Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:BSG-Taiwan

2006-06-06T03:34:29Z

BSG-Taiwan:

I watched Season One of the "re-imagined" series on Cinemax Asia, from where I lived in Taiwan. Sadly Cinemax has not shown the rest since. And that's pretty much where I'm at right now. Hopefully the Season Two DVDs will be out soon.

Epiphanies

2006-02-04T19:32:58Z

BSG-Taiwan: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:2BATejC05.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Epiphanies
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 13
| Guests=[[Colin Feore]] as President [[Richard Adar|Adar]]
| Writer=Joel Anderson Thompson
| Story=
| Director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| Production=2.13
| Rating=
| US Airdate=January 20 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=49,598
| Prev= [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
| Next= [[Black Market]]
}}




== Overview ==

: ''Admiral [[William Adama]] questions whether or not [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]'s pregnancy should be aborted. Meanwhile Roslin's health declines rapidly as a pro-Cylon peace group attempts to sow violence and discontent within the Fleet.''

== Summary ==

* President [[Laura Roslin]] is brought on board ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. She has days to live.
* Captain [[Kara Thrace]] and Lieutenant [[Louanne Katraine]] are conducting Viper tests. During a test of the Viper's projectile systems, Kat's port gun is destroyed and a piece of it impacts on Thrace's cockpit.
* [[Cally]] and CPO [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] discover that several rounds of ammunition from the damaged Viper are unusually light and fragile. These rounds break and misfire, leaving the projectile lodged in the barrel. When the next round fires, the overpressure destroys the gun. They determine the ammunition has been sabotaged.
*The sabotage investigation quickly leads [[Lee Adama]] and Kara Thrace to [[Asha Janik]], one of the recent civilian hirees in ''Galactica's'' armory. When they apprehend her, she declares her allegiance to an organization claiming to want peace with the Cylons.
*Vice President [[Gaius Baltar]] is given the presidential tour by [[Billy Keikeya]] in preparation for his assumption of the Presidency. Billy reveals a letter from Roslin, to be opened upon her death.
* The new peace movement, led by [[Royan Jahee]], gains momentum as the civilian population begins to realize that victory against the Cylons is impossible and questions the fleet's 'attack-and-retreat' tactics.
* An infusion of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon's]] fetal blood ostensibly destroys the cancerous masses in Roslin's system. Sharon's pregnancy is allowed to continue for further research.

===On Caprica Prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]]===
*Roslin finds out she has cancer.
*Roslin meets with President Adar to discuss a teacher's strike, and his response.
*Roslin meets with the leader of the educational alliance, [[Naylin Stans]], and strikes an agreement.
*Adar disagrees with Roslin's methods and results, and asks for her resignation.
*Roslin refuses to resign and departs for ''Galactica's'' decommisioning ceremony.
*Roslin sees [[Gaius Baltar]] with [[Number Six]] in her dream state. She then seems alarmed to see Dr. Baltar when she wakes up and tries to say something to him.

== Questions ==

*Kara Thrace is flying Mk. II vipers with Galactica's pilots again. Is she still the CAG of ''Pegasus''?
**According to interviews with RDM, Starbuck is still the ''Pegasus'' CAG. There's nothing to say she couldn't just continue flying joint missions with ''Galactica'', etc.
***Indeed, Kat remarks that Starbuck is "late" for flying the CAP, presumably the patrols are now a joint effort between the two Battlestars, possibly as an attempt to boost intraship morale after they nearly destroyed one another.
*Now that Roslin recalls Baltar's involvment with a Cylon agent on Caprica, what will she do about it?
*Will there be any consequences for Helo's near-mutiny?
*Will Roslin's attitude toward the Cylon fetus change following her recovery?
**Ronald D. Moore's podcast implies that her urgency was only prompted by her lack of faith in Baltar's ability to handle the situation. Will she be content to let to Sharon carry to term now that her survival is no longer in question?
*Roslin's recent series of machiavellian orders (Cain's assasination in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]", and the forced abortion here) appear to have been faciliated by her belief that, given her impending death, she wouldn't have to deal with the ethical ramifications. Will this alter her relationship with Admiral Adama in the long term?
*Is security really so lax that Baltar (whom Adama does not consider especially trustworthy) would be able to smuggle one of ''Galactica's'' very few nuclear warheads off-ship?
**He didn't steal it from the armory, it's the one he used to build the Cylon detector; he's got 24 hours a day unrestricted access to it.
**Raptors are capable of detecting radiological devices. Why wasn't the bomb noticed in transit? If it's possible to effectively shield a nuclear device from detection, why don't the Cylons do this to their own warheads?
**Alternately, is the nuclear device actually functional?
**According to Ron Moore's podcast, the nuke storyline will be dealt with in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I" and "...Part II" to end the season.
**How much of the device was used for Baltar's "Cylon Detector"? Has it been dismantled to restore the explosive?
*Why aren't there posters of [[Gina]] scattered all over the fleet to inform everyone of her Cylon identity, making it difficult for her to hide, let alone lead a Cylon-sympathy movement?
**Ronald Moore did admit during his podcast that this was Gina's "Clark Kent" disguise and it was very shaky the way they played it off that nobody would recognize her. Will this loose end be tied-up in some future story line when they get further into the Colonial underground storylines that the next few episodes are supposed to follow?
**On the other hand, Gina does not appear to be leaving her room on ''Cloud 9'' that much, and the humans who do see her are Cylon sympathizers anyway.
*Does Gina "remember" Number Six's memories about having a relationship with Baltar on Caprica, or even after? In "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", she did not seem to know him, as Baltar introduced himself to her and explained that he had a relationship with another Cylon copy of her model. Here, however, it sort of seems like she remembers having a physical relationship with him, but isn't "ready" to go back to that after her torture. Then again, her lines also be intrepretted to mean that she really never "knew" about him before she met him on ''Pegasus''. The process of Cylon memory-transfer and systematic updating isn't very well understood at this point.
*Why is it that in the last episode, "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]", Sharon is not noticably pregnant even when wearing a close-fitting tank top, but is now suddenly visibly quite progressed in her pregnancy?
**The same may be said of the physical condition of Gina. She now has no noticable scars or other markings from her ordeal on Pegasus. Baltar does comment when he sees Number Six in the corridor, however, that it has been several weeks since he saw her last. This could help explain the noticeably pregnant Sharon.

