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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As for me, I don’t believe that The Four are really Cylons. They were all in Cylon hands for some time while on New Caprica. I believe they have been brainwashed into thinking they are Cylons. My theory came into doubt though when I saw the Presidents assistant backhand Callie. That was not normal strength. I believe that Baltar is a Cylon though. Which would explain his ability to visualize his own 6 and himself. I firmly believe that Tigh and the Chief are both human, with the other two doubtful. Did Adama know Tigh before they were stuck on that crappy freighter together? If so, that excludes Tigh from being anything but human. No, the twist might lay in the idea that The Four are still human while the Final Five haven’t been shown to us at all.
Its all happened before. It will all happen again. They’re all cylons. The 13th colony is the cylon homeworld. Its a simulation by the cylons to see what will happen if they wipe out human kind “their creators” for playing god. They are children scorned and nothing more.
Nice Theory, but I’ll take it a step further. The humans, the real humans, are on Earth. The fled Caprica decades/centuries ago during the first real “Cylon War”. The cylons that remained evolved into “Humans”, their children (cause apparently skin jobs can have kids) are the survivors of the latest, newest cylon war (Lee, the President, etc.), Maybe using photographs of real Humans as templates for their human selves. The Centurions (their servants) at some point rebelled. That rebellion was the cylon “Humans” great war. The cylon “Human”, believing they are real Humans are now searching for Earth. This would explain why Col. Ty can be a cylon and have fought in that “first” war. This would also explain how a human and a robot can reproduce… they’re both organic robots!
My brain hurts… Why did the humans leave Kobol again?
I can’t help think there are more human cylons than the 12 as well, Kelly.
In last season’s finale, when Galactica jumped to the nebula and the power outage caused the fleet to power down, Roselyn doubled over and grabbed her head… just about the time Tigh and the other 3 had the revelation that they were cylons. I didn’t notice it until the marathon week on SciFi and I watched it again. Add that to her personality inconsistencies (harsher and darker with her closest friends) and I can’t help thinking Roselyn is a cylon. She may be the final, or she may just be the prophet foretold in Pythia.
Maybe they will land on earth just in time to finish off the election. And announce that Bush is the final model.
Wow, this got me thinking.
Try this on for size.
Earth is much more then the 13th colony, it is the first.
They created the cylons but something happened and they ended up throwing them as far away as they could. They cylons began to wander without any guidance so they started creating their own masters, hence the skin jobs. Now it is possible that since they believe in the one true god they created 12 apostles in order to communicate with god, because of their limited knowledge of the religion. They then for some odd need create the 12 colonies in order to give each apostle their own area to lead. The 12 begin to have kids and found that in order to populate their worlds faster they should create clones. I’m guess is that the 7 are similar to the originals that were first copied but not exactly the same. The other 5 models never copied and the 5 that we see now look nothing like the originals from years ago. So the first war started because the 7 models were tired of doing the dirty work of the 5 Cylons and wanted to start breading on their own instead of being copied all the time. Yes yes I know allot of holes in it but I can’t remember every detail unfortunately. They left the 12 colonies alone and went off to build better fighting machines to get ride of the 5. Now at some point they loose their knowledge of what happened and all information on the 5 became restricted because they did not like them. That is why they are not allowed to talk about them, they don’t know why they just know that can’t, should not, forbidden whatever. Because of the 5 never copying and just reproducing they have no idea what they look like. However there is some code that passes on to only a set number, like the 4 we know about, in order to make sure that if problems ever come up there is a deep programming that keeps Cylons from killing them. My guess is so that there is always some type of genetic code still around in order to keep the original memories or programming around.
