The Official Battlestar Galactica Thread : SPOILERS

[~Shard~]

I love the way season 3 is turning, less space opera, a bit more plot, then go all space-opey when Pegasus returns to new caprica with an army of transcended terrans to clean-up the mess

I agree. Although I think one of the concerns the writers had at the end of last season was that so many people were touting the show as a drama, and that they wanted to make sure people didn't forget it was sci-fi this season.

That being said, that Resurrection Ship/Pegasus story arc last season was amazing - sci-fi doesn't get much better than that IMO.

 

[Marble]

sorry, this is a little unrelated... but does anyone else think that the quality of episode 1 season 3 on iTMS sucks? Especially for being a gig. Looks to me like they upscaled from a crappy resolution or something.

-mike

Maybe they did it from the torrent.

 

[DISCOMUNICATION]

I heard somewhere that Bamber was on record as saying that he felt the Cylons weren't scary enough anymore. We've got to know them too well, how they operate, what they're about, etc. and as a result, aren't really "afraid" of them anymore. Hopefully this changes in Season 3, as I see where he's coming from...

The article I read was referencing that one of the episodes this season was going to be about what life is like on a Basestar or a day in the life of a Cylon.

 

[~Shard~]

The article I read was referencing that one of the episodes this season was going to be about what life is like on a Basestar or a day in the life of a Cylon.

That makes sense - that's probably Episode 3-15 "A Day in the Life". Kind of late in the season to be having this one, but then again, it worked well with "Downloaded" last season (arguably one of the best episodes of the season IMO). Let's hope this one turns out the same.

 

[Marble]

Yes, the mystery of the cylon's "plan" from season one was one of the most compelling things about them. I'm not sure I ever really figured out what the "plan" was, though, even since we've gotten into the cylons' personal lives.

 

[~Shard~]

Yes, the mystery of the cylon's "plan" from season one was one of the most compelling things about them. I'm not sure I ever really figured out what the "plan" was, though, even since we've gotten into the cylons' personal lives.

Yeah, was it procreation with the humans? Or was that part of it? A means to an end? What religious aspects were involved? Was this only a small piece of the plan? Does "the plan" still exist, and it is so complex we don't even realize it?

I'm hoping more of this type of mystery is featured in Season 3 as well. Although with Starbuck's (supposed) child and the whole missing year, I think there will be lots of twists, turns and surprises in store for us.

 

[vniow]

I knew this was going to happen eventually but last night's hinted more at it being sooner rather than later.

It seems that Sharon sees herself as part of the Galactica crew now moreso than who are technically her own people. She trusts Adama to the point of saying that he would never lie to her. She's worked pretty hard to get him and the rest of the crew to trust her as well. So what's going to happen when she finds out her daughter is still alive as she suspects now that the D'anna model told her she thinks Hera lives?

 

[Queso]

I can't believe posters here are criticisng the show for drawing parallels with Iraq and the occupation of France. How many times do they have to say it?

"All of this has happened before, all of this will happen again."

That's the whole point of the show from how I read it. You take humans and drop them into any situation and they will essentially behave the same way. We're trapped in a a Circle of Time of our own making.

 

[Palad1]

Earth to new caprica, do you copy

For the umpteenth time, we are not criticizing the parallels drawn from the series with historical events, we are arguing between us nerds if it is more reminiscent of WWII in poland/belgium/france or Iraq (hint: the former ;p )

Cheers,

 

[xPismo]

S03 aired last night.... I'm about to watch it, any reviews so far?

...ok...

So. I'm glad to see some action again. The big ships are a big part about what I like about the show. Go adama! Lets start kicking some a$$ again please.

 

[Marble]

Well, we didn't quite get to it this episode. Felt sort of like a bridge to me.

I hope the "Sharon is going to feel betrayed" thread doesn't turn out exactly as we expect it to.

