Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Talk:The Passage/Archive 1

2006-12-17T21:21:22Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Three killing herself softly */

== I cried ==
When I watched the episode tonight, I cried at the end. It was a really sad ending. If an episode makes me cry, that means ''it'' was '''really''' good. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 00:31, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:I was just left in shock. What a way to die...and to do it knowingly while saving a civilian ship... [[User:Xenophon10k|Xenophon10k]] 07:46, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:You weren't the only one, Shane. You weren't the only one. Note to Self: When an episode summary says "we'll learn more about a character in this episode," prepare for mourning. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 08:42, 9 December 2006 (CST)
::I love Kat, I also shed a tear. :'( --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 12:14, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:::I saluted her picture as Starbuck hung it up, with tears in my eyes. This is one of the few episodes I've watched this season while not having a few beers in me, and I'm glad I did so. I'd have probably been Weepy McEmo all night otherwise. You can bet that, next Friday, I'll be pouring one out for Kat. --[[User:Slander|Slander]] 14:28, 11 December 2006 (CST)

== Tether? ==

Why didn't Galactica just tether the Raptors to their ships? Or use the magnetic clamps that Raptors have to literally attach to the ships? They wouldn't lose any ships, it would save time, and be safer all at the same time. - [[User:Linaf|Linaf]] 09:21, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:Jumping is precise, but not that precise. We don't know if a Jump between tethered ships, if they didn't occur simultaneously, would be a fatal move, or do nothing. In any case, the intense heat and buffeting in the cloud would likely make a tether snap or melt and be worthless. Magnetic clamping might have been possible given that Vipers that perform combat landings hold themselves fast within Galactica. However, performing a Jump while ''outside'' of another ship (which is also Jumping) is probably a Bad Idea. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 10:06, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:Likely for the same reason Galactica has to close flight pods: Each ship's ftl drive is only capable of allowing it to jump, dragging a raptor along likely is no more possible the for galactica to jump with deployed flight pods. --[[User:Ghilz|Ghilz]] 21:07, 9 December 2006 (CST)

I'm sorry but this part of the story still doesn't make sense to me. Why did the raptors have to be outside of the ships to give them jump coordinates? If radiation would fry the civilian ship computers why not simply park a raptor in their landing bays and let their computers do the work.--[[User:Boonton|Boonton]] 20:15, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:Likely because the Raptor's sensors cant operate from inside a metal, radiation shielded landing bay... They werent designed for that type of use. Also, it may be very likely that many ships lack a landing bay, instead relying on airlocks to connect to other ships. --[[User:Ghilz|Ghilz]] 21:07, 9 December 2006 (CST)

:It still doesn't make sense to me. Why not weld the raptor directly to the out hull of the civilian ships? If the rapter's computers are so well shielded why not just wrap the computers of the civilian ships in protective armour. Clearly the jump computers are small enough to be contained in a small rapter so the amount of material necessary to harden them couldn't be all that much

::Simple answer: it wouldn't have been very dramatic from a storytelling point of view, would it? The fact that the civilian ships relied on the Raptors and their pilots- who, clearly, are fallible- increases the tension exponentially. It hits our characters that bit harder when ships are lost, because they feel it is their fault. By giving the civilian ships the same capabilities of the Raptors, you take away the whole point of having the episode :) --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 12:18, 10 December 2006 (CST)

:: Dramatic presentations aside, many civilian ships could have carried a Raptor in their cargo hull until after the first jump. Then they could launch their Raptor and make the second jump. Colonial One, a ship actually small enough to land in Galactica's landing bay, is shown with a Raptor in it's hull during the mini-series. Colonial One also rescued Apollo's Viper when he had an emergency. [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 18:38, 10 December 2006 (CST)

::: It seems to me to be a poor idea to open your landing bay in the middle of that radiation storm, whatever it was. That could be a good excuse for not doing that one. --[[User:Larrik|Larrik]] 22:38, 12 December 2006 (CST)

::Welding the raptors would have taken more time than the fleet could have really afforded. Plus, though it seems like a good idea, the intense heat inside that star cluster seems to indicate that if they were to try that, the raptor and the ship would become inseparable because of the melding of the metal. Every raptor that came back was charred and smoking, not sure if they would have been able to pull each attached raptor off the ships. --[[User:LifeStar|LifeStar]] 10:28, 12 December 2006 (CST)

==Did Kat Die?==
I know this is a stupid question but why did starbuck a picture of her in the memorial hall? Snorkel378
:Yes, she died because she received a twice-fatal dose of radiation --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:10, 9 December 2006 (CST)

Then WHy did Adama Still MAke Her CAG? WHo would make someone who is dead Be A CAG. And We never saw her die. snorkel378
:It's glaringly obvious that she died. We didn't need to see her last breath to know it. She received two fatal doses. She was dying in sickbay. Kara gave her pills if she wanted to comitt suicide, because dying from radiation poisoning is extremly ugly.
:The promotion is a honorary and morale thing. It was merely posthumous, but Apollo is still the acting CAG. Adama thought that Kat's leadership and bravery are a good example for the crew --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:19, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:Kat does die; there is no way for her to survive extreme radiation poisoning. However, the show's writers do not show this to enhance the drama of the moment. (Oh, Snorkel, to make an automatic signature, place four tilde characters (<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>) at the end of your entry.) --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 10:24, 9 December 2006 (CST)
::I'd say it's better that we didn't see her actual death. Death scenes ''can'' a clicé if not done right. Just showing its impact on the other character was far better and more effective IMO --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:27, 9 December 2006 (CST)

U guys know that this is a thery, we would have to ask the writer. Come on what if she is still insickbay some later episode in rehab? then waht would you guys say. OO and KAra gave Kat Skin rebuilds she even said that in the scene. So u might be alive but we should not be so quick to say she died because there is no ground proof. Snorkel378 P.S. i dont give a damn about an automatic signature
:She gave her an overdose of sleeping pills. And I haven't listened to the podcast yet, but it probably "confirms" her death --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:37, 9 December 2006 (CST)

::Yep, the podcast confirms that Kat died. Just got done listening. And Snorkel, there's no need to get ratty, we just try to help :) --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 10:41, 9 December 2006 (CST)

:While the podcast does make it explicit, the story as aired makes it clear.
:* We're told that flying after the tag turns black is lethal. Kat's turns black twice
:* Kara gives her "sleeping pills ... enough"
:* When Adama tells Kat he's promoting her, she asks him herself if he knows that she's not making it out of sick bay. He does.
:* Kat isn't present when her promotion is announced. This would only happen if not only she wasn't available at the time but she never would be. If she will recover, you wait until she can be present.
:* Finally, Starbuck posts her picture on the memory wall.
:So, the answer to the question "Why did Starbuck put her picture on the wall?" is "so the audience would know that she died".
:What makes the show so appealing to me is the quality of the writing. They take the time to tell the story through the character interaction, the emotional moments. They could have had her die on screen when she collapsed and made it explicit. But instead, they write it more powerfully. --[[User:Brons|Brons]] 11:45, 9 December 2006 (CST)

::Excellent points, Brons. Another example of writing that sets BSG above other shows. --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 11:49, 9 December 2006 (CST)

She was A good Character, Snorkel378

:Agreed. She was one of my favourite characters :( --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 11:37, 9 December 2006 (CST)
::Poor Kat :( *wipes away tears* --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 12:07, 9 December 2006 (CST)

No doubt, Kat's dead. All the reasons above. The wall is a memorial for those who are dead, not those who are sick. And it was even in the news a former Russian spy just got wacked (assasinated by Russia) a couple weeks ago with just a small dose of radiation. Most people don't realize how dangerous radiation is because we don't deal with it on a day-to-day basis, but just a little bit can kill you. I feel that all those pilots were getting more than a small dose, other than just Kat. There could be reprocutions for all of them in the future as their health deteriorates over time.

Kat dying in this way, they could have nixed the B side story to flesh out her story. Kat was a very compelling character and her going out, well, the whole D'Anna dying over-and-over thing and the Baltar 3-way is getting boring and tedious so they could have spent more time with the Kat story. Even thus, They still did a good job of making a dramatic finish even if the story could have used a few more details.--[[User:Straycat0|Straycat0]] 13:01, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:The Baltar and Three storyline is neither boring nor tedious and had only four short scenes in this episode. -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 14:18, 9 December 2006 (CST)
::That's all opinion. Everybody's entitled to their own. But I wanted to see more of the Kat storyline and I felt the B side D'Anna story was getting in the way.--[[User:Straycat0|Straycat0]] 00:28, 10 December 2006 (CST)

What if they Findsome healing artifact do u think they would bring her back along with others? Snorkel378
:This isn't Star Trek. When people are dead they are dead. Just like in real life. Only the Cylons cheat death --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 15:40, 10 December 2006 (CST)

== Anti-Radiation Meds ==

Part of the summary here suggests that there were no anti-rad doses to go around for any of the pilots. I thought that at some were given to the skeleton crews of the civilian ships. Am I right on this one? [[User:Steel viper|Steel viper]] 18:38, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:RDM mentioned in the podcast that the cockpits of the civilian ships might be the most heavily shielded areas. That makes sense to save some money. So the crew could have been shielded, but not the rest of the ship --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 05:30, 10 December 2006 (CST)

Perhaps this section should be titled just radiation rather than anti-radiation meds. I'm not sure why the returning rapters & pilots were subject to decontamination washing. I was under the impression the cluster had intense radiation because of so many stars so close together....not because it was filled with radioactive material. A ship inside the cluster would be exposed to intense radiation but as soon as it jumped out it would be fine. I've read the neutron bombs feed metal an intense amount of neutron s and metal objects like tanks could give off residual radiation up to two weeks after exposure. But washing wouldn't solve the problem. The 'hot' ships would have to be put aside until they cooled down.--[[User:Boonton|Boonton]] 20:22, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:I think that they were just trying to show that there was a decontamination process without getting into the real nitty-gritty details of it all. I would have preferred that they showed a little bit more realistic portrayal of a radiation decontamination, but at the same time I understand at this point in the season, they do cut corners where they can to recoup costs encured by the season opener. All this stuff isn't free and the research, props and everything... --[[User:Straycat0|Straycat0]] 00:32, 10 December 2006 (CST)

::Anti-rad medicines (at least those we have) can only block some specific tissues from certain types of radiation damage. Nothing you can ingest or inject will protect you totally; only avoidance and shielding may do that. Washing does wipe away contaminated (irradiated) materials so that the non-irradiated materials are no longer exposed, but yes, washing is a basic concept to show that something was done. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 13:52, 11 December 2006 (CST)

== Fourth squadron leader ==

As we saw at the end of this episode, ''Galactica'' has four squadrons of pilots under the command of CAG. The squadron leaders were (before Kat's death, of course): Starbuck, Kat, Two Times and... Did anyone notice who was the fourth? -- [[User:Spike|Spike]] 20:44, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:Two Times was the name of the third squad leader? Could only make out the word "Times" :) You've got better eyes then I do.
::It was Ricky "Two Times" Richardson. I'm currently completely updating the List of Pilots page. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 21:18, 9 December 2006 (CST)
:::I saw Richardson too but missed Ricky and Two Times. Does anyone have this episode yet on iTunes?--[[User:Straycat0|Straycat0]] 01:02, 10 December 2006 (CST)
::::I don't think that the camera ever pans over to where we can see the 4th leader. I got the ep on iTunes, but I have a season pass.
:::::I do too, it doesn't pan over to the first squadron, but judging by the fact that Showboat is in the fourth squadron, it has to be another Captain, maybe Stinger. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 06:47, 10 December 2006 (CST)

==Jupiter = Zeus==
I had the closed caption on and found it interesting that "Jupiter" was replaced by "Zeus". I was going to make post this as a note, but then I figured it would get shot down... because I have confidence issues. But still, this makes the debate over what the "Eye of Jupiter" is interesting (I'm leaning toward the god, not planet). Also, I got the impression from Three's line about "their gods and ours" that this is some kind of acknowledgement of Roman mythology? Or did I understand that wrong? --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 08:59, 10 December 2006 (CST)

:It's not the first mention of Roman gods. We also have Mercury and Mars. The Eye of Jupiter is some kind of artifact they'll find down on the planet --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:03, 10 December 2006 (CST)

:: Maybe we're wrong, but my friends and I thought that the dialog implied that Jupiter was a separate entity from Zeus. Was it ever stated that the Lord of Kobol Hera was like the Greek Goddess, wife of Zeus and all that? It sounds like Hera isn't married to Zeus, but is married to another god named Jupiter.

:: Personally, I suspect that what happened is that they named the artifact (or whatever it is) the Eye of Jupiter, and then someone realized that was a Roman name, so now they've decided to make the pantheon diverge more from the Greeks. Perhaps Mercury and Mars are also Lords of Kobol. Have Ares and Hermes ever been mentioned? [[User:Alpha5099|Alpha5099]] 12:13, 10 December 2006 (CST)
:Ares has been mentioned in the webisodes. I think that the names can just be used interchangably and that they aren't seperate entities at all. For example they mentioned Hera and Jupiter in the same sentence, even referring to their relationship I think. That points strongly towards the names meaning the same. A couple of thousands of years have passed, so it makes some sense that the mythology has been adapted --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 12:38, 10 December 2006 (CST)

:: Nevermind. I remembered that Selloi did say that Hera was wife to Zeus. Unless Hera had two husbands, Jupiter must be an alternate name for Zeus. [[User:Alpha5099|Alpha5099]] 19:20, 10 December 2006 (CST)

Hera's roman equivalent is Juno, but it's clearly stated that Hera and Jupiter were spouses. At the same time, Zeus has been referred to numerous times. I think it's safe to suppose that they're just alternate names. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 11:33, 11 December 2006 (CST)

Espenson shed some light on this: http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/11/jane-espenson-on-post-the-passage-questions/ -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 20:33, 11 December 2006 (CST)

I thought immediately that the eye of jupiter was a reference to what our solar system looks like from outside of it... Jupiter is the eye in the middle of it. No? --galactageek
:My first thought was it was related to the storm in Jupiter, the Great Red Spot. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 13:55, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::Yeah, that didn't occur to me but that's an even better connection. I imagine that and to a lesser extent Saturn would be the main visual markers. --[[User:Galactageek|Galactageek]] 14:46, 15 December 2006 (CST)

I think most everyone thought about the planet. I'm iffy to think if it actually translates to that, though, because once they find even one planet in the solar system, it would take something really clever to delay finding Earth at that point. It's not like they'd have to search too far to see this orb. However, and I can't take credit for figuring this out, you can't deny the coincidence of the fact that Jupiter is the fifth planet in the system (excluding dwarfs). I'm thinking of waiting to see what the five Cylons are about to see if there's a connection. And in another probably-not-a-coincidence, which I can claim as my own conjecture, it's interesting that this all revolves around number Three. --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 09:54, 16 December 2006 (CST)

== Hot Dog's name ==

Great episode. Sorry to see Kat go. Anyway, I noticed that Hot Dog's name was spelled as Brendan Costanza with one "N", not as Constanza. I believe it has always been spelled as Constanza but I think it was spelled as Costanza in one previous episode. --[[User:123home123|123home123]] 10:13, 10 December 2006 (CST)

== Hybrid's Quote ==

Anyone got down what the Hybrid told Gaius? Figured it'd look good in the quote section... --[[User:Ghilz|Ghilz]] 14:27, 10 December 2006 (CST)

Thanks for the quote, I put up something about it in the Analysis section. --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 11:15, 12 December 2006 (CST)

==Carol-Anne?==

Did Bill Adama refer to his wife as Carol-Anne in the sickbay scene? That would clear things up immeasurably with regard to [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] and [[Anne Adama]]. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 18:44, 10 December 2006 (CST)

:I thought the same thing, but he has such a gruff voice it's hard to be sure. Maybe someone will know what the subtitles said? --[[User:Pearse|Pearse]] 10:36, 11 December 2006 (CST)

:I heard Carol-Anne as well, and the recent work that Jamie Bamber submitted to the scifipedia (which admittedly had some errors) did mention her name as being Carolanne. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 10:43, 11 December 2006 (CST)

::He, the cc, and canon have her as "Caroline". --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 06:34, 13 December 2006 (CST)

==Three killing herself softly==
I'm having a tough time believing that no one is noticing that D'Anna is having herself killed, even if the centurion is wiping it's logs. At the very least, she must have some accomplices helping her in the resurrection chamber.[[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 18:54, 10 December 2006 (CST)
:Agreed, it seems unlikely. Perhaps she's being aided by other Threes? --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 11:31, 11 December 2006 (CST)
::in [[Hero]], it was clearly shown as a Three, Five, Six, and an Eight. [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 15:21, 17 December 2006 (CST)
:Centurions are always good accomplices. A Centurion could figure out where she'd download to and run there faster than a skinjob could. Three also made some drawings, and the most efficient way to do that is to have a Centurion ready with paper and pencils the second she ressurrects. --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 11:25, 12 December 2006 (CST)

Another question is, is she resurrecting on the basestar? I thought they needed a resurrection ship to resurrect away from the home world. If she's resurrecting on the resurrection ship, and then travels back to the basestar, how can no one have noticed? It would seem like that would be time-consuming and her movements would be logged. I think maybe Caprica, and maybe a few others like Sharon, knows what D'Anna is doing, and because Caprica wants to know who the Final Five are as well, lets D'Anna continue without reporting her. --[[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 11:06, 12 December 2006 (EST)
:We believe that the Resurrection Ship contains the [[Cylon rebirthing tank]]s. Seems impractical to haul a body from the Rez Ship's storage over to a basestar for resurrection. They ''do'' have another Rez' Ship with them (see the episode [[Torn]]). In this episode, the other Cylons wonder what she is doing, but either can't or won't investigate (perhaps part of their collective block of knowledge of the Final Five). --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 10:18, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::Right, so that definitely means that she has to travel back to the basestar where Baltar and Caprica Six are hanging out every time she is resurrected. You'd also think that a Cylon's death on a basestar when there are no hostilities would be suspicious in itself. I never considered that the Cylons have a collective block on thinking about the Final Five. It may explain why no one is trying to stop D'Anna. I always thought that they just don't talk about the Final Five with each other or Baltar, but that they do have substantial free will and free thought. Witness Sharon Agathon's repudiation of the Cylons, and Caprica Six & the other Sharon killing D'Anna and thinking outside the box about the Cylon-Human conflict. Such a theory raises many problems: (1) how did D'Anna get around this block? (2) if they all do have a block, then they can't stop someone like D'Anna? --[[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 12:21, 15 December 2006 (EST)
:::A Cylon dying aboard a baseship isn't that suspicious, someone could fall and die, or somehow get hurt severly enough to commit suicide. What the Cylons should be wondering is why there is a body of a dead Three with a Centurion bullet right through her head, while she has no other injuries whatsoever (i.e. no reason to commit suicide) and the Centurions' logs don't make mention of the incident. --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 12:37, 15 December 2006 (CST)
:::Series history shows that other Cylon agents tend not to talk about other models until confronted with obvious evidence of their connection. "Boomer" Valerii, even after shooting Adama, did not claim herself as a Cylon. [[Sharon Agathon|"Caprica" Valerii]] didn't reveal [[D'Anna Biers]] or [[Cavil]] despite her increasing loyalty. This may also be a programming block. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 12:45, 15 December 2006 (CST)
:::: Okay, but then how did D'Anna get around this programming block? --[[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 13:56, 15 December 2006 (EST)
:::Spencerian a point there (such a programming block would be a very logical move, making it impossible to torture the identity of other Cylons out of known ones), but I don't think it's related. Baltar knows all 7 models revealed so far, and all Cylons know that, so there would be no reason not to talk about them, and no block to get around. Also remember that [[Caprica-Six]] is the one to tell Baltar that Three is "doing things". Your idea that the Cylons don't talk about her death trips may be true, but keep in mind that she was pretty authoritarian in ''Torn'' when ordering the basestar to jump while the other Cylons are still in discussion. The Threes seem to have some kind of authority over the other models, which could be related to her low number (Number One would be the big boss of course, so if One and Two are with the Final Five, Three would be "in command"). So if the Threes are really the surpreme model or the commanders of this particular basestar, the others might not be eager to speak foul of one of the Threes because they fear consequences. --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 13:17, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::::This is possible even without a hierarchical structure, as well. Culturally the feeling might be "That's none of our business," or along the lines of giving her the benefit of the doubt that whatever she's doing is for the good of the Cylons. They don't really have the concept of traitors within their own society (Sharon Agathon excluded), so the idea of keeping close tabs on someone may be culturally taboo. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 13:21, 15 December 2006 (CST)
:::::Wait a second, what about Caprica Six and Boomer Sharon killing a Three? --[[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 14:34, 15 December 2006 (EST)
::::::True. Though they DID believe at the time they were doing it for the greater good of the Cylons. It wasn't an act of treason against the Cylons (like Sharon Agathon's taking of the colonial oath and theft of the launch keys) so much as a regrettable action taken in order to serve the greater good. Which, as it turns out Three would be begging to be killed (repeatedly) a little over a year later, which has to take at least a little of the sting out of that particular little "betrayal". --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 13:46, 15 December 2006 (CST)
:::::Steelviper has a good point here, it could just be a "Don't mind other models' business?"-thing. Now Three killing herself over and over again may be odd to the others, but at least it's not harmful or treason or whatever (like 6&8 killing that 3), so they'll probably think like "if she wants to be crazy, let her, as long as she does no harm". --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 17:33, 15 December 2006 (CST)

== Slip? ==
I removed the following from the Analysis:
* One of D'Anna's sketches in particular appears to depict the profile of a mustached and bearded male with long hair—a possible reference to Baltar; later in the episode after Baltar communes with the hybrid, D'Anna says "Could there be a connection between their gods and ours?" where "their" refers to the polytheistic human pantheon and "ours," the Cylon single god, a possible slip on her part indicating that she believes Baltar to be a Cylon, or that D'Anna believes Baltar has accepted the Cylon religion, and so no longer counts him as following human beliefs.

Feel free to put it back if you can figure out how to get it into a single bullet point. Part of the reason I pulled it was I interpreted the "ours" to refer to the Cylon (collectively) god and their to be the Colonials... regardless of who was standing there. It's more of an us vs them thing, in general, but I don't think she slipped or is implying anything from that necessarily, other than maybe an increased closeness that he MAY be considered as being on the side of "us". But mostly, let's just keep these things free of nested comments. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 09:13, 11 December 2006 (CST)

That's actually why I described it as a "possible slip," though I think it's considerably less likely tha Baltar would have accepted the Cylon religion with no evidential plot nods or development in that direction. We do, on the other hand, have Baltar asking D'Anna if he's one of the final five in this episode, making it an issue "at-hand" and her pronoun usage potentially premonitory (it's either that, or a fantastic red herring). I think it's thus at least a remotely tenable possibility worth sharing in the Wiki's analysis as educated speculation. --[[User:Mattpeckham|Mattpeckham]] 10:27, 11 December 2006 (CST)
:I don't really disagree. I was just hoping somebody could come up with a way to work in that nested bullet. In fact... I think I have an idea. I'll edit above, and see what you all think. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 10:39, 11 December 2006 (CST)
:: It's good. I've re-introduced it into the analysis portion of this guide page. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 18:16, 12 December 2006 (CST)

== Boxey? ==

Near the end of the episode, when Kara goes to put Kat's picture on the wall, did anyone else notice the "MISSING" poster? I swear Boxey was in the picture on it. A sly in-joke?--[[User:Kross|Kross]] 09:54, 11 December 2006 (CST)
:I'll check when I get home. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 10:02, 11 December 2006 (CST)
:Looks like a woman in a baseball cap to me. --[[User:Kidsafe|Kidsafe]] 13:22, 11 December 2006 (CST)
:Same here. Personally, I think the Hybrid's lines just before Baltar sticks his hand in her tank are a far better in-joke. "''Throughout history the nexus between man and machine has spawned some of the most dramatic, compelling and entertaining fiction''." aka "WHERE'S MY GODDAMN EMMY?!" --[[User:Kahran|Kahran]] 23:31, 11 December 2006 (CST)

== Arguing with thyself ==

The "Carol-Anne" vs. "Caroline" subject should probably be hashed out here (and probably brought to [[BW:OC]]) before we re-introduce it to this page. Here's what was removed:

*William Adama refers to his ex-wife as Carol-Anne. [[Zak Adama]]'s mother was named as "Caroline" in "[[Act of Contrition]]", but in a flashback in "[[Scattered]]", Adama refers to his wife as "Anne", whom Tigh calls Adama's "new wife". This new information suggests that both "Caroline" and "Anne" are variants of a single person's name.
**In summary, Adama had two wives. His first wife was Caroline who was the mother of both Lee and Zak. However, because of his dedication to the service, his marriage was strained and eventually led to divorce. Afterwards, while he was in the merchant fleet, he met his second wife Anne and married her. It was this marriage that eventually led him back to the military.

Thanks! -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 18:14, 12 December 2006 (CST)

:The first bullet point was mine, and I will defend it as-is. The second represents my older opinion, and is by no means a re-wording of the above point. If it is to stay I think it needs to present new argumentation. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 12:43, 15 December 2006 (CST)

== How does the Hybrid know where earth is? ==

That's pretty much my question. Is the Hybrid connected to God? Or, is the location actually somewhere in the Cylon databases that only she can access (which would make a connection with the final five, if they know where earth is already)?-- [[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 11:03, 14 December 2006 (EST)
:We don't have these answers yet. We do know that the other Cylons know the Hybrid has remarkable insight on the nature of the universe as she is, in effect, the basestar itself. However, they treat her more of an "it" than a "her" and consider her babbling insane, except perhaps for [[Leoben Conoy]]. Obviously, the one Hybrid touched by Baltar discovered ''something'' in its travails, either by way of information from the dying basestar and its Hybrid that discovered the Lion's Head nebula and the human probe left there by the 13th tribe. The Eye of Jupiter data is possibly gleaned from that. The problem with being a Hybrid (a computer) is that, for the most part, you can't just speak on your own; somebody has to ask you for your input, which Baltar did by touching the Hybrid. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 10:15, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::Right. But why did she react the way she did to Baltar? Either (1) Baltar is a human, and his human-ness triggered Earth-related knowledge in the Hybrid, (2) Baltar is one of the Final Five. According to at least one theory on the Final Five, they know where Earth is, and are somehow connected to it, so his Final-Fiveness triggered Earth-related information in the Hybrid. Another question: does the ''Hybrid'' know who the Final Five are and what they are, exactly? Can D'Anna ask the Hybrid? Is the Hybrid one of the Final Five (since she doesn't look like any of the 7 models we've seen)? Is she a Cylon at all, or a purely organic being? Is she a human? -- [[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 12:30, 15 December 2006 (EST)
:The Hybrid may be a sort of an oracle. We've seen an oracle on New Caprica in Exodus Part II, and she was right in stating that Hera lived. There are also striking similarities between the two scenes: both concern prophecies, both concern Number Three and Hera, and both imply some kind of connection between the Colonial pantheon and the Cylon god (at the very least the oracle scene in Exodus seems to confirm the existence of the Cylon god). This leads me to thing that the Hybrid knows all this because it has the gift op prophecy ("She experiences life very different from us, Gaius. She swims in the heavens." - Number Six, Torn). And as to the nature of the Hybrid: there is a shot of the Hybrid in Torn that seems to show the Hybrid having an 'open' back, i.e. you see a lot of flesh where its back should be, and there are a lot of plugs exiting it there. That's probably why they call it a Hybrid, since it's some kind of combination between an organic being and a machine (even more than the Raiders). --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]] 12:37, 15 December 2006 (CST)
:::As stated in the [[Hybrid]] article, it is a Cylon, but not a [[Cylon agent]] and certainly (since it appears in all basestars) not a Five member. We can guess all we want, but it's too speculative until we get more gems tonight in the mid-season cliffhanger. While it is possible that the Hybrid can have prescience like an oracle, the Cylons are too dumb to ask it, despite their encyclopedic knowledge of the [[Sacred Scrolls]] (which pretty much patterns out what the Colonials are probably doing).--[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 12:45, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::::I don't think the Cylons are too dumb to ask it. It has nothing to do with "dumb." For one, maybe they have asked it, but they can't decipher her cryptic responses. Secondly, if Baltar is a Final-Five Cylon, he's just shown that he's not too dumb to ask it. Maybe it's a plot thing: if a Cylon asks it, and it just says "oh it's at these coordinates," the show is over. -- [[User:Yaneh|Yaneh]] 13:54, 15 December 2006 (EST)
:::::The Cylons, as a race, are extremely young (probably no less than 75 years old). Therefore, they likely don't know how to ask or even how to interpret any answers, since they don't have a history of their own that doesn't directly tie in to human history. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 15:38, 15 December 2006 (CST)
::::::What Joe said, which clarifies my earlier comment. The Cylons are intelligent, no doubt. But they lack the ''context'' to understand all the data in front of them, while, to humans, context is easy to grasp. Note the difference in how both races felt about the Lion's Head probe. The Cylons thought (and still continue to believe, it seems) it was a ruse for the virus, while the Colonials understood its significance immediately. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 15:54, 15 December 2006 (CST)

Podcast:The Passage

2006-12-17T21:15:09Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Act 4 */ fix link

{{podcast|author=Steelviper|emailAuthor2=|suffix=|additionalCopyright=}}
==Teaser==
Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I am Ronald D.- this is [[Ronald D. Moore]], executive producer and developer of the new [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|''Battlestar Galactica'']]. And we're here to do the podcast for episode nine of [[Season 3 (2006-07)|season three]], "[[The Passage]]". There will be no Scotch, no smokes today. I am not well. (Chuckles.) But such is my dedication that here I am doing my podcast anyway. Yes, yes, yes. Let's all pat me on my back for doing my fuckin' job. (Coughs.) Anyway.

"The Passage" is an interesting show. It's one of the, I think, one of the most harrowing shows that we've done in quite a while. There's ref- internally, we talked a lot about its similarities in tone and mood on this particular show to, all the way back to "[[33]]". No, it's not really another "33", but certainly in the sense of desperation, the exhaustion, and the fatigue, and the continuing toll that it takes on the pilots is similar in that regard.

