”There are those who believe that life here, began out there…”
THERE BE SPOILERS HERE.
I was completely satisfied with the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. Yes, it meandered a bit in the last 45 minutes, making sure every character had their final moments (almost typed “moments in the sun” and realized that, for the character of Anders. this was literally true). Yes, it made me cry like a baby (especially when we saw the death of Adama’s two loves, Roslin and the “old girl”). Yes, the religious solution that landed the surviving characters on our Earth was a little contrived (Deus ex Machina indeed). Yes, there was no clear-cut explanation of who Starbuck was. But, imperfections aside…
The ending was completely in character – the character of the show Battlestar Galactica, an imperfect show that has always had high peaks and low valleys. A show that, like so many of their characters, was all too human – even the machines were imperfect creatures. And if the bow wasn’t perfectly tied, if there was some shoving to get the final gift the producers would give us to fit in the last box they had… well, that’s fine.
It’s still one of the best frakkin’ shows I’ve ever seen, and one I will revisit for years to come. The last TV show I loved with such passion was Homicide: Life on the Street, another program filled with all-too-human characters struggling in a bleak situation… and a program that even its fans say lasted two years too long. Well, Galactica did not outlive it’s welcome, and went out as close to it’s height as any four-year old program could… and I’m glad I was part of the journey.
I had a chance to meet many of the cast members last fall, and I clearly remember what I told them all – “I’m probably not alone in this, but I’d like to thank you for everything you have done, and we’re gonna miss seeing you every week. Thank you, thank you, thank you…”
So say we all.