Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica has come to a close with a couple of shockers in the final episode. I have a few thoughts on this season’s finale and some info about what happens next (DVD movie and season 4). This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so don’t read on unless you’re caught up!
The biggest revelation in the season 3 finale was what appeared to be the unveiling of four new cylons: Tigh, Anders, Tyrol, and Tory (the president’s aide). They keep hearing music on the ship and are drawn together into one room. They are sure that they are cylons. It don’t fit with what we know about cylons so far since Tigh has served in the military for 40 years, much longer than the skin jobs have been around. Yet, they don’t seem to question the idea that they are cylons… they just seem to accept it. They may be a new type of cylon that we don’t know about yet. Maybe they are some type of hybrid? Or maybe they are cylons cloned from actual humans? All four were on the planet when the cylons invaded at the end of season 2, so it’s possible that the actual people were replaced with cylons. In any case, this was a huge plot turn and we won’t know more until season 4.
The other shocker was the appearance of Starbuck at the very end of the episode. Is she dead and Apollo is just imagining her? Did she live somehow? Is she a cylon who was reborn? Whatever the case, it looks like Starbuck didn’t stay gone for long. SyFy Portal reports that she will indeed be back for season 4. There were reports that she was looking for work recently, which is true, but she is continuing on Battlestar Galactica as well. SyFy Portal also reported last week that 5 cylons would be revealed in the season finale, the fifth during the final minute of the show. This points to either Starbuck or Apollo being a cylon, and Starbuck seems like the more obvious choice. She tells Apollo that she has found earth… so what seems possible is that she is a cylon, she died, was reborn, and then found earth. It’s another cliffhanger that we won’t learn more about until season 4.
The final major incident in the season finale was the result of Baltar’s trial. Due to Lee Adama’s testimony about how everyone else has been forgiven for what happened on New Caprica and it would be hypocritical not to give Baltar the same treatment, he was found not guilty. Honestly, it was not all that surprising. It was pretty unlikely that they were going to kill off Baltar since he is one of the most interesting characters. But it is causing more drama on the ship, and it will be interesting to see how he deals with his new found hatred. He is hated by many, but also revered by many.
So what happens to Battlestar Galactica from here? Well, there is a DVD movie in the works, which will be released before season 4 begins. SyFy Portal reports that the movie will focus on the original Cylon attack from the perspective of the Battlestar Pegasus. So it will not include the current plotline, instead showing a bit of the past. Since season 4 will not start until January 2008 (!), this may help tide us over a little. With the finale though, the threads left hanging are huge! It is going to be torture to wait 10 months for the next season.
I’m dying over here. The next 10 months are going to be torture.
It was awesome, but damn! I hate that I have to wait. I need a shoulder to cry on. At least Starbuck may not be dead? I don’t think she’s in Lee’s mind. That would be too weird. It has to be something else.
And I’m still convinced that Gaeta is the fifth Cylon. The creep factor just keeps rising on him exponentially. That or it’s Helo, which would make Hera truely interesting.
I was reading the SciFi boards, and most people seem to think the fifth is either Starbuck or President Roslyn (because of her dream sequences). Before the finale, Gaeta was my pick too, but it is more interesting to have it be someone else. I hope that next season we find out about the whole vortex thing with Starbuck… that would have been such a loose thread if she was just gone from the series.