Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Naturalistic science fiction

2011-11-26T15:15:27Z

Cylon Mega Man: /* Technology */

{{RDM science series}}

'''"Naturalistic science fiction"''' ('''NSF''') is a term created by the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'']] co-creator [[Ronald D. Moore]] to describe that show's esthetic. NSF is meant to be a realistic take on the SF genre, with its roots in drama rather than adventure tales. It eschews science-fiction staples such as one-dimensional characterizations, clear-cut conceptions of good and evil, so-called "[[technobabble]]" (technical-sounding terms that have mostly been made up), and "[[Wikipedia:deus ex machina|deus ex machina]]" approaches (in which a seemingly intractable problem in the plot is solved using a previously-unknown technical capability). In the case of episodic drama like the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'', there is also more of an effort at continuity - the events in one episode have visible effects in subsequent episodes, unlike other science-fiction shows in which episodes are more stand-alone. Naturalistic SF combines elements of [[Wikipedia:Soft science fiction|"soft" science fiction]] (where characterization is of prime importance) and [[Wikipedia:Hard science fiction|"hard" science fiction]] (where plausible technical accuracy is preferred). Fundamentally, it is a drama with sci-fi elements.

== Ron Moore's Essay on NSF ==
{{:Sources:RDM's essay on Naturalistic Science Fiction}}

== Analysis of NSF Principles in the Show==
===Characters===
For the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|new ''Battlestar Galactica'' series]], naturalistic science fiction means that characters are more three-dimensional, complete with flaws, neuroses, and even addictions. There is an attempt to stay away from stereotypical archetypes in science fiction or adventure stories such as the "smoking chauvinist," "loyal soldier," "heroic lead," "spiritual commander," ''Spock-type alien'', or "whiz-kid genius."

The characters change over time, showing different facets of their personalities: President [[Laura Roslin]] begins the first season cautious and rule bound; by the second season she has ordered that a high-ranking military member be assassinated ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]) and attempts to steal an election ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). The [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]]s, who in the beginning are out simply to destroy humanity, later have a change of heart, feeling guilty about the destruction they have brought about, and decide simply to enslave them ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

As a general rule, the characters of ''Battlestar Galactica'' are not carbon copies of character archetypes found in other TV science fiction. For example, instead of the "lovable, irascible doctor" like Dr. McCoy on ''Star Trek'', Major [[Sherman Cottle|Cottle]] is arrogant and rude to his patients.

====Counterpoints and aired contradiction====
Some characters in ''Battlestar Galactica'' do act like cliched sci-fi characters, though. Starbuck, as the rude and cocky pilot, fills a well-known archetype, similar to [[Wikipedia:Han Solo|Han Solo]] of ''[[Wikipedia:Star Wars|Star Wars]]''. Still, there are more facets to her personality than that: from the beginning she is plagued with guilt about her role in the death of [[Zak Adama]], and later her flying skills are perceived to have atrophied as a result of alcoholism and apathy (although Solo is also flawed with sheer recklessness, a passion for gambling, and distrust). Other characters occasionally fill in stereotypical sci-fi character staples; for example, Adama is reminiscent of the general gruff military officer staple, and the Cylons are (albeit superficially) similar to other fictional robot races, such as the machines from ''[[Wikipedia:The Terminator|Terminator]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The Matrix|The Matrix]]'', which are also machines that rebel against their human creators and take on human form.

===Technology===
'''Technology''' is far enough advanced for star travel to be possible (see: [[FTL]] travel) and plausible, yet every other aspect of Colonial technology is humbly realistic. Instead of using technology such as [[Wikipedia:Star Trek|''Star Trek'']]'s transporters, people need to be physically shuttled between ships on smaller craft like [[Raptor]]s. Fanciful ship defenses, such as photon torpedoes, shields and cloaking technology do not exist. Ships instead rely on point defense batteries, hull plating and stellar anomalies to foil enemy DRADIS and defeat their enemies.

Energy weapons such as ''Star Trek'''s phasers and photon torpedoes are replaced with ordinary projectile weapons and Earthly mass-destruction ordnance: guns, bullets and nuclear bombs. Other SF "[[Wikipedia:deus ex machina|deus ex machina]]"-style comparatively fanciful technologies are avoided entirely or replaced with technology more in line with what's seen in modern life on Earth today. When the [[the Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] runs out of water, ''Galactica'' is forced to search for a planetary body that has water ([[Water]]). Technology looks familiar to the viewer, from the phones to computer screens to the bathrooms.