This episode was written by a freelancer for us, named [[Jane Espenson]]. Jane is someone that we're very excited to have do an episode for us this season. Jane, some of you may know her work from [[w:Buffy the Vampire Slayer|''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'']] and other things. I actually remember when [impersonating old man] Jane started in this business way back when she was but a lass and I was much younger. Yes. [resumes normal voice] She came into pitch a story to [[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek|''Star Trek'']] when I was there and we ended up [[MemoryAlpha:Accession|buying it]] and that's when I first had the pleasure of meeting Jane and I tracked her career from afar over the years and never got a chance to really ever work with her again but she was doing a deal at [[w:NBC Universal Television|Universal Television]] and we heard that she was really excited about the idea of doing an episode of ''Galactica'' and become a huge fan of the show and so we jumped on the opportunity to have Jane write one for us. (Coughs.) It turned out very well.

This story, actually, is very similar to the story that we started out with. The idea was to do a, literally a passage. We wanna do something that was demonstrating [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]'s survival problems, the problems of food, and also do a gauntlet that the [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] and the rest of the rag-tag Fleet had to go through back and forth. So breaking that down into some components. One of the things that I've always liked keeping into the show and integrating whenever possible are the realities of their situation and the difficulties of surviving out in the universe without any means of support other than the ships that you brought with you and the occasional odd planet you might find something on. So what we did here was, we said, "Ok, when they left [[New Caprica]], let's assume that they had some food." That there were food supplies in some of the ships. There were probably emergency supplies on the ships in orbit. I'd say that there was some planning had been done and that they weren't just com- taking off completely without anything in their hands. So that got them through the initial stages of the escape after [[Exodus, Part II|"Exodus"]]. And let's also assume that there is some kind of food processing facility. That they have some methods of keeping foodstuffs going, of generating sustenance from some kind of materials, some kind of organic material. But let's say now, for this episode, that something's happened to that supply. We'd had this notion kicking around the writer's room for quite a while that at some point let's do the show where there's- something has attacked the food supply and suddenly, you thought you had all this- all these reserves and all this stuff sitting in various cargo holds and then you find out that it's all gone and suddenly you're on the verge of starvation and you weren't prepared for it and how would that impact everyone and what would they do? (Coughs.) And so that was the basis of this episode.

The notion of going through a gauntlet was- it's something that has tooled around in my mined now and again, and I think it's come up in the writer's room every once and a while. It's a desire to play the ''Galactica'' like ship- ''Galactica'', the rag-tag fleet like naval vessels. Which is, one of the key metaphors in the show is that we treat the ''Galactica'' like an [[w:Aircraft carrier|aircraft carrier]]. We treat the other ships like ships in a naval sense. We're always moving back and forth across the line about when they're spaceships, when they're not. This one is a melding of the two. The spaceship quality of them is emphasized by the fact that the food supply is suddenly destroyed and they have to suddenly scramble to make up for the shortfall, and then the naval aspect of it is to do the passage through the storm, which is essentially what this is. We- at ''Star Trek'' we had done a couple of stories where the [[MemoryAlpha:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|''Enterprise'']] had to pass through various space phenomena and you always liked to treat those like the ship at sea. I mean, there's always something evocative and interesting about the roots of these kinds of dramas can all be found in sea stories. These are sea yarns, on some level. (Sniffle.) The plots, that is. And to do an episode like this is to really go into that oeuvre. (Sniffle.)

That's the end of the tease.


== Act 1 ==

The pa- "[[The Passage]]" story on [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] changed very little from story outline to what was finally presented. (Phone rings.) I mean, there's a lot of rewrites- Oh I'm- sorry about that, folks. Can't turn off the phone, unfortunately. Not from where I am. (Sniffle.) So you'll just have to suffer through hearing it ring incessantly. Oh. They stopped calling. Anyway. "The Passage" story on ''Galactica'' didn't change that much. I mean, we did a lot of internal rewrites, obviously. A lot of scenework. A lot of manuevering around of the [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] story and [[Kara Thrace|Kara]]'s impact on it, and so on. But the basic contours of that storyline were pretty much intact.

This storyline on the [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon baseship]] did go through several major changes. This was going to be- it was gonna involve the baby [[Hera]] a lot more, we had a great deal more dealing with the impact of [[Number Three|D'anna]] sleeping with [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]], how that was causing division within the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon world]]. That the [[Cylon agent|other models]] were starting to go, "What's up with the [[Number Six|Six]]es and with the [[Number Eight|Eight]]s? They seem to be sleeping with Baltar? Where's that going? He's causing problems." And then those model were getting defensive. Essentially, it was starting to portray Cylon society as starting to come a bit unraveled and starting to have problems because of the entry of Baltar into that world, which I thought was interesting. But it took up a lot of time and we kept having to pare back that storyline.

The other tale that was in this episode that ulitmately did not see the light of day was a long- was a [[Laura Roslin|Laura]] story, which I really can't talk too much about, other than to say that there are elements of that story that subsequently found their way into episodes much later in the season. So, that's why I can't really talk about them too much in this podcast, but when we get to those episodes I'll try to harken back to the halcyon days of yore when we were doing episode nine.

(Coughs.) Sorry.

There was something about having the danger be [[w:Radiation|radiation]] as a visceral fright in the episode that I thought was an interesting way to go and very effective. Radiation has that special invisible terror, I think, in people. I think it's really- if you're in the room where there's radiation or you're in the city that's been irradiated, all those sorts of ideas, I think, really strike those of us who grew up in the [[w:Post-war|Post-war]] world with a special kind of fear and resonance. The idea of the hair falling out and all the stages of [[w:Radiation poisoning|radiation sickness]] I think hold a special terror for the audience and so I wanted to make that the real villain in the episode. The radiation was gonna get 'em as they went back and forth.

There was a great deal of discussion on the technical aspects of this show, and while I am sure that there are [[Continuity errors (RDM)|continuity errors]], or maybe some unscientific things that made it into the show, all I can tell you is that a lot of conversation went into how these things work and exactly what we were gonna portray, and what were the mechanics of getting through the cluster. I had extensive conversations with [[Michael Nankin]], the director, who's directed several of these episodes for us. At one point it was going to be that the planet was g- that [[Algae planet|the planet that they're going after]] was going to be inside a [[w:Star cluster|star cluster]] itself, so you would have to get all the way inside of this cluster to even find the planet. And ultimately we went away from that because that setup certain problems for subsequent episodes. When- {{podcastref|algaeplanet|9:11}} By the end of this episode, I'm not giving anything away, this is the podcast afterall, we do realize the Cylons are heading to the same planet where ''Galactica'' is. You didn't want a situation where the people on ''Galactica'' and down, they had to leave that planet. We had to, like, repeat the passage. You didn't wanna have to like do the passage all over again, just to get out of that situation. And as we struggled with the technical parameters of it, talked- we talked a lot about star cluster, we talk a lot about novae, we talked a lot about, oh, just, every imaginable kind of space phenomenon. We settled on this idea of the cluster and making it a true passage and just positing that the cluster was so large and so vast that there were limits to what these people can do, technically. To get all- to go all the way around this thing was gonna take too long. They would not have time to literally go around to get to this planet and get the food, and the only way to do it in the time allowed was to actually pass through. We also posited, ok, ''Galactica'' herself is [[w:Radiation protection|shielded]], heavily shielded, she's- can take a hit from a nuke, afterall, so people inside ''Galactica'' will probably be safe from the radiation. People on the civilian- the civilian ships weren't designed for that. They would have some shielding for random space radiation of various kinds, but probably would shield their cockpits the most. The storage compartments and so on would not be as well shielded. Their navigational sensors would not be as good as ''Galactica''<nowiki>'s</nowiki>, etc. etc., etc. So, I'm only bringing this up to emphasize the fact that all these underlying technical issues are discussed at length in all the production meetings and script the script's story stage, and so on. And even so I'm sure there are mistakes.

This story with Kat. We talked early on about the idea that if you're gonna do a show like "The Passage", there had to be a price to pay, to give it meaning. Going through something this harrowing and watching just some day-player person who we've never met before show up and then conveniently die just wasn't gonna have a lot of meaning. It would not really have an impact. And we started talking, unfortunately, about Kat and we all sparked to the idea that this would be Kat's sendoff in the show and that she would die in this. And there was something poetic about it. There was something perfect about it. And we were conflicted. That's the end of act one.


== Act 2 ==

And then we've watched her grow into her own and become a rival for [[Kara Thrace|Kara]] and become this- become a real pilot. She was the [[Commander Air Group|CAG]] during the year and a quarter when everyone was on [[New Caprica]]. (Sniffle.) So she's a real member of the crew. A trusted member of the crew, if not a loved member of the crew, at least somebody that is respected and fits right in as accepted as one of us. And we talked about if she dies, that hasn't been- that's a big story. That's an impact. And that that would be a real loss to take. And it's also that sense of whittling through the pilots that you just see over, and over, and over again in this show that the pilots in that [[Pilot ready rooms|ready room]], their mortality is always there with them, and losing one occasionally, or two, or having these tragedies befall our [[List of Pilots|core group of pilots]] tends to make that an honest assessment and really keep us online in terms of what the show is and what the situation is for these people.

This line with [[Number Three|D'anna]] and [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]]. This is starting to really open up doors to where the show is going, in terms of this season and beyond. That the mythology that we're starting to unravel is the reason to do the [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon baseship]] storyline this season. D'anna starts seeing things between the moment between life and death. She starts to realize that there is something there, and what does that mean? And what does it have to do with the final five? And so on. And where is that all going?

Back on [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']]. This story with [[Enzo]]. There was more to this story with Enzo. In early drafts there was- he was- and I think as shot he was blackmailing her for food. He was going to tell people the truth about who she really was and in return for his silence she was going to be getting- swiping and getting him other food rations in various ways and feeding him, essentially. That it was all about food and he was starving and he was using this as extortion to come out ahead. (Sniffle.) We played around with versions of it. It never quite came into focus entirely. I think that- I think it was probably an in- a more interesting idea in concept than it was in execution. His most valuable role in the piece is really to tell us that [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] is not who we thought she was. And his role as the villain, or the blackmailer, or the problem, in an active way in the show became less and less interesting. So now we pared the Enzo line back to the point where he's essentially just the mystery person out of the past that comes in, delivers an implied threat to Kat, and then reveals who she really is to Kara later. And in that role he serve- he's fine, but I'd rather- I wanted to make time in the episode for moments like the one you're watching now, with [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]].

Tigh's return to [[CIC]]. And playing these beats. And really staying out there in the corridor with Tigh while he adjusts his eyepiece. And playing this whole big walkthrough into CIC. And the slow applause. And all this. This all takes time. And this is often the problem in the show. You've often heard- you've heard me talk a lot about the shows always being long, and having to cut back and make these kind of hard choices, and cutting story points or cutting characters and doing those kinds of things. It's because the show wants to be about this. This is- or at least this is what I want the show to be about. I wanna spend those extra seconds in the corridor with Tigh, and I wanna watch him walk in the door, and I wanna see the applause, and I wanna play the moment and the emotion of it and play the character beat. And I'm willing to sacrifice certain plot elements and certain storylines in order to do that. Because I think that's what the show is all about. Usually there's various axioms that they tell you in writing, especially writing in television and film. It's like, "Oh, cut all the entrances and the exits." Which means, you write the scene and somebody enters through the door. "Well, cut that. Just cut into the scene. And don't see them exit. Just cut out of the scene." And you do that. Those are tricks to trim up sequences and trim up scenes and tighten for pace, and so on. But there are times you just want to preserve that. There's times when I want to see the guy walk in the room, because it makes a point. I wanna see the guy wait outside the door, because it makes a point. You could have easily cut into Tigh already in CIC and just have, "Welcome back," or cut in on the applause and he's standing at the table- excuse me. And all that would've been fine, but it's- to me it's not as heartfelt and it doesn't quite root you in the point of view of the character like it does to spend the extra time with him.

Ok. Again, incredible kudos go to our visual effects team who worked their little asses off on all these sequences in "[[The Passage]]". This is a very complicated show. There's a lot of visual effects in the show. There's a lot of matching of ships. There's a lot of geography. Marrying up the [[Raptor]]s to each pi- the Raptor to each ship that it's escorting. All the reversals, etc., etc. It was a long process. I think [[David Eick]] and I drove the visual effects guys crazy because we were slow getting them some notes and then we were changing things and we kept changing cut and these guys are- they have to deliver their visual effects on- to- at a certain point in order to make the airdate. (Sniffle.) And we definitely pushed 'em a bit on this episode. But I think that it finally does come through. I think the idea of being lost in this blinding storm of material and trying to find that ship you're looking for comes through powerfully. It's very visual. Again, I think- I don't know what I was going to say. See? I shouldn't do these while I'm sick. (Sniffle.)

I like that little beat of the blistering of the ''Galactica'' letters on the hull is a nice touch they came up with.

We lost- yeah. [[Brendan Constanza|Hotdog]] loses [[Adriatic|a ship]] this time. Kat loses [[Carina|a ship]] next time. I think there was always planned to be three- to dramatize three [[FTL|jumps]] through. The first one where you see the danger, the second one where you see how bad it's gotten, and then the third one where Kat makes the sacrifice. And it's the old thing about threes working usually really well in drama, much like three act structure does. And it just- it lent itself really well to the rhythm of the story that we were doing here.


== Act 3 ==

Have the [[w:Algae|algae]] (sniffle) to produce food as unpalatable as it may be. (Sniffle.)

You'll notice that everyone's flying [[Raptor]]s here. That's 'cause Rap- only Raptors have the ability to [[FTL|Jump]], and that was an important story point. We had to rejigger some- I've continually evolved my thinking on the Raptors and the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s. At first I wanted to keep a bright line between the two. That you're a pilot and you specialize in Vipers or you specialize in Raptors and you don't really crossover. But as the show go- went on there just became more and more circumstance where I just wanted [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] or [[Kara Thrace|Kara]], somebody, to be in a Raptor. Served the story better. And I felt that, ok, I can start to cheat that line a little bit because I started to believe, well, ok, now they're in a unique situation. These guys would have tremendous incentive to learn how to fly a Raptor, and they would take the time and they would train to do all these things.

I love this little sequence constructed here, in the editing room and by [[Michael Nankin|the directo]]r, of the pilots coming out and the looks on their faces, and that beat you just saw a moment ago of [[Brendan Constanza|Hotdog]] vomiting as he stumbles across the deck is one of my favorite shots of the show. It just says so much.

There was another little storyline, I should mention, that was shot and cut, that involved [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]. Helo, I thought, would be an interesting guy to play as he's the one who's really deathly afraid of radiation because he was on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]-occupied Caprica, for all those months and dealing with radiation as his constant companion and having to give himself shots all the time and so, there was a fear. I can feel that there was a fear in his bones of facing that again. And so there were sequences of him talking to [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon]], him being afraid to get back in the cockpit, him forcing himself to do it, trying to gut it out and get back in there and deal with it. But ultimately those all went away as well.

This is a nice little sequence, too. See this is another little piece that, to me, conveys the texture and the mood of the show while- even though it doesn't advance the plot too much. So again, I chose to keep this kind of a scene in there with Apollo talking to his pilots and giving you a sense of what they're all going through and the toll it's taking on them and see Apollo leading his men. That seemed more important to me than certain other plot details like [[Enzo]] exactly, or the beat with Helo, even though it's more of a character beat. (Sniffle.) But these are the kind of choices that you make. It's what kind of show do you want it to be? What's the story you're trying to tell? What are the emotions that are important in the episode, to you? And then deciding to go with those moments as opposed to maybe the more conventional ones or the ones that explain everything or sometimes even just like chucking other plotlines entirely, just in favor of giving the sense of what you're trying to convey. (Sniffle.)

This scene I like a lot, too. This also- this reminds me a bit of the scene in "[[33]]". The mood and the context is very different. It reminds me of that beat in "33" where [[William Adama|Adama]] shaving and [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] is sitting on his coat and eating his noodles. It was funny and the audience was referring to the characters.

This beat I love, just because of the way- I really like the way [[Edward James Olmos|Eddie]] laughs in this scene. He's so on the verge of losing his mind. I mean, this just- this really out of control, wacked out quality to his laugh that I just- I just love it. (Sniffle.) "Still eating paper?" "Paper shortage." (Laughs.) [[Michael Hogan|Mike]] starts to- Michael starts to go and Eddie just goes. That just makes me laugh. (Chuckles.) There's something about just the complete absurdity of it all and just how it's completely fucked they really are. (Laughs.) If everyone saw these guys just going- "Not a good sign." I love it. (Laughs.) (Sniffle.) It's great.

Played around with time here. Kara- this is actually a scene from earlier in the show. It was structured to be seen earlier in the show. Where Kara gets in the Raptor, looks up, sees Enzo and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] up on the catwalk (sniffle). Kat on the catwalk. This was actually gonna be much earlier in the show, before they had even gone through the passage. But the way it worked out it- I wanted that moment of Kara clocking Enzo to be much closer to the moment when she actually confronts Enzo so subsequently I shifted all of that down the line. That Enz- Enzo and Kat up on the catwalk, I can't believe I keep saying that, you saw them, they confront each other, and then they go off- they go through that hatch, and that used to lead directly to the scene that you've already seen where they're in the ladder and they're talking (sniffle). Or the downshot looking at the ladder and you see them talking down there.

These scenes were also- the [[Number Three|D'anna]]-[[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] scenes were also longer. They had more texture to them. There were more dissolves. There was more, like, discussion of the final five, and what they might have- what she might have seen, and what it could all mean, and her dreams, and all that. And it was really nice stuff but again, this was an area I chose to truncate and chose to make much, much smaller as we went through the show. (Sniffle.)

I like the emerging relationship here between Baltar and this other Cylon woman. That sh- that what she sees and gleans from Baltar is very different than what [[Caprica-Six]] gets, and yet it's a legitimate relationship in its own right. And of course we, the audience, know that Baltar is after his own agenda here, trying to find out if he's a Cylon, of all things. (Sniffle.)

Yeah, here's Enzo just being slimy with some other woman. (Chuckles.) It's interesting. One of the changes in [[Season 3 (2006-07)|this season]] was the ability to have civilians onboard the ''Enter''- on board the [[MemoryAlpha:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|''Enterprise'']]. I almost said it. (Sniffle.) The ability of having civilians aboard the [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] really opened a door to stories like this where you could justify having these people aboard to do stories, and we capitalize on that a lot more this season.

This scene we cut pretty substantially into. This scene opened with a longer conversation and argument between Kat and Kara. Kara was really going after her and yelling at her and busting her balls about something and then Kat coming back at her and there was a little bit of shoving. And then there was a beat where Kat was walking away and Kara said, "Where ya going, Sasha?" And then Kat froze and sat down and knew that she was busted. And it was nice. I liked it all but in the- as we were looking for cuts there was a way to just cut into the moment, 'cause you knew where it was going. You knew that she wasn't who you thought she was, and you knew that Enzo knew that, and that he had told Kara, so you could take the journey all the way to the point where she's sitting down and she's already admitted the truth.

I also like this storyline because it was, again, it plays into the premise of their society was wiped out. That the people on our ship just happened to be caught on these ships and that's why they survived and it seemed like Kat was the kind of character who took the opportunity to reinvent herself. Noone knows who I am in this world. (Sniffle.) I wanna be somebody else. And I wanna be a Viper pilot. And I'm gonna take this other name and I'm gonna be this other person and noone will ever be the wiser. And she succeeds at that. And succeeds at a (sniffle)- beyond, I think, what even she hoped, and becomes a respected- a good pilot, a good Viper pilot. Becomes the [[Commander Air Group|CAG]] of ''Galactica'' at one point. And then her past inevitably catches up with her. And I thought that was a really fun and interesting turn on who she was. (Sniffle.)

There other scenes, also in this episode. In the earlier, the much earlier, scene in the [[Pilot ready rooms|ready room]], when Lee and Kara are briefing the pilots and they're telling them about taking the [[stims]], Kat objects to taking the stims, and rather violently, and after that scene we learn that Kat had gone to Adama with her concern about it. And then Kara was talking to Adama about Kat saying, "She's out of control. She's a problem. We gotta do somethin' about her." And Adama then would bring up the- brought up the point about the stims and- he thinks that she's right about that. And Kara was taken aback. (Coughs.) Sorry. Kara was taken aback, and didn't know what to make of it. (Sniffle.)


== Act 4 ==

Ultimately, that went away because I thought- I think one of the problems was it made [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] look petty that she went around [[Kara Thrace|Kara]] and [[Lee Adama|Lee]] to talk to [[William Adama|Adama]] and I wasn't sure why- that Kat had done anything- had done enough in the scene in the [[Pilot ready rooms|ready room]] to justify Kara then going and whining to Adama. So it felt like too many characters going to daddy and whining about the other and so it all went away and I felt like it was enough- that we would just accept Adama's connection to her. She talks about it and then the end of the show of course is very powerful about how he feels about her, and so on.

We did go back, when we were shooting pickup scenes for other episodes, one of the pickups that we shot (sniffle)- We were doing a scene. We were picking up some material for ep- for [[Exodus, Part II|"Exodus"]], because as I've talked about before, [[Exodus, Part I|"Exodus"]], when it got split into two parts, there were a couple of extra scenes that we picked up to insert into those two episodes to bring them to time. One of the scenes that we picked up for "Exodus" and did shoot was a scene of Adama and Kat before the rescue mission. And it was her going down to the [[hangar deck]] the night before the mission, looking around her [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s and Adama catching up to her there. They had a nice little talk where you saw that he believed in her and he told her, explicitly, that he trusted her and that she was [[Commander Air Group|CAG]] and that he had faith in her. And it was this nice little scene that I- we wrote, in part, to set up this episode. In part to connect those two pieces. But ultimately it turned out that we didn't need it in "Exodus", either. It was- we had plenty of other material. That wasn't a very important scene, and we wanted "Exodus" to move a little faster, and so it ended up getting dropped. (Sniffle.) Hopefully all these things are- that I talk about are on the [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)|deleted scenes]] DVD, even as we speak. If they are not, write a letter to [http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/ Universal Home Video] and complain.

See now we're in the- here in the [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]]-[[Number Three|D'anna]] story you're starting to see some of the connections of the mythology starting to line up. What does that mean that their scriptures have meaning to us, and vice versa. What, their [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Gods]] our [[God]]? How could all these things be? What is the deeper plan that's going. (Sniffle.) Yeah, the hand. The hand, the five.

All these [[Hybrid]] scenes were shot much later. I think I talked about this earlier in [[Podcast:Torn|another podcast]], but the Hybrid was a difficult thing to pull of. We had shot one version of the Hybrid in it's initial episode, saw it, didn't like it. Stopped everything. Did not shoot subsequent Hybrid scenes until we had worked out exactly how it was supposed to be. Then went back, reshot the first Hybrid scene, and then shot all the subsequent ones. So that scene with Baltar and D'anna was shot much, much later than the rest of the episode.

I like this little beat a lot. It's- this is just character. This is just straight-up character and texture of the show, and it doesn't move plot. You know that she's not feeling well. But the hair falling out, the doom signal of [[w:Radiation poisoning|radiation sickness]], and I think speaks volumes and really puts you in her head and you start to understand that she's probably not gonna make it outta here anyway, at least to her own mind, and then that really informs (sniffle) the decision that she subsequently makes when she loses her ship. (Sniffle.)

Lots of discussion about this radiation badge business. This is one of those things that seems simple and it's like, such a pain in the ass to actually do. The badge is sp- that, we had to go in and color that badge. That badge is supposed to be black, as you can see. Black, meaning, it's completely covered and that she's gotten all the dose that she can survive. On the day, for reasons that I don't understand, it was completely white, so we had to have the visual effects guys go in and painstakingly turn the white badge black in that scene. All the little inserts of badges all through the show had to be either redone a couple of times or the visual effects guys had to tweak them. It was just, like, a long pain in the ass about tracking these badges and how much black they had on them, and had we made the point clear, and couldn't see it in this one, and they shot it wrong here, and do it again, and blah, blah, blah.

This sequence here with Kat and [[Enzo]]. Why would she sleep with this guy? This guy betrayed her secret. He's essentially, at least implicit- impli- there's at least an implication that he's blackmailing her still. Why would she have anything to do with him? But there's something about human beings, I think, that reach out and need comfort and need intimacy and they reach out for it in moments of crisis and when they f- when they- when really need a human connection, and I just felt that that's what Kat would do. And in the back of her mind, in some way, she knows she's not coming back from these- from this mission. And I think that's why she has sex with Enzo one last time. (Sniffle.)

Beautiful job of all this stuff with [[Anthony Redman|Anthony]], our editor on this episode, all the nice walkups, and the montages, and the artful dissolving in and out of all these pieces. See, there's another shot of the covered black badge, which gave us, like, fits. (Sniffle.)

[[Faru Sadin]], I believe is the name of the ship that they're- which we've established a couple of times. (Sniffle.) We had to actually come up with the n- I think I said this before. We had to come up with the names for all the ships for the election. That was the first time that all the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] had to be named. So at the end of "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", I apologize if I've already said this, but at the end of "Lay Down Your Burdens", when they're doing the election tallies, you see the full board with all the ships actually named for the first time. So that's become our master list of what the ships are actually named.

A question mi- a logical question comes up. If the light is so blinding, coming in those cockpits, and it's so hard to see, why don't they have, like, sun [[w:visor|visors]]? Like, I mean if you see any picture of pilots flying the [[w:F/A-18 Hornet|F-18]] or something, they definitely have sun visors to pull down to keep the sun out of their eyes. It's a logical thing, but this is film. (Chuckles.) I need to see the characters' faces. If they all just have, like, reflective visors over their faces I got no scene. I got nothin' to play with, and it's all just a [[w:Radio programming|radio show]] at that point. So that's where you have to- you take the leap on some of these things. It's the same reason why the interior of their helmets is lit up. I mean, there's no reason to have little lights on the inside of their helmets. If anything that would distract the pilot. But it makes it much easier to see the faces of the actor in the helmet, so there's always a tradeoff on some of these things. You try not to make them too obvious. I don't think you think about the sun visor unless you really know something about aircraft and jetplanes. I don't think you think about the lights inside the helmet at all. I think that probably flies past most people, although I'm sure there's some people that it's occured to. (Sniffle.)

Just tremendous visual effects work, as always. I just can't say enough about that department. Visual effects guys are just one of those departments that just never lets you down. They just don't. You throw 'em something, you give 'em no time to do it in. You tell 'em to do it three times and fix it and they just do it. And it's just always good. There's a lot of departments like that on this ship. Ship. On this show, I must say. The art department's like that. I- now see, I can't start singling out all the departments, because I won't be able to name them all and they'll all get pissed at me, but- the visual effects guys are really good and all the other guys are really good too, but I love the visual effects guys. (Sniffle.)

I like this- I- all this texture, all this stuff with the decontamination stuff. Who knows what they're spraying at [[Raptor|these ships]]? The spiderwebbing of the cockpit. The bleeding paint. A lot of that is just done by our production team, by the art department, and props, and set deck, and special effects. And a lot of that isn't even written in the script. It's either discussed with the director or it's textures that they add themselves. I've said this before. They just sweat the- in Vancouver, they just sweat the details. They really sweat the details because of their commitment to the show, and it really improves and it really like takes something that's pretty good and makes it great. In this case all this is really about how this looks visually, and having all the pieces of it. (Sniffle.)

This scene actually continued for another couple seconds. After she fell, they all rushed over to her and they turned her over and the face mask was- the faceplate was broken and her face was bloody, but- and they called for Doc [[Cottle]], but we cut it because it seemed obvious. (Sniffle.)

Again, very, very sad to see Kat go. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where- that [[Luciana Carro|the actress]] actually found out that she was dying before we told her, which is a really big faux pas and a no-no, and I felt very bad about it. It was really just one of those things that fell throught the cracks and [[David Eick|David]] and I just had not actually called her yet and I don't th- it just blindsided us when, suddenly, she got the script and I think it was a friend of hers. She was in an air- I think she- she told me this story. She was in an airport, called home, and a friend was reading the script to her over the phone and she said, "Jump to the end, see what happens?" And she's dead. And she was like, shocked and devastated. It was just, "Oh my God." Then David and I got her on the phone and apologized and explained and said, "Well, oh my gosh. We're so sorry you'd find out that way." It's just like such a nightmare. It's one of those things that ha- that actors live in dread of is that they're going to find out some terrible bit of news like that. This- by just reading it in the script and it's a bad thing to have happen and I st- do this day I still feel very guilty about letting that happen to our little Kat. 'Cause, she was a great, great character and I do miss her in the show. We miss writing for her. But there was something great about this beat with Adama that I think helped it go down a lot better for her. That she was dying with Adama and that in the end he promotes her to [[Commander Air Group|CAG]], puts her back in that position that she once held. Which I thought was a lovely gesture. It's just a lovely gesture for Adama to do this. It's all symbolic. It has no greater meaning than that. And yet it means everything to Kat, and I think it means something to him, too.

It's so hard. It's such a hard scene to watch.

There was a cutaway here. {{podcastref|Enzocutaway|39:07}} There was a cutaway to a shot of Enzo standing in the doorway to [[sickbay]]. You saw him standing there looking in forlornly, and then turning and walking away down the corridor. And we cut it 'cause I felt like, you know what, I don't care about Enzo at this point. And he's done his thing, and he doesn't deserve- we don't even deserve to feel sympathy for him losing her. He's just- he's gone. So we lost him from this. (Sniffle.)

This is all really good stuff with [[Edward James Olmos|Eddie]]. He really just- he breaks your heart in moments like this, the way he carries himself and the look on his face. The attitude that he's got. He's there for her. It's not about him. He's not here to preen and be the steady commander for her. He's there just to be with her. He's just giving it all to her, and yet, it somehow increases his own stature in our eyes.

