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{{Episode Data
: <i>This episode guide is in progress.  You may add upon it as you so choose.</i>
| image = IblisRevealed.jpg
{{Episode Data|
| title= War of the Gods, Part II
  Image = [[Image:IblisRevealed.jpg|300px]]
| series= tos
| Title= War of the Gods, Part II
| season= 1
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the Original Series]]
| episode= 14
| Season= 1
| forumthread=1538
| Episode= 14
| guests= [[Patrick Macnee]] as Count [[Iblis]]
| Guests=  
| writer= [[Glen A. Larson]]
| Writer= [[Glen A. Larson]]
| story=
| Story=
| director= [[Daniel Haller]]
| Director= [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0356396/ Daniel Haller]
| production= 50922
| Production= 50922
| rating=
| Rating=
| US airdate= 1979-01-21
| US Airdate= January 21 1979
| UK airdate=
| UK Airdate=
| dvd= 2004-12-28
| DVD= December 28 2004
| population=
| Population=
| prev= [[War of the Gods, Part I]]
| Prev= [[War of the Gods, Part I (TOS)|War of the Gods, Part I]]
| next= [[The Man with Nine Lives]]
| Next= [[The Man with Nine Lives (TOS)|The Man with Nine Lives]]
| archives=Y
| amazon=Y
}}
}}
 
== Overview ==
: ''With the enigmatic Count [[Iblis]] usurping {{TOS|Adama}}'s command of [[the Fleet (TOS)|the Fleet]], [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] endeavor to find out the mysterious origins of their guest-turned-savior before all is lost to Iblis.''
: ''Viper squadrons are disappearing from regular patrols, and mysterious bright lights are flying around the ''Galactica'' at immeasurable speed. On an eerie, red-glowing planet, the enigmatic Count Iblis * is found, apparently the sole survivor of a major catastrophe. Always shunning the mysterious bright lights, he uses his charm and his supernatural powers to wrest control of the fleet from Adama. *(Iblis means "Satan" in Arabic)''


== Summary ==  
== Summary ==  
* The [[Quorum of Twelve (TOS)|Council]] announces that {{TOS|Baltar}} has been found guilty of treason (amongst other things). He is sentenced to life imprisonment aboard the [[Prison Barge]].
* The [[Quorum of Twelve (TOS)|Council]] announces that [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] has been found guilty of treason (amongst other things). He is sentenced to life imprisonment aboard the [[Prison Barge]].


* Baltar protests the sentence, claiming that he came of his own free will under the banner of truce. [[Iblis|Count Iblis]] speaks up, telling Baltar that his days of pursuing [[The Fleet (TOS)|the fleet]] are over.  
* Baltar protests the sentence, claiming that he came of his own free will under the banner of truce. [[Iblis|Count Iblis]] speaks up, telling Baltar that his days of pursuing [[The Fleet (TOS)|the fleet]] are over.  
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* Baltar recognizes something about Iblis' voice. Iblis claims that it is the voice of truth. Iblis uses his powers to force Baltar to his knees.
* Baltar recognizes something about Iblis' voice. Iblis claims that it is the voice of truth. Iblis uses his powers to force Baltar to his knees.


* Having delivered Baltar, Iblis explains that one of the three conditions of their bargain has been satisfied. Leading the fleet to [[Earth (TOS)|Earth]] is the second, with the third to be determined by the council.
* Having delivered Baltar, Iblis explains that one of the three conditions of their bargain has been satisfied. Leading the fleet to [[Earth]] is the second, with the third to be determined by the council.


* One of the council members suggests that they immediately elect Count Iblis to be the President of the Council.
* One of the council members suggests that they immediately elect Count Iblis to be the President of the Council.


