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Margaret Edmondson

2007-03-09T18:06:10Z

Betty: /* Notes */

{{Character Data
|photo= MaggieCrop.jpg
|age=
|colony=
|birthname= Margaret Edmondson
|callsign= Racetrack
|death=
|seen= Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role= [[Raptor]] pilot and [[ECO]], assigned to ''[[Galactica]]''
|rank= Lieutenant
|actor= [[Leah Cairns]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Lt. '''Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson''' is a female [[Raptor]] pilot aboard ''[[Galactica]]''. She harbors a deep hatred of the Cylons, almost certainly because of the loss of loved ones during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. In her job she is competent and trusted, although she is willing to put her personal beliefs above duty. Racetrack tends to have a dark, fairly cynical attitude after the Cylon attack.

== Biography ==
Racetrack accompanies [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]] on a mission to destroy a Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. She witnesses Boomer's attempted assassination of [[William Adama]] in ''Galactica's'' [[CIC]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). Immediately after, she informs the CIC staff that Boomer returned from placing the nuclear warhead inside the basestar orbiting [[Kobol]] without her helmet on and that she probably gave away ''Galactica's'' position to the Cylons ([[Scattered]]).

During the [[SAR]] mission to Kobol, Racetrack pilots the Raptor carrying [[Lee Adama]], encountering fire from Cylon anti-aircraft missiles. [[Galen Tyrol]] destroys the missiles' [[DRADIS]] dish on the surface, and they fail to lock on. Racetrack's Raptor then destroys the [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] on the ground with a missile, and recovers the trapped ''Galactica'' crewmen ([[Fragged]]).

She aids the escape of President [[Laura Roslin]] from the [[brig]] by falsely claiming that her [[Raptor]] was having technical problems, enabling the furloughed Lee Adama to report to the hangar bay instead of the brig per his arrest. She then helps prep the Raptor used as the escape craft for launch, but remains on ''Galactica'' ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]). On Boomer's death, Edmondson becomes the only person in the Fleet who has seen the inside of a basestar.

Racetrack serves as ECO on [[Raptor 1]], plotting the best point of orbital entry when taking Commander Adama to [[Kobol]] to find and meet with President Roslin ([[Home, Part II]]). Since then, Margaret flies basic supply runs between ''Galactica'' and [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. She continues to light candles for fallen comrades in the Cylon attack. She is almost certain she will eventually die on a mission, and is more focused on taking out as many Cylons as she can before that happens ([[Final Cut]]).

Along with many other pilots, Edmondson intially snubs [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] upon his return because of his romantic relationship with the Caprica-originated copy of Sharon Valerii. After she insults [[Kara Thrace]] over the matter, Starbuck pushes Racetrack face-first into a card table ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Racetrack later congratulates Helo on his help with the [[Blackbird]], whose [[DRADIS]]-absorbing carbon composites Helo suggested, which serves as a quiet apology for her earlier rudeness.

[[Image:Racetrack2.jpg|left|thumb|Edmondson in a Raptor]]
Racetrack is particularly overjoyed when ''Galactica'' encounters the [[Mercury class battlestar|advanced battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. While socializing with ''Pegasus'' pilots in the hangar bay, she fails to understand Starbuck's contempt for the "scorecards" on which they tally their kills ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]). Racetrack's Raptor rescues the unconscious Apollo during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], and she revives him using defibrilator paddles in her emergency gear ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]). When Racetrack transports Apollo and a squad of Marines to check the ''[[Daru Mozu]]'' for signs of sabotage by Cylon sympathizers, her vessel narrowly escapes the ensuing explosion ([[Epiphanies]]). Racetrack also later flew a Raptor transporting Apollo back from [[Cloud 9]] after he spent some off duty time there with [[Shevon]] ([[Black Market]]).

During Starbuck's rescue mission for the [[Caprica Resistance]], Racetrack serves as ECO on one of the 20 Raptors to make a series of ten jumps, aided by a Cylon navigation system. On the first jump, Racetrack's Raptor jumps to the wrong coordinates, ending up in a gas cloud. Starbuck and the main group proceed on without her. Preparing to return to ''Galactica'', Racetrack picks up a lot of gravity distortions on her sensors and upon clearing the gas cloud she discovers an inhabited planet that the Fleet could colonize ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]). Though the planet turned out to be marginally habitable at best, it would later be named [[New Caprica]], and most of the human survivors of the Fleet would settle down there permanently ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

Racetrack remains with the Fleet and flies missions to detect communications from the [[New Caprica Resistance]] ([[Occupation]]). She also plays a leading role in the rescue mission to New Caprica ([[Exodus, Part I]]).

Although she is a qualified Raptor pilot, Edmondson agrees to serve as [[Sharon Agathon]]'s ECO after the crews of ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' are combined and far more pilots than aircraft are available, because she thinks being ECO is better than not flying at all. When Edmondson refers to Agathon using the callsign of her Cylon doppelgänger, "[[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]]", the room of pilots gleefully offer a less controversial callsign for Sharon Agathon: "Athena".

On her first mission with Agathon, the two make a recon flight to the [[Lion's Head Nebula]] to investigate a clue to the location of Earth. The information proves to be correct, but they also find a deserted Cylon [[basestar]] ([[Torn]]). After undergoing precautionary quarantine measures due to a possible [[Lymphocytic encephalitis|viral]] infection, the two fly together again in the [[Battle of NCD2539]] ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

Edmondson lends her Raptor talents in a harrowing series of escort flights to shepherd the Fleet through a very dangerous star cluster to a [[algae planet|planet with desperately needed foodstuffs]] ([[The Passage]]).

On a routine patrol around the Fleet, her Raptor suffers from an engine and [[RCS]] malfunction, due to impurities in its [[tylium]] fuel. Unable to regain control and on a collision course with ''[[Colonial One]]'', she and her ECO [[Hamish McCall]] are forced to eject from the Raptor. The craft collides with ''Colonial One'', causing moderate hull damage and several injuries, but no fatalities ([[Dirty Hands]]).

==Notes==

[[Image:Edmonson caption.jpg|thumb|The incorrect spelling for Edmondson occurs here; it is, however, correct on the nameplate of the [[Raptor]] she flies.]]
[[Image:Racetrack's Raptor.jpg|thumb|A shot of the [[Raptor]] with the correct spelling.]]
*Racetrack was probably created as a replacement for [[Crashdown]], the ECO of whichever Raptor a given episode focuses on; Crashdown himself was created as a replacement for [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] after he was stranded. Racetrack was introduced in the first season finale, simultaneous with the seeds of Crashdown's demise: signs of his incompetence for command while stranded on Kobol.
*Racetrack's given name was revealed in the episode "[[Final Cut]]". Her name was misspelled in the caption during her interview, however, as noted by [[Bradley Thompson]] (See [[Sources:Margaret Edmondson]]). Confusion about her name's spelling resulted in Racetrack's last name being mispelled in the end credits of many episodes in Season 2, although is corrected in Season 3.
*Ron Moore noted in his [[podcast]] to "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]," Racetrack's debut episode, that she was only meant to be a one-shot character, like [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]. But, just as with [[Tahmoh Penikett]]'s performance in [[Miniseries|the Miniseries]], Leah Cairns' performance in the episode was impressive and she was decided to be a new recurring character.

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:Characters|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:RDM|Edmondson, Margaret]]

[[de:Margaret Edmondson]]

The Woman King

2007-03-09T18:04:19Z

Betty: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= The Woman King
| image=TWK-1.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 14
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 314
| rating=1.2<ref>{{cite_news|first=|last=|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7300|title=CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5-11): 'SKY' HUGE FOR LIFETIME, 'BATTLESTAR' HITS SERIES LOW|publisher=|page=|date=|accessdate=2007-02-18|language=English}} (Battlestar Wiki Notes: Grammy's on ABC at the same time.)</ref>
| US airdate= 2007-02-11
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| podcast=Y
| population= 41,401
| prev= [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]
| next= [[A Day in the Life]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D215053343%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Helo]] investigates the claims of Sagittarons that a doctor is discriminating against them by providing substandard medical care.

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*Helo, in his quarters with his sleeping [[Sharon Agathon|wife]] and [[Hera Agathon|daughter]], is fitful and cannot sleep. He tries to get some work done but falls asleep later in the morning.
*The population of [[Camp Oil Slick|Dogsville]] on ''[[Galactica]]'' is increasing by 300. Helo is tasked to managing the needs of the populace camped there while other pilots continue their usual flight duties.
*Many civilians call to Helo, asking him to keep them physically separated from the Sagittarons.
*Dualla is also on the floor, trying to defuse a problem with Mrs. [[King]] and her son, [[Willie King]], as a civilian physician, [[Michael Robert]], tries to examine anyone he can see.
*Dr. Robert sees a frightening pattern of people coughing and tells [[Saul Tigh]], an old friend of his who just arrived on the floor, to leave the area.
*Helo sees the pattern of sickness as well when King's son collapses to the floor.

===Act 1===
*[[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] meets with Helo, Dr. Robert, Colonel Tigh and Dr. [[Cottle]] to discuss the sickness.
*The cause, [[Mellorak infection]], is transmitted by any exchange of bodily fluids, sexual intercourse, and touch through sweat on the skin. It is is curable with the drug, [[bittamucin]]. While a dangerous disease that is fatal in its advanced stages after 48 hours, the disease is curable if caught early. First sign of symptoms usually arise after the initial 12 hours of infection.
*The complication involves the Sagittarons, who believe that physicians and medications from them are an abomination to the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Gods]] and will not likely accept any medication. They have practiced their shunning of conventional medical care for over 1,000 years.
*The stocks are low in any case, and Adama orders immediate inoculations of key crew and medication used only when someone shows definitive signs of the disease.
*Helo watches as some of Sagittarons use a curative root extract in an attempt to stave off the illness.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] explains how [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial will go with her vice president, [[Tom Zarek]].
*Zarek warns, visibly agitated, that a trial like this would be a "hurricane" that would cause pandemonium in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Roslin is left visibly worried as she realizes that Zarek was genuinely frightened of the possibility of trial.
*Helo continues to take complaints, many from other Colonials who want to be moved away from the Sagittarons. King arrives to not only tell Helo of her son's death, but that she made a mistake in trusting Dr. Robert. Helo believes that she waited too long, but she notes that her son was only sick for 12 hours, well within the 48 hour cure window, making Helo suspicious.