Much like [[Aaron Doral]] notes in the opening of the [[Miniseries]], form follows function when it comes to the ship designs. ''Galactica'' is designed as a battle cruiser / aircraft carrier in space; the hull is lined with armor plating, strengthened by [[Frame|structural ribbing]] and insulated from external explosions by internal structures such as water tanks ([[Water]]). The command center of the ship, the [[CIC]], is buried deep within the ship and protected from any attacks, unlike ''Star Trek'' Federation starships, whose bridges are openly exposed at the top-center of the ship on most classes, as few are technically designated for war. Also unlike ''Star Trek'', in which starships could be involved in battles and suffer near crippling damage, only to appear pristine in the next episode, ''Galactica'''s damage remains consistent throughout the series. She starts out with no battle damage, and is suffering from hull breaches and burn marks by the end.

Many Colonial civilian ships are spaceborne variations of ships you may see in the air or at sea in the real-world Earth. ''[[Colonial One]]'' is designed to be a [[Luxury liner|jetliner in space]] and is set up similar to a real world passenger airliner with rows of seats separated into various classes down the fuselage, cramped airplane bathrooms, windows with pull down shades, cargo bays in the ship's underbelly and private cabins for VIPs.

====Counterpoints and Aired Contradiction====
A seemingly large violation of this rule is Laura Roslin's sudden cancer cure in "[[Epiphanies]]", and tied in with that, the ability of Cylons and humans to conceive children such as [[Hera Agathon|Hera]], given the unlikely blend of Cylon physiology to human physiology and the Cylons' continued use of [[silica pathways]] in humanoid Cylons (this is illustrated on copies of [[Aaron Doral]] and [[Leoben Conoy]] at [[Ragnar Anchorage]]). The "naturalistic science fiction" concept clearly applies more to Colonial technology than to Cylon technology, which is much more advanced.

===No "Deus Ex Machina" Concepts===
Characters like [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] are annoyed by endless [[technobabble]]. Complex procedures needed to further the plot are often explained in context to the episode in simple and down-to-earth terms, if they're ever explained at all.

When technology is mentioned, it is typically analogous to something found on the real-world Earth. Terms such as "[[stims]]", "[[morpha]]", "[[DRADIS]]" and "[[wireless]]" have somewhat-familiar real-world counterparts.

''Galactica'' and its Fleet have to be creative with the very limited resources in the Fleet. They cannot barter with other civilizations (as there aren't any) or make parts with "replication technology." They have a limited supply of everything: [[Viper (RDM)|fighters]], ammunition, food, water, and people. Specialized crew members, such as [[List of Pilots|pilots]] and [[Cottle|doctors]], are in even shorter supply. In ''Battlestar Galactica''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s world, they don't have a home-base or a parent government: What they are and what they have is literally visible in every episode--and everything is wearing or running out. This is can be seen in the deteriorating conditions of ''Galactica'''s Vipers, which began the [[Miniseries]] in pristine condition, but, through extended use, all now have significant battle damage, burns, scars, scrapes and dents; several have been damaged beyond repair ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

====Counterpoints and Aired Contradiction====
Again, Roslin's cancer cure by [[Gaius Baltar]] suggests a sudden and undesirable use of the deus ex machina tactic to further a plot line (the survival of the child later known as [[Hera Agathon|Hera]]). Also, [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] is often involved in unlikely scenarios that further the Cylon aspect of her character, the discovery of water and tylium just a few examples of this phenomenon.

===Space is big...and lonely===
There are no "planet-of-the-week" episodes. The Fleet does not encounter a new planet or culture every week as is typically done in episodes of ''Star Trek'' and ''Stargate'' (or to a certain extent the 1978 Original Series). The universe remains so big as to appear almost empty, with the odds of meeting other intelligent beings (excluding, perhaps, remnants of the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]]) practically nil. Many ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' episodes primarily focus on internal Fleet survival issues ("[[Water]]", "[[Bastille Day]]", and "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]").

Humanoid or other intelligent life (save that of the Fleet's nemesis, the human-created [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]) does not exist, as almost all of the encountered planets will be mostly uninhabitable and lifeless.

