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Torn

2006-11-15T14:10:00Z

Brian Kurtz: /* On Galactica */

{{Episode Data
| title= Torn
| image=Season 3 - Promo - Epi 5 - StarbuckTighAdama.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 6
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]] <br/>
| writer= [[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| story=
| director= [[Jean de Segonzac]]
| production= 306
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-11-03
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,422
| podcast=Y
| prev= [[Collaborators]]
| next= [[A Measure of Salvation]]
}}
== Overview ==
:''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] create divisions between those who suffered under the Cylon occupation of [[New Caprica]] and those who stayed with the fleet. Meanwhile, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] tries to prove his worth to the Cylons.''

== Summary ==

=== On [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] ===
* ''Galactica'''s air group runs exercises with the Viper pilots who settled on New Caprica and are thus out of shape. Starbuck deliberately breaks formation and collides with [[Noel Allison|Narcho]]'s Viper, forcing an end to the exercise and causing now-Major [[Lee Adama]] - who has resumed his post as [[CAG]] - to remove her from flight duty.
* In his quarters, [[Saul Tigh]] is drinking in excess. He believes he hears [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]] say "I can't believe you did that to me". He looks out into the civilian-crowded corridor and follows a woman who he believes to be Ellen, only to grab a mid-aged woman who is talking to a young boy, presumably her son.
* Upon Thrace's return to her bunk, she is met by Kacey and her mother, whom she dismisses, telling Kacey's mother not visit her again.
* [[Karl Agathon]] congratulates and encourages Apollo for losing all the excess fat he had gained during the New Caprica era. Apollo asks Helo to ensure to remind him to never let that happen again.
* [[Gaeta|Felix Gaeta]] meets with [[Laura Roslin]] and [[William Adama]] to discuss Baltar-related matters. During the year before the Cylon Occupation of New Caprica, Baltar was obsessed with analyzing the data from Kobol to find the path to Earth. Based on passages in the [[Pythia|Scrolls of Pythia]], Baltar identified a nebula and two associated pulsars he believed to be a landmark on the road to Earth.
* In the pilots' rec room, [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]] christens Lieutenant [[Sharon Agathon]] with the callsign "[[Athena]]" after she points out that, despite appearances, she is not "[[Boomer]]".
* Thrace and Tigh begin to sow dissent between the survivors of New Caprica and the crew that stayed behind on ''Galactica''.
* Adama confronts Thrace and Tigh on their behavior. He challenges them to shoot him, as their constant complaining is tantamount to pulling the trigger. When neither do, Adama demands they shape up and move on with their lives.
* Spurred by Adama's words, Thrace cuts her hair and appears to return to duty. Later, in uniform, she visits [[Kacey]] and her mother.
* Meanwhile, Tigh returns to his room and begins drinking to excess, finishing off one bottle and starting another.
* In a Raptor, Athena and [[Racetrack]] jump into range of the [[Lion's Head Nebula]], and are excited to find what the Scrolls described (an eye that blinks red and blue). They quickly realize, however, that they have jumped right next to the dying basestar.

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*[[Gaius Baltar]], aboard the Cylon basestar, is having another hallucination. On a sunny beach, Gaius praises Six for returning to him in his time of need, and states that he enjoys having conversations with her. Six implores him to learn anything and everything about the Cylons, as he will need the information in the days ahead. Baltar presses six again to tell him what she is, either a hallucination or the result of some sort of implant - Six tells Baltar, again, that she is an angel of God.
*Having been allowed to stay on the [[basestar]], [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Three]] talk with Baltar later on, inquiring about the location of [[Earth]]. Baltar initially denies having any knowledge of where Earth is, but then reveals that he does have clues as to where its probable location is. He then finds out that the [[Cylons]] intend to find Earth so they can use it as their new home.
*Baltar is apprehensive about helping the Cylons, and Caprica-Six tells him that the Cylons are also leery as to whether his intentions are true or not. Caprica-Six leads Baltar through the ship, telling him that she uses a projection of a forest to navigate the ship. In his mind, Baltar realizes that his form of projection is similar to what the Cylons are using, causing him to question whether he is human or a Cylon.
*Caprica-Six informs Baltar that his rescue of [[Hera]] and his assistance in finding Earth has made him a valuable asset, and has gone a long way in impressing the Cylons. Baltar asks why there are only seven models on the ship, and inquires about the remaining five models. Caprica-Six tells him that they don't talk about it. He asks whether they would recognize one of the others, but their conversation is interrupted by Three before she can answer.
* Three informs Caprica-Six that there is a situation, and a [[Five]] states that the basestar that went to check the pulsar has not reported back. The group head to a control center, where Baltar finds out that the missing basestar has been infected by [[Lymphocytic encephalitis|a disease]]. The Cylons speculate and that any Cylon that dies and uploads to a [[Resurrection Ship]] might spread the virus even further. As a precautionary measure the Resurrection Ship is kept out of range. On the urge of his internal Six, Baltar offers to board the infected basestar and collect scientific information.
* Before he leaves on his mission, Baltar encounters the [[Hybrid|Cylon Hybrid]] that controls the functions of the basestar. The hybrid is hooked into the ship's systems and continually vocalizes her seemingly non-sensical thoughts. Caprica-Six tells Baltar that it is thought by most of the Cylon models that the Hybrid has gone insane from being connected to the [[basestar]] and that her words hold no meaning, however the [[Leoben]] model considers the hybrid's words as coming from God.
* The Cylons provide Baltar with a Raptor to board the baseship, and when he arrives, he finds numerous Cylons, either dead or dying. He collects blood samples and takes pictures of the area to bring back for analysis, and also finds a large manmade object in the hold of the ship. He then finds a dying [[Six]] model (curiously with black hair), who informs him that the device the Cylons captured, a probe left by the [[13th Colony]]. Even though Baltar offers to bring her help, she tries to attack him, and he strangles her to death.
* Upon his return to the basestar, he denies finding anything that could have caused the outbreak of the virus, but Caprica-Six notices the probe object in Baltar's picture, but doesn't let on to anyone else what she has discovered.

== Questions ==
* Would it be possible for the Colonials to salvage the derelict basestar for their own purposes? ([[A Measure of Salvation|Answer]])
* What has happened to the remaining five Cylon models? Are they so secretive that none of the other seven variants have any knowledge of them? Did the Cylons permanently box the other models because they were dissenters to the cause of the Cylon race?
* If Baltar was able to extrapolate the location of the Lion's Head Nebula just from reading the sacred scriptures, can we not assume someone else could have conducted the same research at an earlier date?
* What is Caprica-Six going to do now that she realizes Baltar may be withholding critically sensitive information? ([[A Measure of Salvation|Answer]])
* Cally and Galen Tyrol are both seen working on the hangar deck. Who is taking care of their baby? Has a system been put in place to take care of crewmembers' children?
* Is Athena infected with the Cylon virus? ([[A Measure of Salvation|Answer]])
* As the probe is supposed to come from the 13th Tribe, and is affecting Cylons, does that mean that Cylons have been exisiting in times of the 13th tribe? Or is just by accident that is viral for Cylons? ([[A Measure of Salvation|Answer]])
** What is the "genetic pool" that the human form Cylons all come from, and has it existed for longer than the Cylons themselves?
* Is the virus biological or technological in nature? The "inevitable once we took human form" and "genetic pool" lines indicate that the Cylons think it is biological. On the other hand, their speculation that it could survive through a download process implies that it could technological in nature (i.e. computer virus). Or is the virus both biological and technological, like the Cylons themselves? ([[A Measure of Salvation|Answer]])
* Is Boomer the Cylon model Number Eight seen in the control center of the basestar with Baltar? If so, is her involvement with the Cylons on that basestar to find a map of Earth an indication that she has finally accepted her identity as a Cylon and disassociated herself from humanity? Does she think that peaceful coexistence with the thirteenth tribe would be possible, despite the failure of New Caprica?
* With seven Cylons revealed and the "Final Five" on odds with them, are there any Cylon Agents left in the fleet?
* If the known seven Cylons don't speak about the "Final Five", why did Caprica-Six mentioned the existence of twelve models in the first place? Maybe whatever happened between them occured after the Fall of the Colonies?
* How do the Cylons know for sure that the probe was left by the 13th Colony?
* Where is Cavil?
**The actor was probably unavalable since he was in the first few episodes of the season but was not in ([[Exodus, Part II]]) or any episode following that.

== Analysis ==
*The crew-position shuffle continues from last episode, but some definite decisions have been made:
**Lee has been demoted back to Major, and has resumed his old position as CAG, with Kat and Hot Dog as senior pilots under him. Starbuck is as well, until Adama revokes her flight status for reckless behaviour.
**As mentioned, it seems Kat has been demoted from CAG to leader of [[Blue Squadron]].
**As implied in "Collaborators", Helo keeps the XO slot aboard ''Galactica'' for now.
**Gaeta appears to have inherited Baltar's mantle as the scientific advisor (it is unclear whether he holds any additional positions), and is focusing his efforts on refining a course for Earth.
**Cally Tyrol is shown working the flight deck alongside her husband, showing that she is once again active in the Fleet.
**[[Noel Allison|Narcho]] is now a pilot on ''Galactica''.
*The fact that Tyrol, Tigh, and Starbuck are still in uniform and moving about freely suggests that Roslin's general amnesty extended to the Circle's membership.
*Following her actions during the Battle of New Caprica, Sharon Agathon seems to have garnered some degree of acceptance among the ''Galactica'' air group.
*"Athena" is the name of [[Athena (TOS)|Adama's daughter]] in the original series. This may be an allusion to the changing relationships on ''Galactica'': Sharon Agathon has replaced Kara Thrace as William Adama's surrogate daughter. (He tells Thrace, "You were like a daughter to me once. No more.") As Hot Dog states, Athena is also the name of a [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Lord of Kobol]].
*The baseship hybrid appears to be viewed by the Cylons in the same way as the Centurions and Raiders. The Hybrid has no vote in the Cylon decision-making process, despite its ability to express its thoughts and feelings, after a fashion.
*It's mentioned that when the hybrid began to succumb to the virus, the centurions started shutting down. This suggests that the centurions are attached to a base ship and are controlled by the hybrid controlling that ship. It also implies the centurions are not fully autonomous.
*The Cylons have a [[Raptor]] and [[flight suit]] at their disposal, acquired during the occupation of [[New Caprica]] or from undestroyed Colonial military assets on the [[Twelve Colonies]]. This raises the possibility that the Cylons may have other Colonial ships in their possession.
*Given Admiral Adama's conversation with Tigh in the rec room, Adama clearly doesn't know of Tigh's hand in executing [[Ellen Tigh|his wife]] for collaborating with the Cylons.
*It is interesting to note that despite having found the map to Earth during Season 2, Admiral Adama still displays a level of skepticism towards finding Earth. It isn't until Gaeta begins linking the prophecies with actual star chart data, such as the red and blue pulsars, does Adama's facial expression change to a mild expression of surprise.
*Despite claims made during his bid for the presidency, Baltar worked on finding the location of Earth during his time as president, likely hiding his notes from the Cylons after the occupation. During his discussion with Adama and Roslin regarding Earth's location, Gaeta surmises that Baltar likely pursued the research as he wanted to get there himself eventually.

