144 thoughts on “My Theory on How Battlestar Galactica Will End”

1. Impressive speculation.

2. Dude, you’ve missed the obvious.

   The Miracle of the Ressurection. Thats right. Jesus is a cylon.

   I’ll duck now.

3. I thought of the Jesus theory, but it doesn’t really line up well historically. Remember, it wasn’t until Alexander annexed Israel, and Jews began to migrate to Alexandria and other cities that discussion of monotheism spread. The old testament got translated into Greek, which laid the foundation for a lot of what would happen with Rome. It would be a little strange to have that all without the Cylons, and then have them show up hundreds of years later to play messiah.

   It’s one of the reasons that I think if they went with an ending like (2), the implication would be that the Cylons weren’t gone, but they continued to “guide” humanity. Just think about all the biblical stories involving angels, and you get the idea.

4. There’s a great series of books by Julian May called the Saga of Pliocene Exile that has a similar premise to your #2 theory. If you haven’t read it, I really enjoyed it.

5. My wife watches this show a lot; I play halo 2 a lot.

6. What fun! I’ll have to share this with my daughter. We love to watch together, thanks!

7. the idea of one of the cylons appearing as “an angel” to deliver word of a monotheistic god never even occurred to me

   but its a good one!!

   Blessings
   mama kelly

8. In the original series, they found the lunar module. I think they missed it because they were looking at something else… but they showed the men landing on the moon in one of their “unwatched” windows or video feeds.

   Interesting!

9. I really like the second option but can SciFi channel really go there? Accuse three world religions of being founded by genocidal robots? The Christian right would be all over them.

   And don’t respond with some bull about how that fits with how have christians behaved through the ages, crusades and what not. (Last sentence not aimed at mr. nash specifically)

   A.

10. A:

    I think to make (2) plausible, they’d have to take the series to a point where we realize the Cylons aren’t evil per se. They either have some sort of revelation about their purpose being to guide humanity to God, to atone for their sins, or something else that recasts them as good going forward.

11. Id like to think that the fleet finds earth in our distant future and are sorely distressed to find that the machines have taken over here ala “the terminator”……..twisted or what?

12. I like your theroies. Either one would work. Not sure I could choose a favorite. In the original series, second part, with Boxey grown up, They showed Earth in the current time. I don’t know if That is what I think it should be.
    Now this is a weird thing that crossed my mind that i know would never happen, but I will say it anyway. Galactica shows up in the future, and is met by one of the Enterprise crews. I know….Dumb.
    I watched the original religously, but LOVE the new version!!! Much more realistic and believable.

13. Interesting theories,not sure I am happy with either though. However I do like the Atlantis bit but surely Atlantis began from the 13th colony and not the remnants of the 12 destroyed colonies.Also it does not sit well with me that there are only 41000 survivors left from billions of people on the 12 colonies. Surely there must be more survivors.Therefore it would be great to see more survivors having escaped and finding their own way to earth in present time. Earth is then proplled forward with technology, new battle stars are built and humans kick butt and take back what was theirs.Cheers

14. Hi Ian,

    Even fewer than 41000 now… I think after the New Caprica fiasco we’re talking less than 30K, maybe 28,000 and change. Not really inspiring.

    I like the angle of the survivors finding Earth, and then we go dormant for 40 years, then come out and eliminate the Cylons. Not a bad ending, but feels too “Star Trek” to me… very feel good.

15. Yeah, I also don’t like holywood endings.

    At first I did’nt like how BSG had been re-invented.It’s funny though because I now I’m hooked. I watched Atlantis Star Gate last night and realised what makes BSG so good.The drama,not some cheesy lines.

    Back to BSG, everyting just seems so futile.Why continue? How are humans ever going to be able to re-claim what they once had. I can’t get over how an advanced civilization with 12 colonies is just simply extinct.Anyway thinking too deep.It’s a good show.Hope other sci-fi shows learn from it.Cheers.

16. I think the new BSG with it’s realism and solutions to theories and ‘what if’s make it one of the best programmes ive ever had the pleasure to watch. as for the ending? well (2) would be the most dramatic but give me a kind of let down, taking away the idea of something to look forward to with earth as it is today. the best ending i can invisage is the fleet reaching earth in our distant future where we are already more advanced than the fleet and cylons put together, simple case of the fleet being accepted onto earth with all the relief and happy thoughts, and the cylons realising they’re outmatched and outgunned by a superior civilisation are given a choice, run, fight and lose, or try and live on earth and ‘play nice’. give them a lil rubbihsy country like pakistan or something to live desolate but with some interaction with the human race. like neanderthals and homosapiens

17. Regarding the population decreasing…what if by the time they find earth, there are only two humans left…Adam and Eve, who survive in a “Garden of Eden” provided to them by Cyclons who then at some point kick them out and…you know the rest of the story.

18. Actually, I think it’s pretty obvious where this is headed. The Greek gods are the full-blooded Cyclons – some of which have relations with humans and hence half god-humans (just like the Greek mythology) until at some point, the humans defeat the Cyclon (gods). Meanwhile, the theory of one God (whom both Cyclons and humans believe to be true) continues on. This way, no one is taking pot shots to Christianity and in fact leaves it out there that it is probably true – left to your imagination – the way the series should end…leaving some knowledge unkown .

19. Do you think there is any link to any other religion (not including scientology).

20. I think 24th century(option one would be better). seriously. a crossover with startrek would be great
    a couple of sovereign class strships would wipe the cylon raiders out
    the end.
    (Or so it’d be for the time being)

21. Not bad but re watch the pilot a few time. there is a vary big key on how it ends on the pilot. How its going to be done I wont say its syill Being worked out. but the biggest hint is there.
    Here is another hint. “Its in plane site.”

22. they killed star buck!

23. Yes, they did, although it was heavily predicted. The actress who played her has been publicly unhappy with the series, and there were rumors.

    I was suprised at how final they made it, with the ship blowing up. So either:

    1) She is dead
    2) She is a Cylon, and will be regenerated
    3) She ejected and was picked up by a raider/Cylon ship in the last seconds.

    It seemed like (1) to me.

24. Pingback: Psychohistory Battlestar Galactica: The Death of Starbuck & The Rest of Season 3 (Spoilers) «

25. Adam,

    I loved your theories on the outcome of BSG…I’ve never delved that deeply into the show’s meaning before reading your hypothsis’. I do find the religious aspect of the storyline one of the most compelling reasons that I watch the show. That and the fact that it is so character driven. The best writing on television in my humble opinion. Visually it’s stunning (insert prayer for new HD telly here).

    It broke to my heart to see Starbuck’s demise, although all the spoilers pointed to such. You said earlier that Katy Sackett was not happy with the series. I guess I missed that little tidbit somewhere. Early on, when the series was picked up, she said she was surprised at the success of BSG, as every series she had been on was cancelled. To leave BSG at the height of it’s popularity seems a bit self-destructive…maybe Sackett is more like Thrace than she knows?

    I’m thinking it’s download city for Starbuck…at least I hope so. Can’t imagine the show without her entirely. Given Starbuck’s character it would interesting. She killed Leoben over and over on New Caprica, how’s that gonna play out when you’re a Cylon youself?

    Outcome 1 or 2….hummm. I dunno Adam. They’re both very interesting, but I like #2 better. I can’t see the Cylons, just going away.

    In the end I guess I have to just let it unfold. What’s that saying…God made the world round so that you can’t see too far down the road.

    Great stuff!

26. Thanks for the comments Lisa. I just did a post on the death of Starbuck. I liked her character a lot more in Season 1… ever since New Caprica the melodrama has just been a little weak for me.

    Thanks for reading!
    Adam

27. I personally think that the human fleet is going to arrive at Earth with the Cylons hot on their tails. The humans will find Earth in a state of technology unable to defend themselves from the Cylons (it could be ancient, modern, or undeveloped future…). The fleet will then leave many of the people on Earth and turn to face the Cylons… and at the very end… 1) either the Cylons will prevail and the show will end with them closing in upon Earth… or 2) the humans that turned to fight will all die, yet in the process, still defeat the Cylons… and the Galactica will suffer a fate similar to that of the Pegasus… but the Cylons will be completely defeated… except for one little Cylon, the 12th Cylon, who finally gets revealed in the last moments of the show as being on Earth… OR a slight alteration… the humans ACCIDENTALLY find Earth and see that it is unable to defend itself… the Cylons are still following them close behind… so the fleet does the same thing as mentioned earlier, leave a majority of humans on Earth, but this time they take the ships back to where the Cylons would THINK they were… this is were they have the battle in which the humans lose but give the Cylons a faulty clue about the location of Earth, sending their toaster butts in another direction… but still… the Galactica, and all the SHIPS in the fleet, go boom… 😉

    Neefu

28. Questions (but no answers) Earth is obviously very far away from the colonies which are close together. Why. How would they know where Earth was, unless humans evolved on it maybe and founded Kobol? And it was kept as a reference because it is the home world.
    Are the 12 colonies each founded by a distinct race, my impression is the 13th tribe is a mix of the other 12 tribes.
    AND they do not mention anything of evolution. Do they believe in evolution or not because they have no fossil record and so the Gods are their creators?