===Act 2===
*Dr. Robert tells of other deaths as Helo questions him about the King son's death. Robert deflects comments while giving Helo his inoculation, and notes commenting favorably to him to Col. Tigh.
*[[Margaret Edmondson]], [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Lee Adama]], [[Anastasia Dualla]], [[Kara Thrace]] and many others are at [[Joe's bar]] taking a break. Some are playing the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] arcade game. When [[Connor]] calls Edmondson by the name of "Marge," the [[Raptor]] pilot tells him that her shot accuracy is improved when she imagines the pyramid target as his face when throwing.
*Tyrol becomes drunk and begins to tell how the Sagittarons did not help fight on [[New Caprica]]. He personally believes that those colonists do not deserve any of the medication. Major Adama orders him to stop commenting once it becomes clear that Dualla, a Sagittaron herself, was becoming uncomfortable.
*Dualla agrees with some of Tyrol's drunken commentary in regards to her fellow colonists' stubborness, but notes her specific dislike of Dr. [[Cottle]].
*Sharon Agathon is visiting the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]], discussing Baltar. Six's [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual Baltar]] appears to counter Agathon's thoughts on helping the Colonials.
*Six talks with her virtual Baltar, who tells her that the "trick" of behaving like a human is to think only of yourself.
*As Six kisses the virtual Baltar, President Roslin and [[Tory Foster]] are listening and watching Six nearby by hidden surveillance, and question who or what she is speaking to.
*A riot occurs in the camp, and Helo and the marines scramble to save Dr. Robert, who is at the center of the attack. Many Sagittarons accuse him of murder.
*Robert admits to administering the rationed drug without patient consent, particularly to one of the Sagittaron's noted fundamental members. The doctor becomes irritated at Helo's probing questions.
*Helo reports to Admiral Adama of Robert's behavior, with Cottle present. Neither man believes Helo's report is credible, and Adama dismisses him, telling him that he has more pressing matters than dealing with what he believes are unfounded accusations.
*Tigh catches up with Helo and tells him that accusing Robert is doing little to help Helo's overall credibility with the Fleet command. When Tigh insults Helo's wife, the captain punches him.
*Tigh takes the blow without arresting Helo, but warns that further accusations will further diminish his reputation in the Fleet.

===Act 3===
*Sharon Agathon tells her husband that their daughter is sick, having been pulled off [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]] to help her child.
*Despite Helo's worries about Robert, Hera is given the drug and sedatives.
*Helo returns a bracelet from Willie King's body to Mrs. King. Before she leaves, he asks why she let her son be treated if she was previously warned. She explained that she did so because she didn't believe that anyone could have so much hatred inside them as to kill a patient. She leaves, refusing to discuss further.
*In their quarters, the Agathons argue, Helo questions whether he is getting damning treatment for being the husband of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], and his other actions.
*Helo visits [[sickbay]], but finds it empty. He searches the medical records of patients from New Caprica and finds a shocking correlation.
*Cottle enters and tries to order Helo out of the office, threatening arrest. He shows that, unlike other colonists, the mortality rate of Sagittarons is over 90%. When asked to perform an autopsy on Willie King, Cottle tells Helo he's already done so, and Helo leaves, defeated and angry.
*Dualla, with her dislike of Cottle on record, visits Dr. Robert, asking for Bittamucin. She shows the first signs of Mellorak infection.
*On the night phase on the ship, King sneaks away from the refugee camp to Helo's quarters to warn him that Dualla had sought Dr. Robert's help after she began to show symptoms, also noting two other Sagittaron deaths. Helo realizes that, if his instincts are right, Dualla is in serious trouble. Marines appear to escort King away as Help quickly dresses and heads to the camp, against his wife's warnings and anger about having to fight for respect every day aboard ''Galactica''.
*Out of uniform and yelling for people to move out of the way, Helo storms through the encampment, frantically searching for and finding Dualla, lying a cot, motionless and unconscious, and desperately checks her vital signs.

===Act 4===
*Helo couldn't find immediate life signs and fears he's too late until Dualla stirs. She is alive, but very lethargic from medication that Robert administered.
*Helo attempts to move her to help from Dr. Cottle when Dr. Robert appears and stops him from leaving, calling for security to assist him. Dualla, in her delirium, shouts not to be treated by Cottle. Marines hear only part of the conversation and order Helo to stand down.
*A security detail separates Dualla from Helo, and sidearms are pulled as Robert orders the marines to arrest Helo.
*Colonel Tigh and Dr. Cottle arrives with additional marines, but instead of taking sides with Robert, Tigh berates Robert.
*Cottle explains to Helo that he didn't actually perform the toxicology test on King's son before finding Helo in his office. The autopsy revealed high levels of a toxic bisphosphnate, but no traces of the drug used to treat the disease. Cottle notes similar results in several other patients.
*Robert explains that his actions were a form of mercy-killing to save precious resources. Cottle questions his "do no harm" oath as Robert reminds Tigh of a time where they spoke in a derogative manner about Sagittarons.
*Tigh orders Helo to arrest Robert.
*Later, Admiral Adama apologizes to Helo for his actions in trying to show Robert's actions as well as other morally questionable issues in recent days. Helo returns Adama's apology with a perfect salute, finally feeling vindicated and respected.
*Agathon returns to his family, his daughter in her arms, and gives his wife a kiss.

===Bonus Scene===

*A bonus scene shows Helo in Adama's office, apparently at the time of Adama's apology. In this cut scene, Helo confesses to the sabotage of [[A Measure of Salvation|an aborted Cylon offensive]] to destroy the Cylons through biological weaponry. Adama asks Helo if he thinks this was the right time to bring this matter to his attention.
*This scene meshes with Adama's comment about the lack of a "voice in the wilderness" when Helo has questioned Fleet decisions on the Cylon genocide issue, the Sagittarons, and his unborn daughter's own fate [[Epiphanies|''in utero'' months before]].

== Questions ==

* What is the current status of the Fleet's medical supplies? Was the stockpile of vaccines and medicines that ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had before its destruction ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]) transferred over to the civilian ships before the [[Battle of New Caprica]]?

* Does Roslin suspect Caprica-Six of communicating with the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] due to her hallucinations of Baltar?

* How many other civilian medical doctors are there in the Fleet?

* Why did [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] need the medication for a curable disease, while her blood was used to cure breast cancer for President Roslin?

* When did the hatred and bitterness towards the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittarons]] begin in Colonial history?

* How different are the Sagittarons and [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] in regard to their religious beliefs? What traditions and ceremonies do the Sagittarons still practice that the rest of the Colonies have abandoned?

* As [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] was away at CAP and Helo wasn't informed of Hera's well-being, who then submitted Hera to Dr. Robert's care?

* What is the condition of Starbuck's and Anders's marriage? Why is he not seen with Starbuck in Joe's bar? Is he still living away from Galactica?

* Where is Tom Zarek in this matter? Is he unaware of the plight of the Sagittarons on ''Galactica'' or under Doctor Robert's care?

* Dr. Cottle asks Dr. Robert, "What the hell happened to 'do no harm, doctor?'". The [[w:Hippocratic Oath|Hippocratic Oath]], written by the ancient Greek physician [[w:Hippocrates|Hippocrates]], prescribes that a physician "never do harm to anyone." Might this tie in with other references to Greek civilization/mythology in the series?

== Analysis ==
* This is the first major episode that features Saggitarons in a more in-depth manner. We learn more about Tom Zarek and Anastasia Dualla's relation to their colony of origin, originally established in "[[Bastille Day]]".

* The Sagittarons' belief system appears to be modeled on various modern day religious sects that oppose the use of medical technology and/or are pacifist in their political views. Religious sects, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Scientists in the past have taken such views and had been highly criticized and persecuted.

* Mrs. King name might be derived from Martin Luther King Jr. as Mrs. King is portrayed as an individual who wants justice for the prejudice that she and her son received. It is her initial

* Similar to Baltar's internal-Six, Caprica-Six's internal Baltar appears at a moment of self-doubt and fear. Interestingly, this version of internal-Baltar seems opposed to Caprica-Six siding with the humans, while back in "[[Downloaded]]", he told her that he loved her so deeply once she made the decision to reach out to humanity.

* The Saggitarons appear to be the last human colony that still maintains most of its original roots from the founding of the colonies. According to Dr. Cottle, medical treatment has been rejected by the Saggitarons for over 3000 years because they consider medicine to be a curse. The result being that they still practice rituals and beliefs that are at least over 1000 years old. This may be the date when the other colonies began to let go of their old religious convictions and origins.

* Adama displays one of his character traits when he apologizes to Helo for not believing him about Dr. Robert. This is reminiscent of the moment when Adama offered Roslin his forgiveness when she took a part of the Fleet in search of the Arrow of Apollo ([[Home, Part II]]). Instead of forgiveness, Adama offers Helo his apology and states, as he did with Roslin, that it doesn't matter whether Helo asked or needs it, Helo still has it.

* In the real world, Robert's poisons, known as bisphosphantes, are a family of drugs used to treat certain bone cancers and [[w:osteoporesis|osteoporesis]] in some women. The use of the drug by real world definition correlates with Cottle's notation of acute cellular disruption, which could happen with such drugs.

* This is the first time since "[[Collaborators]]" that Gaeta is seen in a relaxed setting. The episode indicates that he has finally been welcomed back amongst the crew and able to join them in their Pyramid game. In addition, it appears that his [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries|actions towards Baltar]] did not lead to any serious repercussions.

== Notes ==
* The title doesn't literally refer to a king, but to a female character named [[King]], and is referred to in this episode's dialogue; Colonel Tigh asks who is lodging all the complaints against Dr. Robert, Helo replies "the woman, [[King]]".

* Barring any births, the population is at 41,396 at the end of this episode. There is a loss of five people, all Sagittaron: [[Willie King]], Mr. [[Buckminster]], a three-year old, and two more prior to Agathon's final argument with Robert.

* [[Bruce Davison]]'s character [[Michael Robert|Dr. Robert]] may be a reference to a song by [[w:The Beatles|The Beatles]] entitled "[[w:Dr. Robert|Dr. Robert]]". The song is about a doctor who prescribes illicit drugs. The [[A Day in the Life|next episode]] also contains a Beatles reference in its title.

*Dualla is noted as a Sagittaron. This was previously established in "[[33]]" and "[[Bastille Day]]".

*Tom Zarek was granted the Vice Presidency, despite his actions in "[[Collaborators]]".

*[[Racetrack]]'s given name, established in "[[Final Cut]]", is used in dialogue for the first time. [[Charlie Connor|Connor]] calls her "Marge", which seems to irritate her.

