BSG Started off great, but there has been a lot of shark jumping in the last 3 episodes and it's starting to lose it's shine for me.
1st. The Chief as union leader.
2nd. Lee as Perry Mason.
I can suspend disbelief only so much, and these tend to be "a plot device too far." It's a plague of good sci fi, all the way back to Star Trek - TOS. Let’s see, why don't we have all the major characters, including all of the senior command staff, beam down into peril (and the big episode story) because of the lead characters' egos and budgets (since you already have these guys under contract, and you have limited the core cast to a handfull, why pay for someone else with enough acting chops to do a walk on role...)
Although ST-TNG was too politically correct 1990s new age for me, at least they avoided this for the most part. You had Picard on the bridge most of the time, with Riker and the others holding their story lines as required in a more realistic fashion doing much of the exotic stuff in a more believable command structure kind of way. Enterprise, for all its promise and hot Vulcan chick, got back to the same crap.
With BSG , there is a wealth of supporting cast to take on such ancillary plotlines. I can only assume its ego among the main characters.
The Union thing would have been a natural for Tom Zarek to have a conflict with Rosylin. Frankly, The chief and his wife should have been airlocked, IMO, for their mutinous behavior.
The Baltar trial could also have easily involved Tom Zarek in a new political struggle with Roslyn instead of another continuation of Lee's daddy complex. For that matter, the new lawyer didn't really need any assistance. The only positive is that Lee's speech did try to explain away some of the previous minor plot irritations.
I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. BSG remains must see TV for me, and I hope it stays that way.
As RPM pointed out it was also the finale of Rome. And that was about as close to perfection as I could want. What a fantastic series and what a fine ending. What BSG needs is the cold and calculating Admiral Octavian, President Atia to handle the domestic issues and perhaps Pullo as the CAG -- a simple man and a warrior worthy of Starbuck. Something tells me this whole Cylon mess would be cleared up in no time

Charon