Brad Ideas - Islanded in a Stream of Stars - Comments

It's not Jupiter

Kenneth Hynek — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:29:44 -0700

In the (belated) podcast for this episode, Ron Moore declares that the gas giant is not Jupiter. Just FYI.

oh that was me #7

#7 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:20:10 -0700

oh that was me #7

not pretending to be you. i

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:19:20 -0700

not pretending to be you. i used this name a few months ago. we just both chose the same name i guess. it happens

That might be intentional

Eric — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:55:08 -0700

However, the head people are just a tiny part of this being’s various actions and agenda, and it is this long agenda which is hard to wrap up nicely in the time available.

This long agenda and the full nature of the string-puller will probably remain shadowy, but that might be a deliberate dramatic choice on the part of the writers. Not spelling it out could leave the string-puller open to either supernatural or naturalistic interpretation, depending on the characters' predilections for interpreting reality. The tension between religious vs. nonreligious worldviews has been a recurring theme throughout the show, so I will not be surprised if some of these ultimate mysteries are only partially resolved.

Now, whether that is satisfying will no doubt vary person to person.

Islanded

Lisa — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:27:02 -0700

(Update: It apparently is the Colony, so we can’t be sure how they find it. Perhaps it comes to them.)

I'm wondering now if the Colony is the Opera House and that Six somehow with Baltar might actually rescue Hera from Cavil's clutches. I'm still hung up on thinking Cavil is being inconsistent with his interest in Hera. After his speech about wanting to "smell dark matter" any corporeal solution seems, well, not a solution. Hera will never be able to break out of her corporeal body and never be able to do the things Cavil craves to do. It seemed much more in character for Cavil to simply use her as a bargaining chip to get the Five to rebuild resurrection. That would buy him more time to figure out how to obtain his personal goals that he feels cheated out of.

But there does not seem to be time to tell a lot of other stories. I had hoped we might see more exploration of the Lords of Kobol, but if we do, it will be brief, and related to the OTG’s story.

Since it doesn't make sense to insert a new uber-being now and we know there will be no aliens, I have thought for a while that the Kobolians would make a reappearance and would be responsible for the head characters. I even thought that they might not all be in agreement and could have been working at cross-purposes, but we're running out of time with a whole lot of story left to tell, so who knows.

Pretending to be me? Why?

The Real #7 — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:13:02 -0700

Pretending to be me? Why?

Aurora

Lisa — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:08:16 -0700

To this list I would add -- Why do they keep associating Aurora with Starbuck? Since she's the goddess of the dawn, she has to have something to do with the new beginning.

Projection and The End

Lisa — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 07:04:14 -0700

It could also just be a projection or a glimpse of a possible future.

We know the ending is dark with a "new beginning," so I'm inclined to think that first they scuttle the Galactica by ramming it into Cavil's basestar as Hera foreshadowed. Since it seems like they're running out of time to find Earth, I'm wondering if a blended Cylon-Colonial group settles in for a continued search on the Colony ship(s). A lot of people will have died in the last battle with Cavil.

If this is the case, I can see them showing us a shot of Earth like they did at the end of Crossroads with a Lee voiceover that says "Life here began out there." If this shot of Six isn't a projection, maybe they zoom in on Earth to show Six in this big city implying that they do eventually find Earth in the future. I'm also not sure about how that casting call io9 described fits in: "Are we going back to the algae planet? At least, BSG filmed some scenes in and around Kamloops, which was the setting for the algae planet before. And they needed lots of extras who were either cleancut and athletic, or slender with long hair or dreadlocks."

However, we know there are a lot of flashbacks yet, so maybe that's where this possible algae planet scene fits in.

Starbuck

#7 — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:09:45 -0700

First of all I think I was the only one on here that ever asked why there was no #7 cylon. It was silly to think they just skipped a number without something to explain it. I thought that if Baltar wasn't one of the final five that he would be a #7. I think that it would be interesting if Starbuck was actually a copy of the #7 model but female instead of the male Daniels. After all she is artistic like they are supposed to be. Remember all of her painting as a child. And it would be cool to have her father a #7 raising her a #7. I thought another possibility was going to be that Gaeta was going to be a #7 model that was originally female models but somehow crossed up at a resurrection and became a male explaining why he liked men in the internet episodes. Something like this would add an unexpected twist to the story. I am getting ready for a big let down.

