Battlestar! Galactica!

I’m choosing to review Battlestar Galactica’s series finale for a few reasons. It’s made an extraordinary impact on the way television and stories will be told from now on. It’s perhaps one of the best stories I’ve ever been able to hear, or watch, or whatever you want to call it, it’s also one of my biggest inspirations for Soundtrack. I admit I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock, a writer’s roadblock so to say – Battlestar Galactica’s finale has caused me to rethink everything I’ve done so far. To have it be done is just not enough – it needs to be done right. You’ve set the bar, Battlestar. I swear I didn’t mean to rhyme right there. Oh my gods that’s contagious.

I suppose the first issue is Kara Thrace. Disappearing in the middle of a field may not have been closure, but we're left with the fact that Kara came back as something else after the explosion. Whether that was an angel, or a dying leader, or a cylon-hybrid, it doesn't really matter. We always knew she had a destiny - and that calling brought her back to complete it. To not put a name and logic to something as profoundly personal as resurrection was a brilliant choice. What we saw was how people would deal with resurrection if it happened to them - and it worked. Baltar said it best when he said Kara exemplified life after death. Her mere existence was a beacon of hope in otherwise bleak times. We saw Kara come back as sharp, determined in her mission - we saw her as fragile when her identity issues came up on Earth. I thought they did a wonderful job of staying committed to the characters. As far as her being the Harbringer of Death - well, death is just a metaphor for change. Humanity did end, it's now mixed with Cylon DNA. So far as Earth providing a hope and future for the fleet, Kara was no longer needed.

I had read spoilers here and there about Helo ending the unpredictable way and I understand that now. I liked that. It would have been cliché for Helo or Athena to go out as the cost for Hera. That shot of Helo walking on Earth with his family was a perfect resolution to their story.

The flashbacks were perfect in de-mythifying these characters (besides Kara). Their origins told stories of real people who seemingly guided their own lives, but somehow fell into a small group of some of the most important roles in humanity’s history. The moment Adama puked and looked up at the stars – he knew that’s where he belonged. Kara’s relationship with Zak is what laid the foundations for her relationships with William and Lee. One, a futile, but loving relationship between brother and sister-in-law and the other a surrogate father-daughter present from day one.

I had trouble with Adama and Roslin leaving Kara and Lee on their own, considering their own losses, but of anyone in this entire series that's earned some rest, is it not these two? Their mission was to guide humanity to a home and against all odds, they did it. I'd let those two do whatever they wanted. It's a shame Lee is left alone, but how could Adama know Kara would disappear? Besides, Lee does alright. I'm sure he'll find some babe who wants to go rock climbing with the former President of the Colonies. Without Roslin, what would Adama get out of life? Sine Qua Non. That last scene with Adama talking to Roslin’s grave was just tremendous, and the emotional highpoint of the episode for me. I would have been happy if it had been the end of the episode – but there was story left to be told.

Like life, things do not just end. It's a very open ended conclusion to the story. The show was called Battlestar Galactica, and in the first episode we were promised humanity's salvation. I'd say the show completely told that story. On the note of salvation - maybe the concept of abandoning technology doesn't seem appropriate in the context of the finale itself, but as a series - it was such a logical ending. Of course we as the audience can't understand the allure of a tribal lifestyle - that's the point. There is a lot of credible material to suggest that our obsession with blaming modernity for denying us the lifestyle we desire is what leads to some of the most important milestones in history. Four years locked in metal boxes on the run from cutthroat machines they had invented - well those are situations we can only imagine. Would the whole population of the 12 Colonies been able to do that prior to the attack? Probably not.

Baltar references Pythia in 4x09 "The Hub" as humanity's salvation is found in the wake of a flood. By the end of Battlestar Galactica, humanity has found salvation. A cycle which had repeated itself at least four times over 6000 years was broken for over 150, 000. Furthermore the MSNBC broadcast (which I took as a confirmation as their Earth being 'our' Earth, besides, you know, Africa) wasn't highlighting the fact that our curiosity with machines will lead to our downfall – it’s what we have those machines do. All the machines on television were providing some form of service, whether its was entertainment or something more. Our minds racing ahead while our souls lag behind. Is it right to create machines to make life funner, or easier on this planet? I think that's a question we have to ask ourselves at the end of the series.

Battlestar Galactica has always been a modern myth. That was clear from the season one episode "Hand of God". Hera was more than just a girl - she was a symbol of a the possible future between cylon and humanity. If Athena and Helo could fall in love, than so could any human and cylon. The fight was not just for Hera - it was for a bonded future. Of course the show wasn't going to satisfy every note. For one, some questions aren't worth answering, and two, some answers are better left to interpretation. Ronald D. Moore may not have had an end in sight from Day 1, but he certainly knows how to tell the modern myth. I thought the series was an overall groundbreaking contribution to modern story telling - from its narrative to its production value. I hope this show influences the way television is produced in some way from now on. I thought it was a terrific finale - a small movie, and a great end to a great series.

To cap it off, my top ten list of Battlestar Galactica episodes.

10. The Miniseries
9. Pegasus (Cut)
8. Unfinished Business (Uncut)
7. A Disquiet Follows My Soul
6. Daybreak (I, II)
5. Flesh and Bone
4. Exodus (II)
3. Blood on the Scales
2. 33
1. Someone to Watch Over Me