That's like a quasi-autobiographical thing. I'd always- before I had children I always thought of myself as someone that was gonna have girls. Always wanted a house of girls. And I have a boy and a girl. I love my boy- I have two boys, and a girl, actually. I love both my boys. I love my girl. But in the projection ahead of what you think your life is gonna be I thought I was just gonna have a house of girls so I gave that to Adama as well, which felt right, in that he quickly he had adopted Kat and that he adopted Kara before that, and it seemed in keeping with the man that there was something he wanted. To be a father of girls as well. And he had- but he had ended up, ironically, with two sons.

This organizational chart we also had to come up with. We called for it in the script, and never seen it on camera, but I'd seen them in pilot ready rooms on [[w:aircraft carrier|aircraft carriers]] before and so they had to assign all the pilots suddenly to squadrons and flights, and who were the flight leaders, and all that kind of stuff. But it was fun to have it actually all down in black and white, finally.

It's a nice bit of continuity here in that she puts (sniffle) Kat's picture next to [[Beano]]'s girlfriend, from "[[Scar]]", you might recall. That was the picture that Kat put up there, back in that episode. (Sniffle.)

And then this last little bit with Lee and Kara. I think there was actually- there was another scene. I forgot about this. There was another scene on the Lee-Kara story in the episode, where you saw them in between passages, they were sitting with their backs against a wall on the deck, and they were bouncing a ball off the opposing bulkhead. And through their conversation you realize that they didn't quite know what to do with the feelings that they had dealt with in "[[Unfinished Business]]", but now was not the time to really delve into it, but the fact that they were just sitting side by side bouncing this ball off the wall spoke volumes about where they were as a whatever they are. (Chuckles.) Whatever relationship they are. (Sniffle.)

I really like that ending shot. That- it's Lee coming and standing behind her and Kara still looking at the board. It actually did go on a little bit where Kara turned around, Lee saw her, they rushed into each other's arms and Lee held her tight and then we faded from there. But there was something more powerful, I felt, about she's caught up in the moment of Kat and the loss and really feeling it. Allowing herself to feel it for the first time, and then over her shoulder we just see that he's there for her. He appears, he's there for her. He gives her distance and- but it's still her moment, and so that's how I wanted to end the episode. (Sniffle.)

Ok, so that's it for episode nine, "[[The Passage]]". (Sniffle.) Next time we will discuss... what will we discuss next time? I can't even remember. "[[The Eye of Jupiter|Eye of Jupiter]]", which would be part one of our midseason finale, our midseason cliffhanger, that will then have to hold you until we come back in January. Thank you all for listening, and I hope you have a happy hollidays. Or, no. I guess I'll do one more before the hollidays. I'm sorry. I'm so (unintelligible). Good night, and good luck, to all of you.

Talk:The Eye of Jupiter/Archive3

2006-12-16T22:50:36Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: == Humanoid Cylons recognize each other on sight ==

I wonder if it has to do with that big red spot... *rollseyes* --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 18:48, 29 July 2006 (CDT)

I'm more reminded of that Writer's Podcast thing, you know when they're saying "How many more times are we going to find an artifact like the Arrow of Apollo and have to search for them all? That feels like going back to the well too many times, I mean what are we going to say, "Athena has 10 sacred toenail clipping scattered across space, you have to find them all...?" :) --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 18:49, 29 July 2006 (CDT)
:i'm thinking along the lines of some jewelry. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 18:57, 29 July 2006 (CDT)

::It sounds like a good plotline actually. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 19:05, 29 July 2006 (CDT)
:::Merv - you just made me spill forth mein coca cola whilst reading the section about the sacred toenail clippings - thats too much for 3am on a sunday morning! Still, plot looks good, just wish Season 3 would hurry up and AIR dammit! :) --[[User:Fordsierra4x4|Fordsierra4x4]] 21:08, 29 July 2006 (CDT)
::::No, really, they make a joke about "Athena's toenail clippings" in that writer's podcast thing. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 21:12, 29 July 2006 (CDT)

I have a few possible meanings for 'eye of Jupiter' --[[User:starryniteynite|starryniteynite]]

1) Relatively obscure name for NGC 3242, a planetary nebula (A ring of illuminated gas expanding out from a sun-like star that's exhausted its fuel, and has lost its outer layers) a few thousand light years from Earth. Most astronomers call this 'the Ghost of Jupiter' instead, though some Hubble images have used this name. Its not a very unique PN (tho it has some gas streamers we can't quite explain), but it could be used as a navigational marker like M8 (the lagoon nebula). It is a very pretty nebula :)

2) "Eye of Jupiter" was the Greek/Roman name for the sun, which lead to today's 'all seeing eye' symbol of the free masons and on the pyramid in US currency

3)Adama=Zeus=Jupiter...yes, they tend to use Greek vs. Roman names, but the titles are not always consistent with this convention, and we have also seen evidence for non Greek mythological names (Isis, for example). The rest of it could be wordplay too...'eye' might refer to someone acting as Adama's eyes, rather than his eyes literally (just as 'The captain's hand refereed to Lee acting as Gardner's XO, or his hand, rather than some captain's literal hand)

4)A reference to Jupiter's big red spot, a huge hurricane-like storm on the planet's surface. Just like the "bastille Day" title, this could reference something in the episode, but not directly...they might travel through a similar storm. This has actually been done before in the miniseries, when Galactica travels into the storm at Ragnar

5) The tried and true, ancient object meaning...just like the arrow of Apollo directly references a character, but has no link to the character himself, this could just be a pretty piece of bling..

Personally, I would love #1, but only because it'd make me 2/2 for BSG objects in my thesis and I'm a total, unabashed geek. I think its probably #2, however, and they find some sort of navigational means of finding Earth (like a picture of Earth w/ distances& directions to three pulsars or very unique objects

== Duelling Sharons ==

So did anyone else get a sense of animosity/jealousy between the two Sharons? While it seems that Boomer has accepted her place amongst the Cylons and no longer considers herself a part of the humans, it also seems that she's a bit jealous of Athena's "taking her place", if you could call it that. Likewise, it also seemed that aside from her duties as a Colonial officer, Athena's refusal to let Boomer in with Adama was also somewhat out of personal distrust, ironically the same distrust of the Cylons that her fellow Colonial colleagues have.

Also, while Boomer told Athena about Hera's condition out of possible concern of the child (possible strain of humanity left in her? Cylon imperative? Or something else?), seems to me that Boomer enjoyed bursting her "sister"'s bubble on that. Talk about sibling rivalry there.

It'll be interesting to see if there will be any further Sharon vs. Sharon confrontations in the series.--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 23:55, 15 December 2006 (CST)

:It was a very, very interesting dynamic. In any other show, we would have had a knock-down dragout "catfight." You hit the nail on the head. This episode was prime stuff. And, we on the wiki should be commended: our ''Galactica'' nuke count is right on the money! (Either that, or the show is using ''us'' as a source! :) --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 00:20, 16 December 2006 (CST)

::Does that mean we can finally change the "Class-D Nuclear Warhead" to something completely different, since their nukes ''aren't'' Class-D? :P --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 10:42, 16 December 2006 (CST)

==Image==
Let's find an image that actually occurs in this episode. Maybe the wide shot of Tyrol in the temple? --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 02:43, 16 December 2006 (CST)

Heh which one? to me it seems the Chief was a bit wide in ALL shots ; how could he gain weight while the fleet was starving? the chief definitely deserves the Lee Adama Fat-Ass trophy --[[User:Lordmutt|lordmutt]] 03:10, 16 December 2006 (CST)

:Maybe it was Chief, and not Dr. Cottle, that got all of Kat's energy bars from the last ep.--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 12:25, 16 December 2006 (CST)

==Did Starbuck survive?==
Horray for the carelessness of adverts! Within ten minutes we knew the answer to that one. --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 09:14, 16 December 2006 (CST)
:Aside from that, it's going to continue the cycle of Soap Opera unease there, if Dee's the one sent to go get Starbuck back. Can't wait to see the uncomfortable stares on that one, especially if (as I suspect) Dee set up Starbuck to be the "eye in the sky" '''hoping''' the Cylons would shoot her down.--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 11:43, 16 December 2006 (CST)
::Who else was supposed to fly the mission? Looks like Lee and Kara are the only two qualified pilots on the ground and Lee is needed in overall command. --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 12:34, 16 December 2006 (CST)

==Too good to be true==
When we Baltar's voice over ''Galactica'''s speaker, the closed caption actually identifies him as "Cylon over speaker". I know that's not really meant to be taken as anything, but with all the speculation, it seems like a shining goof, or maybe even someone taking a good piss out of the [[Baltar as Cylon speculation|whole thing]]. --[[User:Mars|Mars]] 09:14, 16 December 2006 (CST)

==Nuking the Planet==

Does anyone else think that the nuclear missiles have the ability to be detonated remotely, before they reach their target? --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 10:44, 16 December 2006 (CST)
:Not to mention abort code transmissions, etc. Makes you wonder if the missiles were set for "one shot, one kill" mode, where they could not be recalled.--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 11:39, 16 December 2006 (CST)

== WTF moment ==

I was on the [[Karl Agathon]] page, updating it for this ep's news, when I came across [[:Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|this old picture]]. Considering how Kara's painting looks and that she's religious (though not indoctrinated in any sort of clerical form, unlike Chief Tyrol's parentage), does anyone think that (in hindsight), this may have been a hint to the Eye itself?--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 12:37, 16 December 2006 (CST)
It actually makes a lot of sense... Taking Zeus to mean Admiral Adama, and that Kara Thrace is the go-to pilot for reconnaissance missions, AND the paintings on the walls, we have a plausible theory in the works!

== 18 Casualties & Relevance to "The Passage" ==

If 18 people were lost from '''The Passage''' episode, that means that 17 (at most) were aboard those two lost civilian ships, right? I'm only bringing this up to clarify what transpired — from that, and what we saw, the Raptors would pair up with a civilian ship, and that ship's passenger complement would be transferred onto ''Galactica'' (more heavily shielded, combat FTL drive) for the ferry run through the cluster. The civilian ship would then be crewed by an absolute bare minimum number of crewers. Then, when the group reached the other side of the cluster, the passengers would be transported back to their ships (if they survived the passage), the ships would remain at "Algae-planet", and ''Galactica'' would turn around and go back to the original side to repeat the cycle over again for a new group of civilian ships?

Am I reading/viewing this right? -- [[User:Hawke|Hawke]] 13:53, 16 December 2006 (CST)

:The ships were manned by skeleton crews. That was even mentioned in "The Passage" --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 14:01, 16 December 2006 (CST)

: Don't forget that 14 days have transpired. there could have been more births in the fleet. I just came up with the difference from the two episodes--[[User:Quig|Quig]] 16:10, 16 December 2006 (CST)

== Humanoid Cylons recognize each other on sight ==

While back on New Craprica, Number 3 knew right away that it was Sharon Agathon. Of course, who else would be trying to remove the ship's launch keys?

This episode, we see that Athena knew on sight that this Number Eight was Boomer. Interesting.

Can Cylons tell on sight which of the copies they are? It's already established that the bulletheads can't.

Note in last weeks episode, Baltar was able to pick The D'anna number three out of the hallway on sight, even though there is an identically dressed number three in the same hallway. [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 16:50, 16 December 2006 (CST)

Talk:The Passage/Archive 1

2006-12-11T00:54:34Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Carol-Anne? */

Talk:The Passage/Archive 1

2006-12-11T00:38:05Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Tether? */ civilan ship landing bays

Talk:The Passage/Archive 1

2006-12-11T00:34:20Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Tether? */ civilan ship landing bays

Hero

2006-11-19T03:41:52Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Analysis */ more doctors; cylons know current location

{{Episode Data
| title= Hero
| image= Season 3 - Promo - Hero -Adama Tigh and Novacek.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 8
| guests= [[Carl Lumbly]]
| writer= [[David Eick]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-11-17
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,421
| prev= [[A Measure of Salvation]]
| next= [[Unfinished Business]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''A [[Bulldog|figure]] from [[William Adama|Adama]]'s past returns to haunt him. His return raises questions about why the Cylons launched their initial attack against the [[Twelve Colonies]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/battlestar-galactica-2003/hero/episode/748771/summary.html |title=TV.com Episode Summary}}</ref>''
== Summary ==

=== On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' ===

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider|Raiders]]. Much to the surpise of the [[CIC]] crew, two Raiders are pursuing a third. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] are dispatched. After destroying the pursuing Raiders, they go after the third.
* In CIC, Adama orders Kat and Starbuck to escort the Raider to ''Galactica'', after hearing [[Bulldog]]'s communication squaks.
* Kat and Starbuck escort the Raider in. In the hangar bay, Adama and the party that meets the Raider, surprised at the fact that a human appears to have piloted the craft. A visibly weak Bulldog salutes Adama; Adama returns the salute.
* Over a meal (noodles eaten with chopsticks) Adama asks Bulldog how he escaped. He relates a story of plague on the [[Basestar]] and escaping after killing a Number 3 with a blow to the nose delivered through the cell bars.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the president with Adama present, where they tell a story of a mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. When it is concluded she asks Adama if he is going to tell her what really happened. He replies that it is his mess and that he will deal it.
* Bulldog goes to see Saul Tigh in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Saul informs Bulldog that he was shot down by the Valkerie to get rid of evidence.
* Starbuck reviews the gun film from the fight with the Cylon Raiders and realizes that they were deliberately missing their target, letting Bulldog get away. She goes to Saul Tigh with this information, who deduces that Bulldog was sent there by the Cylons to kill the admiral.
* Tigh finds Bulldog in the process of killing Adama and stops him. Bulldog has flashbacks to being let out of his cell.
* Later, Adama is talking to the president when she tells him that part of his penance will be to accept a medal for 45 years of Colonial service on the Galacitica flight deck.
* After sending Bulldog off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters.

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*In a dream, [[Three]] is trying to avoid marines on ''[[Galactica]]''. The marines corner her against a hatch labelled End of Line. The marines raise their weapons and Three tells them to shoot.
*As the shots go off, Three wakes up in bed with [[Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]]. She has apparently been having a sexual relationship with Baltar and possibly Six as well.
*In the Cylon control room Caprica-Six questions Three about her bad dreams. Caprica asks if the dreams are about Baltar and Three tells her that it's nothing like that, but does not elaborate.
*Three gives a centurion orders to shoot her, and then delete any information regarding the incident. The centurion obeys and shoots her in the head. In the moments before she is downloaded, she experiences images from her dream mixed in with memories from New Caprica and other more cryptic scenes.
*Three awakes in a rebirthing chamber where a worried Caprica-Six tries to help her recover. Three tells her, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Questions ==

*Did humans taken prisoner well before the Fall of the Twelve Colonies provide the original genetic pool for the humanoid Cylons?
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his three years of captivity?
*How was Bulldog directed to the precise location of the fleet?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "Stealth Ship" in enemy territory break radio silence?
*Was ''[[Valkyrie]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Was [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''[[Valkyrie]]'' in order to provoke a war?
*Why did the Cylons have one craft jump in and fire on the stealth star, then jump out? Then send in two more ships to finish the attack? Could the first Cylon ship have really been sent by the admiralty to expose the stealth star?
*Who were the white-robed figures [[Three]] saw in her vision before downloading?
*Were the Cylons on the baseship where Bulldog was held really sick?
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the other humanoid Cylon models that nothing is known of?
*How did Baltar's status change from torturee in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and [[Number Three]]?

== Analysis ==
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] appears to be attempting to try and deal with his guilt over his wife, but he does not seem to want his job as XO back, at least not any time soon.
*Adama's feelings of guilt over his actions during ''[[Valkyrie]]'s'' mission seem to shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''[[Galactica]]'s'' decomissioning ceremony at the begining of the series.
*The Cylons seem to have been able to detect and destroy The Stealth-Star that had only entered two kilometers into their space. This seems suspicious given the fact that they were unable to detect the [[Blackbird]], presumably a far less sophisticated design. Either the Cylons had more advanced detection equipment on the [[Armistice Line]], or they had advance knowledge of Bulldog's mission.
**It is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective than those of the Stealth-Star. The reason that the Blackbrid went undetected by the Cylons is that it's hull, at Helo's suggestion, was made of carbon composite. There is no way of knowing whether or not this was true of the Stealth-Star.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a raider and learn how to fly it. Granted, the Raider Kara captured was damaged, but it would still have taken Bulldog some time to adapt the raider for his own use.
**As the episode implies that Bulldog was deliberately released by the Cylons in an effort to direct his anger towards Adama, it is possible that the Cylons allowed Bulldog to gain a working knowledge of the raider.
*Bulldog probably could have stolen a Heavy Raider, which unlike the light versions seems to have a crew compartment and perhaps piloting controls, but then the production crew couldn't have re-used the captured-Raider prop from "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" on the flight deck set.
*That Kara Thrace goes to Tigh with her findings is an acknowledgment of their shared semi-pariah status and the connection that was shown in "[[Collaborators]]" for the first time
*The last two scenes of "Hero" appear to have been edited to ensure that the final scene was with Adama and Tigh. Right after the celebration scene, Adama is seen giving Bulldog a new uniform, but Adama is wearing his everyday uniform. In the final scene with Tigh, Adama is wearing his dress grays from the celebration. It appears at the very least, the two scenes were in reverse order, meaning the episode originally ended with Adama giving Bulldog his new uniform.
*The architecture of the place Number Three visits between life and death is similar if not identical to that of the operahouse on Kobol which Baltar and his internal Six entered in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
*Three's flashbacks after being shot indicate her to be the same individual who was killed on Caprica by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]" and who found Hera in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". It is of course possible that some of these recollections are the result of memory-sharing rather than direct experience.
*There's at least one other doctor of some kind in the fleet, because Cottle instructs Bulldog to report to him.
*The Cylons appear to know the current location of the fleet.

== Notes ==

*In Number Three's dream, the door at which is she is shot by the marines is labeled "End of Line". As well as being a metaphor for death, this is a statement repeated often by the Cylon [[Hybrid]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==
*A video blog gives an insight to this episode during filming. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/index.php?cat=videoBlog&vid=34824|title=Introducing Bulldog|date=2006-10-11|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=VID|language=}}</ref>

== Guest Stars ==
*[[imdb:nm0447921|Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[[Carl Lumbly]] as Lt. [[Daniel Novacek]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Exodus, Part II

2006-10-27T01:46:38Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= Exodus, Part II
| image=TighAdamaReunion.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 4
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Bradley Thompson]] [[David Weddle]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 304
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-10-20
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Exodus, Part I]]
| next= [[Collaborators]]
| podcast= Y
}}

== Overview ==

:''Commander [[Lee Adama]] of the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)| Pegasus]]'' has serious doubts about the success of the [[New Caprica]] rescue mission by ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. On New Caprica, [[Saul Tigh]] decides the consequences for his [[Ellen Tigh |wife's]] betrayal of [[The Resistance | the Resistance]]. Aboard ''Galactica'', Admiral [[William Adama]] executes a dramatic rescue plan.''

== Summary ==

*On ''Pegasus'', [[Lee Adama]] and [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] talk of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' mission. Adama worries heavily that Admiral Adama's mission will fail and of what future responsibilities he may have as the leader of the rest of mankind. His wife tells him to not give up hope.
*On New Caprica, [[Samuel Anders]] confronts [[Saul Tigh]] about [[Ellen Tigh|his wife Ellen's]] betrayal and tells him that either Tigh "takes care" of Ellen, or someone else less sympathetic will do so.
*Ellen Tigh explains her recent actions, that she would do absolutely anything to save Saul, including betraying the resistance. Tigh consoles her and provides her a drink when she asks. She falls unconscious, her drink having been poisoned by her husband. He says that he loves her, rests his head on her corpse, and weeps.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Gaius Baltar]] tells the Cylons that they have failed in their experiment and suggests the Cylons simply leave. A [[Number Three|Three]] voices the concern that one day the descendants of mankind might exact vengeance upon the Cylons, should they be left to their own devices.
[[Image:Saulellen.jpg|Saul handing Ellen her poisoned drink.|thumb]]

*Suddenly, dozens of explosions can be felt and seen. The [[Battle of New Caprica]] has begun.
*Anders and the resistance team has set a series of explosions that mimic a Colonial attack and causes chaos. [[Tory Foster]] commands a team of section leaders in the evacuation and orders [[Maya]] to head for her ship with [[Hera|Isis]].
*Anders and a large group of resistance fighters retrieve weapons from beneath the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] court to rescue the detainees in the [[New Caprica Detention Center|detention center]].
*In space above New Caprica, ''Galactica'' deploys a squadron of Raptors and Vipers. The Raptors launch [[swallow]]s to mimic the EM signature of two Colonial battlestars. The Cylons pick them up and fall for the ruse, moving two basestars with their Raiders away from the planet.
*When [[Leoben Conoy]] leaves the residence inside the Detention Center to aid with the fighting, he keeps [[Kara Thrace]] inside. She assaults him and tries to escape, but he knocks her unconscious.
*[[Tom Zarek]] tasks [[James Lyman|Jammer]] to protect [[Laura Roslin]] as she makes her way to ''Colonial One''.
*At the entrance to the shipyard, where the Cylons keep the grounded Colonial vessels, a team under Tigh and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pinned down by [[Cylon Centurion]]s.
*The Cylons detect the decoy drones, but ''Galactica'' jumps into the planet's upper atmosphere and plunges rapidly towards the planet. Mid-descent, ''Galactica'' launches its Vipers. Before colliding with the ground, the ship jumps back into space. The Vipers begin to attack targets on the ground and clear the way.
*As others are freed from the Detention Center, Anders finds his unconscious wife and carries her away, but when Thrace awakens, she goes back to retrieve [[Kacey]].
*The battle is turning against ''Galactica''. Her FTL drives are down, weapons are offline and there is heavy structural damage from the atmospheric entry. Four Cylon basestars are closing in and the battlestar is soon bombarded from all sides with no hope of survival. At that moment ''Pegasus'' joins the battle, Lee Adama having disobeyed his father's orders. He opens fire with the forward batteries and destroys one basestar in the opening salvo.
*The Cylons realize that they have lost and decide to evacuate the planet. [[Number Three]] volunteers to stay behind and set off the nuclear weapon that was left in the city for such a contingency. She offers Baltar a place with the Cylons and leaves.
*The Colonial ships initiate intra-atmosphere [[FTL|jumps]] from New Caprica as soon as they become airborne.
*''Pegasus'' is heavily bombarded by missiles, having left all of her Vipers back with the rest of the civilian Fleet. Admiral Adama realizes that his son has planned a one-way mission for ''Pegasus'', and orders recall of ''Galactica's'' fighters.
*On ''Colonial One'', [[Felix Gaeta]] accuses Baltar at gunpoint of having betrayed everyone. Gaeta admits his guilt in idealistically believing in Baltar's initial vision, but realized in the end that Baltar was only thinking about himself. Baltar admits his own guilt and begs Gaeta to shoot him. However, Gaeta relents, giving Baltar a final chance to redeem himself: stop Three from setting off the nuclear bomb.
*With ''Pegasus'' dying, Lee Adama orders everyone to abandon ship. He sets the ship [[CBDR]] with a basestar as the last of the crew leaves in Raptors. ''Pegasus’'' collides with a basestar, destroying it; The remains of ''Pegasus’'' starboard [[flight pod]] collides with and destroys yet another basestar.
*Kara Thrace retrieves Kacey, but Conoy has returned and confronts her. She appears to give in to his demands, says "I love you," and kisses him. However, Thrace uses the diversion to stab him. She picks up Kacey and leaves with Anders.
*Three searches [[Dodona Selloi]]'s tent, but the [[oracle]] has left. Outside, [[Caprica-Six]] and Baltar find Hera next to [[Maya]]'s body, still alive. Three arrives, asks to hold the child, and leaves with her. [[Caprica-Six]] says Three no longer intends to detonate the nuke, then leaves the planet with Baltar.
*Laura Roslin and a group of resistance fighters enter the now abandoned ''Colonial One'' and are the last ship to leave the planet.
*On ''Galactica'', many people are reunited as Tyrol immediately takes charge of ushering the incoming refugees. When Thrace shows Kacey to Tyrol, another woman walks by and recognizes the girl as her daughter, whom the Cylons had taken away. The mother thanks Thrace for rescuing Kacey. Thrace is shocked by the revelation that Kacey is not her daughter after all, but gives her up.
*Admiral Adama welcomes Tigh back aboard, and tells him he brought everyone back. Tigh quietly replies, "[[Ellen Tigh|Not all of them]]." The colonists in ''Galactica's'' [[hangar deck]] begin chanting "A-dam-a, A-dam-a..." and carry the admiral on their shoulders. Adama turns to see Tigh wandering off, numbed with grief.
*Tory Foster tells Roslin that neither Maya nor Hera can be found, and it seems likely neither made it off the planet. Foster apologizes, but Roslin muses that this was part of something bigger than them.
*Admiral Adama shaves off his mustache and returns to a fully staffed [[CIC]], aboard the now very loud, bustling corridors of ''Galactica''.

== Questions ==

*With Baltar missing at the conclusion of this episode, who will become the President of the Twelve Colonies?
**[[Tom Zarek]], as Vice President, seems to have the best claim. Since he chose to become a political prisoner rather than collaborate with the Cylons, he has probably retained his good standing in the public eye. If Baltar had him removed from office, he could probably make a good case that such an action was illegal.
**Laura Roslin's decision to evacuate on Colonial One may not have been an expression of her intent to claim the presidency. Colonial One had been her home for the first nine months that the fleet spent on the run. Zarek may have deliberately opted to evacuate aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' for non-political reasons, as he previously served as a leader and representative of that vessel and her passengers.
**However, [[Saul Tigh]] seemed to expect that Roslin would assume the presidency ([[Precipice]]), and when boarding Colonial One, she makes herself at home at Baltar's desk as if she intends to do so.
**The Colonial Government holds regular elections ([[Bastille Day]]), although it has also called special elections before ([[Colonial Day]]). As of this episode, it has been about a year and five months since the last presidential election, so it is unlikely that another is scheduled in the near future.
*What will be the final disposition of the ''Pegasus'' officers, and the former military personnel who have returned from New Caprica?
**Saul Tigh's injuries may prevent him from resuming his post as XO of ''Galactica''. Additionally, he has been outranked by [[Lee Adama]] since "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Lee Adama's command, the ''Pegasus'', has been destroyed. Given Tigh's incapacity, he may begin service as XO of ''Galactica''. He has also expressed dissatisfaction with his military career ([[Final Cut]]) and may wish to retire from fleet service, or resume his earlier duties of military liaison to the civilian government.
**It will be difficult to justify replacing [[Louanne Katraine]] as CAG, given the length of her service since the foundation of New Caprica, and her skill as a pilot, shown to have rivaled or outstripped even that of Kara Thrace by the time of "[[Scar]]".
**[[Kara Thrace]] is separated from Fleet service, and although she will probably return to active duty, it is unlikely that she will resume her former duty position as CAG, ''Galactica'' so long as Katraine is serving competently in that position.
**[[Anastasia Dualla]] is now an officer, and will not be expected to resume NCO-level tasks. [[Hoshi]] held her former position on ''Pegasus'', and is now available to serve on ''Galactica''.
**[[Felix Gaeta]] is separated, and will have to answer for the crimes of Baltar's administration, despite his covert affiliation with the resistance. [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Aaron Kelly]] have both been shown performing Gaeta's duties in CIC on ''Galactica'', and one of them may replace him.
**[[Cally Tyrol]], [[Galen Tyrol]], or both may choose to remain separated (from fleet service) to raise their son, Nicholas. We have not yet seen young children being raised on board ''Galactica'', although there is a [[Boxey (RDM)|precedent]] for keeping a civilian minor onboard.
**We may also see characters assume roles not previously shown onboard ''Galactica''.
*What consequences will Ellen Tigh's death have for her husband?
**Will Saul Tigh again drink to excess?
***A Chicago Tribune interview with Ron Moore answers this.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/10/battlestar_gala.html|title=Chicago Tribune|date=October 2, 2006|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
*What equipment and personnel were left behind on [[New Caprica]]?
**In order to build [[New Caprica City]], the ships were at least partially stripped and supplies were offloaded.
**Medical supplies were running low as of "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", although apparently the colonists were resupplied by the Cylons.
**Are there any people alive remaining on New Caprica after the exodus, due to wounds or infirmity? Were there any detention facilities which the [[New Caprica Resistance]] failed to liberate? Did anyone besides [[Gaius Baltar]] stay behind willingly?
*If the civilian ships only needed to get a few hundred feet off the ground in order to use their FTL drives and escape, why do ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' need to engage the basestars? Is this just to keep the Raiders, Heavy Raiders, and missiles from being used on the civilian fleet, on the surface below? (Note: it is not in dispute that having ''Galactica'' launch its fighters within the atmosphere is important so they could attack the Centurions and few raiders there.)
**As with the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], the Cylons could destroy the city with a single nuclear bomb in orbit. The plan appears to force the Cylons to be too distracted by the battlestar's offenses (Raptors at first, then the battlestar itself) to worry about the actions on the planet. ''Galactica'' jumps intra-atmosphere to minimize detection by the basestars.
**As part of Adama's strategy, after the intra-atmospheric jump, he probably wanted to jump the Galactica to the lowest possible orbit such that when the planetary rescue effort was complete that he could recover the vipers in the shortest possible time. To jump the Galactica to an extremely high orbit could add hours to viper recovery and allowing far too much time for Basestars and Raiders alike to close into their position.
*Will Gaeta be the target of persecution or assassination as a collaborator? Or will people believe in him when he is found out to be the secret informant?
*Will [[Cally Tyrol]] identify Jammer as the NCP officer who released her, based on his voice?
*''Galactica's'' escape seems questionable. Most or all of ''Galactica's'' Vipers were launched during the atmospheric maneuver. Later, after the four basestars start pummelling ''Galactica'', its situation is dire, facing explosive decompressions and with its FTL disabled. Adama says, "Then that's it. It's been an honor." ''Pegasus'' immediately appears and uses its superior weaponry to engage the basestars, destroying one in the first volley, so Adama orders the FTL to be fixed. Soon, Helo reports that most of the civilian ships have jumped, that FTL is back online, and that ''Pegasus'' is taking "a hell of a pounding." Adama orders his Vipers to land so that ''Galactica'' can leave. The next shot is Vipers landing, but weren't they all at the surface? How long does it take a Viper to climb into orbit? Real-world atmospheric escapes take several minutes, at least. How much damage were the basestars and battlestars doing to each other in this time?
**We aren't seeing events in real-time. Several minutes can lie between scenes that appear to happen right after another. Sometimes it is simply necessary to compress things in order to fit them into one episode.
**There may be several key differences at play between an escape from New Caprica's atmosphere and a real-world atmospheric departure, such as a lower [[Wikipedia:Karman line|atmospheric boundary]], more powerful thrusters on the Vipers, etc.
***In a real-world example, the [[Wikipedia:Space Shuttle|Space Shuttle]] takes approximately 10 minutes to attain escape velocity. The length of this time is partly due to the fact that the Space Shuttle's engines are occassionally throttled back to keep acceleration below 3 G to reduce discomfort to the crew. Additionally, typically it takes several hours for the Space Shuttle to attain the same orbit as the [[Wikipedia:International Space Station|ISS]]. For convenience of fiction, from the time of escape velocity of the vipers to attaining the same orbit of the Galactica could be said to be several minutes. Therefore, the entire sequence probably took in real-time 1/2 hour from the time the order was given by Adama to retrieve the Vipers to the time that all Vipers were aboard the Galactica. This is not taking into account that all craft can't land simultaneously on a carrier. The Pegasus probably took a pounding from 1/2 to 1 hour from the 3 remaining Basestars before it reached its final demise, a process that was beyond the timeframe of the show.
***Also, the Vipers might already have been en route to Galactica by the time Adama gives the order to "bring them home." That order might have referred to landing them. (The combat-landing shot, fwiw, was recycled from the mini-series.)
*Why did Kara Thrace wait so long to stab Leoben? She could have done it before even kissing him.
**Possibly, Thrace intended to insult to injury by her quick betrayal, but also, she needed to ensure that the Cylon agent was completely off his guard.
**It's also possible she is not as strong as we think, and truly felt something for Leoben in those few moments.
***That seems unlikely considering that after she shoved a 6" blade into his belly, she watched his face as she twisted it. That would be taken as an indication of extreme hatred by most people.
**She does, of course, have a well-demonstrated flair for the dramatic.
*What about the Cylons, such as Leoben, who were killed during the insurection? If they were dependant on a resurrection facility on New Caprica, is said facility still operational? If not, is there a resurrection ship in range?
*What, besides ''Galactica'' and her crew, was gained by the sacrifice of ''Pegasus''? Most of the civilian ships had already jumped to safety, and ''Pegasus'' did not bring any Vipers along to escort the remainder, opting instead to leave them to defend the small civilian fleet it had been protecting. If nothing was gained besides the survival of ''Galactica'', the sacrifice was a costly and foolish mistake - the fleet has lost the more advanced of its two battlestars, and along with it, its ability to manufacture new Vipers ([[Scar]]).
**From a purely military mission perspective that is correct. ''Pegasus''' intervention seems to have been made solely because of the personal feelings of its commander. For the Cylons, the destruction of Pegasus and the retrieval of Hera compensate to an extent for the loss of three base stars and 39,000 human prisoners.
** Actually the mission was to rescue the 39,000 humans, the bulk of the survivors of the human race. The military perspective would be the sacrifice was worth the loss (though it would have been better, perhaps, if ''Galactica'' would have done the suicide run). It seems, though, that ''Pegasus'' would have jumped out if it could do so, but the ship lost its FTL drive during the pounding. This seems to happen relatively frequently for heavily defended warships designed to engage in brutal combat -- both Battlestars lost FTL during this battle. Also, ''Galactica's'' facilities to manufacture Vipers may have been greatly improved during the year at New Caprica.
** From a tactical point of view, the survival of Admiral Adama, the best tactician in the rag-tag fleet, was more important that the survival of the superior battlestar.
** All of which raises the question of whether the loss of the ''Pegasus'' could have been averted had Lee gone along with the rescue plan in the first place, rather than arriving at the halfway mark.
** The loss of ''Pegasus'' is a blow to the Colonials, but it also serves the intention of the writing staff. The ''Pegasus'' was an off-balanced factor to the strength of the human fleet. Without ''Pegasus'', the show returns to the rag-tag fleet that was established in the first season. This will make the survival of the human race more difficult, but the story of the show is to watch the struggle on the search for Earth.
* Now that ''Galactica'' is carrying the Viper squadrons from both battlestars, will the starboard flight pod be returned to service?

