Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

User:Josh-buck

2006-11-26T22:59:49Z

Josh-buck:

Hallo, Ich hab' nichts zu schreiben für euch Heute. Mir leid. Weidersehen!

Hero

2006-11-24T06:57:14Z

Josh-buck: /* Questions */

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

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

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

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider|Raiders]]. Much to the surpise of the [[CIC]] crew, two Raiders are pursuing a third Raider, damaged by Cylon gunfire. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] are dispatched. After destroying the pursuing Raiders, they go after the third.
* In CIC, [[Admiral Adama]] orders Kat and Starbuck to escort the Raider to ''Galactica'', after hearing, from the Raider, a familiar human voice and callsign: [[Bulldog]].
* In the hangar bay, Adama and the party are surprised that a human has exited the Raider. A visibly weak Daniel Novacek salutes Adama; Adama returns the salute.
* Over a meal (noodles eaten with chopsticks) Adama asks Novachek how he escaped. He relates a story of plague on the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and escaping after killing a [[Number Three]] with a blow to the nose delivered through the cell bars.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the [[Laura Roslin|President]] with Adama present, where they tell a (decidedly shaky) story of a mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. When the briefing ends, Roslin immediately questions Adama's story. He replies that it is "his mess" and that he resolve it. After she leaves, Adama kicks over a table in frustration.
* Novachek sees [[Saul Tigh]] in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Tigh informs Novacek that Adama (aboard battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'') ordered Novachek shot down to get rid of evidence of their incursion into Cylon space.
*Meanwhile, Adama confesses the mission's actual specifics to his son, [[Lee Adama|Lee]], and his belief that he provoked the Cylon attacks on the Colonies. Aghast at first, Lee Adama tries to console his father, blaming the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Fleet Admiralty]], saying that he was "only one man." Adama responds, "It only takes one."
* [[Kara Thrace]] reviews their Viper's gun film from the fight with the Cylon Raiders and realizes that the Cylons were deliberately missing their target, letting Bulldog get away. She goes to Saul Tigh with this information, who deduces that Bulldog was sent there by the Cylons to kill the admiral.
* Tigh finds Novacek in the process of killing Adama and stops him. Bulldog has flashbacks to being let out of his cell.
* Later, Adama presents his resignation to Roslin. Bemused, she refuses to accept it, and points out that the Admiralty may have been trying to provoke a war, and that he cannot shoulder the entire responsiblity for the holocaust on his shoulders. She then tells him that his penance will be to accept a [[Medal of Distinction]] for his long years of service, and to be a hero, a trait badly needed for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's morale]].
* After sending Novacek off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters to discuss what happened to [[Ellen Tigh]] on [[New Caprica]].

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*In a dream, [[Three]] is trying to avoid marines on ''[[Galactica]]''. The marines corner her against a hatch labelled "End of Line." The marines raise their weapons and Three tells them to shoot.
*As the shots go off, Three wakes up in bed with [[Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]]. She has apparently been having a sexual relationship with Baltar and possibly Six as well.
*In the Cylon control room, Caprica-Six questions Three about her bad dreams. Caprica Six asks if the dreams are about Baltar. Three indicates otherwise, but does not elaborate.
*Three gives a [[Cylon Centurion]] orders to shoot her, and then delete any information regarding the incident. The Centurion obeys and shoots her in the head. In the moments before she is downloaded, she experiences images from her dream mixed in with memories from New Caprica and other more cryptic scenes.
*Three awakes in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]] where a worried Caprica-Six tries to help her recover. Three tells her, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Questions ==
*Were the Admiralty's fears valid, or was the Cylon force that destroyed the Colonies built up just since that mission?
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his three years of captivity?
*How was Bulldog directed to the precise location of the fleet?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "Stealth Ship" in enemy territory break radio silence?
*Was ''[[Valkyrie]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Was [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''[[Valkyrie]]'' in order to provoke a war?
*Why did the Cylons have one craft jump in and fire on the stealth star and then jump out, then sending two more ships to finish the attack?
*Who were the five white-robed figures [[Three]] saw in her vision before downloading? Are they related to the Original Series's [[Beings of Light]]? Could they represent the mysterious "[[Final Five]]" Cylons?
*Were the Cylons on the Baseship where Bulldog was held actually sick?
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the other humanoid Cylon models that nothing is known of?
*How did Baltar's status change from torturee in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and [[Number Three]]?
* Was Adama's whole command staff transferred from the ''[[Valkyrie]] ''to ''[[Galactica]]'' after the failure of the recon mission?
*Why did Number three go through all the trouble to program the Centurion to erase its memory once it shot her? Was she afraid of being 'boxed' by the other Cylons for reasons of insanity or because it would do some sort of damage on the Centurion once its processed the kill?
*If Adama was truly responsible for the destruction of [[the Twelve Colonies]], was this why the Cylons assigned numerous [[Cylon agents]] to it ([[Sharon Valerii]] and [[Number Five]])?
*If the flash-back where [[Bulldog]] kills a copy of [[Number Three]] is true, then does that mean that the virus first shown in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" is even more widespread amongst the Cylons?
*Is the [[Valkyire]] a [[Mercury class]] [[battlestar]] or some other type not previously mentioned?

