The Official Battlestar Galactica Thread : SPOILERS

[DISCOMUNICATION]

MyTunes

Dresden's up on iTunes, but no Battlestar?!? At least I got the latest Frisky Dingo. Midnight est maybe?

 

[mkrishnan]

3) I'm actually delighted that they appear to be done with "Life on a Cylon Basestar" for the foreseeable future.

Except now, Caprica and Baltar are both human prisoners. You know what that means. It's time for some dirty prison lovin'!

Mmm, so I don't clearly remember that scene from season 2 -- I'm still not sure I've seen every season two episode. But it's definitely not a coincidence -- the same topic was discussed at the very end of today's episode -- Agathon brings a photograph of her painting to her and asks her about it.

Frack, I'm still pulling for Baltar to be the Cylon.

 

[failsafe1]

Wow. A buddy of mine at work loves this show. Wants me to watch it all the time. I watch scifi for the bad movies and see the promos. I don't get this show. I actually watched a few minutes last night. Part of the new season show and having watched promos for all of the seasons I can say looks like a big soap opera. My friend tells me about the show over lunch and the promos seem to focus on the adulterous relationships and the hot cylons. I have been reading the thread to see if I am missing something after all the hype.

 

[mkrishnan]

I can say looks like a big soap opera

No, no, it is. That's absolutely accurate. But it's a good one.

I would suggest at least watching The Story So Far episode (the one that aired right before the current series, which is basically just a synopsis of the first three seasons, narrated by one of the characters). That way at least you can grasp the overall plotline.

 

[FoxyKaye]

Here's a couple thoughts after finally downloading the episode from last night:

* I don't think we've seen the last of D'eanna Biers or her model - Lucy Lawless signed a 20-episode contract, and I don't believe she's used up all 20 yet.

* I wonder if Sharon/Athena is no longer immune to the virus that plagued the cylons earlier this season? She's no longer in the body that gave birth to Hera, and consequently that body's altered blood chemistry from having carried her baby to term no longer exists. Presumably, she was downloaded into one of the "stock" models the cylons keep on the resurrection ship and elsewhere.

* It would appear as if Caprica 6 was the cylon that helped Sharon/Athena get off the Base Star - interesting implications now that the fleet also has Baltar again.

* It occurs to me that when D'eanna saw the face of the final five, she apologized to one of them - something like, "forgive me, I never knew..." This makes me wonder if one of the final five is someone D'eanna has specifically antagonized in the past season - Starbuck and Tigh come immediately to mind.

Great mid-season comeback!

Hey Apple, how about uploading BSG to iTunes in the morning instead of 10pm?

 

[obeygiant]

I hope they reveal at least 1 new cylon. It could be Baltar. However in TOS Baltar had his own basestar and flew around. I wonder if the writers of TNS will end up doing the same in the future.

 

[failsafe1]

No, no, it is. That's absolutely accurate. But it's a good one.

I would suggest at least watching The Story So Far episode (the one that aired right before the current series, which is basically just a synopsis of the first three seasons, narrated by one of the characters). That way at least you can grasp the overall plotline.

Thanks for being kind in response to my observation. I has considered getting the free catch up episode but missed it.

 

[atszyman]

Okay so a death and a Cylon reveal are not that surpizing, but "One will find Earth"? So soon. There's still season 4 and the (direct to DVD) movie.

My guess is that Starbuck will figure it out and jump to Earth during some training mission. She will then struggle with the issue of revealing Earth's location to Adama and the rest of the fleet with the Cylons following their every move. It also gives at least half of season 4 for her to struggle with the information (probably found it in the season finale) and then once they get to Earth the final battle/negotiations with the Cylons depending on what is found on Earth. My guess is season 4 to end with both the Cylons and Humans ending up at Earth and the movie being the epic battle... but I'm notoriously bad with my predictions.

Of course my money is on Starbuck as one of the final 5 as well which would explain the buried memories of the Eye of Jupiter.

My money for the death would be Lee's wife or Starbuck's husband, just to keep the whole love square/triangle plot fuming.

 

[bluebomberman]

Wow. A buddy of mine at work loves this show. Wants me to watch it all the time. I watch scifi for the bad movies and see the promos. I don't get this show. I actually watched a few minutes last night. Part of the new season show and having watched promos for all of the seasons I can say looks like a big soap opera. My friend tells me about the show over lunch and the promos seem to focus on the adulterous relationships and the hot cylons. I have been reading the thread to see if I am missing something after all the hype.

