Daybreak, Part II

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"Daybreak, Part II & Part III" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 4, Episode 20
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Story by
Director	Michael Rymer
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	422
Nielsen Rating	1.7/2,364,000 viewers (Live+SD)
US airdate	March 20, 2009
CAN airdate	March 20, 2009
UK airdate	March 24, 2009
DVD release	28 July 2009
Population	survivors
Additional Info	Series Finale - 2 Hour Episode
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Daybreak, Part I	Daybreak, Part II & Part III	The Plan (Chronological: None, The end of the story)
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: USA (Part I - Part II) | Canada (Part I - Part II) | UK (Part I - Part II)

Summary

• Galactica and a crew of volunteers undertake one last mission against the Cylons led by John Cavil, while destinies are fulfilled.

Act 1

• The episode begins with a series of events that occurred before the Fall.
  • In a strip bar in Caprica City, William Adama and Saul and Ellen Tigh enjoy themselves. Adama questions whether to take a civilian job or take command of an aged battlestar, finally deciding on the civilian job.
  • Kara Thrace and her fiancé Zak Adama have his brother Lee Adama over for dinner in her apartment. Conversation turns to the contradiction in Lee's decision to join the Colonial Forces, in light of his idealism and his disagreements with his father. He frames it as a pragmatic transaction: military service in exchange for a college education.
  • Elsewhere, Laura Roslin greets her date, Sean Allison, at her home. She eventually recognizes him as a former student from years ago. Despite the age difference, Roslin decides to let him stay the night.
  • At the strip bar, Bill Adama asks Saul whether he'd have taken the civilian desk job. Saul doesn't answer.
  • Lee Adama and Thrace manage to drag Zak to a couch after a night of drinking. But Thrace isn't done and challenges Lee to shots.
  • Bill Adama is drunkenly sick, vomiting outside on the street. With a weak smile, he looks up to the stars in the night sky.

• Aboard Galactica, Gaius Baltar sits in the former home of his followers, now empty. Virtual Six tells him to trust in God's plan for him, a plan she says he is already following.

Act 2

Aboard Galactica, final preparations are made for the mission...

• In sickbay, Dr. Cottle leaves assistant Layne Ishay enough medication to allow Laura Roslin enough lucidity and mobility for 48 hours. She thanks him sincerely, leaving Cottle uncharacteristically speechless.
• In the pilot ready room, Karl Agathon briefs the Raptor teams on the special nature of their rescue mission. Despite the odds, all volunteer.
• Lee Adama briefs the marines on Hera's likely location: deep inside the Cylon colony.
• In CIC, Admiral Adama works out the tactics of the battle against the colony; Close-range combat - no nuclear weapons and missiles.
• The Final Five plan to use Samuel Anders, now effectively a Hybrid on Galactica, to disrupt the Colony's Hybrids, a plan which requires Anders to be brought to CIC and connected to Galactica's computer systems.
• Saul Tigh is disturbed at the sight of gooey wires and conduit used to interface Anders with the battlestar.
• Admiral Adama hands over command of the Fleet to Hoshi, noting that if they aren't back from the mission in 12 hours, they will never come back. Similarly, Lee Adama appoints Romo Lampkin as President of the Twelve Colonies. He joins Admiral Hoshi on the last Raptor to leave Galactica for the baseship, the Fleet's new flagship.
• Baltar's followers get in the Raptor. Baltar enters, but then tells Paulla that he must stay on the ship. Lee Adama throws Baltar a weapon. As Baltar is given a weapon, a Number Six leads a large number of Cylon Centurions down the hangar deck; a red sash painted on them for identification.

Adama in CIC during the Battle of the Colony. Note the extra cables near the control console which connect the ship's systems to Anders.

Act 3

• A shot of the Fleet shows that the rebel baseship fully regenerated since the Cylon Civil War, and ready to lead the civilians to safety. Galactica separates from the fleet, retracting its flight pods to prep for FTL.

• Adama asks to go "around the horn," with the XO calling out combat stations over the loudspeaker.
  • In sickbay, Layne Ishay prepares sickbay for wounded, with Laura Roslin assisting as best she can.
  • Vipers are in launch tubes, and the entire Raptor squadron, armed with troops and missiles, have been placed inside the starboard flight pod deck, amidst the ruins of the old Galactica Museum.
  • Lee Adama and his force of marines (including Sergeant Allan Nowart) and red-striped centurions take their positions.
  • Gaius Baltar is a soldier protecting the hallways against boarders. He is surprised to find Caprica-Six by his side.
  • In CIC, Ellen Tigh signals that Anders is ready to work.
  • Adama gives a final speech, a final understanding and call to arms.