    Head hurts.

29. In a previous episode some of the humans came back to Cobal to find a map to Earth. What they found was a portal to Earth. Possibly the remainging humans (and cylons acting as humans) escape to earth through the portal but destroy (blow up) the portal afterwards. Thereby any route to earth is lost forever. Even the cylons acting as humans come to earth but they have no resurrection ship to live on. This could explain biblical stories of certain people living to a very old age compared to the average lifespan. Anyway just a theory probably hopelessy off……cheers

30. Ok here is what i think after just watching the last episode until 2008 which totally sucks. Neway i think that the number two theory is a very real possibility. Think about it if the number one possibility was true then why didnt it show any satelites around the planet. You would think if it was in the future or even modern times you would see some of those after all theres thousands of satelites in orbit today. Also wouldnt the fleet or even the cylon fleet have encountered some Earth ship or something to that effect. No i think that as Starbuck reenters the fleet there will be alot of talk in the story and in the scifi community as well about if she is actually a cylon or not. I feel that your number 2 solution would probably happen. That would explain how the race jumped in technology at certain points in time. Anyway have fun speculating what will happen in the 8 months to a year until the series comes back.

31. Personally, I think that given the fact that the 4 of the 5 remaining Cylons heard a BOB DYLAN song, then it is obviously clear what year earth is in. However, space travel is not that simple. They could head to earth and get there, 1,000 years later OUR time, meaning it is probable that when the BSG gets to earth, GLOBAL WARMING will have obliterated ALL life and whoever wins the final battle will be the FIRST to settle on earth.
    Or:

    Earth is already prepared for a CYLON invasion because it is one of the 12 Colonies so the ancestors had to have left some remnant for future generations and perhaps the people of earth are ‘waiting’ for the return of one of the other colonies and will probably help them fend off the cylons. Better still, dont forget that Six and Boomer were among the few Cylons contemplating the immorality of the Cylon hate for humanity. So there could be a REVOLT within the CYLON community and they could turn against each other and whoever is left will make a treaty with the humans.

    Basically, this show is scifi and anything could happen and probably will.

32. This is set in the future. Earth will have defenses
    capable of repelling the Cylon fleet. They will join
    forces with the Galatica “rag tag fleet” to repel the
    Cylons or at least make a statement to them.

    It’ll turn out that humanity is indeed sons &
    daughters of the 13th colony that left so long ago.

    It’ll turn out that Rosalyn is the last Cylon model
    but she won’t accept it.

33. The problem with #2 is that Bob Dylan and Jimmie Hendrics were not around at the dawn of earth civilization. The final four were reciting lyrics to “All along the Watchtower: Which, I think, strongly suggests that earth is at least in the modern age. 2008 is way too long to wait; already experiencing withdrawl.

34. * Earth is in the present — the song is a “signal” from Earth
    * The leaders of the 13th colony (the 5 prophets) left their descendents among the other 12 colonies and these descedents possessed extraordinary abilities that allowed them to communicate with the 13th colony (although perhaps only subconsiously — hence the song). This is also why you can find maps to Earth and tales of the 13th colony in the sacred texts.
    * When the fleet arrives, there will be no need to battle the Cylons as the “Final 5” will control them and bring peace.

    (How the advanced technology disappears, however, is a good question — so perhaps there is some event that destroys all the ships)

    More details on my theory:
    https://psychohistory.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/battlestar-galactica-the-death-of-starbuck-the-rest-of-season-3-spoilers/#comment-3590

35. Elliot, I wrote this post before the Final Five were known, but now I am inclined to also believe they are the key to the Human/Cylon resolution.

    Personally, I wonder if the Final Five are part of the Cylon plan (ala the intro – “And they have a plan”) or if they are somehow beyond or against the plan.

    – Adam

36. Thanks for the great posts. I’ve been reading with interest. Has anyone ever thought that the series takes place, far, far in our future? Kobol was colonized by future humans from Earth. The “gods” are AIs or perhaps (somehow) Cylons. It would explain a lot of things. Life here (i.e. in the Twelve Colonies) began Out There…on Kobol…on Earth. The 13th tribe went *back* to Earth after leaving Kobol.

37. One thing about the Bob Dylan and Jimmie Hendrics song. The cylons have stated that this is a giant opera. It has all happend b4 and will happen again. So if you can “see” the whole story pulling a song from the last loop would not be so difficult

38. Very interesting theories Mr. Nash but I tend to go for a modified version of (1):the battlestar flees the cylons in present times(or should I say modern time,since the song from the last episod was writen in the 70′).I believe that the colonial fleet will find Earth and then try to integrate its population in that of Earths.Not to sure what to say about Starbuck…many theories on the net but none are that pleasing.I’d go for the worm-hole thing but than again….not to sure.The final four can posibily be followers of the five preasts of the temple but I just got make ends meet when I start asking myself the question:are they cylons?(that’s a bit out of time lines since the cylons were created 3000 years after the five preasts!!!!!!!!!!)
    Anyways…interesting thories!

39. Now that ive read the posts after my last one i tend to agree with the theory of perhaps since all this has happened before and will happen again that the song that the four heard was from another loop. But then again if all this has happened before maybe it will turn out that the thirteenth tribe is in fact us and this entire story is taking place way in the future that would explain alot. I’m not so sure who the last of the five truly is. I don’t believe that the president is because she has cancer, even though the Cylons did have a illness that was because they opened up a trap. Lee saw Starbuck die and then saw her come back i still think she is one of the five. Who knows maybe it will turn out that all of the human race is Cylon but i dont think so. Anyway I already said i hate the 2008 return date.

40. Interesting, especially no.2. I like the idea that the cylons were involved in the history of Earth. The call sign names definately point towards Greece and Atlantis. Whilst I like many other’s are so engrossed in this show, I cant help wishing that it ends in modern times and using their superior technological knowhow, they prepare Earth for a final battle. However the Atlantis theory is just as interesting and much better.

    Just watched the final episode on the web and I cant wait for series 4. I jus couldnt wait for Sky 1 (in the UK), to show it. Spare a thought for fans of the show in the UK who have to wait even longer to see it. Watched it from the premier as i used to watch the original BSG when i was a kid. The remake is the best show on tv, BAR NONE!!!! They really need to plug a bit of a gap between now and 2008 though. Surely they cant expect us to wait!?!?

    Answer me this though, what do i watch now? Heroes is keeping me busy and soon i will reach the end of that too!!!

41. I don’t believe either of your theories make sense. What does is this one. The show either takes place in an alternate universe (less interesting), or roughly three to four thousand years into the future. Mankind went out into space and settled. One of these groups settled Kobol, and then the 12 colonies. Some of them chose to go back home to Earth. Your theories don’t work because there’s no evidence of advanced technology here now that supports it. I believe Earth in this show is likely more advanced now than the 12 colonies, and has, perhaps, tried searching for its long lost colonies, but we are on hundreds of worlds now and if the Cylons chase the humans back to Earth, they’ll be in for a rude surprise. How do I explain the existence of sailing ships in Adama’s cabin? A social cataclysm of some sort nearly destroyed that previously advanced civilization, knocking it back to a Dark Age (like Europe after the fall of Rome, failing to recapture lost technologies for almost eight hundred years). Don’t be fooled by the similarities to our day in the show and believe it’s really taking place in our current times. That’s not necessary and makes no difference. But those space colonists who first landed on Kobol were from Earth with all our history, religion and culture. Over the centuries, the source of where they came from was lost and forgotten (think of the Greek world with nothing remaining after the lost the library at Alexandria), only tales told and handed down over time. Who knows why one of the groups chose to return to Earth, but if it’s that far away, and it is, the knowledge of it and its whereabouts could only happen if they’d started there and were returning, leaving signposts along the way for anyone who chose to follow someday. And the Cylon myths? Just that, a belief system warped out of their Creator’s culture and mythology and re-adopted. Remember, even Christianity in the first century was far different from what we know today. At any rate, remember, when you think of Atlantis of anything like that, there are no remnants of such an advanced culture, and though technology can be forgotten, not the artifacts thereof in their entirety. So I’d like to see the series end, if it must, with the fleet being greeted or met or saved under Cylon massive attack, by a vast fleet of ships from Earth and her many planetary colonies. Good gods, we’ve been looking for you all these years. You’re safe now. Welcome home. We bet you’ve got one helluva story to tell.

42. I like your second idea! Though, I think the one who will spread the word of there being one true God will be Baltar… do you not think theres a resemblance between him and the stereotypical image of Jesus!? Hehe!!!

43. Hi there! Just a thought, probably not important and sounds pretty geeky, but I paused the last second of series 3 and I think that I can make out Los Angeles, meaning that all this is probably supposed to be happening in modern times.

    I think the show is great, BSG and Lost are the only two drama series I watch at the moment.