Starbuck might be from Earth sent to find out what the hell the Cylons are up to and what she find is not good. If you think about it she is in the perfect spot to infiltrate the cylons, gets in with high ranking officer’s sons? Yeah that would work. Now when is goes down into that storm she is killed, or at least her body is. My guess is the people on Earth have involved to the point where they are almost immortal so when she dies ZOOM right into a new body, or transported, or something. Remember if Earth did make the first cylons they would have had similar technology and the rebirth skin jobs might just have been remembered technology from Earth. Hard to say, but that could be why they say Starbuck is going to lead to the end or whatever. If she does lead them to Earth they will learn that they are all Cylon generations and boom, no longer human. They could find that Earth no longer has Humans left, that they evolved into a higher being. If you remember the Star Ship from the old series they said that they simply evolved from something like humans. Could be the same way in this case and Starbuck can’t remember because she had to devolve in order to infiltrate the cylons. Also her ship comes back good as new, so did the original Starback from the old show. He even cames back with a white suit, everything restored to like new, even him!! Never know.
Now the last one would have to be in a support role, and if you remember the photo that Dianna made, it looks like 3 men and two woman. My thoughts are the last cylon is going to be a woman, which one who knows. http://media.battlestarwiki.org/images/2/25/FFSketches.jpg
Cheers
Holy crap, Bugg! I didn’t even think about that. That’s the ultimate twist, that the four are not Cylons but brainwashed (including Roselyn).
Which would mean the final 5 have yet to be revealed. I like it…
It’s improbable but I like it.
For some reason I keep thinking that it is Lee Odama. It makes it easier for the writers of the show. You want a nice surprise without being too complicated.
Lee already seems like an outsider. He looks like he might take over the fleet as president. It would be a nice surprise, with the father/son relationship having to change. It just seems practical. If both Kara and Odama Sr. still loved him it would be a cool moment about acceptance of cylons.
Well, I think that there are only three possible solutions to answer the question: who is the last cylon?
1) Starbuck: Let’s face it, she died. How else do you explain her return if not for the fact that she is actually a cylon? I think this is the most probable solution.
2) Baltar: Let’s face it, his schizophrenic episodes are prescient. How else do you explain how his actions have been guided from the very beginning? I think that this is a somewhat probable solution.
3) Dualla: Her absence from the “last supper” table is consistent with Moore’s hint that the last cylon is not at the table.
I like many of the theories here, but just as on LOST, the creators have tipped their hands quite a bit lately, allowing us to weed out a lot of stuff that is no longer feasible and converge on the truth. I think the final Cylon is a known character, but one not too obvious (not Baltar or Starbuck, so maybe Roslin or Tom Zerak?) “All Along the Watchtower” is a huge clue that puts us at some point later than 1967 on Earth. The song was written, then Cylons were created by descendants of the same civilization, with that song as part of the programming. (Although none of the Cylons seem to recognize it.) The song memory may have been triggered by proximity to Earth, to activate “Watchtower” mode. These Cylons may be programmed to guard Earth, to prevent anyone from reaching it. To fulfill the Prophecy, the Galactica will find Earth in our far future, bad Cylons will kill all but a handful, who in turn will start a new human race, spread to the stars, build Cylons, and program them never to return to Earth.
Your theory would be similar to how Animal Farm played out. The animals rebel against their masters, but the Pigs become the new masters, and the cycle starts all over again.
So … they saw ALL OF HUMANITY in the operahouse? i think not.
I think you all forget that Leoben told Roslin “Adama” is a cylon… which now I just frack’d my head? then Leoben knows the identity of the final model and isn’t telling someone?
Ok well based on that premise there are 4 possible, maybe 5.
1) Bill Adama
2) Lee Adama
3) Zach Adama
and the curve balls
4) Dualla – married into the Adama family
5) President Roslin – she’s been kinda touchy feely w/ Bill, wouldn’t surprise me if the two got married. Also she could be a new kind of model, different from the rest since she was injected with the hybrid blood from the human/cylon love child
Name dropping alert: Had dinner with some of the cast last weekend in Germany and I didn’t even know a cast member bit the dust until I watched the tape ep yesterday. AND SHE WAS ONE OF MY GUESTS!!! We were all pretty drunk but a perfect time to extract some news. Damn they’re good. They are very closed lipped.
