Wednesday, April 01, 2009
BSG: What I Would Have Done
It's been pointed out to me that, in regards to SF Signal's Mind Meld feature on BSG, I didn't actually, you know, answer the question. That is, I didn't actually say what I would have done differently.
This is absolutely true. I have every intention of answering the question directly after a bit of blithering on where I thought the series as a whole went wrong, but by the time I got to that point I'd already rambled on for over two thousand words and figured it was time to call time.
So what would I have done differently?
Actually, I think that the whole series could have been salvaged in the last ten episodes. There was a way to address all of the mysteries that had been set up to that point, to explain what the Cylon's "plan" was, and just what was going on with the Six who was haunting Baltar (and the Baltar that was haunting Caprica Six). By the time the second episode of "Season 4.5" aired, it was clear that they wouldn't be doing anything like what I had in mind, so I just filed it away, figuring I might use it in a story myself someday.
But since you asked...
I won't go into all the details, but here's a few highlights of my "Alternate Season 4.5":
So, what would you nice people have done differently?
EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to mention that Starbuck is the first Colonist to benefit from the consciousness uploading of Resurrection, and while she was originally human is now inhabiting an artificial Cylon body with all of her original memories intact. She was saved from certain death by God, who has decided that the unforeseen factors of recent years have necessitated a change in Plan...
This is absolutely true. I have every intention of answering the question directly after a bit of blithering on where I thought the series as a whole went wrong, but by the time I got to that point I'd already rambled on for over two thousand words and figured it was time to call time.
So what would I have done differently?
Actually, I think that the whole series could have been salvaged in the last ten episodes. There was a way to address all of the mysteries that had been set up to that point, to explain what the Cylon's "plan" was, and just what was going on with the Six who was haunting Baltar (and the Baltar that was haunting Caprica Six). By the time the second episode of "Season 4.5" aired, it was clear that they wouldn't be doing anything like what I had in mind, so I just filed it away, figuring I might use it in a story myself someday.
But since you asked...
I won't go into all the details, but here's a few highlights of my "Alternate Season 4.5":
- There's only one Earth (which we see after some sort of apocalypse) and everyone that lived on it was human
- The "Final Five" uncover hidden memories that they were humans who lived on the last days of Earth, who were involved in a project to perfect consciousness uploading. When the Earth was destroyed, their disembodied consciousnesses leave the doomed planet behind in a sublight robotic spacecraft.
- The Centurion-grade Cylons who left the Colonies discover (revealed in flashbacks to a point some time before Season 1) this "message in a bottle" containing these uploaded consciousness, which have been living in a virtual world inside the spacecraft's computer systems all this time.
- The Centurion Cylons exchange information with these Five disembodies humans--the Cylons construct artificial bodies for them indistinguishable from human bodies, and in exchange the Five give the Cylons the technology necessary to transfer consciousness from one humanoid form to another--in other words, Resurrection.
- The Five, who for millennia have been living in virtual worlds, jump at the chance to live among "real" humans again, and the Cylons agree to transport them in secret to the Colonies, but only if they agree to have their memories edited to remove any knowledge of what the Cylons are up to.
- The Cylons then get busy developing their own lines of artificial bodies, using the copies they've retained of the Five's consciousnesses as blueprints for creating new artificial personalities.
- The Cylons discover there is a limit to the number of novel personalities they can generate from the base copies they have--essentially its a limited "gene pool" and inbreeding can set in quickly. They are able to mix and match enough to create a few viable lines of "human" models, and a gestalt consciousness incorporating the copied minds of all Five. They call this group mind "God."
- "God" devises a plan to winnow humanity down to the individuals most fit to survive and thrive, which will then be uploaded and incorporated into the Cylon society. With a large enough sample of consciousnesses, the Cylons will be able to continue to generate new "offspring" indefinitely.
- The Plan begins to go wrong when the Six assigned to lead the effort to destroy the Colonies and begin the process of winnowing dies in the blast that decimates Caprica City. Her consciousness is broadcast back to the Resurrection Ship as planned, but her proximity to Baltar, along with the interference of the electromagnetic pulse, leaves an imprint of Six's consciousness in Baltar's unconscious mind. Worse yet, elements of Baltar's consciousness have "infected" Caprica Six's mind.
- The introduction of aspects of Baltar's mind into the Six line is a wrench in "God's" plan, and things begin to go off the rails. Meanwhile, the copy of Six that inhabits Baltar's subconscious is subtly steering the Colonists to behave in ways God hadn't anticipated, further upsetting the Plan.
- Things begin to go seriously wrong when the Five, by now living among the surviving Colonists, begin to recover their buried memories, first of their lives on Earth, and then of their time spent among the Cylons.
So, what would you nice people have done differently?
EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to mention that Starbuck is the first Colonist to benefit from the consciousness uploading of Resurrection, and while she was originally human is now inhabiting an artificial Cylon body with all of her original memories intact. She was saved from certain death by God, who has decided that the unforeseen factors of recent years have necessitated a change in Plan...
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I think I need to rewatch this last piece of the season before I decide just how I would fix it.
I am not as angry as I could be, because I remember Season Five of Babylon 5, for example..but that at least had the grace of a great final episode
I am not as angry as I could be, because I remember Season Five of Babylon 5, for example..but that at least had the grace of a great final episode
All makes sense. But did the five know the Cylons would winnow down the humans, or were they betrayed?
No, I don't think the Five had any inkling that the Cylons would turn around and attack the Colonies. When they wiped their memories and went to live with the Colonists, it would have been to start their lives over with a clean slate. If the Cylons had worked out the winnowing plan by then, they wouldn't have revealed anything to the Five.
Damn, Chris. Your ending is very good and makes Daybreak look worse by comparison. I wish you could have influenced the direction of BSG.
I didn't hate all of Daybreak, but I sure didn't like the bit once they got to earth. I do plan to rewatch again once the whole series comes out on DVD because I know I had forgotten a lot of little things that did crop up in the end. I have to admit I am eagerly anticipating rewatching the mini-series and 33. Some of the other stinkers definately not so much.
I didn't hate all of Daybreak, but I sure didn't like the bit once they got to earth. I do plan to rewatch again once the whole series comes out on DVD because I know I had forgotten a lot of little things that did crop up in the end. I have to admit I am eagerly anticipating rewatching the mini-series and 33. Some of the other stinkers definately not so much.
While I liked the finale on the whole, I did see some narrative problems.
However, I think your version does a better job of tying up some loose ends and brings more logic and foresight to the series as a whole rather than a blanket "God" explanation for the unknown.
However, I think your version does a better job of tying up some loose ends and brings more logic and foresight to the series as a whole rather than a blanket "God" explanation for the unknown.
This is brilliant.
I think I'll forgo ever re-watching season 4.5, and instead just let your alternate version play in my head. Thank you for the gift!
I think I'll forgo ever re-watching season 4.5, and instead just let your alternate version play in my head. Thank you for the gift!
This is the best rewrite of the moore ending ive seen. Youve managed to fix most of the plot holes with a minimum of edits.
Im still too much of a geek to like the moore ancient history luddite ending though. I could never bring myself to give up access to jump drives (at least until they all broke down etc).
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Im still too much of a geek to like the moore ancient history luddite ending though. I could never bring myself to give up access to jump drives (at least until they all broke down etc).
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