== Analysis ==
*Adama and Roslin know each other well enough by now to tell when the other is lying, or is not fooled by a lie, even when others around can't. Roslin has always been the better of the two in this ability, as early as revealing Adama's initial ruse about the location of [[Earth]] ([[Miniseries]]).
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] appears to be attempting to try and deal with his guilt over his wife, but he does not seem to want his job as XO back, at least not any time soon.
*Adama's feelings of guilt over his actions during ''[[Valkyrie]]'s'' mission seem to shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''[[Galactica]]'s'' decomissioning ceremony at the begining of the series. Also, they explain his near-monomania with safeguarding and/or rescuing those under his command or protection.
*The Cylons seem to have been able to detect and destroy The [[Stealth Star]] that had only entered two kilometers into their space. This seems suspicious given the fact that they were unable to detect the [[Blackbird]], presumably a far less sophisticated design. Either the Cylons had more advanced detection equipment on the [[Armistice Line]], or they had advance knowledge of Bulldog's mission.
**It is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective than those of the Stealth Star. The reason that the Blackbird went undetected by the Cylons is that its hull, at Helo's suggestion, was made of carbon composite. There is no way of knowing whether or not this was true of the Stealth Star.
***In addition, the Cylons near the [[Armistice Line]] would have known to look for stealth ships, as they probably suspected that the Colonial fleet would try to gain intel on Cylon military status. After the destruction of the colonies, it is unlikely that the Cylons believed that the Colonials were still in possession of any kind of stealth fighter and would not attempt to detect one.
***The fact that the Cylons expected penetration by stealth ships suggests that they may have done their share of Armistice Line violation.
**Bulldog was communicating to the Valkyrie before being attacked. The Cylons may have been able to detect this radiation and fire at the source of it.
**It is possible that the [[Stealth Star]] had a transponder beacon which allowed the [[Valkyrie]] to track and target it, whereas the [[Blackbird]] most likely did not have a transponder installed at time of it's first flight.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a [[Raider]] and learn how to fly it. Granted, the Raider Kara captured was damaged, but it would still have taken Bulldog some time to adapt the raider for his own use.
**As the episode implies that Bulldog was deliberately released by the Cylons in an effort to direct his anger towards Adama, it is possible that the Cylons allowed Bulldog to gain a working knowledge of the raider.
*Bulldog probably could have stolen a Heavy Raider, which unlike the light versions seems to have a crew compartment and perhaps piloting controls, but then the production crew couldn't have re-used the captured-Raider prop from "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" on the flight deck set.
*Kara Thrace going to Tigh with her findings is an acknowledgment of their shared semi-pariah status and the connection that was shown in "[[Collaborators]]" for the first time.
*The last two scenes of "Hero" appear to have been edited to ensure that the final scene was with Adama and Tigh. Right after the celebration scene, Adama is seen giving Bulldog a new uniform, but Adama is wearing his everyday uniform. In the final scene with Tigh, Adama is wearing his dress grays from the celebration. It appears at the very least, the two scenes were in reverse order, meaning the episode originally ended with Adama giving Bulldog his new uniform.
*During her non-corporeal limbo between death and download, Three finds herself reliving a mismash of memories from her various lives, including her final moments during "[[Downloaded]]" before her death, her discovery of Hera on New Caprica ("[[Exodus, Part II]]"), and also a memory we do not know her to have experienced: the opera house revealed to Baltar by his internal Six during the final moments of "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
**This sequence, as well as this episode as a whole, showcases a number of fundamental BSG leitmotivs that have had little to no exposure in their original form since the end of season one/beginning of season two. The sound, as well as the imagery, reminds us that we've seen the opera house before, and the associated musical themes will likely help elucidate the symbolism behind the two visions.
*Three's flashbacks after being shot by the centurion indicate that she is the same individual who was killed on Caprica by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]" and who found Hera in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". It is of course possible that some of these recollections are the result of memory-sharing rather than direct experience.
**If she is the same Three that died on Caprica, that leaves the question how it can be that she didn't get the Opera House experience on her first death, even though she was stuck in limbo for thirty-six hours because of the massive casualties at the cafe in [[Downloaded]]. It is plausible that this Three wanted to die because she'd never experienced death before.
***It is also plausible that God is only just now trying to tell her something. The opera house may act as a cue, a signal sent from God that facilitates reflection on one's own destiny at a pivotal point in their existence, when it is no longer acceptable to ignore their role in God's plan out of arrogance or inconvenience (Baltar, "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]" ), or because it seems a contradiction of the identity they'd formed by refusing to question their fate (Three, from the final days of the Occupation through "Hero"). In both cases, the opera house is revealed to a soul straddling the line between life and death, both in a physical and spiritual sense, and it is perhaps this balance that can uniquely invoke the presence of God, and guide the chosen instruments towards their intended destiny.
****It is interesting to note the central role Hera plays in both of the visions that bring us to the opera house.
*There's at least [[Stoffa|one other doctor]] of some kind in the fleet, because Cottle instructs Bulldog to report to him.
**This doctor is probably a psychotherapist that specializes in some sort of mental trama issues. Considering that Bulldog was in captivity for such a long time, and his breakdown while attacking Adama, at the very least, Bulldog will need a counselor to help him work through all of the emotional and mental scars that he's endured. Cottle had already confirmed that Bulldog was generally well cared for, physically, by the Cylons.
*Based on the Raider's apparently staged attack, the Cylons appear to know the current location of the Fleet.
*It appears that the Admiralty transferred those directly involved with the mission to ''Galactica''. This is supported by Gaeta made a statement during the [[Mini-series|miniseries]] about serving with Adama for three years (prior to the attack), as well as Tigh's comment saying that the mission, "wasn't exactly a boon to [Adama's] career."