• The battlestar jumps away from the fleet, and Battle of the Colony begins...
  • Galactica arrives only meters from the edge of the Colony, and is immediately besieged by the Cylon batteries, taking heavy damage and causing the dorsal Colonial roundel to be destroyed.
  • Ellen starts up Sam Anders, who makes contact with the Colony Hybrids and takes them and the guns offline. Ellen warns that Cylon Raiders will appear any minute.
  • Galactica responds by launching its fighter wings. The Vipers launch, and the Raptors jump directly from within the starboard pod to the opposite side of the Colony in a flanking position. The Raptor jumps, however, cause massive damage to the pod, with gas venting outside from a gaping hole.
  • Adama orders the battlestar's engines ahead at flank speed, ramming the alligator head into the Colony. Galactica's inhabitants take a beating, but breach the Colony through the forced entry. Lee Adama leads his marines and several Cylon Centurions inside from a front airlock.
  • Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson and Skulls arm their nuclear missiles, presumably to strike the Colony after the rescue. But suddenly a piece of debris strikes their Raptor, killing all aboard and leaving the Raptor adrift.
  • Several Raptors, including the one with Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Helo, and Starbuck, dock and make their way into the Colony.
  • Deep inside the Colony, a Simon works on young Hera as Boomer looks on in disgust. When she questions why he continues to work on Hera when they are under attack, the Simon explains that they they have superior firepower and numbers. Boomer assaults the Simon, snapping his neck, and takes Hera out of the room.

Act 4

• The Colony's halls are filled with gunfire. Cylon Centurions, including older Model 0005s fight each other as the Colonial fire teams push through.
• Cavil, a Number Five and another Simon decide to go on the offensive, to attack the battlestar with their troops.

• In a hallway in Galactica, ready to repel boarders, Caprica-Six and Baltar come to terms with their old relationship. As they kiss, they hear a Six's voice. "All of the pieces are falling into place."
• The Messenger Six and the Messenger Baltar stand above them. Caprica-Six and Baltar are each surprised that the other can see and hear the avatars.
• With a shudder, the battlestar hull is breached as waves of enemy Centurions, both old-model and modern, pour into the ship.

• The Agathons' team find Boomer, holding Hera. She gives the child to them, telling them to tell Admiral Adama that she "owed him one." With the child safe, Athena shoots Boomer.
• A flashback scene shows what Boomer meant: a time back in her days on Galactica, as Adama and Tigh redress her but give her another chance to be a better pilot.

• Ishay has her hands full in sickbay, trying to triage and treat as many people as she can. The event is taxing, physically and mentally, for Roslin, as she comforts more dying than not.

• Lee Adama's team connects with Starbuck's team, with Hera in tow. When Lee asks where Thrace was, she answers, "Stopped for coffee." With their objective complete and no other Colonial troops found, they head back to the battlestar's alligator-head.

Galactica's main batteries desperately try to defend the ship.

• Galactica batteries are being targeted by Raiders. She is losing what little defensive ability she has left. Enemy forces are coming at the reserve forces--where Baltar waits.

Act 5

• Caprica-Six and Baltar hold off the enemy Centurions. Baltar's passion at killing Centurions gets a bit out of control as Lee Adama's team reenter the battlestar with Hera. As more enemies appear, Lee and Baltar fire away.
• Laura Roslin sits and experiences yet another vision of the Opera House and little Hera. Struggling to walk, driven by something she can't fully realize, she gets up to find Hera.
• Starbuck leads the Agathons through the hallways, but a Number Five appears from behind, seriously wounding Helo in the leg and killing a marine before Starbuck eliminates him. A damaged, but still functioning enemy Centurion shows up and in the confusion, Hera runs away. Athena runs after her at the request of her wounded husband.
• Hera walks amidst the gunfighting, when soon she encounters Roslin, who pulls her out of the path of an enemy patrol and to safety. But when Roslin turns back to the child, she is gone again.
• Caprica-Six and Baltar are running, and are out of ammo. Suddenly they see Hera, as well as Roslin and Athena--all grouped together as in the Opera House vision. Caprica-Six scoops up the child and enters a hallway, closing the hatchway, preventing Athena and Roslin from following. The opera house vision had Caprica-Six and Baltar closing the door on both Athena and Roslin after picking up Hera.
• As the scene shifts between visions of the Opera House and the corridors, Baltar and Caprica-Six realize what they must do: follow their vision into the Opera House--which turns out to be CIC, where the Final Five reside, overlooking the lower deck of CIC as they appeared in the vision, standing above.
• Adama and his men have apparently just finished defending the CIC from a break-in by Cavil, a Doral and a Simon. The Doral and the Simon are dead, and Cavil is under guard. An explosion rocks the CIC, and Cavil picks up a gun and grabs Hera as a shield.
• Baltar pleads for the child's freedom, telling Cavil that Hera is key to humanity's survival as well. He reasons with Cavil that there are higher forces at work, that led them all, here, for a reason. Baltar also reveals that he has been visited by angels - the agents of God. When Cavil questions if God has his people's interests at heart, on how Baltar knows that God is on his side, Baltar replies (in an allusion of something Messenger Six once told him), "God is not on anyone's side." The Messengers look on with a pleased expression.
• Baltar asks Cavil to take a leap of faith. Saul Tigh sweetens the pot by offering to reteach Cavil the secret of resurrection, this time in exchange not only for Hera's life but for permanent peace, where the Cylons leave humanity alone.
• Cavil agrees. He uses the Battlestar comm to order his forces to stand down and releases Hera. Admiral Adama orders stand-down as well.

