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By
Kenn Gold
Twelve Cylon models. Seven are known. Four live in secret. One will be revealed.
 Thus begins the final season of Battlestar Galactica, opening with a montage of the Baltar court sequence, the revelation of the four, and the climatic battle scene and return of Starbuck from the season three finale. The action picks up immediately from the finale sequence with Apollo and Starbuck talking while Adam, Tigh, Roslin and the crew of the Galactica listen in from the CIC.
SCI FI released the season opener to the press with strict guidelines about what can and can not be revealed, so any review of the pilot is necessarily sparse on details. But suffice it to say, the title of this feature is not an exaggeration. After a year away, the best show ever to air on television returns and the action picks up with a vengeance. In the opening sequences of one of the most amazing battle sequences ever shot, the human survivor count falls considerably (39,698 now) and explosively as the Cylons wage an all out attack and every available Colonial pilot is sent up to defend the fleet. The opening sequence between the starting montage and the regular credits is probably the best 5 minutes or so of the entire series to date.
In the spirit of teasers (as opposed to spoilers which give outright details), six of the more amazing sequences in the episode involve the following:
- In a major plot point that has not previously been revealed, the Cylon raiders (and possibly the centurions as well) seem to have a unique fail safe system that the human cylon models lack which may change the tide of the battle and will blur the line between human and Cylon.
- The cult of the monotheistic God takes hold among the humans with an unlikely messiah/prophet leading them. A sacrifice is offered to this Cylon God in exchange for a miracle.
- The return of Starbuck, and what it means to Admiral Adama, Lee Adama and Anders is explored as the fleet is in shock both by the return of its hero, presumed dead, and her Pristine viper. Anders and Starbuck have very different notions of absolute love.
- The final four react to their newfound knowledge and gather frequently as they begin to decide what they will do.
- Lee and his father are re-united, and the memory of Zach (Lee’s brother who died before the show began) is touched on in a special moment between them, as Lee makes an important decision.
- Finally, look for a major action filled cliffhanger ending (with a fade to black and a “to be continued”) involving Starbuck.
One of the bigger revelations comes not from the season opener, but from the caption on the DVD sleeve that accompanies it. The picture printed is from the photo shoot that mimics the last supper. I previously hadn’t seen a high resolution copy of the shot, and assumed that the blond woman on the far left pointing at Six in the center was Lucy Lawless. However the caption lists her as Natalie (Tricia Helfer). So it would appear that we get a new human Six, unless that is the human name of Baltar’s lover, now in the Galactica brig.
The premiere of Season four on SCI FI airs on Friday, April 4th, 2008. |