==Notes==
*According to an [http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/4175/58/ interview] with executive producer [[David Eick]], episodes 5 and 6 are a two-part story in which ''Galactica'' discovers a dying Cylon Baseship, and deals with a plague that has befallen the Cylons. (Eick is counting "Occupation" and "Precipice" as one episode.)
*The phrase "end of line," uttered by the [[Hybrid|Cylon hybrid]] in this episode, is a possible reference to the film ''[[w:Tron (film)|Tron]]'', in which the [[w:Master Control Program (Tron)|Master Control Program]] finishes its sentences with "end of line."
**This may also be a play on the episode title. ''Torn'' is an anagram of ''Tron''.
**[[w:End_of_Line|End of line]] is also a computing term, referring to the character used to signal a new line in text-based protocols.
* The idea of using living creatures as central processing units of large ships has been visited before in both literary and filmed science fiction. For example the pilots in ''[[w:Dune|Dune]]'' serve a similar function while under the influence of the Spice. In Norman Spinrad's novel "The Void Captain's Tale", some women become pilots because they believe to achieve a better insight into god's creation, thus having a spiritual experience. This is similar to Leoben's beliefs about the Hybrids. Recent television series with living CPUs include ''[[w:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]'', with human telepaths in the [[w:Shadow (Babylon 5)|Shadow]] vessels, and ''[[w:Farscape|Farscape's]]'' [[w:Pilot (Farscape)|Pilot]], though in the latter case, Pilot is more like a conduit between the crew and [[w:Moya|a sentient ship]] in its own right.
** The idea of a living being serving as CPU for a space vessel is explored, in detail and from the ship's perspective, in Anne McCaffrey's [[w:The Ship Who Sang|Ship Who...]] series of novels and short stories. The first of these was published in 1961 and may well be the inspiration for the other examples cited above.
* In the PC game ''[[w:Homeworld|Homeworld]]'', [[Wikipedia:Karan S'jet|Karan S'jet]], a young female neuroscientist, integrates her physical body into the mothership to serve as its living CPU. This is similar to the function of the Cylon Hybrid. (Although S'jet chose to do so voluntarily, and it is unlikely, from comments by [[Three]], that the Hybrids were given a choice) . The backstory to the game's sequel ''[[w:Homeworld 2|Homeworld 2]]'' descibes S'jet as undergoing a similar metaphysical experience while integrated with the mothership as Caprica-Six describes of the Hybrid. Another simillar subject from Homeworld are the Bentusi, and ancient and extremely powerful, yet friendly race of traders. The Bentusi are literally integrated into their ships in a manner simillar to the Hybrid, and can feel the space around them. To quote them: "''We are one with our vessels, as was your S'jet persona. We are unbound. The solar winds blow across our skin. Hyperspace sings in our ears. The Universe unfolds around our thoughts."''
*According to the podcast for the episode, the Hybrid's visual look was inspired by the precogs in ''[[w:Minority Report|Minority Report]]''.
*In the podcast is also revealed that some scenes of the episode had to be highly alterated from what was initially planed. For example the opening conversation of Baltar and Six had to be redubbed and in the original script Starbuck simply ran out of gas, instead of crashing with another Viper. Additionally it is mentioned that Katee Sackhoff really cut her own hair at the end of the episode.
*The name of the director, [[Jean de Segonzac]], was misspelled in the onscreen credits. He was listed as Jean de Segoznac.
*[[Cavil]] is absent from the episode's basestar scenes, aside from a brief closeup from a previous episode used to illustrate Baltar's thoughts about the seven models he has seen. It should be noted that the Cavil model was neither seen on Caprica in "[[Downloaded]]" nor on the scenes set on the baseship we have seen so far. While this is likely due to the fact that actor [[Dean Stockwell]] is not available, it should be noted that there were no stand-ins used to indicate the presence of the Cavils, as it happened with Simon and Conoy in "Downloaded".
**Also, with the exception of [[Tricia Helfer]] and [[Grace Park]], all the actors playing Cylons are guest stars and not members of the regular cast. As this means that having all seven Cylon models present in an episode will drive up its production cost, it is unlikely that all Cylons will be present in many episodes. ([[Simon]] had only a handful of lines in "[[Occupation]]" and "[[Precipice]]", and [[Three]] was the only non-regular Cylon to appear in "[[Collaborators]]".)
**It should be noted that [[Dean Stockwell]] is a prominent actor, an Academy-award nominee, and most likely the highest paid regular guest star on the show outside of [[Lucy Lawless]]. This is the most probable reason why he has not appeared as frequently as other guests.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''On Galactica's flight deck'':
:'''Chief Tyrol''': (checking Starbuck's Viper) Captain, how did you land this thing?
:'''Kara Thrace''': Pointed it towards the deck and stopped when I got here.
:'''Hot Dog''': Bone-dry, she says. Landed the bird without a drop of fuel.
:'''Lee Adama''': (walking up to Kara) If you want to die, I will open up an airlock for you, but you are not taking one of my Vipers with you.
:'''Kara Thrace''': The bird's on the deck. ''I'm'' on the deck. I don't know what you're bitching about.
:'''Lee Adama''': I don't give a frak what you do, Starbuck. You're done flying.

*''Gaius Baltar sees and hears the Hybrid for the first time'':
:'''Hybrid''': Two protons expelled at each coupling site creates the mode of force, the embryo becomes a fish though we don't enter until a plate, we're here to experience, evolve the little toe, atrophy, don't ask me how, I'll be dead in a thousand light years, thank you, thank you, genesis turns to its source, reduction occurs step wise though the essence is all one, end of line. FTL system check. Diagnostic functions within parameters repeats the harlequin, the agony exquisite, the colors run the path of ashes...

*''In the rec room on Galactica'':
:'''Helo''': (referring to the rescue on New Caprica) Hey, we all made sacrifices.
:'''Saul Tigh''': Is that so?
:'''Helo''': Yes, that's right.
:'''Saul Tigh''': Well, while you were pinning wings on your Cylon girlfriend, our people were strapping homemade bombs to their chest, doing what they could to take the bastards out. So forgive me if I don't get all misty over your sacrifices.

*''Adama's feelings towards, and regarding, Starbuck'':
:'''Adama''': You were like a daughter to me once - no more. You're malcontent and a cancer, and I won't have you on my ship. So you have a choice - you can figure out how to become a human being again, and an officer; or you can find another place to live, off of this ship. You're dismissed.

*''Adama's feelings towards, and regarding, Saul Tigh'':
:'''Adama''': You're full of bile, hatred, and I know it has something to do with [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]]. I'm sorry for that. And if you need time Saul, you take all the time you want, but I gotta run a ship. And the last thing I need is a one-eyed drunk sitting down here, sewing discontent and disobedience. So I'll tell you once again, Saul, you can pick up that weapon and kill me. Or you can get your ass back into your quarters and not leave... 'til you act like the man I've known for the past 30 years.
: '''Saul Tigh''' (picks up weapon and unloads it) That man doesn't exist any more, Bill. And you won't be seeing me again. (drops gun on table, hobbles out of room)

*''The Hybrid's objection to leaving the infected Basestar behind'':
:'''Hybrid''': Mists of dreams drip along the nascent echo, and love no more. End of line.

*''When discovering the dying basestar'':
:'''Athena''': When God's anger awakens even the mighty shall fall.

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Tyrol]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[imdb:2422305|Emilie Ullerup]] as [[Julia Prynne]]
* [[Madeline Parker]] as [[Kacey]]
* [[imdb:0817819|Sebastian Spence]] as Lt. [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jean de Segonzac]]
[[Category:RDM]]

User:Brian Kurtz

2006-11-15T03:01:34Z

Brian Kurtz:

Hi. My name is Brian. Not a particularly clever name for a Wiki user, I grant you. Blame my mother. It's all her fault. I accept no responsibility. Don't have a whole heckuva lot to say other than I'm a dedicated fan of Battlestar Galactica. Of the two series (I don't even count [[Galactica 1980]] *shudder*), the [[Original Series]] will always be my favorite.

==My Quicklinks==
* [[Battlestar Wiki:Original Series Article Development Project]]

==To Do==
* <s>Quotes for [[Murder on the Rising Star]]</s>
* <s>Check subtitles from [[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II]] for a reference to Barkol.</s>

==Articles I've created==
''COMING SOON''

==Articles I've improved==
===Minor edits===
*[[Seetol]]

==Other Wikis I belong to==
*[http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]
*[http://www.dcdatabaseproject.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page DC Database Project]
*[http://www.marveldatabase.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Marvel Database Project]
*[http://darkshadows.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Shadows_Wiki CollinWiki]
*[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wookiepedia]

----

::--Cheers
::--[[User:Brian Kurtz|Brian Kurtz]] 15:18, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

[[Category:Wikipedians]]

Miniseries, Analysis

2006-10-20T12:47:22Z

Brian Kurtz: /* Interviews */ grammar

:''For articles on the Miniseries story see [[Miniseries|Miniseries (Page 1)]]''

{{Episode Data
| image = Nukes in Miniseries.jpg
| title= Miniseries
| special= Y
| series=
| season=
| episode=
| guests=''[[Miniseries#Guest Stars|See list on Page 1.]]''
| writer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]<br />[[Christopher Eric James]]
| story= [[Glen A. Larson]]
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= Pilot
| rating= 3.2 (night one); 3.8 (night two)
| US airdate= 8 December 2003
| UK airdate= 17 February 2004
| dvd= {{Miniseries, Part I NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br /> {{Miniseries, Part I PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=
| prev= None
| next= [[33]]
}}

== Analysis ==
=== Noted Changes from the Original ===
* The basic story is still present: robotic [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] surprisingly attack the Colonies resulting in a holocaust, thus forcing a "rag-tag, fugitive fleet" to coalesce around the last surviving [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]], ''[[Galactica]]'', to seek a mythical [[13th Colony]] where refugees hope to find shelter from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. However, many of the fine details are changed, such as:
** The Cylons were created by Humanity, not by a reptilian race (also called [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]]) who hated Humanity.
** Battlestar ''Galactica'' is a 50 year old relic on the verge of decommission.
** The names of "Apollo", "Boomer", and "Starbuck" are changed to call signs. Most characters have standard first and last names; some first names were not given until later in the series, such as [[Felix Gaeta|Felix Gaeta's]] or [[Anastasia Dualla|Anastasia Dualla's]].
** The futuristic (and often confusing) terminology used to denote distances, measuring, and time in the original series has been replaced with understandable terminology. For instance, "year" was replaced with "yahren" in the original.
** The ship designs, save for some revisions to the [[Viper (RDM)|Mk. II Viper]] and ''[[Galactica]]'' and a few noteworthy background ships (such as the [[Gemenon Traveler]] and the [[Botanical Cruiser]]), have been redone.
** The [[Quorum of Twelve]] is not mentioned in the miniseries, and is apparently supplemented by a government body similar to the United States [[WikiPedia:executive branch|executive branch]]. There is a president, vice president, and secretaries. The [[Quorum of Twelve|Quorum]] does not make an appearance until episode 1.11 ([[Colonial Day]]).
** Instead of the other-worldly, Egyptian-esque clothing and city designs (i.e. pyramids) seen in the original, the clothing and cities are more contemporary in design and function.
* The relationships and characters from the original have been changed as well.
** [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]], who was played as a male character by [[Herb Jefferson Jr.]] in the original, is now the call-sign of a female Lieutenant [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] ([[Grace Park]]).
** [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]], who was played as a male character by [[Dirk Benedict]] in the original, is now the call-sign of a female Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace]] ([[Katee Sackhoff]])
** "Adama", "Tigh", and "Baltar" are now surnames.
** The character of [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]], potrayed by [[Lorne Greene]] in the original, now is known as [[William Adama|William "Husker" Adama]] ([[Edward James Olmos]]). He is a man about to retire, is estranged from his son [[Lee Adama|Lee]]. Adama's beliefs are far more secular than his TOS counterpart.
** [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]], portrayed by [[Original Series]] star and continuation activist [[Richard Hatch]], is the call sign of [[Lee Adama]] ([[Jamie Bamber]]). He is a flawed character who is estranged from his father, believing him to be ultimately responsible for the death of [[Zak Adama]], and is questioning his life's choices.
** [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]], who was willingly complicit in the destruction of the Colonies due to his thirst for power, is now a scientific genius named [[Gaius Baltar]]. Unlike the imposing, methodical and mischievous Baltar (portrayed by the late [[John Colicos]]), Gaius ([[James Callis]]) is a cowardly, narcissistic, egotistical man whose womanizing is his Achilles' heel. His betrayal of the human race was due mostly to his lust, or perhaps love, for a woman who turns out to be a [[Number Six|Cylon agent]], whom he allowed unfettered access to the [[Colonial Defense Mainframe]] prior to the attacks.
** The character of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]], portrayed by [[Terry Carter]], is now separated from his wife and seeing out the rest of his career from inside a bottle in the form of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] ([[Michael Hogan]]) who hasn't seen military action in a long while.
* The show has taken a more realistic turn. [[Naturalistic science fiction|Realistic science]], which was painfully absent in the original series, is applied in this series.
* Certain models of Cylons appear human, right down to the blood -- it takes complex tests just to screen for these [[Cylon agent|Cylon agents]]. This generates some very disturbing questions. For one, the Cylons have now managed to merge in with human society, making it easier to manipulate from within. This mirrors terrorist methods of infiltration and delivering destructive results to heavy population centers (a la suicide bombers). It also brings up interesting questions regarding cross-species mating: Can Cylons agents mate with their Human creators? ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|Answer 1]] and [[The Farm|Answer 2]])

=== Plot and Character Analyses ===

Since plot and character are so intertwined, both will be covered here.

==== Armistice Station ====

The [[Armistice Station]] gave us a chance to understand the conflict between the Cylons and Humanity. It also introduced us to the new Cylons and broke away from conventions set in science fiction. Instead of storming the station, the Cylons used a copy of [[Number Six]] and sexually assaulted the [[Armistice Officer]]. Question is, why was the Armistice Officer assaulted sexually instead of physically? The answer is three fold:

# This defied those who would make the claim that ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' is a "rip-off" of ''Star Wars''; the same claim that was made against the original.
# This showed that the Cylons understood the devastating effect of sexual molestation. Since when did a Human expect for a Cylon to attack Humanity in this way?
# There is a drive within the Cylons to understand - and possibly ''experience'' the sensations of being ''truly'' alive.

The station was soon destroyed by a [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon Basestar]]. Though this was a dramatic blow, this does seem rather unnecessary from a logical point of view. The Cylons present were more than enough to subdue the Armistice Officer and be able to keep the station for future purposes. The action may have been symbolic, the end of the armistice.

==== Commander William Adama & Nostalgia ====

With ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica's]]'' future being a museum piece with gift shops, Commander William Adama is ready to retire, albeit reluctantly. Adama heads to retirement with trepidation, unsure of what he would do with the remainder of his life. His crew will ultimately be disbanded and good-byes abound. There is a sense of a ship seeing its last days, despite some of the joy that some of the crew members have in continuing their military careers.

Adama is presented with his reconditioned Viper, found rusting in a junkyard on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittaron]], as well as a picture of himself and his two sons when he was younger.

This is a touching moment, demonstrating the crew's affection for him as a person. It also establishes Adama's legitimacy as a war-hardened commander in the series quite nicely.

==== Starbuck & Tigh's Card Fight ====

The "card fight" between Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] sparked a bit of controversy in the fan community before it aired. In the original draft, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got off free without being thrown in the brig. However, given the fan's astute observation of a disturbing lack of disciplinary action against Starbuck for striking a superior, the aftermath was changed.

