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Someone to Watch Over Me

2009-03-02T09:56:05Z

BSG Clanger:

{{Episode Data
| image=SomeoneWatchingOverMe.jpg
| title= Someone To Watch Over Me
| season= 4
| episode=17
| guests=
| writer=
| story=
| director=
| production=419
| rating=
| US airdate=February 27, 2009 <ref>http://tv.ign.com/articles/920/920164p1.html</ref>
| CAN airdate=February 27, 2009
| UK airdate=March 3, 2009
| dvd=
| population=39556
| oldpopulation=39556
| prev=[[Deadlock]]
| next=[[Islanded in a Stream of Stars]]
}}

== Overview ==
''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discovers a hidden musical ability that bears a mysterious significance to the final five Cylons, and her tune is found to have a connection with three-year-old human-Cylon hybrid [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. The president authorizes [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]]'s extradition from the Brig so she can stand trial for treason on the Cylon Base Ship.''<ref>http://www.locatetv.com/tv/battlestar-galactica/season-4/6118356</ref>

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
* [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]] do not appear in this episode. As with the previous episode, [[Lee Adama]] appears in only a couple of scenes.
* "Someone To Watch Over Me" is the name of a song composed by George and Ira Gershwin, and featured in the musical Oh, Kay! A major theme of the song is the need to find love and acceptance.
** There was also an episode of [[w:Star Trek: Voyager|Star Trek: Voyager]] named for the song, in which it is performed at the end by The Doctor.
* Weeks have passed since the end of [[Gaeta's Mutiny|the mutiny]], as evidenced by [[Cottle]]'s comment about how long Anders' EKG readings have remained steady, and Starbuck's comment about how long she has repeated the same mission briefing.
* Starbuck acknowledges her pilots that the mutiny has "thinned our numbers". This, combined with the apparent absence of pilots such as [[Margaret Edmonson]] and [[Diana Seelix]], confirms their involvement in the mutiny did not go unpunished, although exactly what that punishment is remains unknown.
** In the Podcast for "[[Deadlock]]" RDM states that all the mutineers were imprisoned on the [[Astral Queen]].
* After her apparent death in "[[Maelstrom]]", Kara's personal belongings were auctioned off. Helo has managed to get them all back for her. However, the only thing Kara is interested in is her father's music tape.
* Some of the music played by the mysterious piano player is from the original series. [[Numian's 3rd Sonata]], Second Movement, is in fact from the opening dialogue of the classic series ("There are those who believe that life here, began out there..."), and the original [[Cylon]] musical cue is derived from that tune as well. This is not the first time music from the original series has shown up (i.e. the [[Colonial Anthem]]), and lends to the idea that 'everything has happened before, and will happen again'.
* The brand of "[[Tauron]] toothpaste" offered as a prize to the pilots is called "[[Felgercarb]]," a word used in the original series to mean "shit." Tauron comes from Taurus the bull. In essence, Kara is offering the pilot who finds a new planet "bullshittoothpaste".
* The collection of named [[Number Six]] models expands with the addition of [[Sonja]], who becomes the first Cylon to be elected to the Fleet's reconstituted Quorum.
*When Tyrol visits and talks to Boomer for the first time in the Brig, during the conversation Boomer calls Tyrol "Galen" for the first time, at least publicly and on screen. Previously she has only been known to call Tyrol "Chief", perhaps out of reflex action to keep their romance a secret, even though it was the worst kept secret in the fleet.

== Analysis ==
* The Cylons seem to have officially joined the Fleet as they now have the representation they wanted on the new Quorum in the form of a Six named Sonja. It is also confirmed that Cylon and Colonial pilots are performing joint [[CAP]]s.
** This is most clearly seen when Athena staggers into the briefing room and Helo orders one of the Sixes to go get the medics, the Six unhesitatingly responds "Yes, Sir". Several Sixes are also seen attending Starbuck's "toothpaste briefing".
** The rebel Cylon pilots do not appear to have been commissioned into the Colonial military, as they wear Cylon flight suits and none is addressed by rank.
** The Sixes and Eights appear to use their model numbers as surnames, and are referred to and addressed as "Six" or "Eight". They do not yet appear to have been given individual call-signs.
*It is very possible-but not certain-that the Cylon ability to recognize individual Cylons despite them looking exactly like each other (most of the time, the Sixes seem to have the most variants in hair color and use of makeup, both voluntary actions) relies on actually looking at the individual. In the lavatory where Sharon "Boomer" Valerii severely beats Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Athena initially mistook Boomer as a generic Eight when she saw her in the reflection of a mirror. It was after she stood up, turned around and looked directly at Boomer did Athena recognize her as Boomer. Admittedly however, it is possible that she would had recognized Boomer if she still only watched her in the reflection. Still, she said a full sentence while she looked at her in the mirror-"Great, I hope you are here to fix the frakkin' shower!"-but instantly recognized Boomer the exact moment she saw her directly and not reflected. Perhaps they also need to look the other Cylon square in the eyes, which is what Tyrol does in "[[Deadlock]]" before identifying Boomer.
* It has been unclear whether Karl Agathon is still the [[Commander Air Group]] (CAG) of Galactica or Kara Thrace officially takes over the CAG as Agathon used to join important staff meetings with Adama & Tigh in previous episodes. However, this episode clearly shows that Thrace is now serving as the CAG of Galactica.
* Ellen's escape from Cavil seems to have been orchestrated between him and Boomer in order to get Boomer on ''Galactica'' so she could kidnap Hera.
* The clear liquid substance that Boomer, masquerading as Athena gave Hera in her sippy cup and urged her to drink up was likely a sedative to keep her quiet in the equipment box she hid her in.
* It would appear that while Cavil was willing to let Ellen go in order to obtain Hera, members of the [[Final Five]] are still of some value to him, as evidenced by Boomer's offer for Tyrol to go with her.
* The Final Five have the same [[Projection|projection]] ability as the Cylons they created. Cylons can share projections.
*It is possible that Starbuck also has this ability and she projected the Piano Player beside her when she played a section of "All Along the Watchtower" from the drawing Hera made, which turned out to be musical notation. She, from her POV, was playing a long side of him but when Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, and Tory Foster confronted her about where she learned to play that music he was gone. Perhaps it was just standard human daydreaming, or a [[Virtual beings|Virtual being]], but it could had been projection.
* Projections can include not just imaginary environments but also imaginary people, such as Boomer and Tyrol's "daughter" Dionne.
* It also appears that projections might be a form of persistent environment -- similar to real-life virtual worlds such as [[w:Second Life|Second Life]], as Tyrol re-enters Boomer's projection after she escapes with Hera, as if expecting to find her and Dionne still in there.
* ''Galactica'' is in very bad shape from the metal fatigue in the hull. It's so bad that Tyrol says that all the [[Cylon organic resin]] could do is buy a little more time, but not too much from the looks of it, and that the ship might only be capable of one more FTL jump, if that. The ship is dying of old age and abuse and there's nothing anyone can do save it completely. The damage Boomer created during her escape has no doubt worsened the ship's condition.
*FTL jumps appear to create spatial distortion that can seriously strain a ships hull. Tigh expresses concern that a jump within the flight pod will seriously strain the internal integrity of the ship. Boomer's FTL jump eventually appears to cause a chain reaction of hull collapses along ''Galactica's'' port side, a side visibly weakened by Cylon attack, and suffering general aging in the 50+ year old ship's structure.
*The port side of ''Galactica'' which suffers damage in this episode has been seen specifically to suffer major stress before now- particularly during the [[Battle of New Caprica]] when it was mentioned that explosive decompressions were imminent in that section. That side of the ship also saw the port water tank blow out in [[Water]]-and though this seemed to be repaired it no doubt contributed to the area's hull stress.
* Many individuals express fears of the damage an FTL jump can do to ''Galactica'', impying FTL jumps place serious strains on a ships hull–or even the hull of a ship nearby and a degree of hull integrity is important to allow a ship to continue jumping. This appears quite a new phenomenon in the canon of the show and was not mentioned in previous seasons, though it of course makes for a convenient plot conceit now. Before this ships have frequently been seen jumping and exiting a jump close to each other in the series with seemingly no ill effects- though it is possible Boomer's Raptor was much more closer to Galactica's hull than has ever been seen before. In the episode [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] the tylium ship jumped whilst surrounded by Raptors and Vipers and no ship seemed to suffer damage, although they were knocked back and sent tumbling. It should be made clear that smaller objects are proportionally stronger and that smaller objects should feel much less shear. Also some Fleet ships such as the [[Space Park]] and the Rebel basestar have been seen to suffer hull damage but have continued to jump with the Fleet seemingly without incident- though the Space Park was repaired quite swiftly. It is possible therefore that crucial to Galactica's particular suffering at Boomer's hands was the level of microfracturing that had been occurring in her hull combined with the fact that the port side of the ship looks significantly more damaged than the other. Also it is possible the stress of by being caught in the FTL field of another vessel rather than that caused by a vessels own, properly configured FTL drive is more powerful and dangerous.
*Given that ''Galactica'' has jumped hundreds of times whilst damaged before now, it is not explained why no damage has occurred before given it is assumed damage will be guaranteed by an unplanned jump in this episode. In the miniseries ''Galactica'' suffered a nuke hit and yet jumped several times afterwards. Also despite falling through the atmosphere of New Caprica ''Galatica'' was able to execute an FTL jump despite the severe strains on the hull. Fears of FTL stress were not mentioned.
** ''Galactica'' probably has been taking damage from multiple jumps over the years. It's just that the extent of that damage has not become apparent until now.
** Further to the point above about small craft being subject to less 'shear', it stands to reason that the size of the disturbance created by a ship executing a jump might be proportional to the size of the ship itself. A large vessel such as the tylium ship may create a widespread but relatively smooth disturbance, so the nearby Raptors would have been like corks bobbing as a wave passed. Conversely, a small vessel such as a Raptor might create a localised but very sharp distortion that poses more risk of damage to a large ship close to it.
*The age of ''Galactica's'' FTL drive might explain why the ship's hull integrity is taxed so badly by her FTL drive - more modern drives might not cause so much stress, and might explain why other Fleet ships and the rebel basestar can continue to jump despite the damage their hulls have taken.
* Adama has still not forgiven Boomer for shooting him.
* Boomer has gone from being a conflicted sleeper agent to being a willing infiltrator and saboteur on ''Galactica''.
* The Cylons want Boomer tried for treason, with execution being a possible outcome, because her actions are linked to the permanent deaths of thousands of Cylons. This parallels the Colonial Fleet's own desire to try [[Gaius Baltar]].
* Boomer seduces [[Helo]] by pretending to be [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]]. This is ironic, as Athena originally seduced Helo on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]], by pretending to be Boomer.
** Boomer's seduction of Helo - in the presence of Athena - may have been motivated by a desire to exact revenge on Athena for having effectively taken over her old life on ''Galactica''.
* The Final Five, [[Hera Agathon]], and [[Kara Thrace]] are all somehow connected to each other by [[The Music]]. Also possibly connected via the song is Kara's [[Dreilide Thrace|mysterious father]].
* The mysterious piano player is Kara's father, which can be concluded by his sudden disappearance and by the flashbacks with both Kara and her father playing the piano when she was little. These flashbacks mirror the exact same movements done by Captain Thrace and the piano player.<ref>http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=1598</ref>
* The title of the tape Kara receives back from Helo is "Dreilide Thrace Live at the Helice [[Opera House]]."
** [[w:Helice|Helice]], also spelled Helike, was an ancient Greek city which sank into the Corinthian Gulf in 373 B.C. It may have formed the basis of the myth of the lost city [[w:Atlantis|Atlantis.]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helice</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/helike.shtml</ref>
** Helice was the ancient Greek name <ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620003/Ursa-Major</ref> for the constellation [[w:Ursa Major|Ursa Major]] (the Great Bear). <i>Helice</i> in Greek means "to spin" or "to turn"; it is the root of the modern word <i>helix</i>. Ursa Major revolves around [[w:Polaris|Polaris]], the Pole Star, hence the name. This may be a reference to the spinning of the [[maelstrom]] Kara flew into before her ship was destroyed, and it could also refer to the [[mandala]] found on the wall of her apartment and the [[Temple of Five]].
** [[w:Helike_(mythology)|Helice/Helike]] was also the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who nursed the infant [[Zeus]], along with another nymph, Melissa (which name itself means "honey" or "honey bee"). <ref>http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMajor.html</ref>
** [[w:Helike_(moon)|Helike]] is also a newly-discovered moon of [[w:Jupiter|Jupiter]].
** However, the appearance of the word "Helice'' may simply be an in-joke to [[Bear McCreary]]'s heavy involvement with this episode -- Ursa Major, and McCreary, both being "The Great Bear."<ref>http://tvbacon.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/battlestar-galactica-someone-to-watch-over-me-live-at-the-helice-opera-house/</ref>

