Six of One (402)

[Julie]

did anyone notice that lee was still wearing his wedding band .....when he was departing ..

like father like son

[Pic]

Baltar:
The Baltar storyline still falls flat with me, even adding head/Baltar, although that's an interesting twist. Him gettin' sexed-up yet again just bores me and is rather annoying. Is that supposed to be the point?

Tory:
Well, if you found out you were a cylon, how much self-respect would you still have? Might as well frak the guy b/c who cares? Poor thing...

Dying leader:
Roslin? Adama? Kara? Lee? We don't really know who the dying leader really is. It could be Zarek for all we know. The identity of the dying leader is as interesting to me as the identity of the final cylon.

Final Cylon:
Wouldn't it be a kick in the pants if it turned out to be the same person as the dying leader?

Lee/Kara:
Their cell scene seemed like closure. Someone else mentioned that it seemed like they might not see each other again -- hmmm.. I hope not, but if so then at least they parted on good terms.

Boomer/Cavil:
Eewww.

Adama/Roslin:
Yes, the bickering of an old married couple. The fact that Adama sent Starbuck out to find earth is a good compromise. After all, he does say to Starbuck that the president hasn't been wrong (or something to that effect). I hope the bullet between them in the early scene isn't foreshadowing anything other than their disagreement within this episode about Starbuck. I would not like to see their relationship torn apart, but I'm afraid TPTB would probably do that just to shake things up.

Cylon Civil War:
WTFrak?? Yup, when people/things start thinking for themselves, all holy hell breaks out.

I am so looking forward to the next episode.

Oh, and racetrack isn't bad. Not bad at all. Much better than seeing Baltar (yet again) - who has never done anything for me. Since Lee's not going to be in and out of Galactica showers anytime soon, suppose it's too much to hope for another towel scene...

[dec55]

Since Tori has had sex with Baltar....can we expect a baby from this union as well...? :lol

[dec55]

What will the Cylon's next move be? Can Natalie (the new Six) create a truce with the humans? Or will the Centurions kill every skinjob to reach their own freedom?

The Centurions most likely will want to become human as well....so I see all
the Hardware Cylons becoming 2's 6's and 8's.

[Skydiver]

i wonder, there's a saying 'six one way, half a dozen the other', which is a way of saying 'i don't care' or 'whatever you want'

i wonder if the episode title refers to the cylons being split, six pro human, six pro cylon

[Agent_Dark]

So the title is apparently from the phrase "Six of one, half dozen of the other", or describing two things that are really the same or equal. What specifically do you think they were referencing in the ep?

To add to the other's posted above:

Roslin says that her visions and prophecies are the way to find Earth. Starbuck says she's been there and that Roslin is leading the fleet the wrong way. How does Adama choose between drug induced visions and the almost psychotic rantings of someone who has returned from the dead? Does it even matter who's right; destiny is pre-determined? It's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

[Agent_Dark]

i wonder, there's a saying 'six one way, half a dozen the other', which is a way of saying 'i don't care' or 'whatever you want'

err, no. The saying points out two things that are referred to differently, but are actually the same thing. Take it literally; 12 is a 'dozen', so 'half-a-dozen' is 6. Different way of saying the same thing.

[Wyrminarrd]

Good episode on the whole.

I´ve personally never understood why they didn´t just give Starbuck a Raptor to find Earth with... That would have solved everything and only risked one raptor and maybe 2-3 other people who went with her.

Head Balthar, having him show up makes me believe that the visions Gaius has been seeing are from an outside source and that once Gaius started messing with one the precious ones of the Cylon god that God felt it needed to warn Balthar in a more noticable way then using Six.

Lee leaving Galactica I feelt was over done, I just can´t believe that military people like that would celebrate when a talented individual choses to leave when the need for qualified pilots is so great. I for one would propably see it as a betrayal but then I suppose everyone on that ship is sick to death of all the angst between the Adamas and are just glad to be rid of one of them

The Cylon civil war was a nice twist, I definitly think that Six has opened pandors box there. It would be totally in character for the Centurions to rebel and turn on all the skin jobs. By the way, will the ones that were gunned down be resurrected or do you think Six had already taken steps to prevent that?

[SoulReaver]

anyone that didn't tear up during the lee departing scene has no soul ....quite possible the best thing their every done on the series

yeah man that was tear-jerking, knowing we'll never be seeing him again - this is indeed a loss that cannot be weighed, and his death will no doubt leave a void in our hearts for the rest of the story to come

[Arative]

I did love to see Sebastian Spence back in the show. I really hope they use him more, I really liked him in First wave. Maybe that is who they will get to replace Lee as the new kick butt viper pilot.