*Racetrack banters with Helo about her desire to have sexual relations with a [[nugget]]. This indicates that the military is still recruiting and training new pilots.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Tom Zarek]] offers his view on the results of [[Gaius Baltar]]'s forthcoming trial:''

: '''Zarek:''' Listen to me, Baltar will get his trial, and this is what you'll get: a hurricane. The media will descend upon you and watch, and scrutinze, and question your every move. You will have sectarian violence, you will have assassination attempts, you will have civil unrest on a scale we've never seen. Work, labor, everyday routine in this fleet will come to a complete halt. This trial is going to bring down this entire fleet down.
: '''[[Tory Foster]]:''' Mr. Vice President, we have a security plan in order, which includes rapid [[Colonial Marine|marine]] deployment, increased [[CAP]] operations, security details–
: '''Zarek:''' (ignoring Foster) A hurricane, [[Laura Roslin|Laura]]. If I were you, I'd declare martial law during the trial. You're going to need a lot more than a little patience to survive. I'm here if you need me.

* ''[[Caprica-Six]]'s internal Baltar gives her some advice:''
: '''Internal Baltar:''' But there's a trick to being human, you have to think only about yourself.

* ''[[Michael Robert]] attempts to explain himself, after he is found out:''
: '''Robert:''' (to Agathon) You ought to be on your knees, thanking me for ''saving'' your [[Hera Agathon|daughter's life]], for having the meds to cure her of her illness. (to [[Cottle]]) Now you know how painful this disease is at the end. And they don't want our help. Now why waste time, and meds, and space on them when all of those resources could go to those who really deserve it? Who gets the medication when there's not enough to go around? The Sagittaron who won't even raise a finger to save his own race, or a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot?!
: '''Cottle:''' What the hell happened to "do no harm", Doctor?
: '''Robert:''' Look, I intervened because someone has to make the tough choices. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter because–look at 'em–they're going to destroy themselves anyway. Look at them out there. They're like worms crawling on a hot rock. Remember what you used to say, [[Saul Tigh|Saul]]? "Aside from a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], is there anything that you hate more than a Sagittaron?"
: '''Tigh:''' I'll tell you what I hate, Mike. Being wrong. Captain Agathon?
: '''Agathon:''' Sir?
: '''Tigh:''' Arrest this son of a bitch. Gag him if you have to.
: '''Agathon:''' My pleasure sir.

== Official Statements ==

Information from the podast:
* The Sagittaron-focused storyline, was originally intended to play a larger role in the upcoming Baltar trial. However, in post-production, it was decided that the trial needed to go into an entirely different direction, thus cutting out most of the Sagittaron build up in other episodes.
* Tom Zarek's fear that is noted by Roslin was originally based on Zarek's fear that like Gaeta, Baltar would attempt to implicate him in an incident with the Sagittarons on New Caprica. There is a deleted scene in which Zarek talks with Baltar and tries to figure out what Baltar plans to say about the event.
* RDM acknowledged that the explicit racism expressed by Tigh and Tyrol appeared very forced as it was never alluded to before. It was necessary at the time because of the original role that the Sagittarons were supposed to play in Baltar's trial. However, once the decision was made to not focus on an event that the audience has not seen firsthand, the scenes now stand alone.
* The broader theme of the episode was suppose to portray Helo as a man who desired to prove his worth again to the leadership. The guilt and struggle he felt of [[A Measure of Salvation|sabotaging the biological weapon]] is the main factor that causes him to appear as the boy who cries "wolf" to Adama and Tigh. The deleted scene from the episode ran along those lines and explicitly displays Helo's guilt for having disobeyed his orders.
* The re-introduction of Caprica-Six' internal Baltar was an explicit order from RDM to the writing staff after their initial reluctance. This accomplished at least two purposes. First, it established that Caprica-Six was never freed from these visions of her internal Baltar, and that she still has to deal with her visions. Secondly, in the grander theme of the show, the internal Baltar and Six will play major roles in the unfolding of the series.

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Deckhand [[Cally Henderson Tyrol]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Bruce Davison]] as [[Michael Robert|Dr. Michael Robert]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lieutenant [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Chris Boyd]] as [[Cheadle]]
*[[Colin Corringan]] as [[Nowart]]
*[[Gabrielle Rose]] as [[King|Mrs. King]]
*[[Scott Little]] as [[Willie King]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Margaret Edmondson

2007-03-07T08:55:19Z

Betty: /* Notes */

The Woman King

2007-03-07T08:53:45Z

Betty: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= The Woman King
| image=TWK-1.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 14
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 314
| rating=1.2<ref>{{cite_news|first=|last=|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7300|title=CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5-11): 'SKY' HUGE FOR LIFETIME, 'BATTLESTAR' HITS SERIES LOW|publisher=|page=|date=|accessdate=2007-02-18|language=English}} (Battlestar Wiki Notes: Grammy's on ABC at the same time.)</ref>
| US airdate= 2007-02-11
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| podcast=Y
| population= 41,401
| prev= [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]
| next= [[A Day in the Life]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D215053343%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Helo]] investigates the claims of Sagittarons that a doctor is discriminating against them by providing substandard medical care.

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*Helo, in his quarters with his sleeping [[Sharon Agathon|wife]] and [[Hera Agathon|daughter]], is fitful and cannot sleep. He tries to get some work done but falls asleep later in the morning.
*The population of [[Camp Oil Slick|Dogsville]] on ''[[Galactica]]'' is increasing by 300. Helo is tasked to managing the needs of the populace camped there while other pilots continue their usual flight duties.
*Many civilians call to Helo, asking him to keep them physically separated from the Sagittarons.
*Dualla is also on the floor, trying to defuse a problem with Mrs. [[King]] and her son, [[Willie King]], as a civilian physician, [[Michael Robert]], tries to examine anyone he can see.
*Dr. Robert sees a frightening pattern of people coughing and tells [[Saul Tigh]], an old friend of his who just arrived on the floor, to leave the area.
*Helo sees the pattern of sickness as well when King's son collapses to the floor.

===Act 1===
*[[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] meets with Helo, Dr. Robert, Colonel Tigh and Dr. [[Cottle]] to discuss the sickness.
*The cause, [[Mellorak infection]], is transmitted by any exchange of bodily fluids, sexual intercourse, and touch through sweat on the skin. It is is curable with the drug, [[bittamucin]]. While a dangerous disease that is fatal in its advanced stages after 48 hours, the disease is curable if caught early. First sign of symptoms usually arise after the initial 12 hours of infection.
*The complication involves the Sagittarons, who believe that physicians and medications from them are an abomination to the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Gods]] and will not likely accept any medication. They have practiced their shunning of conventional medical care for over 1,000 years.
*The stocks are low in any case, and Adama orders immediate inoculations of key crew and medication used only when someone shows definitive signs of the disease.
*Helo watches as some of Sagittarons use a curative root extract in an attempt to stave off the illness.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] explains how [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial will go with her vice president, [[Tom Zarek]].
*Zarek warns, visibly agitated, that a trial like this would be a "hurricane" that would cause pandemonium in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Roslin is left visibly worried as she realizes that Zarek was genuinely frightened of the possibility of trial.
*Helo continues to take complaints, many from other Colonials who want to be moved away from the Sagittarons. King arrives to not only tell Helo of her son's death, but that she made a mistake in trusting Dr. Robert. Helo believes that she waited too long, but she notes that her son was only sick for 12 hours, well within the 48 hour cure window, making Helo suspicious.

===Act 2===
*Dr. Robert tells of other deaths as Helo questions him about the King son's death. Robert deflects comments while giving Helo his inoculation, and notes commenting favorably to him to Col. Tigh.
*[[Margaret Edmondson]], [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Lee Adama]], [[Anastasia Dualla]], [[Kara Thrace]] and many others are at [[Joe's bar]] taking a break. Some are playing the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] arcade game. When [[Connor]] calls Edmondson by the name of "Marge," the [[Raptor]] pilot tells him that her shot accuracy is improved when she imagines the pyramid target as his face when throwing.
*Tyrol becomes drunk and begins to tell how the Sagittarons did not help fight on [[New Caprica]]. He personally believes that those colonists do not deserve any of the medication. Major Adama orders him to stop commenting once it becomes clear that Dualla, a Sagittaron herself, was becoming uncomfortable.
*Dualla agrees with some of Tyrol's drunken commentary in regards to her fellow colonists' stubborness, but notes her specific dislike of Dr. [[Cottle]].
*Sharon Agathon is visiting the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]], discussing Baltar. Six's [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual Baltar]] appears to counter Agathon's thoughts on helping the Colonials.
*Six talks with her virtual Baltar, who tells her that the "trick" of behaving like a human is to think only of yourself.
*As Six kisses the virtual Baltar, President Roslin and [[Tory Foster]] are listening and watching Six nearby by hidden surveillance, and question who or what she is speaking to.
*A riot occurs in the camp, and Helo and the marines scramble to save Dr. Robert, who is at the center of the attack. Many Sagittarons accuse him of murder.
*Robert admits to administering the rationed drug without patient consent, particularly to one of the Sagittaron's noted fundamental members. The doctor becomes irritated at Helo's probing questions.
*Helo reports to Admiral Adama of Robert's behavior, with Cottle present. Neither man believes Helo's report is credible, and Adama dismisses him, telling him that he has more pressing matters than dealing with what he believes are unfounded accusations.
*Tigh catches up with Helo and tells him that accusing Robert is doing little to help Helo's overall credibility with the Fleet command. When Tigh insults Helo's wife, the captain punches him.
*Tigh takes the blow without arresting Helo, but warns that further accusations will further diminish his reputation in the Fleet.

===Act 3===
*Sharon Agathon tells her husband that their daughter is sick, having been pulled off [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]] to help her child.
*Despite Helo's worries about Robert, Hera is given the drug and sedatives.
*Helo returns a bracelet from Willie King's body to Mrs. King. Before she leaves, he asks why she let her son be treated if she was previously warned. She explained that she did so because she didn't believe that anyone could have so much hatred inside them as to kill a patient. She leaves, refusing to discuss further.
*In their quarters, the Agathons argue, Helo questions whether he is getting damning treatment for being the husband of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], and his other actions.
*Helo visits [[sickbay]], but finds it empty. He searches the medical records of patients from New Caprica and finds a shocking correlation.
*Cottle enters and tries to order Helo out of the office, threatening arrest. He shows that, unlike other colonists, the mortality rate of Sagittarons is over 90%. When asked to perform an autopsy on Willie King, Cottle tells Helo he's already done so, and Helo leaves, defeated and angry.
*Dualla, with her dislike of Cottle on record, visits Dr. Robert, asking for Bittamucin. She shows the first signs of Mellorak infection.
*On the night phase on the ship, King sneaks away from the refugee camp to Helo's quarters to warn him that Dualla had sought Dr. Robert's help after she began to show symptoms, also noting two other Sagittaron deaths. Helo realizes that, if his instincts are right, Dualla is in serious trouble. Marines appear to escort King away as Help quickly dresses and heads to the camp, against his wife's warnings and anger about having to fight for respect every day aboard ''Galactica''.
*Out of uniform and yelling for people to move out of the way, Helo storms through the encampment, frantically searching for and finding Dualla, lying a cot, motionless and unconscious, and desperately checks her vital signs.

