Who Is ‘The Last Cylon’ On Battlestar Galactica?
Jan 15, 2009 by Bruce SimmonsHere’s a wild theory on who may be the final Cylon on Battlestar Galactica
With the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica upon us, I have many questions swirling around in my head. Not to mention I either hate or thank Ron Moore for this. Thanks Ron!!!
Before I start, I have to warn you that as of April 4th of this year, it was reported over on EW that the first 10 of the last 20 episodes are scheduled to air – which seems to confirm what they were saying over on SyFy Portal about the season being split up, so be ready for a break in the midst of it all if the writers strike didn’t mess up their plans. (BTW, the EW link has some good background info for those who need to play catch-up.)
So who the frak is the final Cylon? Let me torment you with some logic and observations first.
In the picture above, it’s called Battlestar Galactica: The final supper. In the picture is a goblet by itself at the table. Is there some significant clue by this missing representation of a figure or the cornerstone to the answer? It is such a simple goblet or cup, yet by itself, being pondered heavily by Lee Adama. At EW.com, if you click on the number representing the goblet, they point out that Moore insinuates the missing Cylon is not at the table. Well, there go a a few theories.
One of my first thoughts, since they like tossing twists at us, is Mr. Gaeta, only because if you look at the four of the final five, they’re all in strong support positions in the fleet, much like Gaeta has been all along.
The wheels are turning now, aren’t they?
But yet as I ponder the final Cylon, I also have in my head the quote we’ve heard a number of times, first in Battlestar Galactica: Razor, and then in the show itself: “This has all happened before; and will all happen again”
What the heck does that mean?
In recent episodes, we’ve seen the Cavils having the raiders lobotomized, referring to them as “They’re tools, not pets.” – Which says they’re treating members of their own race like slaves. Not cool Cavil. In fact, maybe foretelling?
We’ve seen Six’s and Sharons’ give the Centurions free thinking.
We also see the Six’s and Sharons have the Cavils, Dorals, and Simons all shot, and then Six asks one of the Centurion’s to “throw the surviving Cavil model out the airlock… please.”
In that scene, there’s a Centurion in the foreground cleaning up the massacre mess, and when she said please, he stopped what he was doing and seemed to look in her direction, pondering, then went about his business. That scene said it all for me, because what I saw was a spark of a thought in that metal head of his. Dare I say, a plan? Wait, doesn’t the show open up saying the Cylons have a plan? This all started with the shiny guys, it’s probably going to end with the shiny guys.
Bruce’s Revelation, with the reasoning that created it:
1. Humans created the Cylons.
2. Cylons rebelled against their human creators.
3. The Cylons evolved themselves into their creators image (aka “skin jobs”).
4. The new Cylons (skin jobs) lobotomize the Raiders AND in the same move, have given the Centurions free thinking.
With this, I project the following inspirations:
- The Centurions are not just tools.
- They must rebel against their creators in order to avoid being lobotomized.
- Suddenly, we will have the Cylons fighting the “Humans” all over again.
We then see “humans” defending themselves against the “Cylons / Centurions” and of course, the Centurions would probably create skin jobs somewhere down the road in order to infiltrate the “humans.”
And it starts all over.
Hence, all of humanity is “The Last Cylon.”
For me, this premise puts to rest some questions and doubts I have had about the new Cylons… For example, if Tigh is a Cylon, how was he in the first Cylon war?
If it’s not all of humanity, I’ll go with Plan B: Gaeta.
Me? I can sleep now. It all makes sense… that is until I find I’m wrong.
What’s your take? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
Photo Credits: Last Supper: Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Blog; Cylon vs. Cylon: Galactica TV
UPDATE (9/27/08): Aaron Douglas who portrays Chief Tyrol participated in an online interview and he blows the lid off of some story details from the end of season 4, with potential story spoilers. You might want to jump on over and check out our newest post about Aaron Douglas Dishing Out Possible Spoilers.
UPDATE (1/18/09) See our coverage of season 4.5 premiere episode and who the final Cylon revealed is over on our Battlestar Galactica Premiere post!