Just a few things, we have already discussed how there are the 12 Cylon models, and the 12 Disciples of Christ, but, (and maybe I have missed this discussion already) there are also 12 tribes of Isreal, and Greek Mythology, there are the 12 Great gods. Just thought I would throw that out there.
I’ve been toying with the ideas of Roslin, Baltar and Starbuck each being the final Cylon, but each of them seems too obvious, given the importance the show is still placing on this idea. If Starbuck really were a Cylon, for instance, these first couple of episodes would’ve played out differently, with far less concrete reason to doubt her. In addition, Baltar has wondered for so long that his being a Cylon would be totally anticlimactic from a dramatic perspective. Also, it probably would’ve been revealed before now, at least to him, and the show would’ve taken a very different turn. As for Roslin, that could be, but they’ve still telegraphed it as a possibility a bit too obviously for me to buy it. Unless there’s some crazy double-fakeout thing going on…
In reading all these comments, it reminded me of a throwaway line from one of the recent episodes: Adama and Lee are talking about whether Kara is a Cylon or not, and Lee asks, “What if it were my brother? Would it matter whether he was a Cylon?” Now, I’m probably making too much hay of this, but it’d be a really interesting twist if the brother (whose name I forget) were the final Cylon. Maybe he died and was regenerated in another, isolated tank; maybe even back on Earth. Imagine the effect it’d have on father and son if, having reached Earth, the long-dead member of the Adama family were there to meet them. It would also explain the imperative for the relationship he’d had with Kara way back when, I think. Anyway, just a thought…
Admiral Kane.
The author is almost right, the final cylon is all of Earth. The 12 tribes left earth as twelve models of cylons that had rebelled against their masters, but lost the war that followed. In the millenia after their migration they became the humans that they had fought so hard to imitate, and thence became the monsters that created mechanical slaves that then rebelled….
Baltar is the last cylon. The last few episodes a battle ensues and everyone dies but him. He escapes in a ship crashes on earth in the Jerusalem the last scene is him giving the sermon on the mount.
Not sure who the last Cylon is but I do have theory on this has all happened before. Moore has been very good in brining in elements from the original series in interesting ways. Recall that the in the old series, the opening dialog says something to the affect “There are those who believe that life here began out there.” My theory is that they (humans and Cylons) find earth. In the past. Way past, 10,000 or so years ago. They have an epic battle leaving only a few survivors – human and skin jobs. Combined, THEY both become a new species, homo sapiens. We are their progeny, part biologic, part manufactured. 10,000 or so years later they become technologically advanced once again, become space faring, build advanced robots who rebel and we start all over again.
Oh and I think Gaeta has a good chance of being the 12th. Or better, Tom Zarek. It would be poetic justice for the Apollo from the old series to be a Cylon.
Just my thoughts.
I like the Gaeta theory, and there has to be a final Cylon because we have seen a 5th robed figure. I have a couple theories of my own:
-Time travel must come into this at some point. -I think there may be a 3rd party out there we haven’t really seen, connected to both the final Cylon and Starbuck’s disappearance, but perhaps responsible for the visions Baltar, Six and Starbuck have seen. Someone or think knew the end game, otherwise why would so many Cylons be on such an old Battlestar nobody though should have survived anything. This would also explain the whole “happened before” thing. I think 12 will return to prehistory, will be the basis for the 12 models, and found the 12 colonies. They will be sent back together to Colbolt (spelling) and leave in seperate ships form that location
-I think the final 4 revealed at the end of season 3 are Cylons, but that they are differant because they were real people, who were killed and downloaded/copied into Cylon bodies. That would explain Tye.
That is my theory. I’m sure I’ll be wrong, but it makes the most sense to me.
Sorry if a lot of this is in the above posts. I haven’t read them all.
Guys – its obvious – the Vice President – Richard Hatch – a nice tip of the hat to the old series!
