Rollercoaster!

Original Ralph McQuarrie production drawings for the original show

In terms of sheer cool factor, the season ender for Battlestar Galactica delivered in spades. Perhaps, just perhaps, the best show they've done yet. I won't give away too many obvious spoilers here, but I will comment on the episode, so if you don't want to have some things revealed, scroll down or up.

First of all, the new Battlestar was everything I imagined it would be. Amazing eye candy (it's far more modern and up to date than the Galactica), plus a small bubble of martial law in space... e.g., I knew that they would be the more "professional" outfit between the two ships and that conflict would arise from this (I didn't forsee how quickly!)

At the end of the episode, we have a situation brewing that I think the writers will have a terrible time trying to get out of. Let's just say relations between the two ships are pretty bad at the moment, and somebody is about to start shooting.

With that said, here are my comments that I'll share with those in the know:

1. Step back a second and look at things from Commander Kaine's P.O.V. From her perspective, her actions are not only justified, they are proper.

2. Captain Lee Adama might be a great CAC but he is also the Admiral's son. It does stink of nepotism. It wouldn't be tolerated in any Navy I know of today. Kaine's actions in moving him to her crew make sense in that context.

3. There is more than one instance of insubordination (from both Adama Jr. and Starbuck), one incident involving holding a pistol to a superior officer's head, and another involving him getting punched in the face. This is merely a commentary from my point of view (I know this is fiction written by Hollywood writers who are civilians), but in any military service I know of, striking or threatening a superior in front of witnesses is often a capital offense in wartime. The best they could have hoped for in the American military of today would have been a small dark cell somewhere, chains and bread and water. Think I'm kidding? Look up the Code of Miltary Justice.

4. Even though I find Sol Tigh to be one of my favorite characters (for some perverse reason) I also think he's a disgrace as a military officer. He is often drunk on duty. He questions orders and bullies subordinates. He is profoundly lacking in imagination and lets his wife do his thinking for him more often than not. At least he admits he is not fit for command. My opinion is that (had the scriptwriters permitted it) Kaine probably planned to quietly move him to a non-critical position on her ship and replace him with a more effective XO from her ranks.

5. Accident or not, a superior officer from the Pegasus was killed in a fight with crewmen from the Galactica. Think about what any military you know of would do in a similar circumstance.

6. And perhaps the most sensitive issue.. the treatment of Cylon captives by the Colonials. Well, the Colonials are not schoolgirls, and the Galactica has done its share of atrocities, including spacing one Cylon and shooting another captive down in cold blood (and the shooter got a slap on the wrist for it). The depiction of the near rape scene of Valeri wasn't pleasant by any means and it took some guts to air this (it's very clear what the interrogating officer is about to do). However, consider what level of mercy is owed the Cylons? They started a war of genocide against humanity, which the humans are fighting at a severe disadvantage every day of the week. There's no excuse for treating a prisoner that way in OUR framework of viewing things, but maybe if you were in THEIR shoes, you'd think differently about an enemy that is about to wipe out your entire race?

Hands up if you thought the Abu Graib situation might have had a little influence on this episodes' script? Hmmmm????

In any event, I think the writers have a tough row to hoe to get out of this, but here's my thought on how it might be done. President Laura is the de facto head of the civilian government, correct? She therefore has the right to promote or demote military officers, if she chooses to exercise it. She could possibly promote Adama to be a... what.. Fleet Admiral or something, and that would compel Kaine to comply to his orders. It's a cheesey premise, but I don't see any other way out other than to have the deux est machina development of a full-scale Cylon attack happen right at the moment when both sides start firing.

Can't wait 'til January!!!!