“You Chose Wisely…”
When the Hybrid refers to “the Chosen One” to Baltar and D’Anna, I think each thought the Hybrid was referring to him/herself. And it did appear the Hybrid was looking directly at them, or perhaps directly at Baltar. However, I think the Chief is the Chosen One. Didn’t the Hybrid also mention something about the Chosen One entering the temple?
This would also explain why the Chief is drawn to the temple by some force that apparently no one else around him can sense. Cally also remarks on his sense of “reverence” when he’s inside the temple, and the Chief reminisces about his parents’ spiritual and religous teachings while there. (I love the naked dancing and porn magazine story, btw.)
So, what is it about the Chief or about the monolith that draws him there? Someone commented recently about the possibility of an Adama bloodline tracing back to the Thirteenth Tribe. What if the Chief holds a bloodline that can be drawn back to a significant figure in human/Cylon religion, such as the lord of Kobol who broke from the others and may turn out to be the Cylon god?
Provided that the temple and the monolith aren’t destroyed by nukes, I think the Chief can/will decipher the writing inscribed on the monolith and find out the true meaning of the Eye of Jupiter – assuming it’s not merely the painted target-shaped circle at eye level in front of him.
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sure why not just as long as he doesn’t end up looking like fat lee!!!! whats calie tring to do to him anyways?
I disagree that the Chief is the “Chosen One” though I think it would still be a sweet story arc to explore. I still believe the “chosen one” that the Hybrid was referring to is Baltar. It all goes back to Head-Six telling Baltar that he is an “instrument of God”. She has, on numerous occasions, told Baltar that he has a destiny with the Cylon god. Whatever that may be, it likely involves Hera (Re: Kobol’s Last Gleaming Parts 1&2), and within the context of the current story arc involves him and Three entering the temple.
That’s not to say the writer’s won’t change course for a good story. I just don’t think the Chief is as well positioned from his actions in a single episode to become the “Chosen One” as Baltar is.
I do agree, that with the Chief’s family upbringing, he is likely to be able to decipher the inscriptions. I love Aaron Douglas’s performance in this episode as he nailed the portrayal of an unwelcome past coming back to haunt him. To me he seemed almost uncomfortably reverent.
I’m with Jon in that Baltar and Three both get to the temple. I do think that Tyrol is the chosen one in this instance–hence all the background expo. He’ll remember some ritualistic movement that was derived from the original priests, and that will trigger/activate/kickstart the Eye.
I’m of the belief that in the end, Adama, Roslin, Baltar, Three, and the Chief will all be in the temple at the same time.. and see different things.
Now let’s see if The Chief is A) Dying, and B) really leading the humans towards the end… He did on New Caprica, I know, but.. hmm.
Ok, but remember what the Hybrid said that referenced the “chosen one”:
“The five lights of the apocalypse rising
struggling towards the light
sins revealed only to those who enter the temple
only to the chosen one…”
Not sure how important the number of repeats of the phrase “the chosen one” is, but I counted about 7 repeats (so it’s said 8 times total) before being drowned out by Caprica Six’s comments.
So this bit of inside knowledge (at least to me) is not suggesting that whoever activates the Eye or even gains entry to the temple is the “Chosen One”. I’m in total agreement that it is likely Chief Tyrol that cracks the code to find/activate the eye (once the fulfillment of the inscriptions is completed: “and the heavens opened up and they saw the eye”.)
According to the text from the Hybrid this does not make Tyrol the “Chosen One”. Whomever gets the “sins” (or perhaps the final five Cylons?) revealed to them is the “Chosen One” – and whoever that is must be in the temple. At least that’s what I got out of the Hybrid’s gibberish. So I still say it’s Baltar.
I’ve gotta say, the thought of Tyrol as a “chosen one” had not crossed my mind. I thought the hybrid was looking straight at Baltar the whole time and that D’eanna was too caught up in what appeared to be religious ecstasy to notice that it wasn’t her that the hybrid was addressing.
And sure, Tyrol’s parents were priests (and Audra, I agree, the dancing and porn story was fun), but wouldn’t they want a REAL priest in there ASAP? I know, I know: communications are jammed and there’s a Cylon fleet making sure they don’t send more ships down to the planet so it’s a moot point.
Athenor, isn’t that a little too Vorlon? Unless they all see themselves…
Well aside from the “chosen one” being a group of people together, I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re meant to think it’s the Chief.