===Adama's Dossier===
Laura Roslin reviews a dossier prepared for her by [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] on her first day aboard ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. It includes large photos of battlestar ''Galactica'', a photograph of the CIC crew of ''[[Valkyrie]]'', a (mostly illegible) certificate bearing [[Saul Tigh]]'s name, and a cursory biography of William Adama, reproduced in full below:

:'''Commander William Adama'''

:*Born H5/21290 and raised on the colony of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], in [[Qualai]], a small coastal community
:*Mother, [[Evelyn Adama]], an accountant.
:*Father, [[Joseph Adama]], a prominent attorney who specialized in criminal defese and civil liberties.

:'''Military Service'''

:D6/21311 First commission, Battlestar Galactica, fighter squadron<br />
:E4/21312 Commendation for shooting down Cylon fighter in first combat mission.<br />
:D5/21314 Mustered out of service post-armistice<br />
:R6/21317 Served as Deck Hand in merchant fleet and as common […] aboard inter-colony tramp freighters<br />
:D1/21331 Recomissioned to Fleet<br />
:D6/21337 Major: Battlestar [[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]<br />
:R8/21341 Executive Officer: Battlestar [[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]<br />
:C2/21345 Commander: Battlestar Valkyrie<br />
:C2/21348 Commander: Battlestar Galactica

This provides some interesting information. The fields in the format X#/##### appear to be dates, with the five-digit string following the solidus apparently corresponding to the year. This corroborates various points of information supplied thus far:

* Adama's father was named Joseph ([[Hand of God]]), and was a civil rights attorney ("[[Litmus]]", "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]").
* In a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Valley of Darkness|scene]] cut from "[[Valley of Darkness]]", it is noted that Adama joined the fleet toward the end of the war, and was attached to ''Galactica'' as a fighter pilot.
* Adama served on ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'' during his thousandth landing, which indicates that he was still a flight officer at that time ([[Act of Contrition]]). Given his rank of Major, he was likely the [[CAG]] on ''Atlantia''.
* The date of the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] is correct at 42 years before the present, as stated in the [[Miniseries]] and accounting for the passage of slightly over two years since that time.

The following can be deduced from this document:

* This episode marks the 45th anniversary of Adama's commissioning, which puts it in the year 21356, and makes Adama 66 years old.
* Adama spent three years in between being mustered out and finding a job on a tramp freighter. We may speculate that it was during this time that his relationship with first wife [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] deteriorated.
* Adama spent a total of 14 years serving in the merchant fleet.
* Adama met Tigh roughly 30 years ago ([[Torn]]). That would be 21326, which correctly puts it in the middle of Adama's merchant fleet service.
* Adama was a major by the time he arranged for Tigh to be reinstated in the fleet ([[Scattered]]), which means that at least six years passed in between Adama's recomissioning and Tigh's.
* Ronald Moore stated in his [[Podcast:Scattered|podcast for "Scattered"]] that the flashback scenes in [[Scattered|that episode]] took place 20 years before that episode, or in 21334. In fact, they appear to span at least an eleven-year period between 21326 (Adama and Tigh's first meeting) to 21337 (Adama's promotion to Major).
* The first [[Colonial Day (holiday)|Colonial Day]], marking the unification of the Colonies, was probably in 21302. The one celebrated in "[[Colonial Day]]" was the 52nd, and it is now two years later.

If the five-digit string following the solidus is in fact the year, as seems inescapable based on the above, the letter-digit sequence before it must indicate the position in the year. There are 260 unique letter-digit sequences of that format, which may indicate a shorter year in the Colonial calendar (a year of twenty-six ten-day weeks?) However, what has been revealed about Colonial timekeeping is too incomplete to draw any conclusions.

It is astonishing to learn that the Colonials have (or believe they have) over 21,000 years of recorded history. By comparison, Pythia was said to have recorded her prophecies 3,600 years ago ([[The Hand of God]]) and the exodus from [[Kobol]] took place just 2,000 years ago. On [[Earth]], Human civilization is only about 6,000 years old.

Adama's resignation letter at the end of the episode appears to be dated in an entirely different format. It's difficult to read clearly, but it appears to be dated "27/89/9923".

== Notes ==
*In Adama's flashback, the admirals are wearing their decorations on their day uniforms. This contrasts with most Colonial Fleet officers shown thus far, who only wear their decorations on their dress uniform sash.

*Both [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] appear in this episode, but neither has any lines.

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

*This episode shares some plot elements with the ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "The Defector," written by RDM. Notably, it begins with a dramatic chase delivering a dubious ally into friendly hands that is later shown to be staged. Additionally, both episodes feature plots revolving around a contested border.

*Admiral William Adama names Major Lee Adama to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his resignation letter.

*The white figures briefly glimpsed by Number Three in her vision of the Opera House look very similar to the "[[Beings of Light]]" from the Original Series, particularly as they appeared in [[War of the Gods, Part II]]. They are seen in both this and that episode as figures in white hoods and robes with whited-out faces and black eyes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* '''[[Number Three]]''': (to [[Caprica Six]]) "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

* ''[[Bulldog]] calls on [[Saul Tigh]] at Saul's quarters:
:'''Tigh''': So ... drink?
:'''Bulldog''': You have no idea!
:'''Tigh''' (scowling, unseen): Yes, I do.

