View source for Humanoid Cylon speculation

{{plausible speculation}}
The [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] evolution into twelve distinct [[Humanoid Cylon|humanoid models]] introduced a serious problem for the remnants of humanity in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Early into the search for [[Earth]], it seemed that anyone could be a Cylon, raising doubt and suspicion within the human populace ("[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]").

Fans of the show are rife with speculation about who could be a Cylon infiltrator in the Fleet. Viewers were introduced to the "[[Significant Seven]]" over the course of the miniseries and the first two season, but the nature of each of these characters was revealed shortly after that character's introduction.

In season three the speculation by both characters and fans turned to the [[Final Five]], enigmatic, almost-mystical figures who seem to have a [[The Temple of Five|link]] to ancient Colonial history. The nature of the five, according to [[Ron D. Moore|Moore]], is "fundamentally different" from the other seven models<ref>{{cite_rdm_podcast|episode=Frak Party Q and A|act=|id=ffdifferent|timestamp=19:05|totalrunning=78:27}}</ref>. 

At the conclusion of "[[Crossroads, Part II]]" four recurring characters are revealed to be Cylons. The revelation that long standing characters such as Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] and Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] are Cylons blows the field wide open; if they could be "[[toaster]]s," then ''anyone'' could be the last Cylon. In particular, Tigh has a long and well-documented character history dating back to the first [[Cylon War]].

This article details [[Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad#Derived content|plausible speculation]] on which of the central and supporting characters in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' could be the final one.

==Clues from Official Sources==
During a Q&A session on the official Sci Fi channel Battlestar Galactica forum Ronald D. Moore notes that he already knows who the last Cylon is, and that he's already left clues as to who it is<ref>[http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2270103&st=0&p=3041263&#entry3041263 20 Answers - SCI FI FORUMS] Retrieved 03-27-2007</ref>.

[[Bradley Thompson]] was asked when the writers knew the identity of the final five:
:"Four of the five were recent. If memory serves, the fifth (which may change) we've been kicking around since about the end of Season One."<ref>[[Battlestar Wiki:Official Communiques/Archive8#Identity of the Final Five|BW:OC#Identity of the Final Five]]</ref>

==General factors for consideration==
In terms of narrative, to prevent an anti-climax it seems likely that the final Cylon would probably need to be a more prominent character than those of the Four. This centers the spotlight in the central "human" characters ([[Roslin]], [[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]], [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]). However, there is still an entire season for characters to develop and gain significance with viewers.

With the Final Five being "fundamentally different" from the Seven, extrapolating any characteristics we learned of Cylons from the Seven (including physiology, loyalty or self-awareness) is of questionable validity. 

Colonel Tigh has a well documented history stretching back at least to the first Cylon War. Also considering the [[Temple of Five]] it seems Final Five Cylons somehow significantly pre-date the Seven.

It has been seen that Cylons can start families, however it is unclear how the Five came to exist. Having known natural parents would ''seem'' to preclude one being any more than half-Cylon.

Of the 11 so far there have been only four female models. The final Cylon being female would serve to equalize this gender bias.

The [[first Hybrid]] gives a monologue about his knowledge of the Final Five in the extended version of "[[Razor]]". It states that "...the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering."

With the exception of [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Cally Tyrol]], who are confirmed to have half-Cylon, half-human children<ref>{{cite_rdm_podcast|episode=Frak Party Q and A|act=|id=hybridnick|timestamp=22:41|totalrunning=78:27}}</ref>, any "human" character could be a Cylon.

In [[Revelations]], [[D'Anna Biers]], the [[Number Three]] who saw the [[Final Five]], mentions that there are only four of them in the fleet. If this is true, quite a few speculations in this article are wrong and every person mentioned here is unsuspicious. Assumed that the person is already known, possibly missed persons or such pronounced so dead could be the Final One, known by the Cylons as Tirkon, i.e. [[Louanne Katraine]], [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Helena Cain]], Admiral Adamas wife or President Adar. Ellen Tigh could be plausible, because her husband [[Saul Tigh]] saw her in the captured [[Number Six]]. Possibly Ellens consciousness was downloaded to her.

==Main Characters==

===[[Laura Roslin]]===
[[Image:Laura_Roslin_promo.jpg|right|90px]]
The colonies' president has been unquestionably a boon to humanity's search for earth, indeed the two times she has been removed from office have been the two greatest setbacks in the journey. 
 
Roslin has also experienced prophetic dreams and visions (those induced by [[chamalla]], and a dream she shared with the Cylons [[Caprica Six]] and [[Sharon Agathon]]). She fits very well the profile of the [[Sacred Scrolls|scroll's]] dying leader, the scrolls also having links to other more mystical elements of the series, including the [[Temple of Five]]. Additionally, Roslin was among those on the rebel baseship when D'Anna stated that only four of the final five were in the fleet ([[Revelations]]).