[entil2001]

At the end of the second season, I was personally disappointed in the episode “Downloaded”, because it represented a moment of transition for the Cylons without the necessary context. Caprica Six and Boomer decided to change the Cylon philosophy towards Humanity, and this was depicted as a deviation from The Plan. Unfortunately, The Plan was shrouded in mystery, so it was hard to recognize the extent and depth of what was coming.

This episode has a similar shift, but the writers took the time in previous episodes to set the stage for the schism. Everything since New Caprica has been prologue to the revelation of the “Final Five” and the effect on the Cylon as a whole. The boxing of the Threes permits stalemate. The current Six revolution (led by “Natalie”) is most interesting because it facilitates the transformation of Cylon culture.

It suggests, very strongly, that the Raiders and Centurions were operating under complete programming restraint to follow the will of the seven known humaniform models. After all, previously, those seven models were essentially in lockstep. Now, the emergence of the Final Five could have triggered the Raiders towards free will, and now the Centurions have been given the same. They want to understand their origins as well.

This again plays into the idea of a possible ancient origin to the Cylon within certain Human genetic bloodlines, supporting the “cyclic mergence” theory. It’s known that the humaniform Cylons can breed, so odds are good that the children can breed. The Cylons of the First Cylon War were all robotic. Why, then, would they designate twelve models above and apart from the robotic and cyborg types? Why would seven of them be aware of each other, but the other five not be? Is it possible that the Cylons only created seven models, but were programmed to know that five others existed somewhere else?

That said, Cavil’s decision to break the deadlock with Boomer shouldn’t have led so directly to the decision by Natalie to start a revolution. She never presented a firm challenge to Boomer’s right to a vote. After all, if Cavil began with the precedence of it, Natalie could have easily demanded that all versions of every model should be given an equal voice. Or she could have demanded that Boomer’s right to vote independently be justified or debated. Whatever the case, it seemed more like a plot convenience than a logical progression.

Back on Galactica, the story is less active. Lee officially departs to his new job as a member of the Quorum of Twelve. This positions him rather well to be Roslin’s potential successor, since her health continues to decline. Given his early association with her, this would be fitting. In contrast to the obvious conclusion that Kara Thrace is a Cylon, this change in Lee’s status makes him the perfect candidate. If nothing else, it would certainly make his comment about Zak in the premiere a case of clever foreshadowing. It would also put him in the perfect position to facilitate a Human/Cylon accord.

All that said, his departure felt interminable. No less than three scenes covered the necessary emotional requirements. Everything was taken care of in the final scene, rendering the scenes in the rec room and the ready room a bit moot. It felt like the writers needed something to fill the time, and they pushed for sentimentality. (The time might have been better spent on Racetrack and her game of Strip Triad; Leah Cairns in civvies would be more than worth it!)

Despite the rift that it threatens to create between Adama and Roslin, there was little question that Adama would ultimately throw his support behind Kara’s claims regarding Earth. Not full support, of course, because that would be incredibly foolish, but enough to get the job done. I suspect that this will eventually put her in contact with Cylons of similar vision, though that is obviously nothing but speculation.

The final item of significance is Baltar’s new relationship with Tory. It begins as subterfuge, but I suspect it will turn into a significant plot point. The writers again went with over-convenience by giving Baltar just the right metaphor to use with Tory, but the presence of Head!Baltar made up for some of the disappointment. Is that Head!Six messing with Baltar’s mind, or has his own subconscious manifested in a new and disturbing form?

The end result is an episode that is a bit slower than the premiere, and given that it was essentially the resolution of a cliffhanger, it felt like something was missing. The potential for a true Cylon civil war has potential, but the events on Galactica could have been equally explosive. Instead, they were more of an emotional counterpoint, and that may not have been enough.

John Keegan
Reprinted with permission
Original source: c. Critical Myth, 2008
All rights reserved
Link: http://www.criticalmyth.com

[scorp76]

First, I would like to say I fell validated. VALIDATED! With the Roslin and Admama screne, since I was the first one to brought it up in the 401 thread that Roslin is riding on pride when she bashed poor Starbuck about Earth.