===Act 4===
*Helo couldn't find immediate life signs and fears he's too late until Dualla stirs. She is alive, but very lethargic from medication that Robert administered.
*Helo attempts to move her to help from Dr. Cottle when Dr. Robert appears and stops him from leaving, calling for security to assist him. Dualla, in her delirium, shouts not to be treated by Cottle. Marines hear only part of the conversation and order Helo to stand down.
*A security detail separates Dualla from Helo, and sidearms are pulled as Robert orders the marines to arrest Helo.
*Colonel Tigh and Dr. Cottle arrives with additional marines, but instead of taking sides with Robert, Tigh berates Robert.
*Cottle explains to Helo that he didn't actually perform the toxicology test on King's son before finding Helo in his office. The autopsy revealed high levels of a toxic bisphosphnate, but no traces of the drug used to treat the disease. Cottle notes similar results in several other patients.
*Robert explains that his actions were a form of mercy-killing to save precious resources. Cottle questions his "do no harm" oath as Robert reminds Tigh of a time where they spoke in a derogative manner about Sagittarons.
*Tigh orders Helo to arrest Robert.
*Later, Admiral Adama apologizes to Helo for his actions in trying to show Robert's actions as well as other morally questionable issues in recent days. Helo returns Adama's apology with a perfect salute, finally feeling vindicated and respected.
*Agathon returns to his family, his daughter in her arms, and gives his wife a kiss.

===Bonus Scene===

*A bonus scene shows Helo in Adama's office, apparently at the time of Adama's apology. In this cut scene, Helo confesses to the sabotage of [[A Measure of Salvation|an aborted Cylon offensive]] to destroy the Cylons through biological weaponry. Adama asks Helo if he thinks this was the right time to bring this matter to his attention.
*This scene meshes with Adama's comment about the lack of a "voice in the wilderness" when Helo has questioned Fleet decisions on the Cylon genocide issue, the Sagittarons, and his unborn daughter's own fate [[Epiphanies|''in utero'' months before]].

== Questions ==

* What is the current status of the Fleet's medical supplies? Was the stockpile of vaccines and medicines that ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had before its destruction ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]) transferred over to the civilian ships before the [[Battle of New Caprica]]?

* Does Roslin suspect Caprica-Six of communicating with the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] due to her hallucinations of Baltar?

* How many other civilian medical doctors are there in the Fleet?

* Why did [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] need the medication for a curable disease, while her blood was used to cure breast cancer for President Roslin?

* When did the hatred and bitterness towards the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittarons]] begin in Colonial history?

* How different are the Sagittarons and [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] in regard to their religious beliefs? What traditions and ceremonies do the Sagittarons still practice that the rest of the Colonies have abandoned?

* As [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] was away at CAP and Helo wasn't informed of Hera's well-being, who then submitted Hera to Dr. Robert's care?

* What is the condition of Starbuck's and Anders's marriage? Why is he not seen with Starbuck in Joe's bar? Is he still living away from Galactica?

* Where is Tom Zarek in this matter? Is he unaware of the plight of the Sagittarons on ''Galactica'' or under Doctor Robert's care?

* Dr. Cottle asks Dr. Robert, "What the hell happened to 'do no harm, doctor?'". The [[w:Hippocratic Oath|Hippocratic Oath]], written by the ancient Greek physician [[w:Hippocrates|Hippocrates]], prescribes that a physician "never do harm to anyone." Might this tie in with other references to Greek civilization/mythology in the series?

== Analysis ==
* This is the first major episode that features Saggitarons in a more in-depth manner. We learn more about Tom Zarek and Anastasia Dualla's relation to their colony of origin, originally established in "[[Bastille Day]]".

* The Sagittarons' belief system appears to be modeled on various modern day religious sects that oppose the use of medical technology and/or are pacifist in their political views. Religious sects, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Scientists in the past have taken such views and had been highly criticized and persecuted.

* Mrs. King name might be derived from Martin Luther King Jr. as Mrs. King is portrayed as an individual who wants justice for the prejudice that she and her son received. It is her initial step of approaching Helo that causes the murders of her people to eventually cease.

* Similar to Baltar's internal-Six, Caprica-Six's internal Baltar appears at a moment of self-doubt and fear. Interestingly, this version of internal-Baltar seems opposed to Caprica-Six siding with the humans, while back in "[[Downloaded]]", he told her that he loved her so deeply once she made the decision to reach out to humanity.

* The Saggitarons appear to be the last human colony that still maintains most of its original roots from the founding of the colonies. According to Dr. Cottle, medical treatment has been rejected by the Saggitarons for over 3000 years because they consider medicine to be a curse. The result being that they still practice rituals and beliefs that are at least over 1000 years old. This may be the date when the other colonies began to let go of their old religious convictions and origins.

* Adama displays one of his character traits when he apologizes to Helo for not believing him about Dr. Robert. This is reminiscent of the moment when Adama offered Roslin his forgiveness when she took a part of the Fleet in search of the Arrow of Apollo ([[Home, Part II]]). Instead of forgiveness, Adama offers Helo his apology and states, as he did with Roslin, that it doesn't matter whether Helo asked or needs it, Helo still has it.

* In the real world, Robert's poisons, known as bisphosphantes, are a family of drugs used to treat certain bone cancers and [[w:osteoporesis|osteoporesis]] in some women. The use of the drug by real world definition correlates with Cottle's notation of acute cellular disruption, which could happen with such drugs.

* This is the first time since "[[Collaborators]]" that Gaeta is seen in a relaxed setting. The episode indicates that he has finally been welcomed back amongst the crew and able to join them in their Pyramid game. In addition, it appears that his [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries|actions towards Baltar]] did not lead to any serious repercussions.

== Notes ==
* The title doesn't literally refer to a king, but to a female character named [[King]], and is referred to in this episode's dialogue; Colonel Tigh asks who is lodging all the complaints against Dr. Robert, Helo replies "the woman, [[King]]".

* Barring any births, the population is at 41,396 at the end of this episode. There is a loss of five people, all Sagittaron: [[Willie King]], Mr. [[Buckminster]], a three-year old, and two more prior to Agathon's final argument with Robert.

* [[Bruce Davison]]'s character [[Michael Robert|Dr. Robert]] may be a reference to a song by [[w:The Beatles|The Beatles]] entitled "[[w:Dr. Robert|Dr. Robert]]". The song is about a doctor who prescribes illicit drugs. The [[A Day in the Life|next episode]] also contains a Beatles reference in its title.

*Dualla is noted as a Sagittaron. This was previously established in "[[33]]" and "[[Bastille Day]]".

*Tom Zarek was granted the Vice Presidency, despite his actions in "[[Collaborators]]".

*[[Racetrack]]'s given name, established in "[[Final Cut]]", is used in dialogue for the first time. [[Charlie Connor|Connor]] calls her "Marge", which seems to irritate her.

*Racetrack banters with Helo about her desire to have sexual relations with a [[nugget]]. This indicates that the military is still recruiting and training new pilots.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Tom Zarek]] offers his view on the results of [[Gaius Baltar]]'s forthcoming trial:''

: '''Zarek:''' Listen to me, Baltar will get his trial, and this is what you'll get: a hurricane. The media will descend upon you and watch, and scrutinze, and question your every move. You will have sectarian violence, you will have assassination attempts, you will have civil unrest on a scale we've never seen. Work, labor, everyday routine in this fleet will come to a complete halt. This trial is going to bring down this entire fleet down.
: '''[[Tory Foster]]:''' Mr. Vice President, we have a security plan in order, which includes rapid [[Colonial Marine|marine]] deployment, increased [[CAP]] operations, security details–
: '''Zarek:''' (ignoring Foster) A hurricane, [[Laura Roslin|Laura]]. If I were you, I'd declare martial law during the trial. You're going to need a lot more than a little patience to survive. I'm here if you need me.

* ''[[Caprica-Six]]'s internal Baltar gives her some advice:''
: '''Internal Baltar:''' But there's a trick to being human, you have to think only about yourself.

* ''[[Michael Robert]] attempts to explain himself, after he is found out:''
: '''Robert:''' (to Agathon) You ought to be on your knees, thanking me for ''saving'' your [[Hera Agathon|daughter's life]], for having the meds to cure her of her illness. (to [[Cottle]]) Now you know how painful this disease is at the end. And they don't want our help. Now why waste time, and meds, and space on them when all of those resources could go to those who really deserve it? Who gets the medication when there's not enough to go around? The Sagittaron who won't even raise a finger to save his own race, or a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot?!
: '''Cottle:''' What the hell happened to "do no harm", Doctor?
: '''Robert:''' Look, I intervened because someone has to make the tough choices. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter because–look at 'em–they're going to destroy themselves anyway. Look at them out there. They're like worms crawling on a hot rock. Remember what you used to say, [[Saul Tigh|Saul]]? "Aside from a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], is there anything that you hate more than a Sagittaron?"
: '''Tigh:''' I'll tell you what I hate, Mike. Being wrong. Captain Agathon?
: '''Agathon:''' Sir?
: '''Tigh:''' Arrest this son of a bitch. Gag him if you have to.
: '''Agathon:''' My pleasure sir.

== Official Statements ==

Information from the podast:
* The Sagittaron-focused storyline, was originally intended to play a larger role in the upcoming Baltar trial. However, in post-production, it was decided that the trial needed to go into an entirely different direction, thus cutting out most of the Sagittaron build up in other episodes.
* Tom Zarek's fear that is noted by Roslin was originally based on Zarek's fear that like Gaeta, Baltar would attempt to implicate him in an incident with the Sagittarons on New Caprica. There is a deleted scene in which Zarek talks with Baltar and tries to figure out what Baltar plans to say about the event.
* RDM acknowledged that the explicit racism expressed by Tigh and Tyrol appeared very forced as it was never alluded to before. It was necessary at the time because of the original role that the Sagittarons were supposed to play in Baltar's trial. However, once the decision was made to not focus on an event that the audience has not seen firsthand, the scenes now stand alone.
* The broader theme of the episode was suppose to portray Helo as a man who desired to prove his worth again to the leadership. The guilt and struggle he felt of [[A Measure of Salvation|sabotaging the biological weapon]] is the main factor that causes him to appear as the boy who cries "wolf" to Adama and Tigh. The deleted scene from the episode ran along those lines and explicitly displays Helo's guilt for having disobeyed his orders.
* The re-introduction of Caprica-Six' internal Baltar was an explicit order from RDM to the writing staff after their initial reluctance. This accomplished at least two purposes. First, it established that Caprica-Six was never freed from these visions of her internal Baltar, and that she still has to deal with her visions. Secondly, in the grander theme of the show, the internal Baltar and Six will play major roles in the unfolding of the series.