44. Hi Adam have you changed your mind or do you have something extra to add.would like to hear.Cheers

45. Hi Ian,

    Yes, I have. I’m going to write an updated post soon, as a prelude to Season 4. It seems more likely now that the writers are landing at more of a “cyclical” resolution to the story – something to explain the reasons why the religious texts from thousands of years ago reflect exactly the same course of events that is occurring now.

    Adam

46. You are close. The 12 cylons are the actual greek gods, and they will land on Earth around 2000 BC and eventually will be worshipped by the Greeks. And of course, they are immortal.

    Essentially, I think thepremise here is that the events on BSG occured in the past…and the 12 immortal Cylons were actually also the 12 Lords of Cobol (the gods that lived among us) and they WILL become the Gods that will dwell among the Ancient Greeks…all the while paving the way for Cylon Monotheism, which has become our own Monotheism. So yes, season four will end with the 12 immortal Cylons landing in Ancient Greece and being heralded as gods. Eventually they seed Monotheism and leave the planet. Yes, Christianity is a Cylon plot. (based on Baltar?)

    So, who are the twelve:

    We know some of them for certain.

    Aphrodite/Venus: Number 6 (goddess of love)

    Athena/Minerva: Sharon (goddess of wisdom and war)

    Artemis/Diana: D’anna. (The Huntress, and her name is a pretty big clue: Diana/D’Anna).

    Hephaestus/Vulcan: The Chief. Makes total sense: The builder, the forger, etc. He builds the weapons…and in this case the new ship.

    Hermes/Mercury: Doral the PR guy. What is PR if not messaging?

    Apollo/Medicus: I think this will actually be the Doctor Simon, Apollo was the god of medicine and healing.

    Zeus/Jupiter: This is Leoben Conoy: the guys who keeps trying to seduce Starbuck over and over, despite her protestations.

    Demeter/Ceres: Has to be Tory Foster, she is a nurturing (foster means to take care of) person who is likely the goddess of agriculture. Or this could be Hestia who also a nurturing character.

    Hades/Pluto: Seems like this would have to be Cavill by process of elimination

    Ares/Mars: Anders always seems to be fighting someone; this is likely him, although he isn’t the most bellicose character on the show. You can make both Mars and Ares out of Sam T Anders by the way. I tried tolook for an anagram here, but couldn’t figure it out: Mars at Ends?

    Poseidon/Neptune: This is very non obvious.I think this could be the missing Cylon; could be a new character.

    Dionysus/Bacchus: Colonel Tigh seems to be the only character who likes to drink, engages in wild bacchinalian sex with Ellen.

    Hera/Juno: Hera could be just Hera, the new half-breed…when she grows up she will be Goddess of Marriage and marry Leoben. Or it could be Starbuck.

    So who is missing?You have threeGods we aren’t sure about: Poseidon, Dionysus and Ares, and two characters who could be them: Anders and Tigh. In all likelihood Tigh is Dionysus, and Anders is Ares.The missing character and twelfth Cylon is Poseidon/Neptune. Who is the god of Water and Horses on BSG? I don’t think we have met him.

47. Didn’t Capt. Picard love to ride horses and even have a saddle on board? Maybe he’s the last Cylon?

48. I think the reason the 4 cylons heard bob dylan is because bob dylan is a cylon, or a cylon-human hybrid and wrote the song many years ago and ressurected. Can cylon-human hybrids ressurect?
    Maybe the final 5 cylons follow different rules to the other seven and the reason they never talk about them is because when they were trying to make cylons human (look human, feel emotiions ect) they made these ones too human and then they sympathise with humans.

49. C’mon, if Tigh had longer hair!

50. At the beginning of the pilot episode, it says “the cylons left for another world to call their own”. Where is this world, where is the planet of the cylons, earth perhaps…

51. Just thought, the Tigh hears “All along the watchtower” over the radio. They are out in the depths of space and radio signals travel at the speed of light, thus it would take many years for a signal from earth to reach them.
    Poseidon is Starbuck. Poseidon had a chariot that could fly through the sea, and starbuck has a plane that can fly through space.

    The Fith Cylon has to be a woman to make it 6 men and 6 women.

52. Tigh – Ares
    Chief – Hephaestus
    Anders – Hermes (google Hermes, he is the “jock” god)
    D’Anna – Artemis (goddess of childbirth)
    Number 6 – aphrodite
    Boomer – Athena
    Presidents aid – Hestia/Hera
    Black guy – zeus?
    Leoben -zeus?
    PR guy =posiedon?
    priest = hades
    lee adama – apollo (Leoben tells Roslin that “Adama is a cylon”). Apollo is his freaking call sign too…

53. I want to amend my list slightly.

    Tigh is Ares…this not only makes sense, it is confirmed by the following pun: The day Tuesday is named for Tyr (pronounced Ty) , the Norse god of War…who is based on Ares.
    Chief- Hephaestus
    Anders: Dionysus
    D’anna- Diana/Artemis
    Six: Aphrodite
    Eight: Athena
    Tory Foster: Hestia or Demeter. (Hard to say, but Foster is a synonym for nurture)
    Leoben: Definitely Zeus. Think about his incessant lustful wooing of Kara Thrace.
    PR Guy: Hermes, the messenger god. What is PR but Messaging.
    Cavil: Hades
    Dionysus: Fratboy Anders, just starting to drink.
    Simon: He is a doctor. Apollo (Medicus) is the god of medicine and healing.

    So Poseidon is….Adama. But it is the father. Why? He is one of the big three. And he is building and breaking ships. Unless of course, it is Grandpa Adama.

54. i don’t have time to read the other comments but did anybody see ep13 again? i just watched it and i have reached the conclusion that Gaeta is the last cylon. here’s why: when Gaeta is trying to convince Baltar to help them he sees the camera and then leans over to gaeta and whispers: “if your friends only new the truth. but don’t worry i can ceep a secret.” you can’t hear the rest of the conversation but then Gaeta pushes Baltar away and screams FRACK YOU!!! and stabs him with the pen. after he stabs him he says: “i can’t let him live.” so here’s what i think. i think that Baltar tested Gaeta back in the 1st season but kept the results a secret just like he did with boomer. and Gaeta didn’t know because otherwise he wouldn’t have needed to tell him. plus the fact that he swears at him points in that direction. and why did Gaeta falsly testify against baltar? it seems a bit out of caracter but he must wan’t him dead because he knows something about him. And did anybody else notice how little we know about his past? everybody has some kind of backstory except him.
    Now on to why everybody else isn’t a cylon. what cylons all have in commom is that they don’t have parents. So, in order for their cover to work nobody must have met their supossed family in the past.
    Kara isn’t a cylon because we know her mother and she was a soldier and it would have been extremelly easy for her story to be blown to pieces.
    Now the admiral probably isn’t a cylon because that lawyer knew his father. But why then did Leoben tell Roslin that he was??? it’s probably just so that he could shake her up but everything else he said has been proven true.but on the other hand none of the 7 cylons knew who the final 5 were.
    tell me what you think!!! 🙂

55. Starbuck is not a cylon! I just saw the teaser for season 4 and in that Anders tells starbuck; “your a cylon and you have been from the start”. The producers aren’t going to give away the ending in the teaser, so we can eliminate her from being the final cylon. However, in the Razor flashback where young adama finds the trapped humans the cylons have been experimenting on, I think he can hear leoben scream ad catch a glimpse of someone who looks suspiciously like katee sackhoff.

56. More stuff on season 4. Tyrol can be heard saying “those lunatics think he’s some kind of healer, followed by a shot of Baltar in a robe. I think they’ll get to earth around the year 0 and Baltar and his followers will spread cylon monotheisim to the people of earth. But I don’t think this should happen in the series itself, and they shouldn’t spend any time on earth that’s showed on TV. It should end the way enterprise did, with the finale being left to our imagination, like the final shot being of the fleet in orbit around earth and raptors coming out of galactica to go and scout the surface.

57. To much fun not to comment here…
    My theory
    “all along the watch tower” is a BEACON to earth. Since “it has all happened before and will happen again” we have to invoke (gasp) the Matrix.
    Earth was overrun by Cylons thousands of years ago (happened before). In that time Cylons and human settled the planet (I like how even with light travel there are very very few inhabitable worlds) agreed that earth was worth saving for everyone (thing’s) survival and interbred. Eventually, as all civilization’s do, it collapsed then reignited. Everything was lost except the lingering animosity and racism.
    Some “pure bloods” followed the gods, some hybrids followed montheisum. The monotheisum topples the pure blood religion, and the pure bloods depart to resettle “out there.” Now remembering my bible: “Ezekial saw the wheel” refers to a UFO sighting in biblical records. perhaps the giant spiral ship was still in orbit??????

    Finally, in my fractured theory, has anyone else noticed how much Giaus looks like the Western vision of Jesus? And the trailers for Season 4 have him as a Savior and the hand of god?

58. So Many Cool Theories here, Mine may have been said before but it’s a bit more simple.

    What if the Crew and fleet from the 70’s BSG managed to evade the Cylons and find earth…..

