Look, don’t read this if you are worried about spoilers. Seriously. Why are you even reading a post about the Fifth Cylon if you aren’t curious, right?
The number of people who read my blog always surprises me. What surprises me even more is that almost everyone who tells me this asks when I’m going to post about Battlestar Galactica again.
Since January is around the corner, it’s about time for another post. Here we go.
First, there is a Season Four promo up on SciFi now. If you haven’t watched it, you have to. Now.
SyFy Portal broke a story yesterday that basically says that they’ve known the identity of the Fifth Cylon for some time. They don’t come right out and say it, but they give a list of the “Top Five Candidates”. I thought I’d reproduce the list here, with my own comments on their likelihood:
- Lee Adama. Adam’s Odds = 1%. Sorry, exactly how would Adama raise a Cylon from birth and not know it? To justify this, pretty much everyone would have to be a Cylon in one form or another. I like this theory even less than Zak Adama… I’m giving it 1% out of respect for those who believe, and as a hedge against the remote chance of lameness on the writers’ part.
- Felix Gaeta. Adam’s Odds = 50%. Some potential indicators that Gaeta is the one. First, he helped the resistance, like the other four of the final five. Seems to have always been around the one in command – either Adama or Baltar. Sings strange music when injured, as if he is enjoying the “humanity” of pain and emotion. Also, killed the doctor with a pen to the neck in a fairly brutal way.
- Laura Roslin. Adam’s Odds = 4%. Sorry, I know this is a favorite for some people. “Imagine the drama if Adama’s love interest is a Cylon!” Maybe if Battlestar Galactica were on Lifetime I’d buy it. But not on SciFi. Not with this writing crew. I’m giving it a nudge above Lee Adama because at least it puts a Cylon at the head of everything from the start, answering the question of why she was the only surviving member of the cabinet.
- Ellen Tigh. Adam’s Odds = 20%. Not a terrible option, given that Colonel Tigh is one of the five, and the resurrection of Ellen would be an interesting cathartic moment for Saul given the murder. Also helps explain the visualization of Number Six as Ellen, somewhat. Problem with this answer is, well, it’s not really that interesting.
- Cally Tyrol. Adam’s Odds = 25%. Am I the only one who was glad to see Cally die? Really hope it’s not this one, but it adds a very strange option to the mix, since it makes their baby a product of two Cylons. Always nice to have a Cylon hater turn out to be one. I personally can’t imagine this as a good choice, but so many people like it, I’m bumping the odds based on crowd-sourcing.
Of course, I still like the idea of Zak Adama as the final cylon, since his ghost has been haunting the show since the beginning. But too many people think that it can’t be a character we haven’t seen before.
Battlestar Galactica resumes on January 16th.
Psychohistory 
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I like Cally for this. Although I liked her character’s exit from the show, I think they could play some interesting stuff with her obvious ill feelings toward the boomer model. And, it may provide a creepy history to a cylon love triange (boomer-galen-cally).
So sorry for posting this comment the 3rd time (I hope I’m not abusing), but I need it to rest my case on these new “insights”. My opinion about them in particular is at the bottom of this comment.
Guys, you forget one very important thing. One other clue to the 5th’s identity is linked to the “wake up call”. The 5th cylon was NOT on the ship when the music went on, compelling the 4 to gather. If it was, it would have been revealed as well. Also, later, 3 confirms that there were only 4 cylons on the ship at that time (she would not have made that assumption if she wasn’t sure of it, so just not seeing the 5th is not an option. She knew exactly where they were before seeing them).
That being said, the 5th cannot be either Gaeta, Dee, Starbuck, Roslin, Lee or Bill Adama, Cally, Cottle (an otherwise good suspect) or any other character on Galactica at that time (I would also presume that the “wake up call” would have been heard all across the fleet, ruling Zarek out as well, becuse 3 didn’t feel the 5th there either). So it could be ANY character who died before the “wake up call”. It must also be a huge surprise and a tensionate one. So minor characters as Adar are also out of the question, becuse the main characters do not have a special relationship with them (Roslin’s was not that powerfull for a proper comeback). Also, the 5th is NOT the Cylon God. That is (or was, if it has been replaced or not) the old Hybrid in Razor, the first Hybrid. The final 5 are equal in rank, and the Cylon God, if it’s a cylon, it’s another one.
