With the notice that 20 episodes and a DVD movie are planned, and rumblings of major shakeups in the cast, where can things go?

The Boxing of the 3's and the defection of Caprica Six puts some interesting twists on the Cylons. With it rumored that during the last 4 episodes of Season 3 that a major character will be revealed to be a Cylon, and one of the Final Five at that, where can the Cylons go?

Rumors abound that Katie is leaving the show and that StarBuck will either die or go MIA in a heroic act of bravado in the next episode. They have really pushed the rumor mill on this one with numerous comments of her not appearing the rest of the season, and signing an NDA as well.



BattleStarWiki had this to say about the upcoming episode:


Katee Sackhoff (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Katee_Sackhoff), at a SF convention in Indianapolis in November 2006, noted this is her favorite episode of the series, but curiously noted that her production schedule with the show has wrapped up for the season with this episode.
In an interview with www.cartandfatboy.com Katie Sackhoff has stated that this will be the last episode of this season that she appears in and that she has had to sign a confidentiality agreement relating to what happens to her character Kara Thrace.
According to a Chicago Tribune interview (http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/01/something_profo.html) with Ron Moore and David Eick a major character will be missing from opening credits after the episode.and concerning the end of Season 3



Something shocking, with far-reaching consequences will happen to Kara Thrace (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Kara_Thrace) in "Maelstrom (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Maelstrom)". After the episode one of the main characters will be permanently missing from the credits. [1] (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Season_3_%282006-07%29#_note-0)
Baltar is captured by the Colonials (The Eye of Jupiter (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Jupiter)), tortured for information about the Cylons (Taking a Break From All Your Worries (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Taking_a_Break_From_All_Your_Worries)) and put on trial for his actions on New Caprica. Caprica-Six offers to be a key witness against him.
Some notes for the rest of Season 3 [2] (http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Season_3_%282006-07%29#_note-1):
One of the major characters will be revealed as a Cylon.
A revelation about the remaining four Cylon models. It will blur the line between what is a Cylon and what is human. David Eick describes it has the "tip of an iceberg" which will be revealed in the season finale. This sets the theme for early Season 4.
There will be changes in cast for Season 4.
Lee Adama's prosecution of Baltar will take a dramatic twist in favor of Baltar.All very interesting.

Speculating for a moment here, the loss of Starbuck, a major figure in the BSG cast, will be a big event. To me, it also would mark the beginning of the end. In any series, once you start killing off major characters, you run the risk of serious decline.

Who is the next Cylon?
Baltar perhaps. It would make sense.
Kara? Shown to be a cylon and then downgrading her appearances from regular cast to guest star roles?

Again, speculation, rumor and ???

I like the idea that they aren't afraid to kill off major characters. I like the Season 1 Starbuck, but towards the end of last season and for most of this season I have sort of wished that she would be killed off, just to put me out of my misery.

I like the idea of her as one of the final five, although something tells me that Leoben will be pretty shocked to find out his human love interest is really a super Cylon... if that is what happens...

I doubt that Starbuck might be a Cylon, although she could be a child of one and not know it.

The Cylons can't have children with each other and Hera was the first Cylon-Human hybrid, so Starbuck is either all human or all Cylon.