FREEWHEELIN' CYLONS

There was a lot of discussion in Alan Sepinwall's blog ("What's Alan Watching?" - link to the left!) this week about the use of a Bob Dylan song as the episode closed; and one that would not even be released for another two years in the show's timeline.


Drake LeLane made an interesting observation:

"Yes.... [it's] fitting that all the more mysterious season enders this year had Bob Dylan factoring in. 'Battlestar Galactica', 'The Sopranos', 'John From Cincinnati', and now 'Mad Men'."

Of them all, 'Battlestar Galactica' and its use of "All Along The Watchtower" is the only one which becomes a part of the Toobworld landscape (albeit in an alternate TV dimension). Four of the "Five Final Cylons" may have been revealed in the season finale to be Anders, Tyrol, Tory, and Tigh because they could hear the strange music in their heads as well as the strange lyrics:

"There must be some way out of here
Said the Joker to the Thief.
There's too much confusion.
I can't get no relief."

Some have speculated that they are four of the "Final Five", while others have theorized that they are descendants of the High Priests of legend and so the information is encoded in their DNA.

I don't know; being so wrapped up in the Toobworld concept, it hardly matters to me, as I have to concern myself more with the place of the original 'Galactica' in the TV Universe.

But Ron Moore, one of the masterminds behind this version, had this to say in an interview published in the Post-Gazette:

"It's more that they arrived at a certain point in space and they were made aware of whothey are. The music manifests a dawning awareness. These are four of the final five, which puts them in a separate category from everybody else. There are reasons for that I can't really get into. We'll be playing out those plot lines for quite a while."

With the other shows, the use of Dylan music is a flavoring to a scene, unheard by the characters and meant only for us in the audience viewing at home in the Trueniverse. If any of them registered the fact that there was a musical soundtrack, that would mark them as being "tele-cognizant". Tele-cognizance is the awareness that one exists in a universe based on Television.

David Addison of 'Moonlighting' is a good example of this condition.

We know Bob Dylan exists in Toobworld - his televersion was seen in an episode of 'Dharma & Greg', jamming with Dharma on the drums. So if and when the Galactica fleet reaches Earth (Apparently Starbuck has already reached the planet and can guide the fleet there), will those "Final Cylons" seek out Bob Dylan?

The answer, my friend, is -# Well, you get the idea......

BCnU!
Toby OB