The final frontier
As my dreams were littered with Battlestar characters trying to save Hera (in a Wal-Mart) last night in anticipation of the much-awaited (and must-dreaded) series finale that airs tonight at 9 p.m., and after reading several television critics' top ten episodes lists, I have compiled my own.
Note: These are in no order and there aren't ten episode listed. The list isn't complete just yet either. There are so many episodes to choose from and I only had so much time at work to compile this list. So I might edit and add a few more after my class is over.
Lay Down Your Burdens Parts I & II
Starbuck not only successfully rescues Anders and the others from Caprica but the gang find New Caprica, a planet to start over on. Laura Roslin tries to fix the presidential election, but is found out and Baltar wins. Then we jump one year ahead and we find out Baltar is continuing his sleazy lifestyle aboard Colonial One, Kara and Anders are married, Lee is fat and commanding the Pegasus, Adama has a mustache (which, honestly totally threw me off), Cally is pregnant with the Chief's baby, and suddenly the frakking Cylons show up and occupy the planet. Oh, but wait for it, Galactica and Pegasus jump away stranding everyone on the planet. But don't worry, cause Starbuck knows what to do: "Fight 'em til we can't."
Revelations
Lee steps up for once and shows that he is actually a man. Adama finally finds out his BFF and XO is a toaster, meaning the final four are all revealed to the rest of the fleet. Oh, and they find Earth. But wait: It's a nuclear wasteland! Hooray!
The Oath/Blood on the Scales
After a not so stellar mid-season premiere (despite the surprising suicide of Dee and the revealing of Ellen as the Fifth Cylon), the series came back with the old one-two punch and knocked us out with a mutiny storyline that killed every other mutiny story ever. We welcomed the old Starbuck back as she kicked ass shooting people everywhere, saving both Lee's life and Anders' life (though, that last bit has yet to really be true as he's currently serving as the Hybrid). We also got to see Adama and Tigh engage in badassery while Laura Roslin proved you don't fuck with her man (and er, the rest of the fleet).
Unfinished Business
While my personal love for this episode stems greatly from the love finally acknowledged between Kara and Lee as they finally had sex and shouted their love to the sky, I have to admit it's greatness for other reasons as well. It gave us a look at the year we had missed. It explained why Lee got all fat on us at the end of season 2. It explained why Lee and Kara weren't friends. And it gave us Adama and Roslin smoking a joint together on New Caprica. Plus, the fight scenes were amazing. Now, if only Kara hadn't fun away and married Anders liked a scared little girl.
Scar
A tough-ass rogue cylon raider picked off the Galactica's pilots one by one. I loved this episode because it focused solely on the viper pilots and their lives. I loved seeing Kara more emotional in this episode. And I admit that the almost sex scene between Kara and Lee was hot.
33
This was the first episode of the actual series, and it came out full throttle. The fleet was forced to jump every 33 minutes to evade the cylon baseships that followed them every, yep you guessed it, 33 minutes. Obviously, a traitor was in their midst, and Lee and Kara were forced to blow up the Olympic Carrier. It was a great first episode and it set the stage for the rest of the show. It was jam packed with action, amazing acting and writing, and basically just made me love the show even more.
Crossroads Parts I & II
I'm cheating, but it's okay. Two-parters are really just one big episode anyway. Baltar went on trial, and was found innocent after Lee again steps up and acts like a man by giving a great speech. A speech that I feel totally needs to be copied here. It's long, but it shows the dude has balls. But don't worry, it's behind the cut.
