Insights On Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5

When you think Battlestar Galactica, (BSG), do you think of any other TV series like the modern day Star Trek series, Carnivale or Roswell?  Or how about Mission Impossible II?  Why would you, you may be asking?

You would if you were a follower of Ronald D. Moore, the man behind the show that has us scrambling to figure out who the final Cylon is.

Ronald D. Moore’s past experience as producer and writer have brought him to this point – where he’s got a pretty good handle on how to deliver a story.  His experience gives him the edge he needs to explore the darker side of humanity, to deliver a dark compelling story about how the Human race has been reduced to a few thousand individuals trying to survive while sorting out their place in the scheme of things.  Moore explores delicate social balances while the surviving fleet of humans pursue what they first thought was nothing but a religious myth.

I came across a recent interview of Moore and something he said there made me nervous… I think we need to be emotionally prepared for what is coming at us in the second half of the final season of BSG.

In his mind, he loved the way the HBO show The Sopranos ended, but said that was an open ended finale.  The characters were meant to live on after the show ending moment.  With Battlestar Galactica, he pointed out that the ending of the show will be the end of their narrative.  As in the end of the sentence.  A period.  Done…  oh my.

What does he have in mind then?  Or more accurately, what is on the digital media that is holding the rest of season 4?

If you hadn’t noticed (but how could you not), getting to the end of this tale wasn’t just about technology revolting against its creators.  It also incorporated a religious overtone with polytheists vs. monotheists.  Of the strength of ones own faith, pursuing that which they could not see.  Yet pieces of this mythical quest slowly came to be, giving it more credence as time went on, making it seem more the truth than a myth.

Ronald D. Moore

Moore has explored the blurry edge of theological differences between the opposing forces who are now strained allies.  Yet regardless of what faith they held dear, it seemed all for naught in the mid-season finale as they arrived at what was thought to be Earth…  A devastated and ruined Earth.  Now their faith is in question.

As Moore puts it, both sides feel betrayed by their faith, that they may possibly have no God – and now have to deal with themselves.

A rather sobering point that Moore made was in reference to the upcoming unveiling of the final Cylon.  He compared this to the famous question back in the 80s: “Who shot JR?” No matter who it turns out to be, some of us will be let down while others will feel justified.

It’s here that I must warn you that to avoid going crazy, whoever it turns out to be, we have to accept it and move on.  No second guessing.  The fun, the ride… will be over alright?  I don’t want my readers going crazy!  Besides, we’ll find something else to conjecture upon somewhere down the road!

As far as that final Cylon, we won’t have to wait for the very last-minute end of the series to find out who or what it is – because Moore didn’t want this reveal to be so all important that it becomes the reason for the series/final season.  He did pitch that once we see who it is, the revelation will fit into the entire mythology of the show itself.

Hmm…  now does that get the wheels turning or what?  I’ve already started second guessing my own choices, but I will remain steadfast on principal.

A snippet on the prequel Caprica:

Moore almost gave up on getting Caprica off the ground.  Being a character based drama in a world stemming from science fiction that wasn’t always going to be riddled with action was a hard pitch but he made it stick with the network.  He obviously is putting a bit of pressure on himself since he realizes no one has ever really pulled off a successful series with this mix, but feels if the show is a success, it would go a long way to validating the genre.

I think if anyone can do it, he just might be able to make it stick.

Have your Vipers in their launch bays ready to go because Battlestar Galactica will return to the Sci-Fi Channel on January 16th for the conclusion of this 4th season!

Sources:  imdb.com, amctv.com