BSG - The Last Supper - possible spoilers

[Dan M]

If you follow the link there is a kind of explanation of each person in the picture.. it's pretty good.. gives minor spoilers for season four.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/1,,20169703,00.html

That was interesting.  I can't wait until BSG starts back up.  Thanks again, Kenny.

[jedijeff]

Thanks for posting the picture Kenny, I know that some did not care for it, but I did not find it offensive. This picture gives me something to think about for the upcoming season of BSG, not sure if I will read the article as I don't want to be spoiled. I appreciate Ron Moore and the producers of BSG to be willing to tackle some sensitive topics in the show, certainly gives a person a lot to think about.

[moyer777]

You know, as a minister I never said my two cents on this picture.

I don't know.  I'm not much of a traditionalist.  I mean, they aren't mocking Jesus that I can tell.  They are copying a painting.  I know this may sound kind of wierd, but I highly doubt the original painting was entirely accurate in the first place.  Who all sits on one side of the table?

My point is, if Baltar was on a crucifix or something I might look at it and say... whoa.. a little to much for me.. but this picture didn't raise any dander in me.  I can't tell you why, maybe cause they aren't doing anything that mocks my faith.  I mean the only real criticism is that Six needs some clothes.  But I digress.  :)  Some like that about her! :)  My wife's not to fond of her clothing choice.  I try to honor Amy, so I'm not getting the poster anytime soon.

Anyway, I think there are bigger battles to fight.  Artistic vision is in the eye of the beholder.  I don't always agree on the things that people do.  I wouldn't have chosen to do that, but hey, who am I?  Not the producers or promotion department for BSG.

[Rico]

Very sensible and well said Rick.

[billybob476]

I agree Rick, however if I were the producers or promotion department, I would do something like this if only because it sparks up conversations like this.

From what I understand of the tv/movie industry, any publicity is good publicity.

[iceman]

I Myself also being a Christian, can really find no mockery of this towards the painting of The Last Supper, as it is so loosely based on the painting and it is not Even slightly accurate.

I think their would be more of an Argument over the Da Vince Code then this, as it made allot of suppositions and insinuations that could not be backed up, and it was also a work of fiction. I think more people had a problem with that, and did compared to this.

This reminds me more of a disfunctional family, that you see in some holiday movies then The Last Supper. Perhaps the Picture is more in line with having a double meaning that strictly relates to BSG which people will not understand until they see season 4.

In any case, I think people will read what they want out of it, if anything it opened up a dialog on religion and although we may not all agree with the picture, it made all of us think about our own religious convictions, and will cause us to become more firm in our convictions, perhaps question them, or make no difference what so ever.

I think in this case, we have to look at the spirit it was presented in, on a sci-fi forum and draw our own conclusions and realize, this photo was not posted to mock or make fun of another's religion, but foster open dialog on a show we all love.

iceman

[Jen]

Angela and I just did a podcast on this very topic. We think there are symbols and hints in this graphic that could give us a peek into what is going to happen this season. Here's a link to the episode where you can listen online.

http://www.anomalypodcast.com/podcasts/AnmlyApr308.mp3

[Geekyfanboy]

I thought this was a very interesting article.. not sure I believe it but interesting none the less.



The Battlestar Galactica Code: The Last Cylon
by N.E. Lilly & Logan Gawain ©2008

    "You already know the answer to these questions. It's all right there. Just examine every episode closely and the truth will emerge. Or break out a magnifying glass and go over that Last Supper photo one more time. Ron Moore laid it all out for you." — David Weddle, Interview with SyFy Portal

SPOILERS*

The Revelation by N.E. Lilly

I've only become recently bound up in the knotty problem of the Battlestar Galactica "Last Supper" image. As a designer, the image seemed staged. People weren't just standing there, acting their parts — they were placed; from the positions of the groupings to the unnatural positions that they were holding. Not just the people, but certain items on the table as well. The image reminded me, on a sub-conscious level, of a Highlight Magazine picture search, a MAD Magazine fold-in, and a Da Vinci Code style hidden image all rolled into one.
MAD Magazine Fold-in

Here is a sample MAD Magazine fold in. It's a very popular feature for the magazine...



...because, by folding points A and B together, you come up with a new image, with an altogether different meaning:



Battlestar Galactica: The Last Cylon

    Someone is indeed absent from the table, admits Moore: "We have not yet revealed the final [unknown] Cylon." Does that mean the people already at the table aren't the final cylon? Moore laughs. "You ferreted that out pretty slyly. I didn't really want to give that away." — Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly did an excellent job of highlighting the different elements in the image, and what significance they hold in the series.

First I approached the image from the aspect of a MAD Magazine fold-in. Dividing the image into quarters, and folding along those lines produces a striking image — but it felt incomplete.



