“Kobol’s Last Gleaming: Part 1” is episode twelve of season one of the new Battlestar Galactica and the first part of the two-part season finale.
The episode opens with a montage. Apollo is sparring with Commander Adama. Apollo is faster, but his father knocks him down. Adama gives his son some advice, to lose control. Apollo thought they were sparring. Which is why he didn’t win, according to the commander. Starbuck is in bed with Gaius Baltar. Who she accidentally calls Lee. A moment killer. Helo is running on Caprica, having discovered in the previous episode, “Colonial Day”, that Caprica Boomer is a humanform Cylon. Caprica Boomer confronts him, but holsters her gun. Helo shoots her, but can’t kill her. On Galactica, Boomer is holding a gun to her mouth, but she can’t pull the trigger.
President Roslin is being scanned by the doctor. Later, she tells Elosha she has six months at the outside. Elosha says the president has made a true believer out of her. She believes that Roslin will be the one to lead them to their salvation, to lead them to Earth. The president thinks they’d better find it soon, then.
Gaius, Apollo, Gaeta, Crashdown and Dualla are playing cards. Gaius is drunk and tells Apollo he can’t compete with Gaius. Number Six makes some sarcastic comments. Gaius wins the hand as Starbuck arrives. It’s rather awkward and Starbuck claims she has something to do.
Gaius is being briefed by the president on the fleet’s economy as Number Six is asking Gaius if he loves her. The president wants Gaius to understand the political structures of the fleet should something happen to her. Because something is going to happen to her. Gaius essentially starts freaking out, and not making a huge amount of sense because he’s answering both Number Six and the president. The president suggests a break. Gaius agrees and tells Number Six they need a break. He heads to a bathroom and Number Six smashes his head into the mirror. She tells him it’s not safe to remain on Galactica. It’s a surprise.
Boomer and Crashdown are jumping to look for supplies. They arrive dangerously close to a planet and Boomer has a go at Crashdown. Then both notice the planet. It’s a rather nice-looking one. Crashdown detects breathable air and maybe plants. He’s more excited than Boomer and asks if she thinks it’s Earth. No; it’s more important than that.
Starbuck is on the hangar deck when Apollo arrives, loading ammunition into the captured Raider. They’re going to test it. Apollo brings up Baltar, the conversation deteriorates because Apollo is clearly jealous, Starbuck hits him and he hits her back.
Billy, Elosha and the president are looking at photos of the planet. It appears to have suffered some sort of calamity but it could be inhabitable. There’s evidence of at least one city but it was abandoned a long time ago. Elosha asks how long. Billy says approximately 2,000 years. According to Elosha, around the time the 13 tribes left Kobol. Roslin looks at the photo and says that’s an inhabited city; look at the buildings. It isn’t. She looks again and the photo shows ruins. She explains what she saw and Elosha shows her an image in her book of the City of the Gods on Kobol.
It seems like they may have found lost Kobol, and the president wants to retrieve something from Caprica. Boomer is feeling suicidal; Number Six says that’s because deep down she knows she’s a Cylon and can’t cope with it. Helo thinks Caprica Boomer is a thing, not the Sharon he knew. He may be in denial about Boomer being a Cylon.
The story continues in “Kobol’s Last Gleaming: Part 2”.