While several classic shows popularized this mystery-box approach, such as Lost and The X-Files, one of the greatest sci-fi twists ever came from the 2000s run of Battlestar Galactica. When the season 3 finale, “Crossroads, Part II,” arrived in 2007, it did more than change Battlestar forever. It laid the blueprints for just how shocking a shock reveal in sci-fi can be. It may have happened almost 20 years ago, but there’s a reason Battlestar Galactica’s Final Five twist is still being discussed.
The Final Five twist in Battlestar Galactica revealed that Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan), Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco), and Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma) were unknowingly Cylons. The truth was revealed not by exposition-heavy dialogue, either, but by Bob Dylan’s 1967 hit “All Along the Watchtower.” The moment changed sci-fi TV history, establishing a standard for unexpected narrative reveals that remains difficult to match. Many shows have tried similar tricks since, but few have achieved the same impact.
Battlestar Galactica's Final Five Twist Is More Ambitious Than Anything Sci-Fi Is Doing Today
What makes Battlestar Galactica's Final Five reveal extraordinary is that the twist wasn’t simply about the identity of the hidden Cylons. The execution is just as impressive and significant. The season 3 finale used music itself as a storytelling mechanism. Tigh, Tyrol, Anders, and Tory begin hearing fragments of a strange melody, eventually recognizing it as “All Along the Watchtower.” The song activates hidden Cylon programming and memories, drawing them together as they realize their true identities.
Not only that, but it also confirmed Battlestar Galactica’s ties to the real world and was narrative proof of the cyclical history the show’s universe is built around. The reveal didn’t merely change four characters' identities. It radically altered the meaning of the Battlestar's mythology, its relationship with Earth, and its central human-versus-Cylon conflict. Creator Ronald D. Moore masterfully used a recognizable song to establish a connection between the fictional universe and the audience's own world, creating a shock twist with a narrative impact that can’t be overstated.
Many sci-fi TV shows have enormous jaw-dropping reveals, but most operate within the boundaries of their established fictional universes. Battlestar Galactica went further by making a piece of recognizable real-world music part of its mythology. Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” wasn’t simply diegetic music chosen to give the revelation sequence a stylistic flair; it was the mechanism through which the full meaning of the Final Five twist and its implications for the wider universe of Battlestar Galactica was conveyed.
That’s why the Final Five reveal remains so difficult to replicate. Battlestar Galactica had spent years establishing repeated references to cycles of destruction and rebirth. When “Crossroads, Part II” finally arrived at the end of season 3, the true meaning and significance of those references became clear.
Battlestar Galactica's Final Five Twist Began A Very Specific Trend
The impact of Battlestar Galactica’s Final Five twist wasn’t just on the show itself. “Crossroads, Part II” also kicked off the modern sci-fi TV trend of musical elements becoming clues, mechanisms, or revelations within the story. Westworld provides one of the clearest examples. Several musical pieces are tied to the subconscious programming of the android hosts of the titular theme park, with later episodes revealing that seemingly background musical choices were actually incredibly significant all along.
Apple TV+’s Severance takes the concept in a more surreal direction with Lumon's Music Dance Experience (MDE). The MDE initially appears to be yet another one of Lumon's bizarre corporate rituals, but its narrative purpose is to reinforce the show's themes of conditioning and control. MGM+’s From similarly turns a melody into part of its mythology through the mysterious music box. The recurring melody from the box is drip-fed at various points during the show's second season, and is finally revealed in the finale to be connected to a terrifying existential threat.
These examples are very different from Battlestar Galactica’s use of Bob Dylan, but they demonstrate the impact “Crossroads, Part II” had on sci-fi and fantasy storytelling on the small screen. The Final Five reveal was groundbreaking because the music didn’t merely add atmosphere to a single scene or sequence; it was tangibly worked into the lore of the show and unlocked one of Battlestar Galactica’s biggest revelations. Nineteen years later, that remains an extraordinarily difficult trick to pull off.
Release Date
2004 - 2009-00-00
Showrunner
Ronald D. Moore
Directors
Wayne Rose, Michael Nankin, Rod Hardy, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Edward James Olmos, Robert M. Young, Jeff Woolnough, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Jonas Pate, Allan Kroeker, Anthony Hemingway, Jean de Segonzac, Marita Grabiak, James Head, Paul A. Edwards, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Brad Turner, Ronald D. Moore, Bill Eagles
Writers
Carla Robinson, Michael Taylor, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Jane Espenson, Mark Verheiden, Michael Angeli, Anne Cofell Saunders, Jeff Vlaming, Michael Rymer, Dawn Prestwich, Nicole Yorkin, Seamus Kevin Fahey
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Edward James Olmos
William Adama
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Mary McDonnell
Laura Roslin
English (US) ·