The characters do speak of [[Life Forms of the Twelve Colonies|animals from the now Cylon-occupied Colonies]], and they share most of the names we use in the real-world Earth: for example chickens, dogs, cattle, and cats existed on their worlds. [[Socinus]] notes while on [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] that he is able to listen to the birds in the trees for the first time since the Cylon attack ([[Scattered]]). A dog, [[Jake (New Caprica)|Jake]] is seen on [[New Caprica]] in "[[Occupation]]"; it presumably came with passengers on the Fleet.

====Counterpoints and Aired Contradiction====
Whether intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe, and whether it is in fact common, has long been a controversial issue, and a matter of speculation. At the moment, there is no way to know whether the "naturalistic science fiction" approach to exterrestrial life is in fact the accurate one.

===Storytelling and music===
[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|''Battlestar Galactica'']] avoids the thematic elements found in ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek|Star Trek]]''. The series has a [[Wikipedia:Documentary film|documentary-style, ''cinema verite'']] visual feel and tribal music that stands in contrast to the more standard orchestral overtures used in ''Star Trek'', ''Star Wars'', and the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original]] ''Battlestar Galactica''.

====Counterpoints and Aired Contradiction====
Arguably, several ceremonies conducted on the show were appropriate times for traditional Western martial overtures or marches ([[Miniseries]], "[[Act of Contrition]]", "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]"), and they could have been used based on the parallels between the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] and modern armed forces; given this, their exclusion may be a loss of authenticity for some.

== External Links ==
*[[Wikipedia:Hard science fiction|Hard Science Fiction]]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20070208103915/http://www.galactica2003.net/articles/concept.shtml Ron Moore's essay] on naturalistic science fiction as it related to ''Battlestar Galactica''.

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Hollywood Buzzwords]]

[[de:Naturalistische Science Fiction]]

Act of Contrition

2011-11-26T14:28:31Z

Cylon Mega Man: /* Notes */

{{Episode Data
| image =bsg-1-04.jpg
| title=Act of Contrition
| series=
| season=1
| episode=4
| guests=
| writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] <br/> [[David Weddle]]
| story=
| director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| production=104
| rating= 2.5
| US airdate=2005-01-28
| CAN airdate=2005-02-05
| UK airdate=2004-11-08
| dvd= {{Season 1 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 1 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 47958
| oldpopulation= 47958
| prev=[[Bastille Day]]
| next=[[You Can't Go Home Again]]
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| amazon=y
}}

== Overview ==

:''When several [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots are killed in a freak accident, [[William Adama|Adama]] turns to [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] for help - but her involvement in the aftermath of the accident and in training new pilots causes the truth surrounding [[Zak Adama]]'s death to finally surface.''