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Deckhand [[Cally Henderson Tyrol]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Bruce Davison]] as [[Michael Robert|Dr. Michael Robert]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lieutenant [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Chris Boyd]] as [[Cheadle]]
*[[Colin Corringan]] as [[Nowart]]
*[[Gabrielle Rose]] as [[King|Mrs. King]]
*[[Scott Little]] as [[Willie King]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

The Woman King

2007-03-03T07:31:17Z

Betty: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= The Woman King
| image=TWK-1.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 14
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 314
| rating=1.2<ref>{{cite_news|first=|last=|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7300|title=CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5-11): 'SKY' HUGE FOR LIFETIME, 'BATTLESTAR' HITS SERIES LOW|publisher=|page=|date=|accessdate=2007-02-18|language=English}} (Battlestar Wiki Notes: Grammy's on ABC at the same time.)</ref>
| US airdate= 2007-02-11
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| podcast=Y
| population= 41,401
| prev= [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]
| next= [[A Day in the Life]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D215053343%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Helo]] investigates the claims of Sagittarons that a doctor is discriminating against them by providing substandard medical care.

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*Helo, in his quarters with his sleeping [[Sharon Agathon|wife]] and [[Hera Agathon|daughter]], is fitful and cannot sleep. He tries to get some work done but falls asleep later in the morning.
*The population of [[Camp Oil Slick|Dogsville]] on ''[[Galactica]]'' is increasing by 300. Helo is tasked to managing the needs of the populace camped there while other pilots continue their usual flight duties.
*Many civilians call to Helo, asking him to keep them physically separated from the Sagittarons.
*Dualla is also on the floor, trying to defuse a problem with Mrs. [[King]] and her son, [[Willie King]], as a civilian physician, [[Michael Robert]], tries to examine anyone he can see.
*Dr. Robert sees a frightening pattern of people coughing and tells [[Saul Tigh]], an old friend of his who just arrived on the floor, to leave the area.
*Helo sees the pattern of sickness as well when King's son collapses to the floor.

===Act 1===
*[[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] meets with Helo, Dr. Robert, Colonel Tigh and Dr. [[Cottle]] to discuss the sickness.
*The cause, [[Mellorak infection]], is transmitted by any exchange of bodily fluids, sexual intercourse, and touch through sweat on the skin. It is is curable with the drug, [[bittamucin]]. While a dangerous disease that is fatal in its advanced stages after 48 hours, the disease is curable if caught early. First sign of symptoms usually arise after the initial 12 hours of infection.
*The complication involves the Sagittarons, who believe that physicians and medications from them are an abomination to the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Gods]] and will not likely accept any medication. They have practiced their shunning of conventional medical care for over 1,000 years.
*The stocks are low in any case, and Adama orders immediate inoculations of key crew and medication used only when someone shows definitive signs of the disease.
*Helo watches as some of Sagittarons use a curative root extract in an attempt to stave off the illness.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] explains how [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial will go with her vice president, [[Tom Zarek]].
*Zarek warns, visibly agitated, that a trial like this would be a "hurricane" that would cause pandemonium in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Roslin is left visibly worried as she realizes that Zarek was genuinely frightened of the possibility of trial.
*Helo continues to take complaints, many from other Colonials who want to be moved away from the Sagittarons. King arrives to not only tell Helo of her son's death, but that she made a mistake in trusting Dr. Robert. Helo believes that she waited too long, but she notes that her son was only sick for 12 hours, well within the 48 hour cure window, making Helo suspicious.

===Act 2===
*Dr. Robert tells of other deaths as Helo questions him about the King son's death. Robert deflects comments while giving Helo his inoculation, and notes commenting favorably to him to Col. Tigh.
*[[Margaret Edmondson]], [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Lee Adama]], [[Anastasia Dualla]], [[Kara Thrace]] and many others are at [[Joe's bar]] taking a break. Some are playing the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] arcade game. When [[Connor]] calls Edmondson by the name of "Marge," the [[Raptor]] pilot tells him that her shot accuracy is improved when she imagines the pyramid target as his face when throwing.
*Tyrol becomes drunk and begins to tell how the Sagittarons did not help fight on [[New Caprica]]. He personally believes that those colonists do not deserve any of the medication. Major Adama orders him to stop commenting once it becomes clear that Dualla, a Sagittaron herself, was becoming uncomfortable.
*Dualla agrees with some of Tyrol's drunken commentary in regards to her fellow colonists' stubborness, but notes her specific dislike of Dr. [[Cottle]].
*Sharon Agathon is visiting the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]], discussing Baltar. Six's [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual Baltar]] appears to counter Agathon's thoughts on helping the Colonials.
*Six talks with her virtual Baltar, who tells her that the "trick" of behaving like a human is to think only of yourself.
*As Six kisses the virtual Baltar, President Roslin and [[Tory Foster]] are listening and watching Six nearby by hidden surveillance, and question who or what she is speaking to.
*A riot occurs in the camp, and Helo and the marines scramble to save Dr. Robert, who is at the center of the attack. Many Sagittarons accuse him of murder.
*Robert admits to administering the rationed drug without patient consent, particularly to one of the Sagittaron's noted fundamental members. The doctor becomes irritated at Helo's probing questions.
*Helo reports to Admiral Adama of Robert's behavior, with Cottle present. Neither man believes Helo's report is credible, and Adama dismisses him, telling him that he has more pressing matters than dealing with what he believes are unfounded accusations.
*Tigh catches up with Helo and tells him that accusing Robert is doing little to help Helo's overall credibility with the Fleet command. When Tigh insults Helo's wife, the captain punches him.
*Tigh takes the blow without arresting Helo, but warns that further accusations will further diminish his reputation in the Fleet.

===Act 3===
*Sharon Agathon tells her husband that their daughter is sick, having been pulled off [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]] to help her child.
*Despite Helo's worries about Robert, Hera is given the drug and sedatives.
*Helo returns a bracelet from Willie King's body to Mrs. King. Before she leaves, he asks why she let her son be treated if she was previously warned. She explained that she did so because she didn't believe that anyone could have so much hatred inside them as to kill a patient. She leaves, refusing to discuss further.
*In their quarters, the Agathons argue, Helo questions whether he is getting damning treatment for being the husband of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], and his other actions.
*Helo visits [[sickbay]], but finds it empty. He searches the medical records of patients from New Caprica and finds a shocking correlation.
*Cottle enters and tries to order Helo out of the office, threatening arrest. He shows that, unlike other colonists, the mortality rate of Sagittarons is over 90%. When asked to perform an autopsy on Willie King, Cottle tells Helo he's already done so, and Helo leaves, defeated and angry.
*Dualla, with her dislike of Cottle on record, visits Dr. Robert, asking for Bittamucin. She shows the first signs of Mellorak infection.
*On the night phase on the ship, King sneaks away from the refugee camp to Helo's quarters to warn him that Dualla had sought Dr. Robert's help after she began to show symptoms, also noting two other Sagittaron deaths. Helo realizes that, if his instincts are right, Dualla is in serious trouble. Marines appear to escort King away as Help quickly dresses and heads to the camp, against his wife's warnings and anger about having to fight for respect every day aboard ''Galactica''.
*Out of uniform and yelling for people to move out of the way, Helo storms through the encampment, frantically searching for and finding Dualla, lying a cot, motionless and unconscious, and desperately checks her vital signs.

===Act 4===
*Helo couldn't find immediate life signs and fears he's too late until Dualla stirs. She is alive, but very lethargic from medication that Robert administered.
*Helo attempts to move her to help from Dr. Cottle when Dr. Robert appears and stops him from leaving, calling for security to assist him. Dualla, in her delirium, shouts not to be treated by Cottle. Marines hear only part of the conversation and order Helo to stand down.
*A security detail separates Dualla from Helo, and sidearms are pulled as Robert orders the marines to arrest Helo.
*Colonel Tigh and Dr. Cottle arrives with additional marines, but instead of taking sides with Robert, Tigh berates Robert.
*Cottle explains to Helo that he didn't actually perform the toxicology test on King's son before finding Helo in his office. The autopsy revealed high levels of a toxic bisphosphnate, but no traces of the drug used to treat the disease. Cottle notes similar results in several other patients.
*Robert explains that his actions were a form of mercy-killing to save precious resources. Cottle questions his "do no harm" oath as Robert reminds Tigh of a time where they spoke in a derogative manner about Sagittarons.
*Tigh orders Helo to arrest Robert.
*Later, Admiral Adama apologizes to Helo for his actions in trying to show Robert's actions as well as other morally questionable issues in recent days. Helo returns Adama's apology with a perfect salute, finally feeling vindicated and respected.
*Agathon returns to his family, his daughter in her arms, and gives his wife a kiss.

===Bonus Scene===

*A bonus scene shows Helo in Adama's office, apparently at the time of Adama's apology. In this cut scene, Helo confesses to the sabotage of [[A Measure of Salvation|an aborted Cylon offensive]] to destroy the Cylons through biological weaponry. Adama asks Helo if he thinks this was the right time to bring this matter to his attention.
*This scene meshes with Adama's comment about the lack of a "voice in the wilderness" when Helo has questioned Fleet decisions on the Cylon genocide issue, the Sagittarons, and his unborn daughter's own fate [[Epiphanies|''in utero'' months before]].

== Questions ==

* What is the current status of the Fleet's medical supplies? Was the stockpile of vaccines and medicines that ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had before its destruction ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]) transferred over to the civilian ships before the [[Battle of New Caprica]]?

* Does Roslin suspect Caprica-Six of communicating with the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] due to her hallucinations of Baltar?

* How many other civilian medical doctors are there in the Fleet?

* Why did [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] need the medication for a curable disease, while her blood was used to cure breast cancer for President Roslin?

* When did the hatred and bitterness towards the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittarons]] begin in Colonial history?

* How different are the Sagittarons and [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] in regard to their religious beliefs? What traditions and ceremonies do the Sagittarons still practice that the rest of the Colonies have abandoned?

* As [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] was away at CAP and Helo wasn't informed of Hera's well-being, who then submitted Hera to Dr. Robert's care?

* What is the condition of Starbuck's and Anders's marriage? Why is he not seen with Starbuck in Joe's bar? Is he still living away from Galactica?

* Where is Tom Zarek in this matter? Is he unaware of the plight of the Sagittarons on ''Galactica'' or under Doctor Robert's care?

* Dr. Cottle asks Dr. Robert, "What the hell happened to 'do no harm, doctor?'". The [[w:Hippocratic Oath|Hippocratic Oath]], written by the ancient Greek physician [[w:Hippocrates|Hippocrates]], prescribes that a physician "never do harm to anyone." Might this tie in with other references to Greek civilization/mythology in the series?

