*This Review Contains Major Spoilers*

     The last episode of Battlestar Galactica was a fittingly epic and emotional conclusion to an epic and emotional television show. The finale managed to redeem what was a somewhat weak season in an otherwise great run. This episode could have taken place at the end of season 3 with only minor adjustments, but I won't complain too much about getting more of a good thing. This finale managed to at once wrap up nearly every loose end still left hanging in the show, and make rather grand statements about humanity and our future. In short, Battlestar Galactica will be missed.
     In the previous episode, the decision was made by Admiral Adama to mount a rescue mission for Hera. The firefight that ensues in this episode features some of the best special effects ever seen on television (and better than many films). The budget was spent well, indeed. One of the unique things about a series finale, is that truly anything can happen--anyone can die, nothing is sacred. Thus, the action is truly thrilling, the deaths truly surprising, and the tension truly gripping. It felt exhilarating to see vipers involved in dogfights again, after too much of the later seasons of the show abandoned that core BSG element.
     Ronald D. Moore cheats a little bit in telling us that humanity found Earth in season 3, and then revealing that as a red herring in the finale. But, more importantly, it works. The reveal of Earth is astonishing, and the vistas are as gorgeous as anything featured on the Planet Earth series. It also provides the opportunity to link the show to us in a meaningful way. The very end of the episode brings the whole, "Everything has happened before, and everything will happen again" mantra home with remarkable power.
     If there are weaknesses in this episode, they are weaknesses shared by most series finales. Some characters' stories are tied up too neatly, some not thoroughly enough, some with too heavy a hand. But for the most part, the characters we have come to love are treated with great respect. Their paths are in line with what we'd expect, while still managing to surprise at times. Adama and Roslyn end up exactly where we'd want them to. Balthar's storyline is brought to a fantastic end, as his character arc ties much of the series together (if only it hadn't gotten muddled in seasons 3 and 4).
     The religious and supernatural elements present here may be the most talked about parts of the finale. There is clearly a higher power at work here, as the characters finally all admit. There are angels among us, guiding our actions. That particular fact provides for a delightfully Shakespearean conclusion as these angels discuss our past and future. The episode manages to bring out these revelations with ease, never whacking the viewer over the head, never seeming contrived in the slightest. After all, religion is part of humanity, and this show represents a new creation myth for mankind. It is not just a myth that provides comfort, or makes sense of the world. It is a myth that gives us something to build on, and with any luck that will be Battlestar Galactica's lasting legacy.