History Recap / BattlestarGalactica2003S04E20DaybreakPart2

Bill walks onto the hangar deck one last time in a flight suit with his call sign. He takes one more look around and climbs into the Viper that was restored for him [[Recap/BattlestarGalactica2003S00E01MiniseriesPart1 just before the fall of the Colonies]], and launches from the ship. He takes a flyby before leaving, and Anders guides the Fleet—and ''Galactica''—into the sun.

* BookEnds: Adama and Starbuck's first interaction, all the way back in the miniseries, was their "What do you hear?"/"Nothing but the rain" catchphrase. It's also the last thing they say to each other before he leaves with Laura and she goes...wherever she goes.

* DeadAllAlong: Kara.

Laura asks Bill what they will call the new planet, and he says it will be named Earth after the place that was their dream for so long. Roslin is happy to see how lush Earth is, but her vision is failing her. Bill carries her to a Raptor and flies over the plains. As they do, she expresses how full of life it is, and passes away while Bill is pointing out wildlife. He realizes that she's gone, and cries. He takes his wedding ring off and puts it on her hand, and tells her that he now knows where to build the cabin he wanted for both of them. The Raptor sets down near a set of hills.

Elsewhere in the world, Lampkin, Helo, Sharon, Hera, Saul, Ellen, Baltar and Caprica-Six are walking along to find a suitable location for a new settlement. Baltar stops and looks on in admiration. Suddenly, both he and Six are surprised by the appearance of their respective hallucinations, who tell them that while their role in God's plan isn't complete, their lives will be much less eventful. They disappear for good, leaving both of them at a momentary loss for words. Baltar points out that he has some skill with farming, and breaks down upon realizing the gravity of what has happened. Caprica-Six kisses him, and they continue on with the group.

Bill sits by a funeral cairn he built for Roslin. He tells about the cabin he's building, and how it frames the sunrise perfectly…

[[TimeSkip 150,000 years later…]]

Society has progressed to the modern age. In UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, Head-Six is reading a magazine article about the discovery of the remains of "mitochondrial Eve", who is implied to be Hera.

Head-Baltar appears and talks with her about the discovery and mankind's development of technology. They muse to themselves whether this Earth is doomed to repeat the mistakes of its predecessors, but Six tells him she doesn't think it will be the case. She contends that it is part of God's plan, and that the cycle has been broken.

He tells her that "God" doesn't like that name, and she slyly looks at him. They both walk off as Music/JimiHendrix's CoverVersion of Music/BobDylan's "All Along The Watchtower" plays over a series of images detailing robotic advancement.

* AteHisGun: Cavil. Whether it was simple suicide as his plans crashed down around him, or a reflexive escape attempt forgetting he couldn't resurrect anymore, will never be known.

* BewareOfHitchhikingGhosts: A longer timeframe than usual, but Kara Thrace died, turned up again and hitched a lift, gave mystical prophecies and information and finally vanished into thin air when her "task" was done.

* BigRedButton: The nukes in Racetrack's Raptor are fired by pressing a red button in the center of the console (and, inexplicably, with no safety-guard). They are triggered when Racetrack's hand falls on the button after her death.

** Racetrack's nukes, which are inadvertantly set off after her death and cause the colony to be pulled into a black hole.
** One that sat there a long time: early in the miniseries, the ''Galactica'' crew announce that they managed to find Bill's old Viper, restored it to its original condition and have it on the hangar deck. The first time we see Bill fly it is when he disembarks ''Galactica'' for the last time.
** In "Home, Part II" and "Torn", Head-Six explained that she was "an angel of God". The last thirty seconds of the series pays this off, when it's revealed that she wasn't lying. It's literally true.

