Most of the time when it comes time for a popular television series to go off the air they typically just disappear leaving all loose ends forever unresolved. One of the first series to rally against this trend and demonstrate a modicum of respect for the audience was ‘The Fugitive’ in the sixties. The legions of fan would not permit the studio to let Dr. Kimble disappear without finding the infamous one arm man. Providing a series finale is more common now as an increasing number of shows depend on stories that span a full season or even the entire series. With science fiction oriented series the legion of fans have the tendency to be rather intense. As such it should come as no surprise that when it came time to close out the re-imagined ‘Battlestar Galactica’ the writers would come up with a final season that would answer the questions raised and peak interest for potential sequels and prequels. It is only fitting that this series should receive such treatment; it was one of the best written, directed and acted shows on television in a very long time. The series had an uphill climb to the popularity it enjoyed. The series by the same name was a cult classic in the seventies known for its high camp value. In 2004 when Roger D. Moore took on the task of bringing this series onto a new millennium he wisely decided to go in a completely new direction. Some of his choices rippled with controversy throughout the Sci-Fi community and countless panels in convention all over the country. Main characters underwent radical changes including a few gender reassignments. The focus shifted from comical to extremely serious taking aim at political, religious and military issues ripped from our current headlines. Rather than a lighted romp through space the series focused on theme including torture, abortion, religious zealots and the essence of what is humanity.

There is a certain sense of freedom for a writer when he is faced with bringing a story that has spanned four seasons to a conclusion. There is no guarantee that any character, no matter how important or popular, has to survive. Even the titular space ship can be sacrificed to a spectacular end. It took me a season to warm up to this re-imagined series but it quickly rose to one of my all time favorites. The genius of Moore, RDM to his loyal fans was present in just about every episode. The last season was split into two sections with a lengthy break in between. One of the few things in common with the original series was underlying premise. Mankind had settled local space forming twelve colonies on different planets. A long time ago they created a race of robotic workers to serve the humans. There was a rebellion and the robots, called Cylons started a war. Decades later they reappeared but now the Cylons are almost indisguishable for humans. For most of the series we have known there were 12 different models each with many copies but only seven were shown or accounted for. This left the final five and they held the secrets needed to located earth. At the conclusion of the first half of this ultimate season the identity of four of the final five are revealed to be humans trusted in the military and political factions.

As the series draws to its conclusion there are signs of battle fatigue all around. The 49,000 or so human survivors have been able to exist with only the hope of finding earth sustaining them. When they finally get there the earth is destroyed; incapable of sustaining life. The humanoid Cylons had a devastating civil war and one faction is seeking refuge with the human fleet. The all important Cylon resurrection ship and technology has been lost rendering them as mortal as the humans. This forces major paradigm shifts now that death is final for them. Uneasy alliances are formed between the former enemies just to eke out a meager survival. Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) is watching the once mighty Battlestar finally give in to four long years of combat and literally start falling apart. His lover, President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is once again dying of cancer leaving the civilian government in shambles. The four of the final five find their numbers complete and a glimpse of how it all started is revealed. The overall theme this season is ‘it has all happened before; it will all happen again’.

Most of the loose ends are nicely tied up by the end here with a conclusion that will have you salivating for the follow prequel ‘Caprica’. Every member of this extended ensemble cast is given ample opportunity to take center stage and shine, there is flat out some of the best acting ever seen on television represented here. As with the previous season sets there are plenty of extras to keep you enthralled. Several; episodes have RDM commentary tracks or podcasts to help explain the multiple layers of the beautifully woven story lines. Several key episodes have been extended and are presented uncut. Naturally there are in depth behind the scenes featurettes to inform and entertain. The series may be over but it remains a guide post as to what television can achieve.