As one of the greatest sci-fi series ever made, it’s not surprising thatBattlestar Galacticais a show full of deep twists that completely upend the viewer’s expectations. The original, or the 1978 version, had a relatively short run, consisting of just one season. However, in 2004, a re-imagined version was released, adopting a much darker tone and expanding the story.
While the 1978 series was groundbreaking in its own right, the modernBattlestar Galacticaflipped sci-fi’s well-trodden formula on its head, changing the genre’s landscape forever. It took risks, introducing wild plot twists you wouldn’t see coming even on the clearest day.From the revelation of the Final Five to the mind-bending conclusion that ties everything back to Earth’s past, the show keeps you guessingright until the end. The more youwatchBattlestar Galactica, the more you’ll question everything, but it’s totally worth it.
5Baltar’s Role As The “Chosen One”
From Cynic To Prophet
Brilliantly played by James Callis,Battlestar Galactica’s Dr. Gaius Baltar became one of sci-fi’s greatest characters, which still didn’t exactly make him a fan favorite. He was selfish and manipulative from the very start, but we couldn’t fathom how complicated things were about to get for him. By the final season,Baltar goes from a non-believer to being the Prophet of the Cylon God himself, or the Chosen One.
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While the plot twist might not have been as jaw-dropping as some ofBSG’s other revelations, mainly because viewers witnessed Baltar’s gradual change on screen, the storyline still managed to catch quite a few people off guard. Baltar has perhaps one of the most iconic and fascinating character arcs in the history of TV, even though his ego is still safe and sound by the time he is revealed to be the chosen messiah.
4Starbuck’s Resurrection
Was She A Cylon All Along?
Few characters left as big a mark inBattlestar Galacticaas Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), better known as Starbuck, did. Just as one thinks they know her story, Starbuck flips the narrative on its head, to say the least. In the third season, she dies, and, as one would expect, the rest of the characters mourn her and deal with the loss. However, just a few episodes later,Starbuck comes back in the very Viper she died in, leaving everyone speechless.
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Starbuck’s shocking resurrection isn’t just a surprising moment, but it completely changes the course of the show. She is ultimately pivotal in awakening the Final Five, and as it is never really explained how and why she came back to life,BSGfans were left to theorize that Starbuck was a Cylon all along. While never officially confirmed this, it would make sense that she was never actually human.
3The Entire Show Is Set In The Past
History’s Repeating Cycle
For first-timeBattlestar Galacticawatchers, this might take a minute to fully sink in. With space battles, advanced technology, and interstellar travel, so naturally, one assumes they’re watching a story set in humanity’s far future. However, in one of the show’s biggest twists, it is revealed that the entire thing is set in the past, in our world’s distant history.BSGisn’t taking place on some far-off planet, but on a post-apocalyptic Earth, and the people audiences have been watching for four seasons are their ancestors.
The final episode ofBattlestar Galacticaalmost didn’t happen because of the 2007-2008 WGA strike. As a result, Season 4, Episode 10, “Revelations,” was intended as a backup finale (viaInverse).
The series was never one to shy away from bold statements, and this one hits close to home. InBSG’s controversial finale,audiences were treated to a glimpse of modern-day New York along with the haunting line, “All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.“Other than recontextualizing the entire story (a great excuse to rewatch the series), this genius twist can be interpreted as a chilling warning more relevant now than ever.
2Sharon Being A Cylon
The Ultimate Betrayal
WhenBattlestar Galacticareveals that Sharon Valerii (Grace Park) is a Cylon, it’s more than just a plot twist. For many, it felt like an emotional gut punch that fundamentally altered everything they thought they knew about her. Her moment of betrayal, shooting Adama (Edward James Olmos) in the first season, made it very clear thatBSGhad not come to play. Nonetheless, it was pretty easy to forgive her asSharon herself wasn’t even aware of her true nature.
Interestingly, Sharon’sBSGjourney did not end when she was killed in the early stages of the show. Instead, as a Cylon does, she was reborn into a new body as Sharon Agathon, continuing her mission even though she initially had an issue with it. While her further development is a bit challenging to follow, Sharon ultimately emerges as one ofBSG’s best Cylon characters, proving that the bold storyline was well worth the gamble.
1The Final Five
Hidden Cylon Truths
For most ofBattlestar Galactica, fans are obsessed with the Cylons they know because, obviously, they’re the bad guys who want to destroy humans. But then,in the most jaw-dropping and game-changing plot twist of the entire series, it turns out there’s a secret group of five Cylon modelswho are even more important than we realize, and that’s not even the mind-blowing part. The most unexpected piece of information here is that these models are human.
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Then, the twist actually hits when it’s revealed that members of the human crew of the Galactica are part ofBSG’s Final Five Cylons, including some core characters people have grown to love and trust. However, as they don’t know about their grand purpose until the very end, they’re essentially as lost as the audience. This multi-layered turn of events changed the focus ofBattlestar Galacticaand shook it to its core, but it also left room for the story to continue.
Battlestar Galactica
Cast
Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television series that premiered in 2004. The plot follows the crew of the aging Battlestar Galactica as they protect a small fleet of human survivors from the renewed threat of the Cylons, in a quest to find the mythical 13th colony, Earth.