The scene demonstrates Starbuck's mistrust of authority and the antagonistic relationship between [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] and herself. The touch of classic Starbuck elements, i.e. the gambling and [[fumarello]] smoking, is a nice homage to the original that fits in nicely. [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s portrayal tells viewers that this isn't the same mischievous Starbuck from the original, as she is clearly unbalanced. (Information on Thrace's past and family comes later in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" and "[[The Farm]].")

Tigh himself comes off as a grouchy, inebriated old man who has seen his glory days, which hammers home the fact that the good ship ''Galactica'' is seeing its last days. When he puts Starbuck in the brig, she knows she's stepped over the line -- but so has he, given that he flipped over the table first, starting the fight.

It also nicely puts Starbuck in a confined place from a story standpoint, allowing other characters to be introduced.

==== Laura Roslin's Cancer Storyline ====

The cancer story line for the Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]] at first seemed a bit over-the-top, detracting from the main story. (Later season 1 and early season 2 episodes regarding the [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|search for Earth's location]] and Roslin's role better define why her illness is significant.) Having the cancer story-line helps show that smaller tragedies don't cease simply because another one looms ahead. It also reveals Roslin's vulnerability and puts her character in a realistic ethical conundrum, where she is more concerned about her own well-being when billions of people have been victims of the Cylon genocide.

==== The Infanticide Debate ====

One of the more emotional and argued points in the whole miniseries is not the sex changes of two main characters, and certainly not the major change in the Cylons, but the incident where [[Number Six]] kills an infant in the market place. The question during the debate focused on the immorality of the act and was purported by those against the re-imagining as being an indicator that the source material wasn't being taken seriously.

The intent of the act was never questioned. It is simply assumed that Number Six killed the baby out of cold blood. The doubt of Number Six's intent, or possible lack thereof, still surrounds this scene. It was obvious that Number Six was puzzled by the frailty of the baby and questioned as to how the neck could support the weight of the baby's head. Many items can be deduced from that scene, a few follow:

# It was a deliberate act. Cold and ruthless. Nothing more.
# Number Six has feelings and is rational. Due to her knowledge of the impending attack and the expectation that the entire human race could be eradicated, could the act be merciful?
# Could it be an act of spite? In "[[33]]", her mental image asked [[Gaius Baltar]] if he wanted children. Which begs the question: Can Cylon agents propagate their race through human childbirth? (Answers: [[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]], [[The Farm]])
# Could it be a simple lack of knowledge? If so, the infanticide was accidental, and Number 6 had no way of knowing.
# She did demonstrate curiosity as to how much the neck could support. Could the death have been an unethical experiment on her part?
# Knowing that the Cylon nuclear attack was near, she did not see any difference between killing an infant at that moment to satisfy her own curiosity as compared to waiting a short while for it to die by nuclear holocaust.

The most disturbing aspect of the whole debate lies in the assumption that a single act of infanticide is unacceptable, whereas the genocide of the entire human race (including born and unborn infants) by Cylon hands seems to be more palatable.

==== The "Glowing Spine" Scene ====

One of the major inconsistencies in the miniseries was gleaned from this scene. The fact is established that Cylons agents were, for all intents and purposes, organic. Also established was, even with the most thorough of tests, it was initially almost impossible to screen Human from Cylon (this changed with Baltar's working [[Cylon detector]] later in the regular series). What caused the spine to glow? It certainly wasn't a human reaction to sex. Since the Cylons went to the very painstaking process of creating an undetectable Cylon agent model, it is conceivable that glowing spinal columns -- and more to the point the chemicals that would cause the aforementioned reaction -- would arouse undue suspicion and thwart Cylon plans.

One possible explanation for the glowing spine would be that it is the act of Number Six transferring some part of herself into Baltar, as evidenced later. However, this explanation is highly speculative. Furthermore, the Caprica copy of Boomer has a glowing spine when having sex with Helo in a later regular season episode.

Considering Baltar seems to be the only person qualified to work on distinguishing Cylon from human, it may be that he is not smart enough to look in the right places (after all he has not found other Cylon hallmarks, such as a transponder -- if it exists) or, being influenced by Six, unwilling to look in the right places, knowledgeable of it (but unwilling to come forward with the information), or some combination of all three.

'''''Note:''' Comments from members of the production crew have since suggested that the only reason the glowing spine was included was that it "looked cool" at the time, and in retrospect, may have been a mistake. According to the novelization, the spines glow in the infrared spectrum.''

== Notes ==
* The miniseries was initially broadcast in 2 two-hour segments. During re-broadcast (such as with the UK's Sky One channel), the two halves were combined into a single 3-hour 56-minute "film".
* Initially, there were 12 [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestars]], one representing each colony. ''Galactica'' represented [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. These were built with antiquated technologies, as were their fighter craft, to avoid the Cylon's tactical advantage of disrupting complex electrical and computer equipment.
* Networked computers were susceptible to Cylon infiltration, forcing the Colonials to react by reducing their dependence on technology.
* The [[Colonial Fleet]] has been greatly expanded since then, with as many as 120 battlestars. Practically all [[Mercury class battlestar|other]] battlestars were more advanced than ''Galactica.''
* As the Colonials became more confident of their security, integrated systems were re-introduced to their civilian and military craft.
* The Cylons believe monothestically, in [[God]], whereas the Colonials believe in a pantheon of gods mirroring the [[Greek Gods|twelve Olympian gods]] of Greek mythology.
* Cylons are also called "[[toaster]]s", mainly for their original appearance (a nod to the Original Series).
* All pilots have call signs.
* Commander [[Nash]] was ''Galactica's'' first Commanding Officer.
* In the mini, [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] is referred to as a "rook" by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], meaning a rookie. In [[Act of Contrition]], "[[nugget]]" is the chosen name for rookie pilots.
* The scene in which [[Cami]] awaits her death on the [[Botanical Cruiser]] visually echoes the infamous "[[Wikipedia:Daisy (television commercial)|Daisy]]" television advertisement from [[Wikipedia:Lyndon B. Johnson| Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s 1964 campaign against [[Wikipedia:Barry Goldwater|Barry Goldwater]].
* At the time Roslin's convoy is discovered by [[Cylon Raider]]s, it consists of about 60 ships in total, but only about 40 are able to make the jump to [[Ragnar Anchorage]].
* The role of the doctor who offered Roslin the diagnosis of breast cancer was offered to [[Richard Hatch]] as a cameo; Hatch declined the role, later to take the role of [[Tom Zarek]].
* Original drafts of the miniseries referenced [[Kobol]] as the current homeworld of the humans. This was revised to the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] in keeping with the original concept.
* The woman portraying [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]] in the picture Tigh burns with a cigar is executive producer [[David Eick]]'s wife, Jennifer. (Ellen Tigh would later appear in the episode, "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", played by actress Kate Vernon.)
* The last said line of the miniseries, "[[By your command]]," was not added until the final draft, after a friend of Ronald D. Moore commented that it wouldn't be ''Battlestar Galactica'' without it being said somewhere.

=== Nods ===

* The ''Firefly''-class ship, ''Serenity'', from the sci-fi series ''Firefly'' makes a brief appearance. It can be seen flying above [[Laura Roslin]] when she is about to hear her prognosis of breast cancer on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].
* The fanfare just prior to [[William Adama|Commander Adama's]] speech is taken from [[Stu Phillips]]'s theme for the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']].
* The pilot [["Jolly" Anders|Jolly]] makes a brief (verbal) appearance, just prior to the Cylon's massacre of the squad led by [[Jackson Spencer]], ''Galactica's'' previous [[CAG]]. It is not the same actor that played [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly]] in the original.
* The original [[Cylon Basestar]] and the original [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]] can be briefly seen in ''Galactica's'' museum.
* A sword carried by the Centurions in the original series is one of the weapons in Commander Adamas collection.
**The sword could be a war trophy picked up by Adama, possibly when the Galactica is boarded by the Cylons at the end of the war ([[Valley of Darkness]] deleted scene).
* President [[Laura Roslin]] makes a point of calling [[Lee Adama]] "Captain Apollo", saying that it has a nice ring to it.
* During the attack, ''[[Colonial One|Colonial Heavy 798]]'' assists Gemenon Liner Seventeen-oh-one (1701). This is a nod to [[Ronald D. Moore|RDM's]] work on ''Star Trek''.
* The last lottery number chosen by Sharon Valerii and Helo to rescue a Caprican refugee was "[[Numerology#47|47]]", another in-joke to the ''Star Trek'' series.
* The original [[Wikipedia:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701)]] is seen in the final shot of the fleet at the end of the Miniseries. This is yet another ''Star Trek'' allusion.
* Prior to [[Number Six]]'s meeting with an unknown person in the park, the kids playing in the background wore masks of Cylon Centurions from the original series and were waving mock versions of the swords those same Centurions had.
*The very last line of the miniseries is the phrase, "By your command", the affirmation from the [[Cylons (TOS)|Original Series Cylons]].

== Official Statements ==
=== Edward James Olmos' (EJO) Statements Regarding the Miniseries ===
After the announcement of Edward James Olmos' involvement in the miniseries, portraying a role that was previously done by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, many fans contacted him. As is evidenced by the quotes before, Olmos demonstrates his honesty and reaction to the mail, most of which could be classified as fairly negative.

From his [http://hometown.aol.com/ejowebmistress/ official website]:

*"I must say one thing and will say this very clearly. If you are a person who really has a strict belief in the original, I would not advise that you watch this program...We really don't stand true to the kind of characters that were built around the original. It definitely does break the mold. Some of the characters' names are the same, but the intent and the way that we are building the reality is completely not the reality that was built in the original." -- 7/03

*"I'm going to be the first one to say it really clearly. Please tell your readers, do not watch this program...[P]eople get really, really angry. You've got to remember that this is a show that was only on . . . in the late '70s, and to this day has a very strong fan base. Tens of thousands of people who write to each other for 25 years over a program that is not on the air and is not even being rerun.<br/>
* "They didn't want this at all, and I didn't know any of this. . . . All of a sudden, my e-mails went through the roof. Suddenly I was accused of teaming up with Ron Moore and creating just a slap in the face of all these people, and I didn't want to slap anybody."

*"Trust me, don't watch it. If you are a real, real staunch 'Battlestar Galactica' person, don't watch it. . . . Just don't write to me, all right? I warned you. I was honest."

*"I've gotten some really strong, strong mail. . . . They're really bitter. They're very angry. And I know the Sci Fi Channel wants to say that everybody's going to enjoy it. They're not."

=== Comments from [[David Eick]] ===

"The goals of the mini series were nothing short of reinventing the science fiction genre. We wanted to present people in a catastrophic situation, in the wake of a tragedy, responding as human beings actually would through the prism of the science fiction genre."

=== Regarding Miniseries Ratings ===

"I think going into it, we all wondered. you know, what the audience numbers were going to be, especially given all the internet, sort of, controversy and the general, sort of, [something] about what we were doing and people objecting. And was it going to be a failure or was it not.

"The first night's numbers were good, but not great. We were waiting to see what the drop-off would be, because there was always a drop off on the second night. And the ratings actually went up." -- Ron D. Moore [http://scifi.com/battlestar/bts/video/mov/video_06_320.mov]

=== Regarding Roslin's Refusal to Leave Her Nascent Fleet ===

{{from_RDM_blog}}

:Someone recently asked:
:"In the mini series, when the [[Cylon Raider|Cylon fighters]] are approaching ''[[Colonial One]]'' (just before [[Lee Adama|Lee]] saves the day with the EM pulse), [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] refuses to run and leave the other civilian ships to their doom... Yet she articulated no alternative plan. What was she hoping to do? It just seemed as though she planned to sit there and hope for the best, refusing to budge from the principle of not leaving defenseless people behind, even if that meant her own virtual suicide. It was an odd moment, she had been so decisive and clear headed up to then, and after that. (sic)

:What were her motivations, did she even have a plan? I still find this moment a little jarring and hard to explain away. I guess it does serve as a contrast to her later decision to leave [[Cami|Cammy]] (sic) etc behind. Thanks for your insights into this issue."

:[[Ronald D. Moore|RDM]]: Can we talk? Let's be honest here. The show is not perfect. There are compromises made all the time; some for budgetary reasons, some are for political reasons, some are for no reason at all except that the writer could not, or would not, make the changes necessary to resolve a story point.

:Such is The Case of Laura Roslin and the Incoming Cylon.

:The above writer's observation is absolutely correct. Laura, by all rights and all sensible reasoning, should not obstinately stay when it's known for a fact that a Cylon missile is incoming, probably has a nuclear warhead and oh, by the way, she has no armament aboard her ship that would allow her even the remote chance of a possible last-minute, brilliant tactical move which might theoretically prevent the destruction of her ship and her presidency. Her refusal to leave, to jump away from the impending, obvious threat can be interpreted as an irrational flaw in her character, a case of emotion trumping intellect, or it can be more correctly interpreted simply as a flaw in the script, an accepted error that the writer chooses to ignore in favor of other competing interests of character and plot which take priority in a given moment.

:In this case, I felt that the dramatic moment required that Laura make a commitment to staying with her people, and to her nascent fleet, heedless of the consequence and resolute in her decision, even though it meant her certain doom. It was her instinctive response to the situation, her id's judgment, so to speak, that I was interested in, as well as the simpler plot device of having Lee swoop in and save them at the last moment just at the point you'd forgotten he was even there. Neither impulse is wrong, per se, but the error is in my choosing not to expand the moment and its aftermath in order to play out her realization of just how stupid a choice that was.