== Analysis ==

*There is a major plot hole concerning the continuity of the story from Exodus, Part I. In Part I, D'Anna sees Caprica-Sharon in the detention center and is shot by her. Yet in Part II, D'Anna is in Colonial One, apparently unharmed, and has not alerted the Cylons to Sharon's presence.
**That is a different D'Anna. You'll note the D'Anna in Colonial One before the attack is wearing all black, whereas the D'Anna that encountered Sharon typically wears lighter colors. The two D'Annas are seen together in The Occupation.
***This is NOT a different D'Anna. This is the same D'Anna that dreamt about Hera and relayed this information to Sharon Agathon, and later carried Hera in her arms as her dreams foretold. The plot hole stands.
****Some time had passed once the fleet received news that Sharon retrieved the command codes. D'Anna might have been released/resurrected within that time span. We are not told whether she had informed the Cylon leadership of Sharon's presence.
*****It is questionable whether Biers could have bled to death from being shot in the kneecaps/legs since Sharon had stated she didn't intend to kill her; if Biers was released, not only would she have been unable to walk, but she would almost certainly have been questioned by those that found her.
****It's been established that different Cylon models usually vote the same way when reaching a consensus. It's entirely possible that one Number Three discussed her dreams with her "sisters", one of which discovered Sharon in the “safety deposit box room”.

*Either the scenes aren't in order or Baltar is not aware of what is going on. In the Gaeta-Baltar scene, Baltar says, "The Cylons have a nuke in this complex. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting off this planet alive unless I stop D'Anna." But this is after most of the civilian ships have already jumped.

*Further, until Hera is discovered by Baltar, Three is still looking to set off the nuke -- even though it is clear that the colonists are all long gone.
**It's possible Three wasn't seeking to set off the nuke, but said she was as a ruse to go seek answers about her premonitions concerning Hera.
*** Any nuke held by the Cylons would likely be stored somewhere inside the guarded Cylon perimeter. It appears that this Three made a beeline to the Oracle, and was upset that she was not there. While going through the tent, knocking things over, she is quoted as saying "frackking liar!".
*It is hard to believe that the Cylons were not keeping closer tabs on the whereabouts of the launch keys -- no alarms, etc -- and didn't notice they were gone until the attack started.
*In general, the Cylons seem to have left the planet implausibly underguarded. Considering the strategic nature of the site, as well as the well-known fact that two battlestars remained at large, one would have expected the Cylons to have an overwhelming amount of protection for the planet -- perhaps dozens of basestars.
**It has been established beforehand that the Cylons are overstretched with the occupation. This could account for the lack of protection. At any rate, four basestars against two battlestars is hardly an even match, let alone two half-strength battlestars.
***A Basestar does not seem to be a 1 to 1 match for a Battlestar. They lack offensive and defensive gun batteries, the ability to maneuver quickly, and have a critical design flaw that is easily exploited (central hub holding the six arms together). Basestars depend on missiles and large numbers of Raiders. Adama felt that the Galactica, even barely manned, could hold up to two Cylon Basestars.
****Additionally, RDM has mentioned in his podcasts that the Cylons do have major operations elsewhere hinting at future storylines in the season. It is possible that the Cylon higher command made a strategic decision to guard the planet with what they deemed the minimal required number of basestars to defend against 2 battlestars.
*****One may also be prone to over estimating the number of Basestars the Cylons have. When preparing the attack on the twelve colonies, the Cylons knew that they had surprise and the backdoor computer virus on their side. As such they may not have produced a very large number of basestars (perhaps not even enough to match the number of battlestars the Colonies had). Furthermore, the knowledge that the colonials were ignorant of the location of the Cylon homeworld may have also played a part in them having a smaller fleet. If, for some reason, the attack failed, the cylons could simply retreat and bide their time before trying again. After all, when one is sure he can render his enemy defenseless, there's no real need to produce a pointlessly large army.
*With the former crew of ''Pegasus'' onboard ''Galactica'' now, the ship has something close to its standard crew size. (''Galactica's'' crew was deduced to be 2,693 in the episode "[[Water]]", and ''Pegasus's'' was introduced with a crew count of 1,752 in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (see [[Crew tally]]). William Adama notes that over half of the crew has settled on [[New Caprica]] in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]", and Lee confirms that both ships are at half-strength in "[[Occupation]]".) Military operations should be much smoother now, and repairs to the ship in general are more feasible.
**However, many repairs, such as structural, will require shipyard or dockyard facilities equiped with replacement parts and heavy repair machinery required for such repairs, and these facilities are no longer available. The ''Galactica'' may never again be the fighting force that it once was.
*While the combination of the ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'' air groups give the latter battlestar a full-strength fighter wing, the Fleet has suffered the loss of its most advanced and best-armed warship. With it also went the capability to build replacement Vipers, unless one of the civilian ships can be converted for such a purpose. Defensively, the Fleet is pretty much back to the position it was in when it left the Colonies.
**However, the Galactica did take significant structural damage during the conflict, therefore, it currently isn't in the same state of battle readiness as it was at the time it left the Colonies.
*It appears during the whole conflict in atmospheric combat that the Raiders were spending most of their time running from the Vipers. This may be due to the fact that Colonial Vipers have a far superior atmospheric design where Raiders are optimized for space operations. The Viper has a stabilizing vertical wing which aids the pilot in manuevering through the atmosphere just like all real-life combat aircraft. The Raider lacks this stabilizer wing much reducing their effectiveness in aeronautic combat and manuevering thrusters are not as effective in air as in space due to resistance. This made the tactic of depositing the ''Galactica's'' Vipers into a solely air-support role for evacuating ships very effective once the Space-borne Raiders were decoyed away from the planet so that the ''Galactica'' only had to face the Basestars, not the Raiders.
*''Pegasus'' seemed to fulfill its role just like the [[Pegasus (TOS)|original ''Pegasus'']], as it fought to the end to defeat two basetars and allowed ''Galactica'' along with the last of the fleet to escape from the Cylons.

== Notes ==
* "[[Exodus, Part II]]" was awarded the [[Awards and Honors|IGN.com Editor's choice award]], following a review in which it recieved a rating of 9/10. This marks the second of such awards presented for the third season, the first of which was awarded for the season premiere [[Occupation]].
* There is also a TOS comic named ''[[Exodus!]]''
* The two parts of "Exodus" were originally planned as one episode. However, it was quickly realized that the story was far too large for one episode and it was split in two. This happened before with "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I|Resurrection Ship]]." It also helped save money because the construction of New Caprica, the extensive location shooting, the number of actors, as well as the special effects for "Exodus, Part II" were very expensive and the production was over budget.
* Apparently, the viper Mk.VIIs deployed by Galactica in this episode have a yellow engine-glow instead of their usual blue. This may be a visual-effects-gaffe or the engines may have been effected by the nebular gas or even using a diffrent type of fuel or engine.
* The moment where Lee pauses to look back at the ''Pegasus'' CIC and says "thank you" references a parallel moment in the [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Ds9 Deep Space Nine] episode [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Changing_Face_of_Evil "The Changing Face of Evil"], in which, after the doomed Defiant is ordered evacuated, Captain Sisko takes a long look back at his ruined bridge. As with the ''Pegasus'', in the next shot, the ship is destroyed. Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, who wrote of "Exodus, Part II", were staff writers on DS9.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Discussing the failure of the occupation:''
:'''Number Three''': What would you have us do, Gaius?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Leave. Pack up your centurions, and go. Please. Go.
:'''Number Three''': And then what? What would you do if we really just left you here? You'd live out your lives in peace and never trouble yourselves with thoughts of us again? Or would you raise your children with stories of the Cylon, the mechanical slaves who once did your bidding, only to turn against you? Killers who committed genocide against your race, the occupiers of this city until we just ran away? Would you tell them to tell the story to their children, and to their childrens' children, and nurse a dream of vengeance down through the years so that one day they could just go out into the stars and hunt the Cylon once more?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Blood for blood ...has to stop one day.

*''Roslin heads to Colonial One''
:'''Roslin''': My ship's up there.
:'''Zarek''': You sure have a sense of the dramatic.

*''Adama comes to accept ''Galactica'''s end''
:'''Admiral Adama:''' Then that's it. It's been an honor.

*''After Hearing Pegasus Has Joined Galactica
:'''Admiral William Adama''': Damn You, Lee ...Thank You, Lee.

*''The Pegasus is evacuated before its destruction''
:'''Dualla:''' Alright, people, let's move. Out! Let's go. (To Lee): You too, Commander.
:'''Commander Lee Adama:''' Yes, sir. (Begins to leave, then stops and looks around at Pegasus): Thank you.

*''As the two Adamas reunite after the battle:''
:'''Admiral William Adama''': I guess you didn't understand my orders.
:'''Commander Lee Adama''': I never could read your handwriting.

*''Adama welcomes Col. Tigh back to ''Galactica''
:'''Adama:''' You did it, Saul. You brought them back.
:'''Tigh:''' Not all of them.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Exodus, Part II]]

Talk:Number Three/Archive 1

2006-10-24T03:53:25Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* It '''IS''' D'anna */

> and may be one of the eight agents Sharon Valerii revealed to be onboard the Galactica.

When did she reveal this? A link to the episode would be helpful.

:I'm guessing it'll be during her interrogation in one of the new episodes. [[User:Kuralyov|Kuralyov]] 11:42, 5 Jul 2005 (EDT)

:It was, Dr Gaius drugged the chief and he was going to die, and told Boomer that unless she tells him how many cylons there are in the fleet, he would let the chief die. --Viper[[User:68.89.164.132|68.89.164.132]] 19:22, 20 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Also, how do we know this? Ive seen all the eps aired and would have recognized lucy lawless much less if she was revealed to be a cylon --Viper[[User:68.89.164.132|68.89.164.132]] 19:22, 20 Aug 2005 (EDT)
: The episode has yet to air, thus you haven't seen it. -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 20:37, 20 Aug 2005 (EDT)

:''Since Biers has not appeared in past episodes that feature the fleet-wide press, it can be speculated that prior to the Cylon Attack, she was more of a tabloid investigative reporter than a mainstream journalist.''

Actually, there's a simpler explanation - the journalists we've seen so far have mostly been members of the press crew covering ''Galactica'''s decomissioning - print journalists and radio commentators. Biers is a filmmaker. I mean, you wouldn't expect to find Michael Moore covering a white house press conference, right? That's just not what he does. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 17:41, 11 September 2005 (EDT)

I found a good news item for Lucy Lawless's future on the show. It comes from a reliable entertainment news site.

"Lucy Lawless is joining the cast of SciFi's Battlestar Galactica for 10 episodes of the third season. Lawless is reprising her role as D'Anna Biers." Here's the link (you just need to scroll about halfway down): http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0602/06/index.htm
--Ltcrashdown 21:27, 6 February 2006 (EST)

:Um, better than that LTcrashdown, it says this on the front page of the official Scifi.com site. This link just copies the press released from the official site. --[[User:Ricimer|Ricimer]] 22:42, 6 February 2006 (EST)

== Entertainment Weekly ==

Should it be mentioned that in one of the recent issues of EW, there was some information stating that {{spoiltext|D'Anna would be the leader of the Cylons? The text was "Former Xena, Lucy Lawless, will parlay her second appearance (on Feb. 24) as sentient hottie/brassy TV reporter D'Anna Biers into a full-time gig on Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica. The 10-epicode arc, starting next season, will detail D'Anna's emergence as - SPOILER ALERT - leader of her human-hating species, the Cylons. "I'm disinterested in playing a bleeding-heart Cylon," Lawless giggles. Besides, she points out cryptically, "no evil person thinks they're evil."}}--[[User:DrBat|DrBat]] 08:44, 7 February 2006 (EST)

DrBat, please read the article first. On January 29th I already got this information from a Lucy Lawless official fansite's transcript of Lawless's appearance at a the official XenaCon. But she also gave the idea that she is not "the" leader of the Cylons; factions will develop when she claims this. Mainstream press like EW usually isn't as accurate as straight-from-the-horse's-mouth actor fansites. --[[User:Ricimer|Ricimer]] 18:29, 7 February 2006 (EST)
:Metinks Number Six will have a BIG problem with D'anna trying to take over, IMO. They'll be a catfight on Caprica of epic proportions! --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 23:56, 7 February 2006 (EST)
:Can you post a link and/or some what she said onto Bier's entry? --[[User:DrBat|DrBat]] 12:31, 8 February 2006 (EST)

::Um, that's why I was complaining: I ''already'' put all of this information onto the "D'anna" article, plus I ''already'' provided links for it to the Lawless fansite I got it from (which has proved a quite reliable source in the past; Lawless gives lots of spoilers). I am sorry, but the impression I got was that Dreamer didn't bother to read this article before adding redundant material. --[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] 16:12, 8 February 2006 (EST)
:::I don't know if you're referring to me, but all the quote on the page says is that the character sets herself up as a god. It doesn't say anything about factions developing among the Cylons over whether or not to view her as their leader. --[[User:DrBat|DrBat]] 11:56, 9 February 2006 (EST)

{{spoiltext|Other spoilers from the same source relate how Number Six is going to beat a D'anna copy to death with a rock and fight her, etc., plus other sources have talked about internal factions: they're dividing. }}--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] 13:42, 9 February 2006 (EST)
:I believe you, I was just asking if you could post a link and some text about the factions. The current link only mentions Lucy playing a character who views herself as a god. --[[User:DrBat|DrBat]] 07:33, 10 February 2006 (EST)

==Fanlisting==

Um, what exactly does a fanlist do?--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]]) 07:32, 18 April 2006 (CDT)
:They list all 20 fans, of course, including both "D'Anna Biers" and "LINDSAY." ...So, to be less bitterly sarcastic, they let fans of something know about other fans so they can contact each other or whatever. I'd vote for the link getting pulled. --[[User:CalculatinAvatar|CalculatinAvatar]] 10:34, 18 April 2006 (CDT)

==Main Image==
Hey, I was wondering which of these three images you would prefer if I placed as a main image.

The first is the same as the current, but cropped so that we can actually see her better.

The second is another promo image, cropped to show a specific section of her, and she is in another psot.

The third is a crop of the last.

<gallery>
Image:Drei.jpg
Image:Drei2.jpg
Image:Drei3.jpg
</gallery>

I myself sort of prefer the middle or last one, but all are good for me. The most important thing is that the image conveys the character and her attitude, so other people's opinions would be nice :)--[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 16:45, 17 September 2006 (CDT)
:I'm thinking the third one. [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 18:01, 17 September 2006 (CDT)
:I'll go for the third one too. The black background is easier on the eyes, but you see more of her than in pic 2 --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 18:03, 17 September 2006 (CDT)
::Great, I'll put the third one then ;) --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 18:17, 17 September 2006 (CDT)

== Capitalization of the "A" in D'Anna ==

I noticed that the main page for the character has a lowercase "a" after the apostrophe. That doesn't appear to be correct. The episode summaries on the official Sci Fi site spell the name with a capital A. --[[User:123home123|123home123]] 23:21, 2 October 2006 (EDT)

== Disambiguation? ==

I'm wondering if we're going to have to do some in-article disambiguation soon between D'anna, the mainline Threes and "Oracle-Three" (the one having the visions). Any thoughts on this?--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 19:42, 17 October 2006 (CDT)
:I think the article is sufficient so far. D'anna Biers, and the Three that is the antigonist of Caprica-Six are the only ones significantly differentiated. It's likely (although not confirmable unless a [[BW:OC]] answer comes) that the Three that is revealed at the end of "[[Final Cut]]" is the same one. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 21:48, 17 October 2006 (CDT)
:"Oracle-Three" may well be D'anna Biers, since she was the one who was shocked by news of Hera's death in a Downloaded deleted scene. -- [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 08:59, 18 October 2006 (CDT)
::She's the same Three who got rocked by Six, and that means it can't be D'anna since at the same time D'anna was trying to steal the child. --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 16:33, 18 October 2006 (CDT)
:::What makes you think she's the same Three who got rocked by Six? [[User:Noneofyourbusiness|Noneofyourbusiness]] 18:26, 18 October 2006 (CDT)
::::I think it was in various interviews, but you did make me think, so I'll look around to see precisely why I believe it is the Rocker. --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 20:44, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

==It '''IS''' D'anna==
So, I had previousley argued that the Three we see with the baby & stuff is the one that got "rocked" by Six. However, the discussion made me look for proof, so I looked for the very first time we saw the Three that was certainly the one who got the baby, and I remembered that we see her ear, and she has 3 ear pearcincs in one ear.

Now I know this is LL, so any Three could have them, but then I thought that maybe, if D'anna had previousley appeared with 3 Earings, this was a clue that it was that Three (since their bodies are probably not made with pearcings). And I was suprrised to find, that D'anna Biers did, indeed, wear 3 earings in the same fashion, one which no other Three has worn.

So I admit I was wrong and we now know that "Baby-Three" is indeed "D'anna Biers". I put this in a category of it's own because I consider the proof important.

I know many of you had already assumed this, but this is my proof that it's the same character, and that we might disambiguate at least this specific Cylon from the batch. --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 23:57, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

*The questions that bring up would be if "Baby-Three" is indeed "D'anna Biers", did she live a year with the humans and never managed to bump into Anders or the others who were rescued,(who know what a Three looks like) or was D'anna perhaps killed from the Cloud 9 explosion and somehow resurected? [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 22:53, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

Talk:Exodus, Part II/Archive 1

2006-10-24T03:38:48Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Guest stars */

http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0610/01/index.htm
Click on this link and scroll down to see scenes from the Exodus episodes. My favorite is the last one at the bottom which shows Zarek and Roslin plsticuffed together. Hopefully they'll start to get along soon. --ltcrashdown October 3rd, 2006

== My Prediction ==

And it shouldn't be a big surprise, but I have to state it for the record:

Battlestar ''Pegasus'' makes its last appearance today. I think it will be used to ram a basestar or two to save ''Galactica'', which puts up a good fight but is getting outmatched.
My prediction doesn't come from anything but from the gut, but it should be interesting if it comes true. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 16:53, 20 October 2006 (CDT)
:I'm hoping that it doesnt get destroyed, seeing as that would kill Lee Adama and far too many other people - if this happened, people would switch off. I'm predicting that it'll save the day at the last second. If you think about it, Lee Adama was ordered to stay behind with the fleet and continue the search for earth. I'm betting that he does the usual thing of going against orders, jumping back anyway at the last second and launches a nuke or two at a basestar.

--[[User:Fordsierra4x4|Fordsierra4x4]] 17:37, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

Since when does people's opinions become spoiler text? :P --[[User:Straycat0|Straycat0]] 18:05, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

:Spoiler policy is suspended on talk, but sometimes people get bummed to read them here, so it's a courtesy. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 19:58, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

YES! Nailed it! Nailed it! Hail to the king, baby! --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 21:47, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

: Hallowed are the Ori... -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 00:06, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

:Wow, Spence. Calling the second one was impressive. --[[User:PrePressChris|PrePressChris]] 09:55, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

== Is this a clue? ==

When Starbuck gets back to Galactica with the kid, and the supposed mother sees it, and latches on, she says either "Gods bless you" or "GOD bless you", and after watching it about 5 times on my TiVo, I'm leaning towards GOD, singular, and perhaps a clue that this lady is not who she claims. I mean, if that really is a hybrid, then it would be valuable enough to pull such a move just to get it out of Colonial hands.

Also, if it weren't for horrible interior design, I'd rather Galactica had been boned, and they all just moved into Pegasus and renamed it Galactia-A or something. If it weren't for the lame bridge, it'd be a much better ship.

: The assumption is reasonable -- however, I believe it is extremely likely that the woman is who she claims to be. Also, given the horrible success rate at Cylon farms, it is likely that Kacey was indeed a ruse to get Thrace to love Conoy. Once Conoy had Thrace's love, their love would lead to the next step. As for the "God" versus "Gods" thing.... also, it's been indicated that the Colonials have varying faiths, and some don't necessarily believe in the Sacred Scrolls, Pythia and all that jazz. Also, it wouldn't be ''Battlestar Galactica'' without ''Galactica''... -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 00:01, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
::Not to mention that you have to give Tyrol ''something'' to do on the flightline. Why, if he were on the ''Pegasus'', unable to go spastic about not holding the Vipers together with bubblegum and baling wire, and just could wish another one up from the manufacturing plants aboard the newer ship, who knows how many kids he and Cally might end up with by the time they get to Earth? ^_^--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 01:05, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
:::Tyrol now has a lot more Vipers and Raptors to look after. Poor Cally.....--[[User:Barry|Barry]] 07:44, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

:I thought your observation was interesting so I pulled up the episode again and watched that part. Kasey's new mother distinctly says "gods" with a hard, unmistakable "s". [[User:Silsor|Silsor]] 00:24, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
:Plus, why would they introduce a new Cylon so casually? The recent Cylons (Biers, Simon, Cavil) each had complex introductions. - [[User:Keithustus|Keithustus]] 01:17, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

::Totally said "gods"...first time I heard it...absolutly positive.--[[User:Gallion|Gallion]] 10:18, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

== Screencaps Posted ==

[[:md:User:Shane/gallery|Here]]. Enjoy. I surely did. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 03:51, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

:You misspelt "atmosphere" in a couple of them --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 08:44, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

:I like your screengrabs! Holy cow -- what a great episode; especially the part where Galactica jumps in low and provides that "firing solution" for the team. There was even a cool easter egg -- Did anyone else notice the "Pan Am" logo on the bottom of one of the ships leaving New Caprica? --[[User:Scooper|Scooper]] 10:28, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
::"Easter egg?" Sounds like another case of the Craftsman tool lockers. - [[User:Keithustus|Keithustus]] 11:54, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
::That's probably the [[Pan Galactic]] ship, its been in the fleet all the way back to the Miniseries. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 16:36, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
::The logo is indeed nearly the same, but the name seems to be different. It has more than 5 letters. Maybe "Pan Gal" --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 17:05, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

== Where does this question go? ==

Earlier today, I posted a question in the Questions section about why the DRADIS displays on both battlestars were inexplicably clear of the nebula's interference, but it was deleted. Is there a more appropriate place for it? --[[User:BlueResistance|BlueResistance]] 21:00, 21 October 2006 (EDT)

:Hi, BR. That's a valid question. Before the Cylon fleet discovered New Caprica, Dualla was commenting how hard it was to see anything in the nebula, and they were in orbit. Now, in this episode, both sides appeared to be using DRADIS without issue from the interference. Me senses a [[Continuity errors (RDM)|continuity error]]. You can re-add the question here (note my winded explanation) or add to the continuities article. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 20:40, 21 October 2006 (CDT)

: A bit annoying to have a question posted and suddenly deleted. Might I suggest deleting other editor's questions and comments be expressly prohibited? [[User:Bstone|Bstone]] 02:47, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

::Reaching a concenus and corlaberation is the wiki's primary goal. Sometimes authros disagree, so usually once something is removed and someone things it should say, bring it up on the talk page is the proper course of action to dicuss the matter further. --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 03:23, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

== Galactica's atmospheric insertion ==

I haven't been able to double check but I'm pretty sure Helo read off their altitude as "900,000." Now IIRC, the Colonials use metric so that would be meters. In other words, they were 600 miles off the deck. So I'm pretty sure I misheard that.

But even factoring for editing and such, I'm pretty sure they took some dramatic lisence with the freefall time.

RDM said they were going to try to keep the physics real, and this is peanut stuff.

<math>s=v_{i}t+\frac{at^{2}}{2}</math>
<math>v_i=0</math> because theyare starting from rest, so freefall time given by <math>\sqrt{\frac{2s}{a}}=t</math>

If that does give you enough time to for your scene, set the intial hight higher.
Uh... why isn't my math working?

: I'll check on that... -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 13:27, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

:You're assuming they came in with no initial velocity, but as we've seen with various Raptor scenes, velocity is carried through a jump. --[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 13:30, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

::It was Captain Kelly, and he reads their altitude as "99,000 and falling like a rock". That's roughly 61 and a half miles up, which is ''frakking'' high. Seems a little ''too'' high, don't you think? --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 14:56, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

:::Even in the metric world, aviation uses feet for altitude. 99k feet would be 30km, or 18-ish miles, which would fit the bill rather nicely, given the size of the Galactica. --[[User:Ijdod|Ijdod]] 15:34, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

:We've also seen pressure gauges in PSI (pounds per square inch). So it isn't all metric. --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 15:31, 22 October 2006 (CDT)
::I was going to mention that, but I was hungry and I forgot :( 99k feet was what I took it to mean when I heard it initially. --[[User:Madbrood|Madbrood]] 15:51, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

:I'm Thinking that a ship of that size and mass could even survive all of the forces at work from a fall like that, what is it almost a Km and a haft long and a haft a Km wide. It's mass must in the 5 to 10,000,000 metric tons. I can'y even think of the rate in witch it was falling. --[[Usr:Bowersj8|Bowersj8]] 5:29, 22 October 2006 (EDT)
::It managed to survive the forces at work when a nuclear weapon detonated pretty damn close to it (Miniseries). Completely different sorts of forces, of course, but makes the point that it's a tough ship. --[[User:Barry|Barry]] 09:54, 23 October 2006 (CDT)
:::Not just "pretty damn close." The nuclear detonation in the miniseries was a direct hit. Galactica is one ''hell'' of a tough boat. --[[User:Slander|Slander]] 15:32, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

I don't give a crap about the math of it, it was FRAKKING AWESOME! Seriously, that was insane. --[[User:BklynBruzer|BklynBruzer]] 20:52, 22 October 2006 (CDT)
:I think people are getting a little too worked up mathematically about a scene which is prety moving in that the crew of Galactica risked everything in order to help save everyone down on New Caprica. It was a very daring manouver which may well have resulted in slamming right into the ground with the FTL's failing. --[[User:Mercifull|Mercifull]] ([[User talk:Mercifull|Talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/Mercifull|Contribs]]) 10:00, 23 October 2006 (CDT)
::They weren't just risking their own lives, either. The force of an impact like that would have probably wiped out the entire city. They quite literally risked ''everything.'' --[[User:Slander|Slander]] 15:32, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

:::Yeah, you've gotta think about how big the Galactica is. It'd be like an asteroid! --[[User:BklynBruzer|BklynBruzer]] 21:23, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

== Guest stars ==

Bodie Olmos appeared in the episode in the scene where Galactica dropped into the atmosphere. He mentioned a pilot called Red Wing. Anyone know the actor's name? Neither actor was listed in the credits for some reason.