== Summary ==

=== On ''Galactica'' ===
* It is [[Dwight Saunders|Dwight “Flat Top” Saunders']] 1,000th deck landing, which brings ''Galactica''’s pilots down to the [[hangar deck]] to celebrate.
* As the celebrations continue, a [[communication drone]] stowed on the hangar deck breaks loose from its restraints, falling to the deck and igniting its motor. The drone flies across the hangar, smashing into the celebrating pilots where it explodes, killing Flat Top and twelve others and putting seven more in [[sickbay]].
* As the surviving pilots prepare for the [[services for the dead]], [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] has flashbacks to her first meeting with [[William Adama]], following the death of his son, [[Zak Adama|Zak]].
* During the memorial service itself, she, [[Lee Adama]] and Bill Adama all have flashbacks – to Zak Adama’s funeral and (in Thrace's case) to her telling Zak he has qualified as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot.
* Following the service, Commander Adama asks Thrace to oversee the training of any new pilots they can find in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]].
* Thrace is initially hesitant, and the Commander guesses the cause is Zak's accident. He reassures her that his son’s death was not her fault – which causes Thrace to remember her admission to Lee Adama: that she passed Zak Adama through his basic training when he had in fact failed ([[Miniseries]]).
* She reluctantly accepts the duty, but memories of Zak Adama continue to haunt her as she plays cards with [[Gaius Baltar]], oblivious to a conversation that takes place between [[Crashdown]] and [[Felix Gaeta]] concerning Baltar’s [[Cylon detector]] – a conversation that leaves [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] very uncomfortable.
* Elsewhere on ''Galactica'', President [[Laura Roslin]] is examined by the ship’s medical officer, Doctor [[Cottle]]. His diagnosis is not good: her cancer is inoperable. Roslin decides that she wants to try alternative therapy using [[Chamalla]] extract – something with entirely unproven effectiveness.
* Later, Thrace meets her first batch of recruits. They are all pilots – but none have ever flown a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]. With [[Computers#Colonial Fleet Computers|no simulators]] aboard ''Galactica'', the newbies – [[nugget]]s – are thrown straight into the cockpit of the real thing.
* Their performance during their first training flight is hardly stellar, and Thrace is uncompromisingly hard on the first batch of recruits, washing them all out.
* Captain Adama confronts her on her decision, and realizes it is caused more by guilt about Zak Adama than on the ability of the trainees. When she refuses to reinstate the trainees, he takes the matter up with Commander Adama.
* Commander Adama initially supports Thrace's decision, but a misunderstanding between him and Lee Adama causes him to meet with Thrace to discuss Zak’s death.
* When Starbuck tries to dodge the issue, Adama pins her down, and she admits the truth: Zak botched his final training flights, but she passed him because she was in love with him and they were engaged – but Zak really wasn’t the right material for flying Vipers.
* Angered and hurt, Adama orders her to reinstate the trainees and to get out of his cabin.
* Starbuck leads a handful of the trainees on a training flight, about to begin a [[Thorch weave]] maneuver lesson when [[DRADIS]] detects a group of [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]]. Starbuck orders her nuggets to return to ''Galactica'' and enters the combat zone, initially unaware that Hotdog chose to stay as her wingman.
* In the ensuing dogfight, Starbuck takes care of the Raiders (with [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog's]] aid), but her Viper is damaged after dispatching (but not destroying) the last Raider, losing first her transponder and then complete flight control.
*Hotdog's Viper is severely damaged, but he survives and awaits a [[SAR]] pickup.
*Her Viper goes into a flat spin as her Viper and the last dead Raider fall into the gravity well of a [[Red Moon|nearby moon]]. The moon's atmosphere tears the uncontrollable Viper apart, forcing her to eject.

===On [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]===
* [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] are tracking the source of the signal they previously picked up out in the woods ([[TRS]]: "[[Water]]").
* The signal leads them to a restaurant in the city, which has a radiation shelter under it, stocked with everything they need to survive — water, food, blankets — even [[anti-radiation medication]].
* Their arrival at the restaurant is observed by a copy of [[Number Six|Six]].

== Notes ==

*It is 48 hours since the prisoner uprising on ''Astral Queen''.
*Water replenishment ops are still underway.
*''Galactica'' has a remaining contingent of 40 Vipers on top of at least 5 Raptors (revealed in "[[Water]]"), but now only has 21 combat-ready pilots and a further 8 newbie "[[nugget]]s".
*Cylon Raiders have guns of an apparently similar nature to those mounted on Vipers.
*Zak Adama and Kara Thrace were engaged, and that led to her passing him for flight duty.
*Adama's relationship with Thrace is not as long-standing as the Miniseries appears to suggest: they have only served together for two years.
*Word is leaking out about Baltar's Cylon detector.
*Karl "Helo" Agathon and "Caprica" Valerii still appear to be the only "people" left alive on Caprica. Neither seem in any hurry to get off the planet. (More humans are discovered in the second season episode, "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]")."
*Small inconsistency in set dressing: The books on the shelf that covers the fallout shelter's entrance are rectangular.
*Also of note in the bookshelf scene is that the books are all from modern-day Earth; several titles and covers can be read as the bookshelf falls over, including "The Final Diagnosis" by Arthur Hailey, and another book prominently displaying the [[w:Nazi flag|Nazi swastika]], and what appears to be a photo of [[w:Adolf Hitler|Adolf Hitler]], on its cover.
*The Colonial military use what appear to be [[w:High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle|HumVees]] and [[w:Deuce and a half|Deuce-and-a-half]] trucks.
*While the Viper is burning on entry into the atmosphere, the Viper's [[w:Altimeter|altimeter]] is going in reverse, indicating altitude ''gain''.
*[[Ron D. Moore]] states on the DVD commentary that the munition activation that kills several pilots was inspired by a similar event on the [[wikipedia:1967 USS Forrestal fire|USS ''Forrestal'']] in 1967.
*Also according to the DVD commentary, the ejection sequence at the beginning of each chapter is an homage to ''[[w:The Right Stuff|The Right Stuff]]''.

