Constructing the show

Ever wondered why there are so many confusing messages sent out in the show, why it seems every clue has multiple meanings and new plotlines appear out of nowhere when the ratings start to falter?

Ron Moore: It certainly evolved over time. When the series started I didn’t know where I was going to be by the end. I decided to worry about that later, and to try to just take 10 episodes at a time. I’d finish those then starting working on the direction of the next 10 shows, and so on. (Source)

BSG is a new breed of TV show, just like LOST, its fickle nature is well suited to a broadcast industry in which ratings are everything and a show can be pulled from air on little notice.

What is TPBLAD?

TPBLAD means “the space between life and death” (its not an acronym!). When you die and “cross over” it is the thing that you cross. In BSG it is represented by a stream or river.

In Faith, Laura has a dream in which she watches Emily cross over. They both stand on the ferry, Emily then runs off to meet up with her family. Laura can also see her family but stays on the ferry.

Laura: Mother. You’re okay.
Laura: I’m not ready…

She then wakes up to realise that Emily has passed away.

The Cylon Confusion

David Eick- I think the audience has to start by asking the question, “What really defines a Cylon?” That’s part of what Season 4 is really going to be dedicated to. And the tip of that iceberg will be introduced in the season finale. (source: TV Guide)

The Final Cylon Solution can be misinterpreted for stating that the Final Five aren’t in fact cylons. This site is partly to blame for this misunderstanding, since it tries to avoid defining exactly what they really are. So here I will explain three different interpretations of how they can be cylon, and none of them require that they were created by the cylons!

The Conception of Hera

LAST UPDATED 19 Sept 2008 13:26

Rejuvenation of the Lords of Kobol

This one requires invention of a small amount of backstory, but the implications add another level to the show as well as high drama. It reaches into hidden storylines, but is in line with the facts presented, ties up a few more pieces and fits with the way the show is constructed. So it’s presented as speculation, but its fascinating all the same.

The Beacon Clue

In Torn, the cylons come across a beacon that contains a deadly virus. It infects the baseship and the S7 start to die.

Sharon: No. The data set indicates that as soon as the Hybrid was infected, the Centurions started shutting down. We don’t know how ours are gonna be affected.
D’Anna: I assume our Raiders and baseships are also susceptible.
Simon: Of course. We are all created from the same genetic pool.
Doral: Then no Cylon can board that ship without risking infection

Exactly what did D’Anna see in the Temple of Five!

Analysis of this scene, where D’Anna apparently recognizes somebody in the Temple of Five was an important part in the development of the Final Cylon Solution.

The Final Cylon Reveal *spoilers*

UPDATED 18/07/2008 23:58

In an interview with Aaron Douglas prior to May this year, he had this to say…

Jamie: Are we going to have to wait till the very end to know who the final Cylon is?
Aaron: Nope. You’ll know, I don’t know if you’ll know in the first ten, but somewhere around there.
(Source)

During the writers strike he said…

Aaron: I was curious quite a bit but it was certainly a shock when I found out who it is. I never would have expected that person. It is revealed in the last thing we shot so if we don’t come back, that will be the end of the show. (Source)

Speculation – where to next?

Now that the final cylon solution has been revealed, it becomes much easier to speculate on events to come in the remainder of Season 4 and to make more sense of previously confusing scenes.

Who was Caprica.Six talking to prior to the attack on the colonies?

There has always been the question of who Caprica.Six was talking to in the gardens on Caprica just before the attack when she says…

Caprica.Six: It’s about time. I wondered when you’d get here.

The 12 Lords of Kobol

The Reincarnation Interpretation

UPDATED 7 July 2008 21:21 GMT

MovieWeb: Do the final 5 have model numbers, and if there are 12 Cylons and 12 Gods, are there any direct pairings between the Gods of Greek mythology and the Cylon models?

Ron Moore: The final 5 do not, in fact, have numbers. The pairing of the 12 colonies and the 12 Gods and the 12 tribes and the number 12, while there’s the certain repetition of the numerology in the show, there’s not that direct correlation that you’re asking about. (Source)[2]

There are 12 Lords of Kobol. They are split into two groups, those that take mortal form through reincarnation and those that stay within TPBLAD acting as guides to their mortal companions. All of this takes place periodically in order to rejuventate mankind through a cycle of destruction and rebirth.

TPBLAD and Time Travel!

Sensibly explaining Starbucks mysterious Viper (UPDATED 05 Jul 2008 12:03)
In Hero, D’Anna gets herself shot by a centurian so that she can download. During this download she experiences flashbacks of her time on New Caprica as well as flashforwards of her experience in the Temple of Five which doesn’t actually happen until a few episodes later in Rapture!

So the download process includes a flashforward of something that is going to happen to her – therefore you have to say that since the download process involves passing through the place between life and death, this place must in some sense be timeless.

The Head.Six Theory

UPDATED 11 July 2008 19:19

Battlestar Galactica is a TV show and therefore isn’t subject to rigorous scientific analysis. It is full of clues that have multiple meanings which allows the writers more freedom to change the direction without creating inconsistancies in the storyline. Trying to work out what is going on is like trying to escape from a maze that is being continually built, with paths that were previously left intentionally open being blocked off as the story progresses.

What does it mean to be ‘cylon’?

David Eick- I think the audience has to start by asking the question, “What really defines a Cylon?” That’s part of what Season 4 is really going to be dedicated to. And the tip of that iceberg will be introduced in the season finale. (source: TV Guide)

There is no official definition of the term cylon for the reimagined BSG. Cylon is layered with meaning, it includes both cybernetic organism and immortal being. Looking at the show like this opens up a whole new way of solving it’s mysteries.