Introducing the “music” to Battlestar Galactica turned the entire show on its head. As well as providing a sonic backdrop to the unveiling of the Final Five cylons, the music was later used by Starbuck and Hera to chart a course toward a habitable planet that later becomes Earth II.
Turning Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” into this musical compass was a clever bait-and-switch on Battlestar Galactica‘s part. Initially, the song supported viewers’ assumptions that the show was taking place in the future, and Dylan’s work had somehow survived Earth’s downfall. When Battlestar Galactica‘s ending later confirmed the series was actually set in the past, the use of contemporary music became an enigma unto itself.
That represents only one of many mysteries surrounding Battlestar Galactica‘s music. The true nature of Starbuck’s father, Hera’s connection to the song, and exactly where the tune originated from all remain largely unexplained, but perhaps the biggest question is exactly why Battlestar Galactica specifically chose “All Along the Watchtower” as its Cylon national anthem.
The Hidden Meaning That Made “All Along The Watchtower” Perfect For Battlestar Galactica
There are plenty of ways to interpret “All Along the Watchtower” that could explain its presence in Battlestar Galactica. Certain thematic parallels can be found inside the lyrics, or similarities between the song’s age compared to major events in Battlestar Galactica‘s timeline, etc.
But what really made “All Along the Watchtower” perfect was its status as a song few people realize is a cover. Throughout musical history, there are songs that garner far more fame and attention when recorded by another artist years later, one of the most famous examples being Whitney Houston’s mammoth hit “I Will Always Love You,” which not everyone realizes was a Dolly Parton track first. In the same vein, “All Along the Watchtower” is famous largely due to Jimi Hendrix’s cover version, which dropped only months after Dylan’s original.
The fact that “All Along the Watchtower” is regularly attributed to the wrong artist in real life plays nicely into Battlestar Galactica‘s suggestion that the song simply “exists” without any true author. Had Battlestar Galactica chosen a song with a strong connection to one specific artist – say, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses – that message would be lost, and the mystery over how the music started wouldn’t resonate so strongly.
Indeed, Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary confirmed this as the exactly reason Hendrix’s version was chosen to play during the series finale, explaining, “Using Jimi in the end was a marvelous way for Ron [Ronald D. Moore, showrunner] to underline the concept that “Watchtower” itself is really an ethereal presence that becomes known to various selected few across the universe and over the eons.“
Where The Music Really Comes From In Battlestar Galactica
The closest Battlestar Galactica came to explaining the mysterious music was when Samuel Anders remembered playing it during his time on the original Earth. However, that failed to address how the music came to Starbuck’s father, nor why the notes functioned as a map to Earth II.
It seems likely that, just like Bob Dylan many thousands of years later, Anders merely felt like he wrote “All Along the Watchtower,” whereas the inspiration actually came from some unknown higher source.
Given that Starbuck was resurrected and apparently had some connection to Battlestar Galactica‘s mysterious deity, the best explanation would be that the song came from the Cylons’ “one true God” – a being referenced in the show’s closing moments by the “angel” version of Gaius Baltar. From this divine place, “All Along the Watchtower” then spread to individuals like Samuel Anders and Kara’s dad, then later to the likes of Bob Dylan.
- Release Date
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2004 – 2009-00-00
- Showrunner
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Ronald D. Moore
- Directors
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Wayne Rose, Michael Nankin, Rod Hardy, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Edward James Olmos, Robert M. Young, Jeff Woolnough, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Jonas Pate, Allan Kroeker, Anthony Hemingway, Jean de Segonzac, Marita Grabiak, James Head, Paul A. Edwards, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Brad Turner, Ronald D. Moore, Bill Eagles
- Writers
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Carla Robinson, Michael Taylor, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Jane Espenson, Mark Verheiden, Michael Angeli, Anne Cofell Saunders, Jeff Vlaming, Michael Rymer, Dawn Prestwich, Nicole Yorkin, Seamus Kevin Fahey
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Edward James Olmos
William Adama
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Mary McDonnell
Laura Roslin
