108

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The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II
"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II"
An episode of the Original Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 7
Writer(s) Michael Sloan
Donald Bellisario
Glen A. Larson
Story by John Ireland Jr.
Director Alan Levi
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 50207
Nielsen Rating
US airdate USA 1978-10-29
CAN airdate CAN {{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate UK
DVD release 2004-12-28
Population survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II The Magnificent Warriors
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Listing of props for this episode
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Herded into a confined area of space, the Fleet must pass within close range of a lethal Cylon pulsar cannon—unless an expedition from Galactica can assault the ice-bound fortress housing the weapon. Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer lead a team of cut-throat demolitions and cold-weather experts (and the stowaway Boxey). Along they way, they encounter the misguided human scientist who originally built the weapon, as well as his legions of clones.

Summary[edit]

  • The last Centurion passes by the group, failing to notice them in the crevice below.
  • Ser 5-9 returns, reporting that the way is now clear.
  • Croft is relieved that the Thetas were not turning them in to the Cylons. Tenna reveals that they hate the Cylons. Apparently the Cylons consider Theta class lifeforms to be subhuman, as they were created to perform slave labor. Ser 5-9 and Tenna (and their enclave) have revolted, and no longer work for the Cylons.
  • Apollo asks if they will help destroy the Ravashol pulsar, but Ser 5-9 reminds him that they first have to get to the village of the Thetas.
  • They enter the Theta underground city via a stairway underneath a covered hatch. They sneak through the passages, apparently unable to move openly.
  • Ser 5-9 will take Apollo to Dr. Ravashol, who lives at the base of Mount Hekla. First, he will take Apollo's people to safety.
  • Aboard his basestar, Baltar asks to know if the Colonial landing party has been destroyed. Lucifer indicates that it was "not exactly" destroyed. Baltar is outraged, and orders figthers to attack Galactica. This is a suicide attack, since they will not have enough fuel to return to the basestar. Baltar argues that they need to push Galactica forward, and that he would give the same orders to humans.
  • The Cylons begin searching the Theta village for the humans. They are told to hide amongst the children. Apparently despite the fact that the Cylons had demanded that the Thetas be sterile, they have been breeding and hiding the children.
  • Apollo and Ser 5-9 arrive at Dr. Ravashol's lab. Dr. Ravashol admonishes Ser 5-9, saying that only planners are allowed in the lab. He quickly surmises that Ser is a "5 series". Ser replies that he is "Series 5, Culture 9". (Hence the Ser 5-9 designation.)
  • When Apollo reveals he is from Galactica Ravashol says he will have nothing to do with violence. Apollo asks about the Ravashol pulsar, and Dr. Ravashol claims that it is an energy lens system for sending intelligence information across the galaxy. Apollo tells him that he lost two Vipers to his energy lens system.
  • Dr. Ravashol does not believe this, claiming that the pulsar is manned by Series 5 Theta class lifeforms. Ser 5-9 tells him that they are whipped by Cylons if they even approach the pulsar.
  • When confronted with the truth that the Cylons are running it, Dr. Ravashol claims that it is a temporary misuse. He claims no responsibility over the use of his creations.
  • A Cylon patrol comes to search Dr. Ravashol's laboratory. Apollo is hidden inside a computer tower. When Ser 5-9 is discovered, Dr. Ravashol claims he was needed for heavy lifting. Vulpa orders the patrol out of the lab, and Ser 5-9 punished (since only planners are supposed to be in the lab).
  • The Cylons disrupt things down in the village, and Thane thinks it is an opportunity to make a break for it. Leda thinks they'll have a better chance on the mountain. After the Cylons pass Thane grabs one of the Series 5 Thetas from behind.
  • Dr. Ravashol rages at Apollo for disrupting the previous orderly situation. Planners to think, and workers to work. Apollo tells him they were forced there by the Cylons, and that things aren't as orderly as he'd like to believe. Apollo reveals that his workers are thinking and breeding.
  • Dr. Ravashol is stunned that they are breeding. Apollo asks for Dr. Ravashol's help on behalf of the Thetas, because in a sense they are his children.
  • A phalanx of raiders attacks the fleet. Adama scrambles Blue Squadron to defend against them.
  • Baltar orders the fighters to break off their attack, despite lacking enough fuel to return. He thinks that this will cause Adama to believe that the basestars are closer than they actually are.
  • Dr. Ravashol shows Apollo a schematic of the Ravashol pulsar. He explains that the only way they might hope to destroy the pulsar would be to jam or reverse the main pump.
  • Thane has taken the clothes from the Theta he grabbed, and is trying to make his way through the village.
  • Starbuck and the rest are taken to a hidden chamber with the Thetan children. Boomer finally notices Thane's absence. Starbuck speculates that he might have gotten separated, but Croft claims that Thane was looking for an opportunity to make a break for it. Two Tennas leave to go look for him.
  • Thane is revealed to have been captured by a Cylon patrol. When questioned, he claims to be alone, and feigns ignorance about Galactica.
  • Starbuck heads out to rescue Thane. He hopes that by dressing like a Theta he might be able to pass undetected. Tenna questions whether he wants to save Thane or "the other one". Starbuck admits he is looking for a pilot that he had lost named Cree. He may have survived the crash. Tenna hopes for Cree's sake that he didn't survive.
  • The Cylons appear to have completed Cree's brain probe. Vulpa orders him to be sent to a "cold cell," promising to examine the results of the probe later.
  • Thane continues to evade the questioning of the Cylons, refusing to tell how many combat ships are in the fleet.
  • Starbuck and Tenna meet up with Ser 5-9. Ser 5-9 has survived his punishment, being whipped instead of killed thanks to Dr. Ravashol's lie.