== Analysis ==

* The survivor count this episode is 49,598, a net loss of six since [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]. [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] and the ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' marine killed by [[Gina]] account for two. Presumably the remaining were pilots or crew lost during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship|attack]] on the [[Resurrection Ship]].
** This seems to be extremely good fortune, as the two battlestars engaged in a major fleet action for an extended time.
* Roslin's affair with Adar was suggested by her comment in the [[miniseries]] that "he had a way about him... you just couldn't say 'no' to him."
*Naylin Stans implies that he believes the teacher's strike is a cause worth dying for. This claim is ridiculously hyperbolic.
**The fact that President Adar was willing to use the military to enforce a back-to-work order seems to indicate that the protest must've been more serious than simple wage issues.
*Roslin's medical chart showed her name and other information such as date of birth, but this information was too blurry for viewers to read.
*Roslin's recollections of Baltar on Caprica do not match the same scene in the Miniseries. For example: Baltar and Six did walk together and kiss, and she was carrying the same case in her left hand, but they did not "make out" against a wall. Each character did end the miniseries scene by saying they were meeting someone else, however.
**Logically, it wasn't the same scene. Baltar and Six were on Caprica for a while, and they could easily have been making at a different time on the same day. The episode actually makes no attempt to establish that Roslin is seeing the same scene of Baltar and Number Six (that we the viewers saw in the Miniseries), from a different angle.
*Watching closely during the early scene when Starbuck and Kat are flying the CAP, it seems probable that actress Luciana Carro (Kat) said the real "F word" instead of the ersatz "[[Frak]]", which was then dubbed over (it's a closeup so you can tell her lips don't quite correspond to it). She actually seems to have done this in the past on many occasions.

===Serious Technical and Storyline Issues===

*Roslin's cancer cure was pure "deus ex machina." While many viewers may find Roslin's cure a necessary one as she has become a pivotal character in the show, the method of her cure leaves too many medical mistakes and is too easy of a cure.
*Cancer is not a viral disease, like AIDS or the common cold, but an invasive destruction of tissue by mutated cells, which usurp the function of healthy cells. For the cure to work the way it did would require it not only to destroy free-floating cells and metastasized tissue, but to ''repair'' any organs with healthy tissue.
**The human immune system does have some ability to suppress tumors, so a biological cure is not entirely implausible.
*As cancer is not curable here on Earth, for the show to invent a cure at the last minute may feel contrived by some.
**Some cancers are curable, especially at early stages (e.g. childhood leukemia, early cervical and types of skin cancer). Some cancers are caused by or associated with viruses (cervical cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS). However, it would have been more plausible to have the cancer held at bay or even remitted but not necessarily cured for good.

Major plot elements that form a resolution in the show's past were generally introduced and left "in the air" for suspense over several episodes while both viewers and characters learned their significance.

*These include:
**The search for the [[Arrow of Apollo]] and the search for the [[Tomb of Athena]]
**The Experiment with Helo on Caprica (Season 1)
**Adama's survival after his shooting

The "epiphany" of Baltar's cancer cure could have been worked over at least two or three episodes while he and Cottle studied Sharon Valerii's child, which is a logical way to work a cancer cure. Baltar is a tinkerer--the miracle working viewers saw in this episode would be best left to other characters in science fiction where such "magical" inventiveness might be expected. In "Battlestar Galactica", this sudden resolution of the second major plot element in the series (we hear of Roslin's terminal cancer diagnosis when we first see Roslin in the Miniseries) that has dire ramifications for the Fleet should not be resolved with the proverbial swipe of a writer's pen in a single episode.

It should be noted that the cure might not be permanent and the cancer may return in the future (as hinted by Ronald D. Moore in the podcast for this episode).

For more analysis on this and other scientific matters of the Re-imagined Series, see the article, [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]].

Other technical issues abound in this episode.

*A nuclear warhead was smuggled from ''Galactica'' to ''Cloud Nine''. How would such a device possibly get past the various [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] throughout the Fleet? This was a plot complication used in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" as well when a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] claimed that a nuclear device was hidden in the Fleet. The writing element was difficult to believe in that episode, and it far less believable in this episode. Both the battlestar and the [[Raptor]] on which the freed "freedom movement" member left the ship are military vessels ''designed'' to sniff out hostile devices.
**A significant dissent for Baltar's weapon contribution may be that the weapon he gave to the Demand Peace movement may not have ''any'' radioactive material inside it; Baltar gave them the warhead, but not the fissionable material inside. This reasoning has strong merit and precedence: (1) Baltar serves himself above all others. He wouldn't give away a weapon's plutonium which he is still personally accountable for, nor would he give such material away to people that could turn around and blow up the Fleet (and himself). (2) Baltar still needs the radiological material for his [[Cylon detector]] if a test is asked. (3) If [[Naturalistic science fiction|show creation principles]] hold true for this episode, conventional bomb materials (such [[G-4]] or sidearm ammunition) would NOT be detectable by radiological scanning. Either bomb types used on real-world Earth (fissionable-material bombs such as uranium or [[plutonium]] bombs, or fusion bombs such as hydrogen bombs) use conventional explosives to activate the trigger that creates a nuclear explosion. At best, the device that Baltar gave the Demand Peace movement may only be as dangerous as the makeshift explosive they used on the ''[[Daru Mozu]]''.
**Like any device, [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] are only effective when they are online. It is possible that these sensors are intelligent enough to ignore known radioactive sources, such as Galatica's existing stores of nuclear warheads.

*The explosion of the bomb on the refinery ship is powerful enough to create a sizable hole on the ship. While space is a vacuum and so shock waves do not carry as they would in an atmosphere, the Raptor that flew close to the ship and was not very far from the explosion should probably be damaged from flying debris.
**Raptors, being warships, presumably have some shielding against shrapnel.

