There is rekindled speculation about who the fifth cylon might be in Battlestar Galactica now that the series has finally returned for its fourth and final season. The season premiere gave me new reasons to believe that the hunch I had a long time ago might actually be right: that Baltar may very well be the last cylon.
The secret I think lies among the many religious allegories woven into the fabric of the story. These have existed from the beginning, and there has been one in particular that is only now becoming apparent: that Baltar is a parallel for Christ. The season premiere makes this comparison virtually unavoidable be it from the iconic beard and robes he adorns, to his belief in "The One True God," all the way to the miracles performed upon the sick and meek. Looking back however you see another very interesting parallel throughout the entire series: the constant testing of his faith in God.
Avoiding the retrospective of Baltar's faith for the moment, let's just assume that Baltar is an allegory for Christ. That would make him by some measure the Son of God, and by another measure God himself.
That sounds a little odd, except when you place it within the context of one possible story line. Suppose that Baltar, a brilliant scientist, was so obsessed with his own immortality that he sought a way to clone himself. Cloning of course is "easy" - the challenge is in the transference of consciousness. But this is exactly what Baltar discovered how to do, and what ultimately was the genesis of a new breed of cylons. In this way, Baltar became the Cylon's Creator, or God.
The first cylon he developed was modeled in his own image: meant to be the vessel for his own consciousness when the time came. However, while it would hold its consciousness, it would lack the knowledge of his true identity. Why? Because Baltar had a plan. In that plan, or destiny if you will, Baltar knew he would be tested in unimaginable ways. To help him along the way he programmed into himself a guide, an angel of sorts to instill in him a faith in himself (God) and is so doing help him survive and fulfill his destiny. This theory even helps to explain how an image of Baltar, a.k.a. "Head Baltar" appears to Six.
Naturally, I could be wrong in all of this. But I stand by my conviction that Baltar is not the last cylon, but the first.