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

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[[Carl Lumbly]] as Lt. [[Daniel Novacek]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[imdb:nm0447921|Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

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

Hero

2006-11-24T06:53:56Z

Josh-buck: /* Questions */

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

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

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

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider|Raiders]]. Much to the surpise of the [[CIC]] crew, two Raiders are pursuing a third Raider, damaged by Cylon gunfire. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] are dispatched. After destroying the pursuing Raiders, they go after the third.
* In CIC, [[Admiral Adama]] orders Kat and Starbuck to escort the Raider to ''Galactica'', after hearing, from the Raider, a familiar human voice and callsign: [[Bulldog]].
* In the hangar bay, Adama and the party are surprised that a human has exited the Raider. A visibly weak Daniel Novacek salutes Adama; Adama returns the salute.
* Over a meal (noodles eaten with chopsticks) Adama asks Novachek how he escaped. He relates a story of plague on the [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and escaping after killing a [[Number Three]] with a blow to the nose delivered through the cell bars.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the [[Laura Roslin|President]] with Adama present, where they tell a (decidedly shaky) story of a mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. When the briefing ends, Roslin immediately questions Adama's story. He replies that it is "his mess" and that he resolve it. After she leaves, Adama kicks over a table in frustration.
* Novachek sees [[Saul Tigh]] in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Tigh informs Novacek that Adama (aboard battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'') ordered Novachek shot down to get rid of evidence of their incursion into Cylon space.
*Meanwhile, Adama confesses the mission's actual specifics to his son, [[Lee Adama|Lee]], and his belief that he provoked the Cylon attacks on the Colonies. Aghast at first, Lee Adama tries to console his father, blaming the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Fleet Admiralty]], saying that he was "only one man." Adama responds, "It only takes one."
* [[Kara Thrace]] reviews their Viper's gun film from the fight with the Cylon Raiders and realizes that the Cylons were deliberately missing their target, letting Bulldog get away. She goes to Saul Tigh with this information, who deduces that Bulldog was sent there by the Cylons to kill the admiral.
* Tigh finds Novacek in the process of killing Adama and stops him. Bulldog has flashbacks to being let out of his cell.
* Later, Adama presents his resignation to Roslin. Bemused, she refuses to accept it, and points out that the Admiralty may have been trying to provoke a war, and that he cannot shoulder the entire responsiblity for the holocaust on his shoulders. She then tells him that his penance will be to accept a [[Medal of Distinction]] for his long years of service, and to be a hero, a trait badly needed for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's morale]].
* After sending Novacek off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters to discuss what happened to [[Ellen Tigh]] on [[New Caprica]].