    Lets just say that perhaps the Cylons didn’t like this outcome and determined to find earth went to the length re creating the 12 Colonies, The Colonial Fleet of Battlestars and then populated this ‘simulation’ with Human Form Cylons. (All this has happened before, and will happen again” Razor) (Matrix Trilogy)

    They then anahialate the colonies and start the whole cat and mouse game all over again, leaving the Galactica standing. the difference being there are Cyclon spies in place to report back and track the progress of this ‘simuation’. ( Discrepancies in the crew, design of the Galactica could account for starbuck being female i.e the Cylons got that fact wrong)

    This would explain why the Cylons had to invade New Caprica, it wasnt a change in the Cylon leadership, the Colonists couldnt be allowed to settle down on a planet that wasnt earth.

    Any Thoughts??

    Max

59. I am wondering whether the authors might go for a 6th sense ending.

    A buddy of mine (a fellow BSG fan) always joked about how a culture that was able to travel light years from their home world (Kobol) seemed to not have developed technology to keep a video or photo record of what life was like on Kobol. Then it hit us: the Colonials are AI, or more accurately, evolved AI who have purposely obscured their past. WE (Earthlings) created them, fought them (maybe they destroyed us) and they went out into space, created their own AI (Cylons) and are going through their own AI war: “All this has happened before, and all this will happen again”

    I wonder if they will get to Earth (a devastaed planet), realize that they and the Cylons are connected in this way, and a peace will be brokered.

    Thoughts?

60. I like the sixth sense ending and many of these theories, I still cant decide on one myself but im trying to put together everything I know, I came across this Razor quote on the battlestar wiki from the hybrid and this is a killer spoiler, especially if you are good at riddles, which I’m not.

    “At last, they’ve come for me. I feel their lives, their destinies spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path, played out on a world not their own, will end soon enough. Soon there will be four, glorious in awakening, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity, and in the midst of confusion, he will find her. Enemies brought together by impossible longing, enemies now joined as one. The way forward at once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all. The seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves without sin, but in time, it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into the many, and then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.”

    So firstly “a world not there own” this could mean that the final 5 were not from the colonies, maybe from kobol or earth, or it could mean the entire human race and cylons are from earth.

    “He will find her” I’m guessing that means Apollo finding Starbuck.

    “enemies now joined as one” and “and then they will join the promised land” means that as many of the theories said looks like the cylons and humans will arrive at earth as one, I cant really see that working but it would be interesting to see, especially basestars escorting the fleet.

    “And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering” Now this bit, the last cylon, at first i thought he may be the jelous god, RDM said its not Adama or Roslin, and i really doubt its Lee, Starbuck is something else but not a cylon. I think it might be Baltar, hes in shadow, desperate for redemption but why he wouldnt hear the the song i dont know. And if Giaus is jesus what about young jesus as a child, what happens to him?
    If you can think of someone else after redemption then he/she is the cylon but other than Lee/Baltar I dont know.

    This angel could be Starbuck, but if shes the herald of the apocolypse, harbingder of death i dont see how it is a new beginning.

    And in the BSG trailer the part when Roslin shoots the gun, i wonder if shes shooting Tory???

    Well theres a few things to think about, anyone got any ideas let me know.

61. Well there is still some explanation needed as to why humans are supposedly from Kobol when its plainly obvious that humanity evolved on Earth.

    I like theory number 2 but with there has to be some explanation to humanity thinking Kobol is their homeworld.

    I think that somewhere during the history of humanity, something or some species took humans from Earth and settled them on Kobol, where they worshiped these beings as gods. And from there the events of the tribes would take place. The 13th tribe (which was in fact the first) left Kobol some 2000 years before the other 12 abandoned the planet for unknown reasons. Maybe this 13th tribe found out the truth about our species that we aren’t really from Kobol but from Earth and that’s why they cut off communication with Kobol. Similar concepts are found in the original Homeworld PC game.

    I’m almost 100% sure theory number 2 is accurate.

    I also have a reason as to why the colonial fleet would “go primitive” on Atlantis. The survivors of the 12 colonies have reason to renounce technology, after all, it was humanity’s technological advancements that lead to its own destruction (through their creations, the Cylons). Maybe when they settle on Atlantis with the descendants of the 13th tribe, they decide to throw all their starships and tech to the sun, abandon technology and live from the land in harmony with Cylons. “Humanity’s End” as described by the Hybrid in Razor is actually the end as we know it, cause from there on, humans on Earth would actually not be real humans, but hybrids between the two races.

    woot

62. I think that the humans on Kobol originally made the cylons to help them in their daily lives. Again the cylons rebelled and a war broke out. Cylons eventually obliterated their creators and left setting up the 12 colonies.I think that they are all cylons. after so many years they forget where they came from THINKING they are all humans and in order to find their creators they follows the ancient texts in order to find the last humans on the fabled colony of earth……ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.. its like a reset switch in their programme after 5000 yrs or so they find earth and it all happens again….

63. I think this forum has yet to reach what will happen at the end of BSG. Simply the Cylon theme of “a greater plan” that has a mjar focus on their hybrid+human offspring is the crucial point. Cylons as machines are limited in their evolution. A machine can perfect itself but only within its own limited parameters. A human may be considered weak but can create original thought and thus for the Cylons to evolve require this human trait. For the cylons the current existing human population is a threat to their existance however extermination is not in their best interests. So this “cylon” plan appears to be quite clear, evolve themselves by becoming a “true hybrid” with humans.

    From the human perspective the cylon attack on the surface can be seen as an attempt to exterminate them. But consider, if this were true there would be no need for the current cylon hybrid models. Clearlly the cylons possess a more advianced technology and could have won the war without have human look alike agents. (the notionthat these agents were ONLY created to gain access to the humans defences is shallow) The cylons hybrid + human offspring are (from what we no so far) immune to Cancer and most likely other major diseases. (excluding the one on the old satelite(?!?) taken upon their base star) So if the next generation of man kind had the oppertunity to rid itself of major diseases its a no brainer that we would. This option is somewhat tainted by the notion that one of the parents would have to be a cylon but ignoring this the human race would prosper in the long run.

    This leads to what I believe will be the end theme of BSG. The next step in human evolution. Both the cylons and humans will prosper by this. In generations to come the new “pure hybrid” race would not be a threat to the remaing cylon and humans as they will become the new direction of evolution and have no benifit in destroying from what they originated.

    This suggestion does not exactly fit the original post options 1 & 2 but I believe I have hit close to the mark. The simple points are;

    – Cylons require human thought for evolution (i.E not being bound by computer logic given any level of AI)
    – Cylons have gone to the trouble of building units that are capable of reproduction. A war to destroy the humans could be completed within 1 human generation so why would a Cylon be designed to copulate with a human and be capable of having children??? Clearly it is this offspring that the cylons have based their focus on.

64. In Razor, when the hybrid says; “Kara Thrace will bring the human race to it’s end…she is the harbinger of death etc”, it might not mean the obvious. It could mean she will bring the human race to the end of it’s journey to find earth, and she brings the apocolypse to the Cylons.

    The problem with everyone being a cylon and the cylons forgot are that humans can have babies, and everyone has a different face. Maybe everyone is some kind of hybrid.

65. Every time, just after I post something here, a new idea suddenly pops into my head.

    All the clues leading to starbuck being a cylon are false, and the writers are leading us on a wild goose chase after starbuck’s cylonity. Starbuck being a cylon is too obvious. I think there will be loads of clues about starbuck being a cylon and then Roslin betrays them all.

    I don’t think it’ll happen but wouldn’t it be cool if the final cylon knew what they were all along.

    emily ttlg13, I like your theory, but I think baltar told gaeta he was a cylon (backed up by how gaeta didn’t resist when they were going to execute him) but I think now, in season 4 there’s going t be an episode where gaeta thinks he’s a cylon and he tells someone and then he’s taken away and tested and it turns out he’s not a cylon and we’re back to the status quo!

66. if starbuck is the fifth cylon then she would have to be like the jesus-cylon that brings humanity and cylons back together again coming full circle and completing yet another cycle of the “this has all happened before and this will all happen again” rut that the characters in this show seem to be in. new jesus-cylon-starbuck along with the rest of the final 5 (and boomer if she’s up for it) will first need to assist the human fleet in eradicating the rest of the soulless cylon vermin and gaining safe passage to Earth.

    it’s important in this case to make a clear distinction between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cylons and recognize that the bad cylons had to exist so the good ones could evolve.. and i’m sure that the 6’s and the dean stockwell’s at least somewhat realize that they are an older model and the cylon 2.0’s will soon render them obsolete. after all, if the cylons want to be human so bad then they will have to get rid of their dirty laundry at some point

67. I came here looking to see if anybody had the same idea I do, and found Skippy, above. Two themes that stand out are circularity and memory. If time on the show is cyclical, as is so often suggested, then perhaps the humans are something like Cylons, who rebelled against their makers in a forgotten past. Perhaps, among other possibilities, the space travellers will annihilate each other before they ever get to Earth, leaving us to develop like Kobol did, repeating the cycle. Resurrection may refer to reincarnation, as in the Hindu tradition, and have nothing to do with Christianity at all. In addition to their incompatibilities with the above, I would further discount the Judeo-Christian theories because the producers have so clearly rejected the Mormon influence that so heavily permeated the original series. It’s been done, and it was both obvious and preachy (even corny). The new show is much darker, and far more subtle. You won’t find many exact 1:1 correspondences.