Well if somewhere in the Book of Pithia it says the Chosen One once danced naked with porno magazines in his parent’s prayer room, then I’m going to think it’s the Chief. Until then, I won’t. It’s been like a bad game show so far as to who the Chosen One is. First we had Laura “The Airlock” Roslin for about 34 episodes and then she became unchosen, then we have the hybrid sounding like a stuck record player when she sees Baltar, so I don’t know what to think. Perhaps Racetrack is the dying leader. She’s the one who always finds things important. “Holy crap it’s New Caprica! It’s a wounded basestar!” I’m almost certain she’s the One.
I guess I missed something. I didn’t notice when it said the chosen one and the dying leader were the same person.
I hate vague prophecy. That aspect of the show is starting to get on my nerves.
Well, that’s the nature of religious prophecy. Forgive me for bringing the big one out, but for centuries the Jewish people thought their messiah would be a King, rising out to destroy their oppressors and return them to power. But for those of the Christian faith (myself among them), we believe the messiah did not come as the Jewish thought, but DID come as prophecy predicted.
My line of thinking in all of this is that the Cylon and the Human prophecies are the same, each with a different part of it. But let me put this out here:
“The five lights of the apocalypse rising”
Simple enough: The temple of five. Either here or the other place I discuss BSG, it was alleuded that the temple would be like a giant beacon, shining towards the end. I personally subscribe that it is going to point right at the star that is going to go supernova — an apocalypse. This could also refer to the division between the 13th colony and the rest of Kobol, or the current battle between the 12 colonies and the cylon (Come on, you guys had to have picked up on that before, right? =P )
struggling towards the light
See above. Struggling towards the light could either be Earth, or it could be the more pragmatic struggling towards the local star.
sins revealed only to those who enter the temple
Guys, I hate to say this, but Tyrol’s sin has been revealed. He rebelled against his father, and apparently his choices in life (his determined nature, his care for his child) have been directed by his rejection of his parents. In most religious faiths, that is a major sin… And it only came to light when Tyrol stepped inside.
only to the chosen one…â€
Here’s the thing. These lines are from the Cylon(z) point of view on the prophecy. The humans have no clue about them — they only know that they activate the Eye of Jupiter in the Temple of the Five and it will lead them to the next stop. Yet Tyrol met the crucial part for the chosen one… and no one else who entered has.
That said, I expect Roslin, Bill Adama, Baltar, and D’anna (the 4 other candidates for the “chosen one”) to go down there as well, specifically as a way to ofuscate the truth. Plus, that makes the golden number of Battlestar Galactica: Five.
about us Jews. The prophecy:The Prophet Elija will ride out of Mt.Sini on a flaming, white, flying chariot with the “true”decendent of the Kings of isreal
what if its really Cally, or Starbuck who is the chosen one.
Boxy: Forgive me, I don’t have enough experience in the arena. My point still stands, right?
its ok, it was the point. im suprised you knew that much. most have no idea
Arktis writes: >
But Arktis, ALL prophecy is vague! That’s the nature of prophecy. It’s how people can claim certain obscure passages written in the distant past can refer to events far in the future or events impossible for the so-called prophet to imagine. Think of the myriad interpretations for the monstrous creatures described in the book of Revelation, if you’ve ever read it. You can’t get a more vague and symbollic book of prophecy than that yet many prominent religious leaders like to say that they are descriptions of modern instruments of war using the closest language available to a first century Christian. Or think about the way horoscopes are written. It is in the nature of prophetic writings to be vague, so that the predictor can claim accuracy under any circumstances.
I should’ve read ahead before replying to Arktis’ point, since others have made my point for me. Athenor, I do like your reading of BSG prophecy. You might be on to something. I guess we’ll find out on January 21 (cause you know Adama ain’t nuking the Algae planet).
I used to be Christian, so I know what you guys are saying. However, my past is exactly why vague prophecy “gets my goat”. I don’t see things the way you guys do; there’s no wishful thinking or irrational leaps of faith for me anymore – just cold logic. What I see in the show is that the religion is there to give everyone a purpose and meaning, which in reality is whatever they want it to and basically just exists in their heads. Everyone has different interpretations. On the podcast, it’s been said that you can believe what you want to but the religion on the show is real. I disagree. From my point of view, the religion they have is just a record of the last time humanity went through the same process of having to start over because their technology outgrew their ability to control it. As for the Cylons, so far there is a technological explanation for every ridiculous dogmatic view they have. Brother Cavil is the only one who’s willing to acknowledge that, and frustratingly he isn’t very moral which just reinforces the stereotypes of atheists.