== Questions ==
* Is Boomer taking Hera to Cavil, and if so, is she of value to him in and of herself or will he ransom her for the Final Five to rebuild [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrection]]? Or is Boomer working alone or for a third party? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What was the note Boomer was writing down in her cell when she first sensed Tyrol watching her?
* Is the Eight switched with Boomer by Tyrol dead, or merely injured?
** Probably merely injured. It is doubtful Tyrol would have gone so far as to actually kill another Eight to save Boomer. Furthermore, if the Eight had been dead, Tyrol's trickery would have been discovered more quickly.
* What is Roslin's physical status?
* What connection is there between Roslin's collapse and Hera's kidnapping?
* If Tyrol had gone with Boomer, would Cavil have opened his brain as he threatened to do with Ellen?
* Did Boomer sleep with Helo merely to maintain her pretense, because she was attracted to him, or to intentionally hurt Athena? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What is the source of the "Slick" image Starbuck has been seeing? Is he a variation of Kara's Inner Leoben from "[[Maelstrom]]"?
* How did Starbuck and Hera arrive at a piano version of the same [[The Music|melody]] originally played by Anders on a guitar on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]?
* Will Eight's idea of plugging Anders into the [[datastream]] lead anywhere?
* Will Tyrol's involvement in Boomer's escape be figured out? Will he confess?
** It will be difficult for him to deny involvement considering the presence of the unconscious Eight he substituted for Boomer in the brig.
***That assumes the Eight can identify him as the one that attacked her in the work area. It was coal pitch black dark when he knocked her out. Still, the circumstance of him being the one to restore power to the Cell Area and knowing how hard he pleaded for Boomer's life makes him a natural suspect. What could convict him beyond doubt is if people on the hanger deck remember him helping "Athena"-as everyone thought at the time-with that large very heavy equipment box. It is known that Cylons can tell each other apart on sight despite them being indistinguishable to humans. If someone recalls that it could be used as proof positive that Tyrol was complicit in her escape, that he cannot plead truthful ignorance like Helo can when he thought Boomer was his wife and had sex with her.
* If Tyrol's treachery does come to light, how will others react?
* Do all the ships in the Fleet - regardless of their relative crew and passenger size - get to send representatives to the new Quorum? (This is similar to the situation the Framers of the United States Constitution faced when trying to decide if state representation in Congress should be based on individual state population or restricted to the same number of representatives per state).
*If Jumping in very close proximity to a ship is a very dangerous thing to do then why then in [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] when the Tylium ship [[Hitei Kan]] jumped away form the intercepting and boarding Vipers nothing happened to them other than being upended?
** It was dangerous for ''Galactica'' because of its failing structure.
** Also, as noted above, the spatial distortion caused by the Raptor's jump, only reaching part of Galactica, would cause much more shearing force and therefore much more stress on the structure. Since the Raptors in "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" are much smaller than the Tylium Ship, they were pretty much 'bounced' off the spatial rift
* Why was Sonja elected to represent the Cylons?
** The Sixes appear to be the most influential leaders within the rebel Cylon society, and posess the most individuality. Caprica Six sowed the seeds of the Cylon Civil War, Natalie led the revolt, and Sixes generally were in senior positions in the occupation government of New Caprica.
* Did Boomer intentionally jump so close to ''Galactica'' in order to further damage the already weakened ship? Is this a prelude to an attack on the Fleet by Cavil's forces?
* Since Boomer was able to find the fleet, why doesn't Cavil just jump in and attack the fleet? Surely he has superior numbers. Is it merely because of fear of death, since they can no longer resurrect?
** Cavil seems to want Hera- this would only be possible by using Boomer as an infiltrator rather than attacking ''Galactica'' outright. Attacking the Fleet would only result in them jumping away anyway.
* What is the current status of [[Caprica-Six]]?
* Where did the piano in [[Joe's Bar]] come from?
* Will the Helice Opera House have any connection to the visions of the [[Opera House]] shared by Roslin, [[Caprica-Six]], and Athena?
* Was a Daniel model Kara Thrace's father? Making her a half-cylon and giving her abilities like resurrection and projection?
** This makes sense as Daniel was supposedly very artistic and makes many Kara phenomenon fit. Also, Kara's father leaving the family would have coincided with his sabotage by the Number Ones.
** If this is the case, could the Daniel's have escaped and in some way be manipulating the events in the series? (Kara's resurrection, ability to "feel" where Earth is, etc)?
* To what extent are the semi-sentient Raiders and Centurions integrated into the Colonial or allied military force?
* Is Anders' head being kept shaved and if so why? If, as Cottle suggests, it has been weeks since his operation, his hair should presumably be growing back. Perhaps it is to make it easier to monitor his unusual EEG traces.

== Official Statements ==
*Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune interviews David Weddle and Bradley Thompson<ref>http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/02/battlestar-galactica-starbuck-boomer-someone-to-watch-over-me-.html</ref>:
**Boomer had a sick desire to strike out at Athena.
**Boomer's escape with Ellen was staged so that she could kidnap Hera. She intended to just use the Chief, but their interactions did awaken feelings she thought were dead.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[S. Cottle]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Roark Critchlow]] as [[Slick]]
* [[Iliana Gomez-Martinez]] as [[Hera Agathon]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Louis Hoshi]]
* [[ Torrance Coombs]] as Lance Corporal [[C. Sellers]]
* [[Ivan Cermak]] as Corporal [[D. Wallace]]
* [[Curtis Caravaggio]] as [[Nathanson]]
* [[Cherilynn Fulbright]] as [[Dionne]]
* [[Patrick Gilmore]] as [[Rafferty]]
* [[Samantha Caine]] as Off-duty Crew Person
* [[Erika-Shaye Gair]] as Young [[Kara Thrace]]
* [[Darcy Laurie]] as [[Dealino]]
* [[Sonja Bennett]] as Specialist [[Marcie Brasko]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson]] (archive footage)

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

Someone to Watch Over Me

2009-03-02T09:53:06Z

BSG Clanger:

{{Episode Data
| image=SomeoneWatchingOverMe.jpg
| title= Someone To Watch Over Me
| season= 4
| episode=17
| guests=
| writer=
| story=
| director=
| production=419
| rating=
| US airdate=February 27, 2009 <ref>http://tv.ign.com/articles/920/920164p1.html</ref>
| CAN airdate=February 27, 2009
| UK airdate=March 3, 2009
| dvd=
| population=39556
| oldpopulation=39556
| prev=[[Deadlock]]
| next=[[Islanded in a Stream of Stars]]
}}

== Overview ==
''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discovers a hidden musical ability that bears a mysterious significance to the final five Cylons, and her tune is found to have a connection with three-year-old human-Cylon hybrid [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. The president authorizes [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]]'s extradition from the Brig so she can stand trial for treason on the Cylon Base Ship.''<ref>http://www.locatetv.com/tv/battlestar-galactica/season-4/6118356</ref>

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
* [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]] do not appear in this episode. As with the previous episode, [[Lee Adama]] appears in only a couple of scenes.
* "Someone To Watch Over Me" is the name of a song composed by George and Ira Gershwin, and featured in the musical Oh, Kay! A major theme of the song is the need to find love and acceptance.
** There was also an episode of [[w:Star Trek: Voyager|Star Trek: Voyager]] named for the song, in which it is performed at the end by The Doctor.
* Weeks have passed since the end of [[Gaeta's Mutiny|the mutiny]], as evidenced by [[Cottle]]'s comment about how long Anders' EKG readings have remained steady, and Starbuck's comment about how long she has repeated the same mission briefing.
* Starbuck acknowledges her pilots that the mutiny has "thinned our numbers". This, combined with the apparent absence of pilots such as [[Margaret Edmonson]] and [[Diana Seelix]], confirms their involvement in the mutiny did not go unpunished, although exactly what that punishment is remains unknown.
** In the Podcast for "[[Deadlock]]" RDM states that all the mutineers were imprisoned on the [[Astral Queen]].
* After her apparent death in "[[Maelstrom]]", Kara's personal belongings were auctioned off. Helo has managed to get them all back for her. However, the only thing Kara is interested in is her father's music tape.
* Some of the music played by the mysterious piano player is from the original series. [[Numian's 3rd Sonata]], Second Movement, is in fact from the opening dialogue of the classic series ("There are those who believe that life here, began out there..."), and the original [[Cylon]] musical cue is derived from that tune as well. This is not the first time music from the original series has shown up (i.e. the [[Colonial Anthem]]), and lends to the idea that 'everything has happened before, and will happen again'.
* The brand of "[[Tauron]] toothpaste" offered as a prize to the pilots is called "[[Felgercarb]]," a word used in the original series to mean "shit." Tauron comes from Taurus the bull. In essence, Kara is offering the pilot who finds a new planet "bullshittoothpaste".
* The collection of named [[Number Six]] models expands with the addition of [[Sonja]], who becomes the first Cylon to be elected to the Fleet's reconstituted Quorum.
*When Tyrol visits and talks to Boomer for the first time in the Brig, during the conversation Boomer calls Tyrol "Galen" for the first time, at least publicly and on screen. Previously she has only been known to call Tyrol "Chief", perhaps out of reflex action to keep their romance a secret, even though it was the worst kept secret in the fleet.