== Notes ==

* This episode begins 189 days after the Cylon attack on the colonies. There is a 48 hour gap between Roslin's deathbed treatment and her conversation with [[Royan Jahee]]. The number 189 given in this episode, as well as "six months" in the previous one, contradict the [[Timeline (RDM)|timeline]] which ''BattlestarWiki'' has developed to track dates. See the [[Talk:Timeline (RDM)#6 months?|''Talk'' page on the Timeline]] for a full breakdown.
* [[Lee Adama]] is once again a Captain, and has been reinstated as ''Galactica's'' CAG. His authority apparently extends to the ''Pegasus'' squadrons as well. This is consistent with [[Cole Taylor]]'s authority over ''Galactica's'' air wing, when ''Pegasus'' was the flagship.
* [[Gina]] has joined the Cylon sympathizers. The other members of the resistance are apparently unaware she is a [[Humano-Cylon]].
* Roslin was in an intimate relationship with President Adar.
*Roslin now recalls witnessing [[Gaius Baltar]]'s affair with a copy of [[Number Six]] on Caprica, prior to the attack.
* The radiation symbol used by the colonials is different from the one used in reality, but is still easily recognizable.
*''Galactica'' has been recruiting civilians to handle "grunt work" on the hangar deck.
*Baltar was aware of the [[Demand Peace]] movement prior to this episode.
*At least three bodies can be seen being vented into space after the explosion onboard ''[[Daru Mozu]]''.
*The file photograph of Number Six is of [[Shelly Godfrey]], seen in the episode "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]".
* The nuclear device Dr. Baltar gives the resistance is the same one he was given to create his [[Cylon detector]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
* ''Pegasus'' is barely featured in this episode, and none of her crew or interior locations are seen, except in the pre-episode recap.
*Admiral Adama continues to wear his commander's [[uniform]] with new admiral's rank insignia at his collar.
**Adama is a pragmatist who tends to eschew ceremony.
*This episode, which contained the issue of abortion, was aired on January 20th, 2 days before the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court [[Wikipedia:Roe v. Wade|Roe v. Wade]] decision of 1973.
**The issue of abortion was not, however, directly addressed—very few, if any, real-life abortions happen because of the national security implications of giving birth to a human-robot chimera.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

'''President Richard Adar:''' "One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself. To anyone."
*Roslin earlier attributed this saying to Adar in the episode "[[Flesh and Bone]]".

'''Secretary Roslin:''' "I am on my way to the ''Galactica'' to represent this administration. When I return, if you still want my job, be prepared to fight."

== Official Statements ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

== Guest stars ==
[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Colm+Feore Colm Feore] ([[Richard Adar|President Adar]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] ([[Galen Tyrol]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] ([[Cally]]) [[Bodie Olmos]] ([[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]]) [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1382781/ Luciana Carro] ([[Louanne Katraine]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] ([[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]) David Richmond-Peck ([[Naylin Stans]]) Holly Dignard ([[Asha Janik]]) Paul Perri (Royan Jahee) Jennifer Kitchen (Marine)

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Epiphanies

2006-02-04T19:30:43Z

BSG-Taiwan: /* Serious Technical and Storyline Issues */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:2BATejC05.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Epiphanies
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 13
| Guests=[[Colin Feore]] as President [[Richard Adar|Adar]]
| Writer=Joel Anderson Thompson
| Story=
| Director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| Production=2.13
| Rating=
| US Airdate=January 20 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population=49,598
| Prev= [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
| Next= [[Black Market]]
}}




== Overview ==

: ''Admiral [[William Adama]] questions whether or not [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]'s pregnancy should be aborted. Meanwhile Roslin's health declines rapidly as a pro-Cylon peace group attempts to sow violence and discontent within the Fleet.''

== Summary ==

* President [[Laura Roslin]] is brought on board ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. She has days to live.
* Captain [[Kara Thrace]] and Lieutenant [[Louanne Katraine]] are conducting Viper tests. During a test of the Viper's projectile systems, Kat's port gun is destroyed and a piece of it impacts on Thrace's cockpit.
* [[Cally]] and CPO [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] discover that several rounds of ammunition from the damaged Viper are unusually light and fragile. These rounds break and misfire, leaving the projectile lodged in the barrel. When the next round fires, the overpressure destroys the gun. They determine the ammunition has been sabotaged.
*The sabotage investigation quickly leads [[Lee Adama]] and Kara Thrace to [[Asha Janik]], one of the recent civilian hirees in ''Galactica's'' armory. When they apprehend her, she declares her allegiance to an organization claiming to want peace with the Cylons.
*Vice President [[Gaius Baltar]] is given the presidential tour by [[Billy Keikeya]] in preparation for his assumption of the Presidency. Billy reveals a letter from Roslin, to be opened upon her death.
* The new peace movement, led by [[Royan Jahee]], gains momentum as the civilian population begins to realize that victory against the Cylons is impossible and questions the fleet's 'attack-and-retreat' tactics.
* An infusion of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon's]] fetal blood ostensibly destroys the cancerous masses in Roslin's system. Sharon's pregnancy is allowed to continue for further research.

===On Caprica Prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon Attack]]===
*Roslin finds out she has cancer.
*Roslin meets with President Adar to discuss a teacher's strike, and his response.
*Roslin meets with the leader of the educational alliance, [[Naylin Stans]], and strikes an agreement.
*Adar disagrees with Roslin's methods and results, and asks for her resignation.
*Roslin refuses to resign and departs for ''Galactica's'' decommisioning ceremony.
*Roslin sees [[Gaius Baltar]] with [[Number Six]] in her dream state. She then seems alarmed to see Dr. Baltar when she wakes up and tries to say something to him.

