'Battlestar:' Fly me to the moon

No spoilers here yet, but a few quick thoughts on the "BSG" season finale after the jump.

Here's how terrific this show is. For a hard-core fan, there were no real knock-me-off-my-socks surprises tonight -- given all of the hints and clues and chatter and speculation over the past few weeks, no one possibly could have been floored about the outcome of Baltar's trial, or about Starbuck's triumphant appearance, or even about the makeup of the Final Five. (Is Starbuck the fifth? Or was her supposed death just a decoy explosion? My brother and I disagree.)

Yet I was completely satisfied by last night's show, because it was so beautifully executed. The Dylan/Hendrix song was a great touch; maybe the producers just discovered rock music, but I'd like to think it was a brillant way to signal a tonal change in the series itself. Let's hope the writers follow through.

Yes, I'll quibble with Lee's absurdly-eloquent courtroom speech, and there are a few bits of Cylon culture that are hard to get your head around if you think so far (such as, why would there be a secret Final Five in the first place?), but I've got more than enough to chew on for the next however-many months, including but not limited to:

1) What are Starbuck's intentions? (Cylon or no?)
2) Will Katee Sackhoff be back in the opening credits?
3) What will the sleeper Cylons do now? Do they have free will? Does Athena?
4) Where are those ladies whisking Baltar off to?
5) What was the deal with the Opera House dream?
6) Will Adama and Roslin kiss already?
7) Is it 2008 yet?

I'm going to chew on it in my sleep. Maybe I'll understand more in the morning.