Also, the dialog had a few more cliches than usual... mainly because everyone is saying their last goodbyes on Galactica and we're preparing for action on New Caprica, two things we see quite a bit of in war drama in general. This sort of prelude is important I suppose, but it's too bad it took second tack to the one "reminder scene" with Starbuck and her supposed child, the uncomplicated progression of the "traitor Ellen" thread, the nonstarting "Roslin and Zarek reunited" plot point, and so on. The last two episodes got so much plot started that when we downshift briefly it feels like not a lot has happened by the end of the episode... though there's really no excuse for a "saved in the nick of time by heroic husband" beat. And putting Cally between the snipers and the "bullet heads" was suspense-in-a-can. (Honestly, how many of you actually expected the gunfire at the end of the premier to be cylon gunfire?)

It's nice to see D'Anna getting some time in front. I quite liked her role as "evil media" in Final Cut (it was the perfect choice for the next cylon), and was disappointed she was not further developed that season. Right now the only cylon without much explored personality is Simon. I wonder if there's a reason why we hardly see him. Also: great acting, even with very vanilla dialog. Tigh's reaction to Ellen's betrayal was great, and the priestess in the temple was particularly delightful. Kind of weird that Kamala has changed from specialized and unpredictable cancer treatment to an all-purpose hallucinagen that unambiguously predicts the future. Actually, the whole dream thing was a little too convenient for me. There are other more elegant ways D'Anna could have discovered that Hera was still alive. It was also a little indulgent to have D'Anna relate the whole story of her dream and her experience with the priestess to Boomer when we'd just seen it.

There were a few lines that stuck out as wonderful, starting with the offbeat conclusion to the priestess's prophecy. "The shape of things to come" was spine-tingling (though now that we know D'Anna will hold the baby, presumably capturing it and giving Roslin a new goal with the cylons, all the "it's important she not be captured" time is a little tedious in repetition). It feels like someone else dropped these great lines in on top of the very standard script.

I'm looking forward to some very serious twists. Galactica is at its greatest when you can't see too far into the future. We know the Galactica will rescue the people on the planet (the only question is at what cost), so all the good-byes are barely more than yawnable; we know where the Boomer thread is going; we know Starbuck is going to escape with regrets (with Boomer's help); we know so much right now based on our expectations. Galactica broke ground because we said "I dare you" and it did—it's got to keep it up.

 

[~Shard~]

Well said Marble, thanks for the thoughts.

I think even though we can see the whole "Sharon gets betrayed" plot coming, the fact remains that, well, it's still a damn good plot. Here's a Cylon who has fought with her inner conflicts, decided to betray her own people, wanted more than anything to be trusted and in return gave her unconditional trust and allegiance, only to ultimately find out, what? That humans really are treacherous and deceitful like she was taught by her Cylon brethren? That Adama betrayed her by stealing her child? Personally I can't wait for the fireworks and ultimately how Sharon reacts - will she remain loyal, will she turn on the humans, will she remain with Helo, or perhaps if D'Anna does indeed get ahold of Hera and "runs", will Sharon be forced to stay on the side of the humans in their chase to hunt down the Cylons and her baby? Or maybe nothing of the sort will happen...

It will be interesting to see what happens with Saul and Ellen, and for that matter, Gaius as well. When they're busy rescuing everyone, are they even going to bother saving his sorry ass, or will they leave him to rot on Colonial One with the Cylons?

I also am curious to see what happens with Starbuck and her (supposed) child. At the end of the previous episode, I thought that perhaps she was simply putting on an act that she did have feeling for the child, in order to lure her Cylon captive into a false sense of security. Now, I am questioning whether her feelings are all a ruse or if they are perhaps genuine. If so, not sure how I feel about that. I know people change, and BSG is an amazing example of character development, but at the end of the day, Starbuck is a tough as nails soldier. Seeing her more vulnerable, soft, caring, etc. like this just doesn't seem right. Nonetheless, it will still make for an interesting story when she is ultimately rescued - what will happen between, her, her child, the Cylon and Anders? Should be good.

And lastly, I can't wait to see what kind of plan Admiral Adama has for the rescue mission. Let's see here... a skeleton crew, only a handful of experienced Viper pilots among a bunch of novice pilots, only the Galactica w/o the Pegasus, taking on probably 5 Basestars and the rest of the Cylon fleet. Wow. I don't know what Adama has up his sleeves but you know it's gotta be damn good.

 

[Marble]

Yes, I'm looking forward to it, too.

