Who or What the frack is Guyus Baltar? And why doesn't he like Xena?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

BSG Just took an interesting turn this evening! Plus it was good to see Lucy Lawless again.

Wow.

[havocmom]

1. Didn't start watching until just recently.

Needless to say, hopelessly lost. Maybe somebody could tell me what the frack is up with that invisible friend thing going on with the blond and the bad apple?

[DanCa]

2. Havocmom season 1 and 2.1 are out on dvd.

As for Gauis your guess is as good as mine.

[havocmom]

3. Thanks. But I live hours from a video store.

LOL Wonder how pissed hubby would be if I tied up his netflix with my sci-fi ;)

[Benfea]

5. Meh. Make him watch 'em with you.

Baltar explanation below. *points down*

[havocmom]

7. Fat chance. He isn't much into sci-fi

Not enough explosions :D

[Benfea]

11. OK, dump him and marry me instead!

Just kidding.

For some reason, I keep getting girlfriends that have zero interest in science fiction. Every single one of my platonic female friends are sci-fi geeks, but I have no luck in the love department (where sci-fi is concerned).

[havocmom]

13. LOL willing to bet I am WAY too old for you

And he is broken in and all.

Know what you mean though. Have pals who love sci-fi

[Benfea]

16. *sigh* The story of my life.

I'll just mope over here in the corner. :(

[Benfea]

4. I can explain that.

Gaius Baltar was a celebrated celebrity-scientist before the Cylon attack.

He was involved in a major upgrade for the defense systems of all 12 colonies. His assistant was number 6, whom he did not know is a cylon. Number 6 included a virus in the computer upgrades, so that when the Cylon attack started, every single modern piece of equipment the military had wouldn't work. (The Galactica was supposed to be turned into a museum piece that very day. It didn't receive the upgrades because it was destined to become an orbiting museum anyway, which is why it was one of the only military capital ships to survive the initial attack.)

Anyway, there are two possible explanations for his invisible girlfriend:

1. While number six was working with him before the attack, she somehow managed to implant some kind of computer chip in his brain.
   
   
2. Baltar is completely insane and is imagining the whole thing.

The writers have been very coy about which one it really is. Occasionally they'll do something to suggest that it's one thing, only to turn around and suggest the opposite later.

[havocmom]

6. Thanks mucho! BIG help. Tonight, 6 was seeing Baltar too,

so I guess crazy is out as a theory? But crazy AND chips still possible :shrug:

I appreciate the quick catch up. Gonna have to save DVD time for catching up with Boston Legal when THAT comes out. Godzilla, my baby brother tells me it is really a hoot. Haven't seen it either. Godzilla told me to wait for the DVD so I would know all the sub plots.

[Benfea]

9. *plugs ears* I'm not listening! Lalalalalalalala!

I have to wait for the midnight showing to actually watch it.

[havocmom]

14. Oops. sorry

figured everybody gets it earlier than we do here four miles past the last place on earth

[Benfea]

15. Finally saw it. (SPOILERS)

I usually have to wait for the midnight rebroadcast.

Anyway, this is an interesting plot twist indeed. I hope you don't mind me copying and pasting a post I made on another board.

For one thing, we found out that not all Sixes are sharing the same mind and memories. Each one is distinct. "Caprica Six" is the one who had the affair with Baltar and loves him. The Sharon in this episode is the one who lived and served on Galactica, and is a distinct personality from the Sharon that got pregnant.

The Six/Baltar subplot just got interesting. I really didn't care about that subplot until now.

The Baltar in Caprica Six's head is different from the Baltar on Galactica. This Baltar is still confident and self assured. He has not become neurotic like the Galactica Baltar.

I think the Caprica Baltar in Caprica Six's head is a copy made of Baltar's mind sometime between the nuclear explosion and boarding Sharon's ship, and that the Galactica Six in Galactica Baltar's head is a copy of the Six who had an affair with him back on Caprica. I base this mostly on the fact that each "head rider" has memories of the affair that preceeded the attack.

Baltar also seems to be human, as the Caprica Baltar is still awfully angry about the billions of humans who died in the attack and he keeps bringing it up to torment Caprica Six.

It is interesting that both Galactica Baltar and Caprica Six are becoming neurotic and that both have committed small acts of betrayal against their own people at the urging of their respective head-riders.

Someone had to install that chip in Galactica Baltar's head, and install a chip/subprogram into Caprica Six. The question is: who and why? Whoever is doing this has done so without the knowledge of the rest of the Cylons.

I think we are finally seeing a direct act by the Cylon "god."

Hypothesis:
In the original series Baltar was the leader of the Cylons, the one calling the shots. I believe the Cylon "god" will turn out to be another copy of Baltar.

Oh, and last but not least:

That was a mighty slick move madam president pulled on the Cylons. Whatever plans the Cylons had regarding that hybrid child just got delayed. Roslyn bought the humans time enough to figure out what the Cylons plan to do with the child without destroying a potential asset/trump card for the humans.

