I have some speculations about Battlestar: Galactica that contain SPOILERS for those who haven’t seen the last few episodes, so I’m burying them in the comments section.
"Austro" as in Rothbard and Wittgenstein, "Athenian" as in Aristotle and smashing-the-plutocracy.
About Roderick T. Long
The Empirical Me
I’m Roderick T. Long, Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University. I’m an Aristotelean/Wittgensteinian in philosophy and a left-libertarian market anarchist in social theory. (More about me here.) This blog, Austro-Athenian Empire, is a continuation of my earlier blog, archived here.
WARNING: SPOILERS
When the BSG fleet first discovered the bombed-out remains of Earth, there were questions among the viewers as to whether this really was Earth – partly because, by contrast with the end of season 3 where we glimpse Earth from space and see a clear outline of North America, when they actually reach the planet they reach we never see any identifiable features from space.
Since then, many fans have taken this interview with Ron Moore as confirming that the planet is indeed Earth. Moore is asked: “That planet is Earth? We’re not going to find out, ‘Oh, there’s this other Earth over here…’ This is the only Earth we’ll see?” and responds “They have found Earth. This is the Earth that the 13th Colony discovered, they christened it Earth. They found Earth.”
Yet although I was originally on the yes-it-is-Earth side, just as it’s becoming a more popular view I’m becoming less convinced of it. And Moore’s cagey answer is not really quite the confirmation that some are taking it to be.
So here’s my new prediction, FWIW:
The planet they found is indeed the Earth that is spoken of in their scriptures, it’s the one that was colonised by the 13th tribe; but it’s not our Earth. The fleet goes off to find a new home, and finds one. Further prediction: this planet was already colonised by refugees from the nuked Earth, whose descendants are now living in a state of less advanced technology than their predecessors. In any case, this is, or will be, our Earth; the fleet settles here, intermarries with the locals (if I’m right that there are locals), and they all become our ancestors.
Question: if Kara’s course led to old-and-busted Earth, would Roslin’s originally intended course have led the fleet earlier to this new-hotness Earth?
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Moore admitted they’ve been making it up as they went along, e.g, deciding that Mrs. Tigh would be the final Cylon just a few days before writing the episode that revealed that.
So I’m not hopeful that everything will fit together or that all the loose ends will be tied up.
He did say that whatever happened to Earth was in someway connected to whatever happened on Caprica that caused the people to venture out to the 12 colonies.
Here’s my questions. In the next episode, Mrs. Tigh is resurrected. OK, we’ve been told the Cylons did not know who the final five were. DeAnna was boxed for having seen them. So how did they get a body for her to resurrect into? And why is it the same age as she was when she died? They’ve established that she and her husband aged over the decades, so did her spare bodies also age? The actor who plays Tyrol said recently at a convention that the Tighs “are like” the parents of the other final Cylons. Not sure what that means.
We were told for three seasons the Cylons had a plan? What was it? I’m not joking. They never explained what they were up to?
Who put that virus-infected beacon out there and why?
I’ve got plenty of others, but I’ll stop there.
deciding that Mrs. Tigh would be the final Cylon just a few days before writing the episode that revealed that
That’s not how I read that interview; it sounds to me like he’s saying it was decided early in season 4 — that it was already decided in the Tigh/Six pregnancy episodes, for example.
We were told for three seasons the Cylons had a plan? What was it?
At least that one is apparently going to be answered; after the season finale there’s going to be a BSG tv-movie titled The Plan that explains the events of the first two seasons from the Cylons’ point of view.
Well that doesn’t seem like much of a flaw (if that’s what you are implying) when you consider that it’s all encased in the larger mystery of how the final five where formally Earth residents (looking I believe as they do now) but then later end up as part of the “colonial” Cylon story. Answer that question and the answer to your questions probably follow.
the larger mystery of how the final five where formally Earth residents (looking I believe as they do now) but then later end up as part of the “colonial” Cylon story
Well, that one’s since been answered.
So how did they get a body for her to resurrect into?
Cavil planted them all in the colonies, so he had whatever they needed to resurrect into.
And why is it the same age as she was when she died?
Cavil planted Tigh younger than he was when he arrived, so he can probably control what age they resurrect at.
Who put that virus-infected beacon out there and why?
That one I’m still unclear on.