On a side note: I wonder if Bamber really put on all that weight or if it's just amazing prosthetics and makeup? It would take real loyalty to do it naturally. He and his father look less and less similar—Adama Sr. more shriveled and brittle, and Jr. "soft"—I bet it was a conscious production decision.

 

[~Shard~]

On a side note: I wonder if Bamber really put on all that weight or if it's just amazing prosthetics and makeup? It would take real loyalty to do it naturally. He and his father look less and less similar—Adama Sr. more shriveled and brittle, and Jr. "soft"—I bet it was a conscious production decision.

No, he has donned a fat suit for his character, it's all fake. That would have been quite the loyalty indeed!

 

[Mr. Anderson]

They really setup for a nice action packed episode next week, it should be fun.

On a totally unrelated topic (well, sort of) I just realized that our neighbors two doors down are the Frackers and how amusing that is - I wonder if they watch the show

D

 

[emaja]

I know people change, and BSG is an amazing example of character development, but at the end of the day, Starbuck is a tough as nails soldier. Seeing her more vulnerable, soft, caring, etc. like this just doesn't seem right.

Maybe not. We have seen a preview of Starbuck's softer side before when she returned to Caprica. Remember the whole scene in her old apartment with her paintings and the recollections of her father? The writers do such a good job developing characters that almost none of them are exactly as they seem. Perhaps the "tough as nails" soldier is the ruse.

That said, I still think that she is playing Leoben and has something up her sleeve.

 

[~Shard~]

Maybe not. We have seen a preview of Starbuck's softer side before when she returned to Caprica. Remember the whole scene in her old apartment with her paintings and the recollections of her father? The writers do such a good job developing characters that almost none of them are exactly as they seem. Perhaps the "tough as nails" soldier is the ruse.

That said, I still think that she is playing Leoben and has something up her sleeve.

Yeah, good point. The tough soldier image could be a type of psychological barrier and resistance she puts up as not to get hurt or seem vulnerable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying her character doesn't have depth - the writers have done an excellent job in bringing that through to the audience, as you mentioned above.

And yes, I'd like to think she is just connnig Leoben as well, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

 

[Fukui]

I also am curious to see what happens with Starbuck and her (supposed) child. At the end of the previous episode, I thought that perhaps she was simply putting on an act that she did have feeling for the child, in order to lure her Cylon captive into a false sense of security. Now, I am questioning whether her feelings are all a ruse or if they are perhaps genuine.

Here's what I think. Maybe the child isn't hers. Perhaps its just a ruse to get her to let go of her prejudice against that cylon guy and get her to 'love' him. Even if its based on false pretences.

I remember hearing something about them not being able to get pregnant, something about "love being the missing piece." or whatever.... so its probably just a clever ruse to get her in bed, just like helo and sharon.

Remember even with the farms, they weren't able to create viable children, so why should thrace be any different?

 

[atszyman]

Here's what I think. Maybe the child isn't hers. Perhaps its just a ruse to get her to let go of her prejudice against that cylon guy and get her to 'love' him. Even if its based on false pretences.

I remember hearing something about them not being able to get pregnant, something about "love being the missing piece." or whatever.... so its probably just a clever ruse to get her in bed, just like helo and sharon.

Remember even with the farms, they weren't able to create viable children, so why should thrace be any different?

I posted this theory in white text after the first episode. I'm absolutely convinced that the child is not Starbuck's and is not a Cylon/Human hybrid. If they'd managed to pull that off they wouldn't have much use for finding Hera would they?

I'm almost ready to believe that the child is 100% Cylon and one of the 12 "skin jobs." After all, who would suspect a child? It could also be a plan to get a spy in the human camp in case a rescue attempt is successful. Sharon, Deanna, the Blonde, Leobin, the Preacher, the doctor and that other one, are all now known and cannot show up anywhere in the fleet, however the child would not be suspected for quite awhile.

 

[Queso]

How many Cylon models are they supposed to be again? Was it thirteen? And does that include Centurions, Raiders and Basestars (which looked pretty organic internally in the Kobol episodes)?