No, no, it is. That's absolutely accurate. But it's a good one.

I would suggest at least watching The Story So Far episode (the one that aired right before the current series, which is basically just a synopsis of the first three seasons, narrated by one of the characters). That way at least you can grasp the overall plotline.

I would argue that you should start with the Miniseries or the first episode of Season 1.

Hot babes and love affairs are great and all, but there's so much more to the show than that. There's a reason why this show's critically acclaimed while other "hot babe" sci-fi shows get trashed (Enterprise, anybody?).

* I don't think we've seen the last of D'eanna Biers or her model - Lucy Lawless signed a 20-episode contract, and I don't believe she's used up all 20 yet.

* I wonder if Sharon/Athena is no longer immune to the virus that plagued the cylons earlier this season? She's no longer in the body that gave birth to Hera, and consequently that body's altered blood chemistry from having carried her baby to term no longer exists. Presumably, she was downloaded into one of the "stock" models the cylons keep on the resurrection ship and elsewhere.

1) I thought Lucy Lawless only had a 10-episode contract for Season 3.

2) Presumably, viral immunity is downloaded along with the virus itself (which is why they tried to execute the infected Cylons near a Resurrection Ship). I always found that idea sketchy, though. (I thought it would have made for a better ending to the episode if they actually did go through with the executions and it didn't work. Oh well, I'm not the head writer, so what do I know.)

Also, presumably, all traces of the virus in the wild have been destroyed by now (lots of guys in hazmat suits when they came on board after exposure).

 

[Marble]

They had to satisfy a lot of suspense this episode. I'm not sure the conclusion to any of the 3 cliffhangers was particularly satisfying. I think Lee's choice to send Dee out was probably the best resolution, since it put his priorities in jeopardy. Playing chicken with the nukes didn't have enough twist, but at least it made more sense than the mid-season resolution last year in Resurrection Ship 1 where battle is about to break out and then... and then... it doesn't.

I'm glad the show is finding a tone to play to, even if it's not the one I would have picked. All the "I have a destiny," "I am the chosen one," etc. feel like empty promises. I'd like some consequences to from the last masterplan, please, Galactica.

I felt this way especially when D'Anna recognizes one of the final five and then is promptly boxed. Too tidy, and it doesn't actually tell us anything more about the final five than we already knew, which was that among them there would be a very familiar face. And, obviously, it's not going to be Baltar.

I'm interested to see how Athena's allegiance plays out, since her "my child belongs here on this Basestar and so do I" doesn't make sense as anything other than a ruse to see her child, especially not after she sees how badly the child has been treated. All the swapping between ships is getting kind of tiresome. Caprica's return to Galactica could have consequences for Baltar, but at this point the back and forth between them has really got to change... Anyway, hooray for there being no more characters interesting enough for screen time still on the basestar. What was supposed to be a protracted insight into the cylon mind ended up being the revelation that it was missing most of the time.

And, boy, they got up off that planet fast, didn't they? I suppose Galactica was lucky that all that raptors flew in as one, too.

I'm not one of those who think Galactica only has a limited lifespan, but I do think it's possible that they'll need to give up some important characters and icons if they want to keep us on our toes. And it won't be Galactica if we're not on our toes.

 

[Queso]

Interesting development for anyone who can't wait for episode 13. My iTunes just downloaded the podcast

 

[~Shard~]

Sharp eye, indeed.

Also good call ~Shard~ with the Eye of Jupiter/Starbuck's apartment shots, spot on.

Thanks guys, I was pretty happy with that catch myself.

Haaave you seen Torchwood? It's so ridiculous I can't stop watching it.

Haha, that's exactly how I felt about it too! I watched every episode and kept asking myself why I was doing so while I was watching it...

Mmm, so I don't clearly remember that scene from season 2 -- I'm still not sure I've seen every season two episode.

It was in the first episode I think - pretty sure that's where I grabbed those screen shots from...

Frack, I'm still pulling for Baltar to be the Cylon.

I know where you're coming from, but it's almost too obvious now, in that if they did reveal Baltar to be a Cylon it would be a bit of a letdown since everyone would be expecting it. That being said, we still don't know what makes these final five models special, so that could have some interesting ramifications when we do indeed find out who they are...

