Daybreak – the Battlestar Galactica series finale

Battlestar Galactica has come to an end.  I can hardly believe I’m typing those words!  It’s truly the end of an era – one of the best shows on television over the past decade came to a close last night.  I’d like to share some of my thoughts on the finale, and what the series in general means to me.

BUT…I can’t do that without giving up major spoilerish information for the several friends I have who are slowly working their way through the DVD sets right now.  So for those peeps – look away!

***MAJOR SPOILER INFORMATION BELOW***

Photo courtesy SciFiTV.com

And…we’re back.  Let’s discuss “Daybreak” shall we?

Overall I really loved the finale.  I thought it brought what the viewers were craving – excitement, answers, and closure.  First there was that tense and riveting battle at the Colony to free Hera from Cavil’s evil clutches.  It reminded me a lot of the latter part of “Razor” – big mission, everyone do exactly your part at the right time – cool stuff.  (P.S.  Kudos to Joyous, who immediately clued into why the Centurions from Galactica were painted with red stripes – brilliant!)

Photo courtesy SciFiTV.com

Then we got some answers we’ve been waiting for – the meaning of the opera house, Kara’s mission and that song, and whether or not Gaius and Caprica Six would get back together.  Not to mention the big reveal – karma’s a bitch, Tory!  That’s a secret we’ve been sitting on for months, and what a crazy way to resolve it.

When all was said and done we got the true answers about Earth – that as many people hoped, the “Earth” found at the end of season 3 was not the one we’ve been searching for all that time.  Perhaps it was just called by that name according to myth.

But as I said, one of the things we really got from this finale was closure – we were able to focus on the central characters and lay them to rest in their own little pockets of a new world.  Athena and Helo reunited with Hera, and got the happily ever after she didn’t believe was possible.  Roslin learned that her quest based on the Scrolls of Pythia were not in fact wrong – she was the dying leader bringing humanity to find Earth before she passed away (MAJOR tears from me in like, every one of her scenes).  Adama bid good-bye to both of his loves – his ship and his mate (more tears).  Starbuck at last completed the mission she was given and could rest in peace.  We’ll never really know who or what she was in the last season, but does it really matter?  Chief goes off to found what I assume will be Ireland or Scotland, which is totally hot, and I will go live with him there.  Maybe we can invite “Admiral Hoshi” with us?  How about that business – my little gay man as acting admiral – holy frak!  And lastly, Tigh and Ellen can walk off into the sunset living the life of love and leisure they hoped for so many years ago.  What a cute couple.

Photo courtesy SciFiTV.com

And I’d like to give a little shout-out for the best line of the finale, bar none – Roslin to Doc Cottle, after she thanks him profusely for all his help, and he doesn’t know what to say – “don’t spoil your image, just go light a cigarette and grumble.”  HAHAHAHA!!!!  Awesome – such a great insider joke meant for the loyal fans.

There are some folks out there already decrying the finale, but for me it was an elegant way to end the show on a high note.  The parable-like message was clear – those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.  It also had a nice little green planet message – a return to an agrarian society, which was really cool.  And I loved the final moments – showing us to our faces that our society is on the verge of creating its own Cylons – will we learn from what books, TV and movies have taught us about that so many times before?

As for the series as a whole, I’m grateful to the writers, the crew, and the incredible cast for giving us years of exquisite television.  BSG delved into fascinating characters that truly resonanted with me in a way that few shows ever accomplish.  It gave me a new way of looking at our country, our society, and our world.  To say I learned more about the Iraq War from watching Battlestar Galactica than any other source is indicative of how powerful and personal a show it was.

It’s time to bid adieu to this smart, provocative and relevant political drama.  Farewell, Galactica.

So say we all!

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