Battlestar Galactica

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1 was a riveting episode that started out with a beautiful opening of the various characters engaging in different activities, though the camera shots and dialogue complimented each other in a very effective yet subtle way. There was so much character development as the relationships between characters are put to the test. Helo encounters Sharon after realizing she is a Cylon, Boomer had an "accident" and the President starts to really believe in prophecy. The people who work on this show really know how to put all the elements together to make a spectacular production and I was intrigued, surprised, and enthralled through out the episode. I look forward to watching what happens next in the season 1 finale!!!!!!!!!

What a fantastic episode! Straight-away, there was something different about this one. From the opening montage, which was beautifully shot and aided by some gorgeous pieces of music, to the little tidbits such as Appolo and Starbuck trading blows, right down to its riveting finish, Kobal's Last Gleaming packs a hell of a punch.

Sharon and Boomer are having it rough. Helo shoots Sharon in the shoulder and Boomer shoots herself in the face. Double ouch. Grace Park nails both characters. She may not be the strongest actor on the show, but both arcs are steadily making their way to forefront as contenders for best of the season, now that both have gained some much needed momentum. After quite a bit of treading water, they're finally paying off.

I thoroughly enjoyed head-Six's interaction with Gaius here. While I did feel it somehow belittled the character showing how crey crey she became over Gaius having sex with Starbuck, the majority of their scenes together proved to be a real highlight. Gaius' exchange with the president and Six simultaneously was pretty darn funny too.

What will the fleet do now since Starbuck abandoned her crazy, almost suicidal mission to blow up the cylon base ship, and instead opting for a crazy, almost suicidal mission to find a mythical arrow based on a drug-induced prophecy. And how come Six doesn't want Gaius on the battlestar? Shit is gonna hit the fan, folks. Hit it hard.

And a special mention for the score. It was just all kinds of brillopads. I particularly loved the piece when Boomer found Kobal, it was so haunting and delicate. [/nerd]

Frak-O-Meter: 4 fraks!

Cylon Sex: No cylon sex, but we do get some human boinking!

Spot the six: Cap-Six and head-Six.

Death/Injuries: 11 deaths here! Yikes!

Boomer or Sharon?: Boomer, for sure!

Ships Lost: Just a bunch of vipers.

Battlestar Bleakness: Uhm, does the entire episode count?

Great stuff!

The tiny suggestions to "The Lords of Kobol" have finally seemed to come to a head. If anyone knew, when Lost started becoming mystical/spiritual I was a little disappointed and thought it was an easy way out. Something doesn't sit right with so much mysticism happening in an otherwise scifi show, but I can't really put my finger on why it doesn't sit right with me. Did anything else feel this way? I do like that Kara and Adama think the President is going wacko when they first hear about her plan. Things like this, with religion, happen to real people all the time so I don't see this being such a huge step out of character. I just wish we knew more about the religion, considering it is made up, which would make the story that much more believable but I don't feel like the show will continue down the mystical route. I feel like this story may lead to Laura's downfall or maybe crush people's ideas of religion within the show. The scenes of Boomer trying to commit suicide was really well done and I was shocked when the gun sound went off when Baltar left the room. Woah Baltar and Starbuck sex! Did this happen in episodes prior? I don't remember, but then again, I was very sleepy. I did like how they brought together the idea of the "cylon technology" from earlier parts of the show and the cylon raider. Seemed to bring things nicely together. I also enjoy seeing how Six talks about the Boomer model of cylons. I just don't know how I feel about the mystical stuff... 9/10

That was the best cold open so far in the series, so much going on but it was all done well. The shots of Sharon struggling with taking her own life were brilliantly acted on her part. Grace Park seems to be one of those actresses who does better without dialogue. Cdr. Adama's words to Apollo after their boxing match were written and delivered with equal aplomb.



Cdr. Adama: "You don't lose control."

Capt. Adama: "Thanks."

Cdr. Adama: "No...you gotta lose control. Let your instincts take over."

Capt. Adama: "I thought we were just sparring."

Cdr. Adama: "That's why you don't win."



And the string of scenes were tied together with such a beautiful piece of music, it was suspenseful yet somber, and thus fit perfectly with the the cold open.



My favorite scene, besides the cold open, was definitely the one between Baltar and Sharon in her bunk. Baltar really surprised me by even going in there, let alone showing that much compassion. If the two of them weren't already amongst my favorite characters they would have been after that scene.



