The Tao of Starbuck

So I'm currently rewatching Battlestar Galactica because...well, because the show is frakking amazing. After watching the episode in which Starbuck interrogates Leoben for the first time, it got me thinking about her role in the grand scheme of things. But first...

***The following contains spoilers and hypothetical, hyperbolic guesses from the end of Season 3 and beyond***

Granted, the people who read P2S either a)don't watch the show, or b) are well-versed in their BSG and are probably like me and outraged we still have to wait until January for new episodes. But I digress...

The end of Season 3 saw the return of Starbuck, returning to the fleet after supposedly spending some amount of time on Earth, and ready to guide them to the thirteenth colony. We also were given four of the final five Cylons, with the fifth still a mystery. Which begs the question, "Who's the last toaster?"

Starbuck seems like an obvious answer...almost too obvious. I won't get into who I think the twelfth is (but I have my guesses), but rather stick to Starbuck. She could be a messenger sent by the Lords of Kobol to help guide the humans to Earth, which would make her a holy figure and therefore explains her coming back from the dead. But...and this is way out there...what if she is a Cylon, but rather than the twelfth, is the thirteenth?

Twelve colonies, twelve Lords of Kobol, twelve Zodiac signs...you gotta love the math and symbolism behind having twelve Cylons. But with Earth being the "13th colony," could Starbuck be the thirteenth Cylon? And not only that, but possibly the god of the Cylons? Some kind of overarching character meant to unite all the Cylons and humans together to make Earth the new Caprica? Whoa, where did that just come from? That may have been a bit much, but Starbuck has returned from the grave, is tied up in the grand scheme of the prophecy, has many religious parallels (her Eye of Jupiter drawings, the Aurora statuette [the goddess of dawn]?), and our only knowledge of her memories are hallucinations guided by Leoben (could they have been implanted, i.e. Boomer?). She's something special alright, and I think it transcends the simple duality of human/Cylon. Starbuck may end up being the most important character in this series, but to what end, we can only wait to find out. You can believe that everyone aboard Galactica will think she's a Cylon initially.

...whew. I could go on, but packing awaits. What are your thoughts on the above rantings? Either comment or shoot me an email; I really would like to discuss this at length, preferably over a more eloquent medium than blogging. Damn I love this show. So say we all.