Battlestar Galactica returned on Friday with the premier of its final season. In this episode titled “Sometimes a Great Notion,” the fallout of last season’s shock ending, in which a long sought after Earth is revealed to be a nuked-out wasteland, engulfs the entire crew in a collective depression. All the dreams and hopes of Galactica are crushed, most of the fleet staggers around dazed or drunk, and morale has sunk to unfathomable depths. This spiritual bankruptcy ultimately claims the life of long-time crew and cast member Anastasia "Dee" Dualla. She commits suicide in a shocking scene that pretty much summed up the whole vibe of the episode, one of utter despair and desolation.
The Fifth Cylon mystery is finally at an end. The 5th Cylon is Colonel Tigh’s wife Ellen, whom Tigh killed for collaborating with the Cylons back in Season 3 on New Caprica. This makes sense and fits into the overall story arc, but is hardly a big reveal. It is what executive producer Ronald D. Moore concedes is a “slotting into place” event. But it finally puts the Fifth Cylon question to rest. It will be interesting to see if the Ellen character will somehow make an appearance on the show during the finally nine episodes. And then there is Starbuck.In a shocking reveal just as shocking as the previously mentioned two, Starbuck finds her old Raptor and the remains of a blonde-haired pilot on the burnt-out surface of Earth. It appears that Starbuck has found her own corpse. I thought for sure this settled the 5th Cylon debate, casting Starbuck as a toaster, until the end when Ellen was revealed as the 5th. In fact I wasn't entirely convinced of the Ellen reveal, thinking it a mistake on the part of Colonel Tigh, until I read an interview with executive producer Ronald D. Moore that supports Tigh's conclusion. So what exactly is Starbuck? If she isn't a Cylon than what is she? Some have suggested she was cloned by the Cylons when she was imprisoned on Caprica. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