Act 6

• Vipers and Raptors return to Galactica as the Raiders return to the Colony. Laura Roslin joins the admiral in CIC.
• The Five each know part of the secret to resurrection. They will combine their knowledge by connecting themselves through the water in Anders' tank.
• Ellen Tigh tells the others that the process will also share memories as well as data. Saul jokes that he can't wait to see them.
• Before they begin, Tory Foster, visibly anxious, warns the others that some of what they see in each other's minds might be shocking and asks that they agree to keep in mind that they're all fallible. An impatient Cavil screams. "Hey! I don't mean to rush you, but you are keeping two civilizations waiting!" Saul brushes the warning off.
• The Five dip their hands and make the connection. A Number Four verifies by wireless that the Colony is receiving the correct information.
• As the data flows to the Colony, the Final Five indeed see each's other's memories: first Anders, then Saul, then Ellen.
• Foster's memory of murdering Cally Tyrol in an effort to protect her secret of being a Cylon comes to the forefront, surprising the others of the Five, and sending Galen Tyrol into a homicidal rage.
• Tyrol pulls his hand from the pool and wraps both hands tightly around Foster's neck in a death-grip, eventually snapping her neck.
• As Anders and the Colony Hybrid scream due to the sudden disconnection, the enemy Cylons in CIC believe they are deceived and open fire. The Colonials kill all but Cavil, who shouts an exasperated "Frak!" before putting his pistol in his mouth and pulling the trigger.

• High above, as the Raiders begin attacking Galactica again, Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson's damaged Raptor drifts, its crew lifeless. A rock strikes the ship, causing Racetrack's dead hand to strike the firing button to the Raptor's tactical nuclear missiles, launching them all straight at the Colony.
• The force of the explosions severely damage the Colony, pushing it towards the black hole, threatening to take Galactica with it.

Galactica suffers massive hull damage as she completes the jump from the Colony.

• Adama orders Kara Thrace to make a blind jump, but Thrace thinks about the music her father played, the music that Hera wrote to her. Recalling the mathematical associations she tried to discern from the music, Thrace realizes the music works as a series of FTL coordinates.
• She punches in the coordinates into the navigation computer and jumps the ship. As she enters the coordinates, brief flashbacks are shown, including her finding her own corpse on Earth, and Leoben calling her an angel.

• A flashback scene appears where Lee Adama and Kara Thrace talk about how she thinks about death every time she gets into a cockpit. She claims she's not completely fearless, though. She admits her biggest fear isn't dying, but being forgotten once she is gone.

• Galactica completes the jump--but the strain of the last battle causes the battlestar's structure to violently ripple and twist. The ship suffers myriad hull breaches, electrical blowouts and explosive decompressions, but the engines restart.
• Adama orders a damage report from Saul, who walks by Galen Tyrol and the dead body of Tory Foster. Tyrol sits on the floor blankly.
• A flashback shows Cally Henderson catching Tyrol and Sharon Valerii parting after an escapade in his workshop. Cally warns Tyrol that he needs to learn to recognize who he can really count on.
• Saul notes that while vital systems are still online, Galactica's structural members--its back--are broken. The ship will never jump again. Wherever they are, they're stuck.
• "Where have you taken us, Kara?" Roslin asks, as the scene changes to an exterior shot to show the battlestar flying over a gray, rocky moon.
• But is not just a moon...Galactica has arrived at the moon of Earth...another Earth, this one with the continent of Africa in prominent view.

Act 7

A crippled Galactica seen in orbit over the Sahara Desert.

• Twelve hours later, the Fleet jumps into the new Earth's orbit as Galactica passes by. A Raptor came to Hoshi to guide them to new Earth.
• Landing ship after landing ship leave for the new world, which unlike the old Earth, is clearly lush and full of life.
• On a green, rich savanna in Africa, Admiral Adama, Cottle, Saul Tigh, Hoshi, and Baltar look on, lying prone on their stomachs with binoculars at a tribe of early humans. Cottle confirms that the native humans are compatible with the Colonials genetically. Adama is astonished that humans just so happened to have evolved on this particular world.

• At a camp, as Lampkin starts making plans for the construction of a city, Lee Adama gets an idea: "No city. Not this time."
• He later explains his idea to his father: let humanity start all over again. Let the Colonials enter the new world with just their basic possessions, and teach the best parts of themselves to the primitive humans on this world. He explains that humans have always let their brains outrace their hearts. Giving their advanced technology up will hopefully "break the cycle."

• Admiral Adama maps out a plan to populate various continents and land masses, spreading out humanity and Cylon far and wide, distributing supplies to give all a good chance of survival. To Lampkin's surprise, the peoples of the Fleet take a liking to leaving advanced technology behind.
• A Number Two tells Adama that the remaining Twos, Sixes, and Eights will stay on Earth as well, handing over the baseship to the Centurions, to give them their own freedom. When Lampkin questions if setting the Centurions free won't cause another holocaust hundreds of years from now, Ellen Tigh agrees it's a risk, but believes the cycle of death has been ended. Adama agrees.
• Adama tells that, after everyone is offloaded from the ships, the Fleet will reunite with Galactica a final time. Piloted by Samuel Anders, still in his tank in CIC, connected into the battlestar, he will fly all the ships on a final voyage into the Sun.