Did the defendant make mistakes? Sure, he did. Serious mistakes. But did he actually commit any crimes? Did he commit treason? No. I mean, it was an impossible situation. When the Cylons arrived, what could he possibly do? What could anyone have done? I mean, ask yourself, what would you have done? What would you have done? If he had refused to surrender, the Cylons would've probably nuked the planet right then and there. So did he appear to cooperate with the Cylons? Sure. So did hundreds of others. What's the difference between him and them? The President issued a blanket pardon. They were all forgiven. No questions asked. Colonel Tigh. Colonel Tigh used suicide bombers, killed dozens of people. Forgiven. Lieutenant Agathon and Chief Tyrol. They murdered an officer on the Pegasus. Forgiven. The Admiral? The Admiral instituted a military coup d'etat against the President. Forgiven. And me? Well, where do I begin? I shot down a civilian passenger ship, the Olympic Carrier. Over a thousand people on board. Forgiven. I raised my weapon to a superior officer, committed an act of mutiny. Forgiven. And then on the very day when Baltar surrendered to those Cylons, I, as Commander of Pegasus, jumped away. I left everybody on that planet alone, undefended, for months! I even tried to persuade the Admiral never to return. To abandon you all there for good. If I'd had my way, nobody would've made it off that planet. I'm the coward. I'm the traitor. I'm forgiven. I'd say we're very forgiving of mistakes. We make our own laws now, our own justice. We've been pretty creative at finding ways to let people off the hook for everything from theft to murder. And we've had to be. Because... Because we're not a civilization anymore. We are a gang. And we're on the run. And we have to fight to survive. We have to break rules. We have to bend laws. We have to improvise. But not this time, no. Not this time. Not for Gaius Baltar. No. You, you have to die. You have to die, because... Well, because we don't like you very much. Because you're arrogant. Because you're weak. Because you're a coward. And we the mob, we want to throw you out the airlock because you didn't stand up to the Cylons, and get yourself killed in the process. That's justice now. You should've been killed back on New Caprica, but since you had the temerity to live, we're gonna execute you now. That's justice!
This case... This case is built on emotion. on anger, bitterness, vengeance. But most of all, it is built on shame. It's about the shame of what we did to ourselves back on that planet. And it's about the guilt of those of us who ran away. Who ran away. And we are trying to dump all that guilt and all that shame onto one man, and then flush him out the airlock and hope that that just gets rid of it all. So that we can live with ourselves. But that won't work. That won't work. That's not justice. Not to me. Not to me.
Oh yeah, and we find out Tyrol, Tigh, Tory and Anders are four of the final five cylons. Oh yeah, and Kara is alive. OMGWTFBBQ?
The Hub
Baltar finally comes clean to Roslin about his role in the destruction of the colonies and she almost lets him die but realizes she's better than that and allows him to live. Adama waits alone in a raptor for Roslin and the baseship to jump back and when it does the two finally acknowledge their love for one another. YAY! It's hard to believe Mary didn't get an Emmy for this episode.
Note: These are in no order and there aren't ten episode listed. The list isn't complete just yet either. There are so many episodes to choose from and I only had so much time at work to compile this list. So I might edit and add a few more after my class is over.
Lay Down Your Burdens Parts I & II
Starbuck not only successfully rescues Anders and the others from Caprica but the gang find New Caprica, a planet to start over on. Laura Roslin tries to fix the presidential election, but is found out and Baltar wins. Then we jump one year ahead and we find out Baltar is continuing his sleazy lifestyle aboard Colonial One, Kara and Anders are married, Lee is fat and commanding the Pegasus, Adama has a mustache (which, honestly totally threw me off), Cally is pregnant with the Chief's baby, and suddenly the frakking Cylons show up and occupy the planet. Oh, but wait for it, Galactica and Pegasus jump away stranding everyone on the planet. But don't worry, cause Starbuck knows what to do: "Fight 'em til we can't."
Revelations
Lee steps up for once and shows that he is actually a man. Adama finally finds out his BFF and XO is a toaster, meaning the final four are all revealed to the rest of the fleet. Oh, and they find Earth. But wait: It's a nuclear wasteland! Hooray!
The Oath/Blood on the Scales
After a not so stellar mid-season premiere (despite the surprising suicide of Dee and the revealing of Ellen as the Fifth Cylon), the series came back with the old one-two punch and knocked us out with a mutiny storyline that killed every other mutiny story ever. We welcomed the old Starbuck back as she kicked ass shooting people everywhere, saving both Lee's life and Anders' life (though, that last bit has yet to really be true as he's currently serving as the Hybrid). We also got to see Adama and Tigh engage in badassery while Laura Roslin proved you don't fuck with her man (and er, the rest of the fleet).