That's when I turned to analyzing it in a similar fashion to Da Vinci's The Last Supper. As mentioned before, the configuration of the figures troubled me. What also troubled me was the fact that the two glasses were exactly on the same line. It seemed too unusual — especially when you take into consideration the two glasses of water on the table, which, all too conveniently could form registration points for a fold-in image. The rest follows from artist intuition. The two glasses were the same shape, on the same line, and transparent. I proceeded to lay one glass over the other and set the one layer to roughly the same percentage as one glass is less than the other. And my heart jumped at the image that was produced. The majority of the image was a jumble of imformation, but the center of the image produced a clear result:



The relation between Kara and Lee and between Tyrol and Baltar is too good of a fit to be coincidental. It places Kara squarely in front of the grail. The image still felt incomplete, however. I then struck upon the idea of trying to merge the two images. That produced a much more complete composition.



At the end of what I felt that I could conceivably accomplish. It seemed that if there were secrets buried deeper in the image than I could divine. I stumbled across a major revelation, but not having watched the show as religiously as I could have, I contacted the good people at Galactica Sitrep. ProgGrrl didn't want to be potentially exposed to spoilers, so her counterpart Logan Gawain stepped in.

After doing some research and reading in the Entertainment Weekly article the very coy answer about the grail (note that Moore doesn't simply say "no"), I felt that Kara should be the last Cylon. I'm sure that there are still more mysteries waiting to be uncovered, but this, I believe is the primary one.

Images Explained by Logan Gawain

While I firmly believe Nathan has discovered an important key to understanding the BSG Last Supper image, I am not as prepared to conclude any single meaning from it. Rather, I see multiple interpretations.

But, I do agree that the glasses of water probably are a marker that when lined up reveal something important, perhaps even crucial to understanding any meaning in the photo. And the perfect alignment of the glass of water and other elements proves to me that either this is the way the image has to fit, or it's one amazing and wild coincidence. Just look at how exactly every element fits rather precisely, as if it's meant to fit that way. For instance, does Chief Tryol's position change to now holding the knife at Baltar's head foreshadow a final confrontation between the two of them? The number Six, known as Natalie who is leading the Cylon rebellion against Cavil's faction, in this positioning is now pointing directly at Tyrol. Does that convey some special meaning, or deeper understanding?

Do the merging of the two glasses of water themselves represent an important metaphor, or foreshadowing? The glass of water by Anders is full. The glass of water near Baltar is nearly 3/4ths full. It might mean something in of itself, I just don't know what.

Kara, Lee, Anders: Notice how it now appears that Kara is looking at Lee. In the repositioning Anders sits with his arms around both Lee and Kara almost in a group hug, or family portrait, while he kisses Kara. Is he, in this image, handing off Kara back to Lee, and letting her go? (Kara/Lee 'shippers take note!) Also notice how the book that is in front of Kara, now fits perfectly under the chalice or grail. What's the meaning of relationship between the book, and the grail?

Yes, Kara sits directly before the grail. But, that doesn't not have to mean she's the final Cylon. Instead it may in fact mean that she's the savior of mankind. Or it may also mean that the 5th Cylon has a unique relationship to Anders, Kara, and Lee. Still, could Kara Thrace be the final Cylon? Maybe she could be. I want to find more clues in the show itself as the episodes play out, before coming to a conclusion. Does the First Hybrid's prophesy from "Razor" provide any clues?

    At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destinies spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path, played out on a world not their own, will end soon enough. Soon there will be four, glorious in awakening, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity, and in the midst of confusion, he will find her. Enemies brought together by impossible longing, enemies now joined as one. The way forward at once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth, still in shadow, will claw toward the light, hungering for redemption that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all. The seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves without sin, but in time, it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into the many, and then they will join the promised-land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning. — The Hybrid, Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Clearly, the Hybrid spoke of things we've already seen, such as the occupation of New Caprica, the Four discovering their true nature, and the emerging Cylon civil war. Other events prophesied remain shrouded in mystery: What will be the "unthinkable" but "inevitable" way forward? Why is the fifth Cylon still in shadow, "hungering for redemption"? And who, or what, would be considered "wings of an angel" that will gather everyone at the "promised land"? In "Maelstrom" Starbuck gave to Adama the figure of Aurora, the Goddess of the Dawn. Does Kara's positioning next to the challis reaffirm her role as savior, as Aurora, leading the way to their new home? Or, is she a false prophet, as as the First Hybrid prophesied to Kendra Shaw in Razor, who will "lead the human race to it's end. She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her."

I agree that this photographic discovery is an important find, and will add to the lore around the Last Supper image. But, it's too early to draw any one conclusion to solve all the deep mysteries and mythology involved. I'm sure more is to be discovered before all is revealed. But, this new insight opens up many new avenues to explore.

[Jen]

Wicked AWESOME.