== Questions ==

*Kara Thrace is flying Mk. II vipers with Galactica's pilots again. Is she still the CAG of ''Pegasus''?
**According to interviews with RDM, Starbuck is still the ''Pegasus'' CAG. There's nothing to say she couldn't just continue flying joint missions with ''Galactica'', etc.
***Indeed, Kat remarks that Starbuck is "late" for flying the CAP, presumably the patrols are now a joint effort between the two Battlestars, possibly as an attempt to boost intraship morale after they nearly destroyed one another.
*Now that Roslin recalls Baltar's involvment with a Cylon agent on Caprica, what will she do about it?
*Will there be any consequences for Helo's near-mutiny?
*Will Roslin's attitude toward the Cylon fetus change following her recovery?
**Ronald D. Moore's podcast implies that her urgency was only prompted by her lack of faith in Baltar's ability to handle the situation. Will she be content to let to Sharon carry to term now that her survival is no longer in question?
*Roslin's recent series of machiavellian orders (Cain's assasination in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]", and the forced abortion here) appear to have been faciliated by her belief that, given her impending death, she wouldn't have to deal with the ethical ramifications. Will this alter her relationship with Admiral Adama in the long term?
*Is security really so lax that Baltar (whom Adama does not consider especially trustworthy) would be able to smuggle one of ''Galactica's'' very few nuclear warheads off-ship?
**He didn't steal it from the armory, it's the one he used to build the Cylon detector; he's got 24 hours a day unrestricted access to it.
**Raptors are capable of detecting radiological devices. Why wasn't the bomb noticed in transit? If it's possible to effectively shield a nuclear device from detection, why don't the Cylons do this to their own warheads?
**Alternately, is the nuclear device actually functional?
**According to Ron Moore's podcast, the nuke storyline will be dealt with in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I" and "...Part II" to end the season.
**How much of the device was used for Baltar's "Cylon Detector"? Has it been dismantled to restore the explosive?
*Why aren't there posters of [[Gina]] scattered all over the fleet to inform everyone of her Cylon identity, making it difficult for her to hide, let alone lead a Cylon-sympathy movement?
**Ronald Moore did admit during his podcast that this was Gina's "Clark Kent" disguise and it was very shaky the way they played it off that nobody would recognize her. Will this loose end be tied-up in some future story line when they get further into the Colonial underground storylines that the next few episodes are supposed to follow?
**On the other hand, Gina does not appear to be leaving her room on ''Cloud 9'' that much, and the humans who do see her are Cylon sympathizers anyway.
*Does Gina "remember" Number Six's memories about having a relationship with Baltar on Caprica, or even after? In "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", she did not seem to know him, as Baltar introduced himself to her and explained that he had a relationship with another Cylon copy of her model. Here, however, it sort of seems like she remembers having a physical relationship with him, but isn't "ready" to go back to that after her torture. Then again, her lines also be intrepretted to mean that she really never "knew" about him before she met him on ''Pegasus''. The process of Cylon memory-transfer and systematic updating isn't very well understood at this point.
*Why is it that in the last episode, "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]", Sharon is not noticably pregnant even when wearing a close-fitting tank top, but is now suddenly visibly quite progressed in her pregnancy?
**The same may be said of the physical condition of Gina. She now has no noticable scars or other markings from her ordeal on Pegasus. Baltar does comment when he sees Number Six in the corridor, however, that it has been several weeks since he saw her last. This could help explain the noticeably pregnant Sharon.

== Analysis ==

* The survivor count this episode is 49,598, a net loss of six since [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]. [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] and the ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' marine killed by [[Gina]] account for two. Presumably the remaining were pilots or crew lost during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship|attack]] on the [[Resurrection Ship]].
** This seems to be extremely good fortune, as the two battlestars engaged in a major fleet action for an extended time.
* Roslin's affair with Adar was suggested by her comment in the [[miniseries]] that "he had a way about him... you just couldn't say 'no' to him."
*Naylin Stans implies that he believes the teacher's strike is a cause worth dying for. This claim is ridiculously hyperbolic.
**The fact that President Adar was willing to use the military to enforce a back-to-work order seems to indicate that the protest must've been more serious than simple wage issues.
*Roslin's medical chart showed her name and other information such as date of birth, but this information was too blurry for viewers to read.
*Roslin's recollections of Baltar on Caprica do not match the same scene in the Miniseries. For example: Baltar and Six did walk together and kiss, and she was carrying the same case in her left hand, but they did not "make out" against a wall. Each character did end the miniseries scene by saying they were meeting someone else, however.
**Logically, it wasn't the same scene. Baltar and Six were on Caprica for a while, and they could easily have been making at a different time on the same day. The episode actually makes no attempt to establish that Roslin is seeing the same scene of Baltar and Number Six (that we the viewers saw in the Miniseries), from a different angle.
*Watching closely during the early scene when Starbuck and Kat are flying the CAP, it seems probable that actress Luciana Carro (Kat) said the real "F word" instead of the ersatz "[[Frak]]", which was then dubbed over (it's a closeup so you can tell her lips don't quite correspond to it). She actually seems to have done this in the past on many occasions.

===Serious Technical and Storyline Issues===

*Roslin's cancer cure was pure "deus ex machina." While many viewers may find Roslin's cure a necessary one as she has become a pivotal character in the show, the method of her cure leaves too many medical mistakes and is too easy of a cure.
*Cancer is not a viral disease, like AIDS or the common cold, but an invasive destruction of tissue by mutated cells, which usurp the function of healthy cells. For the cure to work the way it did would require it not only to destroy free-floating cells and metastasized tissue, but to ''repair'' any organs with healthy tissue.
**The human immune system does have some ability to suppress tumors, so a biological cure is not entirely implausible.
*As cancer is not curable here on Earth, for the show to invent a cure at the last minute may feel contrived by some.
**Some cancers are curable, especially at early stages (e.g. childhood leukemia, early cervical and types of skin cancer). Some cancers are caused by or associated with viruses (cervical cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS). However, it would have been more plausible to have the cancer held in bay or even remitted but not necessarily cured for good.

Major plot elements that form a resolution in the show's past were generally introduced and left "in the air" for suspense over several episodes while both viewers and characters learned their significance.

*These include:
**The search for the [[Arrow of Apollo]] and the search for the [[Tomb of Athena]]
**The Experiment with Helo on Caprica (Season 1)
**Adama's survival after his shooting

The "epiphany" of Baltar's cancer cure could have been worked over at least two or three episodes while he and Cottle studied Sharon Valerii's child, which is a logical way to work a cancer cure. Baltar is a tinkerer--the miracle working viewers saw in this episode would be best left to other characters in science fiction where such "magical" inventiveness might be expected. In "Battlestar Galactica", this sudden resolution of the second major plot element in the series (we hear of Roslin's terminal cancer diagnosis when we first see Roslin in the Miniseries) that has dire ramifications for the Fleet should not be resolved with the proverbial swipe of a writer's pen in a single episode.

It should be noted that the cure might not be permanent and the cancer may return in the future (as hinted by Ronald D. Moore in the podcast for this episode).

For more analysis on this and other scientific matters of the Re-imagined Series, see the article, [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]].

Other technical issues abound in this episode.