Zak is a good theory, ALTHOUGH!… Leoben could not have known the last 5 to point Zak out. Also, I bet my money on a well known character because this is the way the public will get the most excitement and I don’t think that the producers will not want to make the most of it. This gives me a few options left:
– Admiral Cain – too evil in my opinion for a proper comeback, the surprise would be not that strong, plus that we all have the feeling that she got what she deserved when 6 shot her and I don’t think the producers what to stir that again.
– Ellen – not a powerful enough presence, and also hated by many for betraying the resistance, the 5th should be a loved character for the best effect. Moreover, Baltar identified her as non-cylon. And yes, Baltar’s test works, becuse he identified Boomer, but he chose to keep quiet, and then he didn’t continued testing to get to all the other characters. If he did, I”m sure he would’ve found the others, including the final… 5 🙂
– Kat – A better choice than the previous, because of her sacrifice to save the last ship lost in the nebula, but still a bitch a lot of the times, especially to Kara, which made her unpleasant a lot of episodes. Still, the actual caring Kara has for her might be enough of a comeback drive.
And my final. most confident and best option is…
– Billy – Let’s face it. Who on this show didn’t love Billy? He was sweet, shy, hurt by Dee, still he was intelligent in advising Roslin and stood by her all the time. She considered him her son. He also died in saving Dee’s life. I have all the confidence that he is the 5h Cylon. Just give it a thought…
Still, there is a thing that I haven’t really figured out yet… When 3 sees the faces of the final 5, she stops at the last one and sais “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know”. So it must be someone she did soething bad or fought dirrectly against to. If Billy is the final cylon, she or any other cylons didn’t have a special relationship with him. Unless, of course, she was not refering to the 5th, and then the best match is Saul, who was tortured in the cylon prisons, even if not by her, and lost an eye. Or, even better, Cain, who was shot by a 6. Still, that sounds like a possible clue to the 5th to me… It could be, it could be not. Maybe you have other viable options…
These new “suspects” are a bit of a letdown to me… because the producers contradict themselves by nominating Lee and Roslin who are on that “last supper” picture, while they said the 5th cylon is NOT in that picture. Also, because they also want to fool us by making us look the other way about the “wake up call” fact that i DON’T think they didn’t take into cosideration. For me that is a fact that cannot be ignored, that rules out Cally and Gaeta as well. That would leave Ellen… hm… not the best choice if you ask me… as I’ve previously stated my arguments. Still, it could be… but I for one wouldn’t be impressed. This is why I think that these “clues” are more or less bogus, only meant to bring more confusion.
After digging these theories a little bit, I found a much better option than Billy: Kendra Shaw. Why? Because she is mysterious enough, and even if she was on in Razor only, she was a powerful enough presence for her to make a connection with the other characters and with the audience. Even if she killed these innocents, she is mostly seen as a “victim of the system” and easily forgot when staying behind to blow that ship with the 1st Hybrid. But the most promising clue came from the Hybrid himself: “You must not follow Kara Thrace. She is the harbinger of death. She will lead you all to destruction” (sorry, I don’t know the exact words but this is close enough). That might mean that Kara leading her kind… THE CYLONS… to Earth, might mean their demise. The series is ending soon, so I would think it would make a logical outcome that the cylons will be destroyed in the end (but not all of them… muahahahahaha).
Also, a quite interesting (but damn mad, highly unlikely and too “incompatible”) theory I’ve read somewhere, which I think would get the most surprise because it would mean we thought it wrong the whole way through, is that EVERYBODY is a cylon. That the humanity was exterminated during the first cylon war and that the cylon God decided to repopulate the world with unaware cylons that would reenact the lost human civilization. That would explain how could Saul (who was born when Bill found the 1st hybrid, that is, if cylons do get born, but I think that the final five do, since they have to age in order to look real for so long. Also, Saul impregnating 6 shows they can also conceive) could be that old. But what it makes it highly improbable is that if there were billions of cylon models, what is the point of the whole fuss about the 12?
