Battlestar Galactica: A Look at the Hybrid's Prophecy from "Razor"

In honor of the final season of Battlestar Galactica (re-imagined series) getting under way, I decided to take a look at the notorious prophecy made by the Cylon Hybrid (the dude in the pool of liquid goo aboard the Basestar) in the mini-series “Razor,” which aired between seasons three and four.

By no means do I purport to be correct in any of my reasonings, and I know this bit of dialog has been hashed and rehashed across the Web, but I thought I’d put in my two-cents worth.

I’ve broken down the dialog in what I believe are logical sections and offer the following analysis of each:

“At last they’ve come for me. I feel their lives, their destinies spilling out before me.” (1)

(1) This would appear to refer to the arrival of the rescue party in the “Razor” miniseries.

“The denial of the one true path, played out on a world not their own, will end soon enough.” (2)

(2) Unless I miss my guess, this refers to the attempt to settle New Caprica, which clearly wasn’t a place the human refugees were meant to stop. The New Caprica debacle took place after events in “Razor.”

“Soon there will be four, glorious in awakening. Struggling with the knowledge of their true selves. The pain of revelation bringing new clarity.” (3)

(3) I think it’s fairly safe to assume this relates to the awakening of the 4 — Col. Saul Tigh, Chief Galen Tyrol, Ens. Sam Anders and presidential aide Tory Foster — which also took place after events in “Razor.”

“And in the midst of confusion, he will find her, enemies brought together by impossible longing, enemies now joined as one.” (4)

(4) This one I’m not so sure about. The verb (will) is future tense, not past, suggesting that this is something that hadn’t occurred as of the events in “Razor,” which takes place during the second season. That said, here are some guesses as to the him/her identities, taking into account the “enemies” reference:

1. Starbuck and Leoben – In the episode “Maelstrom” of the third season, our favorite viper jock seemed to reach some sort of “accord” with the Cylon, for good or ill remains to be seen.
2. Helo and Athena – Only problem is they were already together when “Razor” aired, so unless something happens in the fourth season to upset things, that really takes them out of the running. But it is worth a mention since I’m not really sure how the Hybrids reckon time.
3. Roslin and Adm. Adama – The “enemies” statement doesn’t quite apply here, however, they have been adversarial in the past. Still, the problem is the same as with Helo and Athena: Roslin and Adama are very much allies now, so unless something happens in the future to upset that, they’re out of the running.
4. Unknown and Unknown – These may be “enemies” that have been and are friends now but will become enemies at some point during this season. Or perhaps they’ve been enemies all along.

“The way forward, at once unthinkable, yet inevitable.” (5)

(5) This is a pretty darned ambiguous statement, but I suspect it may be alluding to an alliance or alliances between the humans and Cylons, something that is rumored to happen at some point during this final season.

“And the fifth still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering.” (6)

(6) This really doesn’t clear up the mystery of the identity of the fifth and Final Cylon to be revealed, but it does give some clues, however ambiguous, that might help narrow down the suspects as the season progresses, assuming they aren’t revealed in the next few episodes:

1. He/She doesn’t yet know they’re a Cylon but the words indicate that they may soon.
2. He/She hungers for redemption for something they’ve done (or will do)
3. He/She either has or is going to go through some terrible suffering (could be physical, psychological or both)

“I can see them all. The seven now six self-described machines, machines who believe themselves without sin. But in time, it is sin that will consume them. (7) They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into the many (8) and then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an Angel. (9) Not an end, but a beginning.” (10)

(7) I believe this refers to the 7 known Cylon models (often referred to as the Significant Seven by fans), who clearly do believe they’re without sin and better than their human creators, but who have definitely turned to committing the very same atrocities they’ve reasoned were cause enough to eradicate humanity. They are blind to their “sin” and being blind to it makes them susceptible to being consumed by it. Regarding the “seven now six” phrase, note that one model (D’Anna, 3s) of the Significant Seven was “boxed,” which means it was essentially put into cold storage, in the third season, but that happened AFTER events in “Razor,” which gives me pause in declaring absolute certainty in my analysis.

(8) What’s more, their once-assured cohesiveness is evaporating. They have begun dividing into factions, the different humanoid models splintering into groups, forming alliances, and the robotic models, with their independent-thought inhibitor chips now removed (early Season 4 development), appear poised on rebelling. It’s unclear whom the sentient raiders will side with, but I suspect they will take one.

(9) If the “promised land” be Earth, then it seems reasonable to presume the Cylons will reach Earth — but with or without the humans in tow or as part of some kind of partnership remains to be seen. The identity of the Angel is unknown at this time, but I suspect this may very well be Starbuck (well, at least the someone or something that came back bearing the outer appearance of Starbuck). If it is Starbuck, I don’t believe she is a Cylon (and comments from series creator Ron Moore and Katee Sackhoff, who plays Starbuck, would seem to support that belief), but rather some sort of incarnation of a god, or a messenger of a god.

(10) This would seem to indicate that something new is coming, a beginning for either the Cylons, humans or, again, both.

“Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end. She is the herald of the apocalypse, the harbinger of death. They must not follow her.” (11)

(11) The wording of this is subtle. It states that Kara (Starbuck) Thrace “will lead the human race to its end” but does not elaborate on what is meant by the word “end.” Does it mean she’s leading them to their demise/destruction, or to the successful “end” of their journey — to Earth?

The word apocalypse means a “revelation” or “unveiling,” while “herald” and “harbinger” are synonyms that essentially indicate a person who will bring news that something important is coming. Just by dissecting the general meaning of these words, one could presume that Starbuck is a messenger bringing news of a pivotal revelation and (a warning of) death.

Based on that, it would seem to indicate that our beloved Kara is going to bring bad tidings, or at least a warning of it. The question remains, though, who is the bad news for? The Cylons? Humanity? Or both? Clearly following her isn’t going to be in someone’s best interest. Just exactly who that someone is will be revealed in time.

“As my own existence comes to a close only to begin anew in ways uncertain. All this has happened before and will happen again. Again, again. Again. Again.” (11)

(11) The refrain “All this has happened before and will happen again” has been oft repeated in the series, though as of yet, it’s not clear exactly what it means. There’s a second part of this refrain, though I can’t recall the specific wording, which suggests that the same players take part in each cycle, but that their roles change.

I don’t think it means that events are literally repeating and the exact same people are taking part, but rather that history repeats itself and that factions swap positions between attacker and the attacked in each cycle. That theory would seem to be in line with recent developments in the series.

For example:

• The Cylons and humans are at odds again, this time with the Cylons as aggressors.
• The robotic models of the Cylons were once enslaved by humans, and have been relegated again to roles of mindless servants to their own, the humanoid models.
• The robotic models seem on the verge of rebelling against their “new” masters

I could write more, but I think you get the idea.

Of course, all of this is supposition, hopefully logical, and even if it turns out incorrect that’s okay. I’m hopeful that the series creator, Ron Moore, and the rest of the BSG gang will give us a heck of an ending to this brilliant, gritty and superior sci-fi series.

If we’re lucky, we see a TV show of this quality (in terms of writing, acting and production values) once in a lifetime. I’m just glad this one has fallen into mine, and I will watch it to the end, Lord willing.