*A nuclear warhead was smuggled from ''Galactica'' to ''Cloud Nine''. How would such a device possibly get past the various [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] throughout the Fleet? This was a plot complication used in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" as well when a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] claimed that a nuclear device was hidden in the Fleet. The writing element was difficult to believe in that episode, and it far less believable in this episode. Both the battlestar and the [[Raptor]] on which the freed "freedom movement" member left the ship are military vessels ''designed'' to sniff out hostile devices.
**A significant dissent for Baltar's weapon contribution may be that the weapon he gave to the Demand Peace movement may not have ''any'' radioactive material inside it; Baltar gave them the warhead, but not the fissionable material inside. This reasoning has strong merit and precedence: (1) Baltar serves himself above all others. He wouldn't give away a weapon's plutonium which he is still personally accountable for, nor would he give such material away to people that could turn around and blow up the Fleet (and himself). (2) Baltar still needs the radiological material for his [[Cylon detector]] if a test is asked. (3) If [[Naturalistic science fiction|show creation principles]] hold true for this episode, conventional bomb materials (such [[G-4]] or sidearm ammunition) would NOT be detectable by radiological scanning. Either bomb types used on real-world Earth (fissionable-material bombs such as uranium or [[plutonium]] bombs, or fusion bombs such as hydrogen bombs) use conventional explosives to activate the trigger that creates a nuclear explosion. At best, the device that Baltar gave the Demand Peace movement may only be as dangerous as the makeshift explosive they used on the ''[[Daru Mozu]]''.
**Like any device, [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] are only effective when they are online. It is possible that these sensors are intelligent enough to ignore known radioactive sources, such as Galatica's existing stores of nuclear warheads.

*The explosion of the bomb on the refinery ship is powerful enough to create a sizable hole on the ship. While space is a vacuum and so shock waves do not carry as they would in an atmosphere, the Raptor that flew close to the ship and was not very far from the explosion should probably be damaged from flying debris.
**Raptors, being warships, presumably have some shielding against shrapnel.

== Notes ==

* This episode begins 189 days after the Cylon attack on the colonies. There is a 48 hour gap between Roslin's deathbed treatment and her conversation with [[Royan Jahee]]. The number 189 given in this episode, as well as "six months" in the previous one, contradict the [[Timeline (RDM)|timeline]] which ''BattlestarWiki'' has developed to track dates. See the [[Talk:Timeline (RDM)#6 months?|''Talk'' page on the Timeline]] for a full breakdown.
* [[Lee Adama]] is once again a Captain, and has been reinstated as ''Galactica's'' CAG. His authority apparently extends to the ''Pegasus'' squadrons as well. This is consistent with [[Cole Taylor]]'s authority over ''Galactica's'' air wing, when ''Pegasus'' was the flagship.
* [[Gina]] has joined the Cylon sympathizers. The other members of the resistance are apparently unaware she is a [[Humano-Cylon]].
* Roslin was in an intimate relationship with President Adar.
*Roslin now recalls witnessing [[Gaius Baltar]]'s affair with a copy of [[Number Six]] on Caprica, prior to the attack.
* The radiation symbol used by the colonials is different from the one used in reality, but is still easily recognizable.
*''Galactica'' has been recruiting civilians to handle "grunt work" on the hangar deck.
*Baltar was aware of the [[Demand Peace]] movement prior to this episode.
*At least three bodies can be seen being vented into space after the explosion onboard ''[[Daru Mozu]]''.
*The file photograph of Number Six is of [[Shelly Godfrey]], seen in the episode "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]".
* The nuclear device Dr. Baltar gives the resistance is the same one he was given to create his [[Cylon detector]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
* ''Pegasus'' is barely featured in this episode, and none of her crew or interior locations are seen, except in the pre-episode recap.
*Admiral Adama continues to wear his commander's [[uniform]] with new admiral's rank insignia at his collar.
**Adama is a pragmatist who tends to eschew ceremony.
*This episode, which contained the issue of abortion, was aired on January 20th, 2 days before the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court [[Wikipedia:Roe v. Wade|Roe v. Wade]] decision of 1973.
**The issue of abortion was not, however, directly addressed—very few, if any, real-life abortions happen because of the national security implications of giving birth to a human-robot chimera.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

'''President Richard Adar:''' "One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself. To anyone."
*Roslin earlier attributed this saying to Adar in the episode "[[Flesh and Bone]]".

'''Secretary Roslin:''' "I am on my way to the ''Galactica'' to represent this administration. When I return, if you still want my job, be prepared to fight."

== Official Statements ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

== Guest stars ==
[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Colm+Feore Colm Feore] ([[Richard Adar|President Adar]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] ([[Galen Tyrol]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] ([[Cally]]) [[Bodie Olmos]] ([[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]]) [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1382781/ Luciana Carro] ([[Louanne Katraine]]) [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] ([[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]) David Richmond-Peck ([[Naylin Stans]]) Holly Dignard ([[Asha Janik]]) Paul Perri (Royan Jahee) Jennifer Kitchen (Marine)

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Pegasus (episode)

2005-10-09T18:18:54Z

BSG-Taiwan: /* Summary */

: ''For information related the [[battlestar]] ''Pegasus'' itself, see ''[[Pegasus]]''.''

== Overview ==
: ''Tensions run high when the ''Pegasus'', a battlestar more advanced than the ''[[Galactica]]'', is found -- only to have Admiral [[Nelena Cain]] usurp command of the fleet and foist her demands on those under her new command.''