:If, at some point following the resolution of the crisis, Laura realized that she let her emotional reaction to the situation lead her into making a bad decision which was only saved by the providential intervention of Lee, then the scene would've accomplished everything I had hoped for in the moment as well as providing Laura with a character-building scene where the new president's first major decision nearly got them all killed. It would've been a way to both emphasize her fallibility and the fact that she can't afford to lead with her heart any longer. Her subsequent decision to leave the sublight ships behind, abandoning them to their destruction by the Cylons, would've also been informed by this experience and had a richer, even more textured component to it.

:In the end, it's not a fatal error in the script, and the moment passes by without comment for the most part, but it is something that nags at me whenever I see the sequence and which, frankly, bothered me at the time. So why didn't I fix it? A variety of answers present themselves, from time pressure to budgets, but the truth is, I knew that the emotional, dramatic moment would carry the audience through the scene and that people would be more invested in watching Lee take out the Cylon missile than in examining Laura's decision-making, so I opted to leave it alone rather than make the necessary page cuts and possible budget cuts needed to accommodate additional beats on this one point. It was probably the correct decision in the end, because the moment works and you move on as you're watching the show. However, being a television writer means not only having to make compromises and less than perfect decisions all the time, but as an additional penalty you get to always be reminded of the errors you've accepted when you watch the final product.

:Good catch by an attentive member of the audience.

:Damn you.

=== Additional Comments ===

* ''"Don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere already: Do [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] already know each other at the start of the show? I recently reviewed the mini and noticed that in the [[Ready Room]] scene where Apollo is introduced and told he will fly [[William Adama|Husker's]] [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], when first introduced, Helo waves and Lee gives him one of those "oh, hey!" looks of familiarity, then when Lee isn't thrilled about flying his dad's Viper, Helo is the only one who *doesn't* look confused, he just smiles and turns back around."''

:I don't think they knew each other prior to the pilot. Lee probably had never set foot on the ''[[Galactica]]'' before then. I think the look was something improvised on the set. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:: '''Wikipedian's Note:''' It is likely Helo knew Apollo through [[Kara Thrace]].

* ''Regarding ''[[Galactica]]'' being hit by a [[Cylon]] nuke:''

:''Galactica'' was designed to withstand a nuclear hit. Don’t forget that nuclear weapons in space have a different impact than they do in the atmosphere. There’s not really a shock wave in space, it’s more the immediate blast, heat and radiation effects. ''Galactica'' is shielded against radiation. However, I’ll tell you that we’re going to get into that as the series goes on. '''That nuclear hit will come back to haunt them later; there will be consequences to what happened to the ship structurally when it took that hit.''' We’re taking the approach conceptually on this show that we must live with things that have happened to us, and that there are consequences. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm] (boldface emphasis is by [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]])

===Interviews===

* '''[[Grace Park]] reflects on viewing the miniseries:'''

: I was completely was (''sic'') into the story. Only once in a while did I pop out and think, "Oh, look at those effects, They're so good."

: [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|The destruction of Caprica]] felt so [[Wikipedia:September 11th attacks|911]] -- the hopelessness of it. I remember back then watching [[Wikipedia:The Twin Towers|the towers]] fall over and over, and I remember how odd it was that a non-organic object exploding and how painful it was. And then there I was watching this and I'm crying, and I had to remind myself this time there weren't really people dying. But it really took me back there. [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter1.htm]

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discusses how he got the part of [[Billy Keikeya]]:'''

: Yeah [I only tried out for Billy]. Yeah, I know there were a few actors that tried out for multiple parts but that was the only one I would have worked for. I’m certainly not a fighter pilot, and even though I could kick [[Tahmoh Penikett|Tahmoh]]’s ass in a heart beat, I didn’t want to embarrass him, since he’s a friend of mine. And he wouldn’t have done very well playing Billy, because he is just too tall for Dualla. So, I actually didn’t even meet any producers or anybody, I just read for the casting director, and that was it. I really had no idea when they were casting it how far it would go. I thought it was just going to be a few days on this miniseries. I hadn’t been a fan of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I was born in 1979, so I missed the boat. And I didn’t really understand what a cult following the original had had, and how much transfer there would probably be to the new show. So imagine my surprise when I found I was on this TV show that had been picked up.[http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

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

[[es:Miniserie]]

Miniseries, Analysis

2006-10-20T12:43:31Z

Brian Kurtz: /* Regarding Roslin's Refusal to Leave Her Nascent Fleet */ Capitalization

:''For articles on the Miniseries story see [[Miniseries|Miniseries (Page 1)]]''

{{Episode Data
| image = Nukes in Miniseries.jpg
| title= Miniseries
| special= Y
| series=
| season=
| episode=
| guests=''[[Miniseries#Guest Stars|See list on Page 1.]]''
| writer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]<br />[[Christopher Eric James]]
| story= [[Glen A. Larson]]
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= Pilot
| rating= 3.2 (night one); 3.8 (night two)
| US airdate= 8 December 2003
| UK airdate= 17 February 2004
| dvd= {{Miniseries, Part I NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br /> {{Miniseries, Part I PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=
| prev= None
| next= [[33]]
}}

== Analysis ==
=== Noted Changes from the Original ===
* The basic story is still present: robotic [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] surprisingly attack the Colonies resulting in a holocaust, thus forcing a "rag-tag, fugitive fleet" to coalesce around the last surviving [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]], ''[[Galactica]]'', to seek a mythical [[13th Colony]] where refugees hope to find shelter from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. However, many of the fine details are changed, such as:
** The Cylons were created by Humanity, not by a reptilian race (also called [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]]) who hated Humanity.
** Battlestar ''Galactica'' is a 50 year old relic on the verge of decommission.
** The names of "Apollo", "Boomer", and "Starbuck" are changed to call signs. Most characters have standard first and last names; some first names were not given until later in the series, such as [[Felix Gaeta|Felix Gaeta's]] or [[Anastasia Dualla|Anastasia Dualla's]].
** The futuristic (and often confusing) terminology used to denote distances, measuring, and time in the original series has been replaced with understandable terminology. For instance, "year" was replaced with "yahren" in the original.
** The ship designs, save for some revisions to the [[Viper (RDM)|Mk. II Viper]] and ''[[Galactica]]'' and a few noteworthy background ships (such as the [[Gemenon Traveler]] and the [[Botanical Cruiser]]), have been redone.
** The [[Quorum of Twelve]] is not mentioned in the miniseries, and is apparently supplemented by a government body similar to the United States [[WikiPedia:executive branch|executive branch]]. There is a president, vice president, and secretaries. The [[Quorum of Twelve|Quorum]] does not make an appearance until episode 1.11 ([[Colonial Day]]).
** Instead of the other-worldly, Egyptian-esque clothing and city designs (i.e. pyramids) seen in the original, the clothing and cities are more contemporary in design and function.
* The relationships and characters from the original have been changed as well.
** [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]], who was played as a male character by [[Herb Jefferson Jr.]] in the original, is now the call-sign of a female Lieutenant [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] ([[Grace Park]]).
** [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]], who was played as a male character by [[Dirk Benedict]] in the original, is now the call-sign of a female Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace]] ([[Katee Sackhoff]])
** "Adama", "Tigh", and "Baltar" are now surnames.
** The character of [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]], potrayed by [[Lorne Greene]] in the original, now is known as [[William Adama|William "Husker" Adama]] ([[Edward James Olmos]]). He is a man about to retire, is estranged from his son [[Lee Adama|Lee]]. Adama's beliefs are far more secular than his TOS counterpart.
** [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]], portrayed by [[Original Series]] star and continuation activist [[Richard Hatch]], is the call sign of [[Lee Adama]] ([[Jamie Bamber]]). He is a flawed character who is estranged from his father, believing him to be ultimately responsible for the death of [[Zak Adama]], and is questioning his life's choices.
** [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]], who was willingly complicit in the destruction of the Colonies due to his thirst for power, is now a scientific genius named [[Gaius Baltar]]. Unlike the imposing, methodical and mischievous Baltar (portrayed by the late [[John Colicos]]), Gaius ([[James Callis]]) is a cowardly, narcissistic, egotistical man whose womanizing is his Achilles' heel. His betrayal of the human race was due mostly to his lust, or perhaps love, for a woman who turns out to be a [[Number Six|Cylon agent]], whom he allowed unfettered access to the [[Colonial Defense Mainframe]] prior to the attacks.
** The character of Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]], portrayed by [[Terry Carter]], is now separated from his wife and seeing out the rest of his career from inside a bottle in the form of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] ([[Michael Hogan]]) who hasn't seen military action in a long while.
* The show has taken a more realistic turn. [[Naturalistic science fiction|Realistic science]], which was painfully absent in the original series, is applied in this series.
* Certain models of Cylons appear human, right down to the blood -- it takes complex tests just to screen for these [[Cylon agent|Cylon agents]]. This generates some very disturbing questions. For one, the Cylons have now managed to merge in with human society, making it easier to manipulate from within. This mirrors terrorist methods of infiltration and delivering destructive results to heavy population centers (a la suicide bombers). It also brings up interesting questions regarding cross-species mating: Can Cylons agents mate with their Human creators? ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|Answer 1]] and [[The Farm|Answer 2]])

=== Plot and Character Analyses ===

Since plot and character are so intertwined, both will be covered here.

==== Armistice Station ====

The [[Armistice Station]] gave us a chance to understand the conflict between the Cylons and Humanity. It also introduced us to the new Cylons and broke away from conventions set in science fiction. Instead of storming the station, the Cylons used a copy of [[Number Six]] and sexually assaulted the [[Armistice Officer]]. Question is, why was the Armistice Officer assaulted sexually instead of physically? The answer is three fold:

# This defied those who would make the claim that ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' is a "rip-off" of ''Star Wars''; the same claim that was made against the original.
# This showed that the Cylons understood the devastating effect of sexual molestation. Since when did a Human expect for a Cylon to attack Humanity in this way?
# There is a drive within the Cylons to understand - and possibly ''experience'' the sensations of being ''truly'' alive.

The station was soon destroyed by a [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon Basestar]]. Though this was a dramatic blow, this does seem rather unnecessary from a logical point of view. The Cylons present were more than enough to subdue the Armistice Officer and be able to keep the station for future purposes. The action may have been symbolic, the end of the armistice.

==== Commander William Adama & Nostalgia ====

With ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica's]]'' future being a museum piece with gift shops, Commander William Adama is ready to retire, albeit reluctantly. Adama heads to retirement with trepidation, unsure of what he would do with the remainder of his life. His crew will ultimately be disbanded and good-byes abound. There is a sense of a ship seeing its last days, despite some of the joy that some of the crew members have in continuing their military careers.

Adama is presented with his reconditioned Viper, found rusting in a junkyard on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Sagittaron|Sagittaron]], as well as a picture of himself and his two sons when he was younger.

This is a touching moment, demonstrating the crew's affection for him as a person. It also establishes Adama's legitimacy as a war-hardened commander in the series quite nicely.

==== Starbuck & Tigh's Card Fight ====

The "card fight" between Lieutenant [[Kara Thrace]] and Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] sparked a bit of controversy in the fan community before it aired. In the original draft, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got off free without being thrown in the brig. However, given the fan's astute observation of a disturbing lack of disciplinary action against Starbuck for striking a superior, the aftermath was changed.

The scene demonstrates Starbuck's mistrust of authority and the antagonistic relationship between [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] and herself. The touch of classic Starbuck elements, i.e. the gambling and [[fumarello]] smoking, is a nice homage to the original that fits in nicely. [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s portrayal tells viewers that this isn't the same mischievous Starbuck from the original, as she is clearly unbalanced. (Information on Thrace's past and family comes later in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" and "[[The Farm]].")

Tigh himself comes off as a grouchy, inebriated old man who has seen his glory days, which hammers home the fact that the good ship ''Galactica'' is seeing its last days. When he puts Starbuck in the brig, she knows she's stepped over the line -- but so has he, given that he flipped over the table first, starting the fight.

It also nicely puts Starbuck in a confined place from a story standpoint, allowing other characters to be introduced.

==== Laura Roslin's Cancer Storyline ====

The cancer story line for the Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]] at first seemed a bit over-the-top, detracting from the main story. (Later season 1 and early season 2 episodes regarding the [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|search for Earth's location]] and Roslin's role better define why her illness is significant.) Having the cancer story-line helps show that smaller tragedies don't cease simply because another one looms ahead. It also reveals Roslin's vulnerability and puts her character in a realistic ethical conundrum, where she is more concerned about her own well-being when billions of people have been victims of the Cylon genocide.

==== The Infanticide Debate ====

One of the more emotional and argued points in the whole miniseries is not the sex changes of two main characters, and certainly not the major change in the Cylons, but the incident where [[Number Six]] kills an infant in the market place. The question during the debate focused on the immorality of the act and was purported by those against the re-imagining as being an indicator that the source material wasn't being taken seriously.

