Daybreak (Battlestar Galactica)

"Daybreak"
Battlestar Galactica episode
The Galactica arrives at Earth.
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 21 and 22
Directed by	Michael Rymer
Written by	Ronald D. Moore
Original air date	March 13, 2009 (Part 1) March 20, 2009 (Part 2)
Running time	1 hour (Part 1) 2 hours (Part 2)
Guest appearance(s)
Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh as Cavil Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin Rick Worthy as Simon Donnelly Rhodes as Doc Cottle Matthew Bennett as Aaron Doral Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster Kerry Norton as Layne Ishay
Episode chronology
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Episode chronology

"Daybreak" is the three-part series finale of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, and are the 74th (labeled "Daybreak, Part 1" on the DVD) and 75th (labeled "Daybreak, Parts 2 & 3" on the DVD) episodes overall. The episodes aired on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel and SPACE in Canada respectively on March 13 and March 20, 2009. The second part ("Daybreak, Parts 2 & 3") is double-length. The episodes were written by Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer. The Season 4.5 DVD and Blu-ray releases for Region 1 feature an extended version of the finale, which not only combines all three parts as a single episode, but also integrates it with new scenes not seen in the aired version of either part. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 1 is 39,516. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 2 is 39,406. At the end of Part 2, Admiral Adama announces the survivor population at approximately 38,000.

The episodes portray the Galactica launching a rescue mission to retrieve Hera Agathon from the "colony", a heavily armed and defended Cylon base located near a black hole. They manage to rescue Hera, and in the end, the fleet finds a new planet to settle on, which they come to call Earth (revealed to be our Earth). The final episodes gave Battlestar Galactica the strongest ratings since its second season, though they received mixed reviews.

The flashback sequences during the course of the first part take place a few years before the Cylon attack on Caprica. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) is reluctant to undergo a lie detector test in preparation for a civilian desk job. Elsewhere, Gaius Baltar (James Callis) is getting tired of his father, Julius, who is abusive to his nurse. However, Caprica Six (Tricia Helfer) soon informs Baltar that she took his father into a care home, where he will be happier. Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) is living happily with her two sisters, one of whom is pregnant. But later, Roslin receives distressing news that both her sisters and father were killed in a car accident. Three months after, she is set up for a blind date and is encouraged to join Mayor Adar's presidential campaign. Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) meets Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) for the first time while she is seeing his brother, Zak (Tobias Mehler). When Lee arrives home drunk, he notices a pigeon in his house, and he chases it away. Lastly, the flashbacks focus on Anders (Michael Trucco), who is interviewed during his sporting career, where he admits to playing for the joy of the pursuit of perfection rather than the winning.