The Final Five reveal was a pivotal moment in Battlestar Galactica history. Not only were five long-serving characters revealed as secret Cylons, these individuals turned out to be responsible for triggering the entire story, and had once been worshiped as godlike figures by the less prominent Cylon models.
The Final Five served as creators for Battlestar Galactica‘s various other humanoid Cylons, the likes of Number Six and Boomer. While the Five initially held something of a parental role for the human-like Cylons, Cavil rebelled against his creators by programming them with human personalities and integrating them into the Twelve Colonies. He then blocked any memories of the Five in the minds of other humanoid Cylons and seized control of the operation.
When Battlestar Galactica begins, therefore, the humanoid Cylons are knowingly undercover, whereas the Final Five are unknowingly undercover. The other Cylons are forbidden from knowing the identities of the Five, but appear to possess a general awareness that the group exists.
Battlestar Galactica’s Opening 10 Minutes Links Saul Tigh To Number Five
In the opening 10 minutes of the Battlestar Galactica miniseries that ultimately led to the reboot continuing as a TV show proper, we see a strange interaction between Doral (secretly Number Five) and Saul Tigh (secretly a Final Five member) that raises suspicion.
Acting as a tour guide for the Galactica, Doral leads a group of journalists around the ship’s interior. He passes a semi-sober Saul Tigh and, oddly, interrupts his tour talk to offer a meek “hello“ to the ship’s second-in-command. At first glance, this is a nothing moment that wouldn’t seem remotely out of place to someone watching Battlestar Galactica for the first time. Knowing the true identities of Doral and Tigh, however, the scene looks very different indeed.
Doral passes numerous other Galactica officers and doesn’t acknowledge them whatsoever. It could be argued that Doral only greets Tigh because of his high-ranking status, but then he’d surely offer a more formal salutation than just “hello.” Doral also looks taken aback in Tigh’s presence, struggling to get his words out. It’s like someone having a chance encounter with a celebrity and not being sure how to react.
In hindsight, it feels like Doral senses something about Tigh here. Some inexplicable reverence floods him as Tigh passes by – a connection that cannot be explained and never comes back. Later in the show, Number Three proves that humanoid Cylons possess a subconscious retention of their lost Final Five memories, and it’s plausible that Doral experiences a flash of the past in Battlestar Galactica‘s opening minutes.
How Far In Advance Did Battlestar Galactica Plan The Final Five Reveal?
While Doral being in awe of Tigh certainly feels more meaningful when watching Battlestar Galactica the second time around, this detail was likely not intentional. Asked about planning the Final Five twist, Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore previously claimed that the idea started coming together around season 3 (via Cinemablend).
It’s possible that Moore and his team still had a slight inkling that Tigh would eventually be unmasked as a “skinjob.” Having said that, Tigh was the Final Five member who made the least sense, as flashbacks already showed a more youthful version of the character and Cylons aren’t supposed to age. If the notion of Cylon-izing Tigh had been even vaguely conceived from episode 1, this plot hole would surely have been averted.
As such, we can be reasonably sure that Tigh wasn’t supposed to be a Cylon when he passed by Doral in the miniseries, and the strange, one-way exchange is more of a happy accident than a deliberate clue.
The Other Clue That Saul Tigh Is A Cylon In Battlestar Galactica’s First Episode
The plot thickens because the Doral incident isn’t the only hint of Saul Tigh being a Cylon in Battlestar Galactica‘s opening episode. Throughout the introductory miniseries, the Galactica’s crew members are visibly tired due to Cylon attacks coming at 33-minute intervals. With credit to a comment from Petersaber, it’s interesting that two Final Five members – Tigh and Tyrol – are both suffering less compared to the others.
Tigh even offers to cover for Adama so that the captain can get some sleep. Tigh’s drinking means he should, if anything, be more tired than anyone else. The only other Battlestar Galactica character not flagging at this point is Boomer, who really is a Cylon and was written as such from the beginning.
It’s difficult to tell whether these details are tricks of the imagination – hints that are only caught because they’re being looked for – or whether Battlestar Galactica really did have Saul Tigh pegged as a Cylon from the start.
- 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
