BSG #17: Someone to Watch Over Me/S4 Finale/09

[LightPhoenix]

I don't recall a Head Baltar except when Head Six was also there, and that was in the head of Roslin, right?

IIRC, it was in the first season, where Caprica Six kills D'Anna. Head Baltar gives this wonderful speech, and Six goes and brains her to save Anders.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Caprica saw Head Baltar after being resurrected in Downloaded (s3); he has popped up inconspicuously once or twice since. Baltar also saw a Head Baltar once sometime during Season 4.0

 

[Mark]

Hmmm. I guess Boomer did project someone other than herself into the Chief's head, namely a fictitious(?) daughter.

 

[Volaran]

Head Six
- Appeared to Baltar beginning in the crowd scene when Boomer's raptor was taking off, after leaving Helo.
- Personality seems based on Caprica Six in the mini-series, but we've known since the second season episode 'Downloaded' that she is a different person
- Possibly the only of the 'head people' to appear in the flesh, as 'Shelly Godfrey' in season 1. Her only goal, to the audience, seemed to be to raise Baltar's profile in the fleet, something the Cylons in general have never seemed to be interested in. In addition, she appears after Head Six stops responding to Baltar, and Head Six only reappears when Shelly vanishes.

Head Baltar
- Began appearing to Caprica Six immediately following her first resurrection, depicted in 'Downloaded'.
- Personality and mode of dress seem closely modeled on Gaius as he was before the attack on the colonies.
- Early in season 4, Head Baltar is seen by Gaius, and has a conversation with him regarding Tory (a lot more Baltar/Head-Baltar scenes were apparently filmed for other episodes, but then cut).

Head Leoben
- Possibly first showed up as dreams that Kara had after being held Captive by Leoben on New Caprica
- Lead Kara to make peace with her mother in Maelstrom, and confirmed that he was not actually Leoben before Kara's death.
- Possibly present much earlier in the series, as Laura had visions of Leoben before she met him in 'Flesh and Bone'. In my opinion, this is not likely the case, as Laura had numerous visions not associated with the Head People.

Slick (The Piano Player)
- Appeared to Kara
- Seemed very reminicent of her father and, along with Hera Agathon, lead Kara to remember that her father had taught her 'All Along the Watchtower' when she was a girl.
- The face of Kara's father on his album cover had longer hair, but did seem very reminicent of Slick
- I am of the opinion that Slick may be the same person as Head Leoben, since Kara's encounter with Head Leoben allowed her to make peace with her mother, as Slick's appearance seems to have lead to a similar proxy-reconciliation with her father

An additonal note about the Head People. When Sam was telling the other Final cylons about their flight from Earth, he briefly mentions that they were warned of the coming danger by people that no one else could see. He mentions that he saw a woman, and that Tory saw a man. In the podcast for 'No Exit', Ron Moore refers to the Five's head-beings as 'The Messengers'.

There are other examples which may not count. For instance, Adama sees and converses with his dead wife, Carolanne on their wedding anniversary each year, but Ron Moore has confirmed that this was just a dramatic device, and one he regrets using to some degree due to confusion with Head-Six, etc. Colonel Tigh also saw Caprica-Six as Ellen, saw himself shoot Adama, etc., but looking back now, these may have all been unconsious uses of Cylon Projection.

There have, of course, been many other uses of visions and prophecy in the series, but these seem fairly well woven into the nature of colonial culture. One would assume that if their preditctions are so accurate, there are probably quite a number of them in the fleet aside from the two we've met.

Edit: Was reading the Battlestar wiki, and I had forgotten about Elosha (the priestess). Laura sees her when she is undergoing cancer treatments, as the Galactica jumps. Of course, this may also be part of Laura's more general prophetic visions.

 

[Fast Learner]

Excellent review, Volaran, thanks!

 

[Steel_Wind]

Could it be that a Cylon can do this to another willing Cylon, or to a half-Cylon as desired, and that Kara, Baltar and Roslin are all half-Cylons?

I think Kara and Baltar are both half-Cylon.

I no longer think that Roslin is a Cylon (though I once thought she might be the Fifth).

The plot device for Roslin's "supernatural visions" can be explained away by:

1 - they were simply hallucinations( i.e., the snakes were drug inducued hallucinations); and
2 - by the presence of Hera's blood within Roslin's body. The blood transfusion from a Half-Cylon is the source of the visions, not her genetics per se. She has a particularly strong connection to Hera as a result.

 

[Volaran]

I think Kara and Baltar are both half-Cylon.

I no longer think that Roslin is a Cylon (though I once thought she might be the Fifth).

The plot device for Roslin's "supernatural visions" can be explained away by:

1 - they were simply hallucinations( i.e., the snakes were drug inducued hallucinations); and
2 - by the presence of Hera's blood within Roslin's body. The blood transfusion from a Half-Cylon is the source of the visions, not her genetics per se. She has a particularly strong connection to Hera as a result.

How would you explain the accuracy of the visions of the two Oracles we have seen thus far?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I think that the supernatural things happening in BSG will be entirely supernatural...

And we really don't have a good explanation on what the Lords of Kobol themselves are, beyond the fact there names are Zeus, Hera, Athena, Hades, Poseidon and so on.