Daniel's TV Blog

Season Three of Battlestar Galactica concluded on Sunday. It was a great, great episode, but kind of a weekend "shocker finale". Let's examine the past "shocker finales". In season one, Boomer confirmed she was a Cylon and then shot Adama on the bridge in front of everyone. Also Starbuck fought a number six and found the Air Fapolo on Caprica. And Baltar and Chip-Six see the future of things in the Kobol Opera House. It was surprising and changed many things. It took seven episodes in the next season to resolve everything. In season two, Baltar was elected President, Cloud Nine blew up, they settled on New Caprica, a year went by, and the Cylons returned and took over. It was full of surprises and was possibly the best cliff hanger in the history of television. It took four episodes to resolve everything the next season. Now we are in season three. Baltar is found not guilty. Adama voted not guilty. Four of the final five Cylons are revealed to be Saul, Tory, Sam, and Galen (pictured). The fleet become sitting ducks for the waiting Cylon fleet. Starbuck returns, or does she? And Earth is revealed to be somewhere in the same galaxy as the fleet. While these are big new plots which will take lots of season four to resolve, I would not call any other these "shocking." Honestly I was waiting for Starbuck to return the entire episode. I would have been shocked if that wasn't Starbuck in the other Viper. The crazy music the four were hearing clued me in to the fact that these were the Cylons. I would have been shocked if they weren't. A guilty Baltar would have been too easy so the not guilty verdict is what I was expecting. The only thing I was genuinely shocked about was Starbuck revelation: "I've been to Earth. I know where it is. And I'm going to take us there." She only died like two weeks ago and she's already been to Earth and back? Also, Vipers don't have FTL. How'd she get there?

Now that I'm done ranting about the lack of shock value, let me go on by saying what I loved about the episode. The courtroom scene was great. Lee gave a great speech about how everyone is guilty and yet they only want to punish Baltar. As the audience we know Baltar is guilty of many things: supplying terrorists with a nuke, not exposing Boomer as a Cylon, helping the Cylons find the road to Earth. But the other humans don't know about these crimes so there really was no choice but to find him not guilty. It would have made more sense to have made this speech as part of the closing arguments instead of as a witness, though. The revelation of four of the final five was pretty cool. They were shocked to see the others but they all knew. And Laura and Sharon are getting along again as they search for the answers to they shared dream with Caprica Six.

Now I'd like to share my theories. First is about the Cylon fleet. I believe the final five Cylons broke off from the other seven before the attack on the colonies. They put some sleeper agents in place somehow as well. The final five fleet is not hostile to the humans and that's the fleet they encountered in the nebula. When Starbuck "died" they took her and showed her Earth. I don't think Starbuck is the last Cylon. In fact I think she might be more than any other them. I think she might be one of the Lords of Kobol reincarnated. That is how she survived and how only Lee was able to find her. I also think the nebula is somehow rebroadcasting the old Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower to the Cylons. The vicinity to the final five fleet and the nebula awakened their hidden memories to who and what they are.

There are so many questions which need to be addressed. I still can't believe we have to wait UNTIL NEXT JANUARY before we get episode 4.01. That is cruel and unusual punishment. One could grow a new human being from a single cell in that time. At least their season was expanded to 20 episodes with a two hour movie to air in the fall. So we only have to wait about six month to see the TV movie about The Pegasus adventure after the fall of the colonies.