And then I felt especially more validated when Adama told her straight to her face what I was thinking. And what sent me to the moon was her reply which was basically, "I'm ******* dying! If I am ******* dying there must be a reason to it!" Babe, 600 poor SOBs died in 401 and there was no reason, no special purpose. Life. Is. A. B*tch.

Now for some speculations and theories!!

My sister and I debated over these:

Starbuck's origin - She is an agent from Earth. Her mother was sent from Earth of observe and even later advance the reformation of the colonies so that they will whole again. When the Cylon War started (which is the reason why they split from Kobal) they told Kara's mom to observe the situation especially if the Cylons intend to go after the 13th. Hence, why she was so bitter. She knew she'll never see her home planet again. And probably, why she said Kara has a special destiny. Also, explains how Kara had been to Earth before. Genetic memories of her home planet. Since they should have been on Earth for 3000 over of their years, they should develope genetic memories and feelings for Earth. Another thing, how the Cylons know about Kara I don't know but they took her ovaries for that reason that she is a Earth human.

Baltar's origin - Baltar is the creator, descendant of the creator or a clone of the creator of the Cylon race. That is the reason why he can project like a Cylon when he was their base ship. Why he can see Head Baltar and Head Six too. As for the Heads, they are AI programs created by him to influence certain Cylons (since we are not privy to how many Cylons actually have Heads with them) and also to guide him in getting his agenda done since apparently he has not retained any memories.

Comments by me:

The Final Five are either clones or descendants of the Kobal Lords. Hence, their ability to survive and put themselve in leader or highly influencial positions (unintentional, before they discovered they are more than human).

Centurions were already self aware long time ago. They had inhibitor installed to maintain their aggression against the colonials.

Cavil probably knows the whole and I mean whole history of the 13th colonies. He knows exactly who are the Final Five. Who is the the Cylon God (which is Baltor). He knows it all. And he doesn't like it. So he will rewrite history himself. After all, the winners are the ones that write how things happened.

Why Adama believes in Kara is so simple I wonder why people debate over it. Kara, is the apple of his eye. She is the daughter he never had and the son he wished Apollo would be. She is the loyalist friend and most head strong person he had ever know. She is him all aspects. Where as Roslin is a person he admires and may even love. She may be his equal but she will never be him. Hence, she'll never be Starbuck. He has know Starbuck far longer and loves her for more than Roslin.

Starbuck was given that crap heap instead of a Raptor to find earth because Adama and Starbuck really don't know how far away Earth is. They need supplies (limited) and a large ship to store not a small Raptor. Secondly, she needs a navigator, pilot and security team (maybe a medical expert) to assist her when she finds Earth. You can't fit that many people in a Raptor with supplies for 1-2 months.

Final note: Flame away!!!!

Edit: Athena knows about the final five. She is just waiting for them to come to her. After all she outed her follow Cylons to follow the humans. If they can't trust her then she doesn't want to know about it. But in the end I bet she will seek them out.

I 'ma'y have screwed up about the Cylon War reference in Kobal but since the Humans 3000 years back have 3D projectors and the current Colonials don't any (or the technology to make it) there may be a situation concerning technology (probably the creation of AI like the current Cylons) that caused the 13th tribe to have enough and move to Earth. Which the other tribes apparantly admired for its beauty and other stuff hence the references to our Greek mythology and the fact they 'dumb' down their technology to the point that they even haven't cured cancer.

[arch317]

I noticed that if you go to the bsg homepage and look at the photos in the gallery section it appears that Helo, Sharon, Gaeta, Anders, Hotdog, the girl who was promoted to fly raptors(can't remember her name) and a few other i dont know are with Kara on her way to earth.

[Jeffala]

I noticed that if you go to the bsg homepage and look at the photos in the gallery section it appears that Helo, Sharon, Gaeta, Anders, Hotdog, the girl who was promoted to fly raptors(can't remember her name) and a few other i dont know are with Kara on her way to earth.

That doesn't make much sense. Isn't Helo still the CAG? If he is, they're sending the CAG, a senior CIC officer (Gaeta), and three top pilots (Sharon, Hotdog, promoted girl) with her.

That just doesn't seem to be a smart use of resources.

[arch317]

It does seem like a lot of resources but when i saw the ep again and they are in the hanger with Adama, Helo says "we" when he is talking to Kara about taking a ship and people with her to find earth. Also, in the photo's Kara's hair is longer and it seems like they are all on the same ship. And i dont think you could stop Anders from going with her. Just my opinion.