11 Best Moments From the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Finale (PHOTOS)
Battlestar Galactica
Available on: Hulu, Amazon Prime
Seasons: 4
If you like Westworld, you’ll probably like Battlestar, and vice versa. The two shows deal with extremely similar themes — what it means to be human vs. being a robot/Cylon/host, the nature of violence in wartime and what’s justifiable, and a few tragic love stories to boot. This reimagining of the 1978 original picks up in the aftermath of a Cylon attack, which leaves the sole human survivors on a set of ships adrift in space. Without a home base, they set their sights on Earth, but it’s a long journey to get there, and they’re pursued by the mechanical Cylons across the galaxy.
Adama reminds Starbuck who she is
“You’re my daughter. Never forget it.” Though there was some uncertainty surrounding just who and what Kara had become at the end of her journey, Admiral Adama knew exactly who she was — and in a moment of doubt, he reminded her of it.
One truly selfless act
Gaius Baltar knows how to show up when it counts. Lee’s questioning of whether he’d ever done one truly selfless act seemed to really get to Gaius, and in the end, he decided to stay behind and fight the final battle rather than going along with his followers. Which definitely ended up being the right move for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being…
”I guess that’s what was missing.”
Gaius and Caprica Six, finally! Impressed with his selflessness in choosing to stay behind, Caprica told Gaius she was proud of him, and that she always wanted to be proud of him. This ends in a pretty passionate kiss, rudely interrupted by Head!Six and Head!Gaius, who they’re surprised to learn the other person sees, too. Guess you could say fate — or even God — wanted these two together.
Laura says goodbye to Doc Cottle
Doc Cottle was everyone’s favorite grumpy doctor with a heart of gold… which is what makes this scene such a tearjerker. Laura’s goodbye is heartfelt and emotional, and it’s clear, at the end, that the good doc is having trouble maintaining his gruff nature through his own emotions.
Boomer owed Adama one
A fitting send-off for a character we loved, then hated, then maybe felt a little bad for. In sacrificing herself to save Hera, Boomer hearkened back to an old promise she made Adama for not washing her out when she couldn’t land her Viper. It’s a moving flashback scene that reminds us Boomer was, once, a Cylon who believed herself every bit as human as the rest of the crew.
”Goodbye, Sam.”
“See you on the other side.” Though Kara and Sam’s relationship certainly wasn’t always smooth sailing, they did love each other in the end — and in the end, it seemed as though they were going to be together, wherever they ended up. A happy, if inconclusive, ending for them both.
The Adama family’s final goodbye
Lee told Kara some of his earliest memories of his father were of him getting on a plane and wondering when he was coming back… but he knew this time, his dad wasn’t going to return. After all the ups and downs and disappointments and fights they had, the Adamas had managed to mend their broken bond and be a true family. That’s an achievement — and a love — even distance can’t break.
Kara won’t be forgotten
Her journey completed, Kara was finally free to go… well, wherever it was she went. But Lee makes sure to assure her spirit that Kara’s biggest fear — being forgotten — isn’t a reasonable worry. “Goodbye, Kara,” he says, staring at the space where she stood only moments before. “You won’t be forgotten.”
“I know about farming.”
Gaius Baltar adopted many personas during Battlestar’s four seasons; scientist, president, traitor, savior. But in the end, the person he chose to be was the person who he tried his whole life to forget he’d ever been: a farmer, like his dad. Gaius both accepts his past and believes in the possibility of the future, and gets a happy ending with Caprica Six.
Adama gives Laura his wedding ring
If you weren’t moved at all by this scene, we might just have to call you a Toaster. After taking Laura for a flight around the new planet to show her its beauty, Adama discovers she’s drawn her final breaths right beside him in the passenger seat. Crying, he takes his wedding ring off and slips it onto her finger, then presses her hand to his lips.
”It reminds me of you.”
Much of Daybreak, Part III is comprised of Roslin and Adama heartbreak, and Bill’s final line is a real tearjerker. Sitting next to Laura’s grave, Bill tells her he laid out plans for the cabin she always wanted to build, and that when the sun comes from behind the mountains it’s almost heavenly — and it reminds him of her.
Whether you loved or hated the Battlestar Galactica finale, there are moments from the final three episodes — titled “Daybreak” Part I, II and III — we can all appreciate for their power, their insight or their ability to make us cry, even 10 years after they originally aired.
Here are 11 of the best moments from the final episodes of one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.
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