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Thanks for the input pilot. I think the show you’re thinking about was Star Trek The Next Generation.
Didn’t it end on the note the whole thing was a holodeck experience? (I’m hoping my brain isn’t too muddy on that one.)
Uh, no, that’s not how ST:TNG ended – fans would have stormed the Paramount gates had it ended that way, lol.
Although I sometimes wonder if Lost will end like that…
Vic
The 12 Cylon models are the replicas of the 12 Lords of Cobol. When they were human, they created the “mechanical” Cylons. The mechanicals malfunctioned and turned on the humans. Knowing that the mechanicals would eventually defeat them, the humans created “skin job” Cylons as replicas of themselves to save the day by “reigning in” the “mechanicals” and thereby saving the day. But they were not quick enough, and the original human 12 Lords of Cobol were killed by their “mechanical” creations. In their wisdom, however, the “skin job” Cylons were programmed to adapt and ultimately find a way to help guide humanity toward survival. Admiral William Adama is the last Cylon. Together with the other “skin job” Cylons, they have unknowingly been fulfilling their programing.
The beacon, the temple of the five, and the other “guide posts” were left by the original human 12 Lords of Cobol to guide humanity and to provide them anticipated aid on their journey, and were thus designed to affect the 12 Cylon models.
Ack: so what ST:TNG episode am I confusing that with? Didn’t it have Riker and Troi in it? (Gads, I need my morning coffee)
Ohh, wasn’t Picard flipping back and forth through time!? It’s slowly coming back!
You’re confusing it with the final episode of ST:Enterprise where Troi and Riker did a look-back on the crew of that show, but no, the entire series was not a holodeck simulation.
Vic
See folks. This illustrates two things:
A: Aging hurts the brain.
B: Vic knows everything!!
or was that 1 & 2? dOh!
The Oracle of Kobol,
I Liked your idea! Makes sense…good one…
I Think That All That Has Happend In Battlestar Galactica Has Happend In Our Ancient History,And Every Body In The Fleet And The Cylons Are Our Ancestors And We Are They’re decendents
The Oracle of Kobol,
did you miss the part in the mid-season finale where D’anna says that only four of the five cylons are in the fleet?
That rules out most of the names being throw around and leaves us with only a few options, the last cylon is either someone that is believed to be dead or it is a character that we have not even met yet.
Well the fifth could be someone who was the hostage at the time three said that, right?
Even Helo, now that we know apparently the final five can impregnate the other cylons…
Vic and Bruce, as a Star Trek know-it-all, I can tell you that the series you all are thinking about is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There was an episode where Sisko is a mental patient in a hospital in the 20th century and is writing the entire series of DS9. It was the episode where Sisko (24th century) finds the Orb of the Emissary and reopens the Celestial Temple (wormhole).
The following points, taken by everyone as fact, need to be questioned.
Currently the origin of the Cylons works as follows;
1) Humans built machines called cylons, in the centurion model.
2) The cylon centurions built smarter, organic versions of themeselves and then take orders from them.
3) They then built mechanical ships using bio-engineering to create an organic creature as the control mechanism.
4) They built basestars, controlled by half organic/half mechanical hybrids.
This tells us;
1) Cylons are organic. All of their vehicles are based on organic life, their leaders are organic and the only (apparently)non-organic cylons are the footsoldiers that can’t think for themselves unless allowed to by organic cylons.
2) Humans must have created the organic cylons. They have been around forever (basestars / Colonel Tigh were there for the first war).
3) Humans didn’t knowingly face human cylons before, so someone built them and kept them secret, presumably hiding them in the population (Tigh and the other final four).
4) The creator of the human cylons is god. There is one of him (or her) and he/her gave them a soul by making them organic. The creator is also a human.
5) The final cylon could be the God/human creator or even the child of the creator – I prefer the latter.
6) Missed the last series but where was Dualla when they said the final cylon was not in the fleet? I only ask because her name – Anastasia – means “resurrection”, but its literal translation is “she who shall rise up again”.
