What I would like to discuss are some conclusions that I drew from the final episode:

[Mandatory Spoiler Alert]

Apparently, God is the Kind of Deity that Makes Its Spouse Tell the Same Story Over and Over Again at Dinner Parties:
I draw that conclusion from the fact that the BSG God has come up with this wonderfully intricate story of creation and destruction, complete with miracles, incredible acts, and the interference of angels, and it’s perfect!  Except for one thing; it’s really short.  Like, “short story written in college by aspiring novelist” short.  So instead of working on developing said short story into a novel, this God decides that it will just repeat the same short story, over, and over, and over again.  No problem with that, but if God is infinite, don’t you think that its spouse may be bored of telling “the Earth story” over and over at divine cocktail parties.

Once Again, Lee Does the Right Thing, Not the Smart Thing:
Okay, opportunity for a fresh start on a new planet.  Great.  Remove from technology from the equation.  Yes and no.  Eliminate ability to keep comprehensive records, thereby not allowing society to learn from its mistakes.  Hm, I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

So, weren’t a good number of events involving massive loss of life or general mayhem in the BSG universe caused by a crucial lack of information for the parties involved?  The final five stopped the first Cylon War, but after Cavil wiped their memories (and didn’t tell any of the other skinjobs) the end result was the annihilation of humanity.  If the other skinjobs had the same info Cavil did, would that have happened?  Would Baltar been able to win an election (or continue living) if anyone at all knew his part in the destruction of humanity?  Would the final five have been able to do anything as a cohesive unit if Tyrol had known what Tori did?  And how much time did everyone spend trying to figure out what the frak was going on with all this destiny and prophecy crap?

Which brings me to Lee’s decision to basically ensure that the cycle perpetuates, by entrusting the collective memories, lessons learned, and best practices of the Colonial Fleet on the matters of destiny and the humane treatment of artificial intelligence to cornerless paper at best, and oral storytelling at worst, he basically made a repetition of those same mistakes inevitable.  You think that the lessons of the epic Human-Cylon conflict could survive a 150,000 year game of telephone?  Second verse, same as the first…

Starbuck was One Line Away from Greatness
Going on the above supposition, what if Starbuck had somehow convinced Lee that getting rid of technology (and with it, comprehensive record keeping) was the way to go?  This could have been inserted as an extra couple of lines, or in a slight reworking of a scene.  I think that ensuring the perpetuation of the cycle is good enough to be considered Harbinger of Doom-ish.  I mean, the way I interpret that part of the plot, the Starbuck role in the “all this has happened before, all this has happened again” thing is that she flips the switch and resets the game from the end of one round, to the beginning of the next.  However, in beginning the game again, she is essentially setting everyone up for the ultimate end.

So how great would it have been to have Lee decide to doom the human race to repetition of the same mistakes based on the advice of an “angel” whose sole purpose is to hit the reset button and point humanity toward doom again?

I’ll probably have more thoughts about the last episode, especially after I watch it again, but I will most likely be too lazy to write about them.

Brake: Tightened.
Rusty Chain: Replaced.
Dangerous sounding rattle coming from intersection of fork and frame: Still there, apparently.  Guess it’s not so dangerous…

Forgot how great it is to have a bike that stops on a dime and pedals like its chain was dipped in butter…  Rain and snow in the forecast for Monday, though.  Here’s hoping this chain makes it to May!

One thing bothers me about this, though.  I think the priorities of Senator John Cornyn, the sponsor of the Senate bill, are a little skewed.  Yes, I can see how this bill may theoretically keep our children safer, but if you really want to ensure the safety and well-being of all youngsters, wouldn’t you want to, oh, I don’t know…  Ensure that they’re breathing clean air?

“I’m speechless, literally speechless,” said a young television executive on his way into NBC headquarters in Rockefeller Center as he waded through the throngs of angry picketers. He declined to elaborate.

Striking over such issues as internet royalties, end credit placement, and complementary buffet access, writers across the country collectively pushed themselves away from the proverbial typewriter at midnight, Halloween night.

“It’s a shame that the timing worked out like this,” said Grevis Chitsworth, lead writer for the popular Public Access television show This Week in Twine, “I was this close to finishing up a prequal for Herbie: Fully Loaded when the clock struck twelve. Man, I was on a roll, too. When you’re hopped up 3 Musketeers bars and Tang like that, it’s tough to just put it down. And sure I was in the final scene, but what was I to do? Become a scab? Never!”

It’s solidarity like this that kept the ‘88 writers’ strke going for 22 weeks. In the dark days of twenty years ago intrepid wordsmiths banded together, burning half-finished scripts for heat and investing in communal pencil sharpeners and jumbo boxes of quill pens straight from the factory.

“That strike was the best thing that happened to me. I met my wife around a burn barrel full of Saved By the Bell spin-offs,” said Roger McCalister, a rather rotund rosy-cheeked man, bedecked with “Royalty Rights, Write Now!!” buttons, and clutching a “Fight for Your Writes” picket sign.

The ‘88 strike resulted in 10 percent fewer viewers coming back to network television after all the dust settled, which was bad news to both sides of the conflict. It also resulted in a number of movies being greenlighted for production, including: Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, Fletch Lives, and Weekend at Bernies. With the advent of cable television, these gems are quickly becoming the Chernobyls of the film industry.

“I can’t even begin to describe to you how this will cripple Hollywood, and thus the world,” said Thomas Flapyack, a creatively challanged management employee of Comedy Central.

With each side prepared to take the strike into the new year, both camps are digging in for a long, tough battle. The writers armed with lawn chairs and thermoses of coffee. The executives with multiple seasons of Flavor of Love and a Survivor spin-off titled Last Accountant Standing: Trenton.

In a statement released by CBS executive Richard Duthurd on Thursday, he said, “It is impossible to put into words what this strike has done to the CBS family. We are very unpleased.”

Indeed, with many of Hollywood’s honchos hobbled by the strike, it seems that many more will be unpleased before this is all over.