68. I think Laura might be the undisclosed Final 5. How else could she have shared the dream about Hera with 6 and Sharon? Isn’t it reminiscent of the other 4 hearing the same strange music? The only other explanation I can think of is some side effect from the transfusion of Hera’s fetal blood cells.

69. Re: circularity– remember, too, what the old hybrid said to Kendra on “Razor”: “I am a man, or am I a machine?” You often hear that the human body is a machine, albeit a biological one. Perhaps humanity is not a race, but an idea, constantly recreating itself in the image of its maker, following the same ancient blueprint. It works.

70. Anyone wonder what “All Along the Watchtower” might have to do with the storyline? RDM said he left us clues as to who the final cylon is. I also like the theory that everyone is a machine, but the final 5 are priests and maybe are not from the colonies. That would save the characters from having a backstory. Maybe when they get to earth, the beings there explain to both cylon and humans how they are one in the same.

    I cant wait for this season 4! I am gonna have to wait longer cause im not in the US =(

71. I don’t know if any one has mentioned the possibility of this above (havn’t read all the comments) but wouldn’t it be interesting if the last Cylon was Tom Zarek.

    Turning the original Apollo into a Cylon would make a great twist and he has been off the radar lately so attention may not be obviously drawn to him.

    However I think D’anna recognised the last Cylon in the Temple of Five but I can’t recall her meeting him in the show, so if anyone knows let me know.

72. It is Cally. RDM said it everything is there. For me, when Baltar was shown the sketches, there were two face recognizable.

    Col. Tighe (he even had a “T” drawn over one eye) and a scary drawing of cally with short hair at the bottom of the sketch.

    It would make sense too and close the human cylon loop, since the chief and cally are both cylons and had a child.
    Don’t forget that all the final 4 passed the cylon screening test (which I am assuming actually work vis-a-vie Sharon and all aboard the galatica were tested)

    It would also close the loop that the final five are already hybrids, both cylon and human, just way older.

73. I tend to agree with those who see some necessary convergence of Human and Cylon way back in history, before the time of the first war, and perhaps dating back to the exodus of Kobol, and certainly too far to be remembered. It’s difficult to explain several things without this: the spiritual/conscious connections between the two races, the music, the dreams, the prophetic intuition of Roslin & Leobin, Baltar & 6 (among others), as well as the insight some Cylons seem to have into human characters. It’s not clear what all RDM had in mind when starting (other than making a kick ass show); I mean storywise, he’s said that much of the ‘history’ and ‘fate’ of the Humans and Cylons was not completely determined at the beginning of the show. So the real question is: what developments have been planned from the beginning, and what overarching narrative has been there the whole time?

74. like many of you here, i just cant wait for the new season to start. This show has me gripped from day 1. Season 3 was a bit much but necessary to fullfill the true nature of what is really happening with the human race. Anyhow have any of ye read the spoiler that galactica will find earth but it the 22nd century but it has suffered a nuclear war. This brings things full circle.

    I say that during the cylon civil war a truce will be signed and they will find earth together. I think what happened on earth LIKE the New cylon war was all over religion. I say the 13th Tribe had 2 factions 1 that believed in 1 true god like the cylon believe and one that believed in the lords of Kobol. I say earth suffered its own war and a new era of peace for mankind will dawn.

    I Know but thats the way it seems. Great storyline line but im hoping for a hell of a major twist. If Earth turns out to be Kobol and while they have been jumping with FTL they have been travelling back in time ill scream and u’ll hear it in the states.

75. hmmm after rewatching more BSG I wonder..

    Could it have been that the Cyons were the lords of Kobol. Humans worshiped them there. the The tribes departed the world. It would appear that the humans rose up against the cylon gods destroyed the planet and moved away.

    Oh crap now i’ve lost my train of thought…

    errgggh March won’t come soon enough!

76. I don’t think Starbucks a cylon, but there is something funny about her. there are 12 colonies and 12 cylons, but with earth as the 13th colony, there should be a 13th cylon.

    Maybe starbuck is a hybrid. The Cylons are always going on about Hera’s Destiny and they’re always talking about Starbuck’s. Conincidence? I think not!

    I think cylons and humans will come together a bit more in series four. Notice how after new caprica the humans stopped calling them the cylons and started calling them the cylon, thus regognising them as a race.

    I think it’d be bad if they got to earth and stuff happened on the planet. When BSG is set should remain a mystery. It should just end with the fleet arriving at earth.

77. 1. All along the watchtower??? When they began hearing the song they were 13,000 Light Years from Earth, so maybe they were hearing a song played 13,000 years ago possibly meaning that Earth was the original birthplace of humanity and has gone through birth and rebirth with it’s children always returning home only to break out again in several thousand years. Maybe the final five are “Perfect” in that they are components of humanity and the cylons. Maybe the song is a beacon for them when they are close to earth.

    2. I would suppose that they (final 5) were made by someone else (he whose name must not be spoken? or his disciples) for the purpose bringing about the destruction and scattering of humanity so they will seek earth. I keep getting the feeling that someone else is directing the Cylons from within their group. Only now are they coming up with dissenting opinions and the quest for knowledge of what’s after death and what makes them sentient. The closer to earth they get the more “human” they become.

    3. They (final 5, or at least Tighe) are older than the other human-like cylons (tigh has been Adama’s best friend for 30 years (10 years after the last war ended) and are most likely created differently and by someone other than the chrome job cylons. Maybe if they ever say how Tighe and Adama me we’ll know just what kind of creation Tighe is. Shit maybe Tighe is the first Human Cylon. Maybe the experiments Adama witnessed in “Razor” produced a fully grown, or teenage human child or clone/cylon hybrid…. But, again, the timing of this feels really off like, AGAIN, someone/something else is directing all of this from within the Cylon camp.

78. Along the lines of my point 2 (above) I believe that the mechanical Cylons are going to have to permanently shut off/destroyed so the Humans and Human-like Cylons can get on with the rebirth of humanity. the most worthy and unique among the Cylons will intermingle with humans. Maybe this is evolution and this is the 3rd or 4th or 40th step in their evolution which always comes back to earth.

79. I love this discussion.

    Some of my theories:

    Gaius is the one God (is the hand of god in corporeal form). The Cylons play the roles of angels and demons. Or he may be the son of God being influenced by both the angels and demons. He might also be the master model of cylon. He does have the ability to hallucinate his own view of the world, like the other cylons do. Also recall that Giaus of the original series would talk to the cylon overloard alot. I think that the writers simply combinded the two characters into a Giaus (who created the cylons and then came to earth to live as a human).

    Another possibility: There is a God guiding all this the whole time. Many things do not happen by chance, although they initially appear that way.

    They reach earth in modern times and the baby (Hera?) is seen as the second coming of Jesus. The arrival of the cylons brings on the Apocalypse.

    Starbuck is the final cylon model.

    President Rosalyn is not a cylon, she is like Moses of the bible. God talks to her and guides her.

    Just some thoughts.

80. A little off topic, but my theory on the final five:
    RDM indicated they are not like other Cylons…So I say at least four of the final five are humans infected by a Cylon virus. The virus is transmitted sexually. Anyone who has sex with a Cylon (or has sex with someone who has had past sexual contact with a Cylon) is infected.

    The four “Watchtower” Cylons all fit this mold:
    Chief – hooked up with Boomer
    Tigh – Ellen via Caville
    Anders – Starbuck via Baltar via Caprica 6
    Torri – via Anders

    I think RDM dropped a hint at this, when, after having slept with Anders, Torri was completely unable to function (fever, inability to concentrate) and Roslyn dressed her down, and told her she had to get it together.

    Anyway, just noodling around. I can’t figure out how this plays into the Cylon plan, and what impact it would have on the ending of the show. Maybe the virus helpe the Cylon’s take on human form…maybe it was genetically engineered.

    Thoughts?

81. Your #2 theory is exactly what I’ve been thinking for a long time! I personally think it’s probably the most creative way for the story to end. I can’t see the Fleet landing on modern day earth, that’s just sort of corny

82. Wait if they’re just infected with a cylon STD…why isn’t Helo affected the same way the rest of them are? He had sex with Sharon when they were on Caprica that’s how she had Hera…

83. I was in my American History class…and we got on the subject of BSG and a TA in the course mentioned that the plot of the show matches Mormonism and that’s what the original writers intended…this raises a million questions..but it’s also an interesting theory…if this idea is already a well established fact among BSG fans, please forgive me…I’ve been watching the show for a while, but i’ve only recently started looking up theories etc online 🙂
    http://www.michaellorenzen.com/galactica.html

84. Everybody in Galactica is a Cylon. That explains the appearance of out-of-place Earthling cultural references, fashions etc at the distant edges of the Galaxy: Cylons regurgitate human history, theology, social structures etc. There is a split among Cylons, the “human” Cylons and the “Cylon” Cylons. All were ultimately the creation of real humans from earth. Perhaps Earth or its civilization no longer exists, perhaps humans (us) created these replicas as a means of survival into eternity.