I would think that the answer is not the theory above, but one similar in “thinking outside the box”. Or at least I hope. That would really impress me. With all this talk about who is the 5th cylon, we more or less counted everyone, so the impact will not be that strong when we find out who of these would it be. And I really think it was a really clever show so far, and I would count on it being so in the future too.
Some great discussion, but one thing to note:
Baltar never cleared Ellen Tigh. Remember, he tested her, but when Head Six asked about the results, he just gave a sly smile and didn’t reveal.
Also, how do we know the Final Five would be vulnerable to the same type of tests if they are “fundamentally different” Cylons as RDM has said?
Hmmm… yeah, your right… I thought he did, but now I remember, thanks for pointing this out.
But although he never said he cleared her, I think he did… beacuse if he did’t when he was searching for the final 5 with D’anna, he would have known at least one of them, and he was as puzzled as every other cylon. Still… he may have discovered Helen Tigh was a cylon and just not care about it, because he wanted to see the final 5 faces because he thought he was one of them. So, as egocentric as we know Baltar, he might have done this just for his own interests, and just not say “hey, I know one of the final 5”. I can’t remember any scene in which Baltar says he knows none of the 5. If you do, please tell me.
But you are right with the “fundamentally different” issue. They might be VERY different. We don’t even know where they (and IF they, for that matter) download when they die. But I believe it has something to do with Earth.
I’ve checked the SciFi forum, and a lot of them seem to share a strange theory, based on the final words of the first hybrid in razor, where he says something about… i don’t remember very well… him talking about getting to the “promised land” as it would not be a place, but an entity, a being, a planet, or even a ship, with a mind of it’s own… I can’t say I agree, but than again, I want to look into every option. Still, I stick with the 5th cylon being the last cylon model, and it being humanoid, like the other 5. After all, D’anna saw 5 robed people, with 5 faces.
Are you going to claim it was an accident that you described Roslin as “Adam’s love interest” instead of “Adama’s love interest”?
The Number Six in my head made me type it.
Adam — I don’t believe you gave 2 dead characters higher odds then Roslin …. 🙂 Personally, I think its down to her or Gaeta.
Roslin is still my pick. Her being the fifth helps explain all the visions & prophecies. She’s also the only one with an explanation for why she has not yet “awakened” as a Cylon — the drugs she is taking must be messing with her system.
The fifth Cylon is Tom Zarek. He is the only human who expresses a monotheistic bent. In the first episode where he is introduced he gives away his identity IMO.
The explanation for the visions of Roslin may very well be the cylon blood from Hera. I gave a very good reason why Roslin can’t be a cylon just above.
I have brought it down to 4 possible’s. I really think it is Romo because he has a fair amount of mystery surrounding his Motives for gettin Baltar off. I mean I dont believe that he just believes in the legal system enough to get over everyone’s loathing of Baltar. Gaeta is a big candidate as well. I really dont think that Battlestar is gonna bring someone who died back as the final cylon but its always a possibility if that did happen the most likely candidate would be Kendra Shaw. I think that she probably was one of the coldest characters we have seen other than cain so that would work. I think Starbuck is a candidate even though I love her so much. I mean we all saw her ship blow up and the black hole theory doesnt really cover that lol. If I had to choose the most Likely candidate I would probably say Starbuck just because we would hate it soo much. But im also kind of shying away from that possibility because im pretty sure she would commit suicide as soon as she found out. Bill Adama would be a great turn of events that no one has even really spoken of. I also think that the interactive EW picture is just to fool all of the people like me who cogitate on this question night and day lol. Logically im really leaning toward Gaeta though.
God, I will stop watching if it’s Gaeta. I’m sorry, I know it’s mean, but I’ve always felt that character to be the biggest, most annoying weenie. Maybe it’s just me.
