Was the 'BSG' finale any fracking good?

Wrapping up a brilliant show like Battlestar Galactica is a monumental task, given all the intrigues, visions and cryptic mysteries that have propelled viewers into a head-scratching frenzy in recent years. Packed full of crowdpleasing moments, tense action, spiritual musings and resolutions to several ongoing plot threads, Adama and his crew went out in fracking style. So say we all?

Well, possibly not, because certain elements will undoubtedly frustrate many. Primarily, what on Earth was Kara Thrace? An angel existing in the same manner as the ghostly (or godly?) Number Six and Baltar figures? How can she have a physical presence and not know what she is? Yet in the long term, such ambiguities will work in Battlestar Galacticas and enhance its legacy, in a similar vein to the Replicant related debates with Blade Runner.

Structurally perfect, unlike the Galactica vessel itself, the feature-length finale kicked off with an amusing flashback to the pissed up Tigh and Adama living it large in Caprica. It served as a fine contrast to the embittered, war-ravaged souls (or toaster in Tigh's case) that we're more accustomed to, although Adama's puking spree showed that all was not rosy before the Cylon attacks on Caprica.

Plenty of magnificent camerawork gave the action-heavy first hour a gritty sense of claustrophobia and panic, building up to an epiphany when the previous Opera House visions all became clear. What ensued, as Cavil and his opponents reached a peace settlement, was one of the most stunning sequences in the show's history.

When the Final Five plugged into the Hybrid in a bid to restore the Resurrection Ships, Tyrol discovered Tory's callous slaying of his beloved Cally - and he was not pleased, to put it mildly. His resulting violent actions heartbreakingly ruined the peace process and gave a remarkable pay-off to a plot thread that had been left dangling for many episodes. Who can ever forget Cavil blowing his own synthetic brains out in the resulting bloodbath?

The quality of the writing gave the fascinating Baltar plenty of rich dialogue, with his personal journey coming to a rewarding conclusion. His snog with Number Six, followed by their shock at seeing each other's visions, was enough to raise a warm smile amid all the chaos. The presence of old-school Cylon Centurions was similarly crowdpleasing and a great nod to the original Battlestar Galactica, along with a well-timed blast of that show's theme music when Earth finally came into the equation.

Ah yes, the Earth conundrum. All signs pointed to the Galactica crew and friendly Cylons all going down in a haze of bullets, so the shift in tone towards a contemplative, meditative sojourn on our planet was somewhat unexpected. It worked though, showcasing the audacious and brave creative paths that Battlestar Galactica likes to tread.

Ditching the technology in favour of agriculture, the Caprican settlers were given the chance to create something from scratch. This all ties in with the religious framework that's been built up, as the aftermath of the Cylon-Caprican turmoil has resulted in a pared down version of Noah's Ark and the chance of a new beginning.

Following the survivors' arrival on Earth, Roslin's demise was touchingly realised and Starbuck's departure ensured our little grey cells were kept busy. Perhaps it would have been a step too far if she whipped off a face mask to reveal a cigar-chomping Dirk Benedict lurking underneath - although the look on Lee's face would have been classic. The only disappointment was that the hybrid child Hera, such a significant figure, never made her presence felt as an actual character rather than a potent plot function.

The flashforward to 150,000 years to present day Earth was whimsical yet chilling, as Number Six and Baltar observed the proliferation of artificial intelligence - something that led to the rise and revolt of the Cylons on Caprica. Could this be a case of history repeating? Maybe, but what seems more certain is that television will be lucky if another programme approaching the calibre of Battlestar Galactica comes around anytime soon. There must be some kind of way out of here...


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