This weekend I finally got the opportunity to watch the final episode of Battlestar Galactica called “Daybreak pt. 2“. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil those who haven’t seen the series or the last episodes. I have been looking forward seeing it because I really wanted to know how it would end and if my predictions were true. Now I’ve seen it I have mixed feelings about it.
First of all let me tell you the finale wasn’t really that bad. The ending was nice, I had to cry when looking at the final scene. I don’t know if that was due to the content of the scene or due to the realisation that my Saturday mornings never will be the same again. Battlestar Galactica’s episodes have been part of my weekend for almost four years now and it’s hard to let go of something you have such fond memories of. Battlestar Galactica als has been the first TV series I really followed. Other series never got under my skin as this one. I couldn’t be bothered if I missed episodes of Star Trek or Star Gate Atlantis. I figured I would watch the DVD some time later. But Battlestar Galactica was different. Because it was REAL in some way. It was about ME some way. I really could relate to the characters and have been especially fond of the character of Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace. In some way she looks like me and in other ways she doesn’t. I like it when a women doesn’t follow the stereotypical ‘feminine’ role, but embarks on her own voyage, trying to find her true self, despite other people’s expectations.
The reason I had mixed feelings about the finale was the way it ended. I thought it was cheesy in some way. It was way too predictable. The final clash between humans and Cylons and the choices that are being made were not convincing in my eyes. It felt ‘forced’ to me. I didn’t buy it, so to say. I also don’t know how much I agree with the message trying to be told. It started off so well, this season. I like dark stories as long as they are realisitic. I don’t like too much sugar coating. I felt like the writers of the series tried to sugar coat the ending, making it less convincing.
At the other hand I know it’s hard to meet expectations: people expect a spectacular ending which is true to the whole story arch. And it’s hard to come up with something that meets those expectations. When a series is hyped like this one, you can only fail in most people’s eyes. Therefore I don’t try to be too harsh but I could lived without this thick layer of ideology at the very end. The problem I have with this kind of writing is that it tends to become dated, because it shows where people living in the first decade of the 21st century are thinking about. Should the series be aired again later, people could be into very different thing and say “That’s so typical 2009.”. I had that a bit with the Classical Battlestar Galactica and more with Battlestar Galactica 1980 (where it was so horrific I stopped watching it al together 20 minutes into the first episode). A story like this doesn’t deserve politicising or a preachy tone. I would have chosen for a more ‘open’ ending, leaving the rest of the characters’ lives - and the whole development of this civilisation - to the imagination of the viewer. I’m looking forward to hear Ron Moore’s podcast to hear why certain choices have been made.
I do think Battlestar Galactica made an impact. It influenced people. The other day I was told that the United Nations in New York held a panel discussion about the series. I applaud the idea that TV series search to move out of one’s comfort zone, but I hope there stays room for opposing views. The ideology the series tries to share is popular, but it certainly deserves some critics too. People like to believe in “Utopia”, but they also need to be confronted with the harsh day-to-day reality of life. And I hoped to see more of that in the Daybreak episodes. Oh wel… I’m curious what Jeff and Zina of the Secrets of Battlestar Galactica podcast have to say about this.
I think I need another TV addiction now. Anyone has any suggestions?
