BSG gets to Earth: What do they find?

[Tricky]

Recently, while talking about BSG, my friends and I have began discussing what they will find when they get to Earth. I know that this is all highly speculative, but we really have been just tossing out ideas/hopes/dreams. We have several options:

1] They show up and it's Earth as it is right now.

2] They Show up and it's Earth IN THE 1980'S!!!!!!!

3] The Earth they find is a blasted ruined place for some reason.

4] There is no Earth. (it's a metaphor)

5] They find an Earth that is at least or more technologically advanced as they are.

5a} As above, but populated by the Final 5 Cylons. (maybe that's why they arent talked about: they bugged out and left the others behind)

5b} As above, but populated by original series Cylons.

5c}As above, but populated by human and Cylon, living in peace.

6] God's home planet.

7] Sorta the Same thing, but the "White light" guys from the original series.

8] It's a resort planet, but they can't get into the basement, and Roach motels and insecticides are forbidden for some reason.

My fave is option 5, and if they go ahead with it, it would be cool if they had the 13th tribe be hostile to Galactica bringing war and refugees to them!

Thoughts?

[Tobian]

Hmm well there is the distinct option that unlike the original series, where earth was the final 13th colony that set out, that earth may well have been the actual originating culture which set out TOO Kobol, and then decided to return too earth. There are definite indications here that the people of Cobol have been to earth before:

The Cylons believe in one god, which is the prevaling current religious belief of humanity, perhaps they have uncovered this older truth, since in earlier episodes they were going on about the cycle of birth and death and how history was repeating it's self.

While it may be that the people of Kobol themselves had a much greater knowledge of technology than the colonials (which it appears they do) how did they know of the location of earth before the 13th tribe went there, if it wasn't already an important location of theirs: One explanation being that they came from there.

There is also the whole symbolic nature of the constelations of Earth too: Those symbols are important from ancient earth times: it could be that within the symbols are encoded a mystery, which in and of it's self, for the people of earth is the existence of the 12 colonies in the first place, but beyond that it means the people of Kobol have to have been to earth in a period between 10,000 BC + when those symbols actually mean anything to humans. This leaves a wide margin for when it could be set, relative to our own timeline.

If they were from Earth it then asks the following, which era are they from: They could theoretically be from a pre-history civilisation, the likes of which is recorded in impossibly old human monoliths, still remaining from that 10-12,000 year old era, a sort of 'Atlantis' civilisation who fled to the stars when their civilisation collapsed. The ancients often used stars, and astronomy to encode information, and in 10,000 years there's more than enough time for life on Kobol and the colonies to cycle through their respective existences, and mean the colonials would arrive roughly in our modern age...

However if the Kobol people are from some point in our future, it does ask the question, why did they not COME from Earth: Why did they leave it! It could be Earth is a cold dead husk, but then why did the 13th tribe want to go back?! but if it is that it's from sometime in our future, then really what they could find could be anything from a dead world to a super-god-like race of beings with advanced technology or anything in between?!

In either sense, the precidence of the previous series, the fact that it is trying to surpass it's older incarnation, and be 'different' means really, it could be anything, and knowing this series, probably quite shocking!

The elements of the cyclical nature of history and the interpretation of prophecy as being the past repeating it's self, points to, IMHO, that Earth was long ago nuked, in our future, much as it seems Kobol was destroyed by some cataclysm, at the hands of their own arrogance, and then the 12 colonies fell to the same fate (when they created the Cylons, who in turn destroyed them) - this of course doesn't tell us anything about what could exist on Earth, and if it's in OUR past present or future

[Phoenix]

I'm liking number 5 myself, with Tobian's first twist. Earth is where it all started.

I've been wondering if some of the old concepts are going to get the 'Re-imagined' treatment also. Things like the Borellian Nomen or the Ovions. I really didn't care for the Beings of Light.

[Jem'hadar]

I really doubt that the humans will ever reach Earth, at least not in the series, but if they do, I think that it will be present-day Earth.

However, that presents some problems.

Modern-day Earth is not united by any sense of the word. Which nation do they approach? The world's only superpower? The most populous nation? The largest one in terms of landmass? Or do they approach the UN w/ a misguided understanding that it represents one voice of humanity?

We're technologically backward compared to the Colonials. Every major nation would want access to their technology for their own nation's benefit. Nations might conspire against each other to get that advanced technology.

If the Colonials are followed by the Cylons, modern-day Earth doesn't have anything to stop the Cylons. Even our nukes are a limited threat that could probably be easily neutralized by the Cylons. The Cylons could easily conquer Earth of today.