Roslin, on the other hand, pretty much secured a permanent position as my least favorite character by convincing Starbuck to take the Raider back to Caprica. The thing that pissed me off the most about is that she's basically telling Starbuck, "I have no faith in you're ability or plan to take down the Basestar and don't think you'll make it back with the Raider." Plus, the Basestar has to be destroyed before they can use the arrow on Kobol anyway. So why not just do that first, potentially rescue a couple very important members of the fleet(Chief and Baltar), and then go off looking for the arrow in Cylon-held territory? Even if it was an issue of them being able to track the transponder in the Raider that was used to destroy the Basestar, they could have swapped it out with the other fully functional one before she headed off to Caprica. Awaggghh! I frakkin' hate her.



I did enjoy the entire episode, even when I was angry at Roslin.

In my opinion a really good drama should have three core elements:





1. Intelligent stories with suspense, drama and a little bit of humour.

2. Three-dimensional characters with human flaws and not clichéd troubles to create spectacle.

3. A sense of direction. The show should know where it's going and how it's going to get there.



Battlestar Galactica is one of only four shows that I currently watch and that I believe contains all three elements (The other three are Lost, Carnivale and The Sopranos). Unfortunately this means sweet fuck all to Johnny Public who would rather spend their nights sat in front of Big Brother, Pop Idol (or American Idol to the yanks), soap operas and more reality shows that are about as real as Michael Jackson's face. People don't want intelligent, funny, moving programs that don't treat them like a bunch or retarded monkeys with ADD. People want to see Simon Cowell say mean things about crap singers. They want to see Donald Trump (and his bizarre wig) fire someone for not doing their job well enough. They like to see Z-List ‘Celebrities' making complete arses of themselves for the sake of prolonging their fickle 15 minutes of fame. So why is it that for some reason millions of people are watching Battlestar Galactica.



Surly anyone who watched the first few minutes of this episode would have realised that this show was far too good to be considered a simple cult show. This is one of the best dramas on television and should be regarded as such. The opening of this episode is the finest piece of television I have seen this year. Brilliantly edited, fantastically scored this terrific montage told us everything we need to know about all the core characters. Adama may have been beating the crap out of his son but the two of them have never seen closer. They have finally but all of they're troubles and differences where they belong: in the past. They are now bonding like father and son in the only way grown men can through physical violence. Baltar and Starbuck have been flirting with each other for what seems like ever and now the two of them have finally done the nasty. Only silly Kara called out the wrong name and now poor little Baltar has had his gigantic ego bruised. Meanwhile back on Caprica Helo despite his better judgement can't bring himself to kill Sharon. Idiot. She'll be the death of you boy, mark my words. Back on Galactica Boomer 1 is busy sticking a swallowing her gun.



Wait a minute…the last time we saw Galactica's Boomer she was at the Colonial Day party dancing with Gaeta having fun, smiling with the rest of the crew. The week before she was winding up Crashdown about the ensign who had a crush on him. This week she is shoving a gun in her mouth for no apparent reason. Did we miss something, has something happened since last week that we haven't found out about yet. As well acted and written these scenes were Boomer's sudden suicidal nature is unbelievable. I will admit to be completely caught off guard when I heard the gunshot but I still find it hard to believe that this woman would just suddenly for no apparent reason decide to kill herself. Any doubts she had that she was a Cylon were soon put aside when Baltar gave her the all clear (yes we now he was lying but she didn't). I can tell from the way she was acting when she first appeared that something must have happened that wasn't shown so I am hopeful that this will be explained further in Part II but for them moment this is the only thing that lets down what it already a great episode.



Roslin is now officially off her head. Not only is she mistaking drug-educed hallucinations for prophecies but she now seems to think she is the goddamn messiah. And I thought Gaius was bad. Billy was right to finally stand up to her and tell her off for what she was doing. But even with her closest aid acting as the voice of reason Roslin still went ahead with her crazy plan and in the process practically left the raptor crew for dead. All I can say is that Adama is going to be mighty pissed off with her.



I figured Baltar and Starbuck would hook-up at some point but I never expected her to scream out another man name nor for that other man name to be that dull lamppost. Gaius Baltar maybe a self-serving, egotistical, cowardly, pathetic, manipulative little man but he's a lot more fun than boring Lee. You really are a screw up Kara Thrace and your taste in men leaves something to be desired.



Good Bits

-The opening teaser.



-Helo. He ain't taking the Cylon's crap anymore.



-Boomer's attempted suicide. It may be sudden but still very powerful.



-The effects shots of the Cylon Basestar over Kobal. WOW.



-Baltar. His scene with Boomer was rather touching. Even Number Six was in tears.



Bad Bits

-Roslin is now officially bonkers.