== Analysis ==
* The Cylons seem to have officially joined the Fleet as they now have the representation they wanted on the new Quorum in the form of a Six named Sonja. It is also confirmed that Cylon and Colonial pilots are performing joint [[CAP]]s.
** This is most clearly seen when Athena staggers into the briefing room and Helo orders one of the Sixes to go get the medics, the Six unhesitatingly responds "Yes, Sir". Several Sixes are also seen attending Starbuck's "toothpaste briefing".
** The rebel Cylon pilots do not appear to have been commissioned into the Colonial military, as they wear Cylon flight suits and none is addressed by rank.
** The Sixes and Eights appear to use their model numbers as surnames, and are referred to and addressed as "Six" or "Eight". They do not yet appear to have been given individual call-signs.
*It is very possible-but not certain-that the Cylon ability to recognize individual Cylons despite them looking exactly like each other (most of the time, the Sixes seem to have the most variants in hair color and use of makeup, both voluntary actions) relies on actually looking at the individual. In the lavatory where Sharon "Boomer" Valerii severely beats Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Athena initially mistook Boomer as a generic Eight when she saw her in the reflection of a mirror. It was after she stood up, turned around and looked directly at Boomer did Athena recognize her as Boomer. Admittedly however, it is possible that she would had recognized Boomer if she still only watched her in the reflection. Still, she said a full sentence while she looked at her in the mirror-"Great, I hope you are here to fix the frakkin' shower!"-but instantly recognized Boomer the exact moment she saw her directly and not reflected. Perhaps they also need to look the other Cylon square in the eyes, which is what Tyrol does in "[[Deadlock]]" before identifying Boomer.
* It has been unclear whether Karl Agathon is still the [[Commander Air Group]] (CAG) of Galactica or Kara Thrace officially takes over the CAG as Agathon used to join important staff meetings with Adama & Tigh in previous episodes. However, this episode clearly shows that Thrace is now serving as the CAG of Galactica.
* Ellen's escape from Cavil seems to have been orchestrated between him and Boomer in order to get Boomer on ''Galactica'' so she could kidnap Hera.
* The clear liquid substance that Boomer, masquerading as Athena gave Hera in her sippy cup and urged her to drink up was likely a sedative to keep her quiet in the equipment box she hid her in.
* It would appear that while Cavil was willing to let Ellen go in order to obtain Hera, members of the [[Final Five]] are still of some value to him, as evidenced by Boomer's offer for Tyrol to go with her.
* The Final Five have the same [[Projection|projection]] ability as the Cylons they created. Cylons can share projections.
*It is possible that Starbuck also has this ability and she projected the Piano Player beside her when she played a section of "All Along the Watchtower" from the drawing Hera made, which turned out to be musical notation. She, from her POV, was playing a long side of him but when Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, and Tory Foster confronted her about where she learned to play that music he was gone. Perhaps it was just standard human daydreaming, or a [[Virtual beings|Virtual being]], but it could had been projection.
* Projections can include not just imaginary environments but also imaginary people, such as Boomer and Tyrol's "daughter" Dionne.
* It also appears that projections might be a form of persistent environment -- similar to real-life virtual worlds such as [[w:Second Life|Second Life]], as Tyrol re-enters Boomer's projection after she escapes with Hera, as if expecting to find her and Dionne still in there.
* ''Galactica'' is in very bad shape from the metal fatigue in the hull. It's so bad that Tyrol says that all the [[Cylon organic resin]] could do is buy a little more time, but not too much from the looks of it, and that the ship might only be capable of one more FTL jump, if that. The ship is dying of old age and abuse and there's nothing anyone can do save it completely. The damage Boomer created during her escape has no doubt worsened the ship's condition.
*FTL jumps appear to create spatial distortion that can seriously strain a ships hull. Tigh expresses concern that a jump within the flight pod will seriously strain the internal integrity of the ship. Boomer's FTL jump eventually appears to cause a chain reaction of hull collapses along ''Galactica's'' port side, a side visibly weakened by Cylon attack, and suffering general aging in the 50+ year old ship's structure.
*The port side of ''Galactica'' which suffers damage in this episode has been seen specifically to suffer major stress before now- particularly during the [[Battle of New Caprica]] when it was mentioned that explosive decompressions were imminent in that section. That side of the ship also saw the port water tank blow out in [[Water]]-and though this seemed to be repaired it no doubt contributed to the area's hull stress.
* Many individuals express fears of the damage an FTL jump can do to ''Galactica'', impying FTL jumps place serious strains on a ships hull–or even the hull of a ship nearby and a degree of hull integrity is important to allow a ship to continue jumping. This appears quite a new phenomenon in the canon of the show and was not mentioned in previous seasons, though it of course makes for a convenient plot conceit now. Before this ships have frequently been seen jumping and exiting a jump close to each other in the series with seemingly no ill effects- though it is possible Boomer's Raptor was much more closer to Galactica's hull than has ever been seen before. In the episode [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] the tylium ship jumped whilst surrounded by Raptors and Vipers and no ship seemed to suffer damage, although they were knocked back and sent tumbling. It should be made clear that smaller objects are proportionally stronger and that smaller objects should feel much less shear. Also some Fleet ships such as the [[Space Park]] and the Rebel basestar have been seen to suffer hull damage but have continued to jump with the Fleet seemingly without incident- though the Space Park was repaired quite swiftly. It is possible therefore that crucial to Galactica's particular suffering at Boomer's hands was the level of microfracturing that had been occurring in her hull combined with the fact that the port side of the ship looks significantly more damaged than the other. Also it is possible the stress of by being caught in the FTL field of another vessel rather than that caused by a vessels own, properly configured FTL drive is more powerful and dangerous.
*Given that ''Galactica'' has jumped hundreds of times whilst damaged before now, it is not explained why no damage has occurred before given it is assumed damage will be guaranteed by an unplanned jump in this episode. In the miniseries ''Galactica'' suffered a nuke hit and yet jumped several times afterwards. Also despite falling through the atmosphere of New Caprica ''Galatica'' was able to execute an FTL jump despite the severe strains on the hull. Fears of FTL stress were not mentioned.
** ''Galactica'' probably has been taking damage from multiple jumps over the years. It's just that the extent of that damage has not become apparent until now.
** Further to the point above about small craft being subject to less 'shear', it stands to reason that the size of the disturbance created by a ship executing a jump might be proportional to the size of the ship itself. A large vessel such as the tylium ship may create a widespread but relatively smooth disturbance, so the nearby Raptors would have been like corks bobbing as a wave passed. Conversely, a small vessel such as a Raptor might create a localised but very sharp distortion that poses more risk of damage to a large ship close to it.
*The age of ''Galactica's'' FTL drive might explain why the ship's hull integrity is taxed so badly by her FTL drive - more modern drives might not cause so much stress, and might explain why other Fleet ships and the rebel basestar can continue to jump despite the damage their hulls have taken.
* Adama has still not forgiven Boomer for shooting him.
* Boomer has gone from being a conflicted sleeper agent to being a willing infiltrator and saboteur on ''Galactica''.
* The Cylons want Boomer tried for treason, with execution being a possible outcome, because her actions are linked to the permanent deaths of thousands of Cylons. This parallels the Colonial Fleet's own desire to try [[Gaius Baltar]].
* Boomer seduces [[Helo]] by pretending to be [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]]. This is ironic, as Athena originally seduced Helo on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]], by pretending to be Boomer.
** Boomer's seduction of Helo - in the presence of Athena - may have been motivated by a desire to exact revenge on Athena for having effectively taken over her old life on ''Galactica''.
* The Final Five, [[Hera Agathon]], and [[Kara Thrace]] are all somehow connected to each other by [[The Music]]. Also possibly connected via the song is Kara's [[Dreilide Thrace|mysterious father]].
* The mysterious piano player is Kara's father, which can be concluded by his sudden disappearance and by the flashbacks with both Kara and her father playing the piano when she was little. These flashbacks mirror the exact same movements done by Captain Thrace and the piano player.<ref>http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=1598</ref>
* The title of the tape Kara receives back from Helo is "Dreilide Thrace Live at the Helice [[Opera House]]."
** [[w:Helice|Helice]], also spelled Helike, was an ancient Greek city which sank into the Corinthian Gulf in 373 B.C. It may have formed the basis of the myth of the lost city [[w:Atlantis|Atlantis.]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helice</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/helike.shtml</ref>
** Helice was the ancient Greek name <ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620003/Ursa-Major</ref> for the constellation [[w:Ursa Major|Ursa Major]] (the Great Bear). <i>Helice</i> in Greek means "to spin" or "to turn"; it is the root of the modern word <i>helix</i>. Ursa Major revolves around [[w:Polaris|Polaris]], the Pole Star, hence the name. This may be a reference to the spinning of the [[maelstrom]] Kara flew into before her ship was destroyed, and it could also refer to the [[mandala]] found on the wall of her apartment and the [[Temple of Five]].
** [[w:Helike_(mythology)|Helice/Helike]] was also the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who nursed the infant [[Zeus]], along with another nymph, Melissa (which name itself means "honey" or "honey bee"). <ref>http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMajor.html</ref>
** [[w:Helike_(moon)|Helike]] is also a newly-discovered moon of [[w:Jupiter|Jupiter]].
** However, the appearance of the word "Helice'' may simply be an in-joke to [[Bear McCreary]]'s heavy involvement with this episode -- Ursa Major, and McCreary, both being "The Great Bear."<ref>http://tvbacon.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/battlestar-galactica-someone-to-watch-over-me-live-at-the-helice-opera-house/</ref>

== Questions ==
* Is Boomer taking Hera to Cavil, and if so, is she of value to him in and of herself or will he ransom her for the Final Five to rebuild [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrection]]? Or is Boomer working alone or for a third party? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What was the note Boomer was writing down in her cell when she first sensed Tyrol watching her?
* Is the Eight switched with Boomer by Tyrol dead, or merely injured?
** Probably merely injured. It is doubtful Tyrol would have gone so far as to actually kill another Eight to save Boomer. Furthermore, if the Eight had been dead, Tyrol's trickery would have been discovered more quickly.
* What is Roslin's physical status?
* What connection is there between Roslin's collapse and Hera's kidnapping?
* If Tyrol had gone with Boomer, would Cavil have opened his brain as he threatened to do with Ellen?
* Did Boomer sleep with Helo merely to maintain her pretense, because she was attracted to him, or to intentionally hurt Athena? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What is the source of the "Slick" image Starbuck has been seeing? Is he a variation of Kara's Inner Leoben from "[[Maelstrom]]"?
* How did Starbuck and Hera arrive at a piano version of the same [[The Music|melody]] originally played by Anders on a guitar on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]?
* Will Eight's idea of plugging Anders into the [[datastream]] lead anywhere?
* Will Tyrol's involvement in Boomer's escape be figured out? Will he confess?
** It will be difficult for him to deny involvement considering the presence of the unconscious Eight he substituted for Boomer in the brig.
***That assumes the Eight can identify him as the one that attacked her in the work area. It was coal pitch black dark when he knocked her out. Still, the circumstance of him being the one to restore power to the Cell Area and knowing how hard he pleaded for Boomer's life makes him a natural suspect. What could convict him beyond doubt is if people on the hanger deck remember him helping "Athena"-as everyone thought at the time-with that large very heavy equipment box. It is known that Cylons can tell each other apart on sight despite them being indistinguishable to humans. If someone recalls that it could be used as proof positive that Tyrol was complicit in her escape, that he cannot plead truthful ignorance like Helo can when he thought Boomer was his wife and had sex with her.
* If Tyrol's treachery does come to light, how will others react?
* Do all the ships in the Fleet - regardless of their relative crew and passenger size - get to send representatives to the new Quorum? (This is similar to the situation the Framers of the United States Constitution faced when trying to decide if state representation in Congress should be based on individual state population or restricted to the same number of representatives per state).
*If Jumping in very close proximity to a ship is a very dangerous thing to do then why then in [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] when the Tylium ship [[Hitei Kan]] jumped away form the intercepting and boarding Vipers nothing happened to them other than being upended?
** It was dangerous for ''Galactica'' because of its failing structure.
** Also, as noted above, the spatial distortion caused by the Raptor's jump, only reaching part of Galactica, would cause much more shearing force and therefore much more stress on the structure. Since the Raptors in "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" are much smaller than the Tylium Ship, they were pretty much 'bounced' off the spatial rift
* Why was Sonja elected to represent the Cylons?
** The Sixes appear to be the most influential leaders within the rebel Cylon society, and posess the most individuality. Caprica Six sowed the seeds of the Cylon Civil War, Natalie led the revolt, and Sixes generally were in senior positions in the occupation government of New Caprica.
* Did Boomer intentionally jump so close to ''Galactica'' in order to further damage the already weakened ship? Is this a prelude to an attack on the Fleet by Cavil's forces?
* Since Boomer was able to find the fleet, why doesn't Cavil just jump in and attack the fleet? Surely he has superior numbers. Is it merely because of fear of death, since they can no longer resurrect?
** Cavil seems to want Hera- this would only be possible by using Boomer as an infiltrator rather than attacking ''Galactica'' outright. Attacking the Fleet would only result in them jumping away anyway.
* What is the current status of [[Caprica-Six]]?
* Where did the piano in [[Joe's Bar]] come from?
* Will the Helice Opera House have any connection to the visions of the [[Opera House]] shared by Roslin, [[Caprica-Six]], and Athena?
* Was a Daniel model Kara Thrace's father? Making her a half-cylon and giving her abilities like resurrection and projection?
** This makes sense as Daniel was supposedly very artistic and makes many Kara phenomenon fit. Also, Kara's father leaving the family would have coincided with his sabotage by the Number Ones.
** If this is the case, could the Daniel's have escaped and in some way be manipulating the events in the series? (Kara's resurrection, ability to "feel" where Earth is, etc)?
* To what extent are the semi-sentient Raiders and Centurions integrated into the Colonial or allied military force?

