Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak (Series Finale) (Review part II of II)

((Admiral William Adama: [Just before the final battle with the Cylons] Just so there'll be no misunderstandings later... Galactica has seen a lot of history, gone through a lot of battles. This will be her last. She will not fail us if we do not fail her. If we succeed in our mission, Galactica will bring us home. If we don't... it doesn't matter anyway.))

There are many moments where the characters make some very good speeches. I know that many people have called out Ron Moore on his heavy-handed writing style, but there are times when there isn’t any other way around.

The speeches from the characters are a way for Moore to discuss issues. And, I would say he high concept speeches are certainly better written than some of the “in your face” dialogue from Spike Lee’s later movies.

Sure, some of the religious stuff is heavy-handed in this series finale, but it is certainly better written than say Old BSG and all the Mormon stuff Glen Larson shoveled into the mythology.

Earth II

The shot of Battlestar Galactica flying over a familiar moon and then the shot of our Earth was truly breathtaking. (Actually, the FX all around has greatly improved since the Mini-series.)

While there are some problems with the fleet leaving technology behind and living on New Earth. I do like the concept of the humans and humanoid-robots leaving behind their technology and starting over again. “Our brains were moving too fast for our souls.”

And, yes, there should have been more protest among some people about this decision, but then you only have a few hours to wrap up everything. Besides, Moore has a character even mention that flaw with “so, everyone is okay with this?”

Finer points

-The score wasn’t that interesting, but I’ve always had a problem with the music in the new BSG. But, I loved the use of the old BSG theme from the first show. It brought a smile to my face.

-The space battle in accretion disk is exactly how it would appear in real life. And it was a pretty good battle. I loved the swarming of the Cylon fights that appeared almost like insects.

-Uh, so what happened to all the evil Cylons? Did they all die after battle?

-I loved seeing the rebel Cylons and humans working together side by side. That was really cool. And that they let good Centurions go about their business was a nice trade off.

-The flash-forward 150,000 years later was one of my favorite scenes. I liked seeing modern Earth and New York. Plus the cameo by Ron Moore himself.
Daybreak is a fitting end to both this series and the old show from the 70s. While I certainly wasn’t a hardcore fan of the show, I really felt this was truly a compelling way to end a show. Braga could have learned something from Moore when he made that half-assed attempt at the Star Trek Enterprise finale.

Here’s hoping Lost can live up to this finale.

Ron Moore, you did good.

Grade: B+