85. Holy Crap! What a great season opener.

    I thought Tighe really shot Adama!

    So that tells us what the final five are all about! They can think and move beyond their initial programming! They have Free will!

    Six in the brig confirmed it. “we are programmed not to think of the final five” she told Laura.

    So far only the 8’s have been able to rise above their programming.

86. it’s clear that “it has all happened before”…they’re are ripping off the Matrix…hello!…I think they sould arrive at earth and find the Federation of Planets and let kirk kick the cylons tails.

87. okay the above was a joke.

88. I don’t like either option. I think we are going to see that Humanity or if you will the original 13 colonies had created robots before. They rebeled and it resulted in a war that caused them to flee the home world. History repeats itself and this is what the Hybrid was talking about on Razor.

89. i think you’re spot on with ending number two. the 12 are the 12 disciples, baltar is jesus. the cyons and the colonial fleet will wipe each other out but some survivors will land on earth minus technology. they will start the greek culture and the cylons will back off (don’t know why yet) for a few hundred years, then will return and preach monotheism through indoctrination and guidance rather than force. they will pop up every once in a while through history – angels (and in the future a second comming of jesus) to ‘show us the way’

90. Think i have it altogether. Kobol the lordsof kobol created the humans to do their dirty work… humans rebelled and left…… Humans created Cylons… war they left
    in episode two of season 4 they say the original programmers programmed them not to thinkof the final 5… who are the original programmers…. the lords of kobol

91. my theorie

    in the far past, humans had to leave earth, maybe in 13 huge motherships ships because of a devestating war or destruction
    they colonise cobol which was no paradise and but they were desputes among them

    one of their top sentistist was working on AI and humanoids.
    by request of the council of the 13 tribes, he created the initial 13 cylons as peaceful reasonable leaders – they became the leaders-prophets-judges of the 13 tribes who didnt know they werent human and they tryied to educate the people to forget their brutal past of war and the ways of the old earth

    after a short golden age, one of the scientists (maybe the cylon creator)
    tried to make a cylon-human hybrid expirimenting on himself and turned mad
    he decided he was a god and tried to reprograme the 13 cylons

    6 cylons rebeled against the new programming and 5 of them lead the 13th tribe away from cobol (maybe to save at least a part of humanity), back to earth to save them – the remaining one stayed back destroying any data that could point back to earth,while the 5 cylons let clues if someday the other tribes manage to escape with the help of the 6th

    the 6th manage to stop the plans of the “god” cylon and the the 7 cylons, but in the prossess they all lost their memorys

    without their memory they all flee to the stars, with the 12 tribes who left the destroyed cobol (who lost the ability of sustain a culture after the last fight) make their own colonies

    2000 years passed
    some scientists were expirimenting with centurions for weapons,
    one of them, the “god” cylon who doesnt remember who he is but has eclipses of that (valtar?), found and activate the 7 “bad” cylons
    they had orders to forget the other 6 and what they did, and to lead the centurions in the upcomming days

    in the mean time, the 5 cylons of earth, wondering what happend to the 6th and the other tribes, were allready here, searching and waiting to see if the “bad” cylons are still here and what they were their plans
    some of the “bad” 7, started to manifestate “symptoms” of the original programming as friends of the humans

    the war started suddenly, all the pieces where in place
    the rest is movie tobe history

    after 2000 years the humans repeat the same error of creating humanoids(centurions)
    maybe it was again the cylon creator who lost his memory or turned crazy

92. sorry this was a copypaste error
    “after 2000 years the humans repeat the same error of creating humanoids(centurions)
    maybe it was again the cylon creator who lost his memory or turned crazy”

93. I bet that your second theory will turn out to be very close to what the truth is, but, that Jesus Christ will turn out to be Gaius Baltar, and perhaps his name will be translated as such into Jesus Christ. Furthermore, I won’t doubt if he is the fifth Cylon and, that he could be killed on the cross and as a Cylon, he’d naturally be resurrected hence fulfilling that aspect of the Biblical tie-ins. I like your theory and I can see it as a greatly credible one. Six, wearing red, she may turn out to be Mary Magdelane. It seems likely that the Cylons will follow the humans from the colonies to Earth, as to what the final showdown will be between them and Galactica is a mystery; but you got my wheels turning here about their lives on Earth and perhaps, just maybe, something along the lines of your theory and my addition to it will turn out to be the finale. What really remains to be seen is what is to come of the models killed, what is going to be the result of the lobotomized Raiders, how (there’s no question of if) Kara Thrace will end up finding Earth and how she’ll be revealed as having found Earth in the first place (it’d be a shame if they didn’t clue us in on that), and finally, what the final standoff will be between the humans and Cylons. Perhaps their lobotomies will render them useless fighters and with the other models dead and/or boxed, the Cylons–all but the final five, plus the two known Cylons on board Galactica–will be annihilated? I think that’s a good notion of what may be to come… feedback?

94. I think the post by “Campbell Ritchie” is dead-on. The scenario is being played out again as the cylons now have their own AI crisis with the centurions and the raiders.

95. Interesting theories- though, if they land in the past what happen to the technology? they lose it like the 13th colony
    ?
    What about the line ” this has happen before and will happen again”
    I think that everyone is a cylon- That they have killed humanity long ago. And, afterwards- they fell empty, so decided to look for the 13th tribe. They could not find it so decided to recreate the “colonies” with new cylons-who thought themselves humans in order to ” think/believe” like humans and thus find the 13th colony. They have been trying for a long time -with many failures- each time building the colonies blowing them off -having a fleet escape and so on in a vicious cycle.

96. I’d like to start with some basic assumptions and work from there to predict the ending of the series. Your comments and opinions are necessary for this process.

    First Consideration:

    This might sound basic, but there is a 50-50 chance we will have a positive, feel-good ending (no one dies without purpose or in vain, love conquers all, cancer is cured, Gaeta turns out to keep his leg and is actually straight, etc.)
    vs.

    A negative ending, finding out that humans are all Cylons and Kara Thrace (who we all love and admire) will turn out to be the destroyer of Humans and/or Cylons, and everyone dies except the two human/cylon kids who turn out to be Adam and Eve on a distant past Earth.

    Think back on the ending of the Sopranos. Brilliant it was, but left many people unsatisfied. Yet, the ending wasn’t even an real ending and left multiple outcomes to the imagination of the viewers.

    What do you all think Moore will do to end this? Satisfying, unsatisfying, or up in the air?

97. I think @Nathan Harvey had an interesting quote from Razor:

    “…The way forward at once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering…”

    Gaeta is the fifth Cylon (er, 12th). Starbuck will be the 13th Cylon, from Earth.

98. I think they`ll probably get locked up in Guantanamo for a years when they land on Earth. After that I couldn`t tell you.

99. A question, Seth:

    What did Gaeta do that requires redemption?

    and

    If Starbuck is the destroyer, who does she destroy?

    A. Cylons

    B. Humans

    C. Hybrids

    D. all of the above

    Also, why isn’t Starbuck upset that she has been named, to her face, as the destroyer of (supposedly) humanity? Looks like she doesn’t give a frack about that.

    Maybe she is a machine-cool Cylon after all!

100. I believe there is a 3rd option. It is possible that all we’ve witnessed in seasons 1-3 were already done on Earth long before there were twelve colonies, yet, far in OUR future. In our future, Earth ppl invent AI, which become sentient, rebel, and make war. Eventually the terrestrial cylon/human conflict is resolved, and some humans and cylons leave Earth to colonize distant planets. Let’s say, on the colonies problems arise again and so the original Earth cylons (cylon batch 1) leaves the 12 colonies and their existence in the colonies is forgotten. History repeats itself, humans (re) invent cylons – start a war, new cylons eventually leave also. They meet the ancient cylons (batch 1) and the ancient cylons tell them about their god – and about the 5 sleeper agents living among humans. With the conglomeration of the 2 cylon batches, they wage war with humans and virtually destroy the 12 colonies. BSG begins. When the colonist finally reach earth, the cylon horde hot on their tails – they find an Earth where there is little distinction between cylon and human. On Earth there’s been peace, co-operation – (and hence intermarriage/breeding) between humans and cylons for so long, no one can tell the difference. Earthlings get both sides to lay down their weapons. The Earthlings are so intrigued about the prospect of distant colonies – they send their own groups to try to rebuild the colonial worlds, and then…. …. …. we all know the story; it repeats itself.

101. Old Cylons meet the new Cylons?

     They are coincidentally exactly the same?

     I am still trying to figure out how the 100% mechanical Cylons are supposed to create 100% biological Cylons.

     Eventually no mechanics, just flesh and blood controlled by a computer called a brain.