PS — if the rest of the human fleet finds out about the hybrid child, the shit is really gonna hit the fan and we can expect nonstop attempts at infanticide from a variety of violent radicals.

[Ravenseye]

25. A Little Nitpick about Baltar and a Theory

Baltar wasn't the leader of the Cylons in the original series. He was a member of the Quorum of 12 who negotiated the 'peace' with the Cylons initially, which really was a way for them to sneak attack, but would give him control of his own colony. In the initial movie he got killed by the cylons once he played his part. They brought him back for the series, and the cylons gave him command of a basestar to hunt the humans down, but he wasn't the leader. The Imperious Leader was a different beast entirely...

That said when they were on Caprica they were refering to all the models....Looks like Doral is number 5 and Sharon is Number 8 (and of course there is Number 6)...Also we find out that Xena Biers is Number 3. Since Xena seems to boss around the rest, and six bosses around eight...it might make sense that there is some sort of hierarchy...with number 1 being either the 'imperious leader', the 'cylon god', or some other top cat...I'm thinking a combination of both.

In fact now i'm wondering if maybe Number One, who nobody ever sees, is the Cylon God, The Imperious Leader...And it's the same model as Baltar...or not...but i'm leaning in tat direction....

[crispini]

29. Yes, I like Caprica Baltar much better than Galactica Baltar.

He's still got that devilish charming attitude. The contrast between the two really makes it clear how much pressure is getting to Galatica Baltar.

Wonder what Caprica Six will do now that she knows Baltar is ALIVE. Hmmmmmmmm.

[targetpractice]

32. I somewhat agree...

Heh heh, I didn't read your post before I wrote #30.

I'll bet you are correct, but I think Baltar died on Caprica with six. And, the Baltar on Galactica is a cylon replacement. I think Six copied Baltar's mind when they died and things got a little scrambled.

This theory would explain why Doc. Cottle couldn't find a "chip" in Baltar's head, and would address your question regarding who planted the "head riders" and why. Nobody did. It was a mistake in both cases that has gone undetected by both humans and cylons.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

10. Flaw in the above is that now we learn that #6 is seeing Baltar

back in Caprica playing the atithesis to her #6 on Galactica.

[BigMcLargehuge]

26. Didn't they sort of resolve this three or four weeks ago

when Baltar, at the urging of "invisible to everyone but Baltar" Six had a bunch of brainscans to look for a chip and Dr. Cottal showed him the results and there was no chip. Even "invisible to everyone but Baltar" Six said it was either a chip, or he was nuts, and there was no chip.

[crispini]

27. "Chip" is all relative, isn't it?

It could be an organic thing. In fact it probably is since a lot of the Cylon's science seems organic in nature. So it could very well be something that a typical brainscan would read as "normal."

For that matter, how are the Cylons connected back to their collective so they can be downloaded when they die? Seems to me that since they are almost indistinguishable from humans, this connection must also be organic in nature.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

8. It's probably one of the most complex plots on television since Twin Peaks

I would say look to the reruns (coming) or get the season DVDs.

[DanCa]

12. Great now I miss Twin Peaks and American Gothic now :D

Well season one of Twin Peaks anyway. I am going to watch the Monk rerun and and call it a night.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

17. That's a great show as well!

[TheBaldyMan]

18. Xenaphobia ?

[Benfea]

19. Badoomp boomp (tsh!)

[malmapus]

20. In the opening when Caprica Six was first resurected and then

Baltar came down over her shoulder, I shouted "I KNEW IT!!" I have sworn up and down that Baltar was Cylon, lol dam thought I actually called it there.

I have no clue what their connection is now lol

[Benfea]

21. That doesn't necessarily mean Gaius is a Cylon

After all, the Gaius riding around in Caprica Six's head has a distinctly human point of view. He keeps harping on the billions of humans killed in the initial attack and uses that fact to torment Caprica Six.

I think he's a human that some cylon figured out how to copy and resurrect the way cylons are copied and resurrected. The question remains: who and why?

[malmapus]

23. I meant that before we found out that he's just in her head

When they first showed his hand in camera view and then that hair, I knew for sure they were outing him finally heh.

But ah well, I still think he's a sleeper like Sharon was.

[Benfea]

24. That's certainly possible.

Both the Galactica Six who lives in Galactica Baltar's head and Caprica Six who has Caprica Baltar in her head seem to regard Baltar as a human. If Baltar is a Cylon, then he's a Cylon that the other Cylons don't know about, which I find improbable.

He might be a supersekrit Cylon the other Cylons don't know about, but I'm more inclined to believe that he's some humans the Cylons have figured out how to copy.

[NewJeffCT]

22. Finally watched the episode

Thank goodness for DVR - I had a long Friday yesterday and zonked out before 10pm last night, woke up for a few minutes at 10:30 then zonked out again.

Wow, the last few have been very intense.

I think Baltar is imagining #6 in his head, but I'm not sure about Caprica 6... Baltar strikes me as looney enough to have done something to her to make her love him.