  • Thane appears to break under questioning, telling the Centurions that everything they want to know is recorded on a tape coder in his inner pocket. Thane indicates a button that should be pressed. When the Centurion presses the button, the hand mine detonates killing Thane and several Centurions.
  • Starbuck returns to report that Thane is dead, but that he did not betray them.
  • Apollo lays out the plan for destroying the pulsar. There will be a simultaneous attack, one on the garrison station (to be lead by Starbuck), and the other on the gun itself (to be lead by Apollo). They synchronize their timepieces to countdown to 200 centons. After that, the fleet will have to move forward.
  • Outside on the mountain, Wolfe, Leda, and Croft discuss strategy. Wolfe has found out from one of the Thetas that the Cylon fighters are on top of the mountain. He proposes that they steal one and escape. Croft objects, claiming that Galactica will hunt them down, but Wolfe points out that Galactica is too busy being hunted by the Cylons. Leda asks if Croft is refusing freedom again (like the original time they were imprisoned). Croft says that he would not fire on a Colonial fighter, but Leda says they thanked him for that by chaining him up. Leda and Wolfe plead for him to commit to their plan, and Croft agrees.
  • Lucifer reports that some of the fighters (30%) turned out to have enough fuel to be able to return to the basestar. Baltar orders them to be sent out again to engage Galactica. Baltar claims that it will drive Adama crazy.
  • The raiders approach Galactica, and Blue Squadron is launched (again) to intercept them. The Vipers and Galactica's defenses manage to fight off the raiders, forcing their retreat. The basestars are approaching quickly, however. The fleet is forced to move forward again to stay ahead of them.
  • Baltar informs Vulpa that the basestars have arrived, and orders random firing of the Ravashol pulsar to sweep the corridor that the fleet must pass through.
  • The firing of the pulsar causes an avalanche, causing Apollo's team to try to take cover against the snow. Apollo covers up Croft, prompting Croft to say that he owes Apollo one. Ser 5-9 has a rock land on his leg, breaking it. Tenna begins to take him back down the mountain while the others continue their assault.
  • Wolfe sees an opportunity, and pulls the laser pistol (that he had grabbed from Voight) on Apollo. He reveals their plan to steal a raider and try to escape. The pulsar fires, causing a tremor, and Croft grabs the pistol from Wolfe. Wolfe runs off into the blizzard.
  • Leda claims their only hope is to follow Wolfe, but Croft says that they've got a mission to accomplish. Apollo puts Croft in charge, and time is running out.
  • The fleet is moving close to the range of the pulsar. On Tigh's suggestion the fleet's ships move to maximum speed (rather than moving at the speed of the slowest ship) and increase their interval spacing.
  • Starbuck takes Tenna hoping to quickly find and free Cree. He tells Boomer not to wait for him past 20 centons.
  • Apollo's team reaches the intake tube to the cooling system of the pulsar. Leda claims that they don't have enough solonite to destroy the whole pulsar. Apollo says that Dr. Ravashol said that they only need to knock out the energy exchange pump and the pulsar will destroy itself.
  • Tenna shows Starbuck the emergency escape hatch of the prison where the "cold cells" are located. Starbuck claims he'll have the element of surprise, since nobody ever breaks into prisons. He gets the drop on two Centurion guards, and shoots the lock of Cree's "cold cell". Starbuck helps Cree walk as they escape.
  • Tenna reveals that the Thetas will help Starbuck to overthrow the Cylon garrison, but that they will not help destroy the pulsar. She claims they will use whatever means necessary to prevent its destruction.
  • Starbuck argues with a 5-series Theta. The Theta wants to keep the pulsar, fearing Cylon retribution after Galactica is gone. They believe it is their only defense.
  • Dr. Ravashol intervenes, claiming that the Thetas are far more human than he realized. Therefore the fleet threatened by the pulsar are the brothers of the Thetas, and must be helped. He promises to protect the Thetas. The Thetas agree to destroy the pulsar.
  • Starbuck asks Dr. Ravashol how he will protect them, and Dr. Ravashol reveals that he did not give the Cylons everything that he has developed.
  • The attack commences, and both teams go in with guns blazing. Several Centurions are destroyed. Apollo's team manages to place the charges. Vulpa gets a shot off, but Leda sacrifices her self to save Croft. Starbuck kills Vulpa.
  • The garrison has been wiped out. The team escapes down the mountain in an elevator. Starbuck retrieves Boxey and the other Theta children.
  • The explosives detonate, destroying the pulsar in a gigantic explosion. Galactica detects the explosion, and realizes the team has succeeded. Adama orders a rescue team to retrieve them with a full fighter escort.
  • Lucifer reports the bad news to Baltar. Baltar is furious, but Lucifer recommends they come up with a united front that could be presented to the newly installed Imperious Leader. Baltar promises that he will yet have the last laugh.
  • Starbuck says his passionate farewells to three of the Tennas. Apollo says the Theta children seem more human, which pleases Dr. Ravashol. Dr. Ravashol assures Apollo that they will be able to handle the Cylons. Apollo has to force Starbuck away from his "chance of a lifetime."

Notes[edit]

  • Dan O'Herlihy guest starred on Bonanza with Lorne Greene in an episode called "The Artist".
  • Baltar is walking with a limp in act one of this episode. This is more than likely due to the cave in at the Ninth Lord's Tomb on Kobol, which occured in the previous episode "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II". The limp does not reoccur in any other episode of the series, indicating that the limp is temporary.
  • Apollo says to Ravashol that the pulsar has "fried two of my fighters." In fact, three had been destroyed. Cadet Bow, Cadet Shields and Killian.
  • The use of centon in this episode, as with the previous episode, is used both as a measurement of time and of distance.
  • Due to the fact that this episode was filmed prior to "The Long Patrol," there are noted inconsistencies in this episode. Among them, is the fact that the Fleet is still in Epsilon Quadrant (where Kobol is in "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II") and that they are clearly in their home galaxy.

