Thursday, March 12, 2009

What resolutions do we want on the final Battlestar Galactica?

As all good geeks know, tomorrow brings the first hour of the two-part, three-hour finale of one of television's Best. Shows. Ever.

I've assiduously avoided spoilers and have no idea who will live or die, or what will become of our favorite rag tag fleet and monotheistic toasters. In fact, this year, I've just watched the episodes and let them wash over me, trying to get the full emotional impact of them, rather than taking notes and dissecting every single plot point. This "back half" of s4 has been pretty spectacular, with rich character work, impeccable writing, visionary directing, adrenalized action and FX work, and devastating consequences for many of our favorites.

But as we head into the final episode, entitled "Daybreak," there are still a few things I want to know. Here's a quick list of items I hope get resolved or addressed in some fashion during the those last 180 minutes:

What exactly is Kara Thrace? All inclinations point toward her being a hybrid, daughter of a human mother and possibly the "lost" 7th Cylon, Daniel. If true, how did Daniel escape from Cavill and father a child? And how exactly did Kara "resurrect" after being crushed in that nebula, and where did her shiny new Viper come from?

What's with Kara being the "harbinger of doom?" For whom?

What's up with the Opera House?

What was the Cylon plan? (I'd be happy if we get hints of it, leaving the rest to be explained in the follow up movie, called appropriately enough, The Plan).

What's so special about Hera? Why was she conceived, and other attempts (well, other than Kara, presumably) failed? And what is her destiny or special purpose?

What was with that virus in the episode "A Measure of Salvation?"

What are the "head models" (particularly 6 for Baltar) and how do they work? Who can see them, how do they get their information? And didn't 6 have her own "head Baltar?"

How does Cylon projection work? Who can see it and who can conjure it and "share" it? (Sharon took both Tyrol and Hera into a projection, but 6 and 3 also took Baltar, right?)

Was the Earth we saw nuked and destroyed really "our" Earth?

What's with "All Along the Watchtower" in the BSG world, and how does it connect to our version?

How did Boomer and Ellen know where to find the fleet?

What happened with Starbuck's ovaries? Was this just a question of genetic material being taken, since she's presumably a hybrid, to aid in Cylon reproduction? (And who knew she was "special," and when did they know it?) And as a result, also being used to "create" the resurrected Kara?

And how does the "all this has happened before, and will happen again" play itself out?



Obviously, some of those questions are bigger than others, but I'm hoping against hope for a fitting conclusion to such a remarkable series. My armchair QB take on how it will wind up? I think that some amalgamation of human/Cylon detente (couple, hybrid, child, etc.), knowing the horrors the war between man and the toasters has exacted, will eventually find its way to "our" Earth, which is not the Earth that was seen desolate and barren. It will end on a slightly ambiguous note (though not a Sopranos black screen of WTF), with the hope that the very last remnants of the human and Cylon races can integrate into our history, and we won't start the cycle all over again.

What about y'all? What do you want to see resolved, and if you're spoiler free, how do you think it will all end?

1 comment:

  1. I know how it will end...with me crying like a baby, wiping tears as fast as I can so that my wife doesn't make fun of me.

    Seriously, I think you are as close to right as anyone can be...I especially think it will be sort of an "ambiguous" ending. The title of the episode is "Daybreak", after all, which certainly suggests a beginning of something rather than a true ending.

    I don't think we will get answers to ALL of our questions, but I certainly want to know more about what's up with Starbuck...similar to how I feel about Richard Alpert on LOST, I think if we can ever understand what is up with Starbuck that will go a long way towards what is up with the whole story.

    I can't wait, but I'm dreading it at the same time. RDM has said that it will be different from what everybody is expecting...does that mean that if I EXPECT death and emptiness (which is what we've come to expect on this show), then maybe there will be a happy ending for everybody?

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