The intent of the act was never questioned. It is simply assumed that Number Six killed the baby out of cold blood. The doubt of Number Six's intent, or possible lack thereof, still surrounds this scene. It was obvious that Number Six was puzzled by the frailty of the baby and questioned as to how the neck could support the weight of the baby's head. Many items can be deduced from that scene, a few follow:

# It was a deliberate act. Cold and ruthless. Nothing more.
# Number Six has feelings and is rational. Due to her knowledge of the impending attack and the expectation that the entire human race could be eradicated, could the act be merciful?
# Could it be an act of spite? In "[[33]]", her mental image asked [[Gaius Baltar]] if he wanted children. Which begs the question: Can Cylon agents propagate their race through human childbirth? (Answers: [[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]], [[The Farm]])
# Could it be a simple lack of knowledge? If so, the infanticide was accidental, and Number 6 had no way of knowing.
# She did demonstrate curiosity as to how much the neck could support. Could the death have been an unethical experiment on her part?
# Knowing that the Cylon nuclear attack was near, she did not see any difference between killing an infant at that moment to satisfy her own curiosity as compared to waiting a short while for it to die by nuclear holocaust.

The most disturbing aspect of the whole debate lies in the assumption that a single act of infanticide is unacceptable, whereas the genocide of the entire human race (including born and unborn infants) by Cylon hands seems to be more palatable.

==== The "Glowing Spine" Scene ====

One of the major inconsistencies in the miniseries was gleaned from this scene. The fact is established that Cylons agents were, for all intents and purposes, organic. Also established was, even with the most thorough of tests, it was initially almost impossible to screen Human from Cylon (this changed with Baltar's working [[Cylon detector]] later in the regular series). What caused the spine to glow? It certainly wasn't a human reaction to sex. Since the Cylons went to the very painstaking process of creating an undetectable Cylon agent model, it is conceivable that glowing spinal columns -- and more to the point the chemicals that would cause the aforementioned reaction -- would arouse undue suspicion and thwart Cylon plans.

One possible explanation for the glowing spine would be that it is the act of Number Six transferring some part of herself into Baltar, as evidenced later. However, this explanation is highly speculative. Furthermore, the Caprica copy of Boomer has a glowing spine when having sex with Helo in a later regular season episode.

Considering Baltar seems to be the only person qualified to work on distinguishing Cylon from human, it may be that he is not smart enough to look in the right places (after all he has not found other Cylon hallmarks, such as a transponder -- if it exists) or, being influenced by Six, unwilling to look in the right places, knowledgeable of it (but unwilling to come forward with the information), or some combination of all three.

'''''Note:''' Comments from members of the production crew have since suggested that the only reason the glowing spine was included was that it "looked cool" at the time, and in retrospect, may have been a mistake. According to the novelization, the spines glow in the infrared spectrum.''

== Notes ==
* The miniseries was initially broadcast in 2 two-hour segments. During re-broadcast (such as with the UK's Sky One channel), the two halves were combined into a single 3-hour 56-minute "film".
* Initially, there were 12 [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestars]], one representing each colony. ''Galactica'' represented [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. These were built with antiquated technologies, as were their fighter craft, to avoid the Cylon's tactical advantage of disrupting complex electrical and computer equipment.
* Networked computers were susceptible to Cylon infiltration, forcing the Colonials to react by reducing their dependence on technology.
* The [[Colonial Fleet]] has been greatly expanded since then, with as many as 120 battlestars. Practically all [[Mercury class battlestar|other]] battlestars were more advanced than ''Galactica.''
* As the Colonials became more confident of their security, integrated systems were re-introduced to their civilian and military craft.
* The Cylons believe monothestically, in [[God]], whereas the Colonials believe in a pantheon of gods mirroring the [[Greek Gods|twelve Olympian gods]] of Greek mythology.
* Cylons are also called "[[toaster]]s", mainly for their original appearance (a nod to the Original Series).
* All pilots have call signs.
* Commander [[Nash]] was ''Galactica's'' first Commanding Officer.
* In the mini, [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] is referred to as a "rook" by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], meaning a rookie. In [[Act of Contrition]], "[[nugget]]" is the chosen name for rookie pilots.
* The scene in which [[Cami]] awaits her death on the [[Botanical Cruiser]] visually echoes the infamous "[[Wikipedia:Daisy (television commercial)|Daisy]]" television advertisement from [[Wikipedia:Lyndon B. Johnson| Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s 1964 campaign against [[Wikipedia:Barry Goldwater|Barry Goldwater]].
* At the time Roslin's convoy is discovered by [[Cylon Raider]]s, it consists of about 60 ships in total, but only about 40 are able to make the jump to [[Ragnar Anchorage]].
* The role of the doctor who offered Roslin the diagnosis of breast cancer was offered to [[Richard Hatch]] as a cameo; Hatch declined the role, later to take the role of [[Tom Zarek]].
* Original drafts of the miniseries referenced [[Kobol]] as the current homeworld of the humans. This was revised to the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] in keeping with the original concept.
* The woman portraying [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]] in the picture Tigh burns with a cigar is executive producer [[David Eick]]'s wife, Jennifer. (Ellen Tigh would later appear in the episode, "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", played by actress Kate Vernon.)
* The last said line of the miniseries, "[[By your command]]," was not added until the final draft, after a friend of Ronald D. Moore commented that it wouldn't be ''Battlestar Galactica'' without it being said somewhere.

=== Nods ===

* The ''Firefly''-class ship, ''Serenity'', from the sci-fi series ''Firefly'' makes a brief appearance. It can be seen flying above [[Laura Roslin]] when she is about to hear her prognosis of breast cancer on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].
* The fanfare just prior to [[William Adama|Commander Adama's]] speech is taken from [[Stu Phillips]]'s theme for the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original ''Battlestar Galactica'']].
* The pilot [["Jolly" Anders|Jolly]] makes a brief (verbal) appearance, just prior to the Cylon's massacre of the squad led by [[Jackson Spencer]], ''Galactica's'' previous [[CAG]]. It is not the same actor that played [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly]] in the original.
* The original [[Cylon Basestar]] and the original [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]] can be briefly seen in ''Galactica's'' museum.
* A sword carried by the Centurions in the original series is one of the weapons in Commander Adamas collection.
**The sword could be a war trophy picked up by Adama, possibly when the Galactica is boarded by the Cylons at the end of the war ([[Valley of Darkness]] deleted scene).
* President [[Laura Roslin]] makes a point of calling [[Lee Adama]] "Captain Apollo", saying that it has a nice ring to it.
* During the attack, ''[[Colonial One|Colonial Heavy 798]]'' assists Gemenon Liner Seventeen-oh-one (1701). This is a nod to [[Ronald D. Moore|RDM's]] work on ''Star Trek''.
* The last lottery number chosen by Sharon Valerii and Helo to rescue a Caprican refugee was "[[Numerology#47|47]]", another in-joke to the ''Star Trek'' series.
* The original [[Wikipedia:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701)]] is seen in the final shot of the fleet at the end of the Miniseries. This is yet another ''Star Trek'' allusion.
* Prior to [[Number Six]]'s meeting with an unknown person in the park, the kids playing in the background wore masks of Cylon Centurions from the original series and were waving mock versions of the swords those same Centurions had.
*The very last line of the miniseries is the phrase, "By your command", the affirmation from the [[Cylons (TOS)|Original Series Cylons]].

== Official Statements ==
=== Edward James Olmos' (EJO) Statements Regarding the Miniseries ===
After the announcement of Edward James Olmos' involvement in the miniseries, portraying a role that was previously done by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, many fans contacted him. As is evidenced by the quotes before, Olmos demonstrates his honesty and reaction to the mail, most of which could be classified as fairly negative.

From his [http://hometown.aol.com/ejowebmistress/ official website]:

*"I must say one thing and will say this very clearly. If you are a person who really has a strict belief in the original, I would not advise that you watch this program...We really don't stand true to the kind of characters that were built around the original. It definitely does break the mold. Some of the characters' names are the same, but the intent and the way that we are building the reality is completely not the reality that was built in the original." -- 7/03

*"I'm going to be the first one to say it really clearly. Please tell your readers, do not watch this program...[P]eople get really, really angry. You've got to remember that this is a show that was only on . . . in the late '70s, and to this day has a very strong fan base. Tens of thousands of people who write to each other for 25 years over a program that is not on the air and is not even being rerun.<br/>
* "They didn't want this at all, and I didn't know any of this. . . . All of a sudden, my e-mails went through the roof. Suddenly I was accused of teaming up with Ron Moore and creating just a slap in the face of all these people, and I didn't want to slap anybody."

*"Trust me, don't watch it. If you are a real, real staunch 'Battlestar Galactica' person, don't watch it. . . . Just don't write to me, all right? I warned you. I was honest."

*"I've gotten some really strong, strong mail. . . . They're really bitter. They're very angry. And I know the Sci Fi Channel wants to say that everybody's going to enjoy it. They're not."

=== Comments from [[David Eick]] ===

"The goals of the mini series were nothing short of reinventing the science fiction genre. We wanted to present people in a catastrophic situation, in the wake of a tragedy, responding as human beings actually would through the prism of the science fiction genre."

=== Regarding Miniseries Ratings ===

"I think going into it, we all wondered. you know, what the audience numbers were going to be, especially given all the internet, sort of, controversy and the general, sort of, [something] about what we were doing and people objecting. And was it going to be a failure or was it not.

"The first night's numbers were good, but not great. We were waiting to see what the drop-off would be, because there was always a drop off on the second night. And the ratings actually went up." -- Ron D. Moore [http://scifi.com/battlestar/bts/video/mov/video_06_320.mov]

=== Regarding Roslin's Refusal to Leave Her Nascent Fleet ===

{{from_RDM_blog}}

:Someone recently asked:
:"In the mini series, when the [[Cylon Raider|Cylon fighters]] are approaching ''[[Colonial One]]'' (just before [[Lee Adama|Lee]] saves the day with the EM pulse), [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] refuses to run and leave the other civilian ships to their doom... Yet she articulated no alternative plan. What was she hoping to do? It just seemed as though she planned to sit there and hope for the best, refusing to budge from the principle of not leaving defenseless people behind, even if that meant her own virtual suicide. It was an odd moment, she had been so decisive and clear headed up to then, and after that. (sic)

:What were her motivations, did she even have a plan? I still find this moment a little jarring and hard to explain away. I guess it does serve as a contrast to her later decision to leave [[Cami|Cammy]] (sic) etc behind. Thanks for your insights into this issue."

:[[Ronald D. Moore|RDM]]: Can we talk? Let's be honest here. The show is not perfect. There are compromises made all the time; some for budgetary reasons, some are for political reasons, some are for no reason at all except that the writer could not, or would not, make the changes necessary to resolve a story point.

:Such is The Case of Laura Roslin and the Incoming Cylon.

:The above writer's observation is absolutely correct. Laura, by all rights and all sensible reasoning, should not obstinately stay when it's known for a fact that a Cylon missile is incoming, probably has a nuclear warhead and oh, by the way, she has no armament aboard her ship that would allow her even the remote chance of a possible last-minute, brilliant tactical move which might theoretically prevent the destruction of her ship and her presidency. Her refusal to leave, to jump away from the impending, obvious threat can be interpreted as an irrational flaw in her character, a case of emotion trumping intellect, or it can be more correctly interpreted simply as a flaw in the script, an accepted error that the writer chooses to ignore in favor of other competing interests of character and plot which take priority in a given moment.

:In this case, I felt that the dramatic moment required that Laura make a commitment to staying with her people, and to her nascent fleet, heedless of the consequence and resolute in her decision, even though it meant her certain doom. It was her instinctive response to the situation, her id's judgment, so to speak, that I was interested in, as well as the simpler plot device of having Lee swoop in and save them at the last moment just at the point you'd forgotten he was even there. Neither impulse is wrong, per se, but the error is in my choosing not to expand the moment and its aftermath in order to play out her realization of just how stupid a choice that was.

:If, at some point following the resolution of the crisis, Laura realized that she let her emotional reaction to the situation lead her into making a bad decision which was only saved by the providential intervention of Lee, then the scene would've accomplished everything I had hoped for in the moment as well as providing Laura with a character-building scene where the new president's first major decision nearly got them all killed. It would've been a way to both emphasize her fallibility and the fact that she can't afford to lead with her heart any longer. Her subsequent decision to leave the sublight ships behind, abandoning them to their destruction by the Cylons, would've also been informed by this experience and had a richer, even more textured component to it.

:In the end, it's not a fatal error in the script, and the moment passes by without comment for the most part, but it is something that nags at me whenever I see the sequence and which, frankly, bothered me at the time. So why didn't I fix it? A variety of answers present themselves, from time pressure to budgets, but the truth is, I knew that the emotional, dramatic moment would carry the audience through the scene and that people would be more invested in watching Lee take out the Cylon missile than in examining Laura's decision-making, so I opted to leave it alone rather than make the necessary page cuts and possible budget cuts needed to accommodate additional beats on this one point. It was probably the correct decision in the end, because the moment works and you move on as you're watching the show. However, being a television writer means not only having to make compromises and less than perfect decisions all the time, but as an additional penalty you get to always be reminded of the errors you've accepted when you watch the final product.

:Good catch by an attentive member of the audience.

:Damn you.

=== Additional Comments ===

* ''"Don't know if this has been addressed elsewhere already: Do [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] already know each other at the start of the show? I recently reviewed the mini and noticed that in the [[Ready Room]] scene where Apollo is introduced and told he will fly [[William Adama|Husker's]] [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], when first introduced, Helo waves and Lee gives him one of those "oh, hey!" looks of familiarity, then when Lee isn't thrilled about flying his dad's Viper, Helo is the only one who *doesn't* look confused, he just smiles and turns back around."''