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*In a dream, [[Three]] is trying to avoid marines on ''[[Galactica]]''. The marines corner her against a hatch labelled "End of Line." The marines raise their weapons and Three tells them to shoot.
*As the shots go off, Three wakes up in bed with [[Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six]]. She has apparently been having a sexual relationship with Baltar and possibly Six as well.
*In the Cylon control room, Caprica-Six questions Three about her bad dreams. Caprica Six asks if the dreams are about Baltar. Three indicates otherwise, but does not elaborate.
*Three gives a [[Cylon Centurion]] orders to shoot her, and then delete any information regarding the incident. The Centurion obeys and shoots her in the head. In the moments before she is downloaded, she experiences images from her dream mixed in with memories from New Caprica and other more cryptic scenes.
*Three awakes in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]] where a worried Caprica-Six tries to help her recover. Three tells her, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Questions ==
*Were the Admiralty's fears valid, or was the Cylon force that destroyed the Colonies built up just since that mission?
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his three years of captivity?
*How was Bulldog directed to the precise location of the fleet?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "Stealth Ship" in enemy territory break radio silence?
*Was ''[[Valkyrie]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Was [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''[[Valkyrie]]'' in order to provoke a war?
*Why did the Cylons have one craft jump in and fire on the stealth star and then jump out, then sending two more ships to finish the attack?
*Who were the five white-robed figures [[Three]] saw in her vision before downloading? Are they related to the Original Series's [[Beings of Light]]? Could they represent the mysterious "Final Five" Cylons?
*Were the Cylons on the Baseship where Bulldog was held actually sick?
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the other humanoid Cylon models that nothing is known of?
*How did Baltar's status change from torturee in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and [[Number Three]]?
* Was Adama's whole command staff transferred from the ''[[Valkyrie]] ''to ''[[Galactica]]'' after the failure of the recon mission?
*Why did Number three go through all the trouble to program the Centurion to erase its memory once it shot her? Was she afraid of being 'boxed' by the other Cylons for reasons of insanity or because it would do some sort of damage on the Centurion once its processed the kill?
*If Adama was truly responsible for the destruction of [[the Twelve Colonies]], was this why the Cylons assigned numerous [[Cylo agents]] to it ([[Sharon Valerii]] and [[Number Five]])?
*If the flash-back where Bulldog kills a copy of Number Three is true, then does that mean that the virus first shown in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" is even more widespread amongst the Cylons?
*Is the [[Valkyire]] a [[Mercury class]] [[battlestar]] or some other type not previously mentioned?