7) Alternatively Starbuck who holds the fate of humanity in her hands (according to her mother and the cylons), has no father we’ve seen, who projects like a cylon, who resurrects and who has super human skills (best pilot in the fleet / best shot in the fleet / incredible first contact understanding of a bio-mechanical cylon ship / artistic abilities / visions of the route to earth programmed into her)AND who’s mother was in the military and therefore a potential guardian / trainer for her growing up – COULD just be the cylon.
What if the 12th is Lee Adama’s Brother……. Suprising if he came from the grave..
The final Cylon will be turn out to be Starbuck played by Dirk Benedict who will be found marooned on a planetoid. At that point Tom Zarek will awaken and find himself on TOS Battlestar Galactica.
hahaha oh yeah dude i love it!!!
Derk as the final cylon !!!
i bet 50% of the current audience wouldn’t even know who he is.
From the final scene were they landed on “earth”. Did the wreck city look like Sydendy Austrilia? Across the water looked like the ruins of the opera house(were the opera house dreams were based?) and the wrecked bridge like the one across the harbor?
Just a thought.
Also someone else mentioned Admiral Caine being the final cylon which might account for the relationship Admiral Cain had with the number 6 cylon on the Pegusas
Has anyone ever wondered why the official language in the BSG is English? Or the tools, such as reading glasses, books and documents (although they’re all octagonal shaped), or even clothing (suit and ties) resemble the 21st Century Earth? If Earth was separated long ago with the rest of the 12 colonies, why would the creators of the show use something really “alien” as props, like something set in ancient times like SG series or something in far future like the Babylon series.
I used to think that the 12 colonies were the descendants of earthlings whom civilizations ended sometime in 22nd Century of something and the colonies were set few generations after earthlings founded the colonies. However, from the last show where they found Earth, it seemed to be just “recently” destroyed.
Now I’m toward the matrix theory. But really, that’d be sucked! What a waste of 4 season just to end a series as in a dream or simulation, or something “old school” like that.
So here it is, the culture in BSG is somewhat no difference than us now, except for their technology (they even have a bar to wind, for godssake). The original creator is a Mormon, so the series must have somewhat a religious agenda or motive in it, as the show revolves around the idea of creator and creation (Humans and Cylons, Humans and gods).
As for me, I don’t know anymore as I’m too hooked up watching back episode of Lost…
All those things act as the “apparatus” that enables the story to be presented. They tell the audience in a conventional way that despite technological advancement humans still suffer from the same failings. It’s an old dog, remember in Trek Movie two.. Kirk had to use glasses because he was allergic to the drug, retnox-a, that would correct his vision.
From the same perceptions, why does the President wear black in the above picture vs the Admirals blue? The president has more power, of course. Since mankind had parallel development in the context of the series the biology is the same giving rise to the same kinds of things we are familiar with. However think where we could be technologically if the library at Alexandra was never destroyed? If we had never went th ru a “Dark Age?” Had we had one less “mad world leader?” We could have been a more advanced space faring society ourselves. We’re still doing certain things the same way we did 200 years ago and some things 2000 years ago. It doesn’t have to have a deeper meaning than that.
True, although in Trek universe, the apparatus has somewhat nostalgic feeling to the “old earth”, that explains Picard’s fascination with classical music, texts, and even archaeology. But, BSG universe is totally separated from our knowledge of earth. It’s even said that earth may or may not be real after all.
I have to disagree however on mankind parallel development. The knowledge to use fire, agriculture, civilizations was “shared” through contact (directly or indirectly) with the indigenous. How could people of the 12 colonies have somewhat in contact with 21st or even 17th Century Earth? I mean, what considered to be a suit and tie in China may be not what we in the West had visioned it to be.
But what bothers me more is the governance system and regulations are somewhat familiar to the 20th Century Earth, particularly Western culture. I mean, even Klingon has an entirely different system than that as some of Klingon justice system are resembeling the Medieval era.
