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Earth? “FRAK EARTH”! So says some graffiti on the Galactica. But glory be for the Battlestar’s final half season. It’s off to a great start, and the episode ends with a question: Was that a dream on what’s-his-face’s part, or did we learn who the 12th Cylon is? Stay tuned, people!

From Lost In Space in The Atlantic (Jan/Feb 2009): “Time to find out whether that Snark is really a Boojum or not.”

Yup. More Battlestar Galactica posting! My third post in as many days. But I had to! You see, as a subscriber to The Atlantic, I was happy to crack it open and read about BSG there. The author of this little article has a love-hate relationship with the show — or he’s preparing to be let down easy. As am I. As we should be with any such show.

In any case, I quoted from this much-recommended article, and offer a quiz: Who knows the reference to Snarks and Boojums?

Read the article, and read his (earnest?) prediction that the 12th Cylon will be … L. Ron Hubbard!

I am 1:50 into Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy and I exclaim out loud, “Wha?!” in a rather high place in my register. Did I miss something before, or did they just introduce a new concept into the BSG world? Not a new concept per se, but in that world. Did I miss previous man-on-man action?!

SciFi Network put out a little catcher-upper to encourage newbies to watch the last 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I for one will be watching the last 10 episodes — no catcher-upper needed! Though I missed most of the first two seasons, I’m a fan. It’s smart, and it’s entertaining, and it’s approximately the only piece of fiction to address our post-9/11 world.

Here are some comments inspired by/during the promo (now free on iTunes), with a slight emphasis on anything that might be a clue.

• The creators say it’s important for everybody to end the series the right way. Here’s to proper resolution in a TV show! But, they counter, if you think you know what will happen, you’re wrong.
• The 30 thousand (ish) humans mentioned in the opening titles are “the entire human race as far as they know.” I predict there will be new humans introduced in the final 10 episodes.
• Side note: hairstyles have changed since they started shooting.
• Lee and Kara aka Starbuck: What were you thinking, marrying others? We all wonder, right? Well the creators say, “That tension has never quite been resolved.” Ooh-la-la! I predict love making!
• Baltar is the “crazy uncle,” the “most human character of everyone on the show.” We’re all flawed, blah blah blah, a wonderful side of the show being discussed here, but no clues or predictions.
• Cylons that look like us. There are only 12 models, but how many faces of the 12 have we seen? Eleven. No news here. No comments on Rick Worthy and Matthew Bennett, the actors who play #4 and #5, the two you hardly ever see. No predictions do I offer for #12! Except disappointment. Honestly, how can it not be? If they manage otherwise, I will worship them as the greatest writers of all time.
• Athena and her daughter Hera will have a greater destiny revealed.
• Starbuck’s special destiny will be revealed.
• That part where they found Earth and felt good: the creators loved dashing hopes at that moment of celebration. Be warned! I predict there will be more hope-dashing. Big time.
• The last 10 episodes start from a place of no hope — so I’m sure you can expect a turn around from there, too.
• Specific questions that will be answered: Who is the last Cylon? What happened to Earth? What’s going to happen to Laura Roslin? (I predict Laura Roslin will die before the final episode. Really, I do. And I half expect her to resurrect and become #12, despite the Resurrection ship having been destroyed.) And what about the other Cylons, the half still presumably interested in humans’ ultimate demise?

They say, “We view this leg of Battlestar Galactica as the final act of a three-act story” — “which has its own beginning, middle and end.” I like it! Good story telling makes for good watching, even for newbies. But what I really wish is this: less use of the word frak. I noticed an inverse relationship between the number of motherfrakkers per episode and that episode’s quality.

Okay, nothing very juicy, I admit. Oh well — the juice is in the viewing! Here’s to this coming Friday night, when BSG returns. I’ll be watching.