Written by Jonathan Klotz | Published
It’s no secret that the opening of Battlestar Galactica, which made it clear to the audience that the Cylons had a plan, was a lie. The show’s writers didn’t know where the series would end, and creator Ronald D. Moore ended up admitting as much on his podcast and in subsequent interviews, but one example of poor foresight stands out thanks to basic math. When Moore discussed the episode “Islanded in a Stream of Stars”, he admitted that the number seven was never seen because he eliminated the calculations behind the final five.
8+5=13
All Cylons are numbered, which wasn’t an issue until Season 3, when teases for the Final Five Cylons began. early, Battlestar Galactica He explained that there were 12 Cylons, which was the same as the twelve colonies, but after Athens was introduced as the number eight, the accounts were no longer plural. If there are eight Cylon models, and then the final five, that equals a total of 13 models, but there can only be 12, which is why Number 7, Daniel, is killed off-screen and is not seen once during the series, keeping On the total number of models. Models up to 12
Taking advantage of the concept of “boxing”, Moore devises an explanation that Number One (played by Dean Stockwell) sabotaged Number 7 long before the war and corrupted the entire line, forcing the Cylons to be permanently trapped. Boxing, in the Cylon sense, involves the digital consciousness of a machine being trapped in a literal box during the resurrection process, leaving it in a state of oblivion. This has been useful for some of Battlestar Galactica’s narrative issues, both from the group of eight plus five and as a threat to the seemingly immortal robots.
Although Number Seven’s boxing at the paradigm level prevented the narrative from collapsing, Number Three’s (Lucy Lawless) boxing helped fill the narrative gap when… Xena: Warrior Princess The star decided to leave the series. In a beautiful moment of Cylon true believer accepting her fate, Number Three was cornered by Number One while gloating that she would witness the Final Five. Seven and Three remained the only Cylons during the cycle Battlestar Galactica To experience boxing at the model level, both for similar reasons.
The last five created problems
According to some, the failure to plan the final five properly resulted in more plot holes than they were worth Battlestar Galactica Fans, and it wasn’t just the Cylon characters who suffered. The reveal that Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) was a Cylon undermines his development as a character, and revealing that Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) turned into a Cylon retroactively robs her death of any meaning. It’s funny that the writers painted themselves into a sports corner, but Moore made another strange choice with the number seven.
Number Seven’s name is revealed to be Daniel, which happens to be the same first name as Daniel Greystone, the creator of the Cylons. Although it was pure coincidence, Moore’s target choice led to speculation that the missing Cylon was truly the Cylons’ creator, having granted himself eternal digital life. Capricathe previous series, showed why it’s unlikely that Greystone would do this himself, but it’s still a bit of fun Battlestar Galactica Fan speculation.
The legendary lack of planning has not stopped Battlestar Galactica It went on to become a hit, and remains one of the best sci-fi shows of all time, but situations like Number Seven and the whole Final Five thing show how easily the entire series could collapse at any moment.