However her dying nature, from an aggressive form of breast cancer is also the biggest cause to doubt Roslin being a Cylon. It is unknown whether the Final Five can succumb to cancer, but Cylons seem to be generally tougher than humans. Baltar's cure in "[[Epiphanies]]" was probably designed based on the assumption that Roslin's physiology is human.

===[[William Adama]]===
[[Image:William_Adama_promo.jpg|right|90px]]
If William Adama were revealed to be a Cylon, it would be one of the biggest shocks the series could produce. Overall Adama appears to epitomize a very human set of strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, he does experience hallucinations in the fifth [[Razor Flashback]], although he sees and hears people in his environment instead of seeing himself in a different one. The experience could also be explained by stress or other factors, however. Adama was among those on the rebel baseship when D'Anna stated that only four of the final five were in the fleet ([[Revelations]]).

The Adama family is well documented. His father, [[Joseph Adama]], was known to [[Romo Lampkin]]. The proposed spin-off ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'', will feature the history of the Adama family, including a young William. This may be difficult to square with any revelation about William Adama being a Cylon.

{{spoiltext|A robotic duplicate of William Adama's sibling [[Tamara Adama]] is one of the first Cylons ([[Caprica|Caprica (series)]]). It is not implausible that William Adama could be a similar construct, although the forms of the Cylon prototypes are unknown and unlikely to be humanoid}}
William Adama experiences guilt for actions he believe may have triggered the war ([[Hero]]). This could be the "hungering for redemption" that the [[First Hybrid]] talks about (see above).

===[[Lee Adama]]===
[[Image:Lee_Adama_promo.jpg|right|90px]]
Could Lee's chronic angst be partly due to guilt at his Cylon nature? Was the [[Leoben]] who said "Adama's a Cylon" ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]) referring to Lee? (note: the writers hadn't decided on the identity of the final Cylon at that point). He might project in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]", although this is more likely an oxygen deprivation induced hallucination.

In his defense, Lee is also a member of the well-documented Adama family. A "switched at birth" scenario could explain this.

Lee is characterised by near chronic angst for various reasons. Could he be the one "hungering for redemption"?

Lee is told that he is "a son trying to flee his father's shadow" by [[Romo Lampkin]]. This conceivably could link with the description of the final Cylon as "still in shadow, drawn toward the light."

Lee was in the fleet when D'Anna stated that only four of the final five were in it ([[Revelations]]).

===[[Gaius Baltar]]===
[[Image:Gaius_Baltar_promo.jpg|right|90px]]
{{mainarticle|Baltar as Cylon speculation}}
Baltar's vast intelligence, weak character and lack of loyalty to anyone but himself have made him ultimately humanity's (unwitting) betrayer. Baltar himself longs to be a Cylon as this would absolve himself, however comes to the conclusion that he is human after all. Baltar certainly has a lot to be guilty about, whether he has enough of a conscience to be truly "hungering for redemption" is questionable, however his confession to Roslin seems to indicate that this is the case ([[The Hub]]).

There are good reasons to suspect Baltar. He exhibits vast intelligence that may be superhuman in nature. His [[Virtual Six]], her precognitive abilities, and the apparently projected environments they often co-experience are suspicious, as well as the fact that both Virtual Six and later the [[Hybrid]] tell him that he is "chosen". Additionally, Baltar was among those on the rebel baseship when D'Anna stated that only four of the final five were in the fleet ([[Revelations]]).

In [[Caprica Six]]'s final vision in "[[Crossroads, Part II]]" she sees the hooded figures of the final five staring at her from the upper level. Baltar is standing next to her in the vision as well.

===[[Kara Thrace]]===
[[Image:Kara_Thrace.jpg|right|90px]]
{{seealso|The Destiny}}
Kara Thrace's path towards her destiny has involved many strange, perhaps supernatural events. Whether this destiny involves her being a Cylon is a matter of speculation (indeed members of the [[Significant Seven]], who do not know who the final five are, tell Starbuck she has this destiny), but it is certain Thrace is ''something'' special. 

Certainly Thrace exhibits phenomenal natural skill as a pilot, and manages to learn to fly a [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]] exceptionally quickly ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]). From childhood, Thrace has been drawing the mandala from the [[Temple of Five]]. However she was also physically abused as a child and still carries the scars; Cylons seem to be more robust than humans and possibly may not carry such long-term injuries. The same may be said of the knee injury which put a stop to Thrace's [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] playing ambitions.

