…it occurs to me there’s one candidate we haven’t considered:
The title character.
What if the Battlestar Galactica survived the attack because it was meant to? Because the ship itself is a Cylon?
PAD
UPDATED AT 11:20 PM FRIDAY–Let’s use this thread to discuss the season ender. So warning to all that spoilers will no doubt be herein.
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I think you are on to something. The remaining Cylon doesn’t have to be “human”, or even a human shaped robot.
What if the final Cylon is Starbuck’s Viper? It has been to Earth, the remaining four were drawn to it, and the controls pointed at Earth. If the “skinjobs” were undetectable replicas of humans, why couldn’t the viper be a exact replica?
As a mecha fan, I love the Viper/Galactica theories. If one of them is the 5th Cylon, wonder if it’s got a humanoid transformation?
lunadude: “I think you are on to something. The remaining Cylon doesn’t have to be “human”, or even a human shaped robot.”
Yes, it does have to be a human looking robot. They’ve said since the beginning that there were 12 human form Cylon models.
There are already plenty of models that aren’t human looking. There are at least two types of metalic robots (including the classic ones from the Razor movie). There are at least two types of Cylon fighter ships that we’ve seen. Plus there’s the Hybrid. None of these are considered part of the 12. That’s because the 12 are all human form, as was explained to Adama in the miniseries that started the whole show.
They’re not going to go with some crazy change to the rule, especially since it doesn’t give them anything they don’t already have. Saying that the Galactica or the Viper are Cylons might seem cool, but once they’ve said it, there’s nothing they can do with it. The ships don’t have voices and don’t do anything, so this wouldn’t be any more useful to the plot than picking up a rock and declaring it to be the last Cylon.
I’ve got no problem with the last Cylon being found on Earth so I’m all for it being an unknown character.
Well, I’m all for it being just fine and dandy unless it’s an old blind man with 200 cats.
I agree with those who say that the final Cylon has to look like a human– that’s been the promise since Six told Baltar “There are twelve models. I’m number six” in resonse to his question “You mean there’s more out there like you?” That’s not to say that the ship couldn’t be a Cylon, I suppose (although that would mean that Cylon-on-Cylon violence isn’t the new phenomenon that the Cylons thought it was in season two), but the final member of the twelve has to be human. And since D’Anna said that the final one isn’t in the fleet, I think we have to understand that it means that the final one was either on the Basestar (Baltar, Roslyn, or Helo) or (more likely, I think) that D’Anna knows that the character is dead (it can’t be a totally new character, because D’Anna doesn’t know everyone in the fleet– she couldn’t say for certain the final Cylon wasn’t in the fleet if it wasn’t someone she already knew. Does that make sense?). So I’m thinking it’s Billy, although Kat’s a strong possibility (and note that they took time to remind us of her in this week’s episode), as is Zak Adama.
It makes sense to think that the fifth cylon was in the baseship.
Roselyn: I do not think so. She has cancer, the reason she is having shared visions with Bommer and the kid is because of the blood transfusion.
Helo: I do not think so either. As somebody said before his daughter would not be special. One thing that confuses me is that I though Cylons could not have children. Why is the Six in custody aboard galactica pregnant by the Colonel? Could it have been someone else?
Old Man Adama: This one just feels wrong to me. I do not have evidence to support that he is not a Cylon it just feels wrong.
Baltar. He is the most possible in my opinion. He has been seeing Six in his head since day one (and Six has been seeing him). If he is going to be the prophet of the Cylon God for humans it makes sense for him to be a Cylon.
If the statement that only four cylons were in the fleet was a lie. I think the final cylon is a woman to maintain balance (six of each sex). All female cylons were made to look attractive so the final cylon is… Dualla. Because in my personal opinion she is the most beautiful woman on the entire show (beauty is in the eye of the beholder). And also she hasn’t done anything in the entire season. She is due for something big.
Tony, you’re right about Cylons supposedly not being able to have babies with other Cylons. However, that’s something that the first seven believed. Since the first seven didn’t know anything about the final five and the final five can age like humans, perhaps they’re different in that way, too.
I have to agree with Dan Phillips as well, it is a hunch but something says that it’s Gaeta to me as well.
The Felix Gaeta character has had a central role in the series and has always been right at the center of the action whether it was on the Galactica bridge or on New Caprica as an assistant to Baltar.
There is also a certain irony to Gaeta being the final one of the five having lost his leg. Gaeta’s backstory has a lot that would make him the logical fit – studying biogenetics, strength in mathematics and calculations (directing the FTL jumps), manager of Galactica’s computer systems. I was just looking over the character bio at:
http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Felix_Gaeta
…and having read it, it made perfect sense. Besides, I still think a lot of people would be caught as quite surprised by the reveal.