I’ve gone back and forth on this one A LOT, but based on this discussion, the new trailer, the characters, etc…I keep coming back to Starbuck. (I’m not convinced she’d kill herself if she thinks she’d only accomplish a download.)
As listed above, the audience loves her so much, and she hates the Cylons the most. If drama is conflict, (with maximum conflict being the rule for all BSG storylines) this character’s inner crisis would present one of the single-most dramatic conflicts while also personifying the ‘goal’ of the story: Cylons and Humans as one.
Starbuck would either become whole, or destroy everything.
A romantic guess, but I can’t wait to find out either way!
Zarek, the original Apollo, is my best guess. He is removed from the other 4 cylons, and has created a following (cult-like) of Humans who distrust the colonial leadership and military. He expresses leadership qualities that none of the other cylons have been able to. The existing cylons have not been able to unify themselves since their civil war. Zarek will get his switch turned on, and bring some closure and real meaning to his character.
ooo. I like the Zarek possibility…;)
The Sci-Fi Portal is a reliable source and people are still stating it’s a character not on their list of five….Zarek? ..Lampkin? ..Starbuck? ..Come on. The clues have been given to us; not in the Last Supper picture, not in the Colonial fleet ,hungering for redemption, Baltar’s refusal to reveal Ellen’s test results and Head six’s references in the episode TIgh me up Tigh me down.Tigh’s relationship with Caprica Six. It all points to Ellen. Whether you like it or not it seems to be the truth. I believe there are still many secrets to be revealed about Ellen Tigh. She is not all she appears to be. Her mysterious introduction in season one and her abrupt demise all point to much greater plans for her character. Strangely, she has also been spotted filming scenes for the final episode in a strip club with Caprica Six. (in the presence of Adama and Tigh). Coincidence? I think not.
alexandros–
You are forgetting one major thing with your analysis…when the music was switched on, it was not the same time when D’anna made the claim that there were 4 in the fleet. Much time lapsed between when the 4 were turned on and that particular moment. Of course Adama, Roslin and company were on Galactica then…if you remember, Roslin blacked out for a moment when the music came on (thats when Dradis went down unexpectedly).
Plus, when D’anna said such (about the 4), Baltar, Starubuck, Roslin and others were on the baseship with HER. So, the can of worms is open once again. Yes, I can understand that Gaeta, Dee and others can be excluded based on what D’anna said, but you CANNOT make that assumption when Adama, Roslin and co. were on the baseship. Remember, you are talking about two different points in the story–which were not of the same time in “space”…. literally!
How about the ex-Mrs. Adama… Lee’s mom…? eh? eh? that would be a great mindfrak
An the winner is… Humm just because BSG said ( actually ty) helen is the 5th does not mean it really is the fifth.
I think it does, John. I think it does.
Of course, they haven’t explained Starbuck yet, or what a Planet Earth with millions of other models walking around means. Why did five leave and survive/regenerate, while the others didn’t?
Adam
My Hypothesis: The “humans” in the show are the robots that destroyed Earth. “Real” humans are dead or in hiding waiting for their “children” to return.
So, in essence, everyone’s a Cylon. And the New Cylons are the Old Cylon’s Cylons. And now the New Cylons have Cylons of their own: the Centurions.
“All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.”
Dude. I’ve watched it 4 times since Friday, and I give up. If Helen’s the fifth, what the frak is Starbuck?!
Personally, I don’t think Helen’s a big enough ‘surprise’…I just don’t think she’s important enough (to us, the audience) but ‘whatev’ *talk to the hand*.
I’m happily resigned to watching whatever spagetti they throw at us next and the very strong likelihood that none of the answers, if any, will stick till the very last episode.
I noticed something in re-watching both the last episode of last season and the first episode of this one. They NEVER showed us enough of the “Earth” to demonstrate that it was THE Earth … our Earth. And, we NEVER saw the moon … not in orbit, not in the sky. No moon was visible.
So … I have to ask … was it really our Earth??? Or, was it Terra (remember, “Terra” from the original series?).