Battlestar Galactica: Season 2-08:  Final Cut

The Best Scenes in BSG 208:

The Final Cut Is What Galactica Is All About

By Koenigrules

The Final Cut is one of the first stand alone episodes of Season 2 and it delivers in spades.  For any newcomers to the show (as well as die hard fans), they might get choked up by the finale.  This series is an excellent companion to TOS, and I will attempt to explain exactly how it holds its own in this review.  

The plot is a fairly simple one.   D'anna Biers (Xena's very own Lucy Lawless), reporter of Fleet News Service, wants to do a 'balanced' story on the crew of the Galactica, what with all the bad press regarding 'The Gideon Massacre' (where the military had fired on civilians who refused to give up their fuel reserves, resulting in 4 deaths and 12 wounded).  With Adama's and Roslin's permission, D'anna interviews an assortment of people- at their worst moments as well as their best.  These include: Lee Adama, Kara Thrace, Saul Tigh, Gaeta, Dualla, Kat, and even Adama himself. 

Just when it looks like her coverage will be spun negatively, the Galactica is attacked by two Cylon raiders.  It is only through the courage of the Viper pilots that the Cylons are destroyed and the fleet remains protected.  And this is what D'anna reports on her news service.  Yes, these humans can break at any moment (like the alcoholic Tigh or Kat on stims), but when push comes to shove, they manage to rise to the occasion. 

I tried to do a very quick summary of The Final Cut because I did want to highlight the finished product which D'anna airs.  Her narration over the scenes is extremely important.  As the pictures display the crew performing their day-to-day operations, D'anna provides her critique of the events.  And it is her critique that truly makes this an exceptional episode.  Allow me to quote: 

These people are not Cylons.  They're not robots blindly following orders and polishing their boots.  They're people.  Deeply flawed, yes.  But deeply human too.  And maybe that's saying the same thing. 

What struck me most is that despite it all- the hardships, the stress, the ever present danger of being killed- despite all that, THEY NEVER GIVE UP.  They never lie down in the road and let the truck run them over.  They wake up in the morning, put on their uniforms, and do their jobs.  Every day.  No pay.  No rest.  No hope of ever laying down the burden and letting someone else do the job. 

There are no relief troops coming, no Colonial Fleet training new recruits every day.  The people on Galactica are it.  They are the thin line of blue that separates us from the Cylons. 

Lt. Gaeta told me a remarkable statistic: Not a single member of Galactica's crew has asked to resign.  NOT ONE.  Think about that.  If you wore the uniform, wouldn't you want to quit?  To step aside and say, 'Enough.  Let someone else protect the fleet.'  I know I would.  But then, I don't wear a uniform.  Most of us don't, most of us never will. 

The story of Galactica isn't that people make bad decisions under pressure.  It's that those mistakes are the exception.  Most of the time the men and women under Commander Adama get it right.  The proof is that our fleet survives.  And with Galactica at our side, WE WILL ENDURE!    

D'anna Biers summed up all the reasons why I loved TNS (as well as TOS).  And it is those reasons that will make TNS endure over the decades to come.  I especially liked the statements: Deeply flawed, yes.  But deeply human too.  And maybe that's saying the same thing.  And the insertion of Stu Phillip's original score throughout the narration was a stroke of genius.  It just heightened the gamut of emotions that I was experiencing.  Thank you, Ron Moore, for that excellent closing piece.  

Of course, what The Final Cut really refers to is the segment that is left out of D'anna's broadcast: namely, Doc Cottle's saving Boomer-C's fetus.  Four of the Cylon models are watching the edited out sequence and cannot believe that Boomer and her child have survived.  I thought an over-the-top remark was made by the Boomer copy, 'I'm still alive!'  Not surprisingly, one of the other Cylons watching the film is none other than reporter D'anna Biers.  Apparently, the Cylons have infiltrated into key positions aboard the Galactica, including the media division.  It is hoped that we see more of Ms. Biers in future episodes. 

All in all, a great episode.  I give it 10 out of 10.  So far Season 2 has not disappointed this reviewer.  It is far superior to the first year stories.  And the two-parter, reimaging of Living Legend is coming up shortly.  I can hardly wait!  Signing off for now.