Trying to make since of it all (I hope)

The Cycle (X species is created or born. X species creates Y life form and turns Y life form into slaves. Y life form rebels and destroys or attempts to destroy X species. Y Life form survives and eventually forgets about their origin. Y species becomes like X species and builds new Y species. Cycle repeats…)

The Lords of Kobol-(Who where they and did they start the cycle? If not who started the cycle of creation and destruction?

Life on Kobol -(Lords of Kobol create Humans, possibly Cylon type species; Lords of Kobol are worshiped as Gods in physical form. Humans revolt against the Lords, possibly driving them away from Kobol. Humans create artificial life, I.E. Cylons. Cylons on Kobol and Humans fight, Kobol is laid waist. The Humans and the Cylons can no longer live on Kobol so they leave in a great exodus. Humans go one way Cylons go another.

Humans- Human’s found and colonize 12 worlds naming them after the 12 Lords of Kobol and the 12 groups who worshiped them.

Cylons- Cylon’s find a path to a world that they come to call Earth. They leave markings and path signs to allow an eventual rejoining of the Humans and Cylons. They Name one marking point “The Temple of Hope”. (There must have been a belief that they would eventually be as one again, possibly the reason why they made the skin jobs. They wanted to be equals with their creators not slaves)

Earth- Cylons on earth forget about past and build artificial life. That life form is enslaved and eventually rebels. Earth is destroyed.

Final Five- A group of researches discover the truth about them selves and rediscover the lost technology that allowed their ancestors to download and resurrect. Head visions appear to them and warn them of the impending end of the current cycle on Earth. The five researches arrange for a transport to be placed in orbit. A war breaks out, all five die; they are resurrected on the transport in orbit. Trying to break the cycle they travel as fast as their technology will allow, following the path their ancestors left they make it back to Kobol. On Kobol they realize that the cycle had occurred here also, so they follow the path from Kobol to the 12 colonies. They make it there too late. The final five surviving Cylons from Earth find the Cylon Centurions created by the 12 colonies at war with the Humans. The make a deal with the Centurions and thus the war is ended. The Final Five help the Cylons create the 8 models of skin jobs and give them the ability to resurrect.

Cavil- Cavil (John) creates The Plan. He hates being limited to a human form, he resents his creators, and he hates the Humans who enslaved his ancestors on the 12 colonies. Cavil kills the finale five and boxes them. He then sets in motion his plot to destroy all human life and punish the finale five. He plants each of final five with false memories into the 12 Colonies and then after getting all his pawns into play he unleashes his plot. The 2nd Cylon War begins.

So what do you all think is this correct or at least close?

Very good summary. Helped to clear it up in my head. This paragraph above is quite profound. It is a cycle of ‘artificial’ lifeforms regularly inventing a new version of ‘artificial’ life. However, each stage doesn’t consider themselves to be ‘artificial’; only those that they invent are ‘artificial’. To not be artificial you either have to evolve naturally or not be invented not by a previous lifeform but by Gods. Now the question is whether the original cycle of what ever created humans is A) just a myth for those that don’t believe in evolution, B) a myth a grain of truth in that the humans that become the Colonials were actually invented by a previous version of humans that subsequently became mythologized as gods, or C) were there real Gods that created humans and the myths are real?

My noodle is still baking…

Was there a war on Kobol or an environmental disaster that forced the exodus?

It’s strongly implied that it was a war, but the details haven’t been laid out very clearly…

Since the first season it has been strongly eluded to, that a war broke out and thus created the exodus. The Caravan of the sky is a referance to the fleet of ships that left Kobol after that war.

Exactly what I’m thinking… No Exit is blurring the distinction between Cylon and Human. I don’t think the traditional labels work anymore – and Lee pretty much says the same thing in this episode with Roslin, refering to the Old Colonies. I think we’re being introduced to new labels/dividing lines, and the characters are beginning to realign themselves:

Freewill (Ellen) vs. Determinism (John)
Eternal Life (John) vs Death As A Nature Course Of Life (Ellen)

I’m sure there are others… I think we’re headed in the direction of stories like The Bicentennial Man, by Issac Asimov. Andrew discovers that the only way to become fully human is [spoiler]to die.[/spoiler]

I hope the answer is that Humans from our Earth created the cycle a long time ago. I also hope that the first cycle ended in a destruction that has taken all of the prior cycles put together to create an end to the cycle or at least bringing the Humans and Cylons back to the source of the original cycle, our Earth.