== Official Statements ==
*Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune interviews David Weddle and Bradley Thompson<ref>http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/02/battlestar-galactica-starbuck-boomer-someone-to-watch-over-me-.html</ref>:
**Boomer had a sick desire to strike out at Athena.
**Boomer's escape with Ellen was staged so that she could kidnap Hera. She intended to just use the Chief, but their interactions did awaken feelings she thought were dead.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[S. Cottle]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Roark Critchlow]] as [[Slick]]
* [[Iliana Gomez-Martinez]] as [[Hera Agathon]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Louis Hoshi]]
* [[ Torrance Coombs]] as Lance Corporal [[C. Sellers]]
* [[Ivan Cermak]] as Corporal [[D. Wallace]]
* [[Curtis Caravaggio]] as [[Nathanson]]
* [[Cherilynn Fulbright]] as [[Dionne]]
* [[Patrick Gilmore]] as [[Rafferty]]
* [[Samantha Caine]] as Off-duty Crew Person
* [[Erika-Shaye Gair]] as Young [[Kara Thrace]]
* [[Darcy Laurie]] as [[Dealino]]
* [[Sonja Bennett]] as Specialist [[Marcie Brasko]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson]] (archive footage)

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

Someone to Watch Over Me

2009-03-02T09:51:58Z

BSG Clanger:

{{Episode Data
| image=SomeoneWatchingOverMe.jpg
| title= Someone To Watch Over Me
| season= 4
| episode=17
| guests=
| writer=
| story=
| director=
| production=419
| rating=
| US airdate=February 27, 2009 <ref>http://tv.ign.com/articles/920/920164p1.html</ref>
| CAN airdate=February 27, 2009
| UK airdate=March 3, 2009
| dvd=
| population=39556
| oldpopulation=39556
| prev=[[Deadlock]]
| next=[[Islanded in a Stream of Stars]]
}}

== Overview ==
''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discovers a hidden musical ability that bears a mysterious significance to the final five Cylons, and her tune is found to have a connection with three-year-old human-Cylon hybrid [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]. The president authorizes [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]]'s extradition from the Brig so she can stand trial for treason on the Cylon Base Ship.''<ref>http://www.locatetv.com/tv/battlestar-galactica/season-4/6118356</ref>

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
* [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]] do not appear in this episode. As with the previous episode, [[Lee Adama]] appears in only a couple of scenes.
* "Someone To Watch Over Me" is the name of a song composed by George and Ira Gershwin, and featured in the musical Oh, Kay! A major theme of the song is the need to find love and acceptance.
** There was also an episode of [[w:Star Trek: Voyager|Star Trek: Voyager]] named for the song, in which it is performed at the end by The Doctor.
* Weeks have passed since the end of [[Gaeta's Mutiny|the mutiny]], as evidenced by [[Cottle]]'s comment about how long Anders' EKG readings have remained steady, and Starbuck's comment about how long she has repeated the same mission briefing.
* Starbuck acknowledges her pilots that the mutiny has "thinned our numbers". This, combined with the apparent absence of pilots such as [[Margaret Edmonson]] and [[Diana Seelix]], confirms their involvement in the mutiny did not go unpunished, although exactly what that punishment is remains unknown.
** In the Podcast for "[[Deadlock]]" RDM states that all the mutineers were imprisoned on the [[Astral Queen]].
* After her apparent death in "[[Maelstrom]]", Kara's personal belongings were auctioned off. Helo has managed to get them all back for her. However, the only thing Kara is interested in is her father's music tape.
* Some of the music played by the mysterious piano player is from the original series. [[Numian's 3rd Sonata]], Second Movement, is in fact from the opening dialogue of the classic series ("There are those who believe that life here, began out there..."), and the original [[Cylon]] musical cue is derived from that tune as well. This is not the first time music from the original series has shown up (i.e. the [[Colonial Anthem]]), and lends to the idea that 'everything has happened before, and will happen again'.
* The brand of "[[Tauron]] toothpaste" offered as a prize to the pilots is called "[[Felgercarb]]," a word used in the original series to mean "shit." Tauron comes from Taurus the bull. In essence, Kara is offering the pilot who finds a new planet "bullshittoothpaste".
* The collection of named [[Number Six]] models expands with the addition of [[Sonja]], who becomes the first Cylon to be elected to the Fleet's reconstituted Quorum.
*When Tyrol visits and talks to Boomer for the first time in the Brig, during the conversation Boomer calls Tyrol "Galen" for the first time, at least publicly and on screen. Previously she has only been known to call Tyrol "Chief", perhaps out of reflex action to keep their romance a secret, even though it was the worst kept secret in the fleet.

== Analysis ==
* The Cylons seem to have officially joined the Fleet as they now have the representation they wanted on the new Quorum in the form of a Six named Sonja. It is also confirmed that Cylon and Colonial pilots are performing joint [[CAP]]s.
** This is most clearly seen when Athena staggers into the briefing room and Helo orders one of the Sixes to go get the medics, the Six unhesitatingly responds "Yes, Sir". Several Sixes are also seen attending Starbuck's "toothpaste briefing".
** The rebel Cylon pilots do not appear to have been commissioned into the Colonial military, as they wear Cylon flight suits and none is addressed by rank.
** The Sixes and Eights appear to use their model numbers as surnames, and are referred to and addressed as "Six" or "Eight". They do not yet appear to have been given individual call-signs.
*It is very possible-but not certain-that the Cylon ability to recognize individual Cylons despite them looking exactly like each other (most of the time, the Sixes seem to have the most variants in hair color and use of makeup, both voluntary actions) relies on actually looking at the individual. In the lavatory where Sharon "Boomer" Valerii severely beats Sharon "Athena" Agathon, Athena initially mistook Boomer as a generic Eight when she saw her in the reflection of a mirror. It was after she stood up, turned around and looked directly at Boomer did Athena recognize her as Boomer. Admittedly however, it is possible that she would had recognized Boomer if she still only watched her in the reflection. Still, she said a full sentence while she looked at her in the mirror-"Great, I hope you are here to fix the frakkin' shower!"-but instantly recognized Boomer the exact moment she saw her directly and not reflected. Perhaps they also need to look the other Cylon square in the eyes, which is what Tyrol does in "[[Deadlock]]" before identifying Boomer.
* It has been unclear whether Karl Agathon is still the [[Commander Air Group]] (CAG) of Galactica or Kara Thrace officially takes over the CAG as Agathon used to join important staff meetings with Adama & Tigh in previous episodes. However, this episode clearly shows that Thrace is now serving as the CAG of Galactica.
* Ellen's escape from Cavil seems to have been orchestrated between him and Boomer in order to get Boomer on ''Galactica'' so she could kidnap Hera.
* The clear liquid substance that Boomer, masquerading as Athena gave Hera in her sippy cup and urged her to drink up was likely a sedative to keep her quiet in the equipment box she hid her in.
* It would appear that while Cavil was willing to let Ellen go in order to obtain Hera, members of the [[Final Five]] are still of some value to him, as evidenced by Boomer's offer for Tyrol to go with her.
* The Final Five have the same [[Projection|projection]] ability as the Cylons they created. Cylons can share projections.
*It is possible that Starbuck also has this ability and she projected the Piano Player beside her when she played a section of "All Along the Watchtower" from the drawing Hera made, which turned out to be musical notation. She, from her POV, was playing a long side of him but when Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, and Tory Foster confronted her about where she learned to play that music he was gone. Perhaps it was just standard human daydreaming, or a [[Virtual beings|Virtual being]], but it could had been projection.
* Projections can include not just imaginary environments but also imaginary people, such as Boomer and Tyrol's "daughter" Dionne.
* It also appears that projections might be a form of persistent environment -- similar to real-life virtual worlds such as [[w:Second Life|Second Life]], as Tyrol re-enters Boomer's projection after she escapes with Hera, as if expecting to find her and Dionne still in there.
* ''Galactica'' is in very bad shape from the metal fatigue in the hull. It's so bad that Tyrol says that all the [[Cylon organic resin]] could do is buy a little more time, but not too much from the looks of it, and that the ship might only be capable of one more FTL jump, if that. The ship is dying of old age and abuse and there's nothing anyone can do save it completely. The damage Boomer created during her escape has no doubt worsened the ship's condition.
*FTL jumps appear to create spatial distortion that can seriously strain a ships hull. Tigh expresses concern that a jump within the flight pod will seriously strain the internal integrity of the ship. Boomer's FTL jump eventually appears to cause a chain reaction of hull collapses along ''Galactica's'' port side, a side visibly weakened by Cylon attack, and suffering general aging in the 50+ year old ship's structure.
*The port side of ''Galactica'' which suffers damage in this episode has been seen specifically to suffer major stress before now- particularly during the [[Battle of New Caprica]] when it was mentioned that explosive decompressions were imminent in that section. That side of the ship also saw the port water tank blow out in [[Water]]-and though this seemed to be repaired it no doubt contributed to the area's hull stress.
* Many individuals express fears of the damage an FTL jump can do to ''Galactica'', impying FTL jumps place serious strains on a ships hull–or even the hull of a ship nearby and a degree of hull integrity is important to allow a ship to continue jumping. This appears quite a new phenomenon in the canon of the show and was not mentioned in previous seasons, though it of course makes for a convenient plot conceit now. Before this ships have frequently been seen jumping and exiting a jump close to each other in the series with seemingly no ill effects- though it is possible Boomer's Raptor was much more closer to Galactica's hull than has ever been seen before. In the episode [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] the tylium ship jumped whilst surrounded by Raptors and Vipers and no ship seemed to suffer damage, although they were knocked back and sent tumbling. It should be made clear that smaller objects are proportionally stronger and that smaller objects should feel much less shear. Also some Fleet ships such as the [[Space Park]] and the Rebel basestar have been seen to suffer hull damage but have continued to jump with the Fleet seemingly without incident- though the Space Park was repaired quite swiftly. It is possible therefore that crucial to Galactica's particular suffering at Boomer's hands was the level of microfracturing that had been occurring in her hull combined with the fact that the port side of the ship looks significantly more damaged than the other. Also it is possible the stress of by being caught in the FTL field of another vessel rather than that caused by a vessels own, properly configured FTL drive is more powerful and dangerous.
*Given that ''Galactica'' has jumped hundreds of times whilst damaged before now, it is not explained why no damage has occurred before given it is assumed damage will be guaranteed by an unplanned jump in this episode. In the miniseries ''Galactica'' suffered a nuke hit and yet jumped several times afterwards. Also despite falling through the atmosphere of New Caprica ''Galatica'' was able to execute an FTL jump despite the severe strains on the hull. Fears of FTL stress were not mentioned.
** ''Galactica'' probably has been taking damage from multiple jumps over the years. It's just that the extent of that damage has not become apparent until now.
** Further to the point above about small craft being subject to less 'shear', it stands to reason that the size of the disturbance created by a ship executing a jump might be proportional to the size of the ship itself. A large vessel such as the tylium ship may create a widespread but relatively smooth disturbance, so the nearby raptors would have been like corks bobbing as a wave passed. Conversely, a small vessel such as a Raptor might create a localised but very sharp distortion that poses more risk of damage to a large ship close to it.
*The age of ''Galactica's'' FTL drive might explain why the ship's hull integrity is taxed so badly by her FTL drive - more modern drives might not cause so much stress, and might explain why other Fleet ships and the rebel basestar can continue to jump despite the damage their hulls have taken.
* Adama has still not forgiven Boomer for shooting him.
* Boomer has gone from being a conflicted sleeper agent to being a willing infiltrator and saboteur on ''Galactica''.
* The Cylons want Boomer tried for treason, with execution being a possible outcome, because her actions are linked to the permanent deaths of thousands of Cylons. This parallels the Colonial Fleet's own desire to try [[Gaius Baltar]].
* Boomer seduces [[Helo]] by pretending to be [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]]. This is ironic, as Athena originally seduced Helo on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]], by pretending to be Boomer.
** Boomer's seduction of Helo - in the presence of Athena - may have been motivated by a desire to exact revenge on Athena for having effectively taken over her old life on ''Galactica''.
* The Final Five, [[Hera Agathon]], and [[Kara Thrace]] are all somehow connected to each other by [[The Music]]. Also possibly connected via the song is Kara's [[Dreilide Thrace|mysterious father]].
* The mysterious piano player is Kara's father, which can be concluded by his sudden disappearance and by the flashbacks with both Kara and her father playing the piano when she was little. These flashbacks mirror the exact same movements done by Captain Thrace and the piano player.<ref>http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=1598</ref>
* The title of the tape Kara receives back from Helo is "Dreilide Thrace Live at the Helice [[Opera House]]."
** [[w:Helice|Helice]], also spelled Helike, was an ancient Greek city which sank into the Corinthian Gulf in 373 B.C. It may have formed the basis of the myth of the lost city [[w:Atlantis|Atlantis.]]<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helice</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/helike.shtml</ref>
** Helice was the ancient Greek name <ref>http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/620003/Ursa-Major</ref> for the constellation [[w:Ursa Major|Ursa Major]] (the Great Bear). <i>Helice</i> in Greek means "to spin" or "to turn"; it is the root of the modern word <i>helix</i>. Ursa Major revolves around [[w:Polaris|Polaris]], the Pole Star, hence the name. This may be a reference to the spinning of the [[maelstrom]] Kara flew into before her ship was destroyed, and it could also refer to the [[mandala]] found on the wall of her apartment and the [[Temple of Five]].
** [[w:Helike_(mythology)|Helice/Helike]] was also the name of a nymph in Greek mythology who nursed the infant [[Zeus]], along with another nymph, Melissa (which name itself means "honey" or "honey bee"). <ref>http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMajor.html</ref>
** [[w:Helike_(moon)|Helike]] is also a newly-discovered moon of [[w:Jupiter|Jupiter]].
** However, the appearance of the word "Helice'' may simply be an in-joke to [[Bear McCreary]]'s heavy involvement with this episode -- Ursa Major, and McCreary, both being "The Great Bear."<ref>http://tvbacon.wordpress.com/2009/02/28/battlestar-galactica-someone-to-watch-over-me-live-at-the-helice-opera-house/</ref>

