"Revelations" Reactions.

A nice round-up here, at the indispensible Galactica Sitrep. Including two neat panoramas and the video of the post-landing scene.

Also, a very fine analysis at Time Immortal, which offers a generous hat-tip to yours truly.

Well, that's cast rather a pall over the evening.

Still digesting last week's Galactica mid-season finale. "Revelations," indeed.

Jay didn't like it.

He's right about it being rushed--it is. "Thank" Sci-Fi for that one, a byproduct of the pressure put on the creative team having one season to wrap things up. It still packed a powerful punch, though--thanks to the groundwork laid by the fine performances of the cast regulars.

As to the rest, I'm going to reserve final judgment until I see how it fits into the remainder of the episodes. My Much Better Half bought me Season 3 for Father's Day and I am sure I am going to like it more upon further review, as I have the rest of the series.

Remember the Pythian mantra--"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." And the Razor prophecy, too. Which is way accusations of "PC" that I have seen around the net are especially anachronistic.

My initial impulsive review--I liked it. I especially liked the horrified reactions of the not-quite-Cylons-anymore--particularly Leoben, who has gradually changed from a Loki-ish pseudo-mystical trickster into someone more genuinely benevolent. And Michael Hogan as Tigh deserves an Emmy, if that benighted awards bestower could ever dig itself out of its chick-show monomania.

Oh, and now I am no longer sure who the final Cylon is. Doc Cottle is a recent theory that makes a whole lot of sense to me, but I'm not going to rule out Baltar any more, either.

The worst part about the whole thing is that I have to wait until weather is routinely described with "wind chill" before I get to see the rest.

Reaction to last Friday's Galactica episode.

"So, Baltar's an Episcopalian now."

This spark within you I call "God."
God loves you just as you are.
You. Are. Perfect.

OK, ouch--two shot foul and a technical. But he certainly has found a religion suited to his intense self-love.

Any thoughts? Try to avoid spoilers in the initial part of your comments, or SAM and Hilary will descend upon me like the Furies.

And the final Cylon is...

Felix Gaeta.


I know, I've argued Lee Adama before, but I think Gaeta is much more likely. The whole "how'd he get into the Adama family" thing is too difficult a hurdle.

Gaeta has been at the center of the story from the beginning, albeit slightly off to one side. As senior officer of the watch, he's responsible for the Dradis warning system and navigation. He calculated the jump that got the Galactica to Ragnar so it would be able to fight and out past the Red Line--in short, he's responsible for shepherding the fleet in a very direct sense. Also, he cleared Baltar of the initial treason charge (involving doctored film), called foul on the rigged election, was the critical leak helping the resistance on New Caprica and tried to have Baltar killed for his actual treason. He's too committed to the survival of humanity (which distinguishes the Five from the Seven), indeed, too crucial to it. He fits the pattern of Tigh, Anders, Tyrol and Tori.

That's who my money's on.

Anybody else?

And so it ends.

Season Four will be the last for Galactica.

Despite the happy talk, the reason seems pretty obvious: the odds for a fifth season were just about nil.

The good news is that this means the story arc should get the resolution it deserves. Those who remember Seasons 4 and 5 of Babylon 5 know what the precarious renewal status of the show meant for the plot: a hurried resolution of the Shadow War unsettled the remainder of 4 and left Season 5 in the doldrums until the halfway point.

The key word being "should." An uneven Season 3 gives some cause for concern. But nothing focuses the mind quite so effectively as the axe, so here's hoping.

Prediction: they don't get to Earth.

Sunday's Galactica season finale.

Spoilers ahead, for those who have yet to catch up--e.g., Hilary.


+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+


















First thought: whoa. Didn't see Tigh as a toaster coming (at least not before the penultimate ep). Though it does nicely explain Lucy Lawless' apology before her model was boxed.

Nor did I see Tyrol--though at least the latter was, in retrospect, hinted at during season 2 (h/t to the writers for playing fair on that one). Say--looks like we have another hybrid child, too--one the Cylons have not the faintest clue about.