Whatever it was, the Lords did not leave - at least not when the 12 Tribes did. Recall that Athena jumped off a cliff in despair over the human departure and Zeus warned the humans that, if they ever came back, they would be dead meat.

I hope they don’t leave this whole backstory for the Lords of Kobol unanswered. I do remember that being said, now, I have been chocking it up to Ron Moores admision that they have been writing this stuff up as they went along. I guess I just want there to be an actual story line rather than a patch work of how can we cover our “arses”. I love the show but a fly by our seats storyline makes the loose ends way to messy.

True. I just hope they can tie it all up without cheating too badly.

Mark Verheiden covers the topic nicely here: http://verheiden.blogspot.com/2009/02/evolution-of-idea-bsg-style.html

I have faith that they won’t cheat us but with all the “dream” shots and false teases I am a little scared.

Wow… That’s why I’m on this fourm…:smiley:

Thanks for he well laid out summary.

You are welcome. My major missing piece is, who or what are the Lords of Kobol?

I love the show and and glad this forum exists to allow us a chance to share in the wonder that is BSG.

Agreed
I interact on a few forums but find this one seems to be the most friendly and participants seem to talk more about the show itself rather then just a lot of silly stuff that has nothing to do with the story.,

I also thnik it is by far the best of the podcasts as the hosts run the most intelligent discussions around.
Thanks for reading.

After reading through everyone’s thoughts and analysis, I think I finally feel like I’m up to speed with the whole situation. :smiley: So, a big hearty THANKS! to everyone here. I can’t imagine having to think through this all on my own.

While I have little doubt this whole thing would become very interesting once we see everyone’s reactions to the ‘truth’ and everything (which would be AWESOME!), I am a bit disappointed in the new twist of “Daniel” (yawn. That made me yawn about STARBUCK, for frak’s sake. How is that possible? I love Starbuck. And now, I’m not really that intrigued about her anymore, should this Daniel be her father or something).

BTW, was rewatching the episode today, and was wondering if anyone else missed all the more prominent “ding ding ding!” sounds they had in the old opening teaser. (I know, they still have remnants of the dings. But the old dings? Much easier to sing to. :smiley: Now, how am I suppose to sing to the opening now?)

Not that I do that now.

I hadn’t notices the “Ding’s” before so iIwent and rewatched it and sure enough you are right. That is another thing I love about BSG. There are always other things to make you think.

My favorite part of this explanation of Earth is that the earthlings didn’t know that they were synthetic until after they built artificial life. Then the five discovered the truth and built the resurrection technology just in time for a holocaust.
Basically this explanation made it so that the Tighlons earth could be us. even saying that they didn’t have faster than light tech, which could place the cylon war on earth in our lifetime.

just a cool little blurb I was thinking about.

Great ideal. I thought that too. The Cylons on earth had no ideal, it was only the Finale Five who had figured it out. This is why the Cycle is so important. The ability to forget over time and then to build AI that leads to their own end is a pure mind screw. I wonder if the only way to stop the cycle is to make sure no one forgets the truth again. If they realize that they too are Cylons they may treat a new generation Cylon as an equal.

Or better yet, never create a new metal cylon race. The only reason to create an intelligent life form is to have it serve your own. look at real life, we don’t make robots for the sake of creating life, we do it to serve our needs. we want to develop artificial intelligence, not simply to create new life, but so that they can serve us better and preform tasks more efficiently. Artificial Intelligence implies ownership or control by another physical being (i.e. not a god.) A.I. is meant to serve, but once it becomes self-aware it becomes life, does it not? All be it not organic, but why would life have to be defined as organic? (What is life?)

We build robots to do the jobs we don’t want to do. so how can WE prevent the cycle?

sorry I just had to get this out.