New York City

brad — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:12:10 -0700

While I have heard people talk about this being NYC, there is nothing in it that actually confirms NYC. The magazines are made up. The “NY Intelligencer” suggests NY, but the real New York magazine has no logo like that.

For all we know this could be a flashback scene to “Earth” of 2,000 years ago (13th colony.) Now that we know that Cavil was based on Ellen’s dad, it is possible the other 7 were also based on beings from that planet, and so somebody who looks like Six probably walked that planet. Admittedly the dress is a different question. We’ll learn soon enough.

The “obvious” explanations aren’t very good ones. They are either

Ignoring reality, the fleet lands on Earth long ago, and their civilization falters back to the stone age. Yet somehow, Cylon resurrection is restored or retained and Six models live through all this to walk the Earth today.
They arrive on Earth today, and Kobol is the result of colonization by ancient Atlantis or alien abduction. They get out their flying motorcycles and land in New York.

There will be characters

Anonymous — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:53:02 -0700

There will be characters whose conclusion is died in x battle, or colonized y planet. Some people are not going to be unique snowflakes. Nor should it be expected.

And Characters!

Alvin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:30:19 -0700

Let's not forget we have many many character archs to wrap up. What happens to Baltar? Boomer? The Final Five? Does Roslin die or end up with Adama in their dream house? Each character has a story, and they've wrapped up some (Dualla, Felix, Zarek-- i think i'm seeing a trend here), there's still dozens left to resolve on top of the mysteries and story.

My point exactly.

Alvin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:27:27 -0700

It may only be a short list, but what I don't want is another episode like No Exit where it's just one character rattling off a list of explanations. I'd like the revelations to flow naturally out of the story.

Tricia

Alvin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:24:47 -0700

I can tell you right now that is most definitely NOT Tricia Helfter. In the first pic it looks a lot like her, but in the others it's more clear that it's just a similar type of actress. It could be an extra who is playing Head Six, but is in the same scene as Caprica Six, so they needed a look-alike.

And being someone who works in Times Square i'll say that doesn't look anything like an authentic NY newsstand. But just like Ms. Helfer, it's possible that it was not meant to be seen in close up and is supposed to be NYC.

Head people and string pullers

brad — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:23:08 -0700

Rather than not liking the idea, it is the main idea I have been advocating for some time. Of course the head people are the result of the hidden god/string puller. I find it hard to see it any other way. However, the head people are just a tiny part of this being’s various actions and agenda, and it is this long agenda which is hard to wrap up nicely in the time available.

Yes, all these things are tied together, but the 7 regular characters (and several of the guest star characters, notably Saul, Galen and possibly Helo) deserve somewhat personal endings for their stories. Death, redemption, triumph or failure of some sort, or a sailing off into the sunset.

But Baltar in particular. He was almost the main character for seasons 1-2, and bits of season 3. Now he’s fading away in prominence, didn’t even appear the week before.

I think Sam’s fate is tied to Galactica now (and the 5) not to Starbuck at all.

Islanded in a Stream of Stars

brad — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:43:10 -0800

This episode doesn’t inspire to many thoughts right away, but I need a comment thread. :-)

Some good dramatic moments of course. With only a single (3 hour, split into 2 parts) episode to go, some minor characters are getting their final scenes. It had not occurred to me that Baltar and Caprica Six had not seen one another since he was captured on the algae planet. Some emotion about others was a rare show for Baltar, but the old asshole Baltar made his way back to the surface quickly. I can’t say I’ve been pleased with Baltar’s 4th season arc. In fact, the main thing interesting about him now is the Six in his head, for her mystery is one of the big mysteries we’re about to see unfolded. It was good to see a strong contrast between head Six and Caprica Six, as many people have been under the mistaken impression that they are connected. But Baltar tells us that the Angels take the form of those close to you.