== Questions ==
* Is Boomer taking Hera to Cavil, and if so, is she of value to him in and of herself or will he ransom her for the Final Five to rebuild [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrection]]? Or is Boomer working alone or for a third party? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What was the note Boomer was writing down in her cell when she first sensed Tyrol watching her?
* Is the Eight switched with Boomer by Tyrol dead, or merely injured?
** Probably merely injured. It is doubtful Tyrol would have gone so far as to actually kill another Eight to save Boomer. Furthermore, if the Eight had been dead, Tyrol's trickery would have been discovered more quickly.
* What is Roslin's physical status?
* What connection is there between Roslin's collapse and Hera's kidnapping?
* If Tyrol had gone with Boomer, would Cavil have opened his brain as he threatened to do with Ellen?
* Did Boomer sleep with Helo merely to maintain her pretense, because she was attracted to him, or to intentionally hurt Athena? ([[Someone to Watch Over Me#Official Statements|Answer]])
* What is the source of the "Slick" image Starbuck has been seeing? Is he a variation of Kara's Inner Leoben from "[[Maelstrom]]"?
* How did Starbuck and Hera arrive at a piano version of the same [[The Music|melody]] originally played by Anders on a guitar on [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]?
* Will Eight's idea of plugging Anders into the [[datastream]] lead anywhere?
* Will Tyrol's involvement in Boomer's escape be figured out? Will he confess?
** It will be difficult for him to deny involvement considering the presence of the unconscious Eight he substituted for Boomer in the brig.
***That assumes the Eight can identify him as the one that attacked her in the work area. It was coal pitch black dark when he knocked her out. Still, the circumstance of him being the one to restore power to the Cell Area and knowing how hard he pleaded for Boomer's life makes him a natural suspect. What could convict him beyond doubt is if people on the hanger deck remember him helping "Athena"-as everyone thought at the time-with that large very heavy equipment box. It is known that Cylons can tell each other apart on sight despite them being indistinguishable to humans. If someone recalls that it could be used as proof positive that Tyrol was complicit in her escape, that he cannot plead truthful ignorance like Helo can when he thought Boomer was his wife and had sex with her.
* If Tyrol's treachery does come to light, how will others react?
* Do all the ships in the Fleet - regardless of their relative crew and passenger size - get to send representatives to the new Quorum? (This is similar to the situation the Framers of the United States Constitution faced when trying to decide if state representation in Congress should be based on individual state population or restricted to the same number of representatives per state).
*If Jumping in very close proximity to a ship is a very dangerous thing to do then why then in [[A Disquiet Follows My Soul]] when the Tylium ship [[Hitei Kan]] jumped away form the intercepting and boarding Vipers nothing happened to them other than being upended?
** It was dangerous for ''Galactica'' because of its failing structure.
** Also, as noted above, the spatial distortion caused by the Raptor's jump, only reaching part of Galactica, would cause much more shearing force and therefore much more stress on the structure. Since the Raptors in "A Disquiet Follows My Soul" are much smaller than the Tylium Ship, they were pretty much 'bounced' off the spatial rift
* Why was Sonja elected to represent the Cylons?
** The Sixes appear to be the most influential leaders within the rebel Cylon society, and posess the most individuality. Caprica Six sowed the seeds of the Cylon Civil War, Natalie led the revolt, and Sixes generally were in senior positions in the occupation government of New Caprica.
* Did Boomer intentionally jump so close to ''Galactica'' in order to further damage the already weakened ship? Is this a prelude to an attack on the Fleet by Cavil's forces?
* Since Boomer was able to find the fleet, why doesn't Cavil just jump in and attack the fleet? Surely he has superior numbers. Is it merely because of fear of death, since they can no longer resurrect?
** Cavil seems to want Hera- this would only be possible by using Boomer as an infiltrator rather than attacking ''Galactica'' outright. Attacking the Fleet would only result in them jumping away anyway.
* What is the current status of [[Caprica-Six]]?
* Where did the piano in [[Joe's Bar]] come from?
* Will the Helice Opera House have any connection to the visions of the [[Opera House]] shared by Roslin, [[Caprica-Six]], and Athena?
* Was a Daniel model Kara Thrace's father? Making her a half-cylon and giving her abilities like resurrection and projection?
** This makes sense as Daniel was supposedly very artistic and makes many Kara phenomenon fit. Also, Kara's father leaving the family would have coincided with his sabotage by the Number Ones.
** If this is the case, could the Daniel's have escaped and in some way be manipulating the events in the series? (Kara's resurrection, ability to "feel" where Earth is, etc)?
* To what extent are the semi-sentient Raiders and Centurions integrated into the Colonial or allied military force?

== Official Statements ==
*Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune interviews David Weddle and Bradley Thompson<ref>http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/02/battlestar-galactica-starbuck-boomer-someone-to-watch-over-me-.html</ref>:
**Boomer had a sick desire to strike out at Athena.
**Boomer's escape with Ellen was staged so that she could kidnap Hera. She intended to just use the Chief, but their interactions did awaken feelings she thought were dead.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[S. Cottle]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Roark Critchlow]] as [[Slick]]
* [[Iliana Gomez-Martinez]] as [[Hera Agathon]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Louis Hoshi]]
* [[ Torrance Coombs]] as Lance Corporal [[C. Sellers]]
* [[Ivan Cermak]] as Corporal [[D. Wallace]]
* [[Curtis Caravaggio]] as [[Nathanson]]
* [[Cherilynn Fulbright]] as [[Dionne]]
* [[Patrick Gilmore]] as [[Rafferty]]
* [[Samantha Caine]] as Off-duty Crew Person
* [[Erika-Shaye Gair]] as Young [[Kara Thrace]]
* [[Darcy Laurie]] as [[Dealino]]
* [[Sonja Bennett]] as Specialist [[Marcie Brasko]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson]] (archive footage)

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

Blood on the Scales

2009-02-08T09:58:06Z

BSG Clanger: Added comment on whether Gaeta and Zarek were tried before execution.

{{Episode Data
| image=
| title= Blood on the Scales
| season= 4
| episode=14
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]] <ref name="battlestarsitrep">{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/2008/05/angeli-also-rises.html|title=Angeli Also Rises|}}</ref>
| story=
| director=
| production=416
| rating=
| US airdate=February 6, 2009 <ref>http://tv.ign.com/articles/920/920164p1.html</ref>
| CAN airdate=February 6, 2009
| UK airdate=February 10 2009
| dvd=
| population=39603
| oldpopulation= 39643
| prev=[[The Oath]]
| next=[[No Exit]]
| forumthread= 2552
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Felix Gaeta]]'s mutiny continues while Roslin finds refuge on the Cylon Basestar.''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===
* Rebel marines led by [[Aaron Kelly]] storm the airlock and capture [[Admiral Adama]] and [[Saul Tigh]] both of whom were knocked out by a concussion grenade.
* Tigh recognizes Kelly and calls him "the brig rat." Kelly is visibly uneasy about all this.
* Meanwhile, the [[Raptor]] with President [[Roslin]] and [[Gaius Baltar]] on board heads for the [[Basestar]].
* A pair of Vipers, piloted by Narcho and Hotdog, pursue the Raptor. Hotdog, who is unaware of the mutiny on ''Galactica'', gets the Raptor in his sights, but doesn't fire. Instead he orders the Raptor to identify itself.
* Narcho tells Hotdog to destroy the Raptor, but Hotdog continues to ask for the target's identification.
* Roslin transmits a message from the Raptor saying that she is aboard the Raptor. [[Gage]] blocks the transmission, but not before Hotdog receives it.
* [[Gaeta]], now in command of the CIC, contacts Hotdog and orders him to destroy the Raptor. When Hotdog continues to hold his fire, Narcho goes in and launches a pair of missiles at the Raptor.
* The [[Eight]] piloting the Raptor successfully avoids the missiles, which hit the Basestar instead. The Raptor successfully docks at the Basestar.
* Gaeta orders Colonel Tigh to be placed in the brig with the other Cylons, but orders Admiral Adama to be brought to the CIC.
* On board the Basestar, the Cylons demand to know why they're being fired upon. Roslin explains the situation. Fearing that the government has been overthrown, the Cylons want to jump away from the Fleet.
* Roslin insists that they give Adama a chance to retake ''Galactica''. Baltar points out that it's unlikely that Adama will win and that Gaeta and Zarek have the majority of support on ''Galactica''. Roslin counters that they've already seen evidence that not all of ''Galactica'''s crew support the mutiny.
* Roslin tells the Cylons to move their ship into the middle of the Fleet, so that ''Galactica'' won't be able to fire upon them.
* Back on ''Galactica'', Adama is brought to the CIC. Gaeta asks him to call Roslin and convince her to surrender.
* Adama refuses and instead pulls off his admiral pins. He throws them to Gaeta and sarcastically tells Gaeta that he's the admiral now and to make the call himself.
* Gaeta orders gun batteries to target the Basestar, but before they can do so, the Basestar moves into the middle of the Fleet. Gaeta calls off the attack and orders the Basestar to be quarantined. He also gives orders to prepare for [[Tom Zarek]]'s arrival.
* Adama asks Gaeta if he's planning on shooting him. Gaeta gives no response.

