Cylons vs. Humans, end of line? Or, "Hope for Toasters"

[dionusia]

Here's a long essay about Cylon and human relations on BSG and the potential endgame of season 4. Spoilers through "Faith." For Nicole, my Toasterloving pal. :)

Comments

[brightest_blue]

Yay! This is so interesting. It's much to chew over, and I have to get to bed, but I do have to agree that the complexity of the Cylons makes the show so much more interesting than if they were one-dimensional villains. And I'm definitely rooting for a messy, bittersweet ending.

[midnightsjane]

Very interesting stuff indeed. Lots to think about for sure. I'm going to mull this all over so I can hopefully say something intelligent..
This show is so fascinating because of the multitude of layers and motives and complicated interests of all the players..there's not a simple explanation for anything.
*wanders off to think thinky thoughts about Cylons*

[midnightsjane]

One of those thoughts came to me just now as I was folding laundry..
What I have always wondered about is just what Six meant when she said all this has happened before and will again. Is there a literal recycle button that gets pushed and we end up in some sort of temporal time warp? Or is it a more subtle and symbolic rewind, a metaphor for growing and evolving society? I have no idea what I make of the whole thing...but it fascinates me to think about destiny, and paths laid out before one, and free will. Because one of the things that the Cylons are struggling with now is the concept of free will, and individual choices, which is why the Eights find Athena so fascinating.
I have the feeling that Hera is going to prove to be an important key to the future of the Cylon/human alliance, and I wonder about Tyrol and Cally's son..we have a pair of hybrid children who may be the Adam and Eve of a new species

part 1

[nicole_anell]

*hugs you very hard* Squeeee! You wrote it! See, you could make this argument totally. We don't need to tag-team. (And thanks for quoting me. *g*)

Some tl;dr responses to specific things:
The show has been building toward this forever. -- I agree, and I think it's been such a gradual process I'm surprised people are just starting to freak out now. As you said, the show's always given us Cylons who stood apart from the others, and slowly allowed us to connect with them. (The line "Some are programmed to think they are human" was the part of the original opening that always killed me -- what do you DO with that

part 2 (holy hell, I'm long-winded, I'm sorry)

[nicole_anell]

On Leoben: The reason I think he must be part of the alliance is that has been built in from season one too and whatever other controlling, manipulative things are going on with him, he does embody the most spiritual and big-picture side of the Cylons, which makes it necessary for him to be on the side that opposes Cavil, that embraces the way forward in his crazy-ass way.

Like I said in my journal, I just really want to see *another* Leoben. It would fill me with so much more confidence in his model if just *one* of them wouldn't try to cop a feel off Kara every two minutes. (I'm not even staunchly opposed to Kara/Leoben -- I know, don't hit me -- but it worries me that he hasn't changed a bit in three years.)

From what we’ve seen so far, I just don’t think it likely that either race would just let the other alone for good; maybe in this generation, but what of the ones to come? There would always be the legacy of atrocity and conflict between them. To me the story wouldn’t feel complete. (And the Thirteenth tribe has links to the

[zinke]

Very interesting. I've felt for a while now that the show was moving towards a human-Cylon alliance and that the end game would involve the two having to put aside their differences and work together. I like the argument you've made here because I think it raises a lot of excellent points. I also wonder if, given what the hybrid said in 'Faith' - I don't have the exact words but it was something about the final 5 having come from earth - we're going to see the sides come together because of a history that is more 'shared' than they realize.