Battlestar Galactica 4.10 Revelations

[selenak]

In which Ron Moore's inner Trekker shines through (in a good way), and other classic sci fi is also referenced.



Firstly, the very end of the ending was a not-surprise from the moment Earth was actually visible on the viewscreen. If they find Earth mid-season, it is a given that it can't be Earth in a fine and dandy state (although, when are we ever?); I was waiting for the statue of Liberty moment, but they didn't translate the ending of the original Planet of the Apes that literally. (Though that still looked like a destroyed New York skyline to me, but maybe I've seen too many sci fi movies.) So yes, post-apocalyptic Earth was pretty much a must, especially since it ties with the theme of the show of how you can't escape your problems; the fleet is pretty much where they started, only the post-apocalyptic planet is not Caprica, it's Earth. They'll have to give it life back together, humans and Cylons both.

Which brings me to: the "inner Trekker" part. Because that - mortal enemies able to reconcile after all (at least for now), hope and a leap of faith and common sense winning over mutual destruction and vengeance? Is quintessential Star Trek. So much for that branch of BSG fans who ignore the ST origins of half the writing crew and use every opportunity to say how much better and more realistic BSG is. I'll see your huma/Cylon reconciliation and raise you a female Shapeshifter surrenders herself/Odo returns to the Dominion/Changelings make peace. Equally Star Trek is that everyone gets a chance to contribute: Saul Tigh, of course, first and foremost by finally confessing the truth and volunteering himself to be airlocked to equal the hostage situation. Sam Anders and Tyrol, knowing time is running out on them, trying to solve the puzzle of the viper to help humanity, Sam even making this, not self-related protestations, the last thing he says to Kara, though he must have thought he's going to his death. Kara not freaking out or having a "why is this happening to me!" breakdown but remaining focused on the viper and figuring it out. Lee, being both tough and open-minded when each was called for. Making that leap of faith in the end. Laura Roslin sending Gaius Baltar to negotiate with D'Anna, instead of insisting on doing this herself. Repeat this again to yourself. Before the last episode, I'd say in the same situation, with Baltar giving the same argument - he knows D'Anna, they were looking for the final five together - Roslin still would have insisted on talking to Three. Because she didn't trust him, because she hated him. Here, she, too, is making a leap of faith; seeing the possibility that he's right as the better chance. And Baltar. His entire conversation with D'Anna goes back to the one they had on New Caprica, when he said the Cylons should just leave, and she replied that even if they did, how long before humanity would go after them, restarting the cycle. Back then, Gaius was in a mixture of self-loathing, self-pity and general despair and thus could come up with nothing but the pointlessness of an endless Cylons-kill-humans-humans-kill-Cylons cycle. But for good or ill, he really believes now, he knows her better than he did on New Caprica, and he's able to appeal to that part in her that searches meaning, which he witnessed in mid-season 3. It's not atonement for his previous guilt. But it's Gaius Baltar having learned something and actively doing something to save not just himself, not just selected individuals, but humanity in general.

I must say, I found Adama's total breakdown when hearing the Saul Tigh news much more moving than his reaction to Roslin's dissappearence two episodes ago. This time, I really felt for him. (And not in the sense of wanting him to be hit on the head by a book.) Also, Olmos should have used that episode and not Sine Qua Non for his Emmy presentation; it was fantastic acting. So was Michael Hogan's, for that matter. (Oh, and yes, in the midst of all the raw grief the true love of Saul and Bill caused, I was just the tiniest second inappropriately amused by Lee going "don't worry, dad, I have absolutely NO PROBLEM airlocking Saul Tigh".)

Athena at large again didn't surprise me (they needed her, plus I think I've given up expecting to see the murder of a Cylon treated as anything but a minor offense), but I was very relieved in the final scene to see Caprica Six free again. It was getting ridiculous that they still kept her prisoner while constantly having Cylons coming and going to the Galactica. Also, Caprica going to Tigh seems to indicate she has put Gaius behind her, no?

