The final Cylon has been revealed, and for many it was a surprise. Or more to the point, a disappointment. I think there was a feeling among fans that it’d have to be someone a little more central to the core story, but no one too big. Most of us agreed Adama and Roslin were out the window because that would change the dynamic too much. But what of Dualla and Gaeta? In an interview recently creator Ron Moore revealed that during writer’s meetings they were of the same mind.
”We talked briefly about Dualla and Gaeta and just didn’t - they were interesting characters, but it didn’t feel like it’s - it jumped - it didn’t feel like it heightened the stakes. It didn’t feel like…it, you know, just bumped everyone to a different level,” Moore stated during the conference call. I’m still wrapping my head around the implications of Ellen being the final Cylon, but I have to agree with the reasoning.
Even more surprising than the reveal is that the truth never got out. Sure, some blog or fansite can say they called it at one time. Maybe they did say Ellen was the final Cylon, but she was one of the frontrunners. The truth is that Battlestar Galactica has such an avid online fanbase the rumors and speculation got lost amongst the rabble, even those involved in the show. ” I mean the - always - there was so much bad information out there, that our hope was that the few nuggets of truth would just, you know, be hard to sift out of the rest of it,” Moore stated. And that’s what happened. It was just so much speculation and some people trying to convince you that they knew what was happening, that this few people who had sort of figured it out where just lost in the mix.”
Honestly I’ve come to realize that BSG is about much more than the final Cylon reveal. We’ve spent two years dwelling on this, expecting it to be the big thing about the show. Clearly with Earth’s state and where the show is headed in the final episodes, Ellen as the final Cylon is only one piece of the larger puzzle. I think fans forget that as they lambast the writers for the decision to go with Ellen. According Moore and Kate Vernon, who plays Ellen on the show, the decision was a long time coming. Ellen was always at the forefront of the creator’s mind for this role, and only after throwing away other contenders did they come back and realize it’d been her all along.
” I liked the idea of saying that this couple had been together a very long time that this couple was something special, that they were sort of this eternal romance and this eternal love, which I really thought was real interesting and cool,” Moore said about coming to the conclusion that Ellen Tigh was the final Cylon. ” And it completed sort of the framework of the final five. And it just fit, you know, it all kind of fit.”
Love it or hate it, Ellen Tigh is indeed the final Cylon model to be revealed on BSG. But I’m certain there are going to be even more crazy twists as the show wraps up. And is anyone else hopeful/excited for the possibility of the show returning to the grounded emotional state of season’s one and two? With the fleet’s current situation I think it’s probable.