• Kara Thrace, eyes filled with tears, meets with Anders at his tank, kissing him goodbye for the last time, and leaving her dog tags. As she leaves, he mutters, "I'll see you on the other side."

Act 8

• Admiral William Adama descends into the hangar deck, wearing a flight suit. The deck is otherwise completely empty of anything, and anyone. He takes a solemn last look at the hangar deck, at the battlestar that has been his home and command, and enters a launch tube, setting the console for remote pilot launch. The launch tube door seals one final time.
• He takes a seat in a Viper Mark II. Not just any Mark II...but the one that Galen Tyrol's team rebuilt for him as a retirement gift so long ago.
• As Adama's Viper launches, the scene shifts to six years prior, where Adama is taking a lie detector test for the prospective desk job. When the test administrator asks him test questions such as, "Are you a Cylon?" and "Have you ever stolen money from a cash drawer?" Adama is angered and leaves, saying, "I'd rather spend the rest of my career--what's left of it--on a broken down old ship, than to have someone sit here and question my word."
• Husker's Viper makes a final fly-by of the old battlestar, the legendary ship that has protected the last remnants of Colonial civilization for four years, against impossible odds long after she should have broken, looking at the old girl one last time before pointing his Viper towards Earth.

The fleet heading straight into the Sun.

• Samuel Anders' voice from the past talks of his days in sport, dreaming of perfection, and being linked to it, to creation, as Anders guides the Fleet, now united to the mathematical perfection he once spoke of through his duties as a Hybrid.
• As the Colonial Anthem--a version of the Original Series main theme--plays, the scene shows Galactica and the Fleet gathered a final time, heading away from Earth and towards the sun to its demise.

• Walking in the savannah, the Tighs speak with Galen Tyrol a final time. He has decided to go to the northern highlands of Earth (likely Scotland ).
• Before they part, Saul says that if what happened to Cally would've happened to Ellen, he "would've done the same frakkin' thing." As Galen leaves, Saul and Ellen embrace.
• The scene shifts back to Caprica City and the strip club. Ellen arrives and greets Saul. She is ready to celebrate his retirement, and eager to spend all her time with him. She explains that all she's ever wanted was to be with him full-time.

Act 9

• On the plains, Bill Adama sits with Laura Roslin, watching herds of gazelle. Her vision weakening, she tries to use her glasses with the binoculars. "A very beautiful world," she says. When she asks what the name of the planet is, Adama tells her it's Earth. He adds, "Earth is a dream," believing that their new home, a long-sought destination, deserves the name.
• Roslin's breathing becomes labored and shallow. Adama offers to give her a better look at the wildlife. He picks her up and carries her to a nearby Raptor.
• Lee Adama and Kara Thrace notice and meet Bill Adama there. The Adamas hug, and Bill Adama exchanges his greeting with Thrace one last time, Thrace saying "nothing but the rain" before Bill hugs and kisses her. Thrace and Lee wave goodbye to a smiling Roslin as the Raptor ascends.

• Lee realizes that his father isn't coming back. Kara Thrace tells Lee that she isn't coming back, either. "I just know that I am done here. I've completed my journey...and it feels good."

• A flashback scene, back in Thrace's apartment, where Thrace dares Lee to make love to her on her dining room table. But before they could do anything, the crash of a glass partially awakens Zak, causing the two to realize what they were doing. They shake hands and say goodbye.

• "Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Lee," Kara Thrace says. As Lee tells her of desire to explore and climb mountains, he turns to find that Kara Thrace has vanished, as if she were a ghost. "Goodbye, Kara," he says. "You won't be forgotten."
• A flashback scene shows the pigeon that would be trapped in Lee's apartment after his visit to Kara and Zak. It looks at Lee and flies out of the window and away.

• In another flashback from six years prior, Laura Roslin returns to stand by the side of the bed, thanks Sean Allison, but tells him that they will not meet this way again, and asks him to leave. As the man leaves, Roslin returns to her bathroom, lights a cigarette, then makes a phone call. She accepts the opportunity to work on Mayor Richard Adar's campaign. She committs herself "all the way to the end".

• Bill Adama's Raptor flies over flamingos. "So much..life," Laura Roslin says...her final words as she closes her eyes and quietly passes.
• Bill's thoughts turn to the cabin he intends to build for them. When he turns to Laura to ask about planting a garden, he sees that she is gone.
• In tears, Bill removes his wedding ring and places it on Laura's hand. Looking back up, he sees a good set of grassy hills ahead. "Right there...I'm gonna build it right there, Laura," he says before setting the Raptor down.

Act 10

• A line of people walk into the wilderness, calm and ready to take on the world. Romo Lampkin appears to be in charge. Saul and Ellen Tigh bring up the rear.
• The Agathons walk as well, Helo using a makeshift crutch. Helo and Athena squabble playfully over who will teach Hera how to hunt. Hera doesn't care; smiling, she lets go of her parents' hands and runs ahead of them in play. Helo and Athena hold each other's hands instead.