Analysis[edit]

Questions[edit]

  • How was Dr. Ravashol able to construct the pulsar and his base of operations on Arcta? Did he have assistance? If so, who aided him?
  • Does Wolfe die in the wilderness of Arcta?
  • Why did Ravashol leave the Colonies?
  • What other inventions does Ravashol have in his possession?
  • Furthermore, why does he not share some of his inventions with the Fleet?

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

  • Baltar is told that the Cylon fighters have approached the Fleet:
Baltar: Have our fighters engaged the Galactica?
Lucifer: Yes, but they will not have enough fuel to return.
Baltar: Break off the attack.
Lucifer: Baltar, I believe my sound sensor mishears you.
Baltar: I said break off the attack.

Guest Stars[edit]

External Links[edit]


Warning: Default sort key "Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The" overrides earlier default sort key "108".
The Magnificent Warriors
"The Magnificent Warriors"
An episode of the Original Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 8
Writer(s) Glen A. Larson
Story by
Director Christian I. Nyby II
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 50912
Nielsen Rating
US airdate USA 1978-11-12
CAN airdate CAN {{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate UK
DVD release 2004-12-28
Population survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II The Magnificent Warriors The Young Lords
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
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When a Cylon attack destroys the Fleet's food supply, Adama and the others must agree to certain compromises with old acquaintances and with the inhabitants of a grain-rich, yet politically turbulent planet.

Summary[edit]

  • Cylon Raiders slip past the defenses of Blue Squadron, destroying two of the fleet's three agricultural ships. The remaining vessel, Agro Ship Nine, has a breached airlock.
  • Personally inspecting the damage, Colonel Tigh learns that the fleet's entire crop supply was destroyed in the attack. More importantly, the fleet's supply of seed has been exhausted and must be somehow replenished, according to Agro Specialist Carmichael.
  • The fleet had recently passed by the planet Sectar, home to a small agricultural settlement of humans, in the Zeta Quadrant. Commander Adama plans to trade an old energizer (one without Colonial markings) to the settlement, in exchange for new seed.
  • The only energizer available for trade is owned by Siress Belloby, an old acquaintance of Adama, who refuses to relinquish its ownership unless the Commander meets with her personally. Belloby hosts a bouquet-wielding Adama, who agrees to romantically court the siress, in exchange for the energizer.
Adama and Belloby in The Magnificent Warriors.
  • Belloby and Adama insist on accompanying Apollo, Starbuck, and Boomer on the mission to Serenity, the small agro colony on the planet. Boxey and Muffit tag along as well.
  • Before the Colonial's arrival, Dipper sees a full moon and warns the residents of Serenity of an impending attack by the Borays, herd-like humanoid creatures which pillage the town on horseback, killing constable Farnes. Bogan, the settlement's leader, has trouble recruiting a replacement constable.
  • Starbuck and Boomer ride into town, posing as farmers looking to trade their energizer for seed. Bogan, seeking a new constable, offers the warriors employment instead, but they decline.
  • Returning to their shuttle landing site, Starbuck and Boomer are ambushed by Dipper and accomplice Duggy. Their vehicle (and the energizer) are hijacked; freeing themselves, the warriors realize they've been robbed by Bogan's men. Starbuck returns to town to confront the thieves, while Boomer returns to the shuttle to inform Adama and company of the hijacking.
  • Bogan denies involvement in the heist, but offers to sell the seed to Starbuck. Not having enough money, Starbuck joins a pyramid game to increase his funds.
  • Producing a three-level pyramid, Starbuck wins the hand, drawing suspicion from Dipper and Duggy. Starbuck expresses his suspicions as to the source of their funds, implying their role in the theft of the energizer.
  • Still short on funds, Starbuck is tricked into "winning" the constable's star during a hand of pyramid, becoming the de facto town constable. Entering the saloon, Adama demands to see the local law enforcement official, only to discover that it is none other than Starbuck.
  • Bogan insists that Starbuck must face up to his duties as constable, regardless of how he came into possession of the constable's star. Facing the attacking Boray, Siress Belloby is captured and dragged off by the marauding pig-like creatures.
  • The townspeople point out the general direction of the Boray camp. Apollo brings Muffit, who tracks Belloby by her scent to the Boray cave.
  • Finding the Boray encampment, the Colonials hold off the creatures with a few warning laser blasts. Adama negotiates privately with Nogow, the Boray leader, but to no avail.
  • Starbuck hatches a plan, trading his constable's star to Nogow in exchange for Siress Belloby.
  • Back in town, Adama buys the required seed from Bogan, while the townspeople reluctantly meet their new constable, the Boray leader Nogow.
  • Unimpressed with Adama's negotiating skills at winning her release, Belloby dumps Adama, much to the commander's relief.

Notes[edit]

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century[edit]

Main article: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Due to the re-use of Silent Running footage, Bruce Dern makes a fleeting cameo aboard an agro ship just before its destruction.

Silent Running[edit]

  • The footage of the Agro Ships, as well as the interior of the agro dome, were re-used from the film Silent Running. Bruce Dern, who played Freeman Lowell in Silent Running, makes a fleeting appearance to the left of a re-used frame that also features the depiction of the planet Saturn.