-Aren't Starbuck and Roslin a little suspicious that after a Cylon tells them they are going to find Kobal they just happen to find Kobal?



-The bleakness has returned.



-For the record Starbuck getting together with Apollo is a very bad idea.

The teaser, the portion of the show before opening credits, brilliantly inter-cuts Apollo and his father boxing, Starbuck having sex, Boomer contemplating suicide with her service pistol, and Helo shooting Sharon back on Caprica.



James Callis brings his “A” game to this episode, revealing Baltar to be funnier, more manipulative and subtle than we thought possible. His scene with Roslin, Six and Billy on Colonial One is classic—a bright spot in this intense episode. Having been warned that something was about to go down on the Galactica, Baltar thinks a Cylon operative will be activated. His scene with Boomer in the Officer’s quarters is both powerful and compelling. During that conversation with Boomer, Balter encourages her to kill herself with the suggestion that she listen to what’s in her heart.



Probably the best parts of this episode are the Kara and Lee bits. We see their relationship break apart (the first of many times) when Lee jealously confronts Kara on the flight deck. Later, when she apologizes (for so many things), Lee walks out without a word. The importance of this little break-up can’t be underrated and its affect reaches all the way to Series Two finale.



Finally, we see the effect of Adama’s lie to his troops about Earth. Starbuck, betrayed by Adama, runs off to Caprica with the Cylon Raider in order to obtain the “Arrow of Apollo”, which Roslin promises will show them the way to Earth.

The first part of the season finale! It's a great episode, but not outstanding, per se. The beginning has a nice pace to it, and the teaser alone is some of the best work in the whole series. The whole Baltar/Roslin scenes, the poker game, that was all great. I especially loved Kara and Lee's little spat. After that, I expected it to pick up speed, as it is the season finale! It, however, did not. Up until the end, it has a slow pace, which is nice, but....it left me wanting a bit more. I loved all the scenes by themselves, but as a cohesive story, it fell a bit flat, making me bump down the grade a bit.



The last thing that bumped this episode down was the cliffhanger. The idea itself was great, but the last scene was RIDICULOUSLY rushed. The last scene was so horribly written, I wanted to barf. There goes what could've been a perfectly good cliffhanger!



8/10 or B+.

***This review details –» this is a "I" perspective, based in what I like and recognize to be good or interesting, this is not a "god" where the guy thinks what he thinks is the true or the "you" perspective where I know what you will like and what you don´t.***



And finally we start with the first part of this season finale and my expectations is that every character plot will play a important role and we will have action and complicated situations.



It is funny that is love storylines that play in this episode, this suddenly jealousy and love that Gaius is feeling for Kara, but It´s more believable that Kara likes Apollo. Anyway, this brought interesting interactions and secrets revealed form some characters, simple great episode this was. The new dangerous situation continues to be a mystery.



Presentation Phase - » (10/10) a unique beginning,

Complication Phase - » (19/20) the interaction are enjoyable and great, the complication is one of the best,

Ending - » (9/10) they could do better,



Details/Progress (To point A to B) -» (9/10) the amount of necessary progress that this show needed in this episode,

Time and Scene Management - » (10/10) Can´t say that was any filler in this episode,

Plot Details/Holes- » (10/10) Fine,

Storyline -» (10/10) perfect, the writers could do better for this story



Drama - » (9/10) I enjoyed all the emotions played,

Suspense/Tension - » (8/10) Even love stories can add some tension, the bried situation on the ship was nice too,



Great Episode!!!

So, things are getting out of hand. First Starbuck who does some things she later regret.. and Boomer who tires to kill her.. and Gaius who has to deal with angry Cylon on his head and some danger he has no idea.. and so he thinks, there is change to get off the Galactica and goes to mission to planet they believe is Kobol.. they get shot down..



And President.. she is starting more and more believe the things she has read and believes they have to find earth.. and she uses Starbuck for her ideas who learns that Adama has lied..



And the end..



So.. we have great tension, some good developments and episode what nails you to screen.

