BSG 1.12 Kobol's Last Gleaming - Part 1

It ought to be noted that I have not seen 'part 2' of this two-parter at the time of writing, so I write in ignorance as to how this season finale will play out. But this first half was very much a setting up, I think, of what feels like a finale (a finale, I feel, that will involve the destruction of Kobol and Galactica on its way with a sense of certain destination to where Earth is - that's my prediction).

There was some interesting stuff at work here. The fulfilling of the prophecy business with President Laura reaching a make or break was good stuff, ultimately sending Starbuck on her way to journey to Caprica to retrieve Apollo's spear. I wonder if she'll bump into Helo there. . .?

Speaking of Helo, he shot and then remained with Cylon Boomer and there we left them; together but not talking. Cylon Boomer was about to make some revealing comments as well, I thought, about her nature and how she knew Helo and her relation to the other Boomer. It was frustrating that she was now allowed to finish! (If that plotline does not go somewhere in the second half then that frustration will have pretty much been a persistence with those two all the way through the season).

Perhaps less believable was Gaius and Starbuck's relationship. That seemed to come out of nowhere, as did his deep-rooted sense of jealousy about Starbuck apparently having feelings for Lee by calling his name out when they were having sex. Again, Starbuck's feelings for Lee have almost been kept as a subtext, to have them screamed out in this way from nowhere did feel like something of a clumsy-footed way of stanping home this love triangle for the finale.

Gaius, meanwhile, has been told that he needs to get off Galactica because something bad is going to happen. So he went and got himself on the ship that, last we saw it, was plummeting dramatically to the planet Kobol. That whole sequence, with the three ships jumping right into an enormous Cylon fleet, was the highlight of the episode.

Planet Kobol is an interesting one, though I fear the episode won't fully delve into the deeper history of what the place means to the humans, which is a shame. I have not got much of a sense of religion from the Galactica crew, but when I think of all the references to Kobol and debates about God throughout the show, there has certainly been a strong theological level being worked on that, through this 'cradle of humanity' that is planet Kobol, appears to come to fruition.

Maybe there are more surprises about the planet, though, and the truth of Kobol, waiting to be revealed. For whilst the show has liked to flirt with the idea of atheism versus belief, it's never gone one way or the other. I am hoping for a slam-bang of a finale, after this relativity slow-paced finale; I really have no full idea if I am going to get one!