Tory remains the least-fleshed out of the Four, but I did like her scene with Roslin immensely. Both that she actually had brought medication along instead of just using that as an excuse, and gave it to Roslin, and her "what else you were wrong about". Which I suspect harks back to Roslin's reaction to Tory sleeping with Baltar. Also, you've got to love Laura the ultimate pragmatist, not wasting time with recriminations but immmediately trying to use Tory as an in to persuade the Cylons by treating her respectfully. Didn't work, but props for trying.

Thank you, show, for at last addressing the question of Saul Tigh's age and his thirty years of friendship with Adama and how that squares with the timing of the Cylon development. It makes me hope we'll get a good, or at least trying to be good, explanation as to where the Final Five came from, but for now they've at least made it clear they weren't created in the same manner the seven regular Cylon models were.

As to who the fifth and last Cylon is? I like Peter David's idea: the Galactica herself. Why should the last Cylon look like a human, after all? And it can't get better than the title character....

Footnote: someone in the production department has a black sense of humour, with the visual of Roslin wrapped around Baltar as she re-bandages him. More seriously, I liked the way in which he thanked her. He didn't try to apologize for what he had confessed under drugs, or try to endear himself or make himself look better, or point to him having saved her life in the past, nothing like that. Just the "thank you for not murdering me" and as the reason not that God has chosen him or that he has a mission or anything like that but "because I love to live. Still. I love living." He does, and that's why he is such a very human character.

Comments

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

My kid called Galactica being the Final Cylon a few months ago. He's 11, so no one believed him except me.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm with him. (And you.) (And Peter David.) It would be a far better conclusion than any other character!

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

I totally agree.

Now we wait til next year to find out. ARGH.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

It seems a popular theory, and one that appeals to me, too, but weren't there five ghost shapes in the temple when D'anna saw the faces of the five?

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

There were, but they all also looked alike, rather than male/female etc. Maybe it was like, their "souls" or something? I do not know. I figure if one of the shapes was uhm, ship shaped, it would have been a give away. ;)

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it could have been their "essence", but how would D'anna have recognized their faces then? Have no idea; maybe she's psychically tuned to their wave lengths or something.
I think it would be very cool if Galactica was the Fifth..it was singing to the Four after all.

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

"it was singing to the Four after all."

Exactly!

That's what my son kept saying "it's coming from the frakking ship!!" LOL

I got no good wank to explain why De'anna recognized them though. Alas.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

Ooh. shit.

I just accidentally clicked on the "flag" button when I was trying to comment. Not sure what that does, so I'm apologising in advance. I'm so sorry!

This episode gave us a couple of rather odd, suggestive visuals: that moment where Roslin had her arms around half-naked Baltar; Leoben catching the disoriented Tory in his arms; the lingering shot of Hotdog, not celebrating with the rest of the pilots. I keep asking myself if we're meant to read something more into those moments.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

If I get an email about ruining children's lives with my lj, I'll just forward it then.*g*

I didn't notice Hotdog. Leoben and Tory: well, for starters, I think Tory needs a Cylon to explain to her that Cylon-ness doesn't exactly mean "we're all perfect". Leoben can do the mentor thing, as we know. In his Leoben way.

With Baltar and Roslin, I think the show's creators are just messing with us and have been since they let Gaius have that dream in s3 where Roslin forgives him and then starts to tell him she wants him, whereupon he realizes he's really hallucinating now and wakes up. More seriously, you can see both the symbolic level - bandaging and embracing, following up on her decision in the last episode - and the production just knowing MM and JC are comedy gold together as well as rocking the serious scenes.

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

the lingering shot of Hotdog, not celebrating with the rest of the pilots. I keep asking myself if we're meant to read something more into those moments.

Well, you know - not that I'd think they would really make him the fifth, since it would have no emotional impact whatsoever, but if they did, at least "Adama is a cylon" would be partly true, given that Bodie Olmos is EJO's son...

[londonkds.livejournal.com]

Didn't you predict destroyed-Earth ages ago in that Roslin-meets-Sloane ficlet?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

...you're right, I did! But you know, that is not so impressive on my part. Because this show being what it is, they couldn't do what the original series did, i.e. let the Colonials arrive on a contemporary Earth. Which left two options: pre-human civilisation, which the Colonials becoming the ancestors of the human race, or post-apocalypse.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I spoiled myself for the Earth reveal months ago -- before the show actually came back, I think.