== Analysis ==
*Adama and Roslin know each other well enough by now to tell when the other is lying, or is not fooled by a lie, even when others around can't. Roslin has always been the better of the two in this ability, as early as revealing Adama's initial ruse about the location of [[Earth]] ([[Miniseries]]).
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] appears to be attempting to try and deal with his guilt over his wife, but he does not seem to want his job as XO back, at least not any time soon.
*Adama's feelings of guilt over his actions during ''[[Valkyrie]]'s'' mission seem to shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''[[Galactica]]'s'' decomissioning ceremony at the begining of the series. Also, they explain his near-monomania with safeguarding and/or rescuing those under his command or protection.
*The Cylons seem to have been able to detect and destroy The [[Stealth Star]] that had only entered two kilometers into their space. This seems suspicious given the fact that they were unable to detect the [[Blackbird]], presumably a far less sophisticated design. Either the Cylons had more advanced detection equipment on the [[Armistice Line]], or they had advance knowledge of Bulldog's mission.
**It is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective than those of the Stealth Star. The reason that the Blackbird went undetected by the Cylons is that its hull, at Helo's suggestion, was made of carbon composite. There is no way of knowing whether or not this was true of the Stealth Star.
***In addition, the Cylons near the [[Armistice Line]] would have known to look for stealth ships, as they probably suspected that the Colonial fleet would try to gain intel on Cylon military status. After the destruction of the colonies, it is unlikely that the Cylons believed that the Colonials were still in possession of any kind of stealth fighter and would not attempt to detect one.
***The fact that the Cylons expected penetration by stealth ships suggests that they may have done their share of Armistice Line violation.
**Bulldog was communicating to the Valkyrie before being attacked. The Cylons may have been able to detect this radiation and fire at the source of it.
**It is possible that the [[Stealth Star]] had a transponder beacon which allowed the [[Valkyrie]] to track and target it, whereas the [[Blackbird]] most likely did not have a transponder installed at time of it's first flight.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a [[Raider]] and learn how to fly it. Granted, the Raider Kara captured was damaged, but it would still have taken Bulldog some time to adapt the raider for his own use.
**As the episode implies that Bulldog was deliberately released by the Cylons in an effort to direct his anger towards Adama, it is possible that the Cylons allowed Bulldog to gain a working knowledge of the raider.
*Bulldog probably could have stolen a Heavy Raider, which unlike the light versions seems to have a crew compartment and perhaps piloting controls, but then the production crew couldn't have re-used the captured-Raider prop from "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" on the flight deck set.
*Kara Thrace going to Tigh with her findings is an acknowledgment of their shared semi-pariah status and the connection that was shown in "[[Collaborators]]" for the first time.
*The last two scenes of "Hero" appear to have been edited to ensure that the final scene was with Adama and Tigh. Right after the celebration scene, Adama is seen giving Bulldog a new uniform, but Adama is wearing his everyday uniform. In the final scene with Tigh, Adama is wearing his dress grays from the celebration. It appears at the very least, the two scenes were in reverse order, meaning the episode originally ended with Adama giving Bulldog his new uniform.
*During her non-corporeal limbo between death and download, Three finds herself reliving a mismash of memories from her various lives, including her final moments during "[[Downloaded]]" before her death, her discovery of Hera on New Caprica ("[[Exodus, Part II]]"), and also a memory we do not know her to have experienced: the opera house revealed to Baltar by his internal Six during the final moments of "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