:I don't think they knew each other prior to the pilot. Lee probably had never set foot on the ''[[Galactica]]'' before then. I think the look was something improvised on the set. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:: '''Wikipedian's Note:''' It is likely Helo knew Apollo through [[Kara Thrace]].

* ''Regarding ''[[Galactica]]'' being hit by a [[Cylon]] nuke:''

:''Galactica'' was designed to withstand a nuclear hit. Don’t forget that nuclear weapons in space have a different impact than they do in the atmosphere. There’s not really a shock wave in space, it’s more the immediate blast, heat and radiation effects. ''Galactica'' is shielded against radiation. However, I’ll tell you that we’re going to get into that as the series goes on. '''That nuclear hit will come back to haunt them later; there will be consequences to what happened to the ship structurally when it took that hit.''' We’re taking the approach conceptually on this show that we must live with things that have happened to us, and that there are consequences. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm] (boldface emphasis is by [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]])

===Interviews===

* '''[[Grace Park]] reflects on viewing the miniseries:'''

: I was completely was (sic) into the story. Only once in a while did I pop out and think, "Oh, look at those effects, They're so good."

: [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|The destruction of Caprica]] felt so [[Wikipedia:September 11th attacks|911]] -- the hopelessness of it. I remember back then watching [[Wikipedia:The Twin Towers|the towers]] fall over and over, and I remember how odd it was that a non-organic object exploding and how painful it was. And then there I was watching this and I'm crying, and I had to remind myself this time there weren't really people dying. But it really took me back there. [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter1.htm]

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discusses how he got the part of [[Billy Keikeya]]:'''

: Yeah [I only tried out for Billy]. Yeah, I know there were a few actors that tried out for multiple parts but that was the only one I would have worked for. I’m certainly not a fighter pilot, and even though I could kick [[Tahmoh Penikett|Tahmoh]]’s ass in a heart beat, I didn’t want to embarrass him, since he’s a friend of mine. And he wouldn’t have done very well playing Billy, because he is just too tall for Dualla. So, I actually didn’t even meet any producers or anybody, I just read for the casting director, and that was it. I really had no idea when they were casting it how far it would go. I thought it was just going to be a few days on this miniseries. I hadn’t been a fan of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I was born in 1979, so I missed the boat. And I didn’t really understand what a cult following the original had had, and how much transfer there would probably be to the new show. So imagine my surprise when I found I was on this TV show that had been picked up.[http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

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

[[es:Miniserie]]

Category:Episodes directed by Jean de Segonzac

2006-10-20T12:20:24Z

Brian Kurtz: Wanted category

[[Category:Episodes by director (RDM)|Segonzac, Jean de]]

User:Brian Kurtz

2006-10-19T21:49:25Z

Brian Kurtz: /* To Do */

Murder on the Rising Star

2006-10-19T21:47:05Z

Brian Kurtz: /* Noteworthy Dialogue */

: ''This episode guide is in progress. You may add upon it as you so choose.''
{{Episode Data
| image = Tribunal.jpg
| title= Murder on the Rising Star
| series= tos
| season=
| episode= 16
| guests=
| writer= [[Donald Bellisario]] <br> [[IMDB:nm0137936|Jim Carlson]] <br> [[IMDB:nm0568131|Terrence McDonnell]]
| story= [[IMDB:nm0805994|Michael Sloan]]
| director= [[IMDB:nm0390103|Rod Holcomb]]
| production= 50924
| rating=
| US airdate= 1979-02-18
| UK airdate=
| dvd= 2004-12-28
| population=
| prev= [[The Man with Nine Lives]]
| next= [[Greetings from Earth]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''When Starbuck is implicated in a rival triad-player's murder, Apollo and Boomer come to his defense as Protectors. They eventually uncover a plot involving Karibdis, a traitor alongside Baltar in the destruction of the Twelve Colonies.''

== Summary ==
* [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] and [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] are squaring off (triangling off?) in a [[Triad (TOS)|Triad]] match against Flight Sergeants [[Barton]] and [[Ortega]] onboard the [[Rising Star (TOS)|''Rising Star'']]. Ortega's rough play is starting to anger Starbuck.

* [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] is providing commentary for the [[Inter-Fleet Broadcasting]] feed of the event, along with [[Zed]]. Boomer comments that Ortega's play can be on the dirty side.

* [[Cassiopeia]] and [[Sheba]] watch the match from the stands. Cassie is concerned with the escalating tempers in the match.

* [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] and [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] watch the match from a private lounge aboard the ''Rising Star''. [[Pallon|Their bartender]] asks if the two of them need anything, as his shift is ending soon. Adama is more interested in observing the Triad-mania, Tigh is exhibiting. Tigh tries, but fails, to contain his excitement for the game.

* Ortega's continued fouls nets Starbuck a free shot, allowing the heroes to pull ahead. Apollo takes a second to ask Barton about the rough play of his partner. Barton explains that he has to fly with Ortega because they're assigned together, but he plays Triad with him because Ortega likes to win.

* It isn't long before Ortega unleashes another cheap shot, sending Starbuck over the top and escalating into an all-out brawl between the two. Both players are ejected from the game.

* Outside of the match Starbuck and Ortega continue to scuffle until Cassiopeia breaks it up. After a brief verbal exchange, Ortega leaves to hit the showers. Starbuck is informed that he has ten [[centon]]s to get to the [[shuttle]] if he hopes to continue to see Cassie.

* Ortega finishes cleaning up, and straps on his [[laser pistol]]. The door to the locker room opens, and Ortega isn't surprised. "I always knew it would come to this," he quips cynically, before going for his pistol.

* Shortly thereafter, Starbuck rushes down the corridor trying to make it to the shuttle in time to make Cassie's deadline. He runs into a [[Pyramid (TOS)|Pyramid]] dealer named [[Chella]], who mentions that he had money on Starbuck. Starbuck has to run though, if he wants to make it in time.

* Chella discovers Ortega's arm hanging out of a nearby doorway, and reports his discovery of Ortega's body to the authorities.

* Adama orders the ''Rising Star'' sealed and questions Chella, who appears to have a solid alibi. Chella does point out his encounter with Starbuck, shifting suspicion onto the [[warrior]].

* Apollo catches up with Starbuck, and lets him know about the murder. Starbuck is shocked, but Apollo needs to check Starbuck's pistol in an attempt to clear him. Apollo is dismayed to discover that Starbuck's pistol had been fired.

* Starbuck explains that he had fired his laser pistol at the range earlier in the day. [[Solon|Sire Solon]], the prosecuting attorney, arrives and appears to believe Starbuck is the guilty party.

* [[Wilker|Dr. Wilker]] performs a test to determine if Starbuck's pistol was used for the murder, and it results in a perfect match.

* Adama reluctantly charges Starbuck with murder, sending him to the brig aboard [[Galactica (TOS)|''Galactica'']]. Starbuck is faced with the choice of pleading self-defense, or going to trial and facing the possibility of life in prison. Starbuck risks the trial.

* Apollo and Boomer step forward to act as Starbuck's defense, but they only have 10 [[centar]]s in which to gather and present their evidence.

* Apollo and Boomer first question Ortega's wingman (and Triad partner) Barton. Barton is about to go on patrol, but does manage to let them know about a gambling tab over on the ''Rising Star'', and that Ortega had mentioned that the only enemy that he had with enough guts to kill him was [[Karibdis]].

* Starbuck's protectors head to the personnel computer to run a query. They have difficulty interacting with the voice interface of the system, prompting Corporal [[Komma]] to comment that he too prefers the old-fashioned "keyboard and scanner" to the voice interface systems. Unfortunately, the computer has no entries related to any Karibdis.

* Cassiopeia visits Starbuck in the brig, but he's a bit distracted. He's watching an IFB interview where Sire Solon is all but proclaiming Starbuck guilty. Cassie tries to suggest that he take the self-defense plea, but Starbuck protests his innocence. She leaves, and the interview eventually drives him to smash the viewscreen.

* Starbuck calls for the guards to fix the broken equipment, and when one of them enters his cell he grabs the guard and makes an escape.

* Apollo races to the launch bay, finding Starbuck in a [[Viper (TOS)|Viper]] about to take off. Apollo throws his body in front of the Viper, trying to reason with Starbuck. Starbuck feels that he is being framed, and thinks escape is his only option. Apollo manages to prevent Starbuck from launching, and he eventually surrenders himself back into custody.

* Adama is furious at Starbuck, ordering him to the brig with only his two protectors now able to visit him. Adama also chides Solon for influencing public opinion with his IFB interview.

* Adama asks Apollo how the defense is going. Apollo reveals that they have made no progress in tracking down the mysterious Karibdis. Adama recognizes the name as being Baltar's pilot, and the man who sabotaged the colonial defense grid preceding the [[Battle of Cimtar|Cylon ambush]]. No known pictures of Karibdis exist, and the only one who would recognize that man is [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]].

* Apollo and Boomer visit Baltar, who admits that he does know who Karibdis is. However, since they cannot offer him anything in exchange for the information he refuses to talk.

* Apollo and Boomer go to the ''Rising Star'' to investigate the tab with Table three of the [[chancery]]. They are surprised when they see that Chella is the dealer at the Pyramid table. They believe they have caught their man.

* At the tribunal the protectors lay out their theory that it was Karibdis who did murder in order to stop Ortega from continuing to blackmail him.

* Barton testifies, but hurts the defense by admitting that he heard Starbuck say he'd kill Ortega during the Triad altercation.

* Chella testifies, and initially claims Ortega was blackmailing him about gambling losses. He eventually admits that his real name is [[Riftis]], and that he had bribed Ortega for a spot aboard one of the ships fleeing [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|the colonies]]. Having taken a spot meant for a woman or a child, Ortega blackmailed him by threatening to expose that secret, forcing Riftis to let Ortega win at his Pyramid table.

* There is no evidence that Chella is Karibdis, and Chella's alibi at the time of the murder is rock-solid, leaving the defense at square one.

* Chella does reveal that Ortega was also blackmailing [[Elias]] and [[Pallon]]. The tribunal is curious, and orders the two brought aboard ''Galactica'' in order to testify.

* Transporting the blackmail targets in the [[shuttle]], Apollo attempts a ruse to flush out [[Karibdis]]. Apollo announces that the identity of Karibdis had been determined, and that after they dropped off the blackmail targets on ''Galactica'' he would be picking up Baltar to confirm the identification. Apollo knows he is putting himself at risk, and makes sure that Boomer keeps an open channel to the shuttle.

* After dropping the suspects off, Apollo notes that the cargo weight indicator goes up 175 pounds as somebody secretly reboards.

* Cassiopeia testifies, and is forced to admit that she heard Starbuck threaten Ortega.

* A hand is seen taking a laser pistol from the weapons locker aboard the shuttle.

* Baltar is brought aboard the shuttle, and continues to keep quiet. Apollo informs him that he believes Karibdis is aboard the shuttle with them. Baltar is visibly shaken, but insists Karibdis is still loyal to him.

* Karibdis emerges behind them. Pallon is Karibdis, and he aims a laser pistol at the two of them.

* Boomer breaks tribunal procedure, opening up the channel to the shuttle. Karibdis triumphantly reveals the whole tale, and the tribunal hears the entire confession. A scuffle ensues, and the tribunal waits on baited breath to find out what has happened aboard the shuttle.

* Apollo reveals that Baltar was the hero of the day, clubbing Karibdis and allowing Apollo to disarm him. Baltar had realized Karibdis was willing to kill him in order to keep his secret, but a twinge of regret is evident for having had to play the hero.

* Starbuck is acquitted, and upon entering the Triad court is welcomed by an ovation from the crowd.

== Questions ==
* [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] warns [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] he has so many enemies on the prison barge waiting for his arrival he'll be dead before he gets to his cell. How is it Baltar, a willing accomplice in the [[Battle of Cimtar|holocaust]], manages to stay alive?

* If [[shuttle]]s have such accurate cargo weight indicators, how were [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] and [[Muffit]] able to stow away in the [[snowram]] on the mission to [[Arcta]] ([[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I]])?

== Analysis ==


Another episode which took place aboard the fleet, which were common at this point in the season. This time we are treated to a murder mystery, with a trail that ultimately leads back to the destruction of the Colonies.

Reasonably tightly written, Murder on the Rising Star features strong character actors such as [[Brock Peters]] and [[Frank Ashmore]] who would both go on to other science fiction roles.

A few details of the Galactica universe are filled in as a part of this storyline. We learn about the justice system, and how the courts are still functioning on the Fleet. We also learn that there was a system of bribery used to get certain individuals passage off of Caprica after the Cylon attack, something which was hinted at with regard to [[Sire Uri]] in [[Saga of a Star World]].

The back and forth between the characters, and the incriminating circumstances that lead to Starbuck's murder charge are believable, and a credible tension is created.

Providing a window to life on Caprica again was a solid dramatic device, and was of course developed to much fuller effect in the reimagined series and the new Caprica tv series which is in development as of the fall of 2006.