== Analysis ==
* This is the first major episode that features Saggitarons in a more in-depth manner. We learn more about Tom Zarek and Anastasia Dualla's relation to their colony of origin, originally established in "[[Bastille Day]]".

* The Sagittarons' belief system appears to be modeled on various modern day religious sects that oppose the use of medical technology and/or are pacifist in their political views. Religious sects, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Scientists in the past have taken such views and had been highly criticized and persecuted.

* Mrs. King name might be derived from Martin Luther King Jr. as Mrs. King is portrayed as an individual who wants justice for the prejudice that she and her son received. It is her initial step of approaching Helo that causes the murders of her people to eventually cease.

* Similar to Baltar's internal-Six, Caprica-Six's internal Baltar appears at a moment of self-doubt and fear. Interestingly, this version of internal-Baltar seems opposed to Caprica-Six siding with the humans, while back in "[[Downloaded]]", he told her that he loved her so deeply once she made the decision to reach out to humanity.

* The Saggitarons appear to be the last human colony that still maintains most of its original roots from the founding of the colonies. According to Dr. Cottle, medical treatment has been rejected by the Saggitarons for over 3000 years because they consider medicine to be a curse. The result being that they still practice rituals and beliefs that are at least over 1000 years old. This may be the date when the other colonies began to let go of their old religious convictions and origins.

* Adama displays one of his character traits when he apologizes to Helo for not believing him about Dr. Robert. This is reminiscent of the moment when Adama offered Roslin his forgiveness when she took a part of the Fleet in search of the Arrow of Apollo ([[Home, Part II]]). Instead of forgiveness, Adama offers Helo his apology and states, as he did with Roslin, that it doesn't matter whether Helo asked or needs it, Helo still has it.

* In the real world, Robert's poisons, known as bisphosphantes, are a family of drugs used to treat certain bone cancers and [[w:osteoporesis|osteoporesis]] in some women. The use of the drug by real world definition correlates with Cottle's notation of acute cellular disruption, which could happen with such drugs.

* This is the first time since "[[Collaborators]]" that Gaeta is seen in a relaxed setting. The episode indicates that he has finally been welcomed back amongst the crew and able to join them in their Pyramid game. In addition, it appears that his [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries|actions towards Baltar]] did not lead to any serious repercussions.

== Notes ==
* The title doesn't literally refer to a king, but to a female character named [[King]], and is referred to in this episode's dialogue; Colonel Tigh asks who is lodging all the complaints against Dr. Robert, Helo replies "the woman, [[King]]".

* Barring any births, the population is at 41,396 at the end of this episode. There is a loss of five people, all Sagittaron: [[Willie King]], Mr. [[Buckminster]], a three-year old, and two more prior to Agathon's final argument with Robert.

* [[Bruce Davison]]'s character [[Michael Robert|Dr. Robert]] may be a reference to a song by [[w:The Beatles|The Beatles]] entitled "[[w:Dr. Robert|Dr. Robert]]". The song is about a doctor who prescribes illicit drugs. The [[A Day in the Life|next episode]] also contains a Beatles reference in its title.

*Dualla is noted as a Sagittaron. This was previously established in "[[33]]" and "[[Bastille Day]]".

*Tom Zarek was granted the Vice Presidency, despite his actions in "[[Collaborators]]".

*[[Racetrack]]'s given name, established in "[[Final Cut]]", is used in dialogue for the first time. [[Charlie Connor|Connor]] calls her "Marge", which seems to irritate her.

*Racetrack banters with Helo about her desire to have sexual relations with a [[nugget]]. This indicates that the military is still recruiting and training new pilots.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Tom Zarek]] offers his view on the results of [[Gaius Baltar]]'s forthcoming trial:''

: '''Zarek:''' Listen to me, Baltar will get his trial, and this is what you'll get: a hurricane. The media will descend upon you and watch, and scrutinze, and question your every move. You will have sectarian violence, you will have assassination attempts, you will have civil unrest on a scale we've never seen. Work, labor, everyday routine in this fleet will come to a complete halt. This trial is going to bring down this entire fleet down.
: '''[[Tory Foster]]:''' Mr. Vice President, we have a security plan in order, which includes rapid [[Colonial Marine|marine]] deployment, increased [[CAP]] operations, security details–
: '''Zarek:''' (ignoring Foster) A hurricane, [[Laura Roslin|Laura]]. If I were you, I'd declare martial law during the trial. You're going to need a lot more than a little patience to survive. I'm here if you need me.

* ''[[Caprica-Six]]'s internal Baltar gives her some advice:''
: '''Internal Baltar:''' But there's a trick to being human, you have to think only about yourself.

* ''[[Michael Robert]] attempts to explain himself, after he is found out:''
: '''Robert:''' (to Agathon) You ought to be on your knees, thanking me for ''saving'' your [[Hera Agathon|daughter's life]], for having the meds to cure her of her illness. (to [[Cottle]]) Now you know how painful this disease is at the end. And they don't want our help. Now why waste time, and meds, and space on them when all of those resources could go to those who really deserve it? Who gets the medication when there's not enough to go around? The Sagittaron who won't even raise a finger to save his own race, or a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot?!
: '''Cottle:''' What the hell happened to "do no harm", Doctor?
: '''Robert:''' Look, I intervened because someone has to make the tough choices. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter because–look at 'em–they're going to destroy themselves anyway. Look at them out there. They're like worms crawling on a hot rock. Remember what you used to say, [[Saul Tigh|Saul]]? "Aside from a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], is there anything that you hate more than a Sagittaron?"
: '''Tigh:''' I'll tell you what I hate, Mike. Being wrong. Captain Agathon?
: '''Agathon:''' Sir?
: '''Tigh:''' Arrest this son of a bitch. Gag him if you have to.
: '''Agathon:''' My pleasure sir.

== Official Statements ==

Information from the podast:
* The Sagittaron-focused storyline, was originally intended to play a larger role in the upcoming Baltar trial. However, in post-production, it was decided that the trial needed to go into an entirely different direction, thus cutting out most of the Sagittaron build up in other episodes.
* Tom Zarek's fear that is noted by Roslin was originally based on Zarek's fear that like Gaeta, Baltar would attempt to implicate him in an incident with the Sagittarons on New Caprica. There is a deleted scene in which Zarek talks with Baltar and tries to figure out what Baltar plans to say about the event.
* RDM acknowledged that the explicit racism expressed by Tigh and Tyrol appeared very forced as it was never alluded to before. It was necessary at the time because of the original role that the Sagittarons were supposed to play in Baltar's trial. However, once the decision was made to not focus on an event that the audience has not seen firsthand, the scenes now stand alone.
* The broader theme of the episode was suppose to portray Helo as a man who desired to prove his worth again to the leadership. The guilt and struggle he felt of [[A Measure of Salvation|sabotaging the biological weapon]] is the main factor that causes him to appear as the boy who cries "wolf" to Adama and Tigh. The deleted scene from the episode ran along those lines and explicitly displays Helo's guilt for having disobeyed his orders.
* The re-introduction of Caprica-Six' internal Baltar was an explicit order from RDM to the writing staff after their initial reluctance. This accomplished at least two purposes. First, it established that Caprica-Six was never freed from these visions of her internal Baltar, and that she still has to deal with her visions. Secondly, in the grander theme of the show, the internal Baltar and Six will play major roles in the unfolding of the series.

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Deckhand [[Cally Henderson Tyrol]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Bruce Davison]] as [[Michael Robert|Dr. Michael Robert]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lieutenant [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Chris Boyd]] as [[Cheadle]]
*[[Colin Corringan]] as [[Nowart]]
*[[Gabrielle Rose]] as [[King|Mrs. King]]
*[[Scott Little]] as [[Willie King]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Margaret Edmondson

2007-03-03T07:29:29Z

Betty: /* Notes */

{{Character Data
|photo= MaggieCrop.jpg
|age=
|colony=
|birthname= Margaret Edmondson
|callsign= Racetrack
|death=
|seen= Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role= [[Raptor]] pilot and [[ECO]], assigned to ''[[Galactica]]''
|rank= Lieutenant
|actor= [[Leah Cairns]]
|cylon=
|name=
}}

Lt. '''Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson''' is a female [[Raptor]] pilot aboard ''[[Galactica]]''. She harbors a deep hatred of the Cylons, almost certainly because of the loss of loved ones during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. In her job she is competent and trusted, although she is willing to put her personal beliefs above duty. Racetrack tends to have a dark, fairly cynical attitude after the Cylon attack.

== Biography ==
Racetrack accompanies [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]] on a mission to destroy a Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. She witnesses Boomer's attempted assassination of [[William Adama]] in ''Galactica's'' [[CIC]] ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). Immediately after, she informs the CIC staff that Boomer returned from placing the nuclear warhead inside the basestar orbiting [[Kobol]] without her helmet on and that she probably gave away ''Galactica's'' position to the Cylons ([[Scattered]]).

During the [[SAR]] mission to Kobol, Racetrack pilots the Raptor carrying [[Lee Adama]], encountering fire from Cylon anti-aircraft missiles. [[Galen Tyrol]] destroys the missiles' [[DRADIS]] dish on the surface, and they fail to lock on. Racetrack's Raptor then destroys the [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] on the ground with a missile, and recovers the trapped ''Galactica'' crewmen ([[Fragged]]).

She aids the escape of President [[Laura Roslin]] from the [[brig]] by falsely claiming that her [[Raptor]] was having technical problems, enabling the furloughed Lee Adama to report to the hangar bay instead of the brig per his arrest. She then helps prep the Raptor used as the escape craft for launch, but remains on ''Galactica'' ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]). On Boomer's death, Edmondson becomes the only person in the Fleet who has seen the inside of a basestar.

Racetrack serves as ECO on [[Raptor 1]], plotting the best point of orbital entry when taking Commander Adama to [[Kobol]] to find and meet with President Roslin ([[Home, Part II]]). Since then, Margaret flies basic supply runs between ''Galactica'' and [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]]. She continues to light candles for fallen comrades in the Cylon attack. She is almost certain she will eventually die on a mission, and is more focused on taking out as many Cylons as she can before that happens ([[Final Cut]]).

Along with many other pilots, Edmondson intially snubs [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] upon his return because of his romantic relationship with the Caprica-originated copy of Sharon Valerii. After she insults [[Kara Thrace]] over the matter, Starbuck pushes Racetrack face-first into a card table ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]). Racetrack later congratulates Helo on his help with the [[Blackbird]], whose [[DRADIS]]-absorbing carbon composites Helo suggested, which serves as a quiet apology for her earlier rudeness.

