“The Cylons were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. There are many copies. And they have a plan.”
If you watched Battlestar GalacticaOpens in a new tab, Ronald D. Moore’s groundbreaking rebootOpens in a new tab of the 1970s science fiction series, you are intimately familiar with those words. From the very first episode that sprung from the Syfy (formerly SCI FI Channel) miniseries, the credits opened with the basic premise of the show. Decades after the giant robots rebelled against their makers in a devastating war, the Cylons returned from deep space disguised as humans, integrated themselves into society and destroyed it from within. With the last remaining vestiges of the human race on the run, the men and women on Battlestar Galactica had no idea there were Cylon spies within their midst. And they had a plan…Or so we thought.
Look: No matter where you stand on Battlestar Galactica and its controversial ending, it ultimately doesn’t matter that the Cylons didn’t have “the perfect plan.” As we learned in the series, the Cylons are imperfect beings — just like humans. What really matters is that the show was a brilliantly written, impeccably acted story that wove together political and social commentary together as all great science fiction should. Were there some slip-ups along the wayOpens in a new tab? Sure. Do we wish we’d learned more about how angels potentially tie into all this robot stuff? ABSOLUTELY. Do we still inexplicably loathe Gaeta with every fiber of our being? YOU BETCHA. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to keep loving Battlestar Galactica, flaws and all. It’s just that goodOpens in a new tab.All we can do now is start our annual rewatch of the series and admit that yeah, that intro is still pretty cool.
But what do you think? Are you upset that the Cylons/writers didn’t have a plan, or are you numb to the pain after everything we went through with LostOpens in a new tab? Let us know in the comments below!
Images: SyfyGIFs via Giphy
Rachel Heine is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist and the world’s biggest Gaius Baltar apologist. Chat with her about BSG, Lost, and James Callus’ excellent turn on 12 MonkeysOpens in a new tab on TwitterOpens in a new tab!