== Summary ==
*''Pegasus'', a [[Mercury-class]] [[battlestar]], has joined the fleet. She survived the attack by [[blind-jump]]ing as the [[Cylon]]s attacked the [[Scorpion Ship Yards]].
* A Cylon fleet, comprised of two [[basestar]]s, about a dozen support ships and an [[Unknown Cylon Ship]] have been trailing the fleet -- and detected by Cain and ''Pegasus''.
**''Pegasus'' discovered this Cylon Fleet and have been carrying out hit-and-run attacks against the Cylons. At first the Cylon Fleet's course seemed to be random, until Cain realized they were going to systems with natural resources. Cain then tried to predict which system the Cylons were going to Jump to, and stumbled upon ''Galactica''; after looking over ''Galactica's'' logs, Cain surmises that the Cylon fleet was following ''Galactica'' (which itself was Jumping to systems with natural resources for the civilian fleet, ("[[Water]]", ("[[The Hand of God]]"), etc).
* Upon assuming command of the fleet, Cain begins moving crew members around, citing discipline concerns, transferring [[Lee Adama]] and [[Kara Thrace]] to ''Pegasus''.
* President [[Laura Roslin]] has concerns why Cain ignores her requests to talk, but more importantly, why ''Pegasus'' is only resupplying ''Galactica's'' military stores and ignoring the civilian fleet's needs.
* Tyrol welcomes his civilian counterpart from ''Pegasus''. [[Laird]] is an aeronautical engineer-turned Deck Chief that designed the old engines in the [[Blackbird]], and who's both appalled and impressed by Tyrol's new stealth fighter.
* Lee is essentially busted down to [[Raptor]] pilot in a recon mission to the Cylon fleet. But he shows his defiant side by asking Kara to commandeer the Blackbird to take some better recon photos of the fleet without being noticed by Colonial ''or'' Cylon forces.
* [[Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] discover that [[Gina]], the Cylon prisoner aboard the ''Pegasus'', was raped by the crew as a form of torture. They rush to ''Galactica'''s brig, where a ''Pegasus'' lieutenant, [[Thorne]], is about to rape Sharon. Tyrol throws Thorne against a bulkhead, unintentionally killing him. The pair are arrested for courts-martial.
*Commander Adama is angered to hear that Admiral Cain is going to hold the court-martial on ''Pegasus'', not ''Galactica'' where the offense occurred. Cain assures Adama that they will be given a fair trial.
*Admiral Cain, however, does not give the pair a court martial hearing or trial by jury, instead rapidly deciding the verdict by herself and ordering Helo and Tyrol to be executed.
*Upon discovering what Admiral Cain has done, Commander Adama orders a Raptor to fly out with an armed Marine boarding party and launches ''Galactica's'' Vipers against ''Pegasus'', demanding that Admiral Cain release [[Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]].
*Admiral Cain refuses to return the prisoners, and balks at the thought of an "independent tribunal" to settle the dispute. Using Adama's logs against him once more, she notes that the [[Litmus|last time Galactica held one]], Commander Adama dissolved the tribunal when he "didn't like the verdict." Adama refuses to back down and insists that he will get his men back.
*Admiral Cain launches ''Pegasus''' Vipers against the incoming Vipers from ''Galactica''. They close in on each other as the episode ends.

== Questions ==

*Will Starbuck and her [[Blackbird]] stealth fighter play a role in the armed standoff between ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''?
**Although we won't know until [[Resurrection Ship|next episode]], that seems initially unlikely, as the Blackbird is being used for the Recon mission against the Cylon "Unknown". The episode seemed to suggest that both were occurring at the same time.
*Where did the ''Pegasus'' crew get fresh fruit?
**Dualla explains in "[[Final Cut]]" that their ships have very effective refrigeration units to keep food fresh for long duration duty tours, etc.
*In the absence of Apollo and Starbuck, who is leading Galactica's fighters against Pegasus? [[George Birch]]? [[Symes]]?
*As for the unknown ship in the Cylon fleet, what ''is'' its function? Is it, as Adama speculates, a Raider factory? Or a Command-and-Control vessel? Could it be a Humano-Cylon creation facility? The next episodes' title, "Resurrection Ship," could foreshadow that possibility, as when Humano-Cylons "die" they're downloaded into new bodies. Where would these new bodies be stockpiled?
**Could the title "Resurrection Ship" refer to ''Pegasus'', as it was presumed to be dead but "came back"?
*Could the new "Cylon mothership" be a command ship that contains the Re-Imagined Series' equivalent of the [[Imperious Leader]]?
*Roslin is commander-in-chief of the Colonial fleet. Could she be the one to order Cain to stand down by citing regulations to Roslin's benefit in the same way that Cain has done against Adama? Roslin could also order another member of ''Pegasus'' to assume command to enforce this. At the same time, Roslin's never been the type to use force, and may use other means to keep this event from turning into a bloodbath.
*Does the Blackbird have FTL? It's a bit smaller than the Raptor and, if it's based on the Viper design, wouldn't have one. At the same time, how is Starbuck supposed to go on the recon mission without one?
**Based on the information provided for the [[Raptor]] and [[Viper]], both ships are similar in size. A possibility could be in the amount of energy generated by both fighters. Seeing as the Raptor is equipped with more surveillance & communication equipment, it may have additional generators to power a [[FTL]] Drive. Refer to talk page for additional discussion regarding Blackbird FTL capability.
** Are the Vipers going on the recon mission? If not, why is it a blow to Apollo's honor for him to be piloting a Raptor? And how are the Vipers supposed to get there if they have to jump to the moon?