 

[~Shard~]

* It would appear as if Caprica 6 was the cylon that helped Sharon/Athena get off the Base Star - interesting implications now that the fleet also has Baltar again.

Yeah, I was thinking thew same thing, especially with Baltar somewhat shunning Caprica 6 for D'Anna in "The Eye of Jupiter". Will Baltar now see the 6 in his head when he's talking to the actual 6 in person.

* It occurs to me that when D'eanna saw the face of the final five, she apologized to one of them - something like, "forgive me, I never knew..." This makes me wonder if one of the final five is someone D'eanna has specifically antagonized in the past season - Starbuck and Tigh come immediately to mind.

I was thinking about the same thing - who did she actually come in contact with or had a conflict with? Of course, being that there is a missing year on New Caprica, I suppose it could have been many people...

My money for the death would be Lee's wife or Starbuck's husband, just to keep the whole love square/triangle plot fuming.

Yep, I think it will probably be Dee... although I don't know if that will add or detract to the whole love square - I quite like the current dynamic. I think Dee is a strong character and a good balance for Lee.

Playing chicken with the nukes didn't have enough twist, but at least it made more sense than the mid-season resolution last year in Resurrection Ship 1 where battle is about to break out and then... and then... it doesn't.

I know where you're coming from, however I didn't find it too anti-climatic. I thought they did a good job of keeping the possibility very real that Adama might actually launch the nukes. And yeah, at the end of the day, you know Adama wasn't going to launch them, but I thought they did a good job on keeping it very real and the tension high. In the end, the Cylons pulled back which leaves us with the question, "What if they hadn't? WOuld he actually have done it?" I thought it was pretty well done... definitely could have been worse...

I felt this way especially when D'Anna recognizes one of the final five and then is promptly boxed. Too tidy, and it doesn't actually tell us anything more about the final five than we already knew, which was that among them there would be a very familiar face.

Ah, but the suspense!!!

And, boy, they got up off that planet fast, didn't they? I suppose Galactica was lucky that all that raptors flew in as one, too.

I just assumed that they skipped forward in time for convenience's sake... especially since the raptor that Dee was piloting wasn't even with the other two, implying that they rendezvoused prior to leaving. Plus, depending on the nature of the supernova (the age and size of the star, the planet's proximity, etc.) they would have had some time to pack up - it's not like once a star goes nova it automatically envelopes all inner planets in a matter of seconds...

 

[Queso]

I was thinking about the same thing - who did she actually come in contact with or had a conflict with? Of course, being that there is a missing year on New Caprica, I suppose it could have been many people...

I'm convinced it's Ellen Tigh

 

[~Shard~]

I'm convinced it's Ellen Tigh

She always did seem to be a little different... So what would Saul do if he found out that he was married to a Cylon?

 

[Queso]

She always did seem to be a little different... So what would Saul do if he found out that he was married to a Cylon?

That's the best bit. He killed her, went through all the emotions, and then she turns out to be not just a Cylon, but a Cylon Angel?!!?! He'd drink the fleet dry!! It'd be brilliant.

 

[~Shard~]

My thoughts on who is a Cylon:

Starbuck - there seems to be a possibility thanks to this whole Eye of Jupiter painting that she indeed "has a destiny". Whether that means she's a Cylon or not though remains to be seen. Whether she's a good Cylon or a bad Cylon though, the fact remains that Cylons are machines, created by man, and Starbuck just seems, well, too human for that to be the case with her. I think she can have a destiny and so forth without being a Cylon - after all, Rosalyn had visions, etc. and is not a Cylon - or is she... Seriously, since she had cancer and was cured by Cylon blood, I don't see how she could be - same with the Adamas, being that Bill had kids, etc. etc.

Baltar - almost too obvious now, so doubtful in my mind. It would really come down to what makes the final five models "special", and if that would then add a totally new element to Baltar. It's almost as if he wants to be a Cylon now, as if that might provide him with some type of twisted redemption, so I think in a way it might be further torture for him to find out at that at the end of the day, he's just a normal human.


Now for the fun ones...

Saul Tigh - I think it would be funny to have someone who loathes the Cylons so much to find out he is one. What be be even funnier would be for him to then kill himself as a result and then resurrect somewhere, realizing he can't die. His own personal hell!

