apparent demise a few episodes earlier. While Galactica has been good at keeping us guessing and avoiding the obvious cliches (except when "cliche" has been the obvious goal), Thrace's death was weak, weak, weak. I've always said there are four characters that cannot die: Starbuck, Apollo, Admiral Adama, and Baltar. Everyone else is up for grabs, regardless whether they had predecessors on the original series. So the mere suggestion that she had died was not convincing, and nothing that the show portrayed helped - the show has dwelled more on the deaths of near extras more than it spent time on the supposed death of Starbuck.
The season has also been fairly devoted to what Starbuck mockingly calls "Kara Thrace and her Special Destiny," which would have been a colossal waste of time if she died as pointlessly as she supposedly did. Although now we know what that destiny likely is, as she proclaims that she has been to Earth and can lead the fleet there.
I have only one recommendation to the writers here. I realize that Earth is the goal. I don't know if you're planning on getting them there or not, and I still have plenty of enough faith in you to trust you'll do it right. Just please, please, watch Galactica 1980 before you start writing as a guide on what not to do.
The Five Remaining Cylons
If you saw the trailer for the finale, you largely already know the answer to this question. (Someone please, please shoot the trailer editors.) While one remains unknown, we have learned that four of the unknown Cylon models are:
Samuel Anders
Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol
Colonel Saul Tigh
Random chick acting as assistant to Laura Roslin
Hmm, I wonder who's flipping out or dying first.
Producer Ron Moore as confirmed that there should be no question as to whether thee four are right in their conclusions about being Cylons - they are. As of the cliffhanger, no one else knows, and it will be interesting to see how each of them deals with it. So far, none of them appear to be affected by any sort of compelling programming. All of them (except maybe Random Chick, who didn't say much and who I mostly ignore) are deeply disturbed by the revelation, and all of them currently intend to continue serving Galactica and fighting the Cylons.
At least two huge questions emerge from this. First is the age of the humanoid Cylons. Boomer had been able to infiltrate Galactica because no one had known her for more than a few years. Tigh, however, has been serving with Adama for many years and was married for quite some time.
As an aside, I suspect Tigh was the one that Number Three saw in her vision of the final five, the one that she apologized to upon recognising. The Cylons do, after all, owe him an eye.
Second is the issue of the "miracle child." The Cylons have been seeking to create a human-Cylon hybrid, and until now it was believed by all (including the fans) that only one existed: Hera, daughter of Athena and Helo. Tyrol, however, has also had a child with a human. Ron Moore has also hinted that there might be more, older hybrids in existence. (For what it's worth, my money would be on Starbuck, what with her Special Destiny and all.)
There is also a third question on my mind. In any other show I'd write it off to coincidence or writers not thinking through their characters, but Galactica has been pretty constant about there being no such thing as coincidences. Tigh has an extreme hatred of Cylons, even for a human. Anders helped lead resistance on Caprica. Tyrol washed his hands of Boomer the moment she was identified as a Cylon. Most importantly, the three of them were leaders of the resistance on New Caprica. They were specifically the ones fighting hardest and often most openly.
Once again, you're my hero.
Posted by: Daniel | Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at 09:12
I just watched the finale. Damn I love this show. Tigh as a cylon? I mean, we'd all been guessing who it would be, but he wasn't one I was guessing. I did wonder if they'd try Adama.
I was reading Starbuck as the 5th cylon (explains how she's back), but I think you may be right on the hybrid track. Also, you're certainly right that it raises the questions of how many hybrids are already in the fleet - and you wonder what's the big deal about Hera.
So what do we think happens when they reach earth? At the moment, my bet is that the whole show is set up as a kind of prequel to human civilization, that we're all hybrids. It has a touch of Hegelian synthesis, and it would, oddly, make an implicit statement about how one solves "ethnic" conflict.
But the writers keep me on my toes, so I doubt it's that obvious.
Other fans: Thoughts?
Posted by: ben | Sunday, May 06, 2007 at 02:08