• Gaius Baltar and Caprica-Six look on at Hera playing as the Messengers reappear. When Caprica-Six questions if the protection of Hera was all that God wanted of them, the Messenger Six replies, "God's plan is never complete." "Great..." Baltar replies sullenly.
• Messenger Baltar counters, "I think it's safe to say that, from now on, your lives will be less...eventful." Their virtual selves disappear, and Baltar takes Six's hand.

• Another flashback to Caprica City. Baltar offers Caprica-Six an opportunity to "peek" into the Colonial Defense Mainframe. He makes clear that he's not doing it for her "employers," but for her, and requests her discretion. He obviously has fallen in love with her.

• When Baltar points to some land, he recalls his heritage, and his father, and that he knows a bit about farming, to a bit of tears.

• Bill Adama sits near a cairn he built for Laura Roslin's body and, looking out into the hills and valley, speaks to her about the cabin he is building.

• The scene turns to show Hera playing and looking upward. Scenes of wood and desert and sea pass by in a geologic montage to reveal an Earth city - New York City - 150,000 years later.

• As a fly-over of the city appears, a voice-over of Virtual-Six reads from a magazine article of the Tanzanian discovery of the bones of what scientists believe are the remains of the mitochondrial Eve, the matrilineal common ancestor of mankind.

Angels Baltar and Six...and a man reading National Geographic. The man is played by Ronald D. Moore, creator of the series.

• As a man reads about the scientific discovery, the Messenger counterparts of Six and Baltar look over his shoulder at a magazine article of the news, and reveal what they know...the bones are those of Hera Agathon, born of a Cylon mother and a human father. No other people on the street appear to notice them.

• The two talk of the technology and decadence, of whether this Earth will repeat the mistakes of generations past and again become overwhelmed by their creations. The Six thinks not, to Baltar's surprise. She cites the Law of Averages, believing it to be part of God's plan.

• "You know it doesn't like that name," Baltar says. Six only looks back in mild defiance. "Silly. Silly me," he replies as the two walk away into the metropolis.

• The episode concludes with scenes of robots, from toys to advanced automatons growing and evolving, as Jimi Hendrix's--Earth's popular version--of "All Along The Watchtower" plays, ending with an image of an attractive-looking female automaton gazing out over Times Square from a giant outdoor television screen as Six and Baltar walk off into the distance.

Notes

See Daybreak, Part II/Notes

Analysis

Who and what guided them

• The coordinates that Thrace enters, 1123 / 6536 / 5321 correspond to the notation of the Final Four theme [1]. The song is in a C# Phrygian scale (enharmonic with A major and F# minor). 1 represents C#, and each higher integer indicates the next note in the scale, such that

1 = C#

2 = D

3 = E

(4 = F#)

5 = G#

6 = A

(7 = B)

The linked graphic omits the first and last note of the theme, but both can be heard in the soundtrack during the jump montage. The second "five" (in the third chunk of four digits) corresponds to the tuplet G#/A/G#, effectively omitting the trill up to high A. Every note has the same duration except for the last two, which are twice the length of the others.

• The first four numbers of Kara Thrace's jump coordinates—1, 1, 2, 3—are the first four numbers of the most common Fibonacci Sequence (starting with 1, 1), where each number is the the sum of the previous two. The last four numbers in reverse—1, 2, 3, 5—are the start of another Fibonacci Sequence (starting with 1, 2).
• Science advisor Kevin Grazier and composer Bear McCreary actually worked out the science behind the jump coordinates/musical score with input from Bradley Thompson. Their conclusion was that the coordinates were based on Galactica's heading and distance, so the coordinates translate as 112 degrees by 365 degrees (although the maximum value should be 360) with a range of 365,321 SU, or approximately 5.75 Colonial light-years. This indicates that Galactica only jumped 5.75 light-years from the Colony to Earth, and not some unimaginably vast distance as indicated by Adama's later one million light-year comment. In the episode, however, there are three groups of four digits each (1123, 6536, 5321), making it unlikely that the original intent was preserved.
• At least two of the Messengers, Messenger Six and Messenger Baltar, are proven to be entities with their own independent existences, and are not projections from the minds of those who see them. The exact nature of their existence - whether they are literal angels or something else - has not been determined. They have, however, been sent by another being sometimes called "God" to guide Baltar and Caprica-Six in their destiny of protecting Hera.
  • They have known each other a long time and borne witness to Kobol and the original Earth, as well as the Twelve Colonies and the new Earth. They can walk around and observe events even when no one else present can see them, though they may have the ability to appear to anyone they wish.
• Kara Thrace was sent back from the dead by "God" to guide humanity to a new home the coordinates of which were hidden in the Music.
• The final scenes of this episode, in fast-forwarding through time and attempting to set the entire work as a backstory, make the ending similar to that of the film How the West Was Won.
• The constellation Ursa Major (including the "Big Dipper" asterism) appears briefly in this episode by mistake. It makes only the second appearance of a recognizable star pattern in the series, the first being Orion in "The Ties That Bind" (Orion is also visible twice in this episode).
• Adama's statement that New Earth is "one million light years" from Kobol must be taken as exaggeration or an error. The Milky Way is 100,000 light years across, and earlier statements in the show indicate that it takes considerable time to travel much shorter distances.
  • Kevin Grazier confirmed that Adama's "million light years" comment is meant metaphorically instead of literally, in essence saying the Colonials have come an unthinkable distance to reach their new home.