I was also wondering about Hera and Kacey's real mother. Any clue about either of them?

--[[User:123home123|123home123]] 22:16, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

----
Nicki Clyne (as Cally Tyrol) was listed in the credits, but she did not seem to appear (unless I miss it). Deleted scene? [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 22:38, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

Exodus, Part II

2006-10-24T03:27:39Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= Exodus, Part II
| image=TighAdamaReunion.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 4
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Bradley Thompson]] [[David Weddle]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 304
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-10-20
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Exodus, Part I]]
| next= [[Collaborators]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Commander [[Lee Adama]] of the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)| Pegasus]]'' has serious doubts about the success of the [[New Caprica]] rescue mission by ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. On New Caprica, [[Saul Tigh]] decides the consequences for his [[Ellen Tigh |wife's]] betrayal of [[The Resistance | the Resistance]]. Aboard ''Galactica'', Admiral [[William Adama]] executes a dramatic rescue plan.''

== Summary ==

*On ''Pegasus'', [[Lee Adama]] and [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] talk of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' mission. Adama worries heavily that Admiral Adama's mission will fail and of what future responsibilities he may have as the leader of the rest of mankind. His wife tells him to not give up hope.
*On New Caprica, [[Samuel Anders]] confronts [[Saul Tigh]] about [[Ellen Tigh|his wife Ellen's]] betrayal and tells him that either Tigh "takes care" of Ellen, or someone else less sympathetic will do so.
*Ellen Tigh explains her recent actions, that she would do absolutely anything to save Saul, including betraying the resistance. Tigh consoles her and provides her a drink when she asks. She falls unconscious, her drink having been poisoned by her husband. He says that he loves her, rests his head on her corpse, and weeps.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Gaius Baltar]] tells the Cylons that they have failed in their experiment and suggests the Cylons simply leave. A [[Number Three|Three]] voices the concern that one day the descendants of mankind might exact vengeance upon the Cylons, should they be left to their own devices.
[[Image:Saulellen.jpg|Saul handing Ellen her poisoned drink.|thumb]]

*Suddenly, dozens of explosions can be felt and seen. The [[Battle of New Caprica]] has begun.
*Anders and the resistance team has set a series of explosions that mimic a Colonial attack and causes chaos. [[Tory Foster]] commands a team of section leaders in the evacuation and orders [[Maya]] to head for her ship with [[Hera|Isis]].
*Anders and a large group of resistance fighters retrieve weapons from beneath the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] court to rescue the detainees in the [[New Caprica Detention Center|detention center]].
*In space above New Caprica, ''Galactica'' deploys a squadron of Raptors and Vipers. The Raptors launch [[swallow]]s to mimic the EM signature of two Colonial battlestars. The Cylons pick them up and fall for the ruse, moving two basestars with their Raiders away from the planet.
*When [[Leoben Conoy]] leaves the residence inside the Detention Center to aid with the fighting, he keeps [[Kara Thrace]] inside. She assaults him and tries to escape, but he knocks her unconscious.
*[[Tom Zarek]] tasks [[James Lyman|Jammer]] to protect [[Laura Roslin]] as she makes her way to ''Colonial One''.
*At the entrance to the shipyard, where the Cylons keep the grounded Colonial vessels, a team under Tigh and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pinned down by [[Cylon Centurion]]s.
*The Cylons detect the decoy drones, but ''Galactica'' jumps deep into the planet's atmosphere and launches its remaining Vipers. Before colliding with the ground, the ship jumps back into space. The Vipers begin to attack targets on the ground and clear the way.
*As others are freed from the Detention Center, Anders finds his unconscious wife and carries her away, but when Thrace awakens, she goes back to retrieve [[Kacey]].
*The battle is turning against ''Galactica''. Her FTL drives are down, weapons are offline and there is heavy structural damage from the atmospheric entry. Four Cylon basestars are closing in and the battlestar is soon bombarded from all sides with no hope of survival. At that moment ''Pegasus'' joins the battle, Lee Adama having disobeyed his father's orders. He opens fire with the forward batteries and destroys one basestar in the opening salvo.
*The Cylons realize that they have lost and decide to evacuate the planet. [[Number Three]] volunteers to stay behind and set off the nuclear weapon that was left in the city for such a contingency. She offers Baltar a place with the Cylons and leaves.
*The Colonial ships initiate intra-atmosphere [[FTL|jumps]] from New Caprica as soon as they become airborne.
*''Pegasus'' is heavily bombarded by missiles, having left all of her Vipers back with the rest of the civilian Fleet. Admiral Adama realizes that his son has planned a one-way mission for ''Pegasus'', and orders recall of ''Galactica's'' fighters.
*On ''Colonial One'', [[Felix Gaeta]] accuses Baltar at gunpoint of having betrayed everyone. Gaeta admits his guilt in idealistically believing in Baltar's initial vision, but realized in the end that Baltar was only thinking about himself. Baltar admits his own guilt and begs Gaeta to shoot him. However, Gaeta relents, giving Baltar a final chance to redeem himself: stop Three from setting off the nuclear bomb.
*With ''Pegasus'' dying, Lee Adama orders everyone to abandon ship. He sets the ship [[CBDR]] with a basestar as the last of the crew leaves in Raptors. ''Pegasus’'' collision destroys another basestar. The remains of ''Pegasus’'' starboard [[flight pod]] collides with and destroy another basestar.
*Kara Thrace retrieves Kacey, but Conoy has returned and confronts her. She appears to give in to his demands, says "I love you," and kisses him. However, Thrace uses the diversion to stab him. She picks up Kacey and leaves with Anders.
*Three searches [[Dodona Selloi]]'s tent, but the [[oracle]] has left. Outside, [[Caprica-Six]] and Baltar find Hera next to [[Maya]]'s body, still alive. Three arrives, asks to hold the child, and leaves with her. [[Caprica-Six]] says Three no longer intends to detonate the nuke, then leaves the planet with Baltar.
*Laura Roslin and a group of resistance fighters enter the now abandoned ''Colonial One'' and are the last ship to leave the planet.
*On ''Galactica'', many people are reunited as Tyrol immediately takes charge of ushering the incoming refugees. When Thrace shows Kacey to Tyrol, another woman walks by and recognizes the girl as her daughter, whom the Cylons had taken away. The mother thanks Thrace for rescuing Kacey. Thrace is shocked by the relevation that Kacey is not her daughter after all, but gives her up.
*Admiral Adama welcomes Tigh back aboard, and tells him he brought everyone back. Tigh quietly replies, "[[Ellen Tigh|Not all of them]]." The colonists in ''Galactica's'' [[hangar deck]] begin chanting "A-dam-a, A-dam-a..." and carry the admiral on their shoulders. Adama turns to see Tigh wandering off, numbed with grief.
*Tory Foster tells Roslin that neither Maya nor Hera can be found, and it seems likely neither made it off the planet. Foster apologizes, but Roslin muses that this was part of something bigger than them.
*Admiral Adama shaves off his mustache and returns to a fully staffed [[CIC]], aboard the now very loud, bustling corridors of ''Galactica''.

== Questions ==

*With Baltar missing at the conclusion of this episode, who will become the President of the Twelve Colonies?
**[[Tom Zarek]], as Vice President, seems to have the best claim. Since he chose to become a political prisoner rather than collaborate with the Cylons, he has probably retained his good standing in the public eye. If Baltar had him removed from office, he could probably make a good case that such an action was illegal.
**Laura Roslin's decision to evacuate on Colonial One may not have been an expression of her intent to claim the presidency. Colonial One had been her home for the first nine months that the fleet spent on the run. Zarek may have opted to evacuate aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]'', as he has previously served as a leader and representative of that vessel and her passengers.
**However, [[Saul Tigh]] seemed to expect that Roslin would assume the presidency ([[Precipice]]), and when boarding Colonial One, she makes herself at home at Baltar's desk as if she intends to do so.
**The Colonial Government has scheduled elections ([[Bastille Day]]), although it has also called special elections before ([[Colonial Day]]). As of this episode, it has been about a year and five months since the last presidential election, so it is unlikely that another is scheduled in the near future.
*What will be the final disposition of the ''Pegasus'' officers, and the former military personnel who have returned from New Caprica?
**Saul Tigh's injuries may prevent him from resuming his post as XO of ''Galactica''. Additionally, he has been outranked by [[Lee Adama]] since "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Lee Adama's command, the ''Pegasus'', has been destroyed. Given Tigh's incapacity, he may begin service as XO of ''Galactica''. He has also expressed dissatisfaction with his military career ([[Final Cut]]) and may wish to retire from fleet service, or resume his earlier duties of military liaison to the civilian government.
**It will be difficult to justify replacing [[Louanne Katraine]] as CAG, given the length of her service since the foundation of New Caprica, and her skill as a pilot, shown to have rivaled or outstripped even that of Kara Thrace by the time of "[[Scar]]".
**[[Kara Thrace]] is separated from Fleet service, and although she will probably return to active duty, it is unlikely that she will resume her former duty position as CAG, ''Galactica'' so long as Katraine is serving competently in that position.
**[[Anastasia Dualla]] is now an officer, and will not be expected to resume NCO-level tasks. [[Hoshi]] held her former position on ''Pegasus'', and is now available to serve on ''Galactica''.
**[[Felix Gaeta]] is separated, and will have to answer for the crimes of Baltar's administration, despite his covert affiliation with the resistance. [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Aaron Kelly]] have both been shown performing Gaeta's duties in CIC on ''Galactica'', and one of them may replace him.
**[[Cally Tyrol]], [[Galen Tyrol]], or both may choose to remain separated (from fleet service) to raise their son, Nicholas. We have not yet seen young children being raised on board ''Galactica'', although there is a [[Boxey (RDM)|precedent]] for keeping a civilian minor onboard.
*What consequences will Ellen Tigh's death have for her husband?
*What equipment and personnel were left behind on [[New Caprica]]?
**In order to build [[New Caprica City]], the ships were at least partially stripped and supplies were offloaded.
**Medical supplies were running low as of "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", although apparently the colonists were resupplied by the Cylons.
**Are there any people alive remaining on New Caprica after the exodus, due to wounds or infirmity? Were there any detention facilities which the [[New Caprica Resistance]] failed to liberate? Did anyone besides [[Gaius Baltar]] stay behind willingly?
*If the civilian ships only needed to get a few hundred feet off the ground in order to use their FTL drives and escape, why do ''Galcatica'' and ''Pegasus'' need to engage the basestars? Is this just to keep the Raiders, Heavy Raiders, and missiles from being used on the civilian fleet, on the surface below? (Note: it is not in dispute that having ''Galactica'' launch its fighters within the atmosphere is important so they could attack the Centurions and few raiders there.)
**As with the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], the Cylons could destroy the city with a single nuclear bomb in orbit. The plan appears to force the Cylons to be too distracted by the battlestar's offenses (Raptors at first, then the battlestar itself) to worry about the actions on the planet. ''Galactica'' jumps intra-atmosphere to minimize detection by the basestars.
**As part of Adama's strategy, after the intra-atmospheric jump, he probably wanted to jump the Galactica to the lowest possible orbit such that when the planetary rescue effort was complete that he could recover the vipers in the shortest possible time. To jump the Galactica to an extremely high orbit could add hours to viper recovery and allowing far too much time for Basestars and Raiders alike to close into their position.
*Will Gaeta be the target of persecution or assassination as a collaborator? Or will people believe in him when he is found out to be the secret informant?
*Will [[Cally Tyrol]] identify Jammer as the NCP officer who released her, based on his voice?
*''Galactica's'' escape seems questionable. Most or all of ''Galactica's'' Vipers were launched during the atmospheric maneuver. Later, after the four basestars start pummelling ''Galactica'', its situation is dire, facing explosive decompressions and with its FTL disabled. Adama says, "Then that's it. It's been an honor." ''Pegasus'' immediately appears and uses its superior weaponry to engage the basestars, destroying one in the first volley, so Adama orders the FTL to be fixed. Soon, Helo reports that most of the civilian ships have jumped, that FTL is back online, and that ''Pegasus'' is taking "a hell of a pounding." Adama orders his Vipers to land so that ''Galactica'' can leave. The next shot is Vipers landing, but weren't they all at the surface? How long does it take a Viper to climb into orbit? Real-world atmospheric escapes take several minutes, at least. How much damage were the basestars and battlestars doing to each other in this time?
**We aren't seeing events in real-time. Several minutes can lie between scenes that appear to happen right after another. Sometimes it is simply necessary to compress things in order to fit them into one episode.
**There may be several key differences at play between an escape from New Caprica's atmosphere and a real-world atmospheric departure, such as a lower [[Wikipedia:Karman line|atmospheric boundary]], more powerful thrusters on the Vipers, etc.
***In a real-world example, the [[Wikipedia:Space Shuttle|Space Shuttle]] takes approximately 10 minutes to attain escape velocity. The length of this time is partly due to the fact that the Space Shuttle's engines are occassionally throttled back to keep exceleration below 3 G to reduce discomfort to the crew. Additionally, typically it takes several hours for the Space Shuttle to attain the same orbit as the [[Wikipedia:International Space Station|ISS]]. For convenience of fiction, from the time of escape velocity of the vipers to attaining the same orbit of the Galactica could be said to be several minutes. Therefore, the entire sequence probably took in real-time 1/2 hour from the time the order was given by Adama to retrieve the Vipers to the time that all Vipers were aboard the Galactica. This is not taking into account that all craft can't land simultaneously on a carrier. The Pegasus probably took a pounding from 1/2 to 1 hour from the 3 remaining Basestars before it reached its final demise, a process that was beyond the timeframe of the show.
*Why did Kara Thrace wait so long to stab Leoben? She could have done it before even kissing him.
**Possibly, Thrace intended to insult to injury by her quick betrayal, but also, she needed to ensure that the Cylon agent was completely off his guard.
**It's also possible she is not as strong as we think, and truly felt something for Leoben in those few moments.
*What about the Cylons, such as Leoben, who were killed during the insurection? If they were dependant on a resurrection facility on New Caprica, is said facility still operational? If not, is there a resurrection ship in range?
*What, besides ''Galactica'' and her crew, was gained by the sacrifice of ''Pegasus''? Most of the civilian ships had already jumped to safety, and ''Pegasus'' did not bring any Vipers along to escort the remainder, opting instead to leave them to defend the small civilian fleet it had been protecting. If nothing was gained besides the survival of ''Galactica'', the sacrifice was a costly and foolish mistake - the fleet has lost the more advanced of its two battlestars, and along with it, its ability to manufacture new Vipers ([[Scar]]).
**From a purely military mission perspective that is correct. Pegasus' intervention seems to have been made solely because of the personal feelings of its commander. For the Cylons, the destruction of Pegasus and the retrieval of Hera compensate to an extent for the loss of three base stars and 30,000 human prisoners.
** Actually the mission was to rescue the 30,000 humans, the bulk of the survivors of the human race. The military perspective would be the sacrifice was worth the loss (though it would have been better, perhaps, if Galactica would have done the suicide run. It seems, though, that Pegasus would have jumped out if it could do so, but the ship lost its FTL drive during the pounding. This seems to happen relatively frequently for heavily defended warships designed to engage in brutal combat -- both Battlestars lost FTL during this battle. Also, Galactica's facilities to manufacture Vipers may have been greatly improved during the year at New Caprica.

== Analysis ==

*Either the scenes aren't in order or Baltar is not aware of what is going on. In the Gaeta-Baltar scene, Baltar says, "The Cylons have a nuke in this complex. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting off this planet alive unless I stop D'Anna." But this is after most of the civilian ships have already jumped.

*Further, until Hera is discovered by Baltar, Three is still looking to set off the nuke -- even though it is clear that the colonists are all long gone.
**It's possible Three wasn't seeking to set off the nuke, but said she was as a ruse to go seek answers about her premonitions concerning Hera.
*** Any nuke held by the Cylons would likely be stored somewhere inside the guarded Cylon parimeter. It appears that this Three made a beeline to the Oracle, and was upset that she was not there. While going through the tent, knocking things over, she is quoted as saying "frackking liar!".

*In general, the Cylons seem to have left the planet implausibly underguarded. Considering the strategic nature of the site, as well as the well-known fact that two battlestars remained at large, one would have expected the Cylons to have an overwhelming amount of protection for the planet -- perhaps dozens of basestars. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that the Cylons were not keeping closer tabs on the whereabouts of the launch keys.
**It has been established beforehand that the Cylons are overstretched with the occupation. This could account for the lack of protection. At any rate, four basestars against two battlestars is hardly an even match, let alone two half-strength battlestars.
***A Basestar does not seem to be a 1 to 1 match for a Battlestar. They lack offensive and defensive gun batteries, the ability to maneuver quickly, and have a critical design flaw that is easily exploited (central hub holding the six arms together). Basestars depend on missiles and large numbers of Raiders. Adama felt that the Galactica, even barely manned, could hold up to two Cylon Basestars.
****Additionally, RDM has mentioned in his podcasts that the Cylons do have major operations elsewhere hinting at future storylines in the season. It is possible that the Cylon higher command made a strategic decision to guard the planet with what they deemed the minimal required number of basestars to defend against 2 battlestars.
*When faced with their impending death, both Ellen Tigh and William Adama choose to accept it in a quiet, dignified manner.

*With the former crew of ''Pegasus'' onboard ''Galactica'' now, the ship has something close to its standard crew size. (Galactica's crew was deduced to be 2,693 in the episode "[[Water]]", and Pegasus's was introduced with a crew count of 1,752 in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (see [[Crew tally]]). William Adama notes that over half of the crew has settled on [[New Caprica]] in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]", and Lee confirms that both ships are at half-strength in "[[Occupation]]".) Military operations should be much smoother now, and repairs to the ship in general are more feasible.
**However, many repairs, such as structural, will require shipyard or dockyard facilities equiped with replacement parts and heavy repair machinery required for such repairs, and these facilities are no longer available. The Galactica may never again be the fighting force that it once was.

*While the combination of the ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'' air groups give the latter battlestar a full-strength fighter wing, the Fleet has suffered the loss of its most advanced and best-armed warship. With it also went the capability to build replacement Vipers, unless one of the civilian ships can be converted for such a purpose. Defensively, the Fleet is pretty much back to the position it was in when it left the Colonies.
**However, the Galactica did take significant structural damage during the conflict, therefore, it currently isn't in the same state of battle readiness as it was at the time it left the Colonies.

*It appears during the whole conflict in atmospheric combat that the Raiders were spending most of their time running from the Vipers. This may be due to the fact that Colonial Vipers have a far superior atmospheric design where Raiders are optimized for space operations. The Viper has a stabilizing vertical wing which aids the pilot in manuevering through the atmosphere just like all real-life combat aircraft. The Raider lacks this stabilizer wing much reducing their effectiveness in aeronautic combat and manuevering thrusters are not as effective in air as in space due to resistance. This made the tactic of depositing the Galactica's Vipers into a solely air-support role for evacuating ships very effective once the Space-born Raiders were decoyed away from the planet so that the Galactica only had to face the Basestars, not the Raiders.
*Pegusas seemed to fulfill it's role just like the [[Pegasus (TOS)|original Pegasus]], as it fought to the end to defeat two basetars and allowed Galactica along with the last of the fleet to escape from the cylons.

== Notes ==

* There is also a TOS comic named ''[[Exodus!]]''
* Both parts of "Exodus" were originally planned as one episode. However, it was quickly realized that the story was far too large for one episode and it was split in two. This happened before with "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I|Resurrection Ship]]." It also helped save money because the construction of New Caprica, the extensive location shooting, the number of actors, as well as the special effects for "Exodus, Part II" were very expensive and the production was over budget.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Discussing the failure of the occupation:''
:'''Number Three''': What would you have us do, Gaius?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Leave. Pack up your centurions, and go. Please. Go.
:'''Number Three''': And then what? What would you do if we really just left you here? You'd live out your lives in peace and never trouble yourselves with thoughts of us again? Or would you raise your children with stories of the Cylon, the mechanical slaves who once did your bidding, only to turn against you? Killers who committed genocide against your race, the occupiers of this city until we just ran away? Would you tell them to tell the story to their children, and to their childrens' children, and nurse a dream of vengeance down through the years so that one day they could just go out into the stars and hunt the Cylon once more?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Blood for blood ...has to stop one day.

*''Roslin heads to Colonial One''
:'''Roslin''': My ship's up there.
:'''Zarek''': You sure have a sense of the dramatic.

*''Adama comes to accept ''Galactica'''s end''
:'''Admiral Adama:''' Then that's it. It's been an honor.

*''After Hearing Pegasus Has Joined Galactica
:'''Admiral William Adama''': Damn You, Lee ...Thank You, Lee.

*''The Pegasus is evacuated before its destruction''
:'''Dualla:''' Alright, people, let's move. Out! Let's go. (To Lee): You too, Commander.
:'''Commander Lee Adama:''' Yes, sir. (Begins to leave, then stops and looks around at Pegasus): Thank you.

*''As the two Adamas reunite after the battle:''
:'''Admiral William Adama''': I guess you didn't understand my orders.
:'''Commander Lee Adama''': I never could read your handwriting.

*''Adama welcomes Col. Tigh back to ''Galactica''
:'''Adama:''' You did it, Saul. You brought them back.
:'''Tigh:''' Not all of them.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Exodus, Part II]]

Talk:Battle of New Caprica/Archive 1

2006-10-23T05:41:45Z

Belay-down-your-burdens:

Holy frak. (And that was from the first 30 minutes.) --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 20:05, 20 October 2006 (CDT)
:You took the words right out of my mouth. Most excellent! --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 20:45, 20 October 2006 (CDT)
::I know! Holy frakking frak. --[[User:Talos|Talos]] 20:47, 20 October 2006 (CDT)
:::My Grandchildrens' childeren will kmow about this episode! --[[User:Gougef|FrankieG]] 21:03, 20 October 2006 (CDT)
::::Was so good... I am posting my own option.... 100 out of 10. ;-) --[[User:Shane|Shane]] ([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]]) 21:39, 20 October 2006 (CDT)

==Losses==
We've said "dozens" or "hundreds", but we should decide on one, because frankly I support "dozens". Nobody died in Pegasus, and on New Caprica it didn't look like "hundreds" died considering that's a big number for these people. So what will it be? --[[User:Sauron18|Sauron18]] 17:51, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
:For starters, we don't know that there weren't fatalities aboard the ''Pegasus'' (people may have died from hull breaches or whatnot before Adama gave the order to abandon ship). I do agree, however, that it was probably dozens, maybe less than a couple hundred at max (and that's stretching it, IMHO) that died planetside. I would list "Losses currently unknown" until we start getting a fleet population count again, then work our way from there.--[[User:Mitsukai|み使い]] ''[[User_talk:Mitsukai|Mitsukai]]'' 18:10, 21 October 2006 (CDT)
:Actually, "unknown number" would work better, since we do not know specifically either way. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] [[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] 04:45, 22 October 2006 (CDT)

==Which Three is this Three?==

''...Meanwhile, Baltar and [[Caprica Six]] attempt to stop [[D'anna Biers]] from activating a nuclear device. After the Cylons lost control of the ground situation, the majority of the agents left on a [[Heavy Raider]] and left Biers with the responsibility of activating a nuclear device to "clean up"; however, she can't find it.''

How exactly was it detemined that this Three was the [[D'anna Biers]] Three? I would argue that this three was the one that tried to have the "War Heroes" boxed in [[Downloaded]]. D'anna, (assuming she died on Cloud 9, we don't know) was still alive and with the fleet according to the [[Timeline]].

And how did we determine that Three "couldn't find" the nuke? It appears that she made a beeline for the oracle, as presumably the nuke would be located inside the "green zone". [[User:Belay-down-your-burdens|Belay-down-your-burdens]] 00:41, 23 October 2006 (CDT)

Precipice

2006-10-16T21:27:18Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| title= Precipice
| image=Season 3 - Promo - Epi 1 - 2 - C-Number Eight, Adama, Helo.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 2
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
| production= 302
| rating= 1.8
| US airdate= 2006-10-06
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Occupation]]
| next= [[Exodus, Part I]]
| podcast= Y
}}

== Overview ==
:''After the suicide bombing, the [[Cylons (RDM) |Cylons]] institute stricter controls on the human population on [[New Caprica]]. Aboard ''[[Galactica]]'', plans for the rescue from New Caprica move forward now that communication with the [[New Caprica Resistance|resistance]] has been established.''

== Summary ==
*[[Gaius Baltar]] ostensibly has [[Laura Roslin]] detained in a cell. He discusses the suicide bombings, after which he releases her.
*After [[Duck]]'s suicide bombing in an effort to kill Baltar, the Cylons round up random civilians, including [[Cally Tyrol]].
*The [[Leoben Conoy|Leoben copy]] that has imprisoned [[Kara Thrace]] introduces her to [[Kacey]], supposedly [[Hera|another]] Cylon-human hybrid fertilized by this Cylon's consciousness and using Thrace's [[The Farm|egg from her stolen ovary]]. Thrace immediately treats it as an "it."
*[[Felix Gaeta]] continues to give information to the resistance, although [[Galen Tyrol]] is unaware that Gaeta is his source. Tyrol believes Gaeta is a collaborator.
*Tyrol talks to Jammer about the situation with [[Cally Tyrol|his wife]], believing that people such as himself and Jammer will be lauded, while people like Gaeta will be strung up, causing feelings of regret in Jammer for his secret Cylon collaboration as an [[NCP]] member.
*Jammer asks [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] to release Cally Tyrol from prison. Boomer claims bureaucracy prevents her, but later visits Tyrol. [[Resistance (episode)|Their history]] only makes matters worse.
*Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] swears in [[Sharon Agathon]] as a Colonial officer and sends her to New Caprica as the resistance liaison. Commander [[Lee Adama]] objects to most of the plan, and is generally ignored by the planning team.
*Later, Commander Adama tries to convince his father that risking what's left of mankind to save those on New Caprica wasn't a call the admiral could make. Admiral Adama tells his son that he can stay with the Fleet with ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' on guard, but that he and ''Galactica'' must try to rescue the New Capricans.
*[[Saul Tigh]], Chief Tyrol, and [[Samuel Anders]] decide to meet Agathon at [[Breeder's Canyon]].
*[[Ellen Tigh]], threatened with more harm to her husband, tips off the Cylons to the rendezvous.
*Another damaging suicide bombing moves the Cylons to more drastic actions.
*The Cylons force Baltar to sign an execution order, at gunpoint, for 200 civilians, including [[Cally Tyrol]], Roslin and [[Tom Zarek]].[[Caprica-Six]] is shot by a [[Five]] while protesting against the order. The detainees are transported outside the city.
*Kara Thrace continues to ignore Kacey in the apartment. When Thrace leaves to another room, she returns to find the child motionless in a pool of blood.
*As Kacey awakens in a hospital, Thrace is overjoyed, and takes Conoy's hand.
*After the truck of detainees stops and releases the prisoners to "stretch their legs," a masked [[Jammer]] cuts Cally Tyrol's bonds and tells her to run. As as she gets away, [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear to execute the detainees.
*Zarek pulls Roslin away from the front of the crowd.
*As Cally Tyrol runs through the forest, the sound of automatic gunfire rings out.
*After Sharon Agathon and Anders' teams meet and formulate their plans, they are soon ambushed by Centurions.

