Okay, I have to blame my friends Greg and Scott Thorson, as well as Greg’s girlfriend Jessica Bowser (check out her blog, Cocktail Moms), for turning me on to the obsession that is Battlestar Galactica. They also got me addicted to Lost, and that comprises the two major dramas I’m hopelessly addicted to.
I’ll admit first off that their knowledge of the series is far superior to mine since I’ve just basically watched most of the series in the last month or so. It was sort of like cramming for a test.
Battlestar just came back for its final season after a shocking end to the third season, where we found out that Tory, Chief Tyrol, Sam Anders, and Col. Saul Tigh were all Cylons. It’s especially intriguing that Tigh is a Cylon considering his extreme humanness. He’s a drunk, he’s surly, and prone to emotional outbursts–not what one expects from a supposedly superior robot race. As Captain Lee Adama espouses lofty rhetoric about how the flaws of humanity are precisely what makes it worth saving, we come to realize that a Cylon can be a roaring booze fiend as well. Hell, Tigh showed up to the Baltar trial half-lit, and admitted to killing his own wife because she was giving information to the Cylons to save Tigh’s bacon. Heavy stuff.
But that only makes four of the final five Cylons. Who is the fifth?
I could go down the list in detail, but there’s better explanations out there by people who are far more knowledgeable than myself. I’d recommend the Battlestar Wiki Final Five page for a good primer on what the situation is.
But here are my own observations:
The Usual Suspects
Gaius Baltar and Laura Roslin are both strong choices to be the final Cylon. Both have somewhat biblical tacks to their development, with Baltar resembling Jesus and Roslin resembling Moses. Baltar also has Number Six in his head and possesses the Cylon ability to conjure up his own surroundings. We’ve also sort of become convinced that it’s not him, so they may turn the tables on us once again.
But Roslin’s in the same boat, sharing the opera house dream with Number Six and Sharon. Some of her physical reactions to events in recent episodes could suggest she’s a Cylon, but could also be explained by the presence of hybrid blood in her system. There’s also a question of whether her religious visions are from the Kamala extract or suggest something deeper.
Leoben’s Statement: “Adama is a Cylon.”
In ‘Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down,’ captured Cylon Leoben Conoy whispers to Laura Roslin that Adama is a Cylon. It’s assumed the was speaking of William Adama, but why not Lee? Or Zak? Or Grandpa Joseph? Or Caroline?
Of course, in context, Leoben’s statement was merely a plot driver, leading to real suspicion by Roslin, and it fit in with Leoben’s habit of giving false information. A red herring, in all likelihood.
Considering the recent references to Zak and Joseph, it wouldn’t be a complete shock if one of them happened to be a Cylon, though there is some evidence that the final Cylon is part of the current fleet, which would rule out the dead Adamas.
Lee Adama is a character whose stature has gained complexity throughout the series. His question of his father about how he’d feel if Zak was a Cylon could perhaps be construed not as a reference to Starbuck, but a foreshadowing of his own fate. Plus, on a plot twist note, think of how much the writers could bleed out of Lee being a Cylon. It’s almost too good to pass up.
The Final Four Seem to be Attracted to Other Cylons
Anders and Tory have been getting it on, and now we know they are Cylons. Chief Tyrol was hooked up with Sharon Valerii. So it makes sense that the fifth Cylon is somebody who at some point found themselves deeply attracted to one of the known Cylon models. Who could fill this void?
Ellen Tigh: Not only did she have a passionate and volatile marriage with Tigh, but was providing sexual favors for Cavil. Perhaps Cavil has a thing for her because he senses her Cylon-ness. Also, it makes sense for a female to be the last Cylon since there’s such a gender imbalance.
Karl Agathon: Helo is well known for his tendencies to go against the grain of fleet command and opinion, and is also in a relationship with Sharon.
Kara Thrace: Starbuck is married to Anders, and how could she have possibly survived that explosion, gotten a new ship, and returned to the battle in only six hours unless she’s a Cylon? Plus, her visions of the Eye of Jupiter have been present her whole life, just like the song Tyrol, Tigh, Tory, and Anders said they felt was innate. Her return to Galactica also happened to coincide with the four discovering the song and that they were Cylons. Perhaps she brought the song back from Earth?
Cally Tyrol: Married the the Chief and everything, although she really took the decompression pretty hard whereas the Chief weathered it well. It just doesn’t seem like her character is developed enough to be a Cylon, plus she had a child with Tyrol and Cylons can’t procreate with one another. Others seem to believe there’s a case for her, but I haven’t seen the evidence yet.
My Longshot Theory: Felix Gaeta
Consider this: All of the Final Four had big roles fighting the Cylons on New Caprica, and all have big roles on Galactica. Who was feeding the resistance on New Caprica? Gaeta. There is a convergence there that’s difficult to miss. Gaeta’s hatred of Baltar is striking as well, though understandable. It did compel him to perjure himself in Baltar’s trial and try to kill him with a pen. What did Baltar tell Gaeta to get him so worked up in the cell? Perhaps Baltar knows Gaeta is a cylon…
Of course, Gaeta didn’t follow the song, and it may represent somewhat of a disappointment if he’s the one, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Other possibilties? There’s some talk of Billy making a comeback, (apparently, Paul Campbell’s agent is very coy about whether or not he’s going to appear in the fourth season), but I kind of doubt that. Dualla makes sense since she is a Saggitarian and is female, which would kind of round out the crew.
Actually, my first guess was Lee. Maybe I should stick to that.