== Analysis ==
*This episode emphasizes many of the [[Naturalistic science fiction|goals set at the series' creation]] to make a sci-fi series that is grounded in realism. The logistical limitations on the Fleet are readily apparent: this episode highlights how difficult it is for ''Galactica'' to train new combat-ready pilots, as there are no reserve pilots and civilians with little or no prior flying experience are all that they have to work with.
*Further, this episode shows that sometimes accidents simply happen on a battlestar: this is not a perfect, pristine in-story universe but a worn, run-down real world. The accident on the flight deck occurred not through sabotage or some sort of [[technobabble]] space anomaly, but simply because an old piece of equipment wore out.
*The realism highlighted by this episode is again apparent in the climactic scene between Starbuck and Commander Adama, in which she reveals that she was responsible for his son's death. The dramatic situation it focused on is not centered around some sci-fi concept, but the interactions between people which could have occurred on present-day Earth. If the script for this episode were ported onto another series set on a modern-day Navy aircraft carrier, there would be few if any changes to it. It is a drama script, which happens to be set in space, which was one of the goals of the series.

== Questions ==

=== Answered Questions ===

{{answered questions|season=1|series=RDM|episode=Act of Contrition}}

* Why does Major [[Sherman Cottle]] smoke, knowing full well the medical implications of cigarette smoking?

=== Unanswered Questions ===

: ''None yet.''

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Ron D. Moore]] discusses [[Cottle]]'s smoking:''
*: '''Moore:''' Because smoking is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different, kid. [...] Seriously, we're showing people doing what people really do and not all of their choices are smart ones. We smoke, we drink, we have sex with the wrong partners -- we make lots of bad choices and some of them we do knowingly and in full cognizance of the risks and consequences. Dr. Cottle obviously knows the risks associated with smoking and he elects to do it anyway — that's his choice.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/02/|title=Ron D. Moore blog entry|date=19 February 2005|accessdate=18 February 2007|last=Moore|first=Ron D.|format=|language=}}</ref>

* ''[[Bodie Olmos]] talks about his most challenging day on-set:''
*: '''Olmos:''' Interesting[ly] enough, probably the first episode I was in, "Act of Contrition". I was so excited, nervous and amazed that I was on the show. That for me was a rough day, let me tell you! I could hardly sit still and the day seemed so long. I just wanted to be good, and make sure I knew what this character was all about, which is very difficult. I think it evolves. One minute you may think he is like this but then you see that he actually believes something else. So I was definitely glad to make it through that one.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/bodie_olmos_01.htm|title=The SciFi World: Bodie Olmos interview|date=20 January 2007|accessdate=18 February 2007|last=Craddock|first=Lisa|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''In Adama's Cabin, with Thrace and Adama, discussing comments made earlier by Lee Adama:''
:'''Adama''': He said something else. That you might have been feeling guilty about something you did for Zak. What did you do for him?
:'''Thrace''': I don't know. You'd have to ask Lee.
:'''Adama''': I'm asking you.
:'''Thrace''': Well I don't kn- I, ah...I don't really know what he was talking about, so...
:'''Adama''': Don't fence with me, Kara. I love you like a daughter. I don't deserve that.
:'''Thrace''': Ummm...Zak...failed...basic flight. He wasn't a bad pilot, he just had no feel for flying...and, um, when it came to his final check ride he...busted...three of the test manoeuvres, and I should have flunked him, but I didn't. The bottom line is your...son...didn't have the chops to fly a Viper...and I killed him.
:'''Adama''': (following a flashback) You did it because you were engaged.
:'''Thrace''': (breaking down) Because I made a mistake...because I was just...I was so in love with him...and I let that get in the way of doing my job...and um, and he um, he just wanted it so much, and I...I didn't want to be the one who crushed him...
:'''Adama''': Reinstate the trainees to flight status.
:'''Thrace''': I will...but I just want you to understand...that I...
:'''Adama''': Do your job.
:'''Thrace''': Yes sir...
:'''Adama''': And walk out of this cabin...while you still can...

