This is one of the best sci-fi episodes I've ever seen. After two weeks of plot complicating, we finally get a climactic battle scene. And it was spectacular; only surpassed, perhaps, by the space battles in the Star Wars movies. There's a big difference between BG battles and Star Wars, however. BG aims for a kind of mock-realism achieved mostly by shaky camera work and unusual, sometimes confusing camera angles. The result looks reminds one of WWII fighter pilot footage.

The drama in the story gets mixed reviews. The Starbuck-Cassie relationship didn't overwhelm the story. The Ty and his wife scene was surprising and genuinely moving while adding a lot to Ty's character. The Adama-Apollo mellodrama we've seen before and is now forgetable. Overall, the action makes 304 a great episode.