You're totally right here. I always feel like the documentary device is manipulative (or: too transparently manipulative, since it's all about the emotional manipulation) but that could just be because I first encountered it in B5. BSG is a much darker show that tolerates (so far) more moral ambiguity in its characters, but the documentary came across as a way of justifying the characters in a too-simplistic way.

Thanks for a thoughtful post. Enjoy 2.09, it's much better.