[[Image:Racetrack2.jpg|left|thumb|Edmondson in a Raptor]]
Racetrack is particularly overjoyed when ''Galactica'' encounters the [[Mercury class battlestar|advanced battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''. While socializing with ''Pegasus'' pilots in the hangar bay, she fails to understand Starbuck's contempt for the "scorecards" on which they tally their kills ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]). Racetrack's Raptor rescues the unconscious Apollo during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], and she revives him using defibrilator paddles in her emergency gear ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]). When Racetrack transports Apollo and a squad of Marines to check the ''[[Daru Mozu]]'' for signs of sabotage by Cylon sympathizers, her vessel narrowly escapes the ensuing explosion ([[Epiphanies]]). Racetrack also later flew a Raptor transporting Apollo back from [[Cloud 9]] after he spent some off duty time there with [[Shevon]] ([[Black Market]]).

During Starbuck's rescue mission for the [[Caprica Resistance]], Racetrack serves as ECO on one of the 20 Raptors to make a series of ten jumps, aided by a Cylon navigation system. On the first jump, Racetrack's Raptor jumps to the wrong coordinates, ending up in a gas cloud. Starbuck and the main group proceed on without her. Preparing to return to ''Galactica'', Racetrack picks up a lot of gravity distortions on her sensors and upon clearing the gas cloud she discovers an inhabited planet that the Fleet could colonize ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]). Though the planet turned out to be marginally habitable at best, it would later be named [[New Caprica]], and most of the human survivors of the Fleet would settle down there permanently ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

Racetrack remains with the Fleet and flies missions to detect communications from the [[New Caprica Resistance]] ([[Occupation]]). She also plays a leading role in the rescue mission to New Caprica ([[Exodus, Part I]]).

Although she is a qualified Raptor pilot, Edmondson agrees to serve as [[Sharon Agathon]]'s ECO after the crews of ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' are combined and far more pilots than aircraft are available, because she thinks being ECO is better than not flying at all. When Edmondson refers to Agathon using the callsign of her Cylon doppelgänger, "[[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]]", the room of pilots gleefully offer a less controversial callsign for Sharon Agathon: "Athena".

On her first mission with Agathon, the two make a recon flight to the [[Lion's Head Nebula]] to investigate a clue to the location of Earth. The information proves to be correct, but they also find a deserted Cylon [[basestar]] ([[Torn]]). After undergoing precautionary quarantine measures due to a possible [[Lymphocytic encephalitis|viral]] infection, the two fly together again in the [[Battle of NCD2539]] ([[A Measure of Salvation]]).

Edmondson lends her Raptor talents in a harrowing series of escort flights to shepherd the Fleet through a very dangerous star cluster to a [[algae planet|planet with desperately needed foodstuffs]] ([[The Passage]]).

On a routine patrol around the Fleet, her Raptor suffers from an engine and [[RCS]] malfunction, due to impurities in its [[tylium]] fuel. Unable to regain control and on a collision course with ''[[Colonial One]]'', she and her ECO [[Hamish McCall]] are forced to eject from the Raptor. The craft collides with ''Colonial One'', causing moderate hull damage and several injuries, but no fatalities ([[Dirty Hands]]).

==Notes==

[[Image:Edmonson caption.jpg|thumb|The incorrect spelling for Edmondson occurs here; it is, however, correct on the nameplate of the [[Raptor]] she flies.]]
[[Image:Racetrack's Raptor.jpg|thumb|A shot of the [[Raptor]] with the correct spelling.]]
*Racetrack was probably created as a replacement for [[Crashdown]], the ECO of whichever Raptor a given episode focuses on; Crashdown himself was created as a replacement for [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] after he was stranded. Racetrack was introduced in the first season finale, simultaneous with the seeds of Crashdown's demise: signs of his incompetence for command while stranded on Kobol.
*Racetrack's given name was revealed in the episode "[[Final Cut]]". Her name was misspelled in the caption during her interview, however, as noted by [[Bradley Thompson]] (See [[Sources:Margaret Edmondson]]). Confusion about her name's spelling resulted in Racetrack's last name being mispelled in the end credits of many episodes in Season 2, although is corrected in Season 3.
*Ron Moore noted in his [[podcast]] to "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]," Racetrack's debut episode, that she was only meant to be a one-shot character, like [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]. But, just as with [[Tahmoh Penikett]]'s performance in [[Miniseries|the Miniseries]], Leah Cairns' performance in the episode was impressive and she was decided to be a new recurring character.

{{sourcebox}}
<br clear="both" />

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:Characters|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Edmondson, Margaret]]
[[Category:RDM|Edmondson, Margaret]]

[[de:Margaret Edmondson]]

The Woman King

2007-02-15T13:59:06Z

Betty: /* Analysis */

{{Episode Data
| title= The Woman King
| image=TWK-1.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 14
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 314
| rating=
| US airdate= 2007-02-11
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,401
| prev= [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]
| next= [[A Day in the Life]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D215053343%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Helo]] investigates the claims of Sagittarons that a doctor is discriminating against them by providing substandard medical care.

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*Helo, in his quarters with his sleeping [[Sharon Agathon|wife]] and [[Hera Agathon|daughter]], is fitful and cannot sleep. He tries to get some work done but falls asleep later in the morning.
*The population of [[Camp Oil Slick|Dogsville]] on ''[[Galactica]]'' is increasing by 300. Helo is tasked to managing the needs of the populace camped there while other pilots continue their usual flight duties.
*Many civilians call to Helo, asking him to keep them physically separated from the Sagittarons.
*Dualla is also on the floor, trying to defuse a problem with Mrs. [[King]] and her son, [[Willie King]], as a civilian physician, [[Michael Robert]], tries to examine anyone he can see.
*Dr. Robert sees a frightening pattern of people coughing and tells [[Saul Tigh]], an old friend of his who just arrived on the floor, to leave the area.
*Helo sees the pattern of sickness as well when King's son collapses to the floor.

===Act 1===
*[[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] meets with Helo, Dr. Robert, Colonel Tigh and Dr. [[Cottle]] to discuss the sickness.
*The cause, [[Mellorak infection]], is transmitted by touch only and is curable with a drug, [[bittamucin]]. While a dangerous disease that is fatal in its advanced stages after 48 hours, the disease is curable if caught early.
*The complication involves the Sagittarons, who believe that physicians and medications from them are an abomination to the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Gods]] and will not likely accept any medication. They have practiced their shunning of conventional medical care for over 1,000 years.
*The stocks are low in any case, and Adama orders immediate inoculations of key crew and medication used only when someone shows definitive signs of the disease.
*Helo watches as some of Sagittarons use a curative root extract in an attempt to stave off the illness.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] explains how [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial will go with her vice president, [[Tom Zarek]].
*Zarek warns, visibly agitated, that a trial like this would be a "hurricane" that would cause pandemonium in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Roslin is left visibly worried as she realizes that Zarek was genuinely frightened of the possibility of trial.
*Helo continues to take complaints, many from other Colonials who want to be moved away from the Sagittarons. King arrives to not only tell Helo of her son's death, but that she made a mistake in trusting Dr. Robert. Helo believes that she waited too long, but she notes that her son was only sick for 12 hours, well within the 48 hour cure window, making Helo suspicious.

===Act 2===
*Dr. Robert tells of other deaths as Helo questions him about the King son's death. Robert deflects comments while giving Helo his inoculation, and notes commenting favorably to him to Col. Tigh.
*[[Margaret Edmondson]], [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Felix Gaeta]], [[Lee Adama]], [[Anastasia Dualla]], [[Kara Thrace]] and many others are at [[Joe's bar]] taking a break. Some are playing the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] arcade game. When [[Connor]] calls Edmondson by the name of "Marge," the [[Raptor]] pilot tells him that her shot accuracy is improved when she imagines the pyramid target as his face when throwing.
*Tyrol becomes drunk and begins to tell how the Sagittarons did not help fight on [[New Caprica]]. He personally believes that those colonists do not deserve any of the medication. Major Adama orders him to stop commenting once it becomes clear that Dualla, a Sagittaron herself, was becoming uncomfortable.
*Dualla agrees with some of Tyrol's drunken commentary in regards to her fellow colonists' stubborness, but notes her specific dislike of Dr. [[Cottle]].
*Sharon Agathon is visiting the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]], discussing Baltar. Six's [[Cylon-Related Hallucinations|virtual Baltar]] appears to counter Agathon's thoughts on helping the Colonials.
*Six talks with her virtual Baltar, who tells her that the "trick" of behaving like a human is to think only of yourself.
*As Six kisses the virtual Baltar, President Roslin and [[Tory Foster]] are listening and watching Six nearby by hidden surveillance, and question who or what she is speaking to.
*A riot occurs in the camp, and Helo and the marines scramble to save Dr. Robert, who is at the center of the attack. Many Sagittarons accuse him of murder.
*Robert admits to administering the rationed drug without patient consent, particularly to one of the Sagittaron's noted fundamental members. The doctor becomes irritated at Helo's probing questions.
*Helo reports to Admiral Adama of Robert's behavior, with Cottle present. Neither man believes Helo's report is credible, and Adama dismisses him, telling him that he has more pressing matters than dealing with what he believes are unfounded accusations.
*Tigh catches up with Helo and tells him that accusing Robert is doing little to help Helo's overall credibility with the Fleet command. When Tigh insults Helo's wife, the captain punches him.
*Tigh takes the blow without arresting Helo, but warns that further accusations will further diminish his reputation in the Fleet.

===Act 3===
*Sharon Agathon tells her husband that their daughter is sick, having been pulled off [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]] to help her child.
*Despite Helo's worries about Robert, Hera is given the drug and sedatives.
*Helo returns a bracelet from Willie King's body to Mrs. King. Before she leaves, he asks why she let her son be treated if she was previously warned. She explained that she did so because she didn't believe that anyone could have so much hatred inside them as to kill a patient. She leaves, refusing to discuss further.
*In their quarters, the Agathons argue, Helo questions whether he is getting damning treatment for being the husband of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], and his other actions.
*Helo visits [[sickbay]], but finds it empty. He searches the medical records of patients from New Caprica and finds a shocking correlation.
*Cottle enters and tries to order Helo out of the office, threatening arrest. He shows that, unlike other colonists, the mortality rate of Sagittarons is over 90%. When asked to perform an autopsy on Willie King, Cottle tells Helo he's already done so, and Helo leaves, defeated and angry.
*Dualla, with her dislike of Cottle on record, visits Dr. Robert, asking for Bittamucin. She shows the first signs of Mellorak infection.
*On the night phase on the ship, King sneaks away from the refugee camp to Helo's quarters to warn him that Dualla had sought Dr. Robert's help after she began to show symptoms, also noting two other Sagittaron deaths. Helo realizes that, if his instincts are right, Dualla is in serious trouble. Marines appear to escort King away as Help quickly dresses and heads to the camp, against his wife's warnings and anger about having to fight for respect every day aboard ''Galactica''.
*Out of uniform and yelling for people to move out of the way, Helo storms through the encampment, frantically searching for and finding Dualla, lying a cot, motionless and unconscious, and desperately checks her vital signs.

