Written by Scott Collura
Friday, 25 March 2005
| Battlestar Galactica - “Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1” |
| Written by Scott Collura | |
| Friday, 25 March 2005
Judging by Kara’s dress – or rather, state of undress – at the beginning of this episode, it would seem that events are picking up here pretty much right where the previous segment left off. And while that episode, “Colonial Day,” ended in lighthearted celebration for the crew of the Galactica, all of the drama that has been building up throughout the season is finally coming to a head in this first part of the year’s finale. First and foremost among these plotlines is the subtle struggle between Adama and Roslin, which isn’t so subtle now that Kobol has entered into the picture. Mary McDonnell’s Roslin has undergone perhaps the most dramatic transformation since the pilot miniseries, from a humble “school teacher” to a cold and calculating politician to – most recently – possibly even a mad leader. And Adama, who makes his decisions as steadily as he steers his ship, nonetheless is being forced by Roslin’s religious fanaticism regarding Kobol into possibly having to pit the military against the government. As for Kara, Katee Sackhoff’s character represents much of what works about this show as a whole. Whereas the old series’ Starbuck was supposed to be a rogue, a gambler, and a ladies’ man, he was so inoffensively neutered as to be interesting only to those under 12-years-old. Sackhoff’s Starbuck, however, really is a rogue, or as the character refers to herself, “a screw-up.” So when the episode opens up and she’s in bed with Baltar — who we know to be at least partially to blame for the Colonial holocaust — it’s not so much a surprise as it is a reminder that this Galactica is willing to go in directions that most sc-fi TV isn’t. And let’s not even get started on Starbuck’s deal with Roslin in this episode… Other developments pop up throughout the episode for nearly everyone. The Sharon onboard Galactica has become suicidal as a result of her confusion over her identity, and Baltar (with some urging from Number Six, one supposes) helps her along with those urges a bit. Back on Caprica, Helo and his Sharon have had a falling out, to say the least, now that he knows that she’s a Cylon, but she’s also harboring a secret that will certainly change the dynamics of their relationship yet again. And father and son Adama continue to work out their difficulties, which as in life but unlike in most TV shows, apparently will never be fully resolved. Oh, and then there’s the matter of the Cylon Basestar that has appeared above Kobol, and the Galactica officers — not to mention Vice President Baltar — who have gone missing after a confrontation with the massive ship. What to do about that? A | |
Judging by Kara’s dress – or rather, state of undress – at the beginning of this episode, it would seem that events are picking up here pretty much right where the previous segment left off. And while that episode, “Colonial Day,” ended in lighthearted celebration for the crew of the Galactica, all of the drama that has been building up throughout the season is finally coming to a head in this first part of the year’s finale.
First and foremost among these plotlines is the subtle struggle between Adama and Roslin, which isn’t so subtle now that Kobol has entered into the picture. Mary McDonnell’s Roslin has undergone perhaps the most dramatic transformation since the pilot miniseries, from a humble “school teacher” to a cold and calculating politician to – most recently – possibly even a mad leader. And Adama, who makes his decisions as steadily as he steers his ship, nonetheless is being forced by Roslin’s religious fanaticism regarding Kobol into possibly having to pit the military against the government.
As for Kara, Katee Sackhoff’s character represents much of what works about this show as a whole. Whereas the old series’ Starbuck was supposed to be a rogue, a gambler, and a ladies’ man, he was so inoffensively neutered as to be interesting only to those under 12-years-old. Sackhoff’s Starbuck, however, really is a rogue, or as the character refers to herself, “a screw-up.” So when the episode opens up and she’s in bed with Baltar — who we know to be at least partially to blame for the Colonial holocaust — it’s not so much a surprise as it is a reminder that this Galactica is willing to go in directions that most sc-fi TV isn’t. And let’s not even get started on Starbuck’s deal with Roslin in this episode…
Other developments pop up throughout the episode for nearly everyone. The Sharon onboard Galactica has become suicidal as a result of her confusion over her identity, and Baltar (with some urging from Number Six, one supposes) helps her along with those urges a bit. Back on Caprica, Helo and his Sharon have had a falling out, to say the least, now that he knows that she’s a Cylon, but she’s also harboring a secret that will certainly change the dynamics of their relationship yet again. And father and son Adama continue to work out their difficulties, which as in life but unlike in most TV shows, apparently will never be fully resolved.
Oh, and then there’s the matter of the Cylon Basestar that has appeared above Kobol, and the Galactica officers — not to mention Vice President Baltar — who have gone missing after a confrontation with the massive ship. What to do about that? A
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