Reproduction of the Races

• It is likely that some Ones, Fours, and Fives survived the destruction of the Colony, given that baseships were observed jumping in and out of the system by Racetrack and Skulls. They would not, however, have any long term survival prospects, having failed in both their plan to discover the secret that allowed Hera to be born and their attempt to gain the secrets of resurrection.
• Hera's mate or mates that produced children could be a Colonial human, a native Earth human, or even a another human-Cylon hybrid. All three races are strongly implied to be ancestors of what we consider to be modern day humans.
  • The Final Five can be considered ancestors of present-day humanity through their quasi-parental link with Athena and the other Eights, Twos, and Sixes although it is unlikely they have a direct genetic link to us, due to their age, deceased status, or self-imposed isolation.
• Mitochondrial Eve, Hera, is the most recent matrilineal common ancestor for all people alive on Earth today. Like Hera, all people alive on Earth today carry some Cylon genes along with human genes--no one is one hundred percent "pure" Colonial human, as those who fled the Twelve Colonies were. Assuming that there are no "pure" humans living somewhere else in the universe today (descendants of the tiny number of survivors left behind in the Colonies), this means that humanity, as it was defined by people in the Twelve Colonies, has gone extinct, fulfilling the prophecies about the end of the human race.

Miscellaneous

• Attacking the colony to rescue Hera is presented as a risky scheme to save one person but there are legitimate tactical reasons for the attack. Should Cavil re-discover the secrets of resurrection through Hera, he would re-acquire a distinct advantage over the rebel Cylons and the Colonials. Thus, the attack could be seen as an attempt to deny Cavil his goal, and with resurrection he would undoubtedly proceed to wipe out humanity. Tigh's offer to restore resurrection in an exchange for peace gives Cavil what he wants but elevates the Colonial's bargaining position.
• In another piece of irony in a program that is full of such, the two beings most directly responsible for the attack and destruction of the Twelve Colonies, Gaius Baltar and Caprica-Six, get to live on a lush green New Earth in love with each other.
• Even if humanity does repeat the Cycle, Lee Adama's plan would seem to have had some success, because it will have taken much, much longer to do so this time around, 150,000 years (and counting) instead of around 2000 years as was the case with the first Earth and the Twelve Colonies.
• Ellen says that hopefully the Hybrids will still respond to Anders' commands. In other words, they would recognize him from the time the Final Five ran the Colony.
• Cavil's suicide, in the way it is framed and executed, closely mirrors the televised 1987 suicide of American politician Budd Dwyer.
• Adama's drunken moment, where he sits against a wall, vomits, and then looks up at the night sky, echoes Oscar Wilde's famous aphorism: We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
• Though it was never explicitly stated in the Miniseries or after, it seems that Tigh was indeed planning to retire whenever Adama decided to leave the Colonial Military. The flashbacks in this episode to Saul and Ellen Tigh in the bar make it clear that Tigh is planning on following Adama out of the service. However Adama, as viewers come to see, decides ultimately to finish out his last years as the CO of Galactica despite reservations. Tigh obviously followed. This also sheds more light on Tigh's eventual estrangement from Ellen - which was where their relationship was at in the miniseries. The bitterness she doubtless felt at Tigh once again choosing Bill Adama over her was probably a factor in not only her noted loose behaviour, but their growing estrangement before the war.
• It is not entirely clear when in Adama's career he decided to pursue the idea of a civilian job as seen in both parts of "Daybreak". Dialogue during the lie detector test scene suggests Adama has been given his orders to command Galactica, but is considering resigning before taking up the post. However, Adama notes in his initial interview with his prospective employer in the previous episode that he has already commanded two battlestars. One of these is obviously Valkyrie, but it is not clear if Adama is already referring to Galactica as the second command (which could also suggest he is already commanding Galactica at the time this flashback is set and is considering his resignation when on leave from that ship), or to another battlestar that Adama once commanded but has never been mentioned before.
• When the Colony's Hybrids shut down, Cavil states that one of the Final Five did it, to which a Doral says it must be Anders, indicating he knows about the Final Five, which means Cavil must have lifted his ban on knowledge of the five among the other Cylon models, presumably after their identities became known during the Cylon Civil War. Doral's comment also indicates some knowledge of the technical specialties of the five or awareness that Anders' mental state could force the others to put him in a Hybrid bath. His knowledge could be based on intel from Boomer, though she escaped before Anders was connected to the stream, and the last she would have known he was in a coma.
• In Sharon Valerii's flashback immediately after she was killed by Sharon "Athena" Agathon, then-Commander Adama was upbraiding her for her constant poor landings he, among other things, told her she was not to let her personal life get in the way. This is a direct reference to the fact that she is still struggling with survivor's guilt over her parents' deaths on Troy, which occurred when she was going for training in the Colonial Military. The "deaths" of her parents were staged, however, by the Cylons who destroyed the colony of Troy to coincide with Valerii's placement as a sleeper agent. (The scenes were filmed, but cut from the aired version of the episode.)
• Chief Engineer Galen Tyrol's decision to travel to a highland area, which is implied to be Scotland, is a possible nod to the Star Trek character "Scotty", another famous science fiction engineer.
• According to Ron Moore, the island Tyrol mentions was intended to be Vancouver Island as a nod to the show's production site of Vancouver, British Columbia. Aaron Douglas however interpreted the line as a reference to Scotland and the reference to the highlands was then added.
• Simon dismisses the Colonial attack by citing the Cylons' superior numbers, saying in the end it all comes down to mathematics. This sentiment about mathematics is echoed in the final scenes by the Messenger Six.
• As the fleet flies into the sun, the lens flare creates a color pattern that resembles the Eye of Jupiter mandala.