Unfinished Business
While my personal love for this episode stems greatly from the love finally acknowledged between Kara and Lee as they finally had sex and shouted their love to the sky, I have to admit it's greatness for other reasons as well. It gave us a look at the year we had missed. It explained why Lee got all fat on us at the end of season 2. It explained why Lee and Kara weren't friends. And it gave us Adama and Roslin smoking a joint together on New Caprica. Plus, the fight scenes were amazing. Now, if only Kara hadn't fun away and married Anders liked a scared little girl.
Scar
A tough-ass rogue cylon raider picked off the Galactica's pilots one by one. I loved this episode because it focused solely on the viper pilots and their lives. I loved seeing Kara more emotional in this episode. And I admit that the almost sex scene between Kara and Lee was hot.
33
This was the first episode of the actual series, and it came out full throttle. The fleet was forced to jump every 33 minutes to evade the cylon baseships that followed them every, yep you guessed it, 33 minutes. Obviously, a traitor was in their midst, and Lee and Kara were forced to blow up the Olympic Carrier. It was a great first episode and it set the stage for the rest of the show. It was jam packed with action, amazing acting and writing, and basically just made me love the show even more.
Crossroads Parts I & II
I'm cheating, but it's okay. Two-parters are really just one big episode anyway. Baltar went on trial, and was found innocent after Lee again steps up and acts like a man by giving a great speech. A speech that I feel totally needs to be copied here. It's long, but it shows the dude has balls. But don't worry, it's behind the cut.
Did the defendant make mistakes? Sure, he did. Serious mistakes. But did he actually commit any crimes? Did he commit treason? No. I mean, it was an impossible situation. When the Cylons arrived, what could he possibly do? What could anyone have done? I mean, ask yourself, what would you have done? What would you have done? If he had refused to surrender, the Cylons would've probably nuked the planet right then and there. So did he appear to cooperate with the Cylons? Sure. So did hundreds of others. What's the difference between him and them? The President issued a blanket pardon. They were all forgiven. No questions asked. Colonel Tigh. Colonel Tigh used suicide bombers, killed dozens of people. Forgiven. Lieutenant Agathon and Chief Tyrol. They murdered an officer on the Pegasus. Forgiven. The Admiral? The Admiral instituted a military coup d'etat against the President. Forgiven. And me? Well, where do I begin? I shot down a civilian passenger ship, the Olympic Carrier. Over a thousand people on board. Forgiven. I raised my weapon to a superior officer, committed an act of mutiny. Forgiven. And then on the very day when Baltar surrendered to those Cylons, I, as Commander of Pegasus, jumped away. I left everybody on that planet alone, undefended, for months! I even tried to persuade the Admiral never to return. To abandon you all there for good. If I'd had my way, nobody would've made it off that planet. I'm the coward. I'm the traitor. I'm forgiven. I'd say we're very forgiving of mistakes. We make our own laws now, our own justice. We've been pretty creative at finding ways to let people off the hook for everything from theft to murder. And we've had to be. Because... Because we're not a civilization anymore. We are a gang. And we're on the run. And we have to fight to survive. We have to break rules. We have to bend laws. We have to improvise. But not this time, no. Not this time. Not for Gaius Baltar. No. You, you have to die. You have to die, because... Well, because we don't like you very much. Because you're arrogant. Because you're weak. Because you're a coward. And we the mob, we want to throw you out the airlock because you didn't stand up to the Cylons, and get yourself killed in the process. That's justice now. You should've been killed back on New Caprica, but since you had the temerity to live, we're gonna execute you now. That's justice!
This case... This case is built on emotion. on anger, bitterness, vengeance. But most of all, it is built on shame. It's about the shame of what we did to ourselves back on that planet. And it's about the guilt of those of us who ran away. Who ran away. And we are trying to dump all that guilt and all that shame onto one man, and then flush him out the airlock and hope that that just gets rid of it all. So that we can live with ourselves. But that won't work. That won't work. That's not justice. Not to me. Not to me.
Oh yeah, and we find out Tyrol, Tigh, Tory and Anders are four of the final five cylons. Oh yeah, and Kara is alive. OMGWTFBBQ?
The Hub
Baltar finally comes clean to Roslin about his role in the destruction of the colonies and she almost lets him die but realizes she's better than that and allows him to live. Adama waits alone in a raptor for Roslin and the baseship to jump back and when it does the two finally acknowledge their love for one another. YAY! It's hard to believe Mary didn't get an Emmy for this episode.