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
*The [[Quorum of Twelve (RDM)|Quorum of Twelve]] were murdered on Zarek's order for supporting President Roslin. [[Lee Adama]] survived as he wasn't present during the Quorum session. Two other regular Quorum members (Gemenon Delegate and one other delegate) were replaced by temporary stand-ins (who were killed), and their fate is unknown.
*This episode marks the death of Felix Gaeta and Tom Zarek who are executed by firing squad for their mutiny against Adama and the government.
*The character Captain Kelly was last seen during season 3 when he was arrested for his bombing and assassinations of Baltar's lawyers. His character has appear intermittently since the show began and is fitting that he would be the double-turn coat as he was part of the original senior staff and his love for Admiral Adama is proven to be stronger than his hatred of the Cylons.

== Analysis ==
*Despite all of the support that Gaeta and Zarek seemed to have at the beginning of the mutiny, Roslin and Adama had more support from people opposed to it and possibly people who rethought it like Lieutenant Kelly. On Roslin and Adama's side were ''Galactica's'' senior staff (the members of CIC were either people on Gaeta's side or forced to work at gunpoint by marines), at least most of the crew given how many people joined Adama's march to CIC, the Quorum of Twelve and the Cylons and Baltar's followers. Gaeta and Zarek had the supporters they'd managed to gather amongst ''Galactica's'' crew and about 25 ships who refused Roslin's order to stand down FTL drives. In the end Adama and Roslin were successful because the people supported them more and Adama had enough respect from his crew that he was able to turn a lot back to his side just by stating his intention to retake the ship and walking by others. Gaeta and Zarek had to use force to get what they wanted while Adama and his men used very little force and ultimately retook the ship without firing a shot once they stormed the CIC. Gaeta's takeover had many people killed (given the survivor count, over 40) while the people on Adama's side killed very few.
*Gaeta's sudden lack of pain in his amputated leg signals that his chronic pain (which he tried to numb with painkillers during the webisodes) was partially psychological. Once he was at peace with who he was and what he had done, his mental pain and much of his physical pain and itching disappeared. His last words acknowledged that the itching had stopped.
*The marines who eventually joined Adama's side near the end of the episode indicates that other mutineers simply were part of the coup out of self-preservation or at least wanting to be on the "winning" side. Once it was clear that Adama and the senior staff were rising up and reclaiming the ship, the marines, and others finally arose as well.
*By sparing Narcho's life, Admiral Adama characteristically shows his love and compassion for those who serve under him. Despite his speech of "no forgiveness" in "[[The Oath]]", it is clear that Adama will attempt to give the mutineers a second chance if it is reasonable.
*The mutineers at no point subdued all resistance aboard ''Galactica''. As Adama marched on CIC, many crewmembers rushed to join him, indicating that they were either still resisting or were waiting for a sign that the tide had turned. CIC also was controlled by Gaeta through the use of marines who held most of the staff at gunpoint.
* Tyrol, while attempting to disable Galactica's jump drive (in order to stop the jump of the 25 ship mutineer fleet, since they will not jump without Galactica), notices odd tears in the hull near the FTL assembly. It is not known whether this was hull stress caused by Tyrol disabling the FTL as the ship was about to jump, or an as-yet unexplained problem that has an impact on Galactica's hull.
**The ''Galactica'' may be suffering from serious long term metal fatigue and/or cumulative battle damage, as evidenced by the bulkhead deformation Tyrol discovers in the FTL drive room. Over the course of the series, Tigh has made a number of comments on ''Galactica's'' worsening structural condition, especially in absence of any possibility for repair at a shipyard. The ship itself is 50+ years old and has seen combat in two wars against the Cylons, and after all the damage its taken - the [[Battle of New Caprica]] being the most obvious example - it is not all that surprising to see the ship's structual integrity begin to fail like this.
*Roslin threatens to attack ''Galactica'' if Gaeta and Zarek do not surrender. Numerous missile emplacements are then shown opening along the arms of the rebel basestar. Due to the known incompetence of ''Galactica's'' mutineer crew (Gage being unable to jam Roslin's transmission in [[The Oath]] without Gaeta's help) and ''Galatica's'' status as an undermanned vessel (even with a united crew), it is likely that the basestar could have successfully engaged and destroyed ''Galactica''.
*Captain Kelly, after having been locked up in the brig for his attempts to assassinate Baltar's lawyers, still holds a deep love for the Galactica and her commander. As he was a part of the original senior leadership (3rd in command as shown after Adama's near-assassination), his nostalgic comments with Tyrol indicated his withering resolve to be part of the coup. In addition, being a witness to the cruelty of Zarek with the Quorum was probably the first catalyst for his repentance.
*Gaeta, prior to his execution, is shown smoking and having drinks with Baltar. This is significant as Gaeta is rarely shown smoking during the show, and when it is shown, it was done when Gaeta finally felt free to be who he wanted to be. The first time was during his taped interview with D'Anna where he "let his hair down" so to speak. Incorporating a final smoke for Gaeta seemed appropriate to allow the audience to see a humanized Gaeta again.
*Gaeta and Baltar have a civil conversation before Gaeta's execution indicating that the two have forgiven each other for thier past transgressions: Gaeta trying to kill Baltar and Baltar's involvement with the Cylons on New Caprica.
*Baltar, despite admitting to not really liking his followers, has developed a sense of responsibility towards them as shown when he's speaking with [[Number Six#Lida|Lida]] about them and deciding to go back. This is the first time that Baltar has been shown to truly care about something besides himself indicating he may have changed somewhat.
*Dialogue in this episode indicates there are 35 civilian ships left in the fleet. This is the first time since abandoning New Caprice that significant information on the number of ships left in the fleet has emerged. This number doesn't seem to tally with the observed losses in the fleet since the first season, although the number of ships has been portrayed inconsistently throughout the miniseries and the main seasons (a figure in the mid 70s being mentioned in [[Home, Part I]]). The figure of 35 stated here- indicating a loss of half the fleet's ships- seems somewhat inconsistent with a the human population that has only declined by about one fifth since the arrival of Pegasus's crew which bolstered the number of survivors to close to 50,000. Ships being abandoned on New Caprica or afterwards may explain this strikingly low number unless it is a continuity error. If 35 is a correct figure, the other ships in the fleet must have somehow found a way to take a huge number of extra people aboard..
*Ronald D Moore has commented that ''Galactica'' is severely undermanned at this point and therefore large parts of the ship are empty, making it easier for mutineers and counter-mutineers to move around unobserved. This however is contracted by the fact that ''Galactica'' now has the crew of ''Pegasus'' aboard and the ship has in fact been seen to be overcrowded. Even allowing for losses on New Caprica and the fact that ''Pegasus'' was undermanned, the ship should still have a larger crew compliment than when she began her journey. In orbit around New Caprica the two ships still had over 2000 personnel still serving and doubtless most if not all former crew re-enlisted after the evacuation of New Caprica. Galactica's combined crew have not been seen to have taken any substantial losses since leaving New Caprica that would leave much of the ship empty. This may be a retcon or continuity error. It should be noted, however, that a large proportion of the people on the ship following the escape from New Caprica were civilians who may have since been relocated. Furthermore, it may be that only certain areas of the ship - such as the living quarters - are overcrowded.
*Despite [[Sharon Agathon]]'s vision-induced paranoia of a Six taking her daughter, [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]<ref>Sharon kills [[Natalie]] in "[[Sine Qua Non]]" when she sees the latter with Hera in a corridor after Sharon, President Roslin, and Caprica-Six all have a vision of a Six absconding with Hera at the opera house.</ref>, she does not protest [[Caprica-Six]] carrying Hera while Sharon supports her injured husband, [[Karl Agathon|Karl]]. Ironically, Caprica-Six is the only character who has been seen specifically committing infanticide (not counting Baltar's dream about Adama drowning Hera).<ref>Caprica-Six snaps a human infant's neck in her first scene in the [[Miniseries]].</ref>
*Assuming the writers maintained their preference to mirror real-world military traditions, the firing squad assembled to execute Gaeta and Zarek would likely be composed of low-level mutineers who were treated with leniency and then required to seal their loyalty (and feelings of guilt) by executing their former conspirators.
*It isn't clear whether Gaeta and Zarek were given any sort of trial before being executed. Given Adama and Roslin's preference (albeit sometimes waveringly so) for maintaining the rule of law, it would be surprising if the lead mutineers were just shot out of hand.

== Questions ==
* What will become of the other mutineers (Racetrack, Narcho, Seelix, etc)? Will Adama follow through with his promise of "no forgiveness"?
* Will Kelly be allowed to resume his duties on Galactica?
* Who will take over Gaeta's duties?
* What repercussions will the Quorum's assassination have on the Fleet?
* What is the significance of the damage Tyrol discovers in the engine room? Has it been there long, or is it a result of the improper shut down of the FTL drive? Do other areas of the ship show similar signs of damage?
* Is the same structural deficiency present near the other FTL drive?
* In the [[Miniseries]], Colonel Tigh tells Lt. Gaeta to "spin up FTL drives 1 and 2". Why did Tyrol's deactivation of one FTL drive stop Gaeta from ordering the other's use? Is the other FTL drive still functional?
** The ship may need both FTL drives to make a proper jump.
* Will Anders survive his injuries?
* Will the rebel Cylons become less trusting of the humans as a result of this mutiny? Or will the they be more inclined to trust certain humans, such as Roslin, since she managed to convince them to stay and follow her leadership?
* What was that device Roslin and Leoben were using to communicate with the rest of the Fleet?
* Why was Lee Adama - as opposed to Roslin - present at Zarek and Gaeta's execution?
* What will be done to the 25 ships who did not obey Roslin's order to power down their FTL drives?
* Will the FTL upgrades proceed once order has been brought back completely?
* Will there be a faction that will attempt to portray Zarek or Gaeta as martyrs?
* Will Helo survive his injuries?
* How will Baltar's new-found sense of responsibility toward his flock change his behaviour?
* Will the Cylons' assistance of, and subordination to, President Roslin (and/or Colonial political leaders' fears of being associated with the failed coup d'état) secure them the citizenship and Quorum representation they seek?
* What is the nature of the dream Baltar has of Adama's execution?