* {{TOS|Adama}} expresses some reservations. He says that they still do not know about the mysterious lights, or the disappearance of the {{TOS|Viper}}s.
* [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] expresses some reservations. He says that they still do not know about the mysterious lights, or the disappearance of the [[Viper (TOS)|Vipers]].
[[File:Frank Frazetta - War of the Gods - Part 2.jpg|thumb|right|TV Guide ad for ''War of the Gods'']]


* Iblis visits Baltar on the Prison Barge. Baltar remembers Iblis' voice to be that of the [[Imperious Leader]].
* Iblis visits Baltar on the Prison Barge. Baltar remembers Iblis' voice to be that of the [[Imperious Leader]].
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* Iblis walks right through Baltar's cell door into his cell, and comforts him, telling him that all is not lost. Iblis then disappears, leaving behind a bewildered Baltar.
* Iblis walks right through Baltar's cell door into his cell, and comforts him, telling him that all is not lost. Iblis then disappears, leaving behind a bewildered Baltar.


* {{TOS|Athena}} tries to get Adama to come to the games with her. Adama claims that he is too busy and has too many decisions to make. She says that he sounds like [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]], who has decided not to play that night.
* [[Athena (TOS)|Athena]] tries to get Adama to come to the games with her. Adama claims that he is too busy and has too many decisions to make. She says that he sounds like [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]], who has decided not to play that night.


* {{TOS|Boxey}} walks into the warrior barracks with [[Muffit]]. Apollo tries to talk to him. Boxey claims that his friends all say that Apollo is a coward for not playing in the games.  
* [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] walks into the warrior barracks with [[Muffit]]. Apollo tries to talk to him. Boxey claims that his friends all say that Apollo is a coward for not playing in the games.  


* Count Iblis has predicted that [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer's]] team will win. It is speculated that Apollo is afraid to lose, proving Iblis right and weakening Adama's position.
* Count Iblis has predicted that [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer's]] team will win. It is speculated that Apollo is afraid to lose, proving Iblis right and weakening Adama's position.
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* Adama convinces Apollo to play, saying that playing may even be able to help his missing friends.
* Adama convinces Apollo to play, saying that playing may even be able to help his missing friends.


* Just before the [[Triad (TOS)|Triad]] game, Count Iblis asks Boomer how badly he wants to win. Iblis says that he wants to play, through Boomer.
* Just before the [[Triad]] game, Count Iblis asks Boomer how badly he wants to win. Iblis says that he wants to play, through Boomer.
 
[[File:Darkness At Time's Edge - Frank Frazetta.jpg|thumb|right|Darkness at Time's Edge - concept art for ''War of the Gods'' by Frank Frazetta.]]


* Boomer and [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly's]] team win by a large margin.
* Boomer and [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly's]] team win by a large margin.
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* Apollo manages to kill the mood with Sheba, when she asks if he is jealous. He asks how she could think that he'd let something as petty as jealousy interfere with his judgment when the lives of everyone in the fleet might be at stake.
* Apollo manages to kill the mood with Sheba, when she asks if he is jealous. He asks how she could think that he'd let something as petty as jealousy interfere with his judgment when the lives of everyone in the fleet might be at stake.


* The mysterious lights fly near ''Galactica'', worrying Adama and {{TOS|Tigh}}.
* The mysterious lights fly near ''Galactica'', worrying Adama and [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]].


* [[Core Command]] is understaffed due to an "overdose of pleasure". Officer curfews have not been strictly enforced under orders of Count Iblis. Adama wants Iblis to report to his quarters.
* [[Core Command]] is understaffed due to an "overdose of pleasure". Officer curfews have not been strictly enforced under orders of Count Iblis. Adama wants Iblis to report to his quarters.
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* Adama will be able to shield his mind from Iblis by crowding it with other thoughts. This also was part of the Military Institute training that he received.
* Adama will be able to shield his mind from Iblis by crowding it with other thoughts. This also was part of the Military Institute training that he received.
[[File:Iblis - Maximum.jpg|thumb|right|The re-imagined Count Iblis from the Maximum Press comic series.]]


* Starbuck runs into Apollo as he is leaving, and forces Apollo to take him along.
* Starbuck runs into Apollo as he is leaving, and forces Apollo to take him along.
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* The mysterious lights begin to appear overhead.
* The mysterious lights begin to appear overhead.


