Some people are of the opinion that a series is only as good as its cast. Well, while this might be partly true, I tend to cling to the camp that puts its stock on the writing team. After all, it is the writers who give the cast the opportunities to flourish. To that effect, part of what makes a smart and original series is measured by the ability of the writers to think outside of the box and simply try something new.

Now, for a re-imagined series, the very idea of trying something new is more than a little ironic. Nevertheless, much of what Battlestar Galactica provides is fresh and exciting drama. But every now and then, there is an element you cant help but think "Hmm : Ive seen that before."

What am I talking about? The last best hope for peace. It may be a completely different series (although it carried with it some of the same darkness and militaristic approach as BSG), but Babylon 5 featured an episode very similar to this one in its fourth season entitled The Illusion Of Truth.

The year was 2261, and Babylon 5 had just broken away from the corrupted Earth Alliance. But when a supposed civilian branch of that Alliance offers the heros a chance to tell their tale, it can hardly be turned down. Alas, from the very beginning it was more than obvious that the ISN crew were ready to manipulate their footage in order to feed the propaganda machine.

And from the beginning of this episode, I expected Final Cut to do the same. I couldnt have been more wrong!

Instead, what we got was a perpetual state of limbo -- will reporter D'anna Biers blow the secrets of the Galactica wide open, will she start a civil war within the fleet? These were the questions I found myself answering. The somewhat slower-than-usual pace helped progress the mystery nicely, giving a little bit more time to mull over the agendas which all seem to be clashing together at once.

From the very moment she failed to turn over that tape of Boomer (Grace Park) and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) in the med-deck, it was clear that she was playing a game of her own.

But to be honest, while the news story seemed to be the main focus of the episode, the real drama was taking place a little closer to home in Galacticas Viper squadron. Kat (Luciana Carro) the fiery fighter pilot responsible for the destruction of the Cylon Basestar above Kobol last season, has been taking stimms (not unlike Dr. Stephen Franklin in Babylon 5) to cope with the stress. The performances of all those around her were very well played by all parties, particularly Jamie Bamber (Capt. Apollo) and Katee Sackhoff (Lt. Starbuck).

I was pleasantly surprised in the end to find Biers didnt go down the same sinister path as B5 did (which I first suspected after filming Boomer and Helo), and instead offered the balanced story she was tasked to produce. Add to that the fact that no catastrophe struck as a result of Kats self-medication and what you have a happy ending of sorts. A happy ending involving a rather upbeat rendition of the classic seriesopening theme. Very unusual for BSG.

But thats when it all changed direction: the reporter who so gracefully entered the inner circle of President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Cmdr. Adama (Edward James Olmos) was in actual fact playing the same game as the fleet, however she was on the opposite side.

Suddenly, it became clear that the happy ending wasnt so happy after all. We were reminded of the Cylon plans for Caprica, and as Six (Tricia Helfer), Dorel (Matthew Bennett) and Boomer mark III reviewed the footage smuggled from Galactica we were made aware just how invested the Cylons are in the birth of the first Cylon child.

It wasnt until after this episode aired I discovered that this ambiguous reporter with an eye for a story was actually the Warrior Princess herself, Lucy Lawless. I was never a fan of Xena, and I found her role on The X-Files a little obvious for someone with her image. But as a wolf in sheeps clothing, Im intrigued, and hope well be seeing her again soon.

Overall though, Final Cut ended on a note not unlike that of Babylon 5. The Illusion Of Truth heralded the beginning of one of B5s greatest (and perhaps even one of darkest) story arcs and really pushed the series into a league of its own. Now with BSG already in that league, we could be set for perhaps the greatest arc we could ever hope to see, and I for one am not prepared to miss out.

Battlestar Galactica: Final Cut

B+