The Magnificent Seven / The Seven Samurai[edit]

  • The episode bears a resemblance to The Magnificent Seven—a movie where 7 gunslingers are hired to protect a town from an invading banditas well as the film The Seven Samurai. A further connection can be made in that there are seven Galaticans who come to the town: Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, Adama, Siress Belloby, Boxey, and Muffit.

Addenda[edit]

The Boray is the most rare of all the Mattel Galactica action figures.
  • This is Richard Hatch's least favorite episode of Battlestar Galactica.
  • The Mattel action figure of a Boray is the rarest and most valuable of all the Mattel Galactica action figures.

Analysis[edit]

  • "The Magnificent Warriors" is the second of the two Western episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Where "The Lost Warrior" was a blatant rip off of Shane, "Magnificent Warriors" is a blatant rip off of The Magnificent Seven right down to the title.
  • This episode is a light-hearted adventure which plays counter to the more somber tone that underlies the series. It has of course been argued that such radical variations in tone prevented the series from truly exploring the dramatic underpinnings of its premise, but this was a television program that was conceived of as light family fare in any case, and this episode certainly fits that bill.
  • This episode contains a few comedic sequences, chief of which is Adama's visit to Siress Belloby's chambers to try and court her, and in so doing obtain access to her old power generator or "energizer." Embarrassed and nervous, Adama's ploy is only partially successful as the wily Siress maneuvers him into letting her come down to the planet, and to a longer term relationship. Belloby is ably portrayed by Brett Somers, who at the time was famous as one of the wittier regulars on the successful game show The Match Game. It seems the role of the Siress was perhaps created with Brett in mind.
  • Starbuck's attempt at gambling in the casino provides another comedic scene, when Adama goes looking for the lawman of the town and is introduced to the young Lieutenant who was unknowingly tricked into winning the constable's star and assuming the post.
  • The idea that Adama could not simply order Belloby to give up the energizer is, of course, ludicrous. It is even more ludicrous to think that the Colonials could not simply erase or burn off the Colonial markings on one of their own energizers. It seems to be a contrived way to bring Belloby into the story.
  • The concern over the Cylons finding the energizers is hard to understand. The odds of it ever happening would seem remote, and even if it did, enough time would probably have passed that the Colonials would be long gone.
  • Another alien race is introduced in this episode, the Borays, but they get no lines and are largely an undefined culture. Nogow is a bit of a pig, which makes sense given his appearance. This is not an episode that is heavy on subtlety.
  • The title of this episode is not particularly imaginative, and does not differentiate it from other episodes. It could be easy to confuse the episodes "The Lost Warrior," "The Magnificent Warriors," "The Long Patrol" and "The Young Lords". Some fans refer to this one as the "Siress Belloby episode."
  • Other than for dramatic purposes, why do Adama, Belloby and Boxey join the shuttle mission?
    • Belloby has a romantic agenda that seems to involve getting some alone-time with Adama on the planet. As the owner of the energizer, she may have insisted that they accompany the mission.
    • Apollo indicates that this mission isn't very dangerous, which is his excuse for including Boxey - and he turns out to be right; Boxey's involvement is almost non-existent. Apollo was probably as glad as the viewers are to not have to suffer through one more scene of Boxey pleading with Apollo and Apollo having to make excuses for Boxey's exclusion.

Questions[edit]

  • Why does the sudden appearance of the full moon startle Dipper? Of course, the Boray attack under a full moon, but doesn't the moon appear in regular cycles that can be predicted by the colonists? They are aware of space travel, but somehow can't accurately predict the cycles of their own moon?
  • Why does Starbuck risk confronting the thieving townspeople alone, without partner Boomer?
  • Why is so much of this episode filmed at night? Was this due to Battlestar Galactica's crazy shooting schedule, perhaps? Or were these sets only available in the evening? In any case, this must have cost a lot of money. Hiring crews to work at night in California requires the payment of additional wages.
  • Why does the whole settlement shake when the Borays riding in?
  • Given that no Boray has heard a single articulated word, how does Adama and Starbuck manage to communicate with a grunting species?

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

Deleted Scenes[edit]

See: The deleted scenes from this episode.

Official Statements[edit]

Guest Stars[edit]


Warning: Default sort key "Magnificent Warriors, The" overrides earlier default sort key "Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The".
Flesh and Bone
"Flesh and Bone"
An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 8
Writer(s) Toni Graphia
Story by
Director Brad Turner
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 108
Nielsen Rating 2.5
US airdate USA 2005-02-25
CAN airdate CAN 2005-03-05
UK airdate UK 2004-12-06
DVD release 20 September 2005 US
28 March 2005 UK
Population 47,954 survivors (No population change.)
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
Six Degrees of Separation Flesh and Bone Tigh Me Up,
Tigh Me Down
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R&D SkitView
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When a copy of Leoben Conoy is captured aboard a civilian ship, President Roslin orders his interrogation, and Lieutenant Thrace is assigned the job. She finds herself facing the possibility that the Cylon may have planted a bomb somewhere in the Fleet.

