I See You

One of the strongest images I remember about the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica was when they showed a close up of the Cylon eye, that one red beam going from side to side, and then the red beam suddenly fixed in one spot and you knew someone was going to get it.

The idea that there is someone looking over your shoulder seems to recur quite often in the new Battlestar Galactica. When Gaeta observes Dualla on the bridge, we never know if he means her harm or if he’s just on a power trip. The version of Six who seems to live in Baltar’s head watches and comments on his every move but it is never clear if she wants to help him, destroy him, do both at the same time, or just observe him like some sort of lab rat. From her very first scene in the miniseries where Six looked curiously at the human ambassador and said “Are you alive?” she gave the impression of a dangerous predator testing its victim, even cocking her head to one side as many animals do when they find something curious.

When the Cylon basestars first pursued the Colonial fleet, it was obvious they simply intended to destroy humans if they got the chance. But since New Caprica, the focus has shifted, as they instead shadow the fleet on its way to Earth.

I think it is a wonderful way of creating fear. If they’ve known where the fleet was all along, are they just toying with their prey before pouncing?

This picture was taken at the Olympic Sculpture park in Seattle, Washington.