Quite the interesting show this week. It was a revelatory episode rather than an action episode, and stuffed with the philosophical underpinnings that make science fiction such a great vehicle for asking what if.
The focus was on the Cylons, which was great because a lot of the show’s unanswered questions revolve around the Cylons and their history. We got a few answers this week…and more questions. We learned that the Final Five were from Earth, and that they were the reason for the Cylons’ mysterious abandonment of their war with the Twelve Colonies 40 years ago. We learned that they had created the 8 humanoid models—and that there was a model called Daniel, Number Seven, who was destroyed. We learned that the Cylon leader is John/Caval, as much as they have one personality leading them, and that the final attack on the Colonies came because of his rage and self-righteousness, not that of the entire Cylon race.
But the history of what happened on Earth is obscure. Did the humans bring Cylons with them, or develop them independently from the Twelve Colonies? How did the original humanoid Cylons come about—did the Centurions develop them, or the humans?—and what happened that they were able to procreate with each other when the seven Cylon models aren’t able to do so? Is any of that even important? We still don’t know who or what Starbuck is, if she’s not entirely human. We don’t know what the other half of the Cylons are planning to do in the wake of their civil war.
I found the discussions between John and Ellen fascinating. Partly just on the level of being able to watch someone ask his creator, “Why?” That’s a big question. I think everyone who allows that something might have created us asks this question at some point. John’s point, that his flaws aren’t on God’s slate but rather on Ellen’s, skirts the idea of what are the consequences for “playing god.” In many ways, that is what she and the other four did when they created the eight new models. That is what humanity did when they created the Cylons. Humanity’s children have come home. Watch the consequences play out.
John’s hatred of his human form is an interesting twist. The Sixes have talked about how hard they have tried to become human—that is their ideal. But John wants to be the ideal machine. He feels limited by his human body and its imperfect senses, and the hatred he turns toward humanity might be an expression of his self-hatred. He has a point, though—in a way, what is the point of being a machine if the benefits of computing power and comprehension of the universe are denied you? He’s a transhumanist. Ironic, considering he’s not human.
There was a neat parallel in the conversation between Roslin and Lee Adama about the future of the government. She had the presidency fall on her by default, because everyone else was dead—and that is how the de facto presidency is falling on Lee. The rest of the Quorum was slaughtered by Zarek. Lee is the only one left, therefore he is now first in the line of succession and the acting president with Roslin’s official abdication of all but the title. Her assessment of him was absolutely spot-on, that he tries so hard to the right thing that he doesn’t always do the smart thing. I wonder if the show will have time to really play with that in the last few episodes?
I think they are beginning to feel the end crunching in. I loved the cracks in the hull. It’s very realistic, after all that the ship has been through without proper repairs and considering it had been marked for retirement already. However, there seemed little tension in the decision to use the Cylon resin, or not. I suspect this was one subplot that would have been expanded if there were more than 5 episodes to go. The using Cylon materials to repair Galactica might come back as a plot point, but right now it just feels like a rushed point that they wanted to include (smartly) but needed an easy fix for (understandably but still disappointingly).
Overall, a tantalizing hint at the whole picture that explained so much and yet left so much still to be decided….
We are glad to have Elena on board – thank you very much!
Recovering from a screwy DVR Ill be back to comment on this one!
Jay – thanks! I am happy to be here.
Damon – looking forward to hearing some other thoughts than my own on this one!
Finally got around to watching this last night. I really liked it. Yes it did not have all that action that I enjoy but the creator discussion with Ellen seemed to work well. I liked the fact that the other Cylons were created by the 5 and how Caval fit into the whole story, I think it is one of those yeah I can see how that worked sort of feelings that does not give you a lot to look back on and say why about. I agree the John and Ellen talk explained a lot, but it was just as entertaining because of the two of them as with the explanation.