Beware: Here there be Spoilers

Before I lay into it, I want to say that this was probably the best TV SF since Star Trek TOS. The acting was solid and the visual effects were groundbreaking for a TV show.

I can understand why a lot of Sifters were disappointed by the ending. Loose ends weren't so much tied up, as crumpled up in a ball and tossed away. And yes, they used the God escape.

The problem with so much modern serial fiction is that writers have gotten very good at weaving a rich symbolic narrative - that lacks a core of of plot and believability. (see Lost) Here's my list of themes that were heavily invested in story-wise but kind of dropped at the end.

1. Starbuck. WTF? - did I miss something?
2. The Cylon/human kid - so they led Galactica on a suicide mision- why again?
3. The Baltar Caprica 6 "angels" - fucking angels.
4. The other skin jobs - where did they go? Did they get resurrection?
5. What does "All along the Watchtower" have to do with anything besides making a nice theme song for the final season?
6. Homo Sapiens on a random planet
7. Did I mention Starbuck, the pristine viper and her rotting corpse?

So with all these plot/theme holes that you could fly a heavy raider through, God was the only solution for any kind of resolution. Because the writers painted themselves into a corner with all of their deeply rich and mysterious narrative concepts, creating a very literal deus ex machina.

I have to admit that I didn't mind the god stuff as much as I did in Contact - where I really found it almost offensive, and disrespectful of Sagan's book and belief system. Sometimes, I have to admit, I even like a bit of God in SF. If you ever get a chance to read The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel, that's God in Science Fiction done right.