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Paul Campbell]] as [[Billy Keikeya]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Samuel Witwer]] as [[Alex Quartararo|Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Sherman Cottle]]
*[[Jill Teed]] as Sergeant [[Hadrian]]
*[[Tobias Mehler]] as [[Zak Adama]]
*[[Colby Johannson]] as Lt. [[Dwight Saunders|Dwight "Flat Top" Saunders]]
*[[Bill Meilen]] as Caprica Cleric
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]]
*[[Lucianna Carro]] as [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Terry Chen]] as [[Donald Perry|Donald "Chuckles" Perry]]

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

==External Links ==
{{ext-wikipedia-name|article = Contrition|name = Contrition }}

{{episode list (RDM season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Rod Hardy]]

{{quality candidate}}
{{featured article candidate previous}}

[[de:Zeichen der Reue]]
[[es:Acto de Contrición]]
[[fr:Confession]]
[[zh:忏悔之为]]

Act of Contrition

2011-11-26T14:28:01Z

Cylon Mega Man: /* Notes */

{{Episode Data
| image =bsg-1-04.jpg
| title=Act of Contrition
| series=
| season=1
| episode=4
| guests=
| writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] <br/> [[David Weddle]]
| story=
| director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| production=104
| rating= 2.5
| US airdate=2005-01-28
| CAN airdate=2005-02-05
| UK airdate=2004-11-08
| dvd= {{Season 1 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 1 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 47958
| oldpopulation= 47958
| prev=[[Bastille Day]]
| next=[[You Can't Go Home Again]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D102232151%2526id%253D102796450%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
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| itunes UK=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D102232151%2526id%253D102796450%2526s%253D143444%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
| amazon=y
}}

== Overview ==

:''When several [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots are killed in a freak accident, [[William Adama|Adama]] turns to [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] for help - but her involvement in the aftermath of the accident and in training new pilots causes the truth surrounding [[Zak Adama]]'s death to finally surface.''

== Summary ==

=== On ''Galactica'' ===
* It is [[Dwight Saunders|Dwight “Flat Top” Saunders']] 1,000th deck landing, which brings ''Galactica''’s pilots down to the [[hangar deck]] to celebrate.
* As the celebrations continue, a [[communication drone]] stowed on the hangar deck breaks loose from its restraints, falling to the deck and igniting its motor. The drone flies across the hangar, smashing into the celebrating pilots where it explodes, killing Flat Top and twelve others and putting seven more in [[sickbay]].
* As the surviving pilots prepare for the [[services for the dead]], [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] has flashbacks to her first meeting with [[William Adama]], following the death of his son, [[Zak Adama|Zak]].
* During the memorial service itself, she, [[Lee Adama]] and Bill Adama all have flashbacks – to Zak Adama’s funeral and (in Thrace's case) to her telling Zak he has qualified as a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot.
* Following the service, Commander Adama asks Thrace to oversee the training of any new pilots they can find in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]].
* Thrace is initially hesitant, and the Commander guesses the cause is Zak's accident. He reassures her that his son’s death was not her fault – which causes Thrace to remember her admission to Lee Adama: that she passed Zak Adama through his basic training when he had in fact failed ([[Miniseries]]).
* She reluctantly accepts the duty, but memories of Zak Adama continue to haunt her as she plays cards with [[Gaius Baltar]], oblivious to a conversation that takes place between [[Crashdown]] and [[Felix Gaeta]] concerning Baltar’s [[Cylon detector]] – a conversation that leaves [[Sharon Valerii|Boomer]] very uncomfortable.
* Elsewhere on ''Galactica'', President [[Laura Roslin]] is examined by the ship’s medical officer, Doctor [[Cottle]]. His diagnosis is not good: her cancer is inoperable. Roslin decides that she wants to try alternative therapy using [[Chamalla]] extract – something with entirely unproven effectiveness.
* Later, Thrace meets her first batch of recruits. They are all pilots – but none have ever flown a [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]. With [[Computers#Colonial Fleet Computers|no simulators]] aboard ''Galactica'', the newbies – [[nugget]]s – are thrown straight into the cockpit of the real thing.
* Their performance during their first training flight is hardly stellar, and Thrace is uncompromisingly hard on the first batch of recruits, washing them all out.
* Captain Adama confronts her on her decision, and realizes it is caused more by guilt about Zak Adama than on the ability of the trainees. When she refuses to reinstate the trainees, he takes the matter up with Commander Adama.
* Commander Adama initially supports Thrace's decision, but a misunderstanding between him and Lee Adama causes him to meet with Thrace to discuss Zak’s death.
* When Starbuck tries to dodge the issue, Adama pins her down, and she admits the truth: Zak botched his final training flights, but she passed him because she was in love with him and they were engaged – but Zak really wasn’t the right material for flying Vipers.
* Angered and hurt, Adama orders her to reinstate the trainees and to get out of his cabin.
* Starbuck leads a handful of the trainees on a training flight, about to begin a [[Thorch weave]] maneuver lesson when [[DRADIS]] detects a group of [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]]. Starbuck orders her nuggets to return to ''Galactica'' and enters the combat zone, initially unaware that Hotdog chose to stay as her wingman.
* In the ensuing dogfight, Starbuck takes care of the Raiders (with [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog's]] aid), but her Viper is damaged after dispatching (but not destroying) the last Raider, losing first her transponder and then complete flight control.
*Hotdog's Viper is severely damaged, but he survives and awaits a [[SAR]] pickup.
*Her Viper goes into a flat spin as her Viper and the last dead Raider fall into the gravity well of a [[Red Moon|nearby moon]]. The moon's atmosphere tears the uncontrollable Viper apart, forcing her to eject.

