Halloween 2006

Random Person (staring at our costumes quizzically): What are you guys?

Robert or me or both of us (wearily): Do you watch Battlestar Galactica?

Random Person (often apologetically): No.

Robert or me or both of us (wondering how such a person is even our friend): Never mind.

 

While Baltar floats in exile on the Cylon ship, visions--as always--dance in his head. He imagines himself back on Caprica, old Caprica, before the disaster, before he betrayed the humans, when he knew Six just as a beautiful woman and his lover, rather than as the Cylon she actually is. While the old-model Cylon patrols the doors of his room, confining him while the new Cylons deliberate over his fate, Baltar's fantasies play out in full force. In his mind, he imagines himself and Six as husband and wife, a happy, tranquil, domestic--and human--pair, very much in love. Surrounded by their friends, the pair entertain lavishly on occasions that Cylons would find utterly meaningless--such as Halloween. It's ironic, of course, that in Baltar's vision, all of his fellow humans are in costume; it's justice, however, that another Cylon-human pair, Boomer and Hilo, appear in their camoflage uniforms at the party, underscoring that no matter how far Baltar tries to run--no matter how much the Cylons protect him, if indeed they do decide to protect him at all--he cannot escape his fate as the twice-guilty betrayer of the human race.

 

Present at this dream Halloween party were:

Boomer and Hilo (Jin Yoon and Jef)

Elmo (Nathanael--Winner of Itchiest Costume) and two other Elmo characters (Liwen, and Tyrone)

Pluto, the out-of-a-job former planet (Miriam--Winner of Most Ironic Costume) ("Will Work For Food" signboard not pictured, as Pluto grabs the bowl of Halloween snack mix with glee)

Vixen (Suzi) and The Cat's Pajamas (Sarah) (vampire teeth not part of their original costumes)

A geisha (Ruthie--Winner of Hottest Costume)

A samurai (Bionic Ben--Winner of Most Appropriate Costume), a lobster and a chef (Ruthie's brother Dan--Winner of Costume Most Likely to Be Eaten--and his girlfriend--Winner of Cutest Costume), and a candy corn (Ren)

A crazy cat (Christine) and V for Vendetta (Tim)

An elegant masked Chinese woman and a waitress (Yu and Sha Li), here with Six

A cowgirl (Sue)

A doctor (Matt)

A witch dressed up for an evening out (Valentina--Winner of Witchiest Costume)

An urban legend (the one about the stolen kidney) (birthday woman Debbie and Canadian Chris--together Winners of Wittiest Costume)

A Walmart truck driver (Chris)

Some humans (an uncostumed Howard and Bob)

 

Below left, before the evening gets started, host Baltar relaxes with a little bit of classified government work. Below center, Six proves with part of her spread that the Cylons' derogatory nickname of "toasters" may be in fact a complimentary reference to their little-recognized culinary genius. Below right, the two Cylons present in Baltar's contradictory dream-vision (Boomer and Six) retreat to discuss their secret Cylon plans.