Questions

• What happened to the newly liberated Centurions?
• What happened to the Raiders?
• Why does "God" want the Cycle to be broken?
  • On that note, can the Cycle be broken?
• How long has the cycle been going? Did an advanced race of humans and/or cylons discover independently evolved humans on other worlds, such as Kobol, before? Could these have been the Lords of Kobol, whose conflict with humans was caused by seeing their own mistakes repeated? Did Lee's decision to stop the construction of what could have been the new City of the Gods stop the cycle?
• What was the "similar incident" Skulls was starting to tell Racetrack about just before they were killed?
• What is the 'it' that does not like to be called 'God', and why does it "not like that name"?
• What is the date in the final scene?
• Where if anywhere does Kara Thrace actually go?

Official Statements

• Chicago Tribune article with remarks from Ron Moore, David Eick, Mary McDonnell, and Edward James Olmos.
• National Geographic Blog Central article interviewing Ron Moore about the magazine's cameo in the final scene.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Messenger Baltar says the last line of the series as he walks down a street of modern day New York City with Virtual Six. Baltar questions what God wants to be really called:

Messenger Baltar (moving in closer to V-Six, whispers): "You know it doesn't like that name!"

Messenger Six (Doesn't answer vocally but her expression says "C'mon! you know better than that!"): ...........

Messenger Baltar (Seeing her reaction): "Silly Me.....silly, silly me."

• Adama makes a finally rallying speech to his crew before Galactica jumps to the Colony and into harm's way:

William Adama: "Just so there'll be no misunderstandings later . . . Galactica has seen a lot of history, gone through a lot of battles. This will be her last. She will not fail us if we do not fail her. If we succeed in our mission, Galactica will bring us home. If we don't . . . it doesn’t matter anyway. Action stations!"

• The Final Five are about to to stick their hand into Anders's hybrid tank and through that the datastream They are about to download the technical data of Resurrection to the Cavil Faction's Colony as agreed. As they do so their minds will essentially become one and they will all know each other's secrets whether they want to share or not. Tory Foster is unusually agitated and nervous:

Tory Foster (hesitantly with slight fear): "There are things that....that we've all done. Certain things that...people would be shocked.... to learn about."

Cavil (shouting): "HEY! I DON'T MEAN TO RUSH YOU BUT YOU ARE KEEPING TWO CIVILIZATIONS WAITING!"

Tory Foster (voice trembling slightly): Let's....Let's just all agree that no matter what we learn about each other...we're all Cylons and we're all capable of making mistakes."

(Those were her last words. Less than two minutes later, Tyrol learns of Tory murdering Cally and kills Tory by snapping her neck. She was being strangled too tightly to say anything else.)

• Cavil's last word before he commits suicide.

Cavil: "Frak!"

• Nuclear missles hitting it, have disturbed the Colony's balanced orbit, immediately causing it to start falling into the Singularity and it is dragging Galactica with it. Starbuck is frantically attempting to figure out the jump coordinates. This is a lyric from the song "All Along the Watchtower.''

Starbuck: "There must be some kind of way out of here!"

• Messenger Six and Messenger Baltar speculating if the cycle will continue.

Messenger Six: "All of this has happened before..."

Messenger Baltar: "But the question remains: does all of this have to happen again?"

• Sam Anders, essentially Galactica's Hybrid, says his last words to Kara Thrace after she leaves his side.

Samuel Anders: "See you on the other side."

• In a flashback after saying goodbye to Galen Tyrol, Ellen and Saul Tigh are celebrating Saul's upcoming retirement two years before the Fall.

Ellen Tigh: Tonight, we are going to celebrate your retirement and all the time I'm gonna get to spend with my husband! [She kisses him.]

Saul Tigh: Are you good with that?

Ellen Tigh: Ohhhhh... Saul! All I've ever wanted was to be with you. Not just weekend liberties or...or two weeks' leave a year. I mean full-time, you and me. Together, in a...in a house, in a tent...homeless and on the street... just be together.

• While sitting under some trees on the savanna in Africa, William Adama explains to Laura Roslin why they chose to name their new planet Earth.

William Adama: Earth is a dream...one we've been chasing for a long time. We've earned it. This is Earth.

• Baltar to Caprica-Six on New Earth in unspoken reference about his father

Baltar: "You know, I know about farming." (sobs)

• Laura Roslin is speaking to Dr. Cottle about the state of her health which both know it is grave with only a few days to live. Also, she is about to essentially go into battle to retrieve Hera and the Doctor appears to be on the verge of choking up:

Laura Roslin: "Don't spoil your image, just light a cigarette and go and grumble."