===On [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]===
* [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] are tracking the source of the signal they previously picked up out in the woods ([[TRS]]: "[[Water]]").
* The signal leads them to a restaurant in the city, which has a radiation shelter under it, stocked with everything they need to survive — water, food, blankets — even [[anti-radiation medication]].
* Their arrival at the restaurant is observed by a copy of [[Number Six|Six]].

== Notes ==

*It is 48 hours since the prisoner uprising on ''Astral Queen''.
*Water replenishment ops are still underway.
*''Galactica'' has a remaining contingent of 40 Vipers on top of at least 5 Raptors (revealed in "[[Water]]"), but now only has 21 combat-ready pilots and a further 8 newbie "[[nugget]]s".
*Cylon Raiders have guns of an apparently similar nature to those mounted on Vipers.
*Zak Adama and Kara Thrace were engaged, and that led to her passing him for flight duty.
*Adama's relationship with Thrace is not as long-standing as the Miniseries appears to suggest: they have only served together for two years.
*Word is leaking out about Baltar's Cylon detector.
*Karl "Helo" Agathon and "Caprica" Valerii still appear to be the only "people" left alive on Caprica. Neither seem in any hurry to get off the planet. (More humans are discovered in the second season episode, "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]")."
*Small inconsistency in set dressing: The books on the shelf that covers the fallout shelter's entrance are rectangular.
*Also of note in the bookshelf scene is that the books are all from modern-day Earth; several titles and covers can be read as the bookshelf falls over, including "The Final Diagnosis" by Arthur Hailey, and another book prominently displaying the [[w:Nazi flag|Nazi swastika]], and what appears to be a photo of [[w:Adolf Hitler]], on its cover.
*The Colonial military use what appear to be [[w:High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle|HumVees]] and [[w:Deuce and a half|Deuce-and-a-half]] trucks.
*While the Viper is burning on entry into the atmosphere, the Viper's [[w:Altimeter|altimeter]] is going in reverse, indicating altitude ''gain''.
*[[Ron D. Moore]] states on the DVD commentary that the munition activation that kills several pilots was inspired by a similar event on the [[wikipedia:1967 USS Forrestal fire|USS ''Forrestal'']] in 1967.
*Also according to the DVD commentary, the ejection sequence at the beginning of each chapter is an homage to ''[[w:The Right Stuff|The Right Stuff]]''.

== Analysis ==
*This episode emphasizes many of the [[Naturalistic science fiction|goals set at the series' creation]] to make a sci-fi series that is grounded in realism. The logistical limitations on the Fleet are readily apparent: this episode highlights how difficult it is for ''Galactica'' to train new combat-ready pilots, as there are no reserve pilots and civilians with little or no prior flying experience are all that they have to work with.
*Further, this episode shows that sometimes accidents simply happen on a battlestar: this is not a perfect, pristine in-story universe but a worn, run-down real world. The accident on the flight deck occurred not through sabotage or some sort of [[technobabble]] space anomaly, but simply because an old piece of equipment wore out.
*The realism highlighted by this episode is again apparent in the climactic scene between Starbuck and Commander Adama, in which she reveals that she was responsible for his son's death. The dramatic situation it focused on is not centered around some sci-fi concept, but the interactions between people which could have occurred on present-day Earth. If the script for this episode were ported onto another series set on a modern-day Navy aircraft carrier, there would be few if any changes to it. It is a drama script, which happens to be set in space, which was one of the goals of the series.