== Questions ==

*If [[Sharon Agathon]] is killed during her mission on [[New Caprica]], will she be able to download into a new body?
**While download is likely, Agathon would be immediately kept as an intelligence source.
*Where will [[Cally Tyrol]] be able to run to? She was ordered to face execution by the Colonial Government.
**Returning to the colony is probable, keeping out of sight, probably in the underground bunker where the [[wireless]] comm center is located.
*Why did the Cylons abandon their plan for a public execution?
**A public execution might have made matters worse, while [[Wikipedia:Forced disappearance|"disappearances"]] would allow for both an effective threat and plausible deniability.
*If viewers are to assume that the gunfire at the end of the episode is not from the Centurions, then who is firing? ([[Exodus, Part I|Answer]])
*Is Gaeta showing rather unusual behavior? If so, how much will his role as "inside man" be affected?
**Gaeta is witnessing the oppression of humanity at the highest level from a man he once admired. It is probable that Gaeta's stress level is [[Flight of the Phoenix|again affecting his behavior]].
*What is the role of the five unseen Cylon models in the occupation? Are they present and simply remaining off-camera for the benefit of the audience? Have they attempted to hide themselves from the Colonials?
**{{spoilli|According to interviews with Grace Park, Dean Stockwell, and Tricia Helfer, the remaining Cylons are so secret that even the seven models known to the audience don't know who the last five are. See the Talk article for more information.}}
**{{spoilli|According to an [http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30381 interview] with Aaron Douglas and Tamoh Penikett, the remaining five models may have all been [[Boxing|boxed]].}}
**It's also concievable that the Cylon is divided on the threat Humanity represents and the other 5 models believe they should be wiped out, or have there own seperate agendas like Leoben
*Why do no Leoben Conoy copies attend the meeting on ''Colonial One'' regarding the execution order?
**Conoy's motives on New Caprica appear to be entirely selfish—he is there for Kara Thrace only. No other copies have been witnessed on New Caprica to date.
*[[Cally Tyrol]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] both took their husbands' names upon marriage, as did [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Caroline Adama]] and [[Sesha Abinell]]. Are [[Anastasia Dualla]] and [[Kara Thrace]] now Anastasia Adama, and Kara Anders, respectively?
*What is the relationship between Caprica-Six's shooting and the reappearance of [[Cylon-Related_Hallucinations#Baltar.27s_Internal_Six|Baltar's Internal Six]]?
**It is possible that two events are not directly related. The reappearance was not immediate, but happened after [[Number Five]] and [[Cavil]] continued to threaten Baltar with death. Since Caprica-Six's support was gone, Baltar was under severe stress and thought that he might likely die. Internal-Six has shown a tendency to appear at those times, especially if Baltar's survival is at stake.
*On the topic of internal manifestations, what happened to Caprica-Six's Interal-Baltar? Will he ever show himself again? Has he dissapeared much like his counterpart in Baltar, now that the real-world Baltar is in Caprics-Six's midst?
*Now that the Lt. Sharon Agathon has landed on the surface of New Caprica, how can she be distinguished from other [[Number Eight]]s there?
**Other than her [[flight suit]], it remains unclear how [[Sharon Agathon]] will be distinguished from other [[Number Eight]]s. Admiral Adama confirmed that Cylon Centurions are not sentient, and may take instruction from Agathon because of her true nature.
*How will ''humans'' identify Sharon Agathon should she ever leave their sight? How, for example, can she safely return to ''[[Galactica]]''?
*How did Jammer identify the particular Eight he talked to as "Boomer?"
**Initially, Jammer just calls [[Boomer-Eight]] the honorific "Sir." Its concievable that Boomer has certain characteristics from her time on ''Galactica'' that other Eights don't have, that give her away as Boomer-Eight.
*If the Centurions are incapable of distinguishing between individual copies of a model, why would they fire on Sharon Agathon, who should be just another Eight to them?
**Agathon's back was turned to the Centurions at the time before the shooting began. They may not have registered her presence in the group. Also, her Colonial-issue flight suit may have given her away. No "legitimate" Eight on New Caprica would need to wear one. Its also possible that the Centurions were given orders to shoot the Eight found with the human resistance at the given location. Keep in mind that, unlike the TOS Centurions, RDM Centurions do not talk. They simply take orders.
* Why didn't Duck tell Tyrol that Jammer had joined the New Caprica Police?
**He may not have known until the graduation ceremony, since the members of the police force are secretive about their identities. Duck was also under great stress and may not have been thinking clearly.
*Did Kacey fall down the stairs or was she pushed?
*As Zarek wanted nothing to do with Baltar's puppet administration, who replaced him as Vice President?
**Given the potential for further dissidence and/or rebellion, did Baltar do away with the office of the Vice Presidency altogether?
*Given Zarek's imprisonment for four months, what of Zarek's various supporters? Do they still exist on New Caprica or on the ''[[Astral Queen]]''? If so, what of them?
*Is [[Kacey]] all that [[Leoben Conoy]] claims her to be?
**There is reason to believe that Conoy's claims are not true. As evidenced in the Miniseries and "[[Flesh and Bone]]," Conoy is a master manipulator specializing in lies, half-truths, misdirection, ommission and any other method he can think of to coerce people to do as he wants. Kacey could be an ordinary human. The farms were filled with male and female humans, so standard ''in vitro'' insemination is not improbable.
**The Cylon farms have had no success in procreation. Even if hybridization succeeded, it is unlikely that such a human/Cylon hybrid would be placed in such an unstable environment as they are highly valuable to the Cylons due to the astonishingly low success rate.
**[[Kacey]] seems significently older than Hera/Isis, however, according to the [[Timeline_%28RDM%29|Timeline]] she has to be at least a month younger, if she is really Kara's daughter.

== Analysis ==
*Apparently a single Cylon agent copy can speak for his or her particular model<ref> The phrase "''We'' agree" is said by several models.</ref>. Interestingly, [[Caprica-Six]] fails to dissuade her "sisters" from voting to execute the dissidents.
**This consensus within the copies is done invisibly. Similar communication between Cylons of a single model has been witnessed in several prior episodes:
***In "[[The Farm]]", the copy of Simon which Kara Thrace encounters outside the facility shares the memories of the one she has recently killed, although insufficient time has passed for a resurrection of the type witnessed in "[[Downloaded]]".
***In "[[Home, Part II]]", [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)]] reveals to Galen Tyrol that she has some of the Boomer copy's memories.
***At the start of "[[Occupation]]", the [[Cavil]] model interrogating with Saul Tigh knows of Ellen's work to free him.
**This contact is apparently strictly voluntary. According to Caprica-Sharon in "[[Home, Part I]]", "I'm not wired in. It doesn't work like that," and her presence on New Caprica is not considered a security hazard.
*As one of the Cavils notes, adherence to the Cylon creed has become increasingly perfunctory. The Cylons seek the President's signature as a mere formality.
*If [[Leoben Conoy]]'s story is true, [[Kacey]] can't be older than 16 months<ref>As of this episode, it has been about 27 months since the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|fall of the Colonies]]. Kara Thrace's incarceration at the [[Farms|Farm]] on Caprica took place about two months after the fall of the Colonies.</ref>.
*As Ellen Tigh's actions seem as reprehensible as ever, her motivations this time around are rather more laudable. These two episodes seem to indicate that she truly does care for her husband.
*Cavil informs Ellen Tigh that they released Saul Tigh so that he may continue leading the resistance, thereby ensuring attacks against the Cylons, such as the two bombings that followed his release. These bombings and their results reinforce Cavil's argument that instilling fear and exerting total control over the population is the only viable solution.
**It also might be possible that the release of Tigh might play into the faction of Cylons who continue to hold a strong prejudice towards humans. Caprica-Six and Boomer are clearly shown to be a diminishing voice amongst the Cylon leadership as evidenced when [[Number Five]] shot Caprica-Six in the head. This faction of Cylons may very well be attempting to destroy the experiment that Caprica-Six and Boommer convinced the Cylon population to undergo.
*The Cylons' condemnation to suicide bombings is strikingly hypocritical, in light of the fact that a [[Number Five]] used the same tactic after boarding ''Galactica'' in "[[Litmus]]."
*Following the bombing of the power station, the Cylon leadership conducts a meeting with Gaius Baltar on ''Colonial One''. The camera makes a full clockwise sweep, revealing in order:
**An Eight
**Boomer
**A Cavil
**A Five
**A Three
**Caprica-Six
**Another Cavil
**Another Three (identifies herself as the one killed by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]")
**A [[Simon]]
**Another Five
**Two more Sixes
*Cavil introduces the idea of "stronger measures". Assenting, in order, are the second Three, Simon, the second Five, and the last two Sixes. Caprica-Six dissents. Neither Boomer nor the other Eight are consulted. Not present are any copies of Leoben Conoy nor any of the unrevealed five models.
*Baltar's strenuous insistence that "Nobody has been tortured" evokes United States President [[Wikipedia:George W. Bush|George W. Bush]]'s November 2005 statement that "We do not torture".

== Notes ==
*"[[Occupation]]/Precipice" was awarded the [[Awards and Honors|IGN.com Editor's choice award]], following a review in which it recieved a rating of 10/10.
*"Occupation" and "Precipice" were edited as one 2-hr episode with only one introduction. However, in the podcast, [[Ronald D. Moore]] indicates the "beginning" of "Precipice" as the scene with Baltar and Roslin in the detention cell.
*In the podcast, [[Ronald D. Moore]] states that references to "The Twist" and "The Swirl" are a homage to ''[[Wikipedia:Seinfeld |Seinfeld]]''. The episode in question is "[[Wikipedia:The Fusilli Jerry |The Fusilli Jerry]]."
*Felix Gaeta's given name, first revealed in "[[Final Cut]]," is spoken out loud for the first time.
*Caprica-Valerii has married Karl Agathon and taken his last name. She continues to be confined to her cell, but it has been decorated and furnished. Ironically enough, she still calls him "Helo."
*Sharon Agathon and William Adama have continued to develop the rapport which they established in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]."
*[[Number Three]]'s claim that Caprica-Six's assault on her was the first case of Cylon-on-Cylon violence in their history is false. The model known as Boomer destroyed an [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|entire basestar filled with other Fives]], and there are several other incidents throughout the series.
*Ironically, a Five shoots Caprica-Six in the head shortly after Three's statement. Cavil indicates, however, that she won't be "boxed," as Caprica feared in "[[Downloaded]]."
*The same [[Number Three]] consciousness that is killed in "[[Downloaded]]" by Caprica-Six is present as well, referencing the incident; it is this same Three who questions Six regarding her love of Baltar.
*The apparent shooting of the captives and Cally Tyrol's escape at the end of the episode are an homage to ''[[Wikipedia:The Great Escape|The Great Escape]]''.
*Baltar's Internal-Six appears only after Caprica-Six is shot in the head.
*This episode has the second highest number of guest stars. Only the [[Miniseries]] had more credited stars.
*[[Lee Adama]] stated that there were about 2000 civilians that were on board Fleet ships when they escaped New Caprica, which would mean that after accounting for an unspecified number of military personnel (and an unspecified number of said personnel that were left on New Caprica), at least 5500 people were killed in the destruction of [[Cloud 9]] as well as the other ships destroyed by the nuclear warhead in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]."
*Another four humans are killed in the suicide bombing at the power substation this episode. It is unknown whether or not this figure includes the bomber. Additionally, 23 Cylons are critically wounded; 14 of them are euthanized. Almost half the city is left without power, with repair estimates standing at a minimum of two weeks.
*We finally learn the role of [[Tom Zarek]] in the Baltar administration: he was indeed Baltar's running mate, and was elected Vice President in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]". (This was implied in the last three episodes of season two, but not stated explicitly). He refused to be party to the Cylon occupation and was detained shortly thereafter, until his execution was ordered in this episode.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Discussing suicide bombings:''
:'''Galen Tyrol''': This is crazy. You know, we need to figure out whose side we're on.
:'''Saul Tigh''': Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We are evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

*''After being arrested, held without charge and carted to a remote location:''
:'''Tom Zarek''': Laura.. That election last year. You tried to steal it, didn't you?
:'''Laura Roslin''': Yes, Tom. I did.
:'''Tom Zarek''': (laughs) Ah... I wish you'd gone through with it.
:'''Laura Roslin''': Me too.

*''Talking in a cell:''
:'''Cally''': ...frak you Sharon, you stupid frakked-up toaster. How many times do I have to shoot you anyway?

*''After being slapped by Roslin for accussing her of working for the Cylons:''
:'''Saul Tigh''': You see, little things like that they don't matter anymore. Fact, not too frakking much really matters anymore. I got one job here lady, and one job only. To disrupt the Cylons, make them worry about the ant hill they stirred up down here so they're distracted and out of position when the old man shows up in orbit. The bombings, they got the Cylons' attention, they really got their attention. And I am not giving that up.
:'''Laura Roslin''': We are talking about people blowing themselves up.
:'''Tigh''': You know, sometimes I think that you've got ice water in those veins. And other times, I just think that you're just a naive little school teacher. I've sent men on suicide missions in two wars now, and let me tell you something. It don't make a godsdamn bit of difference whether they're riding in a Viper or walking out onto a parade ground. In the end they're just as dead. (pauses) So, take your piety, and your moralizing, and your high-minded principles, and stick 'em somewhere safe until you're off the rock and sitting in your nice, cushy chair on Colonial One again. (stands) I've got a war to fight (leaves).

*''As the Cylons try to force Baltar to sign the execution order, following Number Five's shooting of Capirca-Six in the head:''
:'''Baltar''': Oh, God.
:'''Cavil''': She'll be back...
:'''Cavil''': ... but if he pulls that trigger now, you won't.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil]]
*[[Erica Cerra]] as [[Maya]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]]
*[[Brad Dryborough]] as Lt. [[Hoshi]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*Madeleine Parker as [[Kacey]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[James Lyman|James "Jammer" Lyman]]
*[[imdb:nm1773454|Mylène Dinh-Robic]] as Officer #1
*[[imdb:nm1468333|Ryan McDonell]] as Pilot #3
*[[imdb:nm0493171|Byron Lawson]] as Pilot #4
*[[imdb:nm0492687|Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[imdb:mm,1989989|Larissa Stadnichuk]] as Suicide bomber

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Precipice]]
[[zh:险境]]

Viper Mark VII

2006-10-08T15:27:59Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Notes */

:''This article discusses the newer Viper-class fighters seen in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the older, generally obsolete Viper Mark II fighter from the same series, see [[Viper Mark II]]. For the Viper used in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] and in [[Galactica 1980]], see [[Viper (TOS)]].''
{{Ship Data
| image= BSG-Mark-VII.jpg
| title= Viper Mk. VII
| race= Colonial
| type= Military
| ftl= No
| propol= 3 x turbothrust engines mounted aft, [[RCS]] points<ref name="propol">Angular exhaust nozzle design suggest possible thrust-vectoring.</ref>
| crew= 1 pilot in Terrell ES 24C ejection seat. <ref name="camp">Ammunition used was same as older Viper models; the Mark VII guns appear to have a higher rate of fire. Armaments listings and ejector seat details from David Bassom's ''[[The Official Companion|Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]''.</ref>
| role= Space superiority fighter
| weapons= 3 [[KEW|Kinetic Energy Weapons]], missiles
| arm= 3 x forward-firing kinetic energy weapons ([[KEW]]), 2 mounted towards the outboard sections of the wings, 1 x mounted in the vertical stabiliser, Weapon hardpoints for mounting missiles / munitions pods, etc. under the wings.<ref name="camp"/>
| status= In current Colonial service
| length= 9.8643 meters<ref name="dim">Dimensions provided by [http://www.leestringer.com/ Lee Stringer], one of the VFX Animators of the miniseries. These are for the CGI models, which are based on but not identical to the fullsize props. Source: [http://www.starshipbuilder.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000012.html Starshipbuilder.com forums]</ref>
| height= 2.9508 meters<ref name="inflight">In flight, without landing gear. Landing gear adds approximately 0.5m.</ref>
| wingspan= 5.61 meters
}}
The '''Viper Mark VII''' was the [[Colonial Fleet]]'s latest update to the venerable [[Viper Mark II]] primary space superiority fighter / attack craft. Capable of atmospheric flight, the Viper is a single-seat craft mounting two kinetic energy weapons ([[KEW]]s), as well as having hardpoints beneath the wings for mounting missiles, munitions pods and other ordnance ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).

The Mark VII was the front-line variant of the Viper design, retaining the Mark II's general layout but adding fully integrated avionics that provide superior battle management and fight information for the pilot.

Ironically, it was the incorporation of the new integrated systems that prevented the majority of Mark VIIs from being effective during the Cylon attack: as with the majority of Colonial Fleet, the Mark VIIs suffer fatal computer system failures on contact with Cylon forces. Thanks to a [[Number Six|Cylon agent's]] relationship with Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]], scientist and programmer of the navigation software project, the [[CNP|navigational software]] in use onboard the majority of Colonial Fleet vessels contained backdoors that allow the Cylons to infiltrate a vessel's network by [[wireless]] signals and disable its power systems. While the problem could be overcome by removing the navigational upgrade compromised by the Cylons, this information is not discovered in time to be of major benefit to the surprised and hard-pressed Colonial forces.

== Technical Specifications ==

=== [[Computers#Avionics|Avionics]] ===
[[Image:Vipermk7interior 101 1080i.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Mark VII joystick, with few analog controls]]
The Mark VII cockpit is almost totally computerized. There are far fewer analog gauges and more reliance on a more powerful central flight computer. This gives the Mark VII pilot far greater control of the fighter as well as, presumably, greater targeting control in a dogfight.

However, the latest and last software upgrade, the [[CNP]] upgrade, introduced a fatal flaw (inserted by a [[Cylon agent]]) in the Mark VII that led to the virtual annihilation of most of these fighters in the opening wave of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]].

The surviving Mark VII fighters on both ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' were likely retrofitted to older avionics packages to replace the compromised CNP, or other subsystems in the fighter were augmented or removed to minimize or eliminate further infiltration.

As of "[[Scar]]", ''Pegasus'' had begun to use her onboard construction facilities to produce replacement Vipers. Enough materials were mined in the asteroid field to produce two full squadrons. Presumably, these are Mark VII Vipers fitted with Cylon-proof avionics. Also, since ''Pegasus'' joined the fleet, the Mark IIs have been steadily phased out in favor of the retrofitted Mark VIIs, of which many were intact aboard ''Pegasus''.

=== Performance ===

*While the Mark II could rotate 180 degrees vertically in .35 seconds ([[Act of Contrition]]), it is presumed that the Mark VII has an equal or better performance ratio.

== Notes ==
[[Image:Markvii-pa.jpg|thumb|right|Production Art of Viper Mark VII on SCIFI.COM]]
* Since ''Galactica'' only had 40 Viper Mark IIs aboard as part of its museum, they needed as many fighters as possible. The remaining Mark VII's advanced computer systems were refitted to resist Cylon infiltration. However, since this is not how the Mark VII was designed to fly, the craft is increasingly more difficult to handle and can only be flown by the most experienced pilots such as [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]. ''Galactica'' has roughly 6-8 Mark VIIs on board after the Cylon attack ([[Scattered]], [[Flight of the Phoenix]]). (Source: [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/ships/ships/|official Scifi.com series website])

* The stern section of a Viper is distinctive because of the offset "intakes" mounted just behind the cockpit. The port / starboard "intake" nacelles incorporate small but powerful reverse thrust engines that can quickly counter a Viper's forward momentum in an emergency ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).

* According to [[David Weddle]] during the [[Podcast:Scar#Act 2|Scar podcast]] the Mark VII cockpit design "was actually laid out based on, I think it's either the [[Wikipedia:F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] or the [[Wikipedia:F/A-18 Hornet|F-18]]." The side-mounted control stick more closely resembles that of the F-16, which is appropriate given the "Viper" nickname of the jet (that was initially the General Dynamics codename for the project, which was in turn named for the [[Viper (TOS)|TOS Viper]]).

* Also revealed in the podcast for Scar is that the full cockpit interior for the Viper Mark VII was built for the episode "Scar". "Flight of the Phoenix" had paved the way for the construction of the full cockpit when "the line producers and the production designers figure[d] out ways to move money around that basically bought us this cockpit because we had built the [[Blackbird|stealth fighter]]." The cockpit interior may have been constructed at the same time the Blackbird was being built.

* Like the [[Viper (TOS)|Original Series' Viper]], the weapons fire of Vipers on the Re-Imagined Series is red, however, the button is on the center of the joystick for the Mark VII, and the left for the Mark II ([[33]]).

* According to [[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], when creating the design of the Viper Mark VII, [[Gary Hutzel]] took a prexisting design from the [[Video Game|2003 video game]] loosely based on a mix of the Original Series and upcoming [[Miniseries]], then "did some modifications, and that became the Viper Mark VII".

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

{{Ships}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Craft]]
[[Category:Colonial Craft (RDM)]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:Colonial Military (RDM)]]
[[Category:Ships]]
[[Category:Ships (RDM)]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Technology (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-03-13T01:19:08Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Burdens2.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]]) [[Kate Vernon]] ([[Ellen Tigh]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Cavil|Brother Cavil]])
| Writer=[[IMDB:nm1093194|Anne Cofell Saunders]], [[IMDB:nm0894156|Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= TBA
}}

== Overview ==

: ''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut (which elicits a sexist observation from the doctor). [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', Tory mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_%28verb%29 tabling] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavill confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, claiming he's a Cylon. Both Cavill and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavill (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Both Cavills then talk about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have talked about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. They were told to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying he has a confession to rig the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. He's less than pleased, vowing to have full investigation in time. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast, Gina being present before the explosion; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least two other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===

*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good CAP. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, is sick with pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is saying he can’t do much for him, saying there are no antibiotics available, but he is young and healthy, and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, the very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*Kara calls Lee,who has gained a lot of weight in the past year aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla is now an officer, serving by Lee Adama's side in the ''Pegasus''' CIC. Before Lee can reply to Kara, Dualla catches something on [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrive in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas are having a discussion about what to do, when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps them in as the defense fleet jumps away.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Number [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar declares surrender on behalf of the colonists, and as Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?
*What "number" is Cavil?
*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
**Most likely not, she had the election on her mind, much to do, and didn't actually make it an order. Baltar would have been unlikely to vent them into space.
*Where did the defense fleet jump to?
**Likely a prearranged rendezvous point, similar to that of the miniseries.
**If the Colonies have actually been abandoned, the defense fleet might have jumped back there. While the worlds may well be uninhabitable, there may still be weapons and fuel to salvage. If the Ragnar Anchorage is still intact, that might serve as a good place to re-munition.
***Although Roslin calls the colonies a "nuked out wasteland," it seems apparant from scenes of Caprica that not only is there extensive vegetation left, but the radiation is not bad. The cylons have actually rebuilt many of the buildings, and they live on the planet without suffering from radiation. Since it has been nearly two years since the original cylon attack, radiation on the planets would have gone down significantly.
*Where is Caprica-Sharon?
**Most likely, still in ''Galactica'''s brig. This is probably why Helo is still aboard ship, having taken a CIC officer's position.
***This seems to be confirmed by his ready acceptance of Adama's order to jump away from New Caprica; if Sharon was not still aboard he would have protested.
**In the podcast, Ron Moore vaguely hinted that they hadn't forgotten about Sharon, but that we'd have to "wait and see". Apparently, several of the early season 3 episodes will have flashbacks dealing with events that took place in the year that passed.
*What happened to Zarek?
*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
** Could it be the same [[Leoben Conoy]] that Starbuck interrogated in "[[Flesh and Bone]]"?
*** As seen with ''Galactica''-Sharon, it is distinctly possible that that particular Leoben was lying when he said he'd actually die and not download.
** It is likely that, as the only escapee from [[The Farm]], they are interested in continuing with her. After all, there was an incision, and something had changed with her.
*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.
**Admiral Adama wasn't conclusive as to how the weapon got on board Cloud Nine.
**Baltar pointed out there have been no attacks since he took office. Under Roslin the attacks were common. Perhaps for a year the people decided they preferred the safety Baltar gave them to their liberties.
**They did vote them in, and perhaps the struggle of trying to survive on this planet is distracting their attention, i.e. at first they weren't sure how much to blame on Baltar, or on the simple struggle of trying to rebuild. Howevever, it hasn't been a particularly smooth or easy presidency, as shown by the recent Union strike.
*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]?
**Judging from Six's reaction to Baltar, almost definitely.
*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].
*Did the nuclear bomb ever get picked up by the fleet's radiological alarms?
*How many people died in the Cloud Nine explosion?
**The Cloud Nine explosion also destroyed ships near it. Given the stated size of the New Caprica population along with subtracting the minimal crew sizes needed to maintain the ships in orbit, you can estimate that approximately 3000 to 5000 people died.
***The full complement of Cloud Nine may have been lower than its share in proportion to fleet size, as it was a luxury liner. It seemed to be continuing to serve as a public meeting and recreational vessel after the [[Colonial Day]] election. It seems plausible that the minimal crew required to operate Cloud Nine would have been small, as with the STL botanical garden ship destroyed in the pilot episode. Equally, since Baltar was being sworn in, it is possible that Cloud Nine was not at full population.
*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed?
**They have already established that with the [[Resurrection Ship]] destroyed, Cylons in the fleet that are killed will ''actually'' die. Gina expressed suicidal impulses as early as "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]".
**Additionally, since the Cylons found the planet due to the radiation, it is unlikely that Gina was resurrected, as she then would have told the Cylons the location of the planet.
*** It is possible, perhaps even likely that the bulk of the civilian population was deliberately left in the dark about the fleets exact location, just in case there were Cylon agents in the fleet.
*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it?
**He had no real proof.
*Did the events of "One Year Later" actually happen, or were they a dream or vision sequence given to Baltar?
**Although Baltar has had elaborate visions in the past, this vision left Baltar's point of view several times, addressing issues such as the marriage of Kara to Sam Anders and Adama's friendship with Tigh that are of little knowledge or importance to Baltar.
***Ron D. Moore has stated in interviews that the first 4-5 episodes of season 3 will deal with the Cylon occupation of New Caprica, and unless a vast swath of episodes is going to be a dream sequence, all of these "one year later" events ''really'' happen.
***Moore actually discusses this in the podcast, saying that many people might just assume this is a dream, or a ''Dallas''-like season-erasing shower-dream episode, but he thought it was a bold decision to jump ahead a full year, and have all of it be definitely real.
*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?
**So far as we know, Adama, Tigh, Gaeta, Dualla, Dualla's two associates, Tory, and Roslin are the only people that knew; 6 are military personnel, 4 of whom would be implicated, and the other 2 were directly involved civilians. All are strongly motivated to conceal the information.
* Why would it take the Cylons over one year to find New Caprica, alerted by the nuclear detonation prior to the inhabitation of the planet?
**It was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out.
***Actually with the Cylon base 1 light year away, it would take 1 year for the nuke to show up on the Cylon sensors. Short of some FTL communication system, that's the only way the Cylons would have been able to detect the planet. Since the fleet is all in within non-FTL distances, all the FTL devices, if any exist would likely have been destroyed or disabled.
*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?
**Has it really been established that all that remains of the colonies are nuked-out wastelands? Yes, it's clear that they were nuked from the mini-series, yet in more recent episodes, it's also clear that the Cylons have been rebuilding them, in particular Caprica. The comment is bizarre in that Admiral Adama would know this as well, given the return of Anders who no doubt gave a full account of his experiences.
***Adama and Roslin appeared to be questioning the Cavils immediately after the Caprica copy was detained, leaving no time for Anders' debriefing.
*Why have the Cylons returned? According to [[Cavil]], the two races were to go their "separate ways". The Cylons may have been worried about the humans retaliating at some point in the future, but the location of the Cylon world(s) is still unknown to the humans, so ensuring the safety of their society presumably isn't the motive behind the occupation of [[New Caprica]].
**In "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]", it was actually implied that the Colonials do know the location of the [[Cylon homeworld]], and at no time has anyone ever said "we don't know the location of the Cylon homeworld".
**This assumes that the Cylons were being honest in their announcement of withdrawl from all Human contact and association. It is possible that this was a tactical feint and the Cylons went looking for possible alternate locations where the Humans could have resettled.
**[[Cavil]] stated that the cylon "war hero's" had changed cylon opinion about the war on the humans, perhaps others within the cylon population had swung public opinion back towards starting up the war again.
***If cylon opinion had been swung back in favor of war, then Caprica-Six and Galactica-Sharon would not be leading a delegation to demand surrender. The cylons must have some ulterior motive, probably involving Starbuck. Otherwise, they could have simply bombed the human settlement from space.
*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?
** If they were telling the truth, perhaps not all Cylons are readily able to admit and rectify their mistakes as the Cavils believed.
** It seems that the intent was truthful, given that Caprica-Six and Sharon are taking an active leadership role in this new occupation. What seems unclear is how their positions has changed from Downloaded, where they clearly felt that the Cylon destruction of humanity was wrong. This is especially so for Sharon, who still considered herself human. Why would she go along willingly with this new course of action of occupation and presumably other forms of experimentation.
*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?
*How many people are left in the Fleet?
**The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of Cloud 9 and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?
*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck?
**Colonel Tigh mentioned that the incident incident that happened "a long time ago" and that it wouldn't prevent Apollo from giving antibiotics to Starbuck. When she contacted him aboard ''Pegasus'', he seemed very much not to want to talk to her.
***Problems may have arisen due to possible jealousy of Anders.
***This may refer to Starbuck's drunken comments about Apollo and Dualla.
*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

== Analysis ==
*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica—he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a larger, elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.
*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.
*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.
*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count when she left for Caprica at the beginning of Season 2.
****She left at the end of season one, before they started the count. But, they did not add her to the count when she returned with Helo, because the count rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
**There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version.
* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.
*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish
*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.
*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.
*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned in by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.
*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.
*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.
*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—'''Brother Cavil'''

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*'''Admiral Adama:''' We're leaving. But we'll be back.

*''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
:'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
:'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0722413/ Donnelly Rhodes] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Timeline (RDM)

2006-03-09T17:37:32Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Future Events */ anti-radiation meds

''Dates use the day of the [[Cylon Holocaust]] as a baseline. See also [[Survivor Count]], [[History of the Twelve Colonies]].''

==Ancient History==
*'''-3600 Years:''' [[Pythia]] records her prophecies.
*'''-2000 Years:''' The thirteen tribes leave [[Kobol]]: twelve for the [[Cyrannus System]], the other for [[Earth]].