== Analysis ==
*[[Cally]]'s charged reaction to the drunken Pegasus crewmen ''bragging'' about raping Number Six/Gina repeatedly is probably due to herself being the survivor of an attempted rape, in "[[Bastille Day]]".
*Talking amongst themselves on Cylon-occupied Caprica, the Cylons mentioned in passing that there was a main Cylon fleet in "[[Final Cut]]".
*In the miniseries, Adama first proposes that the ''Galactica'' will go about independent of the rest of the fleet and fight the Cylons. Roslin persuades him to instead protect and lead the fleet on their escape from the colonies. The ''Pegasus'', in contrast, ''did'' travel about independently attacking the Cylons. The condition of the ''Pegasus'''s crew may be an indication of what would have happened to the ''Galactica'' if she stood and fought.
*In contrast to ''Galactica'''s nearly evenly gender-divided crew, the crew of the ''Pegasus'' seems predominantly male to a very high degree. Admiral Cain was the only female aboard ''Pegasus'' with a speaking role, with only a couple other females visible in the hallways or in the ''Pegasus'' ready room. This stands in notable contrast to Ron Moore's egalitarian vision of gender issues in the military, and appears to have been an intentional decision made during production. In addition, the dialogue of the drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmen suggests they've perhaps forgotten how to act around women— they either ignore or fail to understand Cally and Selix's disgust with their talk about gang-raping Gina. This may be a contributing factor to the behavior of the ''Pegasus'' crew—the relative paucity of women aboard the ''Pegasus'' and the resulting sexual frustration could have led to the overly regimented, authoritarian, and brutal culture the crew developed, culminating in the senseless, repeated gang rape of the Cylon prisoner [[Gina]].
*Cally's disgust with the ''Pegasus'' crew's gang-rape of Gina is interesting in light of the fact that she had no compunctions about killing the ''Galactica'' copy of Boomer herself. Evidently she now acknowledges the Cylons' humanity in at least some measure. Perhaps she's felt a connection between this and her own assault on board ''[[Astral Queen]]'' by [[Mason]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
**It's also possible that, since her fellow female deck crew also look disgusted and follow her out, women just don't appreciate talk about rape in general. RDM says something to this effect in the podcast.
*It is also interesting on a dramatic level how the portrayal of Cally's killing Galactica-Boomer in "[[Resistance]]" contrasts with the portrayal of the brutalized Gina and the attempted rape of Boomer. It was less shocking to many to watch Boomer being shot to death than it was to watch Boomer being pinned down over her bunk and almost raped—possibly because, while killing Boomer is an understandable act of revenge, raping her would be a senseless act of cruelty.
*[[Laird]], ''Pegasus' '' deck chief, refers to events since "the war happened". Admiral Cain and her ''Pegasus'' crew seem to still consider fighting against the Cylons to be a war, while in the [[Mini-series]] Commander Adama admitted that "the war is over, we lost".
**Laird is still on the ''Galactica'' during the period immediately leading up to the assault on Caprica-Valerii. As the deck chief of the ''Pegasus'' wouldn't his presence be required on his own ship or has he, like Apollo and Starbuck, been reassigned?
***According to the podcast in a scene delted for time Laird is reassigned as deck chief of Galactica over Tyrol. Of course, that raises the question of who is now performing deck chief duty on Pegasus.

== Notes ==

*Population count is 49,605, a dramatic increase of 1,752 since the 47,853 count in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", undoubtedly to account for the addition of Battlestar ''[[Pegasus]]'' and her crew to the Colonial fleet.
**Cain notes that Pegasus lost 700 crew in the opening attack. Lieutenant [[Thorne]] also tells [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] that Gina killed 7 of his men. Also, Colonel [[Jack Fisk]] tells Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] that Cain executed the previous XO for failure to attack a Cylon staging area. Thus we may speculate that at the time of the attack her crew totalled to 2,460, give or take a few.
***This number does not take into account any casualties that may have occured because of the attack on the Cylon staging area, or any subsequent encounters with the Cylons.
***Given the relative ease that Cain had with removing disloyal officers -- according to Colonel Fisk, her XO had served with her for many years prior to his execution by Cain -- there may be additional officers she had swiftly court martialed (ref: Tyrol and Agathon) and executed as well. Given Cain's meglomaniac streak, it is also possible that some of the civilians she'd rescued from the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards may have met unfortunate "mishaps" as well.
**This is substantially smaller than [[Galactica]]'s crew, possibly explained by many of Cain's crew being on leave at the time of the attack. Galactica, although soon to be decomissioned, was still fully operational. Also, Pegasus's systems are newer, and may be more automated.
**Also, as [[Laird]] indicates, many civilians were pressed into service. So the actual number of actual pre-Holocaust ''Pegasus'' crew members may be far less than indicated above.
*[[Kat]] flies wingman to [[Apollo]] in the opening sequence of this episode, as the [[CAP]] scouts ''Pegasus''. Evidently she's been judged fit to resume flight status after negligently destroying a Viper due to overuse of [[Stims]] in "[[Final Cut]]".
* As the episode ends, it's interesting to see that the bulk of [[Galactica]]'s Viper fleet consist of the Mark II's, while [[Pegasus]] had the Mark VII's. A classic picture of "old vs. new".
**While ''Pegasus'' seems to have entirely Viper Mk. VII's, they would presumably have had to removed most of the automated systems from them (to prevent Cylon virus infiltration). Doing this makes them more difficult to fly (''Galactica's'' few Mk. VII's are only used by the most capable pilots now). ''Pegasus' '' pilots might have more advanced fighers but they aren't as reliable now as the tried-and-true Mk. II's.
* [[Nelena Cain]] is the female version of [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]], who was portrayed by the late [[Lloyd Bridges]] in the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978)|Battlestar Galactica]]''.
* This episode is inspired by the two part episode, "[[The Living Legend, Part I (TOS)|The Living Legend]]".
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] also wrote another episode called [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Pegasus The Pegasus], in the seventh season of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''.
* Visual effects gaffe: When we cut to ''Galactica's'' exterior as Adama makes is way to the bridge, it is behind and slightly above and to the left of ''Pegasus''. When we see it again a few minutes later as it launches Vipers towards ''Galactica'', it's quite a distance away from the fleet, above it and facing its left side.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*'''Baltar''' (to Gina): The food is yours. It's not a trick. I'm not going to take it away at the last second. You know, I...um...I'm just gonna talk right now. I don't expect you to say anything. Back on Caprica, before the attack—and sometimes I forget there was a world before the attack—I knew someone…a woman, unlike any other woman I'd ever known. She was unique. Beautiful, clever, intensely sensual. When she wasn't in my bed, she was in my thoughts. She was a Cylon. And she changed my life in a very real, very fundamental way in that I have quite literally never stopped thinking about her, because I love her. To this very day, I love her. And she looks exactly like you. My name is Gaius Baltar, and I'm here to help you.

* ''Cain and Adama are discussing Helo and Tyrol's court-martial over wireles''
:'''Adama''': You told me they'd get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could they have possibly had?
:'''Cain''': I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision, Commander, but I dare say it was a fair one.
:'''Adama''': They have the right to have their case heard by a jury.
:'''Cain''': I am a flag officer on detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter.
:'''Adama''' (to Tigh): Launch the fighters. (to Cain): You can quote me whatever regulation you'd like. I'm not going to let you execute my men.
:'''Cain''': I highly suggest you reconsider that statement, Commander.
:'''Fisk''': Admiral, ''Galactica'' is launching Vipers and a Raptor.
:'''Cain''': Commander, why are you launching Vipers?
:'''Adama''': Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my marines as soon as they arrive.
:'''Cain''': I don't take orders from you!
:'''Adama''': Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men.
:'''Cain''': You are making such a mistake.
:'''Adama''': I'm getting my men.