This will be a unique review for me. Let me explain something first. I have this thing about my BSG episodes. I compile them on VHS, not really having the money to buy the DVD sets, yet. When I compile them, I re-integrate the relevent deleted scenes. It really shows how good this show is, that they come up with such great stuff, such a wealth of great material for the characters, that some of the moments, no matter how great they are, have to be cut for time. For this one, there was more cut then usual. Had all those great scenes cut from this episode alone been left in... the show clearly would have run for 90 minutes. I want to list the deleted material in it's proper context, so I'll be going in more scene by scene detail then normal. As a result, this will be an abnormally long review. There is so much to say about this episode. It is the morning after Colonial Day. Lee and his Father are working out some frustrations in the boxing ring. In the first cut scene.. Boomer, on Galactica, is practicing drawing and aiming her gun. She does this several times, aiming toward the door, where Boxey appears..she aims directly at him and fires . Of course.. no ammo, (Damn, Lol) but Boxey is scared, and runs. Boomer apologises, but he's gone. (It's probably a good idea they cut this, because it anticipates the end of the story, and her actions thereof). She has been driven to the brink of suicide with her Cylon issues. She puts her gun to her mouth several times, but cannot do it. Kara and Baltar are in bed, frakking their brains out. At the moment of truth, she calls out Lee's name. Ooooh! I'll say it again. Poor Baltar. He is devistated. Never has anything like that happened to his ego before. On Caprica, Helo shoots Sharon.. but does not kill her. He wants her to lead him to an escape, or he will. Before Roslin's scans.. there are almost five minutes of scenes deleted here. It is Saul and Ellen's Wedding anniversary, and Saul completely forgets, which leads Ellen to believe that he would be happier if she never came back. Meanwhile, a banged up Apollo meets with Starbuck for their morning workout, so she can be cleared to fly in the jump test (her knee). He busts her chops, wanting to know who she slept with, and gave her a bad night. This scene makes what happens later between them all the more meaningful. Running, they pass Adama and Gaita in the hallway, who in turn, run into Tigh and his irriated wife. Ellen wants to know why saul has to stand watch on the bridge every night, and is not happy when she finds Saul volunteered . Finally, Kara calls a halt to the running session, and lee asks her again what's up with her. She won't answer exept that it was a rough night. Back to business as we hear the doc telling Roslin she has six months to go, tops. Elosha now truly believes Roslin is the dying leader, meant to lead the people to earth. That night, at the card game.. Baltar is plastered, and taunts lee about Kara, though Lee has no idea what he's talking about, until Kara walks in, and baltar has some bitter words for her. Lee puts two and two together. The next morning, a hungover and distressed Gaius is being taunted by head Six about Kara relentlessly while Roslin tries to brief him about his new resposibilities. baltar tries to pay attention to both, but he ends up loosing it, and freaks out. Six, when they're alone again, tells Baltar that something's going to go down on Galactica, but won't specify. Boomer and Crashdown again play the discoverers of the fleet, and find a habitable planet. In another cut scene, Billy and Laura discuss whether this is Earth or not, Billy's dog, and Laura's Kamala treatments, and letting go of the past. Lee confronts Kara about baltar, and the two exchange blows. Roslin, Elosha, and Billy determine Kobol's identity, and Roslin realises the chilling truth about her visions, and her destiny. Baltar walks in on Boomer in her barracks while she is trying another suicide attempt. This is a rare deep and sensitive side to baltar as he councils her. Head Six explains how weak the Sharon model is, but that she will carry out her mission, and can't be stopped. After Baltar leaves, Boomer shoots herself in the face. Elosha and Laura breif Adama, Lee, Saul and Baltar about Kobol and the scriptures, and Adama orders a survey team to the suface. At Six's urging, Baltar volunteers to go. In a whole row of more cuts, 1. Tigh asks Elosha why they abandoned Kobol in the first place. Elosha tells Saul about the one jealous God demanding to be lifted above the others, while Baltar sees kara where there's an "about last night" moment. Kara says she was drunk, and Gaius admits the same. He confesses his embarressment to Kara about being mistaken for Lee, which Kara denies ever happened. 2. Tyrol arranges Socinus's release from his cell to go on the mission. He rides Socinus for lying for him ( Litmus) tells him not to do it again. 3. Baltar, while packing for the mission, tells Six to stay away from him for this mission, that they need time apart. He says they'll talk when he comes back. " Oh, we'll definately have a lot to talk about.", she tells him, refusing to say goodbye when he leaves. 4. Lee and Crashdown visit the wounded Boomer in sickbay. Lee rides her for her failing to check for a round in her gun chamber while cleaning it. He tells her they need her, that she's one of their best. As they leave, Tyrol walks in to see her, then it's as aired . Laura tries to get Adama to let her use the captured Cylon Raider to jump back to Caprica, and find the legendary Arrow of Apollo.. which, when they find the Tomb of Athena on Kobol, will point the way to earth. Adama reminds her that there is no Earth. "It would seem we were wrong", she retorts. Adama is adamant not to use the Raider as anything other then a military asset. The Raptors jump to Kobol, and right into a waiting Cylon ambush. One Raptor is immediately destroyed, and Tyrol and Crashdown's is damaged, forcing a crash landing. They order the remaining ship to jump back to Galactica. Once Adama finds out what happened, he orders the Raider used to take out the Baseship in Kobol's orbit. This scene is extended slightly when Laura learns that the raider will be destroyed on this mission, and Lee is shocked to hear that this was Kara's idea. Roslin tells Apollo she wants to talk to him when he has more info. Apollo is furious that Starbuck brought this mission op idea to Tigh's, and not his attention. Starbuck apologises, and Lee walks away, saying nothing. In more great cut scenes, Billy angerly argues with Laura about her plan to go against Adama's wishes. Lee arrives, and Laura asks him to help her with her plan. He angerly, but respectfully refuses, and gives her a speech about loyalty. Not only does this scene add more depth to Roslin's difficult decision, but to Billy's and Lee's characters as well. It is only after all this, that Roslin approaches Kara, and the rest is as aired. Laura confides in Kara the fact that she is dying, and of her destiny to find Earth. Starbuck retorts that Adama knows where earth is, upon which Roslin reveals to her, that Adama was lying about Earth to give people hope, and that this is the only way. Kara will not believe it, and Laura tells her to ask him. She does, and realises that Roslin was right. During the auto pilot test for the Raider, angered and hurt, she talks to Adama over wireless, all but letting him know what she is going to do. She then jumps away to Caprica. The deleted scenes add so much to the story and characters, and it's obvious that most were meant to be included. Probably a studio decision. The story itself is just the beginning, and has far reaching implications. Indeed, finding Kobol, and Roslin at once accepting, finally and fully, her destiny as the "Dying Leader", will pave the way for the ultimate direction of the rest of the series to follow. it would bring the show to a whole new level, throw everything into a blender, and splash it all over the room. All of the main cast shine in this one, and all have plenty to do. This is only part one. The best, and the worst...are yet to come.