==Recent Colonial History==
*'''-52 Years:''' Cylon revolt begins the [[Cylon War]]. [[Articles of Colonization]] signed ([[Colonial Day]], [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/04/index.html#a000025 RDM, April 11, 2005]).
*'''-51 Years''' Colonials suffer a major defeat when the Colonial ship ''[[Brenik]]'' is lost after a boarding action by Cylon Centurions, which resulted in some of the bloodiest, hand-to-hand fighting of the war. A young Petty Officer [[Saul Tigh]] is one of a handful of survivors.
*'''-50 Years:'''
** [[Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'' enters service under Commander [[Peter Dash]].
*'''c. -41 years:''' [[William Adama]] begins his service in the Colonial Fleet as a Viper pilot, near the end of the Cylon War.
*'''-40 Years:''' Armistice between the Colonials and the Cylons ends the [[Cylon War]].
*'''-20 Years:'''
**Last significant [[FTL|Jump]] recorded on battlestar ''[[Galactica]]'s'' logs.
**[[Tom Zarek]] imprisoned for blowing up a government building on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittaron]] ([[Bastille Day]]).
**[[William Adama]] and [[Saul Tigh]] first meet ([[Scattered]], podcast).
**[[Laura Roslin]] begins her career in politics ([[Litmus]]).
*'''-7 Years:''' [[Saul Tigh|Saul]] and [[Ellen Tigh]] marry. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/112/deleted1.html deleted scene])
*'''-5 Years:'''
**[[Laura Roslin]]'s last breast exam prior to her cancer diagnosis ([[Act of Contrition]]).
**[[Galen Tyrol]] assigned to ''Galactica'' ([[Litmus]]).
*'''-3 Years:''' [[Felix Gaeta]] assigned to ''Galactica''.
*'''-2 Years:'''
**[[Caprica Six]] begins residence on Caprica ([[Downloaded]]), first encounters Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]] ([[Miniseries]]).
**[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|A copy of Sharon Valerii]] begins serving aboard ''Galactica'' ([[The Farm]]).
**[[Zak Adama]] dies in a flight school accident. His funeral is Lee and William Adama's last meeting until the miniseries.
**Lt. [[Kara Thrace]] is re-assigned from Flight School to Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*'''-1 Year:''' Last time [[William Adama]] and [[Caroline Adama]] speak.
*'''-Several months''' [[Caroline Adama]] gets engaged.
*'''-3 Weeks:''' [[Anastasia Dualla]] last visits her home.
*'''Zero Hour:''' Cylons [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|destroy]] the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. The (so-far-known) only known survivors are a rag-tag fugitive fleet escorted by ''Galactica''; ''Pegasus'', another [[Pegasus (RDM)|isolated battlestar]]; a fleet of 15 civilian FTL capable ships; and the [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. Events of the [[Mini-Series]].

==Season 1==
*'''Note:''' Timeline assumes that the days shown on [[Caprica]] with [[Helo]] corresponds to the timeline on Galactica. A strong example of this is in the season 1 finale "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", when [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] travels from Galactica to Caprica.''

*'''1 Day:''' [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]]. ''Galactica's'' fleet leaves [[Cyrannus]] System.
*'''6 Days:''' ''Galactica'' finally loses the Cylon pursuers. Events of episode "[[33]]".
*'''7 Days:'''
**First new child born on the ''[[Rising Star]]''.
**''Pegasus'' encounters a fleet of 15 civilian ships, including ''[[Scylla]]''.
*'''10 Days:''' Events of episode "[[Water]]"
*'''12 Days:''' Tom Zarek engineers the capture of the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' by its prisoner crew. Events of episode "[[Bastille Day]]".
*'''14 Days:''' Events of episode "[[Act of Contrition]]". [[Skirmish over the Red Moon|Starbuck is missing after a Cylon fight]].
*'''15 Days:''' Events of episode "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]"
*'''17 Days:''' Events of episode "[[Litmus]]"
*'''21 Days:''' First recollection by any of the ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'' crewmembers of giving [[Ellen Tigh]] medical assistance ("about a week" before "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]").
*'''24 Days:''' [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica Valerii]] and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] first make love. Events of episode "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]"
*'''25 Days:''' Events of episode "[[Flesh and Bone]]"
*'''26 Days:''' Ellen Tigh resumes consciousness ("a couple of days" before [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]).
*'''28 Days:''' Events of episode "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]".
*'''36 Days:''' [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]]. Caprica Valerii is pregnant and suffering morning sickness. Events of episode "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".

===[[Colonial Day]]===

*'''Day 46:''' Delegates selected for the [[Quorum of Twelve]]. [[Tom Zarek]] selected to represent [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittaron]]. Roslin implores Adama to permit his participation. [[Valance]] prepares to smuggle a ceramic stealth gun into the ''[[Cloud Nine]]''. Zarek addresses the fleet from the prison ship [[Astral Queen]]. Gaius Baltar selected to represent [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. Apollo and Starbuck inspect the [[Cloud Nine]].

*'''Day 47 - Morning:''' Colonial Day. Delegates arrive on Cloud Nine. Roslin addresses the Quorum. Baltar eyes [[Playa Palacios]]. Zarek moves to elect a vice president and is nominated by [[Marshall Bagott]]. Motion passes, chair to remain open 72 hours for nominations.

*'''Day 47 - Afternoon:''' Roslin asks [[Wallace Gray]] to run for the vice presidency. Zarek expounds on his reform agenda. Valence scuffles with Apollo and Starbuck and is jailed. Helo and Caprica Valerii arrive at a spaceport in the vicinity of [[Delphi]].

*'''Day 47 - Evening:''' Starbuck and Apollo interrogate Valence to no effect.

*'''Day 48 - Morning:''' Grey addresses the Quorum. [[Safiya Sanne]] changes [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Picon|Picon]]'s vote to Zarek, bringing his total to 5 of 12.

*'''Day 48 - Afternoon:''' Zarek serves [[Ellen Tigh]] a drink and inquires after the whereabouts of Valence. Baltar interviewed by [[James McManus]]. Valence found dead. Tigh, Apollo and Starbuck consult with Roslin on security.

*'''Day 48 - Evening:''' Roslin travels to ''Cloud Nine'' and asks Grey to drop out of the race and recruits Baltar to replace him, interrupting his "exclusive" with Palacios. Apollo and Starbuck flirt in the bunk on ''[[Galactica]]''.

*'''Day 49 - Morning:''' Baltar elected Vice President, with Roslin casting the tie-breaking vote.

*'''Day 49 - Evening:''' Victory party for Baltar. Roslin dances with Adama, Ellen with Saul Tigh, Billy with Dualla, Starbuck with Apollo and Baltar.

*'''Day 49 - Night:''' Helo and Caprica Valerii infiltrate the spaceport. Helo discovers Valerii is a Cylon and flees.

''Note: Roslin states that the chair will remain open for nominations for 72 hours on the morning of Day 47, but the [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|next episode]] clearly takes place the day after the victory party, and is stated to take place on Day 50. Perhaps the Quorum moved to close the nomination period early after the nomination of a strong candidate.''

===[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]===
*'''Day 50 - Early Morning:''' Apollo and Adama spar. Baltar and Starbuck have sex. Caprica Valerii catches up with Helo at [[Delphi]], and he shoots her. ''Galactica'' Boomer contemplates suicide. [[Cottle]] examines Roslin and gives her "six months, at the outside".

*'''Day 50 - Morning:''' Starbuck and an (already) drunken Baltar exchange innuendos over the officer's card game.

*'''Day 50 - Afternoon:''' Roslin briefs Baltar on her economic agenda. [[Number Six|Six]] warns him that "it's not safe to remain on ''Galactica''". ''Galactica'' Boomer and Crashdown stumble upon [[Kobol]]. Helo holds Caprica Valerii at gunpoint. Apollo and Starbuck exchange blows.

*'''Day 50 - Evening:''' Roslin examines an orbital photograph of Kobol and has a vision of the [[City of the Gods]]. Adama decides to send an expedition, which Baltar demands to accompany. ''Galactica'' Boomer shoots herself on Baltar's advice. In private, Roslin unsuccessfully petitions Commander Adama to send the Cylon Raider after the [[Arrow of Apollo]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].

*'''Day 50 - Night:''' [[Battle of Kobol]] begins. Scout party ambushed by a [[Cylon Basestar]] at Kobol. Starbuck devises a plan to deliver a nuke to the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] using the captured [[Cylon Raider|Raider]] and [[Cylon Transponder]]. Roslin convinces her to purloin the Raider and take it to Caprica instead.

===[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]===
*'''Day 51 - Early Morning:''' Survivors of [[Raptor 1]] escape the wreck. Baltar passes out. Adama terminates Roslin's presidency. Apollo and Tigh plan an assault on ''[[Colonial One]]''. Adama dispatches the wounded Boomer to take out the basestar. Caprica Valerii leads Helo to [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]].

*'''Day 51 - Morning:''' Starbuck arrives at Caprica, retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]], kills a copy of [[Number Six|Six]] and meets up with Helo. ''Galactica's'' [[Marines|marines]] board ''[[Colonial One]]''. Apollo mutinies, Roslin stands down. Baltar has a vision of the shape of things to come. ''Galactica'' Boomer confronts other Valerii copies on the basestar. She returns from her mission and shoots Commander Adama.

==Season 2.0==
''Note: Season 2 dates are rough guesses, at best, and are complicated by the [[season two timeline discontinuity]]. Dates for the first half of the season are based off of the last dates given at the end of season one.

===[[Scattered]]===
*'''Day 51 - Morning:''' A [[Cylon Basestar]] ambushes the fleet, which jumps to an emergency rendezvous point. ''Galactica'' jumps to wrong coordinates and is forced to backtrack. [[Battle of Kobol#Scattering of the Fleet|''Galactica'' holds off basestar]] and returns to bulk of the Fleet.

===[[Valley of Darkness]]===
*'''Day 51 - Morning:''' ''Galactica'' is partially disabled by a Cylon [[Virus|virus]] while a [[Cylon Centurion]] boarding party attempts to [[Battle of Kobol#Cylon Boarding|commandeer the ship]].

===[[Fragged]]===
*'''Day 51 - Afternoon:''' [[Crashdown]] is shot by [[Gaius Baltar]] on Kobol after threatening to shoot [[Cally]].

===[[Resistance]]===
*'''Day 52:''' Tigh interrogates Tyrol and imprisons him with [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]].

*'''Day 53 - Morning:''' [[Cally]] blackmails Baltar into running his Cylon test on Tyrol. Baltar notes to Tigh that he should assume Roslin's duties; he invites Baltar to join her in the brig. ''[[Aturian]]'' stops refining Tylium in protest of Martial law. Apollo briefs pilots in the ready room. Dualla checks out his ass. On Caprica, Starbuck and Helo meet [[Samuel Anders]]'s [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]].

*'''Day 53 - Afternoon:''' Tigh deploys troops to vessels refusing to supply ''Galactica''. The [[Gideon]] Massacre takes place. Roslin is chagrined. Apollo initiates his escape plan.

*'''Day 53 - Evening:''' Saul and Ellen Tigh argue and have sex. Baltar poisons Tyrol and interrogates Boomer. Starbuck and Helo arrive at the Resistance HQ with Anders.

*'''Day 54 - Morning:''' Apollo delivers briefing, orchestrates Roslin's escape. The deck gang begin construction of a new brig cell for [[Cylon agent|Cylon agents]].

*'''Day 54 - Afternoon:''' Apollo & co. disembark at the [[Cloud Nine]] and link up with [[Tom Zarek]]. Starbuck and Anders flirt.

*'''Day 54 - Evening:''' Commander Adama wakes up. Cally kills ''Galactica'' Boomer.

===[[The Farm]]===
*'''Day 61:''' - Laura Roslin & co. take refuge on ''[[Kimba Huta]]''. William Adama resumes command of ''Galactica''.

===[[Home, Part I]]===
*'''Day ?? - Morning:''' Kara Thrace's captured [[Cylon Heavy Raider|Heavy Raider]] jumps into orbit around Kobol. Tom Zarek attempts to have it shot down because it's not the same Raider that Thrace departed in. Thrace lands her Heavy Raider aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' and is reunited with President Roslin and Lee Adama. Lee learns that in addtion to Karl Agathon, Thrace brought back the Caprican copy of Sharon Valerii, whereupon Lee pulls a gun on Sharon. After defusing the situation with words, Roslin orders Valerii thrown out the airlock, but relents and has her thrown into the brig instead, after hearing both Thrace and Agathon's protest. Commander Adama promotes Captain [[George Birch]] to be the new ''Galactica'' CAG.

*'''Day ?? - Afternoon:''' Commander Adama holds a press conference regarding the escape of President Roslin from his custody and the ensuing martial law. Adama adjourns the press conference when the questions become increasingly pointed.

*'''Day ??+1 - Morning:''' Cpt. Birch on his first mission as CAG is responsible for an accident that nearly kills [[Kat]]. Zarek and his trusted lieutenant [[Meier]] plot to overthrow Roslin and take command of the fleet.

*'''Day ??+1 - Afternoon:''' Cpt. Birch oversees his second flight mishap as CAG when two ships he's supposed to be guiding collide with one another during a routine refueling operation.

*'''Day ??+2 - Morning:''' Roslin's party, made up of Thrace, Cpt. Adama, Elosha, Zarek, Meier, Agathon, Boomer, two Zarek red-shirts, two Roslin red-shirts and Rolsin herself land on Kobol. Using Valerii as their guide they set out in search of the [[Tomb of Athena]].

*'''Day ??+2 - Afternoon:''' The party is ambushed by Cylon Centurions after Elosha accidentally trips a "bouncing betty" land mine and it blows up in her face, killing her. The surviving party is saved when Valerii uses an RPG launcher to destroy the last remaining Centurion.

*'''Day ??+2 - Evening:''' Adama makes the decision to put the fleet back together after a long and heartfelt talk with [[Dee]].

===[[Home, Part II]]===
*'''Day ??:''' - [[Raptor 1]] lands on Kobol with [[William Adama]] and his contingent. [[Tomb of Athena]] found.
*'''Day ??:''' - Roslin reestablished as lawful President; martial law ends. Fleet reunification.

===[[Final Cut]]===
*'''Day ??''' [[D'anna Biers]] produces a documentary aboard the Galactica about the "[[Gideon massacre]]". It is a generally positive documentary broadcast to the fleet. Unknown to the fleet, it is also surveillance by the Cylons into the status of the Colonial fleet.

===[[Flight of the Phoenix]]===
*'''Day 84''' - Laura Roslin is given a few weeks, a month at the most to live. [[Cally]] is released from the brig; a welcome back party is thrown for her by the deck crew.
*'''Day ??''' - [[Chief Tyrol]] begins construction of the [[Blackbird]] prototype stealth fighter.
*'''Day ??''' - [[Great Cylon Turkey Shoot|''Galactica'' routs hundreds of Cylon fighters]] without a casualty while dispatching a [[Logic bomb]] from their ship computers.
*'''Day ??''' - The [[Blackbird]] prototype stealth fighter is completed by [[Chief Tyrol]] and a team of Galactica crewmembers. Lt. Thrace flies it on its first test flight, quickly proving its value as a stealth craft.

===[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]===
*'''Day ??''' - ''Galactica'' encounters battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. Admiral [[Helena Cain]] assumes fleet command.
*'''Day ??'''- [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] accidentally kills ''Pegasus'' Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne|Thorne]] and is arrested with [[Karl Agathon|Helo]].
*'''Day ??''' - A standoff between the two battlestars begins over the treatment of the arrested ''Galactica'' crew.

==Season two timeline discontinuity==
:''Main article: [[Season two timeline discontinuity]]''
Based on various evidence, the end of "Resistance" can be very firmly dated to Day 54. This puts Cally's release at Day 84, and in turn means that as of "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was not expected to live past day 114. Corroborating this, Sharon Valerii does not appear visibly pregnant in "Pegasus".

However, in the following episode, Admiral Cain states offhandedly that it has been about six months since the fall of the colonies. This is further corroborated in "Epiphanies", which we learn takes place 189 days after the holocaust (a full 75 days longer than Roslin's most favorable prognosis). Additionally, Valerii now appears to be well into her second trimester, and elections have been put off by 75 days from their first-season projections.

There is apparently no way to reconcile this discrepancy. Even under the most liberal assumptions, the first half of the second season timeline cannot accommodate more than about three additional days.

Consequently, there is a 75-day discontinuity between the fist and second halves of season two. The second half of the season is dated from the firm dates given in "Resurrection Ship, Part I" and "Epiphanies", but be aware that dates throughout the remainder of season 2 are likely to contradict those from earlier in the series.

==Season 2.5==
===[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]===
*'''Day ~175''' - The standoff between the two battlestars ends in an uneasy truce, and a tense summit aboard Colonial One, after Lt. Thrace returns from an unauthorized surveillance mission to the Cylon fleet, where she gains critical evidence on a Cylon ship. Dr. Baltar is able to determine from [[Gina]] that this is the [[Resurrection Ship]] that cylons need to resurrect so far from the Cylon homeworld.

===[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]===
*'''Day ~177''' - The Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus together engage the Cylon fleet in the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], where they achieve an overwhelming victory with relatively light casualties, destroying not only the Resurrection Ship, but at least one other Cylon base star. The Blackbird is destroyed in the battle, although Lee Adama manages to eject successfully. At least one Raptor is also lost in the battle. Admiral Cain is killed by Gina, after Baltar helps her escape captivity. He then proceeds to hide her in the fleet.

===[[Epiphanies]]===
*'''Day 189''' - President Roslin near death; orders death of Cylon fetus. A [[Demand Peace|Cylon peace movement]] begins to pose as a threat to [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. The Cylon fetus is eventually spared, when Dr. Baltar determines how to use Cylon fetal stem cells to treat Roslin's cancer. Dr. Baltar smuggles the nuclear weapon that he was provided with for work on his Cylon detector to the Cylon peace movement aboard Cloud Nine.

===[[Black Market]]===
*'''Day ???''' - Commander Fisk is murdered aboard the Battlestar Pegasus. Lee Adama begins an investigation into the matter.
*'''Day ???''' - Lee Adama kills [[Phelan]], leader of the [[Black market (organization)|Black Market]] crime syndicate.
*'''Day ???''' - Lee Adama is debriefed on the entire incident regarding the murder of Fisk and the Black Market.

===[[Scar]]===
*'''Day ???''' - After 29 days in an asteroid field (putting us at Day 218 or later), the ''[[Majahual|Majahual's]]'' mining operation has produced enough raw materials for the construction of two new Viper squadrons using the fabrication facilities aboard the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Battlestar ''Pegasus'']]. Attacks on the operation continue by the ace Cylon raider known as [[Scar (Raider)|Scar]], making it the source of a heated competition between Lt. Katraine and Cpt. Thrace.

===[[Sacrifice]]===
*'''Day ???''' - Three men and a woman named [[Sesha Abinell]] lay siege to bar onboard [[Cloud 9]], taking the guests hostage, and sealing the area off from the rest of the ship. Abinell's husband was killed aboard the ''[[Greenleaf]]'' when the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] attacked it ten weeks ago, and she decides to exact vengeance. Lee Adama is wounded as a result of a failed rescue attempt by [[Kara Thrace]]

===[[The Captain's Hand]]===
*'''c. Day 236''' - [[Kara Thrace]] assigned to ''Pegasus'' as flight instructor.
*'''Day ??''' - Almost one month after the events of "Sacrifice", [[Lee Adama]] has been promoted to Major and temporarily assigned to ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. [[Rya Kibby]] arrives on ''Galactica'' seeking a clandestine abortion from Dr. [[Cottle]] and requests asylum.
*'''c. Day 240''' - ''Pegasus'' Commander [[Barry Garner]] dies during the [[Battle of the Binary Star System]]. Adama is promoted to Commander and given command of ''Pegasus'', with Thrace replacing him as CAG of ''Galactica''. In response to heavy lobbying from Gemenon delegate [[Sarah Porter]] over the Kibby incident, Roslin places a moratorium on abortion. In protest, Vice President Gaius Baltar announces his candidacy for president in the upcoming election.
''Backdated from "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I".''

===[[Downloaded]]===
*'''Day 270 (Zero Hour + 9 months)''' - [[Hera]] born. This episode claims that the previous episode "[[Resistance]]" took place "10 weeks before" Day 270. However, 10x7 = 70 and 270 - 70 = 200, this would put Cally's shooting of ''Galactica''-Boomer ''after'' "[[Epiphanies]]" which was stated to take place on Day 189. Even a very liberal estimate could not possibly place "Resistance" more than a week or two after "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II", when it was stated on screen that it was Day 51. This reference to "10 weeks" is a mistake, which will be corrected in the DVD and international releases of "Downloaded".

===[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]===
*'''c. Day 256''' - [[Galen Tyrol]] begins a series of recurring suicidal nightmares.
*'''c. Day 269''' - Presidential debates begin. [[Kara Thrace]], [[Felix Gaeta]] and [[Lee Adama]] brief pilots on Caprica SAR mission on ''Pegasus''. Tyrol attacks [[Cally]] after being woken from a nightmare.
*'''c. Day 270''' - Media reports on first debates. SAR team departs; [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] and crew accidentally discover a habitable planet and return to [[the Fleet]]. Tyrol begins counseling with Brother [[Cavil]].
*'''c. Day 280''' - Final presidential debate. SAR team arrives at Caprica and meets with [[Samuel Anders]]'s [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]].
*'''c. Day 283''' - Polls open (projected).
''Tom Zarek states that the fleet has been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months" the morning after the debates. This date is roughly taken as Day 270, with an implied give-or-take of a couple weeks. The surrounding events noted above can, however, be placed relative to this point with a good degree of certainty based on episode dialogue.''

==Future Events==
*'''<s>Day 86 + 1 month (c. Day 116):''' Roslin's maximum life expectancy as of Day 86 ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])</s>
*'''<s>Day 54 + 3 months (c. Day 144):''' [[Samuel Anders]]'s [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]]'s anti-radiation med supply projected to run out ("[[Resistance]]").</s>
**Anders' group survives in "[[Downloaded]]", c. Day 270. They could have simply found more stockpiles of anti-radiation meds in the intervening time period.
***Radation from nukes drop at an exponential rate. It's possible that measured background radiation dropped enough so the anti-radiation meds were no longer needed.
*<s>'''Day 12 + 7 Months (c. Day 222):''' Elections due for President of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] ([[Bastille Day]]).</s>
**As of "[[Downloaded]]", c. Day 270, the elections are near but have not yet arrived.
*'''<s>Day 50 + 6 Months (c. Day 230):''' Roslin's maximum life expectancy as of Day 50 ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).</s>
**Roslin promised to get the fleet to [[Earth]] before her death '''(c. Day 230)''' ([[Fragged]]).
*'''<s>Day 24 + 9 Months (c. Day 294):''' [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Caprica" Sharon Valerii]]'s daughter born. (see [[#Notes|Notes]] below)</s>
**[[Hera]], daughter of [[Helo]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Caprica" Sharon Valerii]] was born premature c. Day 270 ([[Downloaded]]).
*'''Day 36 + 3 years (c. Day 1131):''' Fleet runs out of [[tylium]] fuel that was resupplied from the Cylon asteroid mine; assuming that no other sources have been found before this date. ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
*'''Day 260 (approx) + 18 years (c. Day 6,830)''' Time at which, if the [[Survivor count]] keeps up its current rate of decline and never increases, the human race will simply go extinct, according to Baltar's estimate in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".

== Notes ==

*The above day listings use a simplistic calendar system with 30 day months and no leap years. The colonial calendar may be more sophisticated.
*<s>The date of Valerii and Agathon's child is speculated, assuming that the [[Cylon agent]]s share the same gestation period that humans do, and that the birth of their hybrid daughter is not [[Wikipedia:premature birth|premature]].</s>
**Date of Hera's birth is now confirmed at Day 270.
*Later episodes in "Season 2.5" such as "Resurrection Ship, Part I" and "Epiphanies" state clearly that "Pegasus" and the episodes immediately following it take place six months after the Cylon Attack. Ron D. Moore did state that it took Tyrol "weeks" to construct the Blackbird and a large amount of time passes in this episode as a result. ''BattlestarWiki'' originally assumed this meant at most 2-4 weeks. However, the only plausible way that Pegasus and Resurrection Ship, Part I can take place six months after the attack is if "Flight of the Phoenix" actually lasted''' three months '''from beginning to end. Roslin was told in this episode that her cancer had accelerated, and she had only one month to live. As Cally's "welcome back" party happened earlier in the episode, when she was released from the brig around Day 86, a considerable period of time (several weeks at least) pass between these two scenes.

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:RDM]] [[Category:Colonial History|*]] [[Category:Behind the Scenes]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-09T17:20:29Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */ quote marks added

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Is the previous distance limit for Colonial [[FTL]] jumps on account of something like mathematical calculations? Have any of the other Raptors, besides the lead Raptor, been modified, or do they just receive coordinates from the one Raptor with Caprica-Boomer and the Cylon device?
**No, or at least, not entirely. Based on Starbuck's jump back to Caprica in a Cylon Raider and other comments made in season 1, the Cylon FTL drive is far more capable to begin with. Colonial navigation systems would not be designed to take advantage of a markedly superior FTL drive because there would have been no need. Even by using the Cylon navigation computer, with its much better calculations, they needed ten jumps to return to Caprica.
***The dialog after Racetrack's Raptor gets waylaid hints at a firmware error. This hints at the possibility that all the Raptors were upgraded to take advantage of the “better” FTL jump calculations from the salvaged Cylon organ/computer. Previously, Starbuck jumped back to Caprica in her converted Raider in one jump, where the Raptors need to take 10 jumps. However, we do not know of the fleet's current position compared to where it was during the events of "[[Kobol%27s_Last_Gleaming%2C_Part_II]]". Therefore it is not possible to determine, assuming the best possible FTL jump calculations, whether Cylon or human ships can jump further.
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).
*How was the Raptor able to jump back to the fleet if their FTL navigation computer was not working properly?
**Racetrack's navigator says she gave him the coordinates, so it is possible that she relayed them incorrectly rather than a malfunction in the computer. Alternatively, they could have tracked down any fault and repaired it. In any case, the coordinates for the Raptor's original jump point would probably still be in the system.
*What about the Cylons hiding within the fleet? With the possible settlement of the planet being openly debated can the Cylon infiltrators not contact the Cylon fleet and inform them of the Colonials intentions?
**Perhaps the interference around the planet is blocking long range communications?
**Caprica-Sharon implies that there are Cylons amongst the fleet by telling Adama she would not identify them if asked.
*Laura states that Baltar does not have a key issue besides the "religious angle." What about the abortion issue from "[[The Captain's Hand]]"?
**Anti-abortion opinion is primarily based on religion.
*When exactly did the Raptors leave for Caprica? If the episode lasts about two weeks, did it take that long to get to Caprica?
**From the dialog it appears that the Raptors can make a jump within 10 minuites, so the entire trip back likely took less than two hours.
*Why is Tyrol passed out in his underwear on the hangerdeck? What happened to his clothes?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**According to [[Six]], on the night of the first debate the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the beginning of the first debate, [[James McManus]] states Baltar declared his bid for presidency a month ago. This took place at the end of "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]" around Day 270.
**At the conclusion of the second debate, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.
*When Tyrol's counseling with Cavil is coming to an end, Cavil notes to Tyrol that Cally "especially" loves him. Tyrol is apparently oblivious to this obvious fact up to that point.
*''BattlestarWiki'' has been trying for some time to reconcile on the [[Timeline (RDM)|Timeline]] the apparent jump from 3 months to 6 months that occured at the beginning of Season 2.5, a part of which was that back in "[[Bastille Day]]" it was stated on screen that the presidential elections were due in '''seven''' months. However, over 7 months passed by the end of "[[Scar]]", and there wasn't even talk of the elections until "[[The Captain's Hand]]". In the podcast for this episode, Ron Moore appears to reveal that he has simply forgotten this point. When he refers to the fact that "elections were promised back in "Bastille Day"", Moore says that he remembers that the line in "Bastille Day" was '''nine''' months, not seven. This is more than a one-episode goof, becuase one month after "Bastille Day" in "[[Colonial Day]]", it was stated that the elections were six months away. In the podcast it seems that Moore is truly and simply mistaken, and there is no explanation for the descrepancy betwen the "seven months after the attack" figures given in "Bastille Day" and "Colonial Day", and the new "nine months after the attack" figure at the end of season 2.5. It is simply a mistake.

== Notes ==
*The re-cap for this episode includes scenes not actually shown in previous episodes—for instance, Starbuck demanding to the dying Roslin circa "[[Epiphanies]]" that they go back and rescue the Caprica resistance.
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]". Ironically, Baltar considers himself the hand of God in that episode. Further, a "chance serendipitous event" (namely the discovery of an inhabitable planet) does deliver them something they can use against Roslin.
*Likewise, when Apollo wishes Starbuck "good hunting", there's a tone of concern, and he seems to pause before saying it, as if Apollo meant to say something else but changed his mind. This may be a reference to "[[33]]", when Starbuck tells Apollo to say "good hunting" instead of "be careful out there".
*This episode has many parallels to "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]" and "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]": the discovery of an inhabitable planet, Gaeta plotting a Raptor jump dangerously close to a planet surface, Starbuck's use of captured Cylon technology to return to Caprica, the intercutting of several plot threads in the teaser, a character contemplating suicide out of fear of being a Cylon, and difficulties between Helo and Sharon. In addition, Tyrol's assault of Cally is something of a parallel to Helo shooting Sharon in "Kobol's Last Gleaming"—in both cases, a man driven to rage physically and emotionally wounds a woman who loves him.
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]. Or perhaps like in real life with American Nimitz class Aircraft Carriers that carry a larger number of fighter aircraft compared to older Forrestal class carriers, the Pegasus, being a larger and more modern Battlestar than Galactica, it has the capability to carry a larger complement of Raptors. Unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
**Also, more Raptors could have been built with extra materials after the Viper squadrons were manufactured ([[Scar]]).
*The jump error that landed the Raptor in the nebula was attributed to a "firmware error" by the crew. This may be an indication that there was firmware upgrade to deal with the increased FTL jump distances provided by the Cylon computer.
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually paraphrases the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc. Interesting note Adama sticks his chopsticks inside the bowl of noodles so that the chopsticks stand up in the bowl, which is a sign of bad luck to the Chinese. Non-asians that use chopsticks frequently do not pay heed to the bad luck superstition, similiar to the Japanese custom of not giving knives as a wedding present for the same reason (bad luck). This is a sign of cultures borrowing from each other piecemeal.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.
*Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] appears in this epsiode twice but doesn't speak a single line.
*This is the first time since the [[Mini Series]] that Helo is seen fulfilling his duties as an [[ECO]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings.