 

[telecomm]

How many Cylon models are they supposed to be again? Was it thirteen? And does that include Centurions, Raiders and Basestars (which looked pretty organic internally in the Kobol episodes)?

12 models. As I recall, it wasn't specified that the 12 models included only the humanoid Cylons, but that seems to be the consensus view. (Was this ever made clearer? All I recall is that Adama received that anonymous note at the end of the pilot episodes.)

At any rate, it doesn't seem as though there's any reason they couldn't develop new models as the story develops.

 

[Marble]

I'm hoping that the personalities of the cylon models have some (astrological?) significance. It seems like there might be one for each of the colonies.

 

[~Shard~]

I posted this theory in white text after the first episode. I'm absolutely convinced that the child is not Starbuck's and is not a Cylon/Human hybrid. If they'd managed to pull that off they wouldn't have much use for finding Hera would they?

Excellent point. They do seem to be very focused on Hera (especially D’anna) and why would they be if they had another hybrid already?

I'm almost ready to believe that the child is 100% Cylon and one of the 12 "skin jobs." After all, who would suspect a child? It could also be a plan to get a spy in the human camp in case a rescue attempt is successful. Sharon, Deanna, the Blonde, Leobin, the Preacher, the doctor and that other one, are all now known and cannot show up anywhere in the fleet, however the child would not be suspected for quite awhile.

The other one is Simon, I believe. Yes, it definitely would make sense – who says all the human models have to be adults?

That could also explain, in a way, all some of Leoben’s comments in the first season when Starbuck was interrogating him. If he already knew there was a blonde child Cylon model which they would possibly try and utilize in a situation like this, that could explain some of his actions and comments towards Thrace.

How many Cylon models are they supposed to be again? Was it thirteen? And does that include Centurions, Raiders and Basestars (which looked pretty organic internally in the Kobol episodes)?

12 models. As I recall, it wasn't specified that the 12 models included only the humanoid Cylons, but that seems to be the consensus view. (Was this ever made clearer? All I recall is that Adama received that anonymous note at the end of the pilot episodes.)

Yes, Number Six told Baltar that there were 12 models when she revealed herself to him (no, not in that way ) just before one of the nukes hit. I assume she was only referring to the human Cylon models. That being said, yes, the Raiders are living, however I don’t know about the Basestars. The Centurions are the “old” models from what I can tell, and therefore completely robotic.

At any rate, it doesn't seem as though there's any reason they couldn't develop new models as the story develops.

This is one thing I was wondering as well. Why only 12 models? Why that number?...

I'm hoping that the personalities of the cylon models have some (astrological?) significance. It seems like there might be one for each of the colonies.

That’s what I was thinking.

That being said, I don’t know why they couldn’t develop new models either. Meh...

 

[atszyman]

I'm almost ready to believe that the child is 100% Cylon and one of the 12 "skin jobs." After all, who would suspect a child? It could also be a plan to get a spy in the human camp in case a rescue attempt is successful. Sharon, Deanna, the Blonde, Leobin, the Preacher, the doctor and that other one, are all now known and cannot show up anywhere in the fleet, however the child would not be suspected for quite awhile.

Forgot to mention (as I got sidetracked trying to remember the models) that the plan to get the spy would be to convince Starbuck that it is her child and in the event of a rescue operation Starbuck would take the kid with her, thus planting the next Cylon mole.

The question then becomes: Wouldn't Sharon recognize the other Cylon? or is this a new model? or are the Cylons brainwashing 100% human children to create undetectable spies since they can't seem to synthesize a hybrid?

 

[~Shard~]

Something else I was thinking about. At the end of Episode 2, we see Callie being thrown down a slope to escape in the opposite direction of the Cylons and running through trees as we hear the shots being fired. At the beginning of Episode 3, we see her essentially running in the opposite direction from the last episode, she is somehow between the Clyons and the forest where the ambush party is, she is not running through trees and she is then tackled by Tyril before any shots are fired.

Is this just a case of significant “creative license” on the writer’s part, a serious inconsistency (not likely with a show of this caliber) or something else? If it was something else, I don’t know what it would be though – apart from Callie being a Cylon, and one of her running through the forest and the other running towards Tyril.

Did anyone else catch this or have any explanations?