Original artwork, not a still
The refrain of Battlestar Galactica, from the Book of Pythia
All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again.
— Battlestar Galactica ‧ 2003
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the show's thesis in one sentence: civilisations build machines, the machines rebel, and the cycle restarts. Each time it is spoken it carries a different weight, as a threat, a prayer, then a dare to finally break the pattern. Fans use it for any cycle that keeps repeating, and the series closed on whether anyone could choose otherwise.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Battlestar GalacticaShow the scene
The refrain recurs through the 2003 miniseries reboot of Battlestar Galactica and the series that followed, spoken by Cylons, prophets and visions alike. Leoben says it to Starbuck during an interrogation, and she tells him not to quote scripture. A dying Hybrid says a version of it just before a nuclear warhead is detonated. In the finale, "Daybreak" (20 March 2009), Virtual Six and Virtual Baltar repeat it among the crowds of a modern city, and the question becomes whether it has to happen again.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Battlestar Galactica (2003)Leoben and Starbuck exchange; Hybrid and Shaw exchange; Virtual Six and Virtual Baltar exchangeReference checked
- Battlestar Galactica Wiki: Daybreak, Parts 2 & 3Infobox and PlotReference checked
- Wikipedia: Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)Themes paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