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

*'''Gaius Baltar:''' I'm not sure if you're aware, [[Tom Zarek|Tom]], but the mob isn't usually in the habit of electing ungodly apostates who denegrate people of faith.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-09T17:08:13Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */ time needed to jump back to Caprica

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Is the previous distance limit for Colonial [[FTL]] jumps on account of something like mathematical calculations? Have any of the other Raptors, besides the lead Raptor, been modified, or do they just receive coordinates from the one Raptor with Caprica-Boomer and the Cylon device?
**No, or at least, not entirely. Based on Starbuck's jump back to Caprica in a Cylon Raider and other comments made in season 1, the Cylon FTL drive is far more capable to begin with. Colonial navigation systems would not be designed to take advantage of a markedly superior FTL drive because there would have been no need. Even by using the Cylon navigation computer, with its much better calculations, they needed ten jumps to return to Caprica.
***The dialog after Racetrack's Raptor gets waylaid hints at a firmware error. This hints at the possibility that all the Raptors were upgraded to take advantage of the “better” FTL jump calculations from the salvaged Cylon organ/computer. Previously, Starbuck jumped back to Caprica in her converted Raider in one jump, where the Raptors need to take 10 jumps. However, we do not know of the fleet's current position compared to where it was during the events of [[Kobol%27s_Last_Gleaming%2C_Part_II]]. Therefore it is not possible to determine, assuming the best possible FTL jump calculations, whether Cylon or human ships can jump further.
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).
*How was the Raptor able to jump back to the fleet if their FTL navigation computer was not working properly?
**Racetrack's navigator says she gave him the coordinates, so it is possible that she relayed them incorrectly rather than a malfunction in the computer. Alternatively, they could have tracked down any fault and repaired it. In any case, the coordinates for the Raptor's original jump point would probably still be in the system.
*What about the Cylons hiding within the fleet? With the possible settlement of the planet being openly debated can the Cylon infiltrators not contact the Cylon fleet and inform them of the Colonials intentions?
**Perhaps the interference around the planet is blocking long range communications?
**Caprica-Sharon implies that there are Cylons amongst the fleet by telling Adama she would not identify them if asked.
*Laura states that Baltar does not have a key issue besides the "religious angle." What about the abortion issue from "[[The Captain's Hand]]"?
**Anti-abortion opinion is primarily based on religion.
*When exactly did the Raptors leave for Caprica? If the episode lasts about two weeks, did it take that long to get to Caprica?
**From the dialog it appears that the Raptors can make a jump within 10 minuites, so the entire trip back likely took less than two hours.
*Why is Tyrol passed out in his underwear on the hangerdeck? What happened to his clothes?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**According to [[Six]], on the night of the first debate the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the beginning of the first debate, [[James McManus]] states Baltar declared his bid for presidency a month ago. This took place at the end of "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]" around Day 270.
**At the conclusion of the second debate, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.
*When Tyrol's counseling with Cavil is coming to an end, Cavil notes to Tyrol that Cally "especially" loves him. Tyrol is apparently oblivious to this obvious fact up to that point.
*''BattlestarWiki'' has been trying for some time to reconcile on the [[Timeline (RDM)|Timeline]] the apparent jump from 3 months to 6 months that occured at the beginning of Season 2.5, a part of which was that back in "[[Bastille Day]]" it was stated on screen that the presidential elections were due in '''seven''' months. However, over 7 months passed by the end of "[[Scar]]", and there wasn't even talk of the elections until "[[The Captain's Hand]]". In the podcast for this episode, Ron Moore appears to reveal that he has simply forgotten this point. When he refers to the fact that "elections were promised back in "Bastille Day"", Moore says that he remembers that the line in "Bastille Day" was '''nine''' months, not seven. This is more than a one-episode goof, becuase one month after "Bastille Day" in "[[Colonial Day]]", it was stated that the elections were six months away. In the podcast it seems that Moore is truly and simply mistaken, and there is no explanation for the descrepancy betwen the "seven months after the attack" figures given in "Bastille Day" and "Colonial Day", and the new "nine months after the attack" figure at the end of season 2.5. It is simply a mistake.

== Notes ==
*The re-cap for this episode includes scenes not actually shown in previous episodes—for instance, Starbuck demanding to the dying Roslin circa "[[Epiphanies]]" that they go back and rescue the Caprica resistance.
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]". Ironically, Baltar considers himself the hand of God in that episode. Further, a "chance serendipitous event" (namely the discovery of an inhabitable planet) does deliver them something they can use against Roslin.
*Likewise, when Apollo wishes Starbuck "good hunting", there's a tone of concern, and he seems to pause before saying it, as if Apollo meant to say something else but changed his mind. This may be a reference to "[[33]]", when Starbuck tells Apollo to say "good hunting" instead of "be careful out there".
*This episode has many parallels to "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]" and "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]": the discovery of an inhabitable planet, Gaeta plotting a Raptor jump dangerously close to a planet surface, Starbuck's use of captured Cylon technology to return to Caprica, the intercutting of several plot threads in the teaser, a character contemplating suicide out of fear of being a Cylon, and difficulties between Helo and Sharon. In addition, Tyrol's assault of Cally is something of a parallel to Helo shooting Sharon in "Kobol's Last Gleaming"—in both cases, a man driven to rage physically and emotionally wounds a woman who loves him.
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]. Or perhaps like in real life with American Nimitz class Aircraft Carriers that carry a larger number of fighter aircraft compared to older Forrestal class carriers, the Pegasus, being a larger and more modern Battlestar than Galactica, it has the capability to carry a larger complement of Raptors. Unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
**Also, more Raptors could have been built with extra materials after the Viper squadrons were manufactured ([[Scar]]).
*The jump error that landed the Raptor in the nebula was attributed to a "firmware error" by the crew. This may be an indication that there was firmware upgrade to deal with the increased FTL jump distances provided by the Cylon computer.
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually paraphrases the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc. Interesting note Adama sticks his chopsticks inside the bowl of noodles so that the chopsticks stand up in the bowl, which is a sign of bad luck to the Chinese. Non-asians that use chopsticks frequently do not pay heed to the bad luck superstition, similiar to the Japanese custom of not giving knives as a wedding present for the same reason (bad luck). This is a sign of cultures borrowing from each other piecemeal.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.
*Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] appears in this epsiode twice but doesn't speak a single line.
*This is the first time since the [[Mini Series]] that Helo is seen fulfilling his duties as an [[ECO]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings.

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

*'''Gaius Baltar:''' I'm not sure if you're aware, [[Tom Zarek|Tom]], but the mob isn't usually in the habit of electing ungodly apostates who denegrate people of faith.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Raptor

2006-03-09T16:56:08Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Overview */ amount of FTL jumps

== Overview ==

[[Image:Raptor-1.jpg|thumb|Colonial Raptor (credit: Sky One)]]

The '''Raptor''' is a multi-role vehicle used by the [[Colonial Defense Force]]. It is generally operated by a crew of two, is capable of atmospheric flight and is also equipped with a short-range [[FTL|Jump]] engine, allowing it to make short faster-than-light hops.

The Raptor is designed to fulfill a number of roles, the primary being that of reconnaissance / scout operations. Additionally, the Raptor can also undertake the following roles:
*Electronic countermeasures platform supporting [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] operations ([[Mini-Series]], [[33]])
*Marine assault carrier ("[[Bastille Day]]", "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]")
*Ambulance / evac vehicle ([[Mini-Series]])
*General purpose transport ("[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", "[[Home, Part II]]")

As an [[ECM]] platform, the Raptor contains a full suite of electronic countermeasure and monitoring tools, enabling it to:
*Jam transmissions from other spacecraft ([[Mini-Series]], [[33]])
*Scramble control signals used by guided weapons ([[Mini-Series]])
*Undertake IFF operations for Viper squadrons ([[Mini-Series]])

In the role of a scout, the Raptor can operate independently of, or in concert with, other Raptors and Vipers ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]) and:

*Undertake short and medium-range scans to detect radio, heat or other signatures from other vessels
*Scan planetary surfaces for signs of life, energy output, or to assess mineral or other content / location ([[Water]], [[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]])
*Scout ahead of its parent warship, scouting star systems, etc., to look for any signs of hostile intent, etc., prior to the parent ship jumping-in ([[Mini-Series]])
*Undertake search & rescue operations.

As a transport vehicle, a Raptor is capable of carrying around 8-10 adults in addition to the 2-person crew. As a marine assault vehicle, it can carry a squad of some eight marines plus their equipment ([[Bastille Day]]).

Due to its size, the Raptor is not launched via a battlerstar's launch tube; instead it is launched from the forward end of a flight pod.

Typically, a battlestar operates with a single squadron of 8-10 Raptors: 1 Raptor assigned to each operational Viper squadron aboard the battlestar, and potentially two "reserve" Raptors.

=== Atmospheric Operations ===
The Raptor is designed for atmospheric as well as space-based operations. However, a critical element to atmospheric operations is that to remain airborne is fuel: once in an atmosphere, the engines must be run constantly to retain lift surfaces. Depending on the composition of the atmosphere itself, this can place severe strain on the Raptor's engines ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).

Due to their overall configuration and bulk, Raptors may also suffer from poor handling at low speeds, and rely heavily on directed thrust to remain airborne.

=== FTL Operations ===

A Raptor seems to be able to make at least 10, and probably at least 20 [[FTL]] jumps before refueling ([[Lay_Down_Your_Burdens%2C_Part_I]]). It may, however, have been carrying more than a normal amount of fuel for that mission.

=== Life Support ===
The main flight deck / cabin of a Raptor is fully pressurised. However, crews operate in [[flight suit]]s and helmets to help protect them against any hull breach ([[Mini-Series]]). The cabin can also be depressurized and used in space rescue operations ("[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

== Technical Specifications ==

[[Image:Raptor-ZOIC.jpg|thumb|Colonial Raptor ©Universal (credit: Zoic Studios)]]

=== Dimensions ===
*Length: (approx) 28ft
*Beam: (approx) 18.34ft (wingtip to wingtip)
*Height: (approx): 9.5ft

*Mass: 50 tons ([[Mini-Series]])

=== Propulsion ===
*2x sublight engines mounted aft
*1x small-scale [[FTL]] system
*[[RCS]] points

=== Armament ===
*Offensive: Normally unarmed as Raptors make for a poor general-purpose fighter. Can be equipped with missiles perhaps similar to those used on Vipers ([[Fragged]])
*Defensive: [[Swallow|Decoy drones]], [[Communication drone|communication drones]] and flares; reduced electronic signature to avoid detection

=== Crew ===
*Pilot
*[[ECO]]

== Layout ==

The Raptor is a boxey vehicle built for purpose, not style. The forward section of the vehicle contains the flight deck, with side-by-side seats for the pilot and ECO (who occupies the rear section of the vehicle during normal operations). This opens into the main body of the vehicle, which contains bulkhead-mounted racks of electronics equipment and sensors. A large canopy provides good forward and side visibility for the crew, which is no doubt of considerable benefit during atmospheric flight. A section of this canopy can be jettisoned in an emergency, to allow the crew to eject using the flight deck seats. Access is gained via a large hydraulic door mounted on the port side of the vehicle provides access to the vehicle. In addition, a floor-mounted hatchway provides a further point of egress. This is linked to a docking skirt that can be extended from the underside of a Raptor, enabling it to dock with other vessels and the crew achieve access (e.g. in the case of an assault, allowing [[marines]] to force an entry into a hostile vessel ([[Bastille Day]])).

Aft of the pressurised flight deck and crew area is the jump system and main sublight engines. Winglets either side of the hull help to give stability during atmospheric manoeuvres and have landing thrusters mounted under them, which may use vectored thrust from the main sublight engines.

== Notes ==
*The Raptor is the vehicle piloted by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]]
*The design of the Raptor was based on the US Army's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AH-64_Apache Apache helicopter]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial Craft]]
[[Category:Colonial Military]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-09T16:46:37Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */ Cylon vs. human FTL questions

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Is the previous distance limit for Colonial [[FTL]] jumps on account of something like mathematical calculations? Have any of the other Raptors, besides the lead Raptor, been modified, or do they just receive coordinates from the one Raptor with Caprica-Boomer and the Cylon device?
**No, or at least, not entirely. Based on Starbuck's jump back to Caprica in a Cylon Raider and other comments made in season 1, the Cylon FTL drive is far more capable to begin with. Colonial navigation systems would not be designed to take advantage of a markedly superior FTL drive because there would have been no need. Even by using the Cylon navigation computer, with its much better calculations, they needed ten jumps to return to Caprica.
***The dialog after Racetrack's Raptor gets waylaid hints at a firmware error. This hints at the possibility that all the Raptors were upgraded to take advantage of the “better” FTL jump calculations from the salvaged Cylon organ/computer. Previously, Starbuck jumped back to Caprica in her converted Raider in one jump, where the Raptors need to take 10 jumps. However, we do not know of the fleet's current position compared to where it was during the events of [[Kobol%27s_Last_Gleaming%2C_Part_II]]. Therefore it is not possible to determine, assuming the best possible FTL jump calculations, whether Cylon or human ships can jump further.
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).
*How was the Raptor able to jump back to the fleet if their FTL navigation computer was not working properly?
**Racetrack's navigator says she gave him the coordinates, so it is possible that she relayed them incorrectly rather than a malfunction in the computer. Alternatively, they could have tracked down any fault and repaired it. In any case, the coordinates for the Raptor's original jump point would probably still be in the system.
*What about the Cylons hiding within the fleet? With the possible settlement of the planet being openly debated can the Cylon infiltrators not contact the Cylon fleet and inform them of the Colonials intentions?
**Perhaps the interference around the planet is blocking long range communications?
**Caprica-Sharon implies that there are Cylons amongst the fleet by telling Adama she would not identify them if asked.
*Laura states that Baltar does not have a key issue besides the "religious angle." What about the abortion issue from "[[The Captain's Hand]]"?
**Anti-abortion opinion is primarily based on religion.
*When exactly did the Raptors leave for Caprica? If the episode lasts about two weeks, did it take that long to get to Caprica?
*Why is Tyrol passed out in his underwear on the hangerdeck? What happened to his clothes?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**According to [[Six]], on the night of the first debate the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the beginning of the first debate, [[James McManus]] states Baltar declared his bid for presidency a month ago. This took place at the end of "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]" around Day 270.
**At the conclusion of the second debate, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.
*When Tyrol's counseling with Cavil is coming to an end, Cavil notes to Tyrol that Cally "especially" loves him. Tyrol is apparently oblivious to this obvious fact up to that point.
*''BattlestarWiki'' has been trying for some time to reconcile on the [[Timeline (RDM)|Timeline]] the apparent jump from 3 months to 6 months that occured at the beginning of Season 2.5, a part of which was that back in "[[Bastille Day]]" it was stated on screen that the presidential elections were due in '''seven''' months. However, over 7 months passed by the end of "[[Scar]]", and there wasn't even talk of the elections until "[[The Captain's Hand]]". In the podcast for this episode, Ron Moore appears to reveal that he has simply forgotten this point. When he refers to the fact that "elections were promised back in "Bastille Day"", Moore says that he remembers that the line in "Bastille Day" was '''nine''' months, not seven. This is more than a one-episode goof, becuase one month after "Bastille Day" in "[[Colonial Day]]", it was stated that the elections were six months away. In the podcast it seems that Moore is truly and simply mistaken, and there is no explanation for the descrepancy betwen the "seven months after the attack" figures given in "Bastille Day" and "Colonial Day", and the new "nine months after the attack" figure at the end of season 2.5. It is simply a mistake.

== Notes ==
*The re-cap for this episode includes scenes not actually shown in previous episodes—for instance, Starbuck demanding to the dying Roslin circa "[[Epiphanies]]" that they go back and rescue the Caprica resistance.
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]". Ironically, Baltar considers himself the hand of God in that episode. Further, a "chance serendipitous event" (namely the discovery of an inhabitable planet) does deliver them something they can use against Roslin.
*Likewise, when Apollo wishes Starbuck "good hunting", there's a tone of concern, and he seems to pause before saying it, as if Apollo meant to say something else but changed his mind. This may be a reference to "[[33]]", when Starbuck tells Apollo to say "good hunting" instead of "be careful out there".
*This episode has many parallels to "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]" and "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]": the discovery of an inhabitable planet, Gaeta plotting a Raptor jump dangerously close to a planet surface, Starbuck's use of captured Cylon technology to return to Caprica, the intercutting of several plot threads in the teaser, a character contemplating suicide out of fear of being a Cylon, and difficulties between Helo and Sharon. In addition, Tyrol's assault of Cally is something of a parallel to Helo shooting Sharon in "Kobol's Last Gleaming"—in both cases, a man driven to rage physically and emotionally wounds a woman who loves him.
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]. Or perhaps like in real life with American Nimitz class Aircraft Carriers that carry a larger number of fighter aircraft compared to older Forrestal class carriers, the Pegasus, being a larger and more modern Battlestar than Galactica, it has the capability to carry a larger complement of Raptors. Unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
**Also, more Raptors could have been built with extra materials after the Viper squadrons were manufactured ([[Scar]]).
*The jump error that landed the Raptor in the nebula was attributed to a "firmware error" by the crew. This may be an indication that there was firmware upgrade to deal with the increased FTL jump distances provided by the Cylon computer.
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually paraphrases the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc. Interesting note Adama sticks his chopsticks inside the bowl of noodles so that the chopsticks stand up in the bowl, which is a sign of bad luck to the Chinese. Non-asians that use chopsticks frequently do not pay heed to the bad luck superstition, similiar to the Japanese custom of not giving knives as a wedding present for the same reason (bad luck). This is a sign of cultures borrowing from each other piecemeal.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.
*Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] appears in this epsiode twice but doesn't speak a single line.
*This is the first time since the [[Mini Series]] that Helo is seen fulfilling his duties as an [[ECO]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings.

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

*'''Gaius Baltar:''' I'm not sure if you're aware, [[Tom Zarek|Tom]], but the mob isn't usually in the habit of electing ungodly apostates who denegrate people of faith.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

User:Belay-down-your-burdens

2006-03-04T22:21:34Z

Belay-down-your-burdens:

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-04T22:03:09Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */ The Merovingian: If you are so sure of what Red line means, prehaps you would like to update the wiki entry?

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as ([[Samuel Anders]])
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Is the previous distance limit for Colonial [[FTL]] jumps on account of something like mathematical calculations? Have any of the other Raptors, besides the lead Raptor, been modified, or do they just receive coordinates from the one Raptor with Caprica-Boomer and the Cylon device?
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]".
**At the beginning of the episode, the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the conclusion of the debates, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.
*''BattlestarWiki'' has been trying for some time to reconcile on the [[Timeline (RDM)|Timeline]] the apparent jump from 3 months to 6 months that occured at the beginning of Season 2.5, a part of which was that back in "[[Bastille Day]]" it was stated on screen that the presidential elections were due in '''seven''' months. However, over 7 months passed by the end of "[[Scar]]", and there wasn't even talk of the elections until "[[The Captain's Hand]]". In the podcast for this episode, Ron Moore appears to reveal that he has simply forgotten this point. When he refers to the fact that "elections were promised back in "Bastille Day"", Moore says that he remembers that the line in "Bastille Day" was '''nine''' months, not seven. This is more than a one-episode goof, becuase one month after "Bastille Day" in "[[Colonial Day]]", it was stated that the elections were six months away. In the podcast it seems that Moore is truly and simply mistaken, and there is no explanation for the descrepancy betwen the "seven months after the attack" figures given in "Bastille Day" and "Colonial Day", and the new "nine months after the attack" figure at the end of season 2.5. It is simply a mistake.

== Notes ==
*The re-cap for this episode includes scenes not actually shown in previous episodes—for instance, Starbuck demanding to the dying Roslin circa "[[Epiphanies]]" that they go back and rescue the Caprica resistance.
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]". Ironically, Baltar considers himself the hand of God in that episode. Further, a "chance serendipitous event" (namely the discovery of an inhabitable planet) does deliver them something they can use against Roslin.
*Likewise, when Apollo wishes Starbuck "good hunting", there's a tone of concern, and he seems to pause before saying it. This may be a reference to "[[33]]", when Starbuck tells Apollo to say "good hunting" instead of "be careful out there".
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]; unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually speaks the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings?!

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-04T21:41:35Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as ([[Samuel Anders]])
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).
* Is the "[[Red line]]" that is the limit to the distance for colonial [[FTL]] jumps limited solely by mathematical calculations? I'm assuming that there is only the one Cylon computer and before each jump the coordinates are sent via wireless to the other Raptors. Thus one would assume if either Caprica-Boomer or Starbucks Raptor was lost, the team would be stuck with Colonial distance FTL jumps. Could they make it back? Does a FTL jump consume the same amount of fuel regardless of distance jumped?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]".
**At the beginning of the episode, the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the conclusion of the debates, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.

== Notes ==
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]; unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually speaks the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings?!

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

2006-03-04T21:39:48Z

Belay-down-your-burdens: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 19
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] ([[Tom Zarek]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] ([[Brother Cavil]]) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as ([[Samuel Anders]])
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 3, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,579
| Prev= [[Downloaded]]
| Next= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
''As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance''.

== Summary ==
*[[William Adama|Adama]] has finally given [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] the go-ahead to plan a rescue mission to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Caprica]]. On [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']], she lays out their plan: they will use ''all'' of their remaining [[Raptor|Raptors]] — 20 in all — and use the navigation computer/organ from one of the captured [[Heavy Raider]]s to calculate the Jumps back to Caprica. Using this, they can make it back to Caprica in a series of 10 Jumps. They will go undetected when they reach Caprica by making a risky jump to just a few klicks above the surface, within the atmosphere itself, below [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[DRADIS]]. Their biggest obstacle to doing this was actually interfacing with the Heavy Raider's navigation "computer", but now they will take [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|''Caprica''-Sharon]] along in Starbuck's Raptor with it; Sharon will directly interface with the computer (by inserting a fiber-optic cable into her arm, like she did in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]").
*The presidential election is two weeks away, and [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] is ahead in the polls. The only real arguments that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has against her that give him any ground are when he accuses her of pandering to the religious fundamentalists (i.e. her recent policy switch on abortion) and guiding the Fleet based on the scriptures alone. Conferring with his campaign manager [[Tom Zarek]] in his lab, Baltar realizes he'll need more than this to turn the fleet againt Roslin. Meanwhile, Roslin is doing a little rehearsal ritual for the presidential debate with Adama in his quarters.
*On the hangar deck, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is sleeping on the floor and twitching convulsively, having a nightmare. [[Cally]] searches around the deck to find him, and is confused by the sight when she finds him. Cally tried to wake Tyrol up, but snapping right out of his nightmare he attacks Cally, punching her in the face until she is a bloody pulp and unconscious. Realizing where he is and what's going on, Tyrol is horrified, and carries Cally in his arms to sickbay.
*[[Lee Adama|Apollo]], now commander of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', has conflicting feelings about Starbuck's mission to rescue Anders, but wishes her good luck in finding him.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and ''Caprica''-Sharon travel in Starbuck's Raptor. Sharon is still deeply depressed about her daughter [[Hera]]'s seeming death, and has been shutting herself out. Helo tells her that he won't let her do that and won't give up on her. Sharon tells him that she has the feeling that something bad will happen in the future; not on the mission to Caprica, but something else.
*On the very first jump out of the series of ten, [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor jumps to the wrong set of coordinates. Starbuck's orders were to keep going ahead until they lose 3 Raptors, so they go on ahead, while Racetrack prepares to follow her orders to return to [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] if separated. Her Raptor jumped into the middle of a gas cloud with a lot of interference, and upon clearing it, a new planet is found. Scanners indicate that it is a human-habitable planet. She returns to ''Galactica'' with news of the discovery.
*The crew goes over the scans from the planet; it can sustain human life and subsequent scouting shows that in contains animal and vegetative life; they could indeed settle here. However, it is a cold world and somewhat harsh; only a temperate band around the equator covering about 20% of the surface would be habitable. After some prodding from [[Six]], Baltar and Zarek realize that they can use this as their wedge issue to turn the people against Roslin: offer them permament colonization on this planet.
*[[Tory Foster|Tory]] goes over new poll numbers with Roslin on [[Colonial One]]: Baltar has been gaining ground with his new offer to stop running from the Cylons and stay here. The planet is hidden by interference from the gas clouds, and many people want to just stop their constant chase in the refugee fleet. Roslin points out that if the Colonials could find the planet, the Cylons could just as easily. Also, life on the planet would be harsh. Tory points out that Baltar is pandering to the people's hopes, giving them false ones that they greatly desire, while Roslin is pointing out justifiable fears that they simply don't want to hear; people will vote their hopes.
*Shocked by his attack on Cally, Chief Tyrol has asked for religious counselling, and meets with a priest named [[Brother Cavil]]. Tyrol explains that it is because he doesn't believe that psychoanalysis works, but is himself a very [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religious]] man. Cavil is somewhat loose and sarcastic in his counseling, leaving Tyrol a little pertubed and confused. Cavil tells Tryol that he must look for the problem in himself and questions Tyrol, and when Tyrol denies that he has been having disturbing dreams, Cavil can see through it, so Tyrol relents.
*For weeks, Tyrol has been having the recurring dream that he walks onto the upper level of the hangar deck, climbs over the railing and kills himself by jumping to his death. Cavil says it is because Tyrol has a subconscious desire to kill himself. Tyrol explains that he has had the gnawing worry since [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]] died that he might himself be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon]]. ''Galactica''-Sharon never really knew she was a Cylon, even up to the point that she died, but reported strange fears that something bad was going to happen and she had to stop herself: how would Tyrol, or anyone else, really ''know'' if they were a Cylon sleeper agent or not? Tyrol is frightened by the prospect.
*Cavil assured Tyrol that he is not a Cylon, sarcastically quipping that he knows because he is a Cylon himself, and hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings. Tyrol feels ashamed to go back to the hangar deck crew after the accident, but Cavil assures him that they're the only family he has left, and they love him. Cally most of all.
*At the final presidential debate, Baltar's charisma and hopes of finally giving up their run from the Cylons starts to pull him ahead in the polls, and Roslin's warnings that this planet is not safe and determination to keep searching for Earth do not gain wide support. Baltar apparently wins the final debate. Roslin tells him to go frak himself.
*The Raptors rescuse mission makes the final jump to Caprica. [[Raptor 612]] is lost because it jumps right into the middle of a mountain. The remaining Raptors continue on, then Starbuck, Helo, Sharon and the marines continue on foot.
*One klick away from the resistance's base camp, they see movement, and find [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] and his whole group. Starbuck is overjoyed to see him, but Anders warns that the Cylons are right behind them; the resistance's base was ambushed that morning, and half of Anders' men are dead.
*The [[Colonial Marine Corps|marines]] and [[Resistance (movement)|resistance]] members start coming under Cylon artillery fire. After running briefly, they reach a point where the arc of the artillery shells is right above them, and cannot hit them. However, the artillery's killzone is now between them and retreat back to the Raptors. To be continued...

== Questions ==
*Did [[Raptor 612]] Jump "into" the mountain by crashing into it, or did they jump ''inside'' of it?
**RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased".
*If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational?
**Perhaps that part of the Raptor was in an air pocket in the rock, and thus not phased into it. RDM says in the podcast that the Raptor Jumping into the mountain wasn't like "swapping" spatial matter between two points: like a teleporter accident, the Raptor and its crew were horrifically merged into the rock itself.
*Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet?
**Shelter could be taken care of by canabalizing the ships of the fleet for building materials. But the question of how many homes can be made for how many of the 49,000+ survivors simply by recycling the materials availible still remains. Even if ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence?
**The planet itself may have natural resources—in "[[Scar]]", a mining ship collected metals to build new Vipers, so mining the planet itself may be possible. In this case it would be unnecessary to cannibalize the fleet.
*Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series?
**Judging from RDM's podcast, he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the ''Galactica'' crew (who have dedicated crew quarters).
* Is the "red line" that is the limit to the distance for colonial FTL jumps limited solely by mathematical calculations? I'm assuming that there is only the one Cylon computer and before each jump the coordinates are sent via wireless to the other Raptors. Thus one would assume if either Caprica-Boomer or Starbucks Raptor was lost, the team would be stuck with Colonial distance FTL jumps. Could they make it back? Does a FTL jump consume the same amount of fuel regardless of distance jumped?

== Analysis ==
*Timeline:
**Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "[[Downloaded]]".
**At the beginning of the episode, the election is still "two weeks away".
**At the conclusion of the debates, the polls will open in three days.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]] is apparently assigned to ''Pegasus'' at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team".
**She could have been flying a ''Pegasus'' Raptor.
*[[Lee Adama]] is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps [[Barry Garner]]'s from "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3.

== Notes ==
*When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the head, he can be seen to still be sporting the tiger tatoo that we first saw in "[[Final Cut]]".
*The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, ''Galactica'' was confirmed to have at least 5 left ([[The Farm]]), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 ([[Resistance]]). Doubtlessly, ''Pegasus'' brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to [[Ragnar Anchorage]] during the [[Miniseries]]; unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, [[Crashdown]] was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from ''Galactica'', but a refugee "from Triton" (either a battlestar or a planet).
*When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that [[Aaron Doral]] could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually ''was'' a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems.
*Tory actually speaks the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running.
*During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp.
*Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of ''Pegasus'': it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "''Pegasus'' BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "''Galactica'' BSG-75" patch.
*Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on ''Galactica'' since the miniseries.
*Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3.
*Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "[[33]]", etc.
*In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Chief Tyrol is worried that like'' Galactica''-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent:''
:'''Chief Tyrol:''' How do you know I'm human?
:'''Brother Cavil:''' Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings?!

*'''Brother Cavil:''' Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.

== Official Statements ==

*''In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. [[Gaius Baltar]]) said:'' "the arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons."

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874001/ Michael Trucco] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001777/ Dean Stockwell] as [[Brother Cavil]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Aaron+Douglas Aaron Douglas] as CPO [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Nicki+Clyne Nicki Clyne] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Leah+Cairns Leah Cairns] [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]
*Rekha Sharma as [[Tory Foster]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]