**This sequence, as well as this episode as a whole, showcases a number of fundamental BSG leitmotivs that have had little to no exposure in their original form since the end of season one/beginning of season two. The sound, as well as the imagery, reminds us that we've seen the opera house before, and the associated musical themes will likely help elucidate the symbolism behind the two visions.
*Three's flashbacks after being shot by the centurion indicate that she is the same individual who was killed on Caprica by [[Caprica-Six]] in "[[Downloaded]]" and who found Hera in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". It is of course possible that some of these recollections are the result of memory-sharing rather than direct experience.
**If she is the same Three that died on Caprica, that leaves the question how it can be that she didn't get the Opera House experience on her first death, even though she was stuck in limbo for thirty-six hours because of the massive casualties at the cafe in [[Downloaded]]. It is plausible that this Three wanted to die because she'd never experienced death before.
***It is also plausible that God is only just now trying to tell her something. The opera house may act as a cue, a signal sent from God that facilitates reflection on one's own destiny at a pivotal point in their existence, when it is no longer acceptable to ignore their role in God's plan out of arrogance or inconvenience (Baltar, "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]" ), or because it seems a contradiction of the identity they'd formed by refusing to question their fate (Three, from the final days of the Occupation through "Hero"). In both cases, the opera house is revealed to a soul straddling the line between life and death, both in a physical and spiritual sense, and it is perhaps this balance that can uniquely invoke the presence of God, and guide the chosen instruments towards their intended destiny.
****It is interesting to note the central role Hera plays in both of the visions that bring us to the opera house.
*There's at least [[Stoffa|one other doctor]] of some kind in the fleet, because Cottle instructs Bulldog to report to him.
**This doctor is probably a psychotherapist that specializes in some sort of mental trama issues. Considering that Bulldog was in captivity for such a long time, and his breakdown while attacking Adama, at the very least, Bulldog will need a counselor to help him work through all of the emotional and mental scars that he's endured. Cottle had already confirmed that Bulldog was generally well cared for, physically, by the Cylons.
*Based on the Raider's apparently staged attack, the Cylons appear to know the current location of the Fleet.
*It appears that the Admiralty transferred those directly involved with the mission to ''Galactica''. This is supported by Gaeta made a statement during the [[Mini-series|miniseries]] about serving with Adama for three years (prior to the attack), as well as Tigh's comment saying that the mission, "wasn't exactly a boon to [Adama's] career."

===Adama's Dossier===
Laura Roslin reviews a dossier prepared for her by [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] on her first day aboard ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. It includes large photos of battlestar ''Galactica'', a photograph of the CIC crew of ''[[Valkyrie]]'', a (mostly illegible) certificate bearing [[Saul Tigh]]'s name, and a cursory biography of William Adama, reproduced in full below:

:'''Commander William Adama'''

:*Born H5/21290 and raised on the colony of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], in [[Qualai]], a small coastal community
:*Mother, [[Evelyn Adama]], an accountant.
:*Father, [[Joseph Adama]], a prominent attorney who specialized in criminal defese and civil liberties.

