All Along the Watchtower: "Battlestar Galactica" Reaches Yet Another Crossroads

Okay, so I had already seen the season finale of Battlestar Galactica ("Crossroads, Part Two") so it wasn't like there were any NEW surprises watching it again last night, but boy was I unable to get to sleep last night after watching that (not to mention the fact that it was coupled with an episode of The Amazing Race and the series finale of Rome on HBO).

BSG has never shied away from the controversial, whether it be a daring twist in storytelling or a cutting reveal that you may never have seen coming. And last night's season finale was no exception, giving us not what we necessarily wanted, but what we needed.

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the BIG reveal (well two big reveals) at the very end of the episode (remember: I did warn you not to miss the last five minutes), set to the haunting strains of "All Along the Watchtower," a fitting musical accompaniment for what was unfolding aboard Galactica. Yes, I'm talking about the fact that it would be appear to be that four of the Final Five Cylon models were right in front of us the entire time, all perfectly positioned to keep on eye on various factions or people within the Colonial Fleet: Colonel Tigh, presidential aide de camp Tory Foster, Sam Anders, and Chief Tyrol.

I can tell you that I was blown away. (Sure, my girlfriend turned to me earlier in the episode and said how weird it would be if they ended up being Cylons but she's prescient that way.) I loved the way the music--first appearing like traditional, discordant Cylon "music"--became a symbol of the very switch that suddenly "activated" them. But unlike the other units (I'm thinking of Boomer here), these four seem acutely aware of their responsibilities and lives rather than becoming overwhelmed by their Cylon programming. It's obvious that they are something else entirely than the other models and they've managed to avoid detection thus far within the fleet, even fighting against the Cylons on New Caprica. So what are they? And given that Adama has known Tigh for decades even, how has no one picked up on the fact that they're not human. How long has the Cylon program been going on?

My out of left field theory: the humans and Cylons are forced to unite against a far greater common threat. Taking a page out of the good book of The 4400, the final five Cylon models are seeded back into the timestream earlier than the other models (Six, Boomer, D'Anna, etc.) and are placed in key positions within the administration and military, perfectly positioned to exert some authority.

Or it could be something different altogether. But what weirds me out is that the song used to switch them over is a familiar Earth song, one slightly dated even today. How in the world is a 1960s war protest song from our planet even out there in the ether? Is it connected to the appearance of Starbuck? The proximity to Earth? Or something else, given that each of the four admitted that it reminded them of something from their childhoods. Curious.

Starbuck is, of course, alive. But we all knew that in our heart of hearts that she didn't die in "Maelstrom" after all, despite what Apollo thinks he may have seen. But she claims that she's been to Earth and it's her mission (prophesied by Leoben) that she will lead them there. But is she even human? Or is she the final fifth member of the hidden Cylons? Was she what awakened these sleepers from their slumber? And what exactly caused the massive power outage throughout the entire fleet?

Speaking of electricity, I'm still shaking from the shared visions of Laura Roslin (whose terminal breast cancer has sadly returned), Athena, and Caprica Six, which picked up that thread of the opera house vision storyline. Each of the women seek to protect young Hera (the only Cylon/Human hybrid), but Six scoops her up and she and Gaius Baltar (who miraculously managed to be found innocent during his trial) enter the auditorium where, in the balcony, the final five Cylons stand, emitting a high frequency hum and well as a palpable feeling of presence. Again, curious. But let's not forget that Roslin has Cylon blood inside of her (a result of a transfusion from Hera a few seasons back to cure her cancer); are they experiencing a shared memory or hallucination? Or is it truly a sign of things yet to come?

Me, I can't believe we have to wait until January 2008 for Season Four of Battlestar Galactica, especially when they've given us such tantalizing clues to feast on. But hopefully that reported 2-hour movie (which may or may not be based right after the events of "Crossroads") will fill in a few gaps. Otherwise, it's going to be a long wait for winter.