I just thought of another assumption I’ve been making.
So far I’ve been thinking that the final five are all unique, that’s there’s only one of each of them. After all, there can’t be a bunch of replacements on the resurrection ships or the other models would have noticed.
But what if there’s a city full of the five on Earth? That would mean that the last Cylon could still be a sleeper agent while other versions of the final five are on Earth setting up everything that’s been happening with Starbuck and her crazy new ship.
Oh, that reminds of another question for my needs-to-be-revealed list.
7) How did Starbuck come back from the dead? Her ship went blooey in space, I want to know how they got her out of that alive.
This is the obvious problem with the final episode. If Earth suffered a nuclear holocaust, even in the relatively recent past (let’s say more than 25 years ago, but less than a century), then there wouldn’t be anyone to lead Kara to Earth, replace her viper with a brand new replica, and return her into the void to meet up with the ships (much less send a psychic signal or traceable coordinates). Earth itself must be some sort of red herring, at least in the “We got to Earth, so we have the solution” sort of way. There must be 13th Colonists somewhere.
As for the final Cylon? Xena said, “I’m sorry” to it in her vision. There’s a pretty descent chance that the 5th is either dead or seriously injured/wronged/hurt by Deanna herself. That should cut down the list of suspects. (Of course, she may have been saying that to Tigh, but I’m pretty sure she said it to the one in the middle (#5)).
AD
My money was on Dualla or Kottle until Deanna said the 5th is not in the fleet. Then I remembered what Leoben told Rosalyn in season 1: ‘Adama is a Cylon’. I think this might actually be true. The 5th cylon is not Bill or Lee or even the long dead Zak, but rather… Joseph Adama, Admiral Adama’s father.
A big part of the BSG story is the father/son dynamic of the Adama boys. Adding Joe back into the mix would make things really interesting. Also, both Adama boys have at times imagined themselves in different places much like the cylons can. I can’t remember if any other character has had this kind of POV. They can both do that because they are part cylon.
I can’t think of another character in the BSG universe who has had as large an influence on the storyline yet not been portrayed by a real actor (both president Adar and Zak have). This would allow the producers to cast whoever they want as the last cylon.
I think Peter knows and the “Galactica” thing is a giant red herring- In “Eye of Jupiter” there were 5 robed figures from D’Anna’s vision…wasn’t like a VW ad with a sheet over a big irregular object…
“not in the fleet” could also mean someone who was on a ship to begin with, but due to various mischance was lost- remember the ep where they were leap-frog jumping through nasty space and lost a few ships?
One thing was cut from the episode but will be in the director’s version on the DVD: in addition to spacing a human, the cylons spaced a teddy bear. 🙂
Has anyone explored the idea that the final one might be a single copy of one of the other human-like cylon models that wasn’t part of the others of that model. Maybe it is a six that has its own sentience and isn’t part of the rest of its communal “six” models for example. This could be different enough that many people won’t think of it, but I don’t that that it is so far out of left field that people would feel cheated.
Its BOXEY.
Nothing is scarier than an evil little kid (although the character might be like 17 by now).
Joe, I don’t know. That sounds like a huge cheat to me. That would be like a store advertising that they have three types of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate made on a Tuesday.
If it isn’t a new person, then it doesn’t really add anything.
If the bear was named BattleBear Galactica, and had the initials RM on it, maybe…
Charlie E
Joe proclaimed: “One thing was cut from the episode but will be in the director’s version on the DVD: in addition to spacing a human, the cylons spaced a teddy bear.”
NICE reference, Joe.
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Yeah, but she could be lying. Cylons do that, to throw the humans off. I remember Leoben in the first season whispering to Roslyn that Adama was a Cylon, only to amp her paranoia. I don’t know. Either Baltar or Roslyn would fit perfectly, given how their characters have developed. I’d bet of the two, Baltar is the one who would LOVE to be discovered to be a Cylon.
Whoever the final Cylon is, I left the last episode thinking that if this was the series finale, I’d be OK with it. In fact, if that was the last episode of the series, that’d be brilliant–to spend all that time to get Earth, to find a ruined world is in perfect BSG style. Luckily, there are more episodes coming. . .sometime.
It can’t be Bill Adama… If he was the 5th Cylon, then why doesn’t D’Anna acts so hostile to him? Why not simply meet with him alone and “out” him? Bill Adama would be the trump-card for the Cylons. Also, it would be too emotionally cheap for it to happen. My money is on either Doc. Cottle, Dee or Geta… And D’Anna is NOT omniscient.
