Kobol's Last Gleaming

"Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the two-part first season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.

In Part 1, the human fleet discovers the abandoned planet Kobol, the birthplace of humanity according to a widely accepted legend of the Twelve Colonies. The fleet sends a survey team including Gaius Baltar, Chief Galen Tyrol, and others who crash on Kobol in a Raptor after they are intercepted by Cylon Raiders. President Laura Roslin, convinced that an artifact on Caprica, the Arrow of Apollo, will point the way to Earth, persuades Lieutenant Starbuck to disobey orders and return to Caprica in search of the Arrow.

In Part 2, Commander William Adama stages a military overthrow in response to Roslin's actions and places her in Galactica's brig. Commander Adama's son, Lee "Apollo" Adama, is arrested after siding with Roslin during the coup. On Kobol, Head Six shows Baltar a vision within the ancient Opera House of Kobol. On Caprica, Caprica-Boomer reveals to Helo that she is pregnant. Starbuck retrieves the Arrow. Galactica-Boomer destroys the Cylon Basestar orbiting Kobol, but not before seeing incontrovertible proof that she is a Cylon. She returns to Galactica and shoots Commander Adama; the season ends on a cliffhanger.

"Kobol's Last Gleaming" underwent numerous substantial rewrites. It was one of the most expensive episodes of the first season to produce.

"Kobol's Last Gleaming" received favorable critical review. Michael Hickerson of Slice of SciFi ranked it as the fourth best episode of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. Simon Brew of Den of Geek called it "just outstanding television."