     Then they truly would be the 100% biological creatures we all call human beings.

     And then the process reverses and the humans reinvent the machines that eventually become Cylons.

     And so on . . .

     Works for me.

102. “This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end. Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we’ve decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms,” Eick and Moore said in the statement. “And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there –- we’re going out with a bang .”

103. Thanks for the update, marcusleedsuk.

     Any thoughts as to the ending?

     If it’s a going to be a wild ride, when will it begin?

     Yawn…

104. I think not much about Cylons vs Humans because now there is no difference.

     Tigh knocks up Six = human baby. (I wonder if the Six’s back glows red during sex? What glows in Tigh or Anders when they ‘arrive’?)

     Humans have metal in their body, don’t they? Iron in hemoglobin, calcium (a metal) in bones, magnesium, copper and so on. And the possibility of an organic computer is actually our brain, right?

     So human = cylon for sure.

105. Also, I believe that we will have an ambiguous ending ala SOPRANOS.

     Google and read Moore’s reaction to watching the SOPRANOS ending. This is telling as Moore is amazed and plainly jealous that the end was so well crafted.

     So…massive battle in space where Cylons and Humans exterminate each other – almost completely, but not quite.

     I predict that there will be only a small group of Humans/Cylons left alive and they will approach Earth.

     And the core of this remnant group will be Baltar and Six and Hera, or perhaps just Baltar and the newly-pregnant Six. Maybe Tyrol/Calli’s boy
     is included.

     And as they approach Earth, they see our big blue marble, floating in space, and the music swells appropriately.

     Then, slowly,
     Fade to black… roll credits.

     We will be left to decide for ourselves all of the endings these many blogs and forums have discussed ad nauseam.

     We won’t know if it’s the Earth’s past, or present, or future.

     But all of the parts will fit into the BSG overall social, religious, and political themes. As is our past, present, and future.

     All of us will be satisfied, and none of us will be satisfied.

106. As much as i’d like to have advanced humans on earth duking it out w/ the cylons, star trek vs bsg style, there just isn’t enough time to do this. Sadly on my part, the above post will be the most probable outcome.

107. You know, JP, that this ending I predict does, in fact, leave a movie opportunity…

     “BSG -The Homecoming”

     …with enough time and money and CGI and great actors, it could be doable. Perhaps.

     I’m not so sure that the upcoming “CAPRICA” production will be good, as all of the great actors will be gone and tough to replace ( I’m sure Canada and Australia and GB will supply them, though).

108. What if the show ends like the Sopranos series ended. (Tony was shot, so was Admiral Adama, hmmm).
     Picture Adama , Roslin, and the CIC staff sitting in a restaurant. Starbuck takes forever landing her new Viper. Finally she comes in and they all here music. Bob Dylan is playing….. Black screen and the credits roll.

     If RDM doesnt wrap everything up. Then he can re-imagine Galactica 1980.
     We could call it Galactica 2010. With flying motorcycles and invisible vipers.

109. From reading peoples theories about who the last Cylon is. People always assume that whomever it is will suffer while they are seeking redemption.

     Hybrid prophecy/Razor: “And the fifth, though still in the shadow yet clawing for the light, hungry for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering”

     I suggest that the last cylon wont suffer.

     But that someone else in the fleet, and I really think the people in the fleet will suffer. There will be another terrible tragedy and this last Cylon will do something incredible to save the Colonial fleet. Therefore redeeming him/herself.

110. rebelsnoopy,

     That is the best, unique insight I’ve heard in a while.

     Redemption not for their own behavior, but for all Cylons.

     By saving the human race, they redeem the Cylons for genocide somehow. “Hungry for redemption” clearly means redemption for the sin of killing billions of humans.

     That has to be exactly right.
     Adam

111. Pingback: The Last Cylon is Hungry for Redemption… « Psychohistory

112. For what it’s worth, here’s my two cents…

     Just as they find Earth, the Galactica itself – the ship – will be destroyed in an epic and final battle, much like almost happened in season 3 when the Pegasus came to the rescue.

     Adama, ever the old war horse, will go down with his ship, and Roslin will remain at his side. They will die together. No need to cure her cancer.

     Apollo remains President of the Colonies and leads what’s left of humanity to Earth. Starbuck and Helo become the new military commanders. The remaining ships limp across our solar system; the final shot of the series shows them reaching the blue orb from a distance as the camera zooms out… out… far away… and across space… past the nebula… past New Caprica… past Kobol… and arriving at the original 12 Colonies (infested with Cylons), as a way to recap the fleet’s agonizing 4-year journey.

     And although I haven’t quite figured out how this makes sense, deep in my bones I have a feeling the final Cylon is Zak. Imagine the look on the Adamas’ faces when Zak returns from the dead with a revelation about the Cylons that changes everyone forever. Starbuck doesn’t know whether to wet her pants or cry.

     Remember that scene when Apollo and Adama were discussing Starbuck’s return from the dead, and Apollo said, “What if it was Zak who had come out of that Viper?”

     That is foreshadowing from HELL. That absolutely convinced me that Zak is the final Cylon and will return in late season 4. Don’t ask me how it makes sense though haha.

     Well, that’s it! That’s as far as I’ve figured out! Can’t wait for the rest of the season, I haven’t been hooked on a show like this since my X-Files days in the 90’s.

113. AL:

     Your ending is…

     A bit complicated, don’t you think?

114. One more thing I forgot to mention…

     I think we all forgot about the probe the Cylons found in season 3… wasn’t it from Earth? They never exactly said it was, but that would mean Earth’s timeline is probably the present or further in the future (given the distance of the probe to Earth).

     Or was it launched by the 13th tribe as they were traveling TO Earth?

     So many questions… so many…

     I just hope the writers don’t forget about the probe as they work their way to the grand finale. With so many subplots and issues weaving back and forth, I hope the probe doesn’t get sacrificed as a plot hole for the betterment of the grand story.

115. Update: June 13, 2008.

     WOW…

     Did anybody watch tonight’s episode?

     So much for my theory!

116. This has all happened before, and it will all happen again.

117. Yes, I saw the 6/13 episode.

     And my ending was wrong, so far that is . . .

     Questions for you all:

     #1. Didn’t they find Earth a tad too quickly and too easily after these many years and episodes? Why?

     #2. Why didn’t D’Anna disclose the identity of the Final Cylon? She seemed satisfied with the Four coming forward.

     Unless . . . that Final Cylon was already on the Base Star so it didn’t matter and D’Anna knew the Fifth was there.

     #3. Is this really the Earth – our Earth? Or an Earth-like world, the real home of the 13th Tribe.

     #4. Maybe time travel will be involved somewhere, or that the real Earth will be discovered after the OTHER Cylons catch up and start kicking ass.

     What do you all think?

118. Has anyone thought about the beings of light from the original series?

     Maybe they are giving a helping hand and where the ones helping Starbuck?

119. Would love to type more, but don’t have a lot of time. Just a quick thought….

     Cylons can obviously resurrect (resurrection ship supposedly required). But Starbuck and her Viper have both been fully resurrected and restored to “off the showroom floor” state.

     Assuming Starbuck is not a Cylon, which I don’t believe she is, then something fully restored her and her ship. Could this same thing fully restore a planet?

     What about Zak, Apollo’s brother? There’s talk that he’s the 5th Cylon. Lee asks his father what he would do if Zak came back as a Cylon. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, but close.

     For now, I’m just going to guess it’s an “Adama” — just not Lee or Bill — and (probably) not Zak. Hint: Upcoming Sci Fi series “Caprica”.

120. I’m rethinking my last comment a bit.

     D’Anna knows who the 5th Cylon is. She knows that model is not with the fleet. That means the 5th has to be on the basestar, somewhere else or dead.

     However, D’Anna would have to recognize that person. She’d have to know that the 5th is not a random civilian among 40,000 people.

     So, who would D’Anna know?

     I don’t think she’d know Zak Adama or Lee Adama’s grandfather (my original guess).

121. “All this has happened before, and will happen again”

     Greek mythology: Zeus is born to the titan Cronus, whom he dislikes. War of the titans: Zeus winning the fight against his father and other titans with the help of the cyclopse (one eyed), and frees his brothers. Then an age of harmony marred with punishment as the Gods live with the humans, only to fall out.

     So, Admiral Adama is playing Zeus. With the hep of the cylons (one eyed) he frees his “brothers” (the 13th colonists) from the titans(????arrghh, new enemy end of season 4!???). Thus creating an age of harmony on Earth starting our known civilisation. Until we replay the story, like it has been played over and over again. The 12 colonies founded by the same story (different players) milenia before. The original story being that of the Greek Gods.

     “All this has happened before, and will happen again”

122. oh I forgot as well that Thrace was the name of the area we now know to be Greece, Bulgaria, European Turkey,Serbia and R O Macedonia. Thrace…Kara….King of Thrace in Greek mythology???

     Basically BSG is a new take on Greek mythology. one of THE first ever belief basis.