== Questions ==

=== Answered Questions ===

{{answered questions|season=1|series=RDM|episode=Act of Contrition}}

* Why does Major [[Sherman Cottle]] smoke, knowing full well the medical implications of cigarette smoking?

=== Unanswered Questions ===

: ''None yet.''

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Ron D. Moore]] discusses [[Cottle]]'s smoking:''
*: '''Moore:''' Because smoking is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different, kid. [...] Seriously, we're showing people doing what people really do and not all of their choices are smart ones. We smoke, we drink, we have sex with the wrong partners -- we make lots of bad choices and some of them we do knowingly and in full cognizance of the risks and consequences. Dr. Cottle obviously knows the risks associated with smoking and he elects to do it anyway — that's his choice.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/02/|title=Ron D. Moore blog entry|date=19 February 2005|accessdate=18 February 2007|last=Moore|first=Ron D.|format=|language=}}</ref>

* ''[[Bodie Olmos]] talks about his most challenging day on-set:''
*: '''Olmos:''' Interesting[ly] enough, probably the first episode I was in, "Act of Contrition". I was so excited, nervous and amazed that I was on the show. That for me was a rough day, let me tell you! I could hardly sit still and the day seemed so long. I just wanted to be good, and make sure I knew what this character was all about, which is very difficult. I think it evolves. One minute you may think he is like this but then you see that he actually believes something else. So I was definitely glad to make it through that one.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/bodie_olmos_01.htm|title=The SciFi World: Bodie Olmos interview|date=20 January 2007|accessdate=18 February 2007|last=Craddock|first=Lisa|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''In Adama's Cabin, with Thrace and Adama, discussing comments made earlier by Lee Adama:''
:'''Adama''': He said something else. That you might have been feeling guilty about something you did for Zak. What did you do for him?
:'''Thrace''': I don't know. You'd have to ask Lee.
:'''Adama''': I'm asking you.
:'''Thrace''': Well I don't kn- I, ah...I don't really know what he was talking about, so...
:'''Adama''': Don't fence with me, Kara. I love you like a daughter. I don't deserve that.
:'''Thrace''': Ummm...Zak...failed...basic flight. He wasn't a bad pilot, he just had no feel for flying...and, um, when it came to his final check ride he...busted...three of the test manoeuvres, and I should have flunked him, but I didn't. The bottom line is your...son...didn't have the chops to fly a Viper...and I killed him.
:'''Adama''': (following a flashback) You did it because you were engaged.
:'''Thrace''': (breaking down) Because I made a mistake...because I was just...I was so in love with him...and I let that get in the way of doing my job...and um, and he um, he just wanted it so much, and I...I didn't want to be the one who crushed him...
:'''Adama''': Reinstate the trainees to flight status.
:'''Thrace''': I will...but I just want you to understand...that I...
:'''Adama''': Do your job.
:'''Thrace''': Yes sir...
:'''Adama''': And walk out of this cabin...while you still can...

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Paul Campbell]] as [[Billy Keikeya]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Samuel Witwer]] as [[Alex Quartararo|Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Sherman Cottle]]
*[[Jill Teed]] as Sergeant [[Hadrian]]
*[[Tobias Mehler]] as [[Zak Adama]]
*[[Colby Johannson]] as Lt. [[Dwight Saunders|Dwight "Flat Top" Saunders]]
*[[Bill Meilen]] as Caprica Cleric
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]]
*[[Lucianna Carro]] as [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Terry Chen]] as [[Donald Perry|Donald "Chuckles" Perry]]

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

==External Links ==
{{ext-wikipedia-name|article = Contrition|name = Contrition }}

{{episode list (RDM season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Rod Hardy]]

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[[de:Zeichen der Reue]]
[[es:Acto de Contrición]]
[[fr:Confession]]
[[zh:忏悔之为]]