===Act 4===
*Helo couldn't find immediate life signs and fears he's too late until Dualla stirs. She is alive, but very lethargic from medication that Robert administered.
*Helo attempts to move her to help from Dr. Cottle when Dr. Robert appears and stops him from leaving, calling for security to assist him. Dualla, in her delirium, shouts not to be treated by Cottle. Marines hear only part of the conversation and order Helo to stand down.
*A security detail separates Dualla from Helo, and sidearms are pulled as Robert orders the marines to arrest Helo.
*Colonel Tigh and Dr. Cottle arrives with additional marines, but instead of taking sides with Robert, Tigh berates Robert.
*Cottle explains to Helo that he didn't actually perform the toxicology test on King's son before finding Helo in his office. The autopsy revealed high levels of a toxic bisphosphnate, but no traces of the drug used to treat the disease. Cottle notes similar results in several other patients.
*Robert explains that his actions were a form of mercy-killing to save precious resources. Cottle questions his "do no harm" oath as Robert reminds Tigh of a time where they spoke in a derogative manner about Sagittarons.
*Tigh orders Helo to arrest Robert.
*Later, Admiral Adama apologizes to Helo for his actions in trying to show Robert's actions as well as other morally questionable issues in recent days. Helo returns Adama's apology with a perfect salute, finally feeling vindicated and respected.
*Agathon returns to his family, his daughter in her arms, and gives his wife a kiss.

===Bonus Scene===

*A bonus scene shows Helo in Adama's office, apparently at the time of Adama's apology. In this cut scene, Helo confesses to the sabotage of [[A Measure of Salvation|an aborted Cylon offensive]] to destroy the Cylons through biological weaponry. Adama asks Helo if he thinks this was the right time to bring this matter to his attention.
*This scene meshes with Adama's comment about the lack of a "voice in the wilderness" when Helo has questioned Fleet decisions on the Cylon genocide issue, the Sagittarons, and his unborn daughter's own fate [[Epiphanies|''in utero'' months before]].

== Questions ==

* What is the current status of the Fleet's medical supplies? Was the stockpile of vaccines and medicines that ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had before its destruction ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]) transferred over to the civilian ships before the [[Battle of New Caprica]]?

* Does Roslin suspect Caprica-Six of communicating with the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] due to her hallucinations of Baltar?

* How many other civilian medical doctors are there in the Fleet?

* Why did [[Hera Agathon|Hera]] need the medication for a curable disease, while her blood was used to cure breast cancer for President Roslin?

* When did the hatred and bitterness towards the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittarons]] begin in Colonial history?

* How different are the Sagittarons and [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] in regard to their religious beliefs? What traditions and ceremonies do the Sagittarons still practice that the rest of the Colonies have abandoned?

* Who submitted Hera to Dr. Robert's care? [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] was away at CAP and Helo wasn't informed of Hera's well-being.

* What is the condition of Starbuck's and Anders's marriage? Why is he not seen with Starbuck in Joe's bar? Is he still living away from Galactica?

* Where is Tom Zarek in this matter? Is he unaware of the plight of the Sagittarons on Galactica or under Doctor Robert's care?

== Analysis ==
* This is the first major episode that features Saggitarons in a more in-depth manner. We learn more about Tom Zarek and Anastasia Dualla's relation to their colony of origin, originally established in "[[Bastille Day]]".

* The Sagittarons' belief system appears to be modeled on various modern day religious sects that oppose the use of medical technology and/or are pacifist in their political views. Religious sects, such as the Jehovah Witnesses and Christian Scientists in the past have taken such views and had been highly criticized and persecuted.

* Mrs. King name might be derived from Martin Luther King Jr. as Mrs. King is portrayed as an individual who wants justice for the prejudice that she and her son received. It is her initial step of approaching Helo that causes the murders of her people to eventually cease.

* Similar to Baltar's internal-Six, Caprica-Six's internal Baltar appears at a moment of self-doubt and fear. Interestingly, this version of internal-Baltar seems opposed to Caprica-Six siding with the humans, while back in "[[Downloaded]]", he told her that he loved her so deeply once she made the decision to reach out to humanity.

* The Saggitarons appear to be the last human colony that still maintains most of its original roots from the founding of the colonies. According to Dr. Cottle and Colonel Tigh, medical treatment has been rejected by the Saggitarons for over 3000 years, the subject of which they had referred to as a curse. The result being that they still practice rituals and beliefs that are at least over 1000 years old. This may be the date when the other colonies began to let go of their old religious convictions and origins.

* Adama displays one of his character traits when he apologizes to Helo for not believing him about Dr. Robert. This is reminiscent of the moment when Adama offered Roslin his forgiveness when she took a part of the Fleet in search of the Arrow of Apollo ([[Home, Part II]]). Instead of forgiveness, Adama offers Helo his apology and states, as he did with Roslin, that it doesn't matter whether Helo asked or needs it, Helo still has it.

* In the real world, Robert's poisons, known as bisphosphantes, are a family of drugs used to treat certain bone cancers and [[w:osteoporesis|osteoporesis]] in some women. The use of the drug by real world definition correlates with Cottle's notation of acute cellular disruption, which could happen with such drugs.

* This is the first time since "[[Collaborators]]" that Gaeta is seen in a relaxed setting. The episode indicates that he has finally been welcomed back amongst the crew and able to join them in their Pyramid game. In addition, it appears that his [[Taking a Break From All Your Worries|actions towards Baltar]] did not lead to any serious repercussions.

== Notes ==
* The title doesn't literally refer to a king, but to a female character named [[King]], and is referred to in this episode's dialogue; Colonel Tigh asks who is lodging all the complaints against Dr. Robert, Helo replies "the woman, [[King]]".

* [[Bruce Davison]]'s character [[Michael Robert|Dr. Robert]] may be a reference to a song by [[w:The Beatles|The Beatles]] entitled "[[w:Dr. Robert|Dr. Robert]]". The song is about a doctor who prescribes illicit drugs. The [[A Day in the Life|next episode]] also contains a Beatles reference in its title.

*Dualla is noted as a Sagittaron. This was previously established in "[[33]]" and "[[Bastille Day]]".

*Tom Zarek was granted the Vice Presidency, despite his actions in "[[Collaborators]]".

*[[Racetrack]]'s given name, established in "[[Final Cut]]", is used in dialogue for the first time. [[Charlie Connor|Connor]] calls her "Marge", which seems to irritate her.

*Information from the podast:
** The Sagittaron-focused storyline, was originally intended to play a larger role in the upcoming Baltar trial. However, in post-production, it was decided that the trial needed to go into an entirely different direction, thus cutting out most of the Sagittaron build up in other episodes.
** Tom Zarek's fear that is noted by Roslin was originally based on Zarek's fear that like Gaeta, Baltar would attempt to implicate him in an incident with the Sagittarons on New Caprica. There is a deleted scene in which Zarek talks with Baltar and tries to figure out what Baltar plans to say about the event.
** RDM acknowledged that the explicit racism expressed by Tigh and Tyrol appeared very forced as it was never alluded to before. It was necessary at the time because of the original role that the Sagittarons were suppose to factor into Baltar's trial. However, once the decision was made to not focus on an event that the audience has not seen firsthand, the scenes now stand alone.
** The broader theme of the episode was suppose to portray Helo as a man who desired to prove his worth again to the leadership. The guilt and struggle he felt of [[A Measure of Salvation|sabotaging the biological weapon]] is the main factor that causes him to appear as the boy who cries "wolf" to Adama and Tigh. The deleted scene from the episode ran along those lines and explicitly displays Helo's guilt for having disobeyed his orders.
** The re-introduction of Caprica-Six' internal Baltar was an explicit order from RDM to the writing staff after initial reluctance. This accomplished at least two purposes. First, it established that Caprica-Six was never freed from these visions of her internal Baltar, and that she still has to deal with her visions. Secondly, in the grander theme of the show, the internal Baltar and Six will play major roles in the unfolding of the series.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''[[Tom Zarek]] offers his view on the results of [[Gaius Baltar]]'s forthcoming trial:''

: '''Zarek:''' Listen to me, Baltar will get his trial, and this is what you'll get: a hurricane. The media will descend upon you and watch, and scrutinze, and question your every move. You will have sectarian violence, you will have assassination attempts, you will have civil unrest on a scale we've never seen. Work, labor, everyday routine in this fleet will come to a complete halt. This trial is going to bring down this entire fleet down.
: '''[[Tory Foster]]:''' Mr. Vice President, we have a security plan in order, which includes rapid [[Colonial Marine|marine]] deployment, increased [[CAP]] operations, security details–
: '''Zarek:''' (ignoring Foster) A hurricane, [[Laura Roslin|Laura]]. If I were you, I'd declare martial law during the trial. You're going to need a lot more than a little patience to survive. I'm here if you need me.

* ''[[Six]]'s internal Baltar gives her some advice:''
: '''Internal Baltar:''' But there's a trick to being human, you have to think only about yourself.

* ''[[Michael Robert]] attempts to explain himself, after he is found out:''
: '''Robert:''' (to Agathon) You ought to be on your knees, thanking me for ''saving'' your [[Hera Agathon|daughter's life]], for having the meds to cure her of her illness. (to [[Cottle]]) Now you know how painful this disease is at the end. And they don't want our help. Now why waste time, and meds, and space on them when all of those resources could go to those who really deserve it? Who gets the medication when there's not enough to go around? The Sagittaron who won't even raise a finger to save his own race, or a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot?!
: '''Cottle:''' What the hell happened to "do no harm", Doctor?
: '''Robert:''' Look, I intervened because someone has to make the tough choices. But it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter because–look at 'em–they're going to destroy themselves anyway. Look at them out there. They're like worms crawling on a hot rod. Remember what you used to say, [[Saul Tigh|Saul]]? "Aside from a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], is there anything that you hate more than a Sagittaron?"
: '''Tigh:''' I'll tell you what I hate, Mike. Being wrong. Captain Agathon?
: '''Agathon:''' Sir?
: '''Tigh:''' Arrest this son of a bitch. Gag him if you have to.
: '''Agathon:''' My pleasure sir.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Deckhand [[Cally Henderson Tyrol]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Bruce Davison]] as [[Michael Robert|Dr. Michael Robert]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lieutenant [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Chris Boyd]] as [[Cheadle]]
*[[Colin Corringan]] as [[Nowart]]
*[[Gabrielle Rose]] as [[King|Mrs. King]]
*[[Scott Little]] as [[Willie King]]

== References ==
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{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Woman King, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]