== Notes ==
* Very broadly based on an unshot script by Michael Sloan titled "Fire in Space." According to Jim Carlson and Terry McDonnell, they never saw the original but since Sloan had written a script with a murder, he received story credit.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

''Adama recording in his personal log''<br>
<b>Adama:</b> And are the inhabitants of Earth far in advance of us at this point of their development, or merely primitive animals fallen from a greater time? I feel we will soon know. <br>

''Starbuck arguing with Ortega in front of Cassiopeia''<br>
<b>Ortega:</b> All right, Starbuck. We'll finish this another time - when your woman is not around!<br>

== Guest Stars ==

*[[imdb:nm0676349|Brock Peters]] as [[Solon]]
*[[imdb:nm0833688|W. K. Stratton]] as [[Barton]]
*[[imdb:nm0290843|Ben Frank]] as [[Chella]]/[[Riftis]]
*[[imdb:nm0911700|Lyman Ward]] as [[Pallon]]/[[Karibdis]]
*[[imdb:nm0039149|Frank Ashmore]] as [[Ortega]]
*[[imdb:nm0000893|John Dullaghan]] as [[Wilker|Dr. Wilker]]
*[[imdb:nm0533171|Jeff MacKay]] as [[Komma|Corporal Komma]]
*[[imdb:nm0018646|Newell Alexander]] as [[Elias]]
*[[imdb:nm0662243|Ted Parker]] as [[Zed]]
*[[imdb:nm0829986|Patricia Stich]] as [[Zara]]
*[[imdb:nm0634810|Ted Noose]] as [[Officiator]]
*[[imdb:nm0496158|Paul Leclair]] as Guard

{{Episode List (TOS)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:TOS]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Donald Bellisario]]
[[Category:Episodes written by James Carlson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Terrence McDonnell]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Michael Sloan]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Rod Holcomb]]

User:Brian Kurtz

2006-10-19T12:01:40Z

Brian Kurtz: /* To Do */

Hi. My name is Brian. Not a particularly clever name for a Wiki user, I grant you. Blame my mother. It's all her fault. I accept no responsibility. Don't have a whole heckuva lot to say other than I'm a dedicated fan of Battlestar Galactica. Of the two series (I don't even count [[Galactica 1980]] *shudder*), the [[Original Series]] will always be my favorite.

==My Quicklinks==
* [[Battlestar Wiki:Original Series Article Development Project]]

==To Do==
* Quotes for [[Murder on the Rising Star]]
* <s>Check subtitles from [[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II]] for a reference to Barkol.</s>

==Articles I've created==
''COMING SOON''

==Articles I've improved==
===Minor edits===
*[[Seetol]]

==Other Wikis I belong to==
*[http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]
*[http://www.dcdatabaseproject.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page DC Database Project]
*[http://www.marveldatabase.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Marvel Database Project]
*[http://darkshadows.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Shadows_Wiki CollinWiki]
*[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wookiepedia]

----

::--Cheers
::--[[User:Brian Kurtz|Brian Kurtz]] 15:18, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

Litmus

2006-10-19T11:58:19Z

Brian Kurtz:

{{Episode Data
| image =Litmus3.jpg
| title=Litmus
| series=
| season=1
| episode=6
| guests=
| writer=[[Jeff Vlaming]]
| story=
| director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| production=106
| rating=
| US airdate=2005-02-11
| UK airdate=2004-11-22
| dvd= {{Season 1 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 1 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=
| prev=[[You Can't Go Home Again]]
| next=[[Six Degrees of Separation]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''When [[Aaron Doral]] turns up on ''[[Galactica]]'' and detonates a device made from the ship's own munitions, [[William Adama|Adama]] orders a full investigation - and [[Galen Tyrol]]'s relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] becomes the focus of the investigation.''

== Summary ==

* A group of civilians board ''[[Galactica]]''. As they make their way through the ship, one of them slips away to make his way through the ship on his own.
* Elsewhere, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] secretly meets with [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] after their relationship had been forbidden by [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] ([[You Can’t Go Home Again]]) – they meet in the inspection space above the refurbished water tanks.
* The visitor to ''Galactica'' is seen and recognised by Tigh, who calls security. At the same time, he is seen and challenged by Commander [[William Adama|Adama]].
* Turning to face them, the visitor turns to reveal himself as a copy of [[Aaron Doral]] – suspected Cylon ([[Miniseries]]) – who has a bomb strapped to his chest, which he detonates – almost killing Adama and Tigh.
* With three people killed in the blast, Adama orders an investigation into how Doral got aboard and accessed ''Galactica’s'' munitions store, and places his [[Master-at-Arms]], Sergeant [[Hadrian]], in charge of what becomes a public inquiry.
* Interviewing [[hangar deck]] personnel, including [[Cally]] and [[Socinus]], Sergeant [[Hadrian]] latches on to the fact that she is given three different locations for Tyrol’s whereabouts during the time when Doral came aboard the ship, as the time coincides with the time Tyrol was meeting Boomer.
* At the same time, [[Laura Roslin]] holds a press conference, revealing the truth about [[Cylon agent]]s and releasing pictures of Doral and [[Leoben Conoy]]. The news is greeted with a stunned reaction throughout [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]].
* As a result of her investigations, Hadrian brings both Boomer and Tyrol before the board of inquiry for questioning.
* Boomer is questioned first – specifically about her relationship with Tyrol, which she claims has stopped on the orders of the [[XO]].
* Hadrian then focuses on Tyrol and his whereabouts at the time of the bombing, and Boomer claims she has no idea.
* Putting Tyrol on the stand, Hadrian focuses her questions around a hatchway that was left open – a hatchway he should have ensured was closed, and which lead directly to the small arms locker where the explosives had been stolen, and to which he had the access code.
* In response, Tyrol points out that several people have the access code to the locker – including Hadrian herself, who is also responsible for internal security aboard the ship.
* Hadrian challenges Tyrol as to whether Boomer may have left the hatch open. Remembering their meeting, in which she stated she had used the hatchway to avoid being seen on her way to him, Tyrol lies and states he has no idea.
* He is then challenged to explain why his claim to have been in his bunk at the time of the bombing is disputed by three of his own crew, who put him in different places, doing different things at the time Doral was aboard.
* When Hadrian accuses him of being a Cylon collaborator, Tyrol refuses to answer, citing his right to not self-incriminate himself under the [[Articles_of_Colonization|23rd Article of Colonization]].
* Specialist Socinus is next on the stand, and when he realizes his original statement has landed Tyrol in trouble, he changes his story: he actually left his post and went to the galley for food, using the companionway and hatch in question to get there.
* When challenged about the hatch, he admits he was the one who left it open, thus accidentally providing the Cylon with the means to get to the explosives.
* Hadrian still tries to involve Tyrol, demanding to know if he ordered Socinus to leave the hatch open. Socinus won’t be moved: he left the hatch open .
* In sickbay, [[Gaius Baltar]] visits [[Kara Thrace]], hoping to rekindle the attraction of their first card game (“[[Water]]”). She, however, is not in the mood. To get rid of him, she asks him about the bombing and whether he felt the Cylon was after his [[Cylon detector|super secret project]], which is located close to where the bomb went off.
* This scares Baltar to the point where he leaves Thrace alone, demanding to know from [[Number Six|Six]] as to why the Cylons are trying to kill him when he’s following her orders.
* Six points out the Cylon were probably after the detector – and that anyway, the Cylons don’t know about her and Baltar.
* With Socinus apparently the guilty party, Adama discusses the outcome of the inquiry with Roslin – when he is called before the board himself, where Hadrian comes close to building a picture of conspiracy rising all the way to Adama.
* Realizing things are out of hand, Adama calls a halt to things, confining Hadrian to her quarters and disbanding the board of inquiry.
* Roslin holds a second conference, issuing Socinus’ name and stating he has been removed from duty and placed in the brig for dereliction of duty.
* Hearing this, Tyrol goes to Adama to try and secure Socinus’ release. Instead, he is confronted by the truth: as a result of his unauthorized tryst with Boomer, he has created a poor example of leadership and can’t actually say where Socinus was or what he was doing. Socinus will remain in the brig.
* As a result, Tyrol meets with Boomer and ends their relationship. He then asks her if she left the suspect hatchway open the last time they met. She refuses to answer.

===On Caprica===
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] sets out to find his missing [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]].
* As a result of his decision, [[Number Six|Six]] gives Valerii a vicious beating to feign a fight with Cylons once he “finds” her.
* Helo later discovers a lone [[Cylon Centurion]] dragging a bound and apparently unconscious Valerii, whom he rescues.

== Questions ==
*Was Baltar's lab really Doral's intended target? The is no clear evidence of this - only a comment passed by Starbuck and seized upon by Six
*If Baltar's lab wasn't the target, where was Doral heading? [[CIC]]?
*Why did Hadrian fixate on the Tyrol / Boomer relationship? This line of questioning was distinct from her attempts to expose Tyrol as a "Cylon conspirator"
*Will the "outing" of Doral and Conoy really make Cylon activities within the Fleet that much more difficult? What of Six? Will it mean we'll see other models swing into action? ([[Flesh and Bone|Things do become tougher for Cylon operatives]])
*Why is the concept of love so important to the Cylons?
**Cylons believe that "God is love".

== Analysis ==
*According to [[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], "Litmus" is a "cost saving episode", a pattern which happens several times on genre shows: the season premiere ([[33]]) is intentionally given a larger share of the special effects budget to try to attract new fans, but to balance this out an episode later in the season must involve little or no new special effects or new sets. Often these episodes are "filler", but "Litmus" strongly contributes to the ongoing storylines in the series and seems to have avoided these potential problems.
*This episode features the minor characters on the deck crew to a large degree, giving them scenes with actual substance. Their reactions show how the common people in the fleet are affected by the decisions of people at the "top", Roslin and Adama. Rather than being "redshirts" who do not appear again, these characters will continue to reappear throughout the season, demonstrating how the series features a large ensemble cast, and given time even many tertiary characters become fully fleshed out.

== Notes ==

*Some 24 hours have passed since the events of "[[You Can’t Go Home Again]]".
*There was at least one additional Doral in the Fleet.
*Underground activities are beginning to take place on ''Galactica'' – as shown by the creation of the still.
*Baltar’s Six claims not to be in contact with other Cylons in the fleet, but it is far from clear as to whether she is speaking the truth.
*Adama’s father was a civil liberties lawyer on Caprica.
*Adama has a hobby: constructing large models of sailing vessels.
*Baltar is now actively working on his [[Cylon detector]].
*Civilians routinely pass through ''Galactica''.
*Cultural oddity: when Adama sets down his glasses, a volume of the ''Reader's Digest Condensed Books'' series is clearly identifiable, including the ''Reader's Digest'' logo.
*Number Six intimidates Baltar with the line, "Don't make me angry, Gaius. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." This is a possible play on the classic Bill Bixby line from the pilot episode of the ''Incredible Hulk''. The line is partially repeated in flashback in [[Six Degrees of Separation]]).

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Adama, to Sergeant Hadrian and her Board of Inquiry:''
:'''Adama''': You’ve lost your way, Sergeant. You’ve lost sight of the purpose of the law: to protect its citizens, not persecute them. Whatever we are, whatever’s left of us – we’re better than that. Now these proceedings are closed. You’ll be transported back to your ships and we appreciate your help.<br>
:'''Board Chair''': This is an independent board. You have no power to close our inquiries.<br>
:'''Adama''': This is a witch-hunt. I will not have it aboard my ship.

*''Adama to Tyrol, after Socinus has been incarcerated:''
:'''Adama''': What I can’t do is I can’t let someone who wears this uniform get up on the witness stand and lie under oath. And that’s what your man did. He either lied the first time or he lied the second time. And it doesn’t matter. He’s guilty, and he’ll pay the price. You? You’ll pay a different price. You’ll have to walk out on that hangar every day knowing that one of your men is in the brig because you couldn’t keep your fly zipped. You are the most experienced non-commissioned officer we have left. You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly.

== Official Statements ==

* ''"Major question: it looks like discipline hasn't really improved on the ship in the first few episodes. In some ways, it's getting worse. Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] didn't help matters at all in "Litmus" when he essentially declared himself to be above the law. "''

:Security and discipline are definitely problems on ''[[Galactica]]'' and they're not going away. The ship was far from the best of the best at the time of its retirement and the people on board weren't either. The discipline was lax and many procedures had been allowed to fall by the wayside. Now, this ship and its crew are forced to operate far above what they considered to be the norm and it's not an easy transition for any of them.

:This was a deliberate creative choice. It's one thing for the finest ship, with the finest crew to deal with the end of the world and a long flight from a relentless enemy, it's quite another when you were just a bunch of people trying to get by. I find it a more challenging and interesting environment to tell stories in and I find these people more heroic in their actions just by the nature of the obstacles they have to overcome in their day to day existence. {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Crewman Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Jill Teed]] as Sergeant [[Hadrian]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*[[Alonso Oyarzun]] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog: Constanza]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[imdb:nm1631188|Nimet Kanji]] as [[Candace Myson]]
*[[imdb:nm1775193|Christina Schild]] as [[Playa Palacios]]
*[[Biski Gugushe]] as [[Sekou Hamilton]]
*[[imdb:nm1152963|Raahul Singh]] as [[Kimmit]]
*[[imdb:nm0535254|Shaw Madson]] as Marine Corporal
*[[imdb:nm0152113|Morris Chapdelaine]] as Reporter #2

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/106/ "Litmus"] at scifi.com

{{episode list (RDM season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Jeff Vlaming]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Rod Hardy]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[es:Bajo la Mira]]

Talk:Barkol/Archive 1

2006-10-19T01:28:26Z

Brian Kurtz:

I've watched the Gun on Ice Planet Zero, and I suspect that Lucifer said "debackle" instead of "Barkol"... Anyone confirm or deny this? -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]]</sup> 20:29, 21 September 2006 (CDT)
:Aaah. Well, that would make sense. I'll try to remember to take another listen. If that's the case then we could just wipe this sad little page out. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 14:25, 5 October 2006 (CDT)

::I just played the DVD with the subtitles on. Lucifer '''definately''' says the word, "debacle", though with the British accent, I can see how it sounds like he's saying Barkol.
::--[[User:Brian Kurtz|Brian Kurtz]] 20:28, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

User:Brian Kurtz

2006-10-18T21:52:06Z

Brian Kurtz:

Hi. My name is Brian. Not a particularly clever name for a Wiki user, I grant you. Blame my mother. It's all her fault. I accept no responsibility. Don't have a whole heckuva lot to say other than I'm a dedicated fan of Battlestar Galactica. Of the two series (I don't even count [[Galactica 1980]] *shudder*), the [[Original Series]] will always be my favorite.