* Starbuck asks why he seems so worried. Starbuck suspects that it is within Iblis's bounds to strike down a willing follower, but not an innocent.
* Starbuck asks why he seems so worried. Starbuck suspects that it is within Iblis' bounds to strike down a willing follower, but not an innocent.


* Iblis claims that nobody has dominion over him. He claims that they will meet again in another time and place, then disappears.
* Iblis claims that nobody has dominion over him. He claims that they will meet again in another time and place, then disappears.
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* This prompts the trio to almost involuntarily recite coordinates. "Earth quadrant alpha, 19 million sectars by Epsilon vector 22 on a circular reckoning course of 000.9, in a star system with nine planets and one sun."
* This prompts the trio to almost involuntarily recite coordinates. "Earth quadrant alpha, 19 million sectars by Epsilon vector 22 on a circular reckoning course of 000.9, in a star system with nine planets and one sun."


== Notes ==  
== Questions ==  
=== Behind the Scenes ===
<!-- Use bulleted lists. Try to list questions in number of importance.  If the question was answered in a future episode, make a link to the episode. -->
According to ''[[So Say We All: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Battlestar Galactica]]'', the character of [[Count Iblis]] was introduced as part of a conscious effort by the writers to create villains other than the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]], aiming to explore more metaphysical and spiritual themes.<ref>{{cite book/sswa|197}}</ref> The episode was praised by critics and fans, with many considering it the series' finest hour and a seminal installment that explored themes of good versus evil, faith, and religion.<ref>{{cite book/sswa|198-201}}</ref>


The original script for the episode was more explicit about Iblis's demonic nature. Story editor [[Jim Carlson]] revealed that the plan was to show a "cloven hoof" inside the crashed ship, but the network censors objected to the overt satanic imagery. The scene was shot with a prop that actress [[Anne Lockhart]] described as looking like a "dead sheep under a blanket," and was ultimately left on the cutting room floor.<ref>{{cite book/sswa|197}}</ref> Producer [[Glen A. Larson]] later stated that he preferred the ambiguity, feeling that a direct biblical reference would have been too limiting for the character.<ref>{{cite book/sswa|197}}</ref>
== Analysis ==
<!-- You can use bullets here, or you can use standard paragraph form. -->


=== Additional Details ===
== Notes ==  
*Sheba is seen in a dress before the triad match, but once the match starts she is shown on a viewer screen in her flight uniform.  Then, in a live shot back is shown back in her dress sitting next to Count Iblis.  It may be possible that the shot on the viewer were supposed to be highlights from an earlier match.
<!-- You can use bullets here, or you can use standard paragraph form. -->
*Five figures representing the "[[Final Five]]" [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon models]] make a brief appearance in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-Imagined]] episode "[[Hero]]."  Their physical appearance and attire are reminiscent of the Beings of Light appearing in this episode.
* Iblis means "Satan" in Arabic.
 
== The Mystery of the Crashed Ship ==
[[File:19 - War of the Gods.jpg|thumb|right| What Starbuck and Apollo found inside the crashed ship.]]
 
* From the "War of the Gods" original script:
 
:"When Starbuck and Apollo look into the wreckage of the ship, this is exactly what they see: A piece of metallic surface, highly scorched but out of which protrudes a foot-like extremity, except that its tip is clearly in the shape of a cloven hoof. (Then they lift the metal and toss it aside) They grimace in horror... Under the wreckage is the figure of a devil... a demon."
 
* Footage of the demon was shot but left out of the final cut. There are conflicting accounts as to why. Some believe the censors removed it due to its possible satanic implications. Anne Lockhart stated at September 1999's [[GoMainline Galactica Convention|GoMainline ''Galactica'' Convention]] that it was left out because the demon "looked like a dead sheep." The footage has yet to appear in any ''Battlestar Galactica'' media release that has deleted scenes from the episode.
 
* The image on the right is from ''Battlestar Galactica Vol. 1'' [[War of Eden 4|#4]] of Maximum Press comics in which Apollo recalls what he saw inside of the crashed ship.
 