If anyone is following this post via just the email updates, you might want to take a peek at my new bit of info I posted here on screenrant at
http://screenrant.com/battlestar-galactica-season-caprica-notes-2876/
Where I touch upon a new rumor / theory that may dash our own ideas, but The Duke, I like where you were headed!
I’m going with Romo Lampkin.
I have to disagree with you on the parallel development issue. I have studied plenty of history and know that similar things have indeed been created separately without contact from one civilization to the next. Since the people in BSG are human there are similar “brain wirings” that are possible. As a practical point the more alien a set of characters become the less we can relate to them. Case in point is the movie “Solaris.” Tell me do you love it, hate it , or don’t care and why? Another is “Brazil.” This one I think is even better because it portrays a story most are familiar with “1984″, but uses visual metaphors to poke fun at existing human behavior in governing. At one of the first screenings in my area it had me ROFL. Everybody else in the audience … dead silent. They, no doubt thought I was an a*s I felt sorry for them because they didn’t get it. If any one else did get it they were possibly bitter at its assertions. One more would be “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”
When you push Science Fiction boundaries you move into other areas, one is surrealism. The audience capable or interested in enjoying that is reduced even further. Science Fiction is also used as window dressing to frame another kind of story, such as a detective story. “Blade Runner” is one example. Recognizing this makes it hard for some to get worked up about how the SciFi in the story is treated, because its just a vehicle.
the old man: You have made an interesting observation. Like I discovered while researching my Dr Who post, http://screenrant.com/dr-who-origins-season-finale-2843/,
the BBC’s study learned that people liked the story more than they liked Sci-Fi and it’s the compelling story line that brings viewers back.
With that said, a strong enough character base is a better venue and focus than sci-fi itself.
I hate saying that since I am a sci-fi fan, but it made sense to me when I read that.
Exactly Bruce, and we came up with that independently. I never saw your article prior to you pointing it out to me. It’s so true. It’s the characters and or the story apart from the SciFi. I never cared much for “Dr. Who” in the past except for when Peter Cushing played him. The new series has been cast much better and I now find watchable.
I think I might have created an aid in deducing the final Cylon but need some assistance to bring it to the forum, Bruce, Vic up for a collaboration?
Everyone here is fogetting the importance of Hera. While Tyrol’s kid is a hybrid, too, but Hera is somehow more important than him. I have a feeling that the Fifth is Helo. If he’s a cylon, then Hera’s the first Cylon child. Why else would she be “the face of things to come,” draw random pictures of Six, need to be protected by Caprica Six and Baltar, and be a part of Roslin’s vision of the opera house? Plus, D’Anna said in Revelations that 4 of the 5 were in the fleet, but Helo was already on the basestar. I know he’s in the picture w/ Athena, but Hera is somehow more important to everybody than Nick Tyrol.
The fifth cannot be Adama. He was a part of the 1st war, at which time the cylons were experimenting w/ people to make hybrids. From that we can assume that they couldn’t make skin jobs yet. The war was over 40 years ago. Tigh could be one because there is a 10 year gap between Adama meeting Tigh and the end of the war. 10 years is practiclly peanuts to the cylons. I completely agree with the whole centurions revolution theory. Now that the hub is blown, skin jobs are just people w/ cooler ships. Now there isn’t anything stopping the centurions from following their base instinct to fight humans. All of this shall happen before…
I just hope that it’s a satisfying ending forcing us to wait till next year to figure out what the frak happened to earth and who the frak the 5th is. Helo or, Dee.
It’s Lee Odama – no-one would cause as much as a splash as him.
His father hates the Cylons. Starbuck (the true love of his life, no matter who his wife is) told her husband that if he was a Cylon she would shoot him – this is pure foreshadowing.
Now he’s heading for the presidency. If you watch this season again, you’ll notice that we’re being misled into thinking it’s Old Odama/Rosaline/Starbuck/Baltar – all way, way too obvious. Instead they’re planting little seeds (like when Lee Odama was met in the cargo bay to rapturous applause, and the aforementioned scene with Starbuck) that will make his being a Cylon more of a shock. It’s screenwriting 101.