• Former Admiral of the Fleet William Adama is showing Laura their new home on New Earth in a Raptor. She sees a herd of gazelles stampeding at the sight of the Raptor over the lush and rich landscape and says her last words:

Roslin: "So much life..."

• William Adama is sitting on a high ridge, looking out on a spectacular view of the savannah. Nearby is Laura Roslin's grave, and his last spoken words in the series are to her:

William Adama: "I laid out the cabin today. It's gonna have an easterly view. You should see the light that we get here. When the sun comes from behind the mountains, it's almost heavenly. It reminds me of you."

• Boomer has just given over Hera to Athena, saving her life from Cavil and Simon dissection-and both redeeming herself and condemning herself to death

Boomer (to Athena): "Tell the old man, I owed him one."

Athena (angrily) "Doesn't change anything you did though!"

Boomer (shakes her head slightly): "No. We all make our choices. Today I made a choice. I think it's my last one."

Starbuck: "All right this is really touching. Now can we get the frak out of here!?!"

Boomer (to Starbuck): "You should know that your Raptor been destroyed. You can't go back that way."

(Athena passes Hera to Helo)

Athena: "Yeah well, that is not the plan."

Starbuck (sardonically): "Can we not tell her the plan?"

Athena: "Right."

(Athena and Boomer look each other in the eye for a moment. Athena raises her weapon. Boomer does not try to flee, accepting, if not welcoming her fate. Athena fires. Boomer is dead before she hits the deck.)

• Cavil takes Hera at gunpoint after overpowering a CIC guard.

Cavil: "This makes it alot easier. I just take the girl and I'm out of here!"

William Adama: (with a gun trained on Cavil) "Not a chance!"

Number Six: "Cavil, we won't let you take Hera. You know that."

Cavil: "I know nothing of the kind. I know I'm going to watch you chase your tail across the universe for another four years."

Tigh: "That's not going to happen!"

Cavil: "This thing is the key to my people's survival, and I'm not leaving without it!"

Baltar: "Hera's not a thing! She's a child, and she holds the key to humanity's survival as well!"

Cavil: "And how do you know that?"

Baltar: [glances briefly at the illusory images of Messenger Six and Messenger Baltar] "I see angels, angels in this very room. Now, I may be mad, but that doesn't mean that I'm not right. Because there's another force at work here. There always has been. It's undeniable. We've all experienced it. Everyone in this room has witnessed events that they can't fathom, let alone explain by rational means. Puzzles deciphered in prophecy. Dreams given to a chosen few. Our loved ones, dead, risen. Weather we want to call that "God" or "gods" or some sublime inspiration or a devine force we can't know or understand, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It's here. It exists, and our two destinies are entwined in its force."

Cavil: "If that were true, and that's a big 'if', how do I know this force has our best interests in mind? How do you know that God is on your side, Doctor?"

Baltar: "I don't. God's not on anyone side. God is a force of nature, beyond good and evil. Good and evil, we created those. You wanna break the cycle? Break the cycle of birth? Death? Rebirth? destruction? Escape? Death? Well, that's in our hands, in our hands only. It requires that we live in hope, not fear."

• Tigh reports on Galactica's status. The ship suffered severe structural damage after jumping away from the Cylon Colony.

Tigh: "We're mostly here. The engines, life support. There's red lines through her lateral structural members. She's broke her back. She'll never jump again."

William Adama: (grimly) "Wherever we are is where we're gonna stay."

• Explaining to Admiral Adama his rationale for humanity forsaking advanced technology and adopting luddite practices.

Lee Adama: "If there's one thing that we should have learned, it's that . . . you know, our brains have always outraced our hearts. Our science charges ahead, but our souls lag behind. Let's start anew."

Guest Stars

• Callum Keith Rennie as Number Two
• Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh
• Rick Worthy as Number Four
• Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin
• Donnelly Rhodes as Dr. Sherman Cottle
• Matthew Bennett as Number Five
• Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster
• Kerry Norton as Layne Ishay
• Dean Stockwell as Number One
• Bodie Olmos as Lieutenant Brenden "Hotdog" Costanza
• Leah Cairns as Lieutenant Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
• Brad Dryborough as Lieutenant/Admiral Louis Hoshi
• Colin Lawrence as Ensign Hamish "Skulls" McCall
• Lara Gilchrist as Paulla Schaffer
• Colin Corrigan as Marine Allan Nowart
• Leela Savasta as Tracey Anne
• Darcy Laurie as Dealino
• Iliana Gomez-Martinez as Hera Agathon
• Tobias Mehler as Zak Adama
• Simone Bailly as Shona
• Kevin McNulty as Frank Porthos
• Richard Jollymore as Marine #1
• Anthony St. John as Marine #2
• Dan Payne as Sean Ellison
• Holly Eglinton as Stripper
• Garrett Reisman as Marine #3 (uncredited)
• Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Hybrid (uncredited)
• Ronald D. Moore as Man at news stand (uncredited)