[havocmom]

28. LOL Baltar invents the ultimate blow up doll

for Friday nights ;)

[targetpractice]

30. My theory: Gaius Baltar was human and is now a Cylon.

I think the writers have set up characters to go either way (human or cylon) without necessarily knowing what they will ultimately be. Ron Moore has said so in his podcasts. I wouldn't really be surprised if anyone (e.g., Lee, Roslin, Dee, Gaeta, or Ellen Tigh) turned out to be cylon.

Until last night's episode, I had come to believe that Baltar's visions of Six were merely hallucinations. The Six in his head was a manifestation of his guilt as well as his cylon paranoia. His inner dialog with Six helped him think like a cylon at times and defeat them. Other times he sympathized with them. This idea is also the least complicated and magical.

Now however, I believe that there was a human, Gaius Baltar, who was killed (along with Six) in the first cylon nuclear assault in the mini-series. And perhaps, the Baltar that ended up on the Galactica is a new cylon model based upon the human Baltar.

In the mini-series, the Six in Baltar's head says, "We should really make a copy of your brain patterns at some point." I think that's exactly what happened when the nuclear blast destroyed Baltar's home on Caprica. Six plants her hands on Baltar's head, pushes him down and says, "Get down!" And, they are blown away.

I suspect Six copied Baltar's brain patterns in the moment before he died. (How? Remember that Boomer had some funky data transfer mechanism in her hand that she used to disable the cylon fleet). Then Six uploaded her consciousness as well as Baltar's when she was incinerated. Later Baltar turns up in a field relatively unscathed to be rescued by Boomer and Helo. Maybe the cylons transferred Baltar's consciousness into a new Baltar model cylon and used Boomer to get him onto the Galactica. This new model could have been made using Baltar's DNA -- collected by Six at some point during their two year relationship.

However things didn't go perfectly during the resurrection process, and the new Cylon Baltar also contains Six's consciousness which is exhibited through Baltar's hallucinations. And, the newly resurrected Caprica Six contains a little bit of Baltar's human consciousness. I like this theory because hallucinations conform to the characters personalities prior to holocaust. The Six in Baltar's head is very cylon and manipulates him to act in ways beneficial to the cylons. On the other hand, the Baltar in Six's head has not suffered months of cylon manipulation and is very human, thus causing Caprica Six to act more human.

Thoughts?

[Rabrrrrrr]

31. Good theory! Stands as good a chance as any other to be correct,

and you've certainly made a fine argument for it.

Good thinking!

[CatholicEdHead]

33. Transfer probably happened when they were in the sack prior to the attack

when 6's spine turns red. It makes you wonder what Helo's future then if what you say pans out.

[NewJeffCT]

37. I had wondered about the red backs

you'd think a guy that was a bit, um, strange like Baltar might have noticed a back turning red during the throes of passion?

[YankeyMCC]

34. I don't think he's a cylon

I think there's a third power at work that's using Baltar and Six for some purpose neither the Cylons (as a whole) or humans are aware of yet.

[Ravenseye]

38. This would jive with the original series

The Gods in the original series not being gods per se, but much much higher level beings and technology...sort of like the Ascended on Stargate...And countered with Count Iblis who was hinted at both being the devil, as well as the actual leader of the Cylons...

Ie in the original series, the Humans followed 'the Gods' who were actually far more like Angels, helping humanity to their goal, and the Cylons followed an Imperious Leader, who may have actually been another higher level being more akin to the Devil seeking total control...

But this is a new series so who knows...they dont' have to follow any of that.

[Gatchaman]

35. Some theories and comments about the best show on television

God I love this show! It's good for interesting discussion on pretty much every board I frequent. This week's episode was great, after a few slight stumbles.

Anyhow, some thoughts addressing various comments:

1) Sending Sharon's baby into the fleet doesn't complicate the Cylon's plans, as the child will lead the next generation, according to Six-in-Gaius'-head. In one of those twisted, Palpatine-like ways, everything is going according to plan.

2) The only two people in the fleet who cannot be cylons are Helo and Gaius. Regarding Helo, it just would't make any sense to have a human-cylon hybrid with two cylons. As for Baltar, he would be known to Caprica Six as a friendly face. Even though we've only seen half of them, the cylons obviously know who all twelve are. Xena's reaction to Anders (the only confirmed human on Caprica) pretty much proves that.

3) That Dr. Who promo was freakin' sweet! At least we'll have something to tide us over until Season 3 gets started.



PROGRAMMING NOTE: The season finale (in two weeks) is an hour and a half long. Make sure your Tivo, DVR, VCR, or whatever picks this up correctly.

[targetpractice]

36. Ah, but...

Is Battlestar Galactica better than Arrested Development?

Tough choice, but I think these two are my all-time favorites.

[BreweryYardRat]

39. I'm evil...

Galactica Boomer's horrified scream upon realizing what she was made me laugh my ass off.