Chief Tyrol - The two reasons I think it would be amusing for him to be a Cylon would be because he's had a child ("See, having a hybrid isn't that tough!" ) and more significantly, it would add so much beautiful irony to the initial speech he had with Cavil when Cavil said, "You're not a Cylon because I'm a Cylon and I don't recognize you from any of the meetings". "Yeah, it's because I'm one of the other five, so "

Helo - This would be hilarious because it would then mean that Hera is not a hybrid after all and is simply the product of two Cylons.

Yeah, just felt like having some fun with those ones...

 

[Queso]

Saul Tigh - I think it would be funny to have someone who loathes the Cylons so much to find out he is one. What be be even funnier would be for him to then kill himself as a result and then resurrect somewhere, realizing he can't die. His own personal hell!

That would be my favourite so far, and it would fit. He and Ellen never had kids, he just appeared in Adama's life during the Cylon Wars etc.

You know, it even fits with why he hates Cylons. Perhaps the Final Five all hate the Cylons.

Chief Tyrol - The two reasons I think it would be amusing for him to be a Cylon would be because he's had a child ("See, having a hybrid isn't that tough!" ) and more significantly, it would add so much beautiful irony to the initial speech he had with Cavil when Cavil said, "You're not a Cylon because I'm a Cylon and I don't recognize you from any of the meetings". "Yeah, it's because I'm one of the other five, so "

Or has he had a child? Could Cally have had an affair with Baltar? After all, he does have an effect on the ladies...or rather he used to.

 

[mkrishnan]

The only reason I think Baltar might be not out after all is that, even though it is sort of a Gimme, there have been lots of bits in the plotline where he looks for redemption from all these titles and external factors. And he keeps getting what he thinks he wants and fails to find redemption. I think as a tragedy element, if he ultimately found out he actually was Cylon all along, and still is left feeling unfulfilled, it could be really nicely done.

All the other theories are nice, too, though.

 

[bluebomberman]

Haaave you seen Torchwood? It's so ridiculous I can't stop watching it.

Haha, that's exactly how I felt about it too! I watched every episode and kept asking myself why I was doing so while I was watching it...

No, sorry; I came relatively late to Battlestar Galactica. I discovered BSG at the beginning of Season 2 while channel surfing. The first thing I remember seeing is Tigh pummeling Boomer in the jail cell; I also remember Lee running for his life from a Cylon boarding party. Great stuff.



Writing this makes me wonder about Season 3...previous comments notwithstanding, none of the episodes have really grabbed me since Exodus. Maybe it's just my state of mind: all I watch besides BSG is Food Network and football...

 

[Marble]

They haven't really shaken things up since "two years later." I think the show was more gripping when our expectations were being blown every week and we weren't so sure about our main cast. They keep returning to the status quo when they break away from it: escaping from New Caprica, getting everyone back in their place after the rescue by killing Ellen, destroying Pegasus, and so on. I wish the writers would be a bit more confident about making large, permanent changes to the situation.

I'm still watching carefully and am still enjoying it as very high quality science fiction, but I feel it has backed down, perhaps deliberately, from the "revolutionary," "genrebreaking" television it once was.

 

[DISCOMUNICATION]

I wish the writers would be a bit more confident about making large, permanent changes to the situation.

There are supposed to be some huge changes a few episodes before the finale. Something about changing the whole direction of the series. I think it's only gonna run for 2 more seasons plus the DVD movie between seasons 3 and 4.

And the title of tonight's episode is "Taking a Break From All Your Worries"

Sing along if you know the words....

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.

Enough of that. Good hunting.

 

[mkrishnan]

Cheers and BSG, back together, God, I love it. And frack™ the Lords of Kobol, I keep forgetting which day BSG airs on now. It's a good thing I have a ReplayTV.

 

[bluebomberman]

Writing this makes me wonder about Season 3...previous comments notwithstanding, none of the episodes have really grabbed me since Exodus.

Oh. Crap. Best episode since Exodus.

 

[spicyapple]

"Days of Our Lives" in outer space.

"These are our fracking marriages we're talking about, not some stupid dogfight we can just jink our ways out of" - haha

The Baltar revelation was a nice touch, although it could just be a near-death experience he's having. Dude does daydream, a lot.