* DeusExMachina: Kara simply puffing out of sight just after confirming her journey was over and feeling good. And that is just after she figured out the coordinates of the real Earth from a Cylon-song. She turns out be some sort of instrument for God's mysterious ways.
* DistantFinale: ''150,000 years later…''

* EasilyForgiven: Subverted with Boomer who is killed for everything she has done despite saving Hera. Downplayed for Gaius Baltar and Caprica Six, whose actions were what enabled the initial Cylon invasion to begin with, though Roslin did attempt to murder Gaius for this when she first found out in an earlier episode, and Caprica Six had to be imprisoned for an extended period of time before the human-Cylon alliance secured her freedom.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Realizing that she's going to be executed, Boomer asks Athena to tell Adama she owed him one.
-->'''Sharon Valerii:''' We all make our choices. Today, I made a choice. I think it's my last one.

** Several of Lee and Kara after a party, where they ultimately almost have sex, but are jarred away from it when Zak stirs in his sleep.
** Tyrol emerging from a fling with Sharon Valerii, and Cally (at that point only a friend) [[{{Foreshadowing}} warning him to be careful whom he trusts]].
** Laura Roslin finishing an evening fling and dismissing them before calling to throw her support behind a presidential candidate, which ultimately led to her becoming president by succession after the Fall
** And Baltar agreeing to give Caprica Six a peek at the defense mainframe because of his feelings for her.

* GainaxEnding: The angels seen by Baltar and Six reveal that Hera is Mitochondrial Eve, and speculate on whether it's all going to happen again. After Head Baltar reminds Head Six that God doesn't like the name "God", she looks at him sternly and he cryptically says, "Silly me. Silly, silly me." They walk away unseen through the streets of modern New York while "All Along the Watchtower" plays over a montage of robot advances on television.
* GoingDownWithTheShip: True to his word, Adama is the last man to leave the ship. Anders does steer ''Galactica'' into the sun, though he was more part of the ship than part of the crew.
* GrandFinale

* LuddWasRight: Upon recognizing an existing tribe with genes compatible to those of humans, Lee Adama's idea for a more minimalistic civilization has shades of this, as he does not want to burden them with their old baggage. Romo himself lampshades this, wondering how people can be so quick to give up their creature comforts, though thanks to their desire for a clean slate, most, but not all the technology is forsaken when the Fleet dissolves into the sun. Subverted in the DistantFinale, which shows that 150,000 years later, modern technology has made a resurgence, including robotics...

* MetaphoricalMarriage: After Roslin dies Bill takes off his wedding ring and slips it onto her finger.

** "[[DrivenToSuicide FRAK!]]"

* SnapBack: Oddly, despite ''Galactica''[='=]s rundown condition just before it's flown into the sun, the flight pod that was turned into a museum (in the pilot) is left untouched. This is despite it being trashed in the second-season episode "Scattered".
** Could be explained by the fact that it's been four years since those events, one of which was spent with the Fleet at relative peace above New Caprica; it is possible that during that time period the museum was rebuilt by those who assumed that they would be at peace.
* TemptingFate: A copy of Simon contends that the Colonials won't be able to attack the Colony because the Cylons have superior numbers. He's proven a wrong a few minutes later when ''Galactica'' jumps in and uses Anders to disable the Hybrids controlling their front-line defenses.
* TogetherInDeath: The DistantFinale shows that researchers discovered Sharon, Helo and Hera's bodies, who had apparently died together.

Laura asks Bill what they will call the new planet, and he says it will be named Earth after the planet that was their dream for so long. Roslin is happy to see how lush Earth is, but her vision is failing her. Bill carries her to a Raptor and flies over the plains. As they do, she expresses how full of life it is, and passes away while Bill is pointing out wildlife. He realizes that she's gone, and cries. He takes his wedding ring off and puts it on her hand, and tells her that he now knows where to build the cabin he wanted for both of them. The Raptor sets down near a set of hills.

** One that sat there a long time: Early in the miniseries, the ''Galactica'' crew announce that they managed to find Bill's old Viper, restored it to its original condition and have it on the hangar deck. The first time we see Bill fly it is when he disembarks ''Galactica'' for the last time.