I have to hand it to the writers of the show. The one major topic that a lot of shows avoid for obvious reasons is religion. Depicting one religion is better than another can often turn off a lot of viewers who can “relate” to the wrong side. Being a science fiction show, BattleStar Galactica can avoid most of the comparisons. Even though this episode deals with finding the planet Kobol, a lot of religion issues come up. I like this episode keeps to you on your toes and add character development along the way. Being a two part episode you would expect a cliffhanger and they deliver a great one.

Yeah, so when Starbuck gets a bug up her ass about something, she doesn't keep quiet. Steal a raider and take off for Caprica, eh? Way to show 'em, Kara. But really, what was she so upset about? Just last episode she was in a pretty good humor, dancing with Lee at the Colonial Day ball, playing with the garden hose and what not. Maybe now that her leg's better, she doesn't really have an excuse to not get in the cockpit, so she acts like a right ass to see if she can get herself grounded. Really, I would love some more insights into Kara Thrace. Why sleep with a sleezebag like Baltar? Why make Lee suffer for it? And why did she change the gender of the Cylon Raider? Starbuck, you one crazy biatch.





Speaking of Baltar, he may have taken the humor of speaking to real people and invisible people at the same time to its peak in this one. I hate to laugh at crazy people, but damn. Billy really didn't deserve that. And a bit of advice for everyone: hearing voices in your head is okay, but when they start to do physical violence to you, seek professional help.





So, that brings us to Lee Adama. No surprise he can't win a boxing match. But what right did he have to yell at Kara like that? What does she owe him? Is he an old testament kind of guy, who believes that his late brother's woman should become his? Or is he just jealous of the good doctor? Whichever way it is, I think something needs to happen with this Apollo guy. Give him some motivation, some background, a pet goldfish, something. Don't let him be the ship tool. Nobody wants that.





Helo fails to kill Sharon. Why? For the same reason that Boomer failed to kill herself on Galactica: they still have a job to do. Also, she's easy on the eyes.

Well, this was a good way to lead into the season finaly. The characters are thrust into stressful situations as secrets are revelled. Starbuck has a a moment of revelation, at an inobertune time and then has to face the thought of losing faith in Adama. When a few crew land on Kobol, things get worse before they will get better. Both Boomers face surprises.

This episode while no the most imaginative or revealing as others it is no less brilliant.



This episodes see the Galactica discover the home planet of mankind- Kobal. The planet that is thought to hold the key to the location of earth.



This episode definatly served more as a way to edge the plot along rather than reveal anything pivotal. However Adama does reveal to Starbuck that he does'nt know where earth is this along with the presidents encouragement sets up starbuck for her future stint on caprica next episode and next season.