Live long and prosper. 😉
Arktis: Great points. I’m the one who keeps saying “the religion in the show is real” in the podcast, though I suppose what I’m really saying is that the characters in BSG receive a lot more *proof* of the validity of their scripture than we real-world-dwellers do — even if their scripture does seem to suffer from the telephone-game syndrome.
I, too, have some strong beliefs that are based on a lifetime of thought, and experience (and even some education — does confirmation class count?), but I keep reminding myself that I have to put all that aside as BSG happens in a totally different universe.
You and I are actually coming at the same point from different direction, which is kinda cool. While their *beliefs* are there to comfort them, it looks like those beliefs are based on some serious historical fact.
Thanks for the great comments!
PS: Did you catch the great article on “New Atheism” in Wired mag last month? Good stuff.
No, maybe I’ll check it out. I do spend a lot of time posting on religiousfreaks.com though. You might enjoy reading some of my comments.
Eh, on 2nd thought, maybe not. It’s pretty dry stuff.
Cheers. 😀
seriously cally might be the one. I saw Eye again and the hybrad says sin will be “revealed” Tyrols sin was revaled only to Cally. He already knew about it. ……Leee! starbuck’s sin of cheating multiple times was revealed to him …hmmmmm…..
That’s the cool thing, and why it really is the ultimate question.
We know a LOT of the plot threads will be wrapped up in the season finale, by news interviews.
We know the “chase” for Earth is gonna be the rest of the season (this planet is just the starting line).
We just have hanging who is gonna be the one (or two) to lead the chase, and so on. Oh, and who poisoned the food source — that one raises an eyebrow for me, that it conspired just perfectly to get them onto this planet.. I still feel there is some agent at work on the Galactica. Of course, I also think the “final 5” are a 3rd party in this interstellar drama, so don’t mind me. =P
Oh, and just for the record? I fully expect Adama to fire the nukes. They won’t hit (or will hit wrong) somehow… But the Galactica having nukes has always been one of those lingering threats and plot questions. It seems they restocked from the Prometheus (I believe they only had 5 nukes when one of the warheads was given to Baltar in season 1, yet we see 5 nukes in the tubes this episode), but it just seems like one of those things they need to get rid of.
Chuck-
I’ve been listening to this week’s podcast in bits and just got to the part where you address the religious issues right as I was reading your posts to Arktis about the religious question (and for the record, Arktis, I also used to be a Christian-raised Catholic and in college became an evangelical-only to move away from it over the past few years. The vagueness of prophetic language and the willingness of people to believe in only one point of view of them, to the exclusion of all others, really sticks in my craw too). I’m not so sure that I would go to the point as to say that the experience of religion in the BSG universe is more or less factual than for us. There are certainly plenty of people in this universe who would argue that their experience of the world validates their interpretation of religious scripture and that they experience “miracles” every day. Certainly the “miracles” that the inhabitants of the BSG universe experience don’t seem any different than ours. They’re just unexplained phenomena which are left hanging (Gaeta’s wonder at the serendipity of the star being at the point of going nova and the cylons and colonials just conveniently arriving at that point is telling. He’s not willing to call it a miracle but he is willing to let it raise the question in his mind, which, if any of us are really honest, we all have to admit is an experience we’ve all shared, to a degree. Their religion certainly seems to be based on history, which is essentially true of our religion too. Although there are plenty of myths in both. The flood, the six day genesis story, the stopping of the sun at Joshua’s command, Jesus’ transfiguration, Muhammad’s night journey, the gods awaiting and witnessing Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, while all tinged with mythology that has to be taken on faith, can all be traced back to certain traditions of historical events (the flood story is common to many ancient civilizations because most of them were built around rivers, which tend to overflow their banks on a yearly basis and create general havoc in communities; Joshua was likely a real war hero and the story of his stopping the sun is merely a poetic illustration of a battle that was won swiftly. Jesus, Muhammad and Buddha were each historical figures who practiced a mystical spirituality which is reflected in stories of their miracles and whose enlightened nature is reflected in stories like the transfiguration, the Bodhi tree and the night journey). Whereas in the BSG universe the mystical/spiritual stories seem to have a very vibrant mythic element (related to what in our universe are the ancient Greco-Roman deities) the “miraculous” aspects seem to always be either tied to historical realities (the existence of a civilization on Kobol, the discovery of a Temple of Five on the Algae Planet) or to interpretation of scripture (Roslin’s interpretation of the passage in “Pithia” about the 12 serpents being related to her kamala-camala?-induced hallucination on the podium in “The Hand of God” is contrasted to Baltar’s/Head Six’s interpretation of it as referring to the 12 vipers that carry on the mission to take over the tillium refinery). This doesn’t strike me as any different, really, to our own experience of religion (at least an honest, self-consciously examined and objective experience of religion. There are certainly fanatics in both universes who see things very literally and very mystically).