So much for that branch of BSG fans who ignore the ST origins of half the writing crew and use every opportunity to say how much better and more realistic BSG is.

*eyeroll* Those people are hilarious. Meanwhile, over here in my corner, I believe BSG is nothing but DS9 2.0 minus the restraints of the Star Trek Universe.

Here, she, too, is making a leap of faith; seeing the possibility that he's right as the better chance.

Next to Lee Adama really stepping up to the plate -- right up to holding his father and smoothing his hair and promising he'd do right by him when in the beginning he didn't want anything to do with Dad, was what impressed me most about the character growth. It's so very adult of them. And then Baltar did exactly what he said he would, keeping a calm rational mind about the whole thing... how very impressive of them all.

Also, Caprica going to Tigh seems to indicate she has put Gaius behind her, no?

Yes, unfortunately. I'm not okay with this relationship. OTOH, no Lee/Kara at all in this episode. Yay.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

how very impressive of them all.

*pets them* Sometimes they really can be more than the sum of their flaws.

Yes, unfortunately. I'm not okay with this relationship. OTOH, no Lee/Kara at all in this episode. Yay.

No Lee/Kara at all in the season except for the kiss in the brig early on, and that was arguably because of the extremity of the situation (back from the dead, possibly mad, etc.). It's OVER and they're back to being friends. *is happy*

I'm okay for Caprica to stop pining for Gaius since he never did show any concern for her since the trial, but I wouldn't call the thing with Tigh a relationship - he's yet to do anything but project Ellen into her for self-punishment and sex and show the slightest interest in her as a person.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I'm okay for Caprica to stop pining for Gaius since he never did show any concern for her since the trial, but I wouldn't call the thing with Tigh a relationship - he's yet to do anything but project Ellen into her for self-punishment and sex and show the slightest interest in her as a person.

Well, exactly. And granted, given that she was in LOVE with Gaius Baltar, I'm not sure why but I always thought Caprica had better judgment and self-worth than that. I'm holding out hope that the baby is, in fact, Gaius Baltar's kid since I'm also confused as to how Tigh could even get her pregnant. (Maybe the Final Five don't work that way? Meh.)

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

Though that still looked like a destroyed New York skyline to me,

I thought it was a reference to the 9/11 imagery from the beginning of the series. And I *loved* that as a culmination of the religious story arc - the way 9/11 felt like a destruction of the secular religion of America. At the end of this episode, all the prophecies came true, but still all hope is destroyed.

And yes I love the full circle of it - from one apocalypse to another, from someone else's apocalypse to our own.

The ending also makes me wonder if the final Cylon is perhaps the one who destroyed Earth. Since the final five all know the way.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I thought it was a reference to the 9/11 imagery from the beginning of the series.

Ooohhh, good point; you're absolutely right, that's why it had to be New York.

The ending also makes me wonder if the final Cylon is perhaps the one who destroyed Earth. Since the final five all know the way.

I think Earth pretty much has to be the origin of the final five, since they clearly weren't build by the first Cylon war Cylons, with their memories surpressed - but it would be thematically wrong if one person, specifically a Cylon, destroyed Earth. (As opposed to humanity doing it.) Though if the fifth Cylon is a person, I think it's likely she/he is waiting for them as the only survivor on Earth...

[mimesh.livejournal.com]

I have been finally catching up with the fourth season of BSG of the past weeks and the first thing I did after finishing an episode was to come over here and read your meta. It was a pleasure as always and I don't really have anything substantial to add at this point.

But one question:

You called the Six model that was killed by Athena Natalie. I don't seem to remember when we met her for the first time or why she goes or rather went by that name. Can you enlighten me? She was my favorite Six. :(

[selenak.livejournal.com]

She was referred to as Natalie on screen when the Cylons told Laura & Co. why the hybrid jumped - "our leader, the Six known as Natalie, is either severely wounded or dead on your ship" - but the show's creators had been referring to her by that name in interviews earlier.

(Which they also did with the Six on Pegasus - whom they called Gina - only there we didn't hear the name spoke on screen until Razor.)