Most strikingly, the ace pilot apparently dies in "[[Maelstrom]]" but returns ([[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrected]]?) in "[[Crossroads, Part II]]". Furthermore, not being on ''Galactica'' at the time, Thrace is the only major "human" character who has a reason for not reacting to the [[The Music|music]] which, to the "four", reverberates around the ship. However the final Cylon may, for some reason, not have heard it, or may have ignored it.

Thrace has engaged in combat with [[Raider (RDM)|Raiders]] on many occasions without any incident similar to the one which occured between Anders and the Raider during the [[Battle of the Ionian Nebula]], however it is possible that the Raider was only able to identify Anders because he had already been "activated".

[[Katee Sackhoff]] was apparently told she is not a Cylon<ref>[http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8547/redeye3copyci7.jpg See this magazine cutting.]</ref>.

{{spoilli|According to [http://roadrunnerdm.livejournal.com/84288.html this source] as of "[[Sometimes a Great Notion]]", Kara Thrace believes herself to be a Cylon, whilst Katee Sackhoff believes otherwise.}}

===None of the above?===

The January 2008 edition of [[w:Entertainment Weekly|Entertainment Weekly]] showcases a two-page photo of the cast for [[Season Four]] posed in a manner similar to Leonardo DaVinci's ''[[w:The Last Supper (Leonardo)|The Last Supper]]'' with an explanation of each character's pose/position provided by Ron Moore.  Near the far left of the table a space is left vacant and a cup sits on the table marking the absent character's intended place.  Moore tells EW that "We have not yet revealed the final [unknown] Cylon." and when asked if there was a possibility that the final Cylon was indeed ''not'' seated at the table Moore notes "You ferreted that out pretty slyly.  I didn't really want to give that away."<ref>{{cite_news|first=|last=|url=http://community.livejournal.com/battlestar_blog/814818.html#cutid1|title=What does this picture mean? Try to crack the 'BSG' code.|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|page=40, 41|date=January 11, 2008|accessdate=English|language=}}</ref> William Adama, Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, Gaius Baltar, and Kara Thrace are all present in the picture, as are [[Final Five]] Cylons Saul Tigh, Galen Tyrol, and Samuel Anders.

However, the importance of this photo is seriously put to question given [[Aaron Douglas]]' comments on the photo. According to the actor, he was unsure that Moore had anything to do with the photo, given that Moore was not present for the shoot. Additionally, the photo shoot had at least six different setups and the actors had changed places during the photo shoot, thus contending that there is no hidden meaning for the photo.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://community.livejournal.com/aarondouglas/55289.html|title=The Chief's Deck: BSG Last Supper Photo|date=8 January 2008|accessdate=9 January 2009|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>

==Others==

===[[Tom Zarek]]===

[[Image:Zarek.jpg|right|90px]]
Based upon the mutterings of the Hybrid in "Razor", as well as Ron Moore's claim that he has already left clues to the final Cylon, one could assume Tom Zarek is the last Cylon to be found. 

Tom Zarek likes to move from second-line positions, is not big on being in charge but always craving to be noticed and understood, is constantly trying to make people understand why he did the things he spent time in jail for, and has the "cleanest" past (no known relatives, etc.). His criminal background and political ambitions fit with someone "hungering for redemption."

===[[Virtual beings]]===

The virtual beings (possibly including the [[virtual Leoben]]) may actually be a single entity, the final Cylon being more spiritual than corporal. Virtual Six claims to be an angel from the Cylon God, which could be roughly correlated with the "the five priests devoted to the one whose name cannot be spoken" from [[Pythia]]. The overall actions of these beings seem to be neither pro-Cylon or pro-human, which fits with the Final five being a third party in the dynamic of the battle.

None of the other final five have shown similar characteristics to this, and there is no particular reason to suggest the final Cylon is greatly different from his or her four "siblings". When Number Three sees her vision of the final five in the [[Opera House]] (a vision repeated for other characters, thus not simply in her mind) they are five humanoid figures in white robes, at least one of which is known to her.

===More Esoteric ideas===

*The last Cylon is on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]] or the entire population of Earth are copies of the final Cylon. In "[[Faith]]" the Hybrid does say that the Final Five have been to Earth.
*The final Cylon is dead.
*The final Cylon is a deceased character known to the audience.
*[[God (RDM)|God]], or some other divine entity.
*A single, somehow distinct, copy of a known Cylon.
*A character to be featured in ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' such as [[Zoe Graystone]] or [[Tamara Adama]].
*The final Cylon is not yet born: it is the child of Tigh and Caprica Six.  This would be in line with what the First hybrid said: "...the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering." It is still lingering in the womb, waiting to be born.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Cylons]]
[[Category:Cylons (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]