As the last staff members leave the ship, Baltar decides to stay behind over the wishes of his fellow commune members. An impressed Lee gives Baltar a weapon, while a copy of Six leads several friendly Centurions (marked by red sashes) to defensive points throughout the ship.

''Galactica'' finishes the jump, and its superstructure buckles and wobbles in response before the engines finally reactivate. Bill asks for a status report, and Saul tells him that the ship's back is broken and will never be able to jump again. When Bill asks where Kara has taken them, she stands in stunned surprise. ''Galactica'' limps by in orbit of a moon to reveal… our familiar Earth (as opposed to the original home of the Thirteenth Tribe that the Fleet found in [[Recap/BattlestarGalactica2003S04E10Revelations "Revelations"]].

Bill transfers command of the fleet to Hoshi, and tells him that ''Galactica'' should be considered lost if it doesn't report back in 12 hours. At the same time, Lee transfers presidential authority to Romo Lampkin and orders him to take care of the fleet in his absence.

Explosions are occuring throughout the station, which is being pulled towards the black hole. Onboard ''Galactica'', a frantic Bill orders Kara to jump the ship. She responds that she doesn't have the fleet's rendezvous coordinates, and he tells her to make a blind jump.

''Galactica'' finishes the jump, and its superstructure buckles and wobbles in response before the engines finally reactivate. Bill asks for a status report, and Saul tells him that the ship's back is broken and will never be able to jump again. When Bill asks where Kara has taken them, she stands in stunned surprise. ''Galactica'' limps by in orbit of a moon to reveal… ''Earth'', this time without the darkness that covered most of the planet.

The fleet arrives at ''Galactica''[='=]s position twelve hours later, and landing ships are immediately dispatched to the planet's surface.

As the command crew plan out their next moves, Lampkin asks to start building a city using parts from the fleet. Lee tells the group he has a better idea: to let humanity start over again by rejecting technology and hopefully breaking the cycle of warfare between humans and technology. A copy of Leoben tells the group that his line, as well as the Sixes and Eights, will also remain on the planet to help humanity repopulate, and that they have given control of the Basestar to the Centurions to find a new home for themselves and have their own freedom.

Bill gives everyone their orders to repopulate various parts of the world and spread humanity out as far as they can. He also elects to have Anders remote-pilot ''Galactica'' and all of the fleet's ships into the sun to destroy any advanced technology.

Bill walks onto the hangar deck one last time in a flight suit with his call sign. He takes one more look around and climbs into the Viper that was restored for him [[Recap/BattlestarGalactica2003S00E01MiniseriesPart1 just before the fall of the Colonies]], and launches from the ship. He takes a flyby before leaving, and Anders guides the fleet—and ''Galactica''—into the sun.

At the savanna, Saul and Ellen have one last conversation with Tyrol. Saul tells him that he would have done the same thing to Tory if it had happened to him, and Tyrol tells them that he has decided to head to Scotland.

Roslin is happy to see how lush Earth is, but her vision is failing her. Bill carries her to a Raptor and flies over the plains. As they do, she expresses how full of life it is, and passes away while Bill is pointing out wildlife. He realizes that she's gone, and cries. He takes his wedding ring off and puts it on her hand, and tells her that he now knows where to build the cabin he wanted for both of them. The Raptor sets down near a set of hills.

** Saul and Ellen preparing for retirement before Adama decides to return to the fleet.

* IronicEcho: Before Anders pilots ''Galactica'' and the rest of the fleet ships into the sun, he tells Kara, "[[Recap/BattlestarGalactica2003S03E17Maelstrom See you on the other side]]."

* LastEpisodeThemeReprise: A variation; one of the main themes from the pilot episode of the [[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 classic series]] plays when the fleet goes into the sun.