Here is my theory about the ravaged Earth:
This Battlestar Galactica series is tied in with the original one. Humans arrive on Earth and fights a final battle with the Cylons. Either humanity wins or comes to terms with the Cylons. A long time later, humans/Cylons return to the original 12 colonies/Kobal and loses contact or memory of Earth. Final/First 5 either helps or cannot prevent the destruction of Earth. F/F 5 either been on Earth all the time or return to Earth after the Human/Cyclon war erupts 50-years ago. The F/F 5 attempts to recall humans/Cylons back to Earth to recover/repopulate Earth. That’s why they keeps saying “This has all happened before”. Humans and Cylons are trapped in an eternal struggle to co-exist and define the very nature of humanity and sentience. If this is true, then those dámņ white-robed Alien god/angels from the original series are the ones sending the visions and manipulating everything behind-the-scenes.
Jae Yu :My money is on either Doc. Cottle, Dee or Geta… And D’Anna is NOT omniscient.
True, she’s not; but personally, I think it bad writing to have a major reveal–the 5th is not in the fleet–and then turn around and say, “she lied” or “she didn’t know.” That’s cheap writing, unless we find out it may be a lie in the same episode. So, I’d rather it be true.
I did surprise me, because I half figured that they’d arrive on earth and see the 5th Cylon, who says “Welcome 13th Colony” as in, they are the 13th Coloney that are looking for.
That said, what caught my eye was the opening, when Apollo and Starbuck in in the Admiral’s room. He said, “Tigh won’t even come in here” and Starbuck, quoting Liambo, “parent’s must die for child to come into their own.” This scene is set in the future.
BTW, didn’t Diania always have these visions when she “died and returned”? Did she have a vision when the boxed her and then woke her up?
John McCain is the remaining Cylon
http://www.adampieniazek.com/politics/battlestar-politica/
A simple yes or no question (no spoilers, please): At the end of the mini-series, admiral Adama received a fax telling him “There are only twelve Cylon models”. Was the identity of the person who send it revealed? (and no, I don’t want to know before I get to the episode. Just a simple yes or no will be enough).
I havn’t read any other posts since my last fearing that someone has posted the real answer. But fear not, I have not a clue. But here goes a theory that my coworker had.
Everyone is a cylon. and Earth is the ultimate resurrection machine. When President Roslin experiences the boat scene a few episodes back, it makes me feel as though some sort of resurrection SHIP as in boat recreates them on earth and reunites them with all who have died in the past. So all those on caprica who died in episode 1 are already on Earth waiting for Galactica ship. The catch is that if Galactica and surrounding ships would have just nuked themselves, they would have already been on earth. But maybe the 12 cylons need to reach earth for a reason. who knows..
Couldn’t post before now since I was out of town and just watched the episode on my DVR at lunch.
I was really disappointed that they didn’t show the audience the 5th at the end. we have known the 4 all along even though Galactica’s crew didn’t.
Also, I’m glad I’m not the only one who Channeled P of the A. I caught myself thinking where is the fallen Statue of Liberty? Of course, that would have been too cheap a shot that the producers seem to be above (thank you). At least there are no Super Scouts. 🙂
The final Cylon? That’s easy. The little girl on the ship left behind in the mini series.
On a related note, I’ve just started watching season 3 on DVDs a friend loaned me. Ironic that three of the key leaders of the resistance against the Cylon occupation turn out to be Cylons.
Rick
…Posted by: neverness at June 13, 2008 11:39 PM
1 I too thought, “What if it’s the viper?” but Deanna specifically said that the fifth cylon wasn’t in the fleet. The only way she could’ve known that was because the final of the five was on her basestar already! So, who were the ‘named’ characters on the basestar when that claim was made? Baltar (and she stood down her attack when he told her too), Roslyn, and I think Helo…
…Posted by: Jonathan (the other one) at June 14, 2008 02:00 AM
More seriously, per Ron Moore, the Final Cylon will be someone who we have already met (or at least heard of), it will be surprising (I don’t think he realized some of the speculation to come, though!), and it’s someone who didn’t appear in the Season Four promotional picture that was based on the famed Last Supper painting.
So, which character was on the basestar already AND does not appear in the last supper picture?
I don’t know if she was there or not, but Racetrack would be my best guess. That lady has some of the most eventful Raptor flights ever. She’s the one that found New Caprica, and I think she was with Boomer when they found the ice planet. Some other stuff that I can’t remember. It could easily be tuned into an argument that she’s being guided somehow.
Finally, the last Cylon could be someone that D’anna knows to be “dead.” The greatest person to use in that position would be Helena Cain.
I can’t think of another character in the BSG universe who has had as large an influence on the storyline yet not been portrayed by a real actor (both president Adar and Zak have). This would allow the producers to cast whoever they want as the last cylon.
He has, however, been cast for the Caprica spin-off…Esai Morales.