However, there are significant problems with constructing the theory that Starbuck is Daniel. It seems quite clear that the model is referred to as Daniel, meaning that the model is male. If there were some confusion that left open the possibility that Daniel is female, surely John, Ellen or some other cylon would have noticed the striking resemblance of Starbuck in passing.

These are large problems, but their solution is such that it convinces me of a a perfect storyline in which Starbuck IS Daniel…after a fashion…a very important fashion.

The main subject of Ellen and John’s conversation was a metaphysical argument which has been at the core of the entire series, questioning the nature of the universe, the meaning of life, whether humanity’s one true god is the god of everyone, cylons included, or whether the harsh metal material logic of the cylons and their superiority is the only truth.

Though I personally love Dean Stockwell and agree with his atheistic views of the universe up to the limit of his raging violence and bigotry, he IS the villain of the show and as such the storyline will not shake out in favor of his argument. Therefore, he MUST be proven wrong by series’ end…

…but just what miracle could prove his atheism and cylon elitism wrong.

Resurrection, also elaborated on in this episode, was never the product of any divine intervention. It was, as far we now know, a skill of the 13th Tribe that was for a time forgotten when they were able to instead procreate, but which was once more put into use as a failsafe for a forseen apocalypse.

It was made fairly clear that the 7th cylon model, a male by the name of Daniel, was completely destroyed in such a way as to make resurrection no longer possible.

However, I put forth the theory that Daniel was resurrected AS Starbuck by a divine source. If proven true, the revelation that a thoroughly destroyed cylon creation has been divinely reborn into a completely different organic body will be enough to prove John wrong, further weakening the differences between Cylons and Humans, and though not without conflict, generally uniting all living consciousnesses under the umbrella of this one universal god.

Further evidence to support this theory is to be found by comparing Kara Thrace’s eerie resurrection, dressed all in white and aboard a white viper, with the rather more strong religious elements of the original series. Late In that series, when encountering the divine beings, the clothing of the mortals were turned white. This similarity, in combination with the more obvious divine intent of the original series, not only fills my mind with confidence in the theory, but also clutters it with crazier, bigger, fanboy fantasies…

At this point…David Lynch may be tempted to file a lawsuit on concept infringement.

The thematic phrase, “This has all happened before…and will happen again,” can be seen to very plainly comment on the ongoing struggle of humanity struggling to move through the universe and survive their own creations. However, I’d like to take this idea abstractly further.

If, in the mythos of the current Battlestar Galactica, the presence of a divine presence is acceptably confirmed, I would take the phrase even more literally in that these individuals and their actions have all existed before and will exist again in only slightly different instantiations and combinations. Plainly, this could mean that the old series was not replaced by the current series, like so many revamps do, but that it is a continuation of the story in that the story is of such a nature that it repeats…and repeats…and repeats…ad infinitum. If true, it is fun to imagine that the role of Starbuck was not only filled by Dirk Benedict (original series) and Katee Sackhoff (current series) in the reality of the television industry, but also within the continuing reality of Battlestar Galactica. Somewhere in the universe…there is always a Starbuck.

Everyone always is…somewhere.

This latter addition to the theory may just be the queer offspring of the persistent, perversely cyclical story structures that generally haunt my imagination. And, even though I feel quite certain of the base theory I have put forth, I remain open to being pleasantly surprised and not so disappointed with this surreal role of the dice.

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