* LuddWasRight: Upon recognizing an existing tribe with genes compatible to those of humans, Lee Adama's idea for a more minimalistic civilization has shades of this, as he does not want to burden them with their old baggage. Romo himself lampshades this, wondering how people can be so quick to give up their creature comforts, though thanks to their desire for a clean slate, most, but not all the technology is forsaken when the fleet dissolves into the sun. Subverted in the DistantFinale, which shows that 150,000 years later, modern technology has made a resurgence, including robotics...

* RidingIntoTheSunset: ''Galactica'' and several other ships from the fleet are last seen flying towards the sun [[HurlItIntoTheSun to be destroyed]].

** The GDI's Kodiak flagship from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer: Tiberian Sun'' can be seen during one of the establishing shots of the fleet.

** Could be explained by the fact that it's been four years since those events, one of which was spent with the fleet at relative peace above New Caprica; it is possible that during that time period the museum was rebuilt by those who assumed that they would be at peace.

* DrivenToSuicide: Cavil after the final Cylon attack in the CIC goes south. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Though some think that, in the heat of the moment, he forgot he didn't have resurrection anymore, and]] [[RageQuit simply tried to take his usual easy way out]].

* BerserkButton: Tyrol loses it after discovering Tory killed Cally, and strangles her to death just before a firefight erupts in the CIC.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: All of the main/supporting characters, as well as all of the named Cylon models, appear during the episode.

* HeroicBSOD: Tyrol goes near-comatose after strangling Tory to death.

* DistractedFromDeath: Twice in quick succession. Roslin dies while Adama is momentarily paying attention to flying the Raptor they're in, and soon after, Starbuck disappears when Lee momentarily looks away from her.

** Roslin dies shortly after setting foot on Earth, and after Bill [[TemptingFate talked about building a cabin with her]].
* DrivenToSuicide: Cavil after the final Cylon attack in the CIC goes south. [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Though some think that, in the heat of the moment, he forgot he didn't have resurrection anymore, and]] [[RageQuit simply tried to take his usual easy way out.]]

-->'''Head Six:''' Even that is God's plan.\\

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Realizing that she's going to be executed, Boomer asks Athena to apologize on her behalf to Bill for shooting him.

* EvilOverlordList: After Boomer brings Hera to the rescue team and tells them their Raptor has been destroyed, Athena starts to say something about the Raptor not being the "exit strategy"; Starbuck cuts her off with, "Can we not tell ''[[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor her]]'' the plan?" She's then KilledOffForReal immediately afterwards.

* LoveMakesYouDumb: Baltar's flashbacks reveal that he gave Caprica-Six access to the Colonial defense mainframe because he was having feelings for her, despite knowing that it was a highly unethical and illegal thing to do.

* TookALevelInBadass: Baltar, when he decides to stay behind and help defend ''Galactica'' from Cavil's Centurions.

Roslin and Kara arrive at the CIC, while the Vipers and Raiders dock with ''Galactica''. As everyone watches, the rest of the Final Five get ready to access the information by dipping their hands into Anders's tank. Ellen tells the group that they will all be sharing knowledge at the same time. A nervous Tory tells the others that they're fallible and that they should be forgiven for their sins. They all put their hands in and begin to share information.

In the CIC, Bill and the Final Four (including Tyrol, who was released from the brig) are explaining to the staff that Anders will be hooked up to the ship's computer systems, and will use them to interface with the Colony's Hybrids and disable its defenses. Wiring and tubes are strewn throughout the CIC as Anders is placed in a Hybrid tank.

Roslin and Kara arrive at the CIC, while the Vipers and Raiders dock with ''Galactica''. As everyone watches, the Final Four get ready to access the information by dipping their hands into Anders's tank. Ellen tells the group that they will all be sharing knowledge at the same time. A nervous Tory tells the others that they're fallible and that they should be forgiven for their sins. They all put their hands in and begin to share information.

** During the assault on the Colony, one of the Fours inspecting Hera says "I think you overestimate their chances" when Boomer is worried about the colonials succeeding. Grand Moff Tarkin said the exact same thing during the Rebel attack on the Death Star in ''Film/ANewHope''.