Second thought: all right, Starbuck's back!

Third thought: Is Starbuck the final Cylon? I think the answer is "no." Remember "Aurora, goddess of the dawn." That was not insignificant. Which also raises the question of just who "not-Leoben" is.

Fourth thought: Who's the final Cylon?

Thought woven in throughout the revelations: How do the final five differ from the other seven? No pre-programming, obviously, and no "destroy the humans" mindset. Perhaps the Cylons claim the other five as members when they truly are not. At a minimum, they are fundamentally very, very different.

Final thought: 2008?

I'm going to kill somebody waiting for that one.

Watch Galactica Sitrep for roundups and updates. It's my favorite Galactica blog, handily offering such useful info as the fact Season 4 will be 22 hours long (not episodes, mind) instead of the minimum 13.

Um...that's it?

[GALACTICA SPOILER WARNING]














I trust the creators, but that's a pretty bleak and pointless end for Starbuck, for all the buildup. Her "destiny" is to be air pollution?

Anybody got anything?

Tuesday Morning Galactica.

Good news--BG has been greenlighted for a fourth season, though the number of episodes is still up in the air.

Brief thoughts--the last two episodes seem to be more standalones than arc-related, but I think there will be payoffs down the road: Apollo's shaping up into a real leader as CAG, Zarek's warning about a trial for Baltar, Helo's still-ambiguous place in the crew, rifts between the Colonials based on ethnicity (with Capricans at the top and Sagitarons on the bottom, and the others in between).

One question: what is the "canonical" status of the deleted scenes? Did they happen, are they do-overs, or (here's where I lean) are they a mixture of both? From my partial perusal of the deleted scenes in Seasons 1 and 2.0, the last makes the most sense. There's certainly some interesting stuff in them, especially related to the mythology. Plus, any easter egg info on the DVDs would be welcome.

Last Sunday's Galactica.

OK--need some help here from fellow BG heads, and I know there are a lot of you.

Specifically, guesses as to the veiled Cylon that Number 3 saw.

There was a clue--Number 3 apologizes to the one she speaks to. That suggests that it is one of the "humans" the Cylons have been trying to pursue to extinction.

My theory? It is Lee Adama.

Bear with me:

(1) Remember Leoben's claim to Roslin that "Adama is a Cylon."

(2) But...he note that he just said "Adama," leaving Roslin with the impression that it is the Admiral he's talking about. And Leoben is deliberately discursive and misleading, weaving the truth around deception.

(3) More evidence, from the miniseries: he takes the longest to recover from the pulse generator overload on Colonial One. Sure, he's the closest--but the distance difference is, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant.

(4) He is able to navigate without difficulty through the Cylon conveyor tunnel during the "Hand of God" battle at the tylium asteriod.

Any other theories?

Finally, a break for a serious topic.

Namely, Cylons.

John Gibson muses about the humanity of Cylons from a Catholic perspective, and further wonders about whether a valid marriage could be contracted with one. Don't forget to congratulate him on the birth of his son, too.

[For those of you unaware of what we are talking about, I have but pity. You are missing out on the best thing on TV, friends.]

1. Could a human and cylon marry in the Catholic Church?

Answer: Assuming no other impediments, yes.

Why? From a Catholic perspective, Cylons are human. Period. Feel free to dispute it, but it seems to be to be an inescapable conclusion.

2. If a human and cylon married, and the human was widowed, would the human still be married to the cylon once he/she downloaded? Or would they have to remarry?

ANSWER: They would still be married. The analogy would seem to be waking from a coma. The spiritual essence would be the same.

3. Does each cylon have a soul?

Yes. A unique one, each with different experiences and mindsets resulting from those experiences.

4. Does the soul get downloaded to the new body when the cylon is killed?

Yes, assuming the Resurrection Ship is in range. The soul retains all of the experiences accrued up to the point of death.

Discuss.

Finally, a BSG fun fact: adama is the Hebrew word for "earth."