Summary[edit]

  • Laura Roslin has a chamalla-induced dream in which she sees Leoben Conoy. She is awakened by Billy, who informs her that a Cylon agent has been captured aboard Gemenon Traveler.
  • The Cylon turns out to be Leoben Conoy, and while Adama wants him destroyed, Roslin insists he be interrogated.
  • Kara Thrace is assigned the interrogation task. Meeting with her, Adama warns her that Conoy cannot be trusted. Not that he lies, but rather he twists everything into half-truths and masks fiction with the veneer of truth.
  • They briefly discuss the Cylon Raider Thrace is still working on ("You Can’t Go Home Again," "Six Degrees of Separation"), and Thrace informs him good progress is being made: the avionics are now understood, and they are focusing on the FTL systems.
  • Later, Sharon Valerii visits the Raider for a second time (the first being in "Six Degrees of Separation"), and appears to comfort it by humming.
  • Tyrol arrives, and she asks if her previous comments helped. He confirms they did, and asks how she came up with the idea. She claims it’s because she’s a Cylon—something Tyrol doesn’t find remotely funny.
  • Elsewhere, Thrace travels by Raptor to Gemenon Traveler. Once there, she observes Conoy, noting that he is sweating, before she enters the room in which he is being held, wanting to know what he is doing with his head on the table.
  • Conoy claims to have been praying. Their religious differences are immediately outlined as she refers to “gods”, he to “God”.
  • When he starts playing games with her over names, she tries to walk out – and Conoy reveals he knows who she is, which stops her. He then claims to have hidden a nuclear warhead somewhere in the fleet, which will go off in just under nine hours.
  • Shaken by the fact he knows her name, Thrace reports the news on the bomb to Adama and Roslin. Adama orders radiological searches to be made aboard all ships and tries to reassure Thrace that Conoy could have learned her name from anywhere.
  • When she returns to the holding area, Conoy continues to question her about her beliefs, outlining the key difference between humans and their religion and Cylons. A meal arrives for Thrace and she eats, allowing Conoy to finish what is left.
  • As he finishes the food, a systematic beating commences, Thrace convinced that because he is programmed to act completely like a human, Conoy will be forced to react like a human, take the beating until the pain forces him to start talking.
  • As this starts, Valerii visits Gaius Baltar in his lab and demands that he run a test on her to determine whether or not she is human. Baltar is reluctant to do so, but Head Six prompts him into doing it.
  • Conoy’s beating fails to get him to talk about the bomb, only to talk more about God. As the subject of water has formed a lot of his analogies, Thrace opts to up the torture by using it, and sends the guards from the room.
  • When they are gone, Conoy demonstrates his supernatural strength, breaking the chains that bind his wrists and pins Thrace to the wall. He could kill her, but he doesn’t – he has something to tell her, soon. A surprise.
  • On Galactica, Adama visits the cadaver of the Conoy he encountered at Ragnar Anchorage (TRS: "Miniseries"), his rage almost causing him to beat the body with a telephone handset.
  • On Traveler, Thrace commences sessions that involve holding Conoy’s head underwater for increasingly lengthy periods to try and get him to talk – convinced that he is too far from Cylon influence to transfer his consciousness to another body, should this one die.
  • Conoy talks about Thrace’s childhood and upbringing, demonstrating he somehow knows a lot about her. The dunkings continue.
  • Baltar finishes a scan on a blood sample from Valerii, confirming that she is a Cylon. Terrified of what will happen if he tells her, he fakes the result to look human.
  • In her private quarters on Colonial One, Roslin has another vision of Conoy, prompting her to order a shuttle to take her to Gemenon Traveler.
  • On Traveler, Thrace halts the water torture and Conoy reveals his surprise to her: the humans will find Kobol, and Kobol will lead them to Earth. What’s more, Thrace’s specific role is to deliver his soul to God.
  • At that moment, Roslin arrives and puts a stop to the torture, as it has failed to reveal the location of the bomb.
  • When Conoy has been cleaned up and dried off, she tries to reason with him, and he confesses there is no bomb; grabbing her, he whispers that Adama is a Cylon. See spoiler for possible analysis.
  • Shocked by this, but her mind made up, Roslin has him ejected into space – fulfilling the sequence of events in her dream.
  • Later, on Galactica, Thrace prays for Conoy’s soul, while Roslin meets with Adama, Conoy's words clearly having cast doubts deep in her mind.

On Caprica[edit]

  • After sleeping with Karl Agathon, "Caprica" Valerii meets with Doral and Six to inform them of developments.
  • Doral informs her that a little love nest is being set-up nearby. Six adds that she must lead Agathon to it and keep him there – or kill him.
  • Reacting to the instructions, Valerii returns to Agathon – and goes on the run with him, leading him away from her Cylon colleagues.

Notes[edit]

  • This episode takes place within 24 hours of the events portrayed in "Six Degrees of Separation".
  • Doctor Cottle has apparently been successful in his quest for chamalla, given that Roslin is now using it in her fight against cancer.
  • There are 47,954 survivors in the Fleet, presumably including Galactica’s crew, as the figure has fluctuated between 45,000 and 50,000 over the past few weeks in rounded figures. This represents a net loss of 18 since "33," with doubtlessly uncertain census counts throughout the interim.
  • Laura Roslin may have precognition, and / or Cylons may be psychic.
  • Boomer believes her family were all killed—together with almost her entire past—in a “tragedy” that destroyed the colony of Troy.
  • Baltar’s Cylon detector works. It takes "a couple of minutes" to process Boomer's sample.
  • Baltar now knows Boomer is a Cylon.
  • Leoben Conoy's execution via ejection from an airlock is relatively "unspectacular" compared to similar sequences in many science fiction films, such as Outland in which people explode. Whether the decision not to show his death in a more gruesome fashion owes as much to Standards & Practices as it does to scientific accuracy, it is at least more in line with what is known about human physiology and hard vacuum. The later episode "A Day in the Life" indicated that survival in vacuum is possible for up to a minute; see that article for additional scientific discussion of the effects of hard vacuum on a person.
  • At the beginning of this episode, Boomer is humming a melody when she touches the captured Cylon Raider. The melody is from a Korean children's song, 'The spring pool on the mountain'. It reappears in the episode "Sine Qua Non," being hummed by Sharon "Athena" Agathon to her daughter Hera.
  • Some of what Conoy revealed may be from psychic abilities on his part. In his later episodes he displays almost psychic abilities at times and in The Plan its shown that when he grabbed Kara by the throat for a moment, he had a vision of a few of their future encounters although one is with the Virtual Leoben.
  • The Plan shows that Conoy was found out because marines were showing pictures of him and Doral around and two men he'd just passed recignized him. He escaped and hid aboard the ship, but was caught later by the marines.
  • The Plan also shows where his obssesion with Kara Thrace started: when he hacked into the military communications he repeatedly listened to her while she was in her Viper and became obssesed. He became even more obssesed when he learned about how Thrace learned how to fly and flew the captured Cylon Raider on her own. Leoben explained to Cavil that Thrace "plucked the knowledge from the stream" and that that meant she had a greater destiny. That and his vision were what created his burning obsesion with her.

