It also seemed like a nod to Disaster Area’s Sun Dive tour when the fleet was piloted into the Sun. I wonder if the Infinite Improbability Drive was on the Galactica

In fact, every time I hear his decision about the four Cylons, Tigh’s selection sounds more like gimmick than anything, but somehow wrangled back into place with the selection of Ellen, which was also a very late-in-the-game decision. Seriously, I had been thinking they knew all along which would be the final five, but it became apparent that, in the immortal (paraphrased) word of Indiana Jones, “I’m just making it up as I go along.” And that’s what happened with Starbuck. When in doubt, just make her vanish.

Ah well, what’s done is done, and I really enjoyed everything else. The first 75 minutes or so were so jam packed with action, and everyone in the room was wincing as the poor Battlestar sat at the doorstep of the colony and took everything it could and then buckled sickly at the end, everyone was cringing. For a SHIP. That’s how well that part was crafted. In fact, I think I was more sad seeing Anders driving the Battlestar into the sun with the rest of the fleet than any other interactions to-date.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough. End of line.

When I think of my favorite episodes of Battlestar Galactica, I think of 33, The Hand of God, Exodus 1 & 2 and The Oath. Parts 2 & of Daybreak were good, but not among my favorites of all time.

Then again, very rarely are the finale episodes of any sci-fi shows I’ve watched my favorites. I loved Star Trek TNG to death, but All Good Things pales in comparison to The Best of Both Worlds.

Honorable mention goes to the “you-are-there” visual effects on the show, which are probably the best I’ve seen in any production, TV or film, and will likely change the course of how visual effects look for quite a long time.

The finale went in the opposite direction. The last two minutes were especially superfluous: did anything with the Six and Baltar angels in Manhattan truly need to be said? Yes, I know I’m supposed to think about the role of technology in our society…it didn’t need to be spelled out so explicitly. And I didn’t need to hear Watchtower yet again.

(A much smaller point, and more an issue of personal taste…but when Kara enters the jump coordinates, similar gratuitousness takes place. It was a big moment…and it was played like such a big moment that it actually left me feeling underwhelmed. Instead of 30 seconds of slow-motion cuts with Kara pushing buttons, Watchtower screaming in the background, a quick flashback to her writing numbers on a sheet, her entering the same numbers on the keypad, would have about done it for me. A little editing restraint might have left me with a little “wow” moment, rather than, “okay, I get it…what’s the big deal?”)

For the series highpoint, I still look to the Season 2 finale (is that when it was?) on New Caprica. I’ve never seen a show do anything remotely like that, and my head was spinning–in a good way–for days. The series finale did indeed take a few chances, but, for me, watered them down to the point where they don’t resonate.