"Kobol's Last Gleaming"

Season 1
Episodes 12 & 13

Michael Rymer

David Eick

Ronald D. Moore

UK:
17 January 2005 (Part 1)
24 January 2005 (Part 2)
US:
25 March 2005 (Part 1)
1 April 2005 (Part 2)

Plot[edit]

Part 1[edit]

When a habitable planet is found, President Roslin concludes that the planet is Kobol, the mythical birthplace of humanity. Commander Adama wants to begin permanent settlement of Kobol, but Roslin cites scriptures in her belief that Kobol will point the way to Earth.[5] However, this would require retrieving an artifact called the Arrow of Apollo from Caprica; Adama is unwilling to commit vital military resources (particularly the captured Cylon Raider that can make long jumps) when he doesn't believe Earth even exists. Roslin convinces Starbuck to disobey her orders and take the captured Raider to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo.


On Caprica, Helo nearly kills the copy of Boomer he has been traveling with but decides to keep her alive.


Afraid that she will hurt someone, Boomer tries to shoot herself but survives. She discusses her angst with Galen Tyrol. Commander Adama sends a survey team down to Kobol in three Colonial Raptors, one of which is shot down by Cylons, leaving several Galactica crew members stranded.

Part 2[edit]

Starbuck arrives on Caprica and, after a fight with a Number Six, retrieves the Arrow of Apollo. She discovers Helo with Boomer. Helo stops her from killing Boomer: although she is a Cylon, she is also pregnant with his child.


On Kobol, Head Six shows Dr. Baltar a vision of a crib in an ancient Opera House and declares that God has tasked him with protecting the "first of the new generation of God's children."


Adama demands that Roslin resign, since convincing Starbuck to disobey orders violated their power-sharing arrangement where he would make all military decisions and she would oversee the civilians.[2] When she refuses, he sends a team of Marines to Colonial One to arrest her. A standoff ensues between Colonel Tigh and Apollo, and Roslin surrenders to avoid bloodshed. Both she and Apollo are sent to Galactica's brig.


Adama orders the Boomer on Galactica to destroy the Cylon Basestar orbiting Kobol: a captured Cylon transponder allows Boomer's Raptor to penetrate the Cylon defenses. The launch system jams, so she is forced to land the Raptor inside the basestar and release the nuclear warhead manually. There she encounters several copies of herself, proving to her that she is a Cylon. She flees in the Raptor, destroys the basestar and returns to Galactica. Under the influence of her Cylon programming, Boomer shoots Adama twice in the torso.

Katana VentraIP

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The was originally going to consist of Apollo, Tyrol, Cally, and others pinned down by Cylons in a temple on Kobol.[1] The idea was abandoned due to budget constraints. Also, Roslin was going to still be barricaded in her office at the time Adama is shot.[2]

cliffhanger

It was decided later that Apollo should not be on Kobol at all, but aboard the fleet to participate in the events surrounding the coup and to be present when his father is shot. A plotline that had Tyrol questioning Apollo's command decisions was transferred to Crashdown.

[2]

Another abandoned idea around the Kobol temple had Baltar traveling through an underground passage in the temple, coming to a room where he would hear and recognize a song, and meeting a character played by Dirk Benedict who would introduce himself as God. Reactions were mixed, and Sci Fi network executive Mark Stern nixed the idea, saying it was too hokey. Moore ultimately agreed with this assessment.[2]

Jimi Hendrix

An early conception of the Opera House scene had an orchestra onstage playing a piece that would be recognizable to the audience. Baltar would sit in an empty chair, pick up a violin, and start playing despite not knowing how.

[2]

A scene in which Tyrol persuades Adama to reinstate Specialist Socinus and then berates Socinus was cut due to time constraints. Socinus was sent to Galactica's brig during a prior episode, "Litmus."[7] Moore expressed regret for cutting this scene in his podcast commentary for the second-season episode "Valley of Darkness".[8]

[2]

The writers considered narrating some of "Kobol's Last Gleaming" through "interviews" in which characters spoke directly to the camera. The idea was abandoned for lack of time. Some characters speak to the camera when interviewed by journalist D'Anna Biers in the second-season episode "Final Cut".[9]

[1]

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Reception[edit]

"Kobol's Last Gleaming" received favorable critical review. Susan Tankersley of Television Without Pity gave Part 1 of "Kobol's Last Gleaming" an A+ and Part 2 an A.[13][14] David Thomas of AOL's TV Squad called the Raptor crash sequence "[o]ne of the most superb crash scenes in Sci-Fi television history"[15] and said, "the only slow part seemed to be the crash victims on Kobol."[16] Jason Davis of Mania gave Part 1 an A, comparing it favorably with the original series episode "Lost Planet of the Gods", praising the contribution of both Boomers to the emotional tone, and calling the teaser "masterful".[17] He also gave Part 2 an A, calling it better than Part 1 and expressing particular appreciation for the tension between Crashdown and Tyrol, which he described as unconventional in science fiction.[18] Simon Brew of Den of Geek said, "the second part of 'Kobol's Last Gleaming' had me screaming at my television set. ... [T]his is just outstanding television."[4]


Michael Hickerson of Slice of SciFi ranked "Kobol's Last Gleaming" as the series's fourth best episode.[3] Kelly Woo of TV Squad ranked Part 2 second best, writing, "Jaw, floor. Enough said."[19] John Kubicek of BuddyTV ranked Part 2 as the 12th best episode, calling Six and Starbuck's fight scene "one of the best and sexiest fight scenes in the history of television."[20] Eric Goldman of IGN ranked Boomer shooting Adama #6 on his list of the series's top 20 storylines and moments.[21] The twist where Boomer is revealed to be a Cylon was listed at number 98 as part of the "Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History" by TV Guide and TV Land in December 2005.[22]

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The conflict between Adama and Roslin in "Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the culmination of tension that has been building since they forged their power-sharing arrangement. Although they have developed a degree of mutual respect, their different priorities make a confrontation inevitable, in Moore's view.

[1]

Adama does not return to command until the fifth episode of the second season, "".[23] He and Roslin do not reconcile until two episodes later, in "Home, Part 2".[24]

The Farm

Crashdown is the ranking officer among the survivors of the Raptor crash, but several of the character's actions are intended to cause the audience to question his leadership. His decisions in the first three episodes of the second season bring him into conflict with the other survivors, especially Tyrol.[25][26][27]

[2]

According to Moore, the Caprica storyline of the first season builds to the revelation of Caprica-Boomer's pregnancy in "Kobol's Last Gleaming". In his podcast commentary for "Kobol's Last Gleaming", Moore said why the Cylons were so interested in getting Caprica-Boomer pregnant would be answered in the second season. In the second-season episode "The Farm", Caprica-Boomer explains that "be fruitful" is one of the Cylon God's commandments.[23]

[2]

In "", Leoben Conoy prophesied that the human fleet would find Kobol.[28]

Flesh and Bone

In season 3, has a sequence of visions of the Opera House, culminating with a vision of the Final Five Cylons in the episode "The Eye of Jupiter".[29] Roslin, Athena, and Caprica Six begin sharing visions of Athena's daughter Hera in the Opera House in the third-season finale, "Crossroads".[30] The Opera House's true meaning is revealed in the series finale, "Daybreak".[31]

D'Anna Biers

In the following episode, "", the cradle in the Opera House is revealed to contain a baby girl, whom Head Six describes as her child with Baltar.[25]

Scattered

at the Battlestar Wiki

Kobol's Last Gleaming

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"Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 1)"

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"Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 1)"

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"Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 2)"

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"Kobol's Last Gleaming (Part 2)"

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