Analysis[edit]

  • Originally, many might have labeled Galactica-Sharon the "Good" Sharon and Caprica-Sharon the "Bad" Sharon. However, actress Grace Park has repeatedly said she never viewed one or the other as good or bad, and in this episode Caprica-Sharon switches from helping the Cylons, to actually aiding Agathon and switching to the Colonials' side. Meanwhile, by the end of Season 1 Galactica-Sharon becomes an increasingly darker character.
  • Boomer's memory of leaving Agathon behind on Caprica (in the Miniseries) appears amongst other of Sharon's flashbacks in this episode, indicating that she possesses Boomer's memories up to that point. She later states that to be the case in "Scattered," "Home, Part II," "Resurrection Ship, Part II," and "Scar".
  • Leoben's comment that Kara Thrace's role is to "send his soul to God" cannot refer to her actions in this episode. Roslin orders his death over Thrace's objection. He is most likely referring to her later role in the Cylon/human alliance that resulted in the destruction of the Resurrection Hub (TRS: "The Hub") or the Hybrid's more vague prophecy that she is the "harbinger of death" and will "lead them all to their end" ("Razor," "Faith," "Islanded in a Stream of Stars," "Daybreak, Part II").

Questions[edit]

Answered Questions[edit]

For answers to the questions in this section, click here.
  • Is Leoben Conoy's comment to Kara Thrace concerning Kobol meant personally (as in she herself will find Kobol) or in a general sense?
  • How will Roslin react to Conoy's claim about Adama? Considering that she has already demonstrated a willingness to readily accept the worst about a person without proof, as was the case with Baltar in "Six Degrees of Separation."
  • Why is love so vital to the Cylons?
  • Other than silica pathways and the substance discovered by Gaius Baltar in the cremation process of the genetic material of a humanoid Cylon, are there any other major differences between them and humans?
  • Do Conoy and the Cylons truly possess powers of prophesy?
  • To which Adama does Conoy refer in his final statement to Roslin?

Unanswered Questions[edit]

  • Why is Thrace given the job of interrogating Conoy? Why not another officer?
  • Was Troy destroyed in an genuine accident, making it a convenient "cover" for the Cylons to create Sharon Valerii's "history," or were they responsible for the destruction of the colony?
  • Why does Roslin run towards Leoben Conoy and away from the Marines in her dream?
  • What did Baltar use as his control sample when testing Boomer's in the Cylon Detector? More of Doral's hair? A tissue sample from "the Leoben from Ragnar Anchorage"?
  • Was airlocking an execution method used before the Fall, or did Roslin come up with it on her own?

Official Statements[edit]

[This] episode remains somewhat notorious in that it probably represented the most extreme period of tension and disagreement between ourselves and the network. I know those stories are legion, and show people like to talk about how they weathered the storms, and put up a good fight, and saved the show from the cretins who've gotten their fingers. That has not been the case with this show at all. We've actually enjoyed a great deal of support and a lot of courageous spiritedness and boldness from this network.
However, in that particular case, there were drafts of the script that were pretty extreme in terms of what Kara [Thrace] was going to do to Leoben [Conoy], and they were emblematic of what was going on at Guantanomo and places like that, and the connection to our own culture was probably a bit more literal and precise and less metaphorical than it had been [in other episodes of the show]. But as a microcosm, in and of itself, it serves as an example of what Ron was just talking about—which is that we would find ourselves saying things like, "But it’s not a person, why are you telling us to cut the scene where she gouges his eyeballs out?!"
No, there wasn't that scene, but "why are you giving us grief about this?" In a way, it became our argument because we were trying to take something real and force the audience to have the same trouble with it that the network was having. Anyway, it was just an interesting microcosm of everything [Ron Moore was] saying.[1]

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

  • Conoy to Starbuck, towards the end of his interrogation, just before Roslin's arrival:
Conoy: Each of us plays a role; each time a different role. Maybe the last time I was the interrogator and you were the prisoner. The players change, the story remains the same. And this time – this time – your role is to deliver my soul unto God. Do it for me. It’s your destiny. And mine. (He pauses) And I told you I had a surprise for you. Are you ready? You are going to find Kobol, birthplace of us all. Kobol will lead you to Earth. This is my gift to you, Kara.

Guest stars[edit]

References[edit]

  1. David Eick's statements about torture in an interview with the Concurring Opinions website.
Ghosts in the Machine
"Ghosts in the Machine"
An episode of the Caprica Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 8
Writer(s) Michael Taylor
Story by
Director Wayne Rose
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 108
Nielsen Rating 0.4[1]
US airdate USA March 19, 2010
CAN airdate CAN
UK airdate UK
DVD release
Population {{{population}}} survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
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Official Summary
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Listing of props for this episode
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Daniel Graystone suspects that the Zoe avatar he thought was lost is still inside the Cylon prototype, and he puts the robot through a series of tests intended to flush her out. Joseph Adama ventures further into the gritty world of New Cap City to find Tamara.