==My Quicklinks==
* [[Battlestar Wiki:Original Series Article Development Project]]

==To Do==
* Quotes for [[Murder on the Rising Star]]
* Check subtitles from [[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II]] for a reference to [[Barkol]].

==Articles I've created==
''COMING SOON''

==Articles I've improved==
===Minor edits===
*[[Seetol]]

==Other Wikis I belong to==
*[http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]
*[http://www.dcdatabaseproject.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page DC Database Project]
*[http://www.marveldatabase.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Marvel Database Project]
*[http://darkshadows.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Shadows_Wiki CollinWiki]
*[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wookiepedia]

----

::--Cheers
::--[[User:Brian Kurtz|Brian Kurtz]] 15:18, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad

2006-10-18T21:20:34Z

Brian Kurtz: /* Footnote Templates */ spelling

{{project|Citation Jihad|image=BSG WIKI Citation Jihad.png|shortcut=BW:CITE<br/>BW:CJ<br/>BW:Jihad}}

[[Wikipedia:Jihad|Jihad]] is an arabic word meaning "to exert utmost effort, to strive, to struggle." Battlestar Wiki strives to be a comprehensive and accurate source of [[canon]]ical information. Because of the nature of a wiki where anyone may contribute, it is vital that sources be cited and facts checked. This project page is intended to serve as the hub of these operations.
<div style="clear: both;"></div>
{{Battlestar Wiki List of Policies}}

__TOC__

== Preamble ==

Battlestar Wiki's primary goals do not include discerning which unofficial sources have valid information. Our primary goal is to report valid information in an encyclopedic medium. Due to this, we will not be citing rumors from any sources other than official channels (SCI-FI Channel, [[Ronald D. Moore]], and current cast and crew). Any information from sources other than those in the list will be immediately removed from the wiki; actions which lead to the repeated reintroduction of said unofficial and unverifiable material will be dealt accordingly by an on-duty administrator.

==Acceptable Sources==
In ''roughly'' descending order of reliability:
#On-screen evidence
#*[http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/battlestar/ TWIZ TV] is a good source for episode transcripts
#*DVDs (subtitles, visual evidence, and behind-the-scenes material)
#Official comments from the producers:
#*[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/ Episode podcasts]
#**Podcast transcripts are being coordinated at [[Battlestar Wiki:Podcast Transcripts]].
#**{{tlp|podcastref|''id''|''time''}} -- Used for inline citing
#*DVD commentaries
#*[http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/ Ronald D. Moore's blog]
#*[http://scifi.com/battlestar/bts/videoblog/ David Eick's video blog]
#Other statements from producers, cast, and crew
#*Interviews
#*Cast and crewmember websites
#*''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]''
#The SciFi channel and SkyOne websites

This list is an important guideline, but its order is not to be slavishly obeyed. If David Eick mentions offhand that ''Galactica'' is four inches long, but a reliable source from [[Zoic]] gives scaling information used in the visual effects sequences, deference should be given to Zoic's field of expertise. (This would also fall under the guideline of placing on-screen evidence before producer's commentary). Obvious gaffes and bloopers should also be ignored.

Where later comments contradict earlier ones, defer to the most recent statement and make a note at [[Continuity errors (RDM)]]. An example of this is the size of the fleet, increased from 40 ships in the miniseries to 75 in the series. If the issue is not decisively settled, make a note at the bottom of the page (see [[Olympic Carrier#Notes]] for an example).

'''List of sites that are not good sources'''
*'''Battlestar Wiki itself''' – This is important. If you read information here that you have not verified yourself, do not trust it.
*[http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia] – Where Wikipedia cites its own sources, it can be a useful guide. However, uncited assertions should not be trusted.
*[http://www.imdb.com/ IMDB] – IMDB has not demonstrated a rigorous standard of fact-checking.
*Fan sites such as [http://www.tecr.com/galactica/index.html Battlestar Galactica Tech Manual], [http://www3.telus.net/public/akamyot/chistory.htm Colonial History], [http://www.galacticastation.com/ Galactica Station], [http://www.tv.com TV.com] where they do not themselves cite sources.
*Anonymous sources, including those that cite an anonymous source. The validity of these sources cannot be verified without bias.

==Our Weapons==

===Derived Content===

Battlestar Wiki is an encyclopedia on works of fiction. As with all fiction, the characters, technology, events and other items in ''Battlestar Galactica'' are never fully explained or defined. Because of this, contributors are allowed to add material that helps in adding intriguing interpretation and explanation into an article's content, provided that the addition is based on logical or actual events, characters, and objects from official sources. We call this ''derived content''. There are two forms contributors can use as appropriate: '''plausible speculation''' and '''logical deduction'''.

The ''plausible speculation'' method best works in filling the gaps of data on character motivation or plot direction based on the behaviors or motives expressed by any and all characters as appropriate. When done correctly, plausible speculations add "color" and insight to the article, as well as defining the article's content for readers who may not have realized a significance to the subject matter presented in the article.

Plausible speculation occurs when official sources on the subject are sparse, but substantially important events and results occur in the official sources that logical possibilities can be generated. Plausible speculations are ''highly'' fluid and subject to extreme editing as new official information occurs. Again, '''plausible explanations lend themselves best to character behaviors and motivations.'''

One significant example of an article that uses a great deal of plausible speculation is the article on [[Cylon agent speculation]] and [[Case Orange]]. For contributors of [[Original Series]] content, plausible speculation is all that can be drawn upon on since the Original Series and its [[Galactica 1980|spinoff]] have long ceased production, and there are very few official resources to consult or research.

The second method is ''logical deduction''. The logical deduction approach differs from plausible speculation in that much more information is available from official content and sources to derive strongly supported article content, despite the fact that the subject matter ''per se'' may not be discussed in any one source, but over a series of sources. '''Logical deductions usually lend themselves best to explanations of technology, terminology or procedure, with technology that has been illustrated, although not fully explained.'''

The articles on [[Computers]], [[Galactica (RDM)]], [[FTL]], [[DRADIS]] and [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]] are good examples where logical deduction from sources gives greater insight and detail on a topic from the analysis of screenshots of displays, dialogue, scientific principles, and the like.

'''Remember:''' Using either plausible speculation or logical deduction methods require all contributors to cite credible official sources that support their speculation or deduction. Be sure to use footnote templates or the Sources namespace (see later sections) to add in the references that support your hypotheses.

It is also very important to note the subtle differences between logical or plausible interpretation of observed concepts and events of the show, and '''generating''' ideas of what you or other fans of the show ''believe'' has happened. Don't attempt to explain away a plot hole or mistake in the show with your own created idea that hasn't an official source. This mistake is known as [[Wikipedia:Fanwanking|fanwanking]]. As a wiki that encyclopedically chronicles a work of fiction, Battlestar Wiki policy on derived content treads all too closely to the problems created in using [[Wikipedia:No_original_research|original research]], which is why official sources are critical for any derived content.

===Footnote Templates===
Battlestar Wiki supports the [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php Cite.php] script for the purpose of making footnotes where in-text citations become too cumbersome. This is the prefered way of citing sources. If you use this method, please make sure the <nowiki><references/></nowiki> tag is flanked like so: <nowiki><div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div></nowiki>. In addistion to using the [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php Cite.php] script, all citations are to be in proper format. [[:Category:Citation templates|Citation templates]] have been imported from ''Wikipedia'' to help. Please review the template pages to understand how they are used. These templates should be placed within the <nowiki><ref></nowiki> tags.

In the past, we have used <nowiki>{{ref}} and {{note}}</nowiki> (imported from Wikipedia) for this purpose. They have not been removed from the system. Please see [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cite/Cite.php Cite.php] script for examples on how to use the new tags.

We also have taken the liberty of adding {{tl|citation needed}}, a template which does double duty by adding articles needing citations to the [[:Category:Articles requiring citations|Articles requiring citations]] category as well as indicating which paragraph or sentence requires the citation.

===Sources namespace===
:''You can view all the sources here, [[:Category:Sources]].''
The Sources: namespace exists to host primary source content. See [[Sources:Correspondence with Jose Perez]] for an example.

===How to cite print sources===

Print sources, such as "Battlestar Galactica: The Official Magazine" should be cited with a full MLA style citation in the footnote and, where possible, a brief and pertinent quote. See [[Saul Tigh#References]] for an example.

==Our Missions==

===Articles needing sources===
[[:Category:Articles requiring citations]] provides a list of articles already tagged with {{tl|citation needed}}.
*[[Original Battlestar (RDM)]] - Many technical items found here without sources.
*[[Viper (TOS)]] - Unsourced dimensions of the vehicles.
*Any of the alleged [[Zoic]] battlestars not authenticated in episodes or elsewhere: Prometheus; [[Pacifica]]; [[Rycon]] (of which a battlestar ''does'' exist in TOS); Poseidon; Argo; [[Acropolis]].
*Need source on director Ahmer Lateaf from TOS episode "[[Greetings from Earth]]"; does not appear in IMDB.

===Widespread misconceptions (aka "[[Wikipedia:Fanon (fiction)|Fanon]]")===

*The RDM ''Galactica'' is not equipped with [[railgun]]s (see link for firm evidence)
*It has never been definitively stated that there are twelve [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#Belief|Lords of Kobol]].
*The Re-imagined Series of ''Battlestar Galactica'' does not necessarily take place in the "future" relative to our present on Earth. Executive producer [[Ron Moore]], as well as many of the cast and crew, consistently point out that the timeframe of the series is deliberately ambiguous, and could be set in the past, present, or future relative to Earth today.

==Members==
Show your commitment to accuracy. Join up!
*[[User:Peter Farago|Peter Farago]] 01:19, 29 September 2005 (EDT)
*[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 10:20, 29 September 2005 (EDT) (self-dubbed Lord of "It's ''Galactica'' not '''the''' ''Galactica''" Corrections)
*[[User:Day|Day]] 21:49, 30 September 2005 (EDT)
*::"Your episode citations go ''inside'' the period."
*[[User:Ricimer|Ricimer]] 13 October, 2005 (EDT) - I tape and watch the reruns like a hawk; should get all of the names from the credits this time around.
*[[User:BMS|BMS]] 17:45, 30 January 2006 (EST) I need to start citing my contribs, and I'll get right on that from here on
*[[User:Fearpi|Fearpi]] 15:50, 11 February 2006 (EST)
*[[User:CalculatinAvatar|CalculatinAvatar]] 11:21, 17 April 2006 (CDT)
* [[User:Shane|Shane]] <sup>([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]])</sup> 09:43, 27 July 2006 (CDT) - Template Updating Only
*[[User:BklynBruzer|BklynBruzer]] 12:21, 3 October 2006 (CDT)

User:Brian Kurtz

2006-10-18T20:18:26Z

Brian Kurtz:

Hi. My name is Brian. Not a particularly clever name for a Wiki user, I grant you. Blame my mother. It's all her fault. I accept no responsibility. Don't have a whole heckuva lot to say other than I'm a dedicated fan of Battlestar Galactica. Of the two series (I don't even count [[Galactica 1980]] *shudder*), the [[Original Series]] will always be my favorite.

==My Quicklinks==
''COMING SOON''

==To Do==
''COMING SOON''

==Articles I've created==
''COMING SOON''

==Articles I've improved==
===Minor edits===
*[[Seetol]]

==Other Wikis I belong to==
*[http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]
*[http://www.dcdatabaseproject.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page DC Database Project]
*[http://www.marveldatabase.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Marvel Database Project]
*[http://darkshadows.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Shadows_Wiki CollinWiki]
*[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Wookiepedia]

----

::--Cheers
::--[[User:Brian Kurtz|Brian Kurtz]] 15:18, 18 October 2006 (CDT)

Seetol

2006-10-18T20:06:35Z

Brian Kurtz: Added Category: Ovions

{{Character Data
| title=Seetol
| photo=Seetol.jpg
| age=
| colony=
| birthname=
| callsign=
| nickname=
| seen=Saga of a Star World
| pseen=
| death=Likely dies on [[Carillon]] as it explodes
| parents=
| siblings=
| children=
| marital status=
| role=Aide to [[Ovion]] queen [[Lotay]]
| rank=
| actor=[[imdb:nm0319831|Sandra Lee Gimpel]]
| cylon=
| mcylon=
| name=
}}
'''Seetol''' is the [[Ovion]] aide to the Ovion's Queen, [[Lotay]].

Seetol always seems to do the work behind the scenes of the façade [[chancery]] on planet [[Carillon]], including meeting with a [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Cylon Centurion]] to inform the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]] of the situation with the Colonials on-planet ([[Saga of a Star World]]).

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:Ovions]]
[[Category:TOS]]