I agree with you that a later arrival on Earth would’ve offered a more satisfying tie-in with the series’ Greek mythos. But then 150,000 years certainly guarantee the near total destruction of the colonists’ physical presence. That certainly guarantees the “new slate” idea as well as highlighting the essential continuity of the human spirit.

"Furthermore, the entire history of the human race including to present day has been predominated by torture, mass murder, mass atrocities and barbaric violence repression on both the individual and societal levels."
- which could have been avoided or ameliorated had the Colonials kept their heritage of their culture and technology.
The fantasy that this is a "happy ending" is maintained by the deep ignorance of the viewing public as to the sufferings of humanity both historical and present day.
And lets look as Roslin. So she had no friends who wanted to remember her mourn for her or even maintain a historical record? Just toss her away under some stones in a forgotten field, everything she worked for forgotten with her.

Same for Adama, "Sorry, I don't care about no grandkids just forget i ever existed." Not rational!

So the authors solved everything by "blowing everything up real good" so there was nothing left. They also taught us the important politically left lesson that we are all to blame for everything bad that happens to us and we should obliterate ourselves because of how evil we are

The story ended like it did just because the authors just wanted to end it, there was no logical development or cohesion with the restof the story. The only thread that made much sense was "Angel Thrace" but that was wasted condsidering that having made it to Earth the colononials simply obliterated themsleves.

So everything the Colonials learned, fought for and accomplished was sent to oblivion. Furthermore, the entire history of the human race including to present day has been predominated by torture, mass murder, mass atrocities and barbaric violence repression on both the individual and societal levels. Maybe we can even attribute all of human suffering and stupidity on the presence of colonial DNA.

And with Baltar, you're right that I haven't liked his Season 4 arc up until now — because we only got Baltar's side of the story, from Baltar's perspective, which was too cynical (naive?) to actually believe he'd been touched by God. I never believed it because he never believed it himself. But that's why his speech to Cavil in CIC (and his outing of Kara as an angel in "Islanded") now makes so much sense — God was speaking through him all along, even if he didn't know why or how.

And as for Kara — the perfect ending, I thought. Something outside, something free, something beyond. (LOVED your comparison of her to Sleeper Cylons — that puts a pin right in it, and it's the best description I've read anywhere.) I could never see her and Lee living happily ever after together. Separately, yes, but their relationship would always have been marked and tainted by its beginning, which as we saw here was even worse than I imagined, with both of them drunk and stupid and lust-blind enough to fuck on the dining room table while her boyfriend / his brother lies passed out on the sofa five feet away. Not to mention cheating on their spouses with each other, which I don't think either of them ever forgave themselves (or each other) for. They were children together, always butting heads, never satisfied, always playing that game of one-upmanship; apart, they're adults.

I've also read a lot of muttering about how Adama shouldn't have left Lee behind, but we got that answer, too, back in "Revelations" (I think) — when Kara told him children can't grow up until their parents have died. It's time for Lee to be on his own, and become fully the man he's supposed to be, and he could never have done that with Adama watching over his shoulder. And I have no doubt at all that he'll find some pretty, sweet young thing to wander the world with him. He has to; he's Captain Apollo!

And Adama has to end alone, doesn't he? The Old Man setting himself out to pasture, watching the sun rise in the form of his one true love? As he still talks to her, reads to her, as if she's right there beside him. As much as we had to see Laura actually die (sigh after sigh after sigh), we had to see this. He's at peace with himself, home at last, and she's his angel now.

I've also read a lot of complaints about how a happy ending is somehow false to the tone of show, but I disagree there, too; this show has always been about hope, hasn't it? And having faith? And they all got the ending they earned — Tory and Boomer paid the price for some horrifying actions, Tigh and Ellen get to enjoy a life together finally — after thousands of years of waiting, and without Bill Adama standing on the sidelines — and Tyrol gets to let of it all. Laura gets to die knowing she fulfilled her own destiny, and next to the man she loves (and knowing she died happier than she ever could have on Caprica). They're all at peace.

As for the coda, I thought it was executed a little clumsily, and the cameo sort of pulled me outside the story, but if Ronald D. Moore wants to give himself three seconds on camera as a little pat on the back for the EIGHT YEARS of his life that he's shared with us, I say AMEN. He's earned that, and much more. And he got to tell it the way he wanted to. And one poster on TwoP said something about the ending not being about answering, but asking — it's not a warning, it's a question. Which is true, and another thing this show has always been about: how do you treat the things you create? (As well as your lovely question of How do you treat the things that created you?) How do you earn the right to keep going? BSG doesn't have the answers for that, we do.

Anyway, it's been fun, my friend, a treat and a gift and a privilege, and thanks for letting me share it with you here. It's part and parcel of the experience of BSG for me, and I'll always be grateful.