1.12: Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1

[Dave]

1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1

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The fleet discovers the planet Kobol.

 

[Rik_the_Riff]

Well, I'm interested. I managed the terrible mistake of missing the opening of that montage at the beginning, which I'm thinking may have been a mistake.

Is this the penultimate episode ever, would be the question we are left with. I don't know, but at least one fellow watcher (not on this board) has suggested that reaching earth from Kobol might be troublesome.

It was strange (if refreshing) to see so many characters fall apart - Baltar (he can't really love Starbuck, can he? After all, she's destined for Apollo - season 2 subplot, perhaps?), No. 6 (looks like the contact-with-humans-drives-cylons-crazy theorists were right; she has the love-bug bad), Galactica's Boomer (how did she *miss* her brain at that range?), Starbuck (good to see the return of religion, I guess) and even to some extent Apollo (who was definitely having a bad day...)

Did Starbuck say 'Lee' while in bed with Baltar? Is that Apollo's name or his brother's? (Sorry, memory like a seive)

Looks like next week's episode is going to be memorable. To recap: One potential messiah on the planet of the Gods, the other trying to act in accordance with prophecy - which is never a good idea - one wild pilot on a crazy mission with almost nonexistent chances of success, one stuck back at home (will Helo and Starbuck hook up?) with a possibly-pregnant (though maybe not since he shot her) Cylon girlfriend, and.... there was some other plot device wasn't there? I lost track.

Just provided they don't nark up bringing all the threads together next week.

Just a thought,

Rik

 

[Dave]

I was just overwhelmed by the writing on this. This is not your normal scifi TV series, where each week a team of writers sit around and think up wacky ideas to throw into the next show, and damn the continuity because it can all be reset before the week after next. This has been meticulously planned, in detail, from the start, and it is all now coming together. It also lays to rest all the rubbish that I had to read last year about this series being a travesty. This is infinitely better than the original series.

Rik's plot summary is pretty complete:

Missing the opening sequence was unfortunate. For once it was vital.

She did call out "Lee, Lee." Lee Adama is Apollo's name, and Baltar knew that well. But his infatuation with Starbuck doesn't seem right. I know that she has walked in on him in compromising situations more than once, but he is interested in any female; he hasn't shown any special interest in her.

One thing that I found odd was when No.6 caused Baltar to smash his head against the mirror. I thought that she was just a computer chip in his head. Can she physically attack him? Or does he so believe that she exists that he caused it to happen psychosomatically? And this time he really lost the plot with his multipul conversations.

Interesting that No.6 said that the 'Boomer' model was "weak, but will perform her function." That's the impression that that the other No.6 on Caprica gave too, and both 'Boomer's are reacting in the same way now too. I think she must have bottled out on the suicide and turned the gun away at the last moment. I felt sorry for the Chief though - I don't know why because I didn't before.

When did the President begin to believe in the Gods and Prophesies? She went to speak to that strange priest woman, a couple of episodes back, but why the sudden conversion? Just on those few coincidences and drug induced visions? Now it's like she needs the priest to help with every decision she makes. Why else would she be there looking at aerial photos with them?

And would Starbuck really be convinced so easily? Or is it just another way for her to test her anti-authority credentials? Adama says he made a mistake, make sure you are not - obviously, that means that she IS going to find the Arrow of Apollo on Caprica and bring it back with Helo's help.

Another puzzling thing is the mention that the Prophesy is cyclical. It has happened before, and it will all happen again in the future. I'm prepared to believe in clairvoyance and premonition, but I can't get my head around how this cyclical thing works.

 

[RangerOne SG13 SOR]

Well now we are truly on a rollercoaster to the finish.

Now the start was misleading becuase the first and second scene when Starbuck is having sex it is actually Lee who is in the scene, you can tell if you pause of go frame by frame. The effect of course is when she calls out his name and Baltar pops up you sense more of a shock.

That kinda threw the Baltar plot a bit, becuase as Dave says he is a womaniser, but Starbuck who was flirty with Baltar at the beginning got to see him in a different light many times.

Not sure of the attraction there. As for Baltar falling for Starbuck, again it does not really link well.

No6 and Baltar reminds me of the film "fightclub" where a second persona can control the first.

Baltar arguing with No6 while dealing with Roslyn was poor. They had built him up last episode but now hes a baffoon, wierd!!


The Kobol plot is very interesting and the sequence with the 3 raptors was excellent.

Cylon occupied Caprica
Not enough was done on this story but it looks like it will link in with Starbuck nexzt episode. Will he give in to his Boomer??


Rosyln suddenly going religeous kinda pulled the rug from under your feet although you can see how this has started to absorb her life.

I was a little dissapointed in Starbuck all I can say is the link to the arrow better be worth it.

As for Galacticas Boomer, the inner battle continues and I think she will be key to defeating the Cylon sin the next episode. So did she bottle or the Cylon within fought to save itself??


Shame next week is the last episode, at least I still have them to watch again and again


Ranger

 

[Rik_the_Riff]

I think that Baltar's infatuation is credible (remember he's losing his mind ). After all, the pair have been flirting for quite some time, and I can understand him reaching out for something a little more meaningful as the stress sets in. Though it isn't exactly consistent with last week's ****ing-in-the-cubicles Baltar...

We have seen No.6 physically affect Baltar before - remember "Don't make me angry.
You wouldn't LIKE me when I'm angry" from one of the earlier episodes?

As to the president, people will look for guidance anywhere during times of stress. I've changed my life philosophy based on far less evidence than Roslin has available. And if you start to believe you're the messiah - and this is not necessarily a bad thing in Roslin's case as she accepts that according to the prophecy she must die (Woooah! Jesus metaphor...) and just wants to see people safe, it's not a power/ego thing - you want religious advice. Even Jesus went and listened to the teachers in Jerusalem.

As for prophecy being cyclical; what if it's simply a case of essentially similar events occuring in different situations, so that the prophecy is flexible enough in meaning to point the way when a similar string of events occurs?

What interests me is the nature of the Arrow of Apollo. Yes, Apollo is one of the Lords of Kobol, but he's also a lead character and this is *prophecy*. Unless the nature of this artifact is known from the previous series, I can't believe that it is what the prophecy refers to. Starbuck returns to Caprica and rescues Helo (how will they get him back in a fighter that barely has room for one?), but the Arrow is missing or broken or they don't find anywhere to use it on Kobol, but meanwhile, our Apollo's arrow (his Viper? a missile from it?) does somehow point the way. Maybe the two even need to be combined - the old artifact and something to do with the new Apollo?

And Dave, here's to hoping that this quality becomes the norm in SF TV (You never know, we may even get Firefly back....)

Just a thought,

Rik