If the Cylons do arrive here, what will they try to do? Eradicate human life w/ nukes? Attempt to conquer & colonize Earth? Let humans who surrender live under occupation? The Cylons had a hard time controlling only a few thousand humans on New Caprica, so it's doubtful they would attempt contol over several billion. They'll probably just nuke most of us & let a small percentage live as their slaves.

[Tobian]

I think if they did make it to Earth, and it was the 21st century Earth we know and love, it would probably be a huge let down for them, because of all the points you make: that Earth is far more of a mess than even their own embittered embattled argumentative and thready society, and because they would be hardly any help at all if the Cylons did show up. Technologically they are not all that different: It's only really space travel where there's any difference. Our Nukes wouldn't actually be completely ineffectual, because outfitting them with space-capable casings would be an awful lot simpler than sourcing that much raw radioactive material: The Galactica could field them herself; Getting Earth to agree to give her any would be the issue

Actually the one thing that would give pause to the Cylons would actually BE our faith, that could quite literrally set them into a spin, while we're by no means cohesive, monotheistic religion is pervasive, and seeing what it has done to our culture would be very difficult them, especially because their culture is dividing, and they can't agree on interpretations. That and the fact that these people are not the people who they have an axe to grind with, and lets face it they would be the first genuine alien life seen on the show, and by any of them! Unless they don't discriminate and hate all 'human' life, they can't think us all the same. The fleet could actually hide among us, if they sacrificed their ability to leave, because they don't have Star Trek style sensor technology, they can't pick them up from orbit!

Of course that's assuming that they decide to or can stay, Earth may not welcome them, or indeed go to war with them. It's difficult to precisely say what their capabilities are, but they couldn't conquer Earth, nor would they have the heart too, if we turned on them!

I somehow doubt however it will be the modern day earth: Something about the alegory doesn't fit: it's not the same series, and I don't think it could be the same if they turned up on our doorstep, as in the 80's version, where the technology differences were WAY more pronounced.

[Tricky]

Related to this is my one 'nit' of the orginal premise of Earth being the 13th colony.

Look at the racial diversity of the BSG people. Now, maybe at one time, they were the seperate colonies and each one made up mostly of one racial sub group or another, but we don't have proof of that.

So, how did we become so racially diverse here on Terra Firma? Maybe the 13th colony was made up of outcasts, but then that makes even less sense, because that would mean at some time or another, the unified 13th tribe decided to tear itself apart over racial lines!

Just nitpicking.

[Tobian]

Well it largely depends on what you want to call a 'tribe' anyway, 'tribe' could refer to something as simple as a country, with respects to Kobol, which in and of it's self could be quite racially diverse! It appears that unlike the original series, there's pretty much no racial bias to any one of the 12 colonies, they are all pretty much a mixed bag, probably from centuries of cross colonisation.

With regards to Earth. some scientists believe the reason that we have such diversity in our culture was due to a minor extinction level event, possibly the ice age, or large volcanic activity, such as a super caldera, which caused humans to dwindle to a fraction of our number, in pockets across the globe, which they re-populated the globe, giving us our multi-ethnic diversity, rather than a homogeneity of appearance. I guess when you're split from the 12 tribes occurred would make a huge difference, or indeed, if the 13 tribes do originally descend from earth then they would all have been a mixed up racial melting pot. I guess it's all down to their time-line.

[BouncyCaitian]

The Planet has been taken over by QVC and HSN and is trying to sell stuff to the rag tag fleet

[Tobian]

Well if we're going to be silly: A planet overrun by 'alien' haha Now that could be funny - Cylons Versus Alien - CvA on a cinema near you soon!

[Captain Otto]

Another Idea would be a crossover between Space Above and Beyond and BSG; Roughly the same Technology and similar Themes Earth Struggles against the Alien Chigs when the Rag tag fleet arrives with the Cylons in tow.

[First of Two]

Planet of the Marvel Zombies.

[Tricky]

I remembered this thread while posting in a diff. BSG thread. So, all the way back in 2007, I picked the actuall condition of Earth. That's right, the actuall situation that the fleet discovered on Earth was......

 

# 3. Yup, I guessed it right, and even had it up at the top of the list. Guess I know my stuff!

[The Tatterdemalion King]

You finally, really did it.

YOU MANIACS! YOU MURDERERS! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELLLL...

[Owen E Oulton]

Too bad they didn't take a risk and use a waist-deep buried Statue of Liberty or even Spaceball One in Mega-Maid form...

[JALU3]

Within what sphere of space would all 13 constellations match their form as provided within the temple on the First planet? How do we know that the entire planet is radiated? What about the satillites in orbit around the planet (what no mention of them)? Through out the solar system? What is the half life of the radiation? How recent was it's cause detonated? Why Liberty Island ( I mean such a small target) or is that where the Colonial Beacon was coming from?

12 More episodes in 2009!?!