I totally agree with that idea. For that matter, I’ll also say that BSG is a great way to look at the world through a new set of eyes, or in Tigh’s case, eye. That’s why I think the show is so great when the Colonials are in the position that I may not normally agree or side with like their polytheistic religion, insurgency and suicide bombings, etc. It’s healthy to step back and examine things and re-evaluate why you think or feel a certain way so that we don’t just get set in our ways.
I don’t think anyone should be getting their values from a television show.
Just my two cents.
I think the chosen is Caprica Six. As the hybrid is starting to repeat “The chosen one”, there is movement behind Baltar and D’anna – Caprica Six is entering the room and the hybrid looks up.
This also would give them the opportunity to have Six more actively sympathize w/ the humans and set-up a Boomer/Caprica Six vs Baltar/D’anna conflict amongst the Cylons.
I KNOW, I KNOW!!!!
The chosen one is….
…BOXEY!!!!
THAT’S why we haven’t seen him in so long! They’ve been setting up that bombshell all along. Watch: Tyrol will open the monument and out will pop out Boxey with a Dagget.
Then Sean will have his Christmas wish!
Arktis, I didn’t mean to say that I get my values from BSG. Not at all, cause that’s just pretty creepy. I’m actually really embarassed that it came across that way. I just meant that it’s a thought provoking show unlike others, that’s all.
I do get my values from Col. Tigh, though. lol
yeeah imm a cylon, but they boxed me, hence the name, im with 13th tigh is my hero
Tigh is my worst nightmare. If anyone is suspected of being a Cylon, he’d be the first to interrogate them, psychologically abuse them, beat them, break them, and shove them out an airlock. All without a shred of proof. Same goes for Starbuck if you catch her on a bad day.
That’s frightening. And yet he’s still got those moments when you can’t help but like him… and when you stop to think about it, it ends up being even more disturbing.
13th: No worries. No finger pointing. Just speaking my mind. I like BSG but sometimes I just worry about people taking it too seriously – like some moral guidepost (it would make a terrible one), so I felt the need to inject that.
dude, tigh would cut out your eye, and even if it was a diffrent color, surgicly put it back as his eye if you were a cylon
Tigh-lon?
Arktis, to be fair, Tigh would need a shred of proof, although maybe not a terribly large one. I agree that BSG makes a terrible moral guidepost, although it generates interesting moral questions.
Love “Tigh-lon.” Hey, he’s got one eye, just slap a silver suit on him…
“I agree that BSG makes a terrible moral guidepost, although it generates interesting moral questions.” This is what I meant. There’s a huge difference between a show making you think about issues and haveing a show change your mind about issues and situations. That’s why I think people made a mountain out of a mole hill about the first few episodes of Season 3 being “Battlestar Iraqtica”. And I certainly don’t get my values from Col Tigh, I was kidding on that. He is my favorite character considering he’s such a loose cannon and a hard azz at the same time.
And a Tigh-lon is probably like Bender off of Futurama, the alcoholic robot.
“And a Tigh-lon is probably like Bender off of Futurama, the alcoholic robot.”
great i think it made my day
What?! I’ve got to go back and re-watch that episode … did Caprica Six really walk in to the room with the hybrid? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again … if Athena really has the ablity to move past her programming and become an officier in the colonial fleet, then the next to switch sides will be Caprica. She will be the next trainned monkey for the humans to play with.
eric-michael – I am totally with you! Now that Caprica Six (at least I think it is her…) is back on the Bucket, there is even more movement toward a bigger role with her as the chosen. I predict a lot of changes with six now that one is on galactica and three is boxed.
btw, did you go back and see Six come into the room with the hybrid????