Tag: BSG

Battlestar Galactica (BSG) is finished. It has been a long road from the miniseries that started it all way back in December of 2003 to the final episode which aired today. Today, however, BSG was able to do something few series ever do. It provided a true ending.

I have to admit that when I watched the miniseries in 2003, I was skeptical. I mean, they made Starbuck female! But, I was also hopeful. The show had a grittiness and realism that was lacking in the original 1978 series that inspired it. There was an air of desperation and devastation throughout the entire miniseries which was only an afterthought in the original series.

When BSG was picked up for a series, I was thrilled. I wanted to see what they could do with the story. Would they mindlessly parrot the original plot lines or create something new? It became apparent very quickly that something new was the choice of the producers. Yet it was clear through that first season that they had kept the fans of the original in mind.

The discovery of Kobol at the end of the first season marked the end of even the remote adherence to the original 1978 series’ plot. From there, BSG struck out on its own. From the occupation of New Caprica at the end of the second to the revelation of four of the final five Cylons and Starbuck’s death and later return at the end of the third season to the discovery of a ruined and uninhabitable Earth in the middle of the fourth season to the ultimate ending, it has been a rollercoaster ride.

During that time, we have come to feel for the characters as we watched them react to the ever bleaker reality facing them. We saw as some broke under the strain while others grew stronger. We saw the strong ones grow weak and find strength again. We saw characters of dubious mettle ultimately come through in the end. In short, it was a story about the people.

Even so, there were mysteries. Why did the original Cylon war end? What was up with Baltar’s hallucination? What was with the opera house hallucination on Kobol? What about the shared dream of the same opera house? Why was Hera so significant? Why the mystery about the Final Five? Why was Starbuck so tied up in prophecy, even in the first season? How did she resurrect at the beginning of the final season? Six had a Baltar just like Baltar had a Six? Indeed, there were enough mysteries to keep everyone guessing.

Then, the final three hours of the show manage to pull the story together in an ending. Each surviving main character receives a personal ending. Yet not everything is explained in a nice package. Starbuck’s return is not explained. The Cylon centurions are sent out into the universe on their own.

I think, however, the best part of the ending is that it makes at least some attempt to make sense. Sure, the survivors end up settling on our Earth 150,000 years in the past. But there were already humans on the planet. This, at least, does not fly in the face of established evolution.

All told, the ending deserves to be called brilliant. There were no cheap tricks used to suddenly tie everything up in a neat bow, even if some are going to think so. The story at hand was finished; the survivors found a home. The primary characters each found some personal ending. Yet the survivors’ stories continue. In fact, it’s as close to "and they all lived happily ever after" as this story could possibly come.

To those of you who have not seen the show, I highly recommend watching it. Even with what I have revealed here, I have spoiled nothing about the story. The story is not about the destination but the journey. And it was one hell of a ride. My hat’s off to you, Messrs Eick and Moore.

I just finished watching this week’s episode of “Battlestar Galactica” and I have to admit that while I wasn’t surprised by the ending, I was somewhat shocked by it. The episode is called “Maelstrom” and focuses almost entirely on Starbuck. All the angst and madness since New Caprica (and even before) comes to a head as Starbuck is led toward her destiny. We still have no idea what that destiny really is but we know she is now squarely on the path to it.

The fleet is hiding around a planet that messes up sensors. Starbuck sees a cylon ship and takes off after it but nobody else sees it. She is nearly killed as she dives down the maelstrom at the centre of a massive storm but she snaps out of a trance state and reverses her dive before reaching the point of no return. She is plagued by memories and visions where her visions appear to her in the surrounding environment, somewhat like Six appears to Baltar or Baltar to Caprica Six. Eventually, Starbuck sees the cylon again and follows it down the maelstrom again, this time with Apollo following.

During the second dive, Starbuck has a vision in which she comes to terms with her mother’s death (by cancer) and her life to that point with the help of an apparently internal version of Leoben. We have a hint that her destiny lies between life and death. When she comes to, her conversation with Apollo indicates she has come to terms with life and death. We see her dive to the point of no return with Apollo in pursuit. There was something odd about the final scenes, however, as we see an odd light with Starbuck and we see the cylon ship from Apollo’s vantage point, just as Starbuck’s viper explodes.

It’s pretty clear that Starbuck died. Or at least it is supposed to look that way. The scene just played out a bit odd to me and I think there is something much more significant to it than the death of a primary cast member. There are hints elsewhere that seem to back this up (Dianna’s vision in the temple, for one). I am also reminded of the original incarnation of the series in which Starbuck’s fate was somewhat interesting as well. If I recall correctly, in the original (Galactica 1980), Starbuck essentially ascends (to borrow a term from Stargate) while saving a child who would later go on to save the fleet. I wonder if this episode wasn’t, at the very least, an homage to the original.

Dead or not, however, I fully expect we will see more from Starbuck, either in the season finale or next year. The producers are playing their cards tight to their vests so it’s impossible to say, really. And, with the unpredictability over the past several years, I have to admit that absolutely anything is possible.

Here’s to the producers of Battlestar Galactica for a powerful series that manages to avoid being totally predictable.