My Ode to BSG

I have not written about Battlestar Galactica here before, but since its one of my favorite shows, last night was the series finale, and it was one of the best Fraking finales I have ever seen I figured why not.

(spoilers are to come so if you have not seen the last episode of BSG go watch it, and you should also be ashamed of yourself)

I am by no means a Sci-Fi fanboy. Until about a year ago, every time I saw that Sci-Fi logo at the bottom corner of the television I avoided it like the plague. There was a made for Sci-Fi movie named Raptor Planet, you cannot blame me. However, I kept hearing about this Battlestar Galactica show. I finally broke down and watched it after my roommate told me how great it was and he loves LOST just as much as I do, so I had to take him at his word. I watched the first episode and was left in awe. I felt right then that this was no normal sci-fi show. And it never was. The best way to describe BSG is a character drama wrapped in sci-fi wrapper. The crazy tech that existed very rarely, if ever, became a focus for the show. It was always about the characters, the remnants of the human civilization, dealing with genocide and certain extinction. BSG proves to me that I will watch anything if the writers make me feel an attachment to the characters.

Battlestar was by far one of the best written series I have ever watched. For example during this season a mutiny occurred. Our favorite characters were ousted from power by others, we mostly disliked. We pulled for for Adama and Rosolin, but really they were wrong and the mutineers were right (to a point at least). In the end when our favs won back the ship we felt bad when the Gatea, the rebel leader, was executed. Name me another show that plays with our emotions that much, and that is not even bringing the New Caprica story arc which was even more convoluted.

Writing carried the show and it was at its best during the finale. It was magnificent to watch such a complex and far reaching puzzle fit together with precision and elegance during the episode.

The Opera House visions had been coming up for years and they fit in as if they were fresh scenes.

Despite Starbuck's existence never really being explained, I totally bought it and (I know I am in a very small minority about this) I do not have any further questions about her.

Even Baltar, whom I had washed my hands with and did not want to see anymore, had a vital role and I actually wanted him there.

All this happened in the first hour. There was another hour of wrap-up and goodbyes. It was a little like the end of Return of the King with 12 different endings. But where I got tired at the end of that movie, I could not have been happier with every scene in that last hour of BSG. First let me bring up that shocker that they do in fact end up on Earth, our Earth. We were led to believe that Earth was destroyed by nuclear holocaust and I guess an "Earth" was, but they were able to find another Earth which became ours. Brilliant.

I have already heard that some critics did not buy idea of the fleet just accepting that they should leave everything behind and start again clean slate. I do not think we can really question what they felt like living through hell for 4 years as a villain their technology created was trying to exterminate them, then suddenly they were gone and a new promise land was given to them. At that point I do not know how society would react and I can role with them being afraid of it happening again.

Hearing what Tyrol had decided to do with the rest of his life made me sad, but I understand. His life as human and Cylon had led to disaster for him emotionally. It no surprise he wants to leave it behind. In fact, I cannot believe he was loyal to anything for that long.

I never thought it would happen, but I am glad that Baltar and Caprica Six ended up together. I never understood the Tigh/Caprica relationship. They technically were the ones that started all this way back on Caprica, because they were in love then. Having them deliver Hera was fitting and it brought them back together. Seeing Baltar choke up when he finally accepted his heritage on Earth was very touching.

I could keep going on but I am sure there will be a lot of other blogs just like this today. The end of BSG makes me sad. The only is one bad part of this finale, no more BSG episodes.There is one bright spot however, more BSG this Fall! Only in a 2 hr special were we get to see the Cylon Plan. Yippee! Wahoo!

One last comment: This finale was so good that it makes nervous for the finale of LOST next year. It will be hard for them to live up to this one. I would not change anything about it. But if any show can do it LOST can.