== Official Statements ==
*[http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/02/battlestar-galactica-gaeta-blood-scales-angeli.html A Chicago Tribune interview with Michael Angeli about the episode:], The Six who sleeps with Baltar on the baseship is named [[Number Six#Lida|Lida]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*'''''Tom Zarek''' delivers his ultimatum to '''Laura Roslin''''':
:'''Zarek''': This is Tom Zarek. President of the Twelve Colonies. It's over Laura. Saul Tigh was killed attempting to escape. Bill Adama was tried and found guilty of his crimes. A firing squad executed him this moring. It's done, Laura. You want to think about the people of this fleet now, and surrender.
:'''Roslin''': No. Not now. Not ever. Do you hear me? I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to my own eye teeth to end you. I swear it! I'm coming for all of you!
*'''''Felix Gaeta''' is disturbed by the site of the slaughtered Quorum delegates:
:'''Gaeta''': We--we had the truth on our side. Now . . . now . . .
:'''Zarek''': The truth is told by whoever is left standing.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Mark Sheppard]] as [[Romo Lampkin]]
* [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
* [[Sebastian Spence]] as Lieutenant [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lieutenant [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as Lieutenant [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[Jennifer Halley]] as Ensign [[Diana Seelix|Diana "Hardball" Seelix]]
* [[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
* [[Derek Delost]] as Specialist [[Vireem]]
* [[Mike Dopud]] as Specialist [[Gage]]
* [[Colin Corrigan]] as Sergeant [[Allan Nowart]]
* [[Alexandra Thomas]] as [[Hera Agathon]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Number Two]] / [[Leoben Conoy]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Andrew McIlroy]] as [[Jacob Cantrell]]
* [[Marilyn Norry]] as [[Reza Chronides]]
* [[Judith Maxie]] as [[Unnamed civilians in the Fleet (RDM)#Picon Delegate|Picon Delegate]]
* [[Iris Paluly]] as Speaking Delegate [[Dahlia]]
* [[Veena Sood]] as [[Unnamed civilians in the Fleet (RDM)#Quorum Delegate|Quorum Delegate]]
* [[Adrian Holmes]] as Marine [[Parr]]

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:RDM]]

The Ties That Bind

2008-04-20T13:58:29Z

BSG Clanger:

{{Episode Data
| image=4x03 - The Ties That Bind - Promo 2.jpg
| title= The Ties That Bind
| season= 4
| episode= 3
| forumthread= 888
| guests=
| writer=[[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director=[[Michael Nankin]]
| production=405
| rating=
| US airdate=18 April 2008
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=39676
| oldpopulation=39676
| prev= [[Six of One]]
| next= [[Escape Velocity]]
| promo=
| hulu=Y
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Kara Thrace]] leads a [[Demetrius|ship]] in her search for [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], while ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> crew deals with political and marital issues. On the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] side, the [[Significant Seven]]'s solidarity is challenged.

== Summary ==

=== On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and the Colonial Fleet ===
* [[Cally Tyrol]], waking from [[Nicholas Tyrol|her son's]] cries, has dreams recalling arguments with her husband, [[Galen Tyrol|Galen]], of apparently finding herself spending more time alone with her child and Galen avoiding her through work or other activity. In one scene she is taking medication, perhaps to help her sleep, or to fight depression.
* The dark room is unkempt, and medication and baby formula bottles are stacked on a table.
* When Cally Tyrol realizes that Nicky is actually crying, she comforts him and returns him to his crib. She calls [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], apparently to try to find her husband with no luck. She finds a napkin for [[Joe's bar]] in his clothing.
* At the bar, Galen Tyrol and [[Tory Foster]] are drinking [[ambrosia]] and other spirits. Galen laments that, before [[Final Five|their revelation]], he knew what he was: husband, crew chief, and father. Now, his identity is taking a beating.
* Foster flirts with Galen as Cally walks holding her son in a dreamy state (presumably drug related) to Joe's Bar. Cally's distorted vision believes she sees Foster touching Galen's arm seductively. Entering the bar, Cally angrily yells at Galen as he tries to explain. Angry and hurt, Cally takes her son and leaves the bar as Foster looks on, still drinking and not the least upset that she might have caused the Tyrol's strife.
*In [[sickbay]], Dr. [[Cottle]] administers to [[Laura Roslin]] another [[diloxin]] treatment, noting that the drug's nausea should go away in an hour.
* As Roslin tries to relax on the bed, [[William Adama]] sits by her bedside and begins to read from a book to her, ''[[Love and Bullets]]'', by Nick Talo, apparently a detective mystery novel.
* The book's passages of a character's lost love appear to reflect through Adama as he gazes at Roslin while he completes the passage: "From the moment I open my eyes, she's in my blood, bittersweet, tinged with regret. I'll never be free of her, nor do I want to be. For she is what I am, all that is, should always be."
* The scene shifts to a press conference on ''[[Colonial One]]'' where [[Lee Adama]] accepts appointment to the [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprican]] seat to the [[Quorum of Twelve (RDM)|Quorum]]. Vice President [[Tom Zarek]] is also in attendance.
*The press asks about questions of loyality between Lee Adama and his role in the [[Gaius Baltar]] trial, which Roslin dismisses.
* Reporter [[Playa Palacios]] asks about the whereabouts of the ''[[Demetrius]]'', missing now three weeks, Roslin defers the question to Admiral Adama, who cryptically explains that the ship is on a military mission. When [[Sekou Hamilton]] asks if [[Kara Thrace]] was made captain of that ship, Adama dismisses that as rumor.
*Roslin quickly ends the press conference. In her office, Roslin tells Adama she is surprised that the press took as long to ask about the ''Demetrius'' as they did. When Adama tells Roslin he think the issue will "blow over," Roslin disagrees. Not told of the mission, Roslin is angered that she may have to help Adama cover the true mission of the ship for a long time. Adama explains that he had to give Thrace a chance and himself a chance to believe in the [[Maelstrom|presumed-dead]] pilot, but Roslin only says, "Apparently." Adama leaves her office in silence.
*Galen Tyrol tries to explain to Cally that he and Tory Foster aren't having an affair, but Cally all but ignores him, telling him to drop their son off to the day care area and to ask the caregivers not to feed Nicky any of the [[algae mash]] as she thinks Nicky is allergic. Frustrated by Cally's avoidance of the subject, he slams his fist down on the table, upsetting his son, and tries to comfort him.
*On ''Colonial One'', Lee Adama is in a conference room for the Quorum meeting. Spotting the nameplate for Caprica, he tentatively sits down. Tom Zarek arrives, his mood dark. When Adama tells Zarek that he wanted to see Roslin to discuss some projects that [[Cowen]], his predecessor as Caprican delegate, had before she died, Zarek counters, explaining that, like himself, Roslin is keeping Adama on the sidelines. Zarek believes that Roslin does not forgive and forget easily. When Adama asks Zarek why he nominated him for the Quorum's side, Zarek tells him that it was because Adama stood up to defend Baltar and confront Roslin, he believed Adama would make an effective ally.
*Zarek feels that Roslin's increasingly secretive nature, by refusing to allow meeting to be recorded, is a sign of a larger issue, despite claiming to Adama that he remains loyal to Roslin. When Adama tells Zarek that he won't be giving a repeat of his work in Baltar's trial to undermine Roslin, saying that having a "benevolent tyrant" is better than the opposite, Zarek strongly disagrees. He asks Adama to trust him to aid in his fight to uncover the secrets that Roslin hides. He leaves a classified folder with Adama and leaves.
*In sickbay, Cally Tyrol asks for another sedative and for sleep, but Cottle objects, not wanting to turn his sickbay in an "opium den." He asks about her family life, which Cally tells all is not well since reaching the [[Ionian Nebula]].
*Cottle does side with Cally about her husband's problems, asking her to bring him in for examination. Cally smiles at Cottle's "tough love" stance but Cottle warns that she might actually be imagining things as her fatigue and drug use could be influencing her thoughts. Cally counters that she might, indeed be crazy, considering she married a man who [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|once broke her jaw]]. When Cottle asks if that was the last time that Galen had attacked Cally, she responds that she'd wished that he'd do so again (taking Cottle's cigarette from his hand and taking a drag), if only for her to gauge what Galen really felt about her. Cottle tells her to get some rest.
*On ''Colonial One'', the Quorum meeting continues. [[Sagittaron]] Quorum delegate [[Jacob Cantrell]] strongly questions Roslin about the ''Demetrius'' mission, which she defers to answer out of matters of security. Others are visibly upset with Roslin's answer and of each other when Roslin tries to steer the meeting back to other matters of the floor while Zarek, acting as the chair of the meeting, tries to establish order.
*Lee Adama speaks out, trying to calm the others through inferring, based on his own military experience, that the president and Admiral Adama are exploring all possible routes to Earth. The Quorum audibly relaxes at Adama's words, but Roslin sees Adama as trying to be her "spokesperson" and chastises him. She directs Cantrell to continue with his discussion on medical supplies.
* Lee Adama calls a point of order, which Zarek uses to compels Contrell to yield the floor for Adama to speak. Adama brings up Executive Order 112, which would concentrate more executive power. The Quorum angrily erupts when Roslin tries to bury the issue.
*On ''Galactica'', Cally Tyrol sadly recalls her good times with her husband. She kisses her son and goes to close a door when she sees a note stuck in the door that tells her to meet at Weapons Locker 1701D.
* When Cally arrives, she finds her husband, [[Saul Tigh]] and Tory Foster entering. She opens a maintenance panel, tiny and dangerous, and enters to listen in on the conversation.
*What Cally hears shocks her more than the suggestion that her husband is having an affair. Tigh had left the note to meet at the weapons locker for Galen, and suddenly realizes that Cally could have intercepted the note. Tigh warns of the complications if Cally discovered that her husband was a Cylon.
* Cally's shock knocks a metal plate, which tumbles noisily down the ship's interior, a series of pipes and conduits that run dangerously deep from where Cally is standing. The others in the room halt their discussion for a moment before leaving. Cally escapes the tunnel and runs back to her quarters, but Foster leaves and notices that the maintenance panel was ajar.
* Cally is back in her quarters, visibly upset, when her husband returns.
* He tries to apologize, tell Cally that the affair never happened, and that his commitment to his family is paramount. But Cally believes that Galen used her to have a hybrid child and strikes him with a wrench, knocking him unconscious. She takes her son and leaves but not before taking a key from Galen's pocket.
* Walking through the corridors to the [[hangar deck]], Cally (still holding Nicky) enters a [[launch tube]]. She looks at the stars through a window, then opens a maintenance door. Inserting the key she took from Galen, Cally activates the launch tube airlock. Tory Foster arrives, and approaches Cally and Nicky.
* Cally closes the launch tube airlock door, sealing them inside. Foster tries to reason with Cally, asking her to think about what she's about to do to herself and to her child. Foster explains that they only recently found out they were Cylons, and that they are still the same people, and that they are as scared and confused as everyone else. Cally breaks down and collapses on her knees, apologizing to Nicky for what she was about to do to him. Foster comforts Cally and takes Nicky in her arms, then suddenly strikes Cally with seemingly-superhuman strength, knocking her several body-lengths across the deck and putting her in a daze.
* Foster retrieves the launch tube key and exits the launch tube, Nicky in her arms. When Cally comes to, she finds herself alone trapped in the airlock, and Tory inside the launch control booth. Tory uses the key to activate the launch controls and opens the outer airlock door, sending Cally to her death in open space.
* Admiral Adama breaks the news of Cally's death to a motionless, silent Tyrol.

=== On the ''[[Demetrius]]'' ===
* On day 22 of the mission, ''Demetrius'' continues on its mission to find [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], with as many as four [[Viper Mark II]] fighters magnetically locked onto its top hull.
* Inside, Kara Thrace appears frustrated as she pours through star charts and other navigation data, trying to gain her fix on the direction of Earth. [[Felix Gaeta]] enters the room as Thrace tells him of a decision.
* In a mess hall on the dark, dirty ship, [[Diana Seelix]] asks in frustration what they are looking for in deep space. A pilot named [[Eammon Pike|Pike]], looking at the centerfold of ''[[Nymph]]'' magazine, explains that they are searching for a gas giant with rings orbiting a trinary star cluster with a comet. Seelix angrily retorts that the search is more like a "[[frak|cluster-frak]]" to her when [[Helo]] admonishes her.
* [[Sharon Agathon]] and [[Samuel Anders]] are also in the room.
* Some of the group complains that Thrace's repeated course corrections are pointless. When Pike says that he thinks ''Galactica'' is hounding them in secret, waiting for Thrace to show her "true colors" as a Cylon, Anders defends her. When the mood darkens more, Helo orders everyone to be quiet.
*Thrace is quietly approaching, listening to the conversation from above the mess hall deck, and soon yells for Helo to talk to him. Anders looks above him to Thrace (standing on steel mesh decking) and asks if there is more that she can tell them about their destination, but Thrace coldly admonishes him by rank for asking. Thrace gives Helo new [[FTL]] coordinates.
*Anders meets with Thrace, as she paints what she has seen on a bulkhead. Anders complains that she needs to open up more about the mission with the rest of the crew, but Thrace disagrees. Reminding her that some of them volunteered for the mission, Thrace steers Anders's concerns to that of their failed marriage. Anders joins their marital arm tattoos., trying to remind her of what is real. Thrace angrily tells Anders that she married him only because he was a safe choice and he was naive enough to do so.
*The two exchange more words. Thrace explains to Anders that she's not the same woman he married. He pushes her into a bunk as their anger dissolves into sex.
*After sex, Thrace questions that she and Anders's marriage was real. She questions how her feelings, her perceptions of her past, as if she were watching it from another "alien" body far away. Ander's face suggests comprehension about [[Final Five|feeling unsure of identity]].