Summary[edit]

Teaser[edit]

  • In his Caprica City apartment, Joseph Adama is lying on the sofa, wearing a holoband and a computer running on the table next to him. In a tunnel underneath New Cap City, Joseph is dressed in a flashy suit and fedora--better attire for New Cap City than the "businessman special" he was initially scanned in, according to Emmanuelle. She gives him a drug, Amp, intended to enhance his senses and reflexes. Joseph puts a drop of Amp into his eye and feels an instant surge that registers in his real-life body.
  • Daniel Graystone reactivates the U-87. He tells the prototype that he is convinced the Zoe avatar is there, in the U-87, but she gives him no indication. Daniel correctly guesses that Zoe is refusing to respond to him. Realizing that she will answer only as the robot, he promises something difficult for her, something that he says will be for the best.

Act 1[edit]

  • In a New Cap City alleyway, Emmanuelle and Joseph find the unconscious body of an Amp addict. Joseph is scared by the potential of something in the holoband--technology that was intentionally designed to not be addictive--to go directly into the pleasure centers of the brain and have this kind of effect. A large airship and its fighter escorts, the same that took Tad Thorean out of the game, appear overhead, and the two of them take cover. Emmanuelle hands Joseph a gun and instructs him on how to use it with the flair of a fictional character. She refuses to reveal her real-life identify ("You think this is what I look like in real life?"), admitting only that she is being paid to help him.
  • Amanda walks along a secluded road in a forest, the place where her brother died years ago in an accident. A car drives by. It seems as if her brother is driving.
  • Zoe-A finishes assembling a rifle. Daniel orders her to dismantle it again and she grudgingly, but efficiently, complies. Daniel smokes, despite the original Zoe's hatred of his habit. He starts talking to the robot about the old house that their family had lived in years earlier, and the fire that had destroyed it. The firearm is dismantled, and Daniel orders her to assemble it again. He relates the story of Zoe at the age of five, screaming, trapped in her room by the flames. He speculates in vivid detail about what Zoe must have seen and heard and felt in that room. Suddenly, he burns his finger on a lit match--and the robot spontaneously and noisily tenses its grip on the gun. Daniel is more convinced than ever that the avatar is there.
  • Sometime later, Zoe-A sits with Lacy Rand in the V-Club VIP room, telling her about the episode and her urge to hurt Daniel. Zoe realizes that Daniel is trying to draw her out. Lacy wonders openly whether that might not be a bad thing, to which Zoe answers that he has used her and lied to her, and that he will do it again. Her only option seems to be to follow every order, to turn herself off and become only the U-87. "Can you do that anymore?" Lacy asks.
  • Joseph and Emmanuelle arrive at the New Cap City equivalent of the Adama apartment. His key does not work, suggesting that someone else has moved in. They knock. A drug addict answers but quickly shuts the door. Joseph breaks in and holds the man down, making sure that he does not move to take off his holoband. The apartment is a mess. Joseph asks him about Tamara-A. After describing her and showing a photo of her, the man recognizes "the dead girl" and points them to Mysteries, a club. Before they can leave, another man enters the apartment behind them, cocking a shotgun.

Act 2[edit]

  • The drug addict hides behind the gunman, who is joined by another man with a gun. Joseph pleads that he is only interested in finding his daughter and that he would be willing to pay them, but the gunman has already lost two friends to Tamara. He spares Emmanuelle, but as she moves away, she pulls a gun and quickly shoots both gunmen. One of them flickers but does not fade from the game, and threatens to shoot Joseph--who cannot bring himself to fire on the man. Emmanuelle manages to finish him off. She is furious with Joseph's hesitation.
  • At the Willow house, Clarice talks to Amanda over the phone about her sighting. She wonders if Amanda asked Daniel yet about the Zoe avatar. Amanda was told that the avatar was unstable and no longer exists.
  • Daniel has brought the U-87 outside, to a grassy area overlooking the water near the estate. He confronts the U-87 about its "tell," the show of tension that betrayed Zoe's presence. Despite her supposed brilliance and the chance she was given to live in the real world through the U-87, Daniel argues that she is still a "scared little girl" hiding from life inside the machine. He briefly softens his tone, tells her that he loves her, and pleads for her to talk. Nothing. Daniel then pours a ring of gasoline around the robot, betting that her fear of fire will overcome her stubbornness and the robot's ability to tolerate heat, and force her to reveal herself unequivocally. He ignites the gasoline and waits. The U-87 does not move, and the fire burns itself out. Inside the robot, stress is taking its toll on Zoe.

Act 3[edit]

  • Sam Adama enters his brother's apartment and finds Joseph groggy and unkempt, admiring a card given to him by Tamara and the stylized "T" she used to sign her name. Sam bluntly tells him that he has already said goodbye to Tamara and his wife, Shannon. Joseph asks Sam what he thinks about when he kills someone. At first, Sam is angered, but then says that he tells himself the situation is not real, that the targets are only targets, just like a game.
  • Emmanuelle and Joseph arrive at Mysteries. Before entering the club, they are required to check their weapons. Inside, Joseph tries his best to follow Emmanuelle and to stay inconspicuous. The flamboyant host, Cerberus, calls out for players to the fast-paced beat of electric music, rapid strobe lights, and the chance to reach an epiphany. No one in the audience volunteers. Suddenly, Cerberus selects Joseph. Armed guards drag Joseph to the stage, where he pleads for help in finding Tamara and shows the host a photograph. Cerberus tears up the photo, and insists that they can help one another--but that failure to answer the riddle correctly will result in death. Cerberus ceremoniously reads the question. Joseph is flustered, and comes up with nothing. He is booed and pulled off the stage.