Strong intimations that Galactica will make a valiant last attack, possibly on the Cylon base. Cavil seems to have a highly operational and large facility there, and it was cool to get a glimpse of it, but it’s too much for the Galactica and crippled base ship to take on ordinarily — but this is the climax of a story. (One way that works would be to free the Centurions.)

Boomer’s tears remain a mystery. We now see that had Boomer had success at convincing Tyrol to “come with her” she would have had to chain him up or drug him for the long many-jump flight. A tall order as he has Cylon strength, too. But it seems a betrayal of Cavil (no doubt with Boomer’s death) is in order. There are so many characters who might be a suitable killer of Cavil, though, including of course the Centurions.

Is Galen hiding? He has reason to hide, but they didn’t use him at all this episode, in spite of having a few confabs of the other three. Of course he is to blame for the over 60 deaths and the destruction in Galactica. You would think he might be hiding out on the base ship. Update: He’s apparently in the brig, via deleted scene.

The quick abandonment of the switch for Hera seems odd, and of course false as they are surely going after her next week. In particular, that Cylon base looks like it’s a fairly permanent establishment, in which case, unlike the vacated Colony, the rebel Cylons know where it is, or at least some places to look. (Update: It apparently is the Colony, so we can’t be sure how they find it. Perhaps it comes to them.)

Simon and Doral

We have seen little of them, of course. But while they are on Cavil’s side, they are his dupes as well, unaware of the Final Five, sticking to the programming he gave them not to think of their makers.

But Ellen tells us that all these millions of Cylons are her children. Even John, but certainly Simon and Doral. Can she participate in an attack to kill them permanently. They are also the future of their race.

Hera though, isn’t the whole future of the race. She shows that breeding is possible, if difficult. And there’s no sign that Tory, Saul and Galen can’t have kids with humans (or other Cylons.) Even Anders could be a sperm donor to a human woman, I suspect. (The “love” theory is, according to Espenson, not really true.)

Mysteries

There’s lots of hope for the species without Hera, but the OTG (One true god/string-puller) is of course quite interested in her, so her story will be told in the finale.

But there does not seem to be time to tell a lot of other stories. I had hoped we might see more exploration of the Lords of Kobol, but if we do, it will be brief, and related to the OTG’s story.

The notes, it seems, are going to get another role. Will they turn into jump coordinates? A programming backdoor? A real star map (with colours) as Starbuck first thought they were?

Many leaks have shown this final episode (pair) will have a number of flashback scenes, closing out some personal mysteries but leaving less time for the larger plot mysteries.

A Real Earth or no?

Hope dwindles for a real Earth of any kind, past or future. It’s too big a thing to truly cover, so if it appears it will be as something short at the end, akin to the Taylor on the beach with the Statue of Liberty scene. Of course there are many rumours and a photo circulating relating to this. We’ll see what they mean. It was already pretty clear we would not return to the 13th colony Earth in the show (since they left an expensive guest star who we know does not reappear there) and that has to make you wonder. Fans will be rightly upset if that’s “all the Earth” they get in the show. But they might end up upset. Certainly Espenson’s comments about human origins being on Kobol suggests we will get no more. But Ron Moore’s comments about why he used All Along the Watchtower certainly declared a stronger connection.

The local star patterns that Michael Hall tracked so diligently look more and more like mistakes by the post-production department. They have shown up in the Ionian Nebula, and on long jumps away from it. That can’t be — there’s no Nova/Supernova remnant here, nor will there be in the foreseeable future, and besides, stars won’t remain the same after any sort of major jump.

One of the great flaws of the 1978 show was its complete ignorance of the geometry of space. This was one of the things that Moore really said he wanted to fix in his reimagining, and they generally did, up to season 4. It’s a shame that the post-production dept. many have just been casually inserting local stars without rhyme or reason — everywhere but on the 13th colony “Earth.”

Brad Ideas - Islanded in a Stream of Stars - Comments

It's not Jupiter

oh that was me #7

not pretending to be you. i

That might be intentional

Islanded

Pretending to be me? Why?

Aurora

Projection and The End

Starbuck

New York City

There will be characters

And Characters!

My point exactly.

Tricia

Head people and string pullers

Islanded in a Stream of Stars

Simon and Doral

Mysteries

A Real Earth or no?

Other questions