=== On the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s ===
* On a [[Resurrection Ship]], a [[Number One]] is [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrected]]. Another One tells his confused brother that he was shot by one of their own [[Cylon Centurion]]s. [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] is there with him.
* The first Number One wants to return to his baseship, but the second One tells him that he has been effectively kicked off from his own ship in a type of coup. Boomer apologizes that her swing vote to enforce the [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]] "reconfiguration" failed, and kisses him deeply.
*On the same baseship where the Centurions shot several [[humanoid Cylon]]s for their part in the Raider reconfiguration, a Number One returns to the conference room where a Centurion is busily cleaning up the mess caused by their shootout.
*The Number One tries to understand why [[Natalie]] shifted power, suggesting to reunify the group. Natalie explains that the Raiders were only a symptom of a larger problem: Cavil's [[Rapture|earlier pressure]] on the group to [[box]] all [[Number Three]]s. Natalie says that mere unification of the [[Significant Seven|seven]] is not enough. She and the Eights at the table tell Number One that unification with the [[Final Five]] is the desired goal. Natalie wants all the Threes unboxed and work on unifying with the Five to begin.
*Cavil dislikes the idea of resuming the D'Anna's "messianic quest" that seemed to lead the remaining Cylons to this juncture, but agrees to bring Natalie's case to the other models. Natalie orders a Centurion to escort Cavil off the ship, but it hesitates until she says, "please." Cavil warns her that removing the [[inhibitor]]s from the Centurions has caused a bigger problem than Natalie realizes.
*Later, two Number Ones tell Natalie and two Number Eights the result of the vote: The consensus is to unbox the Threes, although Cavil/One remains against the idea.
*An Eight tries to solicit the Ones' support since his side was outvoted, but Natalie agrees with the Ones that the vote does not give Natalie's side the right to change the feelings of the Ones and create more discord.
* Cavil/One tells Natalie that the Threes' consciousness is being downloaded in a central resurrection hub six jumps away. Still harboring bad feelings about the decision, the two sides agree to stay on different baseships as they make their way back to hear of the Threes' discovery on the [[algae planet]].
* Cylon baseships controlled by Cavil join the rest of the fleet at their destination, but without the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The newly-arrived baseships break formation and surround Natalie's baseships, then launch an attack.
* On Cavil's baseship, Boomer worries that murder, permanent killing of their own kind without chance of resurrection is wrong. Cavil says coldly that God will watch over the dying Cylons' immortal souls. When Boomer questions who will watch over their souls, Cavil says, "We're machines, dear. We don't have souls."

== Notes ==

* This episode sees no net loss of life in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], with the exception of [[Cally Tyrol]]'s death later in this episode, reducing the overall survivor count to 39,675.
* The number and alphabetical designation of the weapons locker, 1701D, is a ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' reference. 1701-D is the registry number for the ''[[MemoryAlpha:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise]]'' from that series, which Michael Taylor and [[Ronald D. Moore]] formerly worked on.
*Like "[[He That Believeth In Me]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]", this episode's title is derived from Christian traditions; [[w:Blessed Be the Tie that Binds|Blessed Be the Tie that Binds]] is a Protestant hymn celebrating the unity that comes from love.
* Prior to the episode airing, [[Michael Taylor]] stated: "we say goodbye to another longtime character, though who that is and the manner of his or her departure should come as a surprise."<ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen}} </ref>
* The script was being written while "[[Razor]]" was still in pre-production.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* For the first time since the second season, the journalist [[Sekou Hamilton]] makes an appearance.

== Analysis ==
[[Image:Orion belt.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Orion's belt. [[:Image:Orion belt highlighted.jpg|View Highlighted Version]].]]
* The constellation [[w:Orion (constellation)|Orion]] appears twice in this episode. It is clearly visible in the background of the basestars shortly before Cavil's ships begin to attack, and again when Cally looks out the window in the launch tube shortly before she is confronted by Foster. This would indicate that both fleets are relatively close to Earth.
*The ringed gas giant [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] claims to have seen is shown in this episode, bearing a striking resemblance to [[w:Jupiter|Jupiter]].
* The force with which Tory hits Cally indicates that the Final Five possess the Cylons' superhuman strength and if they possess this trait it is likely that the have other, physical Cylon traits as well.
* Foster also seems to be calmer, cooler, and more calculating than in the recent past. She appears to be more accepting of her Cylon nature than the others.
* Once again nobody notices the use of an airlock. It is hard to believe, that such a critical system is out of every control, especially at night, when the hangar deck is deserted.
* Given that [[Sarah Porter]] is not present at the [[Quorum of Twelve (RDM)|Quorum]] meeting on ''Colonial One'', it is likely that she no longer is [[Gemenon (RDM)|Gemenon]]'s delegate.
* Cavil and Boomer apparently have some sort of relationship. This was hinted at in the previous episode, when she dances lightly attired in front of him, but unclear.
* Although in public [[Laura Roslin]] claims to have forgiven [[Lee Adama]], and even to admire his convictions, she apparently still holds a grudge for how he treated her during Baltar's trial. She refuses to see him to discuss political issues, and later snubs him in a Quorum session where she ribs on his inexperience.
* When learning that her husband is a Cylon, Cally remembers seeing him cutting his finger and licking off the blood. Tyrol may have done this to convince himself that he is human. The drop of blood hitting the floor is the same image used as a framing device in "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]" to signify the connection between Tyrol and Boomer.
* The episode shows a lot about the Quorum of Twelve and about the state of fleet politics in general. The Quorum meeting is reminiscent in format of [[w:Question Time|Question Time]], a tradition of many parliamentary systems including that of the United Kingdom and Canada.
**The rowdiness and backtalk of the Quorum in particular is reminiscent of Prime Minister's Questions. However, unlike in Prime Minister's Questions or similar Question Time periods in real life parliaments, President Roslin makes some attempt at directing the meeting, rather than adopting the defensive posture the British Prime Minister is placed into. This suggests either a stronger constitutional role for the president or a further consolidation of power by Roslin.
** The Quorum is also, at least at this point, a non-partisan body. While parliaments and legislatures in real life are divided along party lines, there is no sign of this here. In particular, while government backbenchers usually ask flattering questions in contrast to the more challenging questions posed by the opposition, Adama is openly chastised by Roslin for attempting to ask an easy question.
*Cally seems to be planning to blow herself and Nicky into space, something that she experienced but survived in [[A Day in the Life]]. This may indicate she believes on the basis of this that it would be relatively quick and painless for both of them; it seems unlikely she would choose what she felt would be a particularly unpleasant death, especially for her son.

== Questions ==

* Are all of the "renegade" Cylon faction baseships destroyed? Does Natalie escape?
* Will the renegade models be boxed?
* Now that power has shifted to the more aggressive models, will the Cylon renew their attacks on the humans, or will the stress and distraction of the Cylon civil war protect the human fleet for the time being?
* Does the vague warning given by Cavil to Natalie about removing the inhibitors hint towards a Centurion rebellion against the humanoid Cylons?
* Will Boomer abandon Cavil's side now that he has resorted to lethal measures against Natalie's faction?
* Are the execution of the Sixes, Eights, and Twos limited to the Cylon fleet or stretches also the Cylon homeworld?
* Has [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] been left in foster care by her parents? If so, who have they found to look after her?
* What is Foster's motivation for killing Cally Tyrol?
* What will Tyrol do should he discover that it was Foster who murdered Cally?
* Will Cally's death be declared as another execution that went unnoticed, such as those performed by the [[Circle]]?
* Are Foster's actions indicating a gradual shifting of her allegiance from the humans to the Cylons?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''[[William Adama]] reads the opening of ''[[Love and Bullets]]'':''
:"It started like it always did. With a body. This one was in the river, and I could tell she had once been beautiful, but this bullet and fast current had taken away from her. All we are, or that we think we are, all that we are certain about, is taken away from us. When you've worked the streets and seen what I've seen, you become more and more convinced of it every day. [[Caprica City]] has been my teacher, my mistress. From the moment I opened my eyes, she is in my blood, like cheap wine. Bitter and sweet, tinged with regret. I'll never be free of her, nor do I wanna be, for she is what I am. All that is, should always be."

*''[[Tom Zarek]] and [[Lee Adama]] about [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]]'s leadership:''
:'''Adama:''' Well, sometimes a benevolent tyrant is exactly what you need.
:'''Zarek:''' No. A tyrant craves power for its own sake. And all Laura wants is to save us all.

*''[[Samuel Anders]] confronts [[Kara Thrace]]:''
:'''Anders:''' You know, some of us actually volunteered for this mission.
:'''Thrace:''' "Some" meaning you. Because that's what this is about, Sam. You know what the deal is, with us, with our marriage? It didn't make much sense to begin with. Makes even less now.
:'''Anders:''' I don't buy that. I don't think you believe a single, frakking word you're saying. You're just scared. You see that, mhh? You see [[Arts and Literature of the Twelve Colonies#Kara Thrace .26 Samuel Anders|this]]? Remember those? You remember when we got 'em? That's what's real, ok. That's part of who we are. That is a part of what ''you'' are, whether you will admit it or not.
:'''Thrace:''' Dumb motherfrakker. I only married you because it was save and it was easy, Sam. And you were just pathetic enough to go along with it. So get the frak out! (She shoves him out) Sam, get out! Get out! Leave, come on! Get out! (Anders takes her by the arms and holds her. They are almost kissing.) I don't want to fight, Sam. I wanna frak. You don't get it, do you? I'm not the same girl you married. All I wanna do right now is frak. Really frak, like it's the end of the world and nothing else matters. So come on, Sam, make me feel something. I dare you.
:(Anders shoves her away, then gives her a second shove onto the bunk bed.)

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Michael Trucco]] as Ensign [[Samuel Anders]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson Tyrol]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Number One]]
* [[Jen Halley]] as Ensign [[Diana Seelix|Diana "Hardball" Seelix]]
* [[Christina Schild]] as [[Playa Palacios]]
* [[Biski Gugushe]] as [[Sekou Hamilton]]
* [[Finn R. Devitt]] as [[Nicholas Tyrol]] (credited as "Baby Nicky")
* [[Donna Soares]] as Speaking Delegate #1
* [[Andrew McIlroy]] as [[Jacob Cantrell]]
* [[Judith Maxie]] as [[Picon (RDM)|Picon]] Delegate
* [[Iris Paluly]] as Speaking Delegate #2
* [[Ryan McDonell]] as Lieutenant [[Eammon Pike|Eammon "Gonzo" Pike]]
* [[Marilyn Norry]] as [[Reza Chronides]]
* [[Leo Li Chiang]] as the [[tattooed pilot]] (uncredited)

== External Links ==
*Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the episode's score: http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=245

== References ==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:The Ties That Bind]]