WOW. A mind-blowing and risky theory. The only problem is that it’s a major network show. I can’t imagine that everyone in the fan base would be pleased with the “humanity as the final cylon” theory. It’s too unresolved. A lot like the “matrix within the matrix” theory before Matrix Revolutions came out. And that’s why I think this end, however compelling, won’t happen.
But still… it’s a great thought.
Hello,
This is Bruce, the author of this post.
I usually interact with folks who comment on my posts but I would have to take a vacation day and sit down at the terminal and shut my office door!
I’d just like to take a moment to say how in awe I am of all the creative ideas piling in that range from out of the blue funny, “George Bush, the final Cylon” to incredibly insightful reflections, as in who’s holding the knife at the table. There are too many great ideas of which I can quote here.
I just want to say thanks for taking a look and participating in the conversation, and for the awesome feed back or extensions on my theory or new theories that have been spun off of it.
Now we just have to wait and see.. and keep in mind, if you’ve skipped directly to the bottom of the page to post, there are some real well thought out ideas in the comments above.
I’ll check back later one and see how we’re doing!
Best Regards to everyone..
Bruce Simmons
I know this is way out there but what about Ellen Tigh? We know that Saul and Ellen never had any children and that cylons can not have offspring together. It may have been a side programming of Ellen’s to sleep with the rest of the fleet in an attempt to create a hybrid child. The series mentions how cylons have tried this with humans many times but always failed, believing that love was the missing component and that fits the bill for Ellen.
Well, I enjoy your theory of the cycle of the war repeating, and I do agree about Tigh, that doesn’t make much sense. But I do disagree about humanity being the last cyclon. Several things fall to mind about that being incorrect. First the raiders falling back because he was a cyclon. Unless that is throughly explained… I don’t see it happening. Second, the mysterious reappearance of Starbuck and her ship exploding and earth. Something about that suggests that there is another force at work. Not to mention the whole Gaius and 6 seeing beings working for “god”. I think Geata is a smart choice, but also that Lawyer (I’m horrible with names) who defended Baltar in the Finale of season 3. He seemed far too put together. But also, you have to think, the Xena Cylon (again bad with names) KNOWS one of the final 5. As was with her vision before being put to sleep. She said I’m so sorry. So that means she’s met one of them. In Person. That kind of limits the choices, since I can’t recall her meetings. But it was after occupation. So, I think I’ll start scanning through the old episodes. Starbuck, comes to mind just cause of the fight they had for the arrow. Anyways, that’s enough of my pieces
Hey man awesome theory. I have one of my own though. I was thinking the otherday about who the last cylon is and who would is left to have enough impact to the story. My thought process is this: Througout the past 4 years we have gotten many back stories and foreshadowing tomost of the important characters. Now ask yourself who of importance has not had a backstory?. Razor gave us the admiral, and we met starbucks mom. No person who has been announced that they were a cylon has a backstory. I use the term back story only with the people that have had a visual backstory. The people that are left that fall into this category (and keep in mind that they must have a huge impact) are:
Gaeta
Lee Adama
Gaius
and
The president of the 12 colonies
yes
Laura Roslyn
There is one more person that would be the ultimate bomb and I mean this would drop everyones
mouth to the floor.
Lee Adamas Brother
I know that he was supposed to be dead… but
I think that would Frak with everyones mind
Cheers
RDS
I’m amazed that you’ve found any other explenation than this: (its what i puzzled together after season 1, and still strongly beleive)
Humans make tools.
Tools revolve, humans leave earth 1.
Tools kill humans.
Tools end and start profecy on earth 2.
Tools become humans.
Humans choose not to make the same mistake, and forget. They live simple, have faith in some deithy and the concept of soul.
Several thousand years go by with the humans evolving and forgetting.
Loop goes on. Planet earth is reset every time.
OT – the last cyclon? Perhaps its not humanoid.
Could even be a pocketsize spy agent that hid in lots of places, like kitchen appliance or ship bridges. Lets hope it is a ship of the fleet itself.