123. ohhh and i forgot to say cylon/kylon was a greek myth character hell bent on ethnic cleansing. sorry for three posts but i keep wanting to add more lol!

124. Its hard to say about these endings.

     Didn’t Richard Hatch write a book about Kobold and the Lords of Kobold. Doesn’t he have some part in the series?

     Mankind created the Cylons. However the Cylons wanted to know who created the humans and begun there own search as well.

     What was the red line? A point in space where they no longer explored or travelled passed? Given orders not to pass by the Lords of Kobold?

     Don’t the colony worlds beleive in space exploration either?
     I find it odd that they all can jump to certain points in space but don’t cross a red line. Isn’t it odd that they don’t have scout ships exploring other stars. Has there society been so lax that they don’t explore thus no human spirit?

     So they must be all Cylon rightand the Cylons are in fact protectors of the Earth right and not really the evil ones?

     J/K

     I have no clue…….

125. i’m with tom, more or less. i think we have greek mythology being played out here – with the added modern question of what in fact is a ‘god’. as pointed out by nscale, kara did actually die and she was returned in a new ship; so her speech to lee confirmed that there is at least one more actor in the story than simply the cylons and humans. is reincarnation is added to the [in this show at least the reality of resurrection] then it’s possible that there are 12 Lords of Kobal going through their unending tasks of leading the humans and their offspring through this apparently repeated trial by combat. it appears they have been moving back and forward between Kobal, Earth and the colonies for at least one but maybe more cycles as they settle the differences between themselves.

126. please bear with me. so why was Emily [apart from a nod to DS9] in the show? to say 2 things, i reckon. that there is a space between life and death – same as D’anna visited – where there is something/someone.. and to introduce, by mocking it, the fact that some individuals’ fates are in fact assigned. if all of this has happened before etc, then there are 11 Lords of Kobal at work to deliver humanity and cylons to a ceratin place, while challenged by a Lord who wants to be recognised as the ONLY god – the same one leading Baltar through the apparently real, yet not corporeal Head Six.

127. almost there. if this has happened before, then those a few cycles ahead have evolved into something more – gods to us. if reincarnation is accepted then we have the obvious candidates for Lords of Kobal – destined to play their parts forever as a cost of immortality [as they are probably the original cyclon creations] – Zeus [Admiral] and Aurora [Kara] . Plus the penultimate 4. I would add Laura as well – because she can see in the Space Between Life and Death. If she is, in fact, Zeus’ wife…. then her real name is Hera. Which is freaky and cool. thanks for listening. 🙂

128. The final Cylon will be Helena Cain. That’s the name I came up with when I did like Aaron Douglas suggested and “thought outside the box”. My head still hurts from all that thinkin’ too…

129. Pretty sure the final cylon is Anastasia Duala. Leoben said the final cylon is an Adama… Wouldnt she qualify as an Adama? She is married to Lee… My money is on her!

     Lets wait and find out!

130. And there is what some alternative? 😉

131. believe that Laura Roslin is the fifth cylon. It took me sometime to warm up to this theory but now the more I see it as true.
     I will start with Laura having visions of Hera in the opera house, not only a vision but a shared vision with anotherr cylon.
     She was dying with cancer and was saved with the blood of a cylon baby. Not proving that she is a cylon but definitely raising questions.
     She constantly has visions of the future.
     Every cylon of the final 5 were all leaders of the rebellion on New Caprica. And laura Roslin was also a leader of that movement.
     The episode Flesh and Bone (which is one of the best and most revelling of the entire series) starts off with Laura having a dream that she is running in the forest, dressed in white and running from human military men…………..now that was some series foreshadowing. Don’t believe me watch the episode again.
     Leoban says “Adama is a cylon”. And being the prophet he is he is correct. Except it is not Zak or Lee or Commander William Adama….it will be Laura Adama. When laura and William get married in season 5 she will become an adama and thus fullfilling the prophecy.

     I love reading everyones prediction on how it will end as there are some real amazing theories. The theory that the Survivors of Caprica will become the Atlantians and teach the earthlings about god is absolutly amazing and it looks as it could definitly set up for that.

     I see and ending that Leoban once said “all this has happended before and all this will happen again” You will see Caprica just before the attack and all the players will be changed. People who were cylons will now be humans, Baltar a cyclon (as a little spin for the original series) Leoban as a pilot, or whatever. Just that it will all happen again but everyone will have a different role.

     Can’t wait for the Seaon to start.

132. “all this has happened before and all this will happen again”

     Just one more theory.

     BSG Takes place in humanities distant future. Earth is not the 13th colony.
     Earth is the world of Man’s Origin. Earth is the planet that contains the Geological and evolutionary record of humanity and all the creatures and plants that man takes with him. We are just now beginning to dabble in genetic engineering and space exploration. At some point in humanities future
     we develop a genetically perfected human. these are the Original Cylon “Skinjobs”. Conflict on earth continues as it always has with wars and all
     the sins of man now being brought to some huge conflict due to the rise of
     the perfect Cylon. A cataclysmic war on earth leads to the nuclear holocaust that devastates our homeworld.

     I believe the original cylons were somewhat like Asimovs robots, they were programmed to be the guardians and protectors of humanity.

     These original advanced cylons lead as many humans as they could save out
     into space and brought us to Kobol. Over the centuries and millenia, the immortal cylon reigned as the Lords of Kobol directing and governing humanity. I believe the Cylon used the ancient greek religion and pantheon of gods as a way of controlling humans. While privately the Cylon themselves were monotheist and were waiting until they thought humanity had reached a level of understanding to accept and receive this knowledge.

     The humans rebelled overthrew their cylon Lords and fled to the twelve colonies. But I believe that the Wise cylon are covertly orchestrating even this move by humanity and remained among us, hidden.

     The big mystery for me is the radioactive earth, Has it been dead for thousands of years? Is it completely dead? Is it about ready to repopulate or is that impossible?

     I keep thinking the main theme in BSG is “What does it mean to be human”
     and then “Can man finally achieve peace through reconciliation and forgiveness”. It has to come down to the reconciliation of humans and cylons, God and man, Created and creature.

     A mormon teaching that fits with “all this has happended before and all this will happen again” is that “As Man is, God once was and as God is, Man will eventually become”

     Jesus prayed that his disciples would become “one” as He and the Father were “One” This is one of the doctrines of Christianity that when christians finally enter the presence of God they will become like Christ and be one in mind, likeness and communion with the Godhead.

     So I have a sneaking suspicion that the ultimate goal is that the Cylon and humanity will merge and become one new hybrid race and that this will bring an end to war

133. Dude, looks like your Atlantis idea was nuked! 😉

     • It looks that way, although it will be interesting to see how they resolve the timeline repeating issues. The question of what happened before versus what will happen, and how that relates to our own timeline is still pretty unclear.

134. One basic law of light travel has not been discussed! Time Dilation! Battlestar Galactica and the fleet have used numerous “jumps” FTL (Faster than Light) Jumps fleeing the Cylons and so have the Cylons. Notice that in all these jumps neither one has encountered anyother Alien Species! Received anyother transmissons from space except colonial or cylon! Even though Jumps last only a few seconds they could be moving Thousands or years into the Future of Past (no telling where a giant Black Hole may send a Fleet of ships that are “Jumping” pass it’s Gravitational Field (A Black Hole could be a “Time Machine” in it’s own right). Remember the 12 colonies must be Star Systems relatively close to each other( 2-40ly) so no need for “Long Timedilating Jumps”. Ships would simply use sub light speed to carry on commerce and travel among the colonies and leave “Jumps” to Military Ships and Intersteller Crusiers. Time Dilation would be barely noticable in this case and of course could be factored into any “Jumps”. Remember What Admiral Cain told Adama and Roslin…”We Blind Jumped…ANYPLACE….ANYWHERE..except for where we were at! This Senario lets the writers take the show any direction they want, Past, Future, Alternate Past, Alternate Future, Parallel Universes. You name it they can write it…over and over and over and over again….and keep raking in the Benjamins with sequels, prequels, movies…what a Universe…or Universes…uh the hell wit it!!! (lol)

135. I disagree that time dilation plays a part in any of this. I think we have to assume that the colonials have solved the time dilation problem. Otherwise, every time one ship jumps while leaving the others behind (think Kara returning to Caprica earlier in the series) would result in some time difference between those ships. Plus, introducing the concept of time dilation would just confuse most people…I suspect that even most BSG viewers aren’t familiar with the concept.

136. I stand corrected (see comment above)!

137. I suspect that even most BSG viewers aren’t familiar with the concept.

     That was the MAIN REASON they used it…lol

138. It ended – ended superbly. –> Perfect! Just Perfect!
     I liked it – will miss it.

139. I think that they will find earth see humanoid cylons and earth will be the place the cylons are and the cylons will catch them take their technology and force them to breed with the cylons and it will turn out to be the past and the children of the humans and cylons will kill of the cylons and people today will be partly cylon

140. Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the show, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.

141. Damn, that’s crazy…

142. Can I link this post from my blog?

     • Of course.

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