== Official Statements ==
*Ron D. Moore stated in his podcast that there were a number of scenes filmed for this episode that had to be deleted for time, but that he expects to be edited back into the episode for the DVD release. According to Moore, although most episode rough cuts run a little overtime and one or two scenes have to be edited out, "Pegasus" had more than a full extra Act worth of material left over. The full episode would have been an hour and 15 minutes long. Moore tried to put in more scened to push it to 90 minutes, in which case Scifi Channel would aire it as a 90 minutes special (as they had done in the past for "Stargate Sg-1" on occasion), but ultimately not enough material could be included in "Pegasus" to make it 90 minutes long without detracting from story quality; they were left with an episode that was too short to be a 90 minute special, but also too long to include all filmed scenes in a one hour episode. Deleted scenes, which Moore says will be resorted in the DVD release, include:
**A scene when Adama, Tigh, and Roslin are heading to the flight deck to meet Admiral Cain when she first arrives on the ship, and while they're walking Adama and Tigh give Roslin a brief biography of Cain; who she is, that she was an up and coming officer promoted to Admiral over several other possible choices, etc.
**An extension to Admiral Cain's meeting with Adama and Roslin in Adama's quarters, in which she explains that ''Pegasus'' survived Cylon computer virus infiltration through the [[Command Navigation Program]] because ''Pegasus'' was being overhauled at the shipyards, and most of her computers were disconnected.
**An extension to the scene in Cain's quarters on ''Pegasus'' where Adama and Cain discuss how Pegasus is a [[Mercury-class]] battlestar, and the differences between this newer model and ''Galactica''. Cain also explains that she intentionally doesn't have any chairs there so her meetings with her staff will run faster.
**A scene where Admiral Cain asks about ''Galactica's'' Cylon-prisoner, Caprica-Sharon, and goes to the brig to observe her.
**An entire subplot alluded to in the episode when Roslin complains to Adama that ''Pegasus'' is focusing on re-supplying the Fleet's military assets (re-arming ''Galactica'' and re-supplying ''Pegasus'' from stores in the civillilan fleet) while ignoring the needs of the civillian fleet. The subplot show how Roslin wanted ''Pegasus'' to provide machine parts for repairs to the civillian Fleet, and that after these are repeatedly ignored the civillian fleet ultimately goees "on strike" by refusing to give ''Pegasus'' more [[tylium]] fuel. It would also expand on Cain's refusal to acknowledge Roslin as the President (and therefore her superior as Commander-in-Chief).
*Moore also stated in the podcast that an alternate version of the attempted rape scene with Boomer was also filmed in which the rape was actually underway when Tyrol and Helo intervened. Ultimately, the decision was made to use the version seen where Thorne is stopped just in time, before he is able to rape Boomer.

== Statistics ==

=== Guest Stars ===

* Michelle Forbes as Admiral [[Nelena Cain]]
* Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
* Sebastian Spence as Pegasus pilot
* Fulvio Cecere as Lieutenant Alistair [[Thorne|Thorne]]
* Vincent Gale as Chief Petty Officer Peter [[Laird|Laird]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] as [[Racetrack]]

=== Writing & Direction ===

*Written by [[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
*Directed by [[Michael Rymer]]

=== Production Notes ===

*Series 2 (2005/2006)
*Production Number: 2.10
*Airdate Order: 10 (of 20)

=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===

*UK Airdate:
*US Airdate: September 23rd, 2005
*DVD Release:

{{Episode List}}
[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]

Louis Hoshi

2005-08-05T01:33:14Z

BSG-Taiwan: possible etymology

'''Hoshi''' is a petty officer onboard the [[battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus]]'', under the command of Admiral [[Nelena Cain]] ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]). It means "star" in Japanese.

[[Category: A to Z]] [[Category: Characters]] [[Category: RDM]]

Ellen Tigh

2005-08-05T01:30:02Z

BSG-Taiwan: copyedits

[[Image:Bsg-ellen-1.jpg|thumb|Ellen Tigh (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)]]

Estranged wife of Saul [[Tigh]]

Children: None

(Played by: [[Kate Vernon]])

Ellen Tigh is a man-hungry predator, and the reason, according to [[William Adama]] Saul Tigh took to drink. While her husband was away from home, she apparently "went through half the fleet".

Estranged from her husband, Ellen Tigh claims to have been on [[Picon]] at the time of the Cylon attack, on her way back to Gemenon for a reunion with her husband. When the airport was hit in the attack, she claims some un-named heroic soul found her unconscious body and got her on to one of the last transports out, and she has been unconscious aboard the ''[[Rising Star]]'' for some three weeks prior to Adama finding her.

Following her reunion with her husband, Ellen claims she wants to make a fresh start ([[Secrets and Lies]]), but no sooner as Tigh - still hopelessly in love with her - agreed, than she is getting him back on the bottle and is flirting openly with other men - first an unwilling [[Lee Adama]], with whom she tries to engage in a game of footsie under the table while she and her husband have dinner with Lee, his father and [[Laura Roslin]]. Later she flirts with [[Gaius Baltar]] with greater effect - annoying her husband in the process.

Not only are her claims of rescue suspect - no-one on the ''Rising Star'' can remember treating her through her long weeks of unconsciousness - Ellen takes an unnatural interest in Adama's plans to lead the fleet to Earth, almost badgering him into trying to reveal how long the journey will take. Her actions seem to support Adama's cautionary - and unbeknownst to Tigh - act of having Baltar scan her blood sample to see if she is a Cylon.

While Ellen's mischief-making could be put down to her nature, and so hidden desire to drive a wedge between her husband and Adama, she does appear to be human, according to Baltar's tests, and this has quited Adama's suspicion. However, unbeknownst to all, Dr. Baltar has sabotaged his own Cylon detection efforts; fearing that exposing a Cylon agent would make himself a target for assasination, Dr. Baltar now lets everyone "pass" the Cylon test, regardless of the test's true result. Ellen's status as a human or Cylon remains an open question, but as Commander Adama pointed out, "Cylon or not, she's nothing but trouble"...

--[[User:Ernestborg9|Colonial Archivist]] 22:53, 8 Jan 2005 (EST)

[[Category:A to Z]]
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