* A popular myth grew over the years that the crashed ship is the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]]''. In [[An Analytical Guide to Television's Battlestar Galactica|''An Analytical Guide to Television's'' Battlestar Galactica]], author John Kenneth Muir argues that the crashed ship is in fact ''Pegasus'' despite the script for the episode saying otherwise. To be fair, as the episode never shows us what is inside the ship, the answer to the mystery is open to interpretation.
 
* In the aforementioned Maximum Press comic series, the writers play off this myth in [[War of Eden 3|issue #3]] when Count Iblis returns to Sheba and teleports her back to the crashed ship where she discovers the body of Commander Cain inside. It turns out to be an illusion.
 
== Questions ==
 
* What is in the ship that Starbuck and Apollo (and Iblis) do not want Sheba to see?
* Are there other Beings of Light who succumbed to Iblis' way of thinking? If so, what of them?
* What leads to Iblis' downfall before becoming "evil"?
* Have the Beings of Light, or even Iblis, been to Earth? If so, what is the extent of either party's influence?
* Is Sheba's Viper ever recovered from the [[red planet]]?
* When aboard the Ship of Light, why are the Colonials' skin and hair not white-washed like their uniforms and accouterments?
* Why were the other Viper pilots abducted to begin with?


== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
<!-- You can use bullets here, or you can use standard paragraph form. -->
<!-- Try to keep to the following format
    <b>Person 1:</b> Question
    <b>Person 2:</b> Reply
    <b>Person 1:</b> Statement


* ''Starbuck makes a superficial, yet accurate observation:''
    and so on, and so on...
:'''[[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]]:''' Is that right, are we dead, and you're angels?
-->
:'''Angel:''' Oddly enough, there is some truth to your speculation.
 
* ''Iblis delivers punishment to Apollo by attempting to kill Sheba:''
: '''[[Iblis]]:''' Death to [[Sheba|her]], [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]]. May her soul curse you through eternity.


* ''The "angel" explains why Apollo was resurrected and the Beings removal of Iblis from the red planet:''
== Official Statements ==
: '''Angel:''' Apollo was not meant to die. Sheba, it was you that Count Iblis meant to destroy.
<!-- Use bullets or standard paragraph form.  Please use links to sources!!! -->
<!-- If you wish to create the source within the Battlestar Wiki, then do so! -->


== Guest Stars ==
== Guest Stars ==
*[[Patrick Macnee]] as [[Iblis|Count Iblis]]  
[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Patrick+MacNee Patrick MacNee] ([[Iblis]]) <br> [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Kirk+Alyn Kirk Alyn] (Gemonese Man) <br> [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Paul+Coufos Paul Coufos] (Pilot) <br> [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0002369/ John Williams] (Sire Montrose) <br> [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0942257/ Bruce Wright] (Guard)
*[[John Williams]] as [[Statesman No. 2|Statesman]]
*[[George Murdock]] as [[Salik|Dr. Salik]]
*[[Janet Lansbury|Janet Louise Johnson]] as [[Brie]]
*[[Jack Stauffer]] as [[Bojay]]
*[[Ed Begley Jr.]] as [[Greenbean]]
*[[John Dullaghan]] as [[Wilker|Dr. Wilker]]
*[[Norman Stuart]] as [[Statesman]]
*[[Leann Hunley]] as [[1st Girl Warrior|Warrior]] (uncredited)


== External Links ==
{{Episode List (TOS)}}


*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGTx4anJkOw Deleted scene from War of the Gods: Starbuck, Apollo and Sheba return from the Ship of Lights - YouTube]
[[Category:A to Z|War of the Gods, Part II (TOS)]]
 
[[Category:TOS|War of the Gods, Part II (TOS)]]
== References ==
[[Category:Episode Guide (TOS)|War of the Gods, Part II (TOS)]]
{{Reflist}}{{Episode List (TOS)}}
 
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Glen A. Larson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Glen A. Larson]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Daniel Haller]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Daniel Haller]]
{{indicator|TOS}}[[Category:TOS]]
[[de:Teuflische Versuchung, Teil II]]
[[fr:Épisode:La Guerre des dieux, 2e partie]]

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