In the CIC, Bill and the Final Four (including Tyrol, who was released from the brig) are explaining to the staff that Anders will be hooked up to the ship's computer systems, and will use them to interface with the Colony's Hybrid and disable its defenses. Wiring and tubes are strewn throughout the CIC as Anders is placed in a Hybrid tank.

Bill orders full forward thrust, and ''Galactica'' [[RammingAlwaysWorks smashes through the Colony's wall]]. Anders connects with the Colony's Hybrid and forces her to take the gun batteries offline, allowing the other Raptors to launch and dock onboard the station.

* TemptingFate: A copy of Simon contends that the Colonials won't be able to attack the Colony because the Cylons have superior numbers. He's proven a wrong a few minutes later when ''Galactica'' jumps in and uses Anders to disable their front-line defenses.

Baltar is sitting in the commune quarters, which are now empty. [=HeadSix=] appears once more and tells him to trust in God's plan, and that he will be the author of the events that will be unfolding soon.

Roslin and Kara arrive at the CIC, while the Vipers and Raiders dock with ''Galactica''. As everyone watches, the Final Four get ready to access the information by dipping their hands into Anders' tank. Ellen tells the group that they will all be sharing knowledge at the same time. A nervous Tory tells the others that they're fallible and that they should be forgiven for their sins. They all put their hands in and begin to share information.

At this, Anders screams and loses connection with the Colony's Hybrid, while the powered-down enemy Raiders reactivate and start attacking Galactica again in response. A firefight breaks out in the CIC, and several enemy Cylons are killed. Cavil swears in frustration and turns the gun on himself before pulling the trigger.

At the savannah, Saul and Ellen have one last conversation with Tyrol. Saul tells him that he would have done the same thing to Tory if it had happened to him, and Tyrol tells them that he has decided to head to Scotland.

Society has progressed to the modern age. In UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, [=HeadSix=] is reading a magazine article about the discovery of the remains of "mitochondrial Eve", who is implied to be Hera.

[=HeadBaltar=] appears and talks with her about the discovery and mankind's development of technology. They muse to themselves whether this Earth is doomed to repeat the mistakes of its predecessors, but Six tells him she doesn't think it will be the case. She contends that it is part of God's plan, and that the cycle has been broken.

** In "The Hand of God", [=HeadSix=] explained that she is "an angel of God". The last thirty seconds of the series pays this off, when it's revealed that she wasn't lying. It's literally true.

* CreatorCameo: Creator/RonaldDMoore appears as the bystander whose magazine [=HeadSix=] and [=HeadGaius=] are reading about "mitochondrial Eve" from.

** Adama walks out of a polygraph test for a post-military job when he feels his trust is being questioned too much
** Saul and Ellen preparing for retirement before Adama decides to return to the fleet
** Several of Lee and Kara after a party, where they ultimately almost have sex, but are jarred away from it when Zak stirs in his sleep
** Tyrol emerging from a fling with Sharon Valerii, and Cally (at that point only a friend) [[{{Foreshadowing}} warning him to be careful who he trusts]].

* GainaxEnding: The angels seen by Baltar and Six reveal that Hera is Mitochondrial Eve, and speculate on whether it's all going to happen again. After Head Baltar reminds Head Six that God doesn't like the name "God", she looks at him sternly and he cryptically says, "Silly me". They walk away unseen through the streets of modern New York while "All Along The Watchtower" plays over a montage of robot advances on television.

** Roslin dies just before setting foot on Earth, and after Bill [[TemptingFate talked about building a cabin with her]].

** Several of Lee and Kara after a party, where they ultimately almost have sex, but are jarred away from it when Kara's boyfriend stirs in his sleep

* BreakingOutTheMuseumPeace: Cavil is using Cylon-war era Centurions among the guards on the Colony.

* NukeEm: ''Galactica''[='=]s plan involves Racetrack firing off a payload of nuclear missiles after Hera has been rescued.