Act 4[edit]

  • In the lobby, Joseph spots Tamara's stylized signature written almost out of sight on a glass case, and instantly knows that she was here. He secretly takes a dose of Amp, and the instant he is handed his checked weapon, he moves with lightning speed and kills the check boy. He walks back into the club and eliminates Cerberus' guards before they can react. He orders the clients to leave, and one by one they reach for their holobands and de-rezz.
  • Joseph turns his attention to Cerberus. He admits that Tamara once played the riddle game, looking for answers about her existence. She could not answer her riddle, but she could not be killed. Word of her appearance spread through New Cap City and has been helping to fill the club for the past month. Cerberus is so eager for her return that he is willing to give her star billing and to pay her real cubits. Before Joseph leaves, Cerberus warns him of the transformative abilities of New Cap City.
  • Outside, behind Mysteries, Emmanuelle and Joseph find an entire wall covered by Tamara's signatures. Emmanuelle suggests that Tamara has found a home in the game, and that it is time for Joseph to return to his own home.
  • In her bedroom, Amanda smokes and looks at childhood pictures. Serge interrupts to notify her that Tomas Vergis is at the door and, to Amanda's surprise, wishes to speak with her. In the foyer, Amanda notes Vergis' gloves as a sign of mourning. He succinctly tells Amanda about the murders of his employees and the theft of the meta-cognitive processor, and his belief that Daniel is responsible. Amanda is indignant, and Vergis wonders aloud whether she really knows her husband. She orders him to leave.
  • In the lab, Daniel sits exhausted in front of the U-87. Caesar is fixated on the robot. Daniel shows the Cylon a handgun and promises one more test: if Zoe is in the machine, she will not be able to follow his order to shoot the dog. On the count of five, Zoe complies with the order and shoots three times. Caesar whimpers but is unharmed--the gun is loaded with blanks. Daniel orders the U-87 to shut down.

Act 5[edit]

  • Late at night, Daniel wanders into the living room, drinks, and watches home videos of Zoe. Outside, Amanda sits and despairs.
  • In the VIP room of the V-Club, Zoe tells Lacy about the experience, including the robot's ability to detect the subtly lighter feel of the handgun and hence the fact that it was loaded with blanks. If it had been loaded with full rounds, Zoe believes she would have aimed it at Daniel. She begs Lacy to help her escape soon, before she does something rash.

Notes[edit]

  • The Ghost in the Machine is a non-fiction work by Arthur Koestler. Among its themes are man's tendency towards self-destruction, and that the more primitive parts of the brain (the "ghost in the machine") can override logical functions and are responsible for destructive impulses.
  • Ghost in the Machine is the fourth album by The Police, named for and influenced by the book mentioned above. Among the songs contained on the album are "Spirits in the Material World," Demolition Man," and "Rehumanize Yourself". Additionally, the song, "One World (Not Three)" evokes Lacy's and Zoe's conversation in "Rebirth" about Zoe's three selves which Lacy refer to as a trinity.

Analysis[edit]

  • Cerberus is the first example in the re-imagined continuity of crossdressing.
  • When Joseph confronts Cerberus about his daughter, he yells out, "You freak!" It is unclear if Joseph is referring to the game that Cerberus plays at the club, or Cerberus' status as a crossdresser. If it is the latter, it would be the first expression of intolerance toward a different sexuality and/or gender-based identity depicted in the re-imagined continuity. Up to this point, Colonial society has been shown to be highly tolerant of such diversity.
  • Cerberus' riddle to Joseph about parents visiting their sins upon their children is yet another reference to one of the themes from the Re-imagined Series. In the speech given at Galactica's decommissioning ceremony, William Adama uses this line as well.
  • As per Cerberus' riddle, Colonial mythology (like Greek mythology) includes a war in which the gods overthrew their predecessors the Titans. There are parallels to Man overthrowing the Gods and Cylon overthrowing Man.
  • While describing the fire that destroyed the Graystones' family home (and mentally scarred Zoe in the process) years earlier, Daniel notes that the fire was started by running too much heavy computer equipment in a place that was not designed to accommodate it. This can easily be interpreted as foreshadowing the destructive nature of Daniel's own work and the products of Graystone Industries on an unprepared Colonial society. The holoband is seen by some (such as Baxter Sarno) as having ruined lives, especially those of younger people. In time, the descendants of the U-87 will launch the First Cylon War and ultimately the near-extinction of the human race.
  • The U-87 weighs approximately one-quarter ton, according to Daniel.

Questions[edit]

  • Will Zoe-A have an opportunity to kill Daniel, and if so, will she take it?
  • Will Tamara-A have a long-term effect on life inside New Cap City? (Answer #1, Answer #2)

Official Statements[edit]

Noteworthy Dialogue[edit]

Cerberus: As the gods overthrew the Titans, so has Man overthrown the gods. But when Man visits his sins upon his children, how shall he be repaid?
  • Cerberus wonders aloud about the nature of Tamara-A:
Cerberus: Maybe she's found the answers everyone is searching for, or maybe she is the answer.
Emmanuelle: Get your pink newbie cheeks out of this game and don't come back in until you've got your frakkin' head on straight!
Joseph Adama: Uh ... B-but my daughter ... I've got to get my daughter ...
Emmanuelle: Yeah, but you're no good to her if you're going to freeze every time some dirtbag shoves a gun in your face. I thought Taurons had bigger stones.

Guest Stars[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Seidman, Robert (29 March 2010). “Caprica” Nielsen Ratings for “End Of the Line” (Mid-Season Finale) (backup available on Archive.org) . Retrieved on 23 October 2010.

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