:'''Military Service'''

:D6/21311 First commission, Battlestar Galactica, fighter squadron<br />
:E4/21312 Commendation for shooting down Cylon fighter in first combat mission.<br />
:D5/21314 Mustered out of service post-armistice<br />
:R6/21317 Served as Deck Hand in merchant fleet and as common […] aboard inter-colony tramp freighters<br />
:D1/21331 Recomissioned to Fleet<br />
:D6/21337 Major: Battlestar [[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]<br />
:R8/21341 Executive Officer: Battlestar [[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]<br />
:C2/21345 Commander: Battlestar Valkyrie<br />
:C2/21348 Commander: Battlestar Galactica

This provides some interesting information. The fields in the format X#/##### appear to be dates, with the five-digit string following the solidus apparently corresponding to the year. This corroborates various points of information supplied thus far:

* Adama's father was named Joseph ([[Hand of God]]), and was a civil rights attorney ("[[Litmus]]", "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]").
* In a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Valley of Darkness|scene]] cut from "[[Valley of Darkness]]", it is noted that Adama joined the fleet toward the end of the war, and was attached to ''Galactica'' as a fighter pilot.
* Adama served on ''[[Atlantia (RDM)|Atlantia]]'' during his thousandth landing, which indicates that he was still a flight officer at that time ([[Act of Contrition]]). Given his rank of Major, he was likely the [[CAG]] on ''Atlantia''.
* The date of the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] is correct at 42 years before the present, as stated in the [[Miniseries]] and accounting for the passage of slightly over two years since that time.

The following can be deduced from this document:

* This episode marks the 45th anniversary of Adama's commissioning, which puts it in the year 21356, and makes Adama 66 years old.
* Adama spent three years in between being mustered out and finding a job on a tramp freighter. We may speculate that it was during this time that his relationship with first wife [[Caroline Adama|Caroline]] deteriorated.
* Adama spent a total of 14 years serving in the merchant fleet.
* Adama met Tigh roughly 30 years ago ([[Torn]]). That would be 21326, which correctly puts it in the middle of Adama's merchant fleet service.
* Adama was a major by the time he arranged for Tigh to be reinstated in the fleet ([[Scattered]]), which means that at least six years passed in between Adama's recomissioning and Tigh's.
* Ronald Moore stated in his [[Podcast:Scattered|podcast for "Scattered"]] that the flashback scenes in [[Scattered|that episode]] took place 20 years before that episode, or in 21334. In fact, they appear to span at least an eleven-year period between 21326 (Adama and Tigh's first meeting) to 21337 (Adama's promotion to Major).
* The first [[Colonial Day (holiday)|Colonial Day]], marking the unification of the Colonies, was probably in 21302. The one celebrated in "[[Colonial Day]]" was the 52nd, and it is now two years later.

If the five-digit string following the solidus is in fact the year, as seems inescapable based on the above, the letter-digit sequence before it must indicate the position in the year. There are 260 unique letter-digit sequences of that format, which may indicate a shorter year in the Colonial calendar (a year of twenty-six ten-day weeks?) However, what has been revealed about Colonial timekeeping is too incomplete to draw any conclusions.

It is astonishing to learn that the Colonials have (or believe they have) over 21,000 years of recorded history. By comparison, Pythia was said to have recorded her prophecies 3,600 years ago ([[The Hand of God]]) and the exodus from [[Kobol]] took place just 2,000 years ago. On [[Earth]], Human civilization is only about 6,000 years old.

Adama's resignation letter at the end of the episode appears to be dated in an entirely different format. It's difficult to read clearly, but it appears to be dated "27/89/9923".

== Notes ==
*In Adama's flashback, the admirals are wearing their decorations on their day uniforms. This contrasts with most Colonial Fleet officers shown thus far, who only wear their decorations on their dress uniform sash.

*Both [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] appear in this episode, but neither has any lines.

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

*This episode shares some plot elements with the ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "The Defector," written by RDM. Notably, it begins with a dramatic chase delivering a dubious ally into friendly hands that is later shown to be staged. Additionally, both episodes feature plots revolving around a contested border.

*Admiral William Adama names Major Lee Adama to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his resignation letter.

*The white figures briefly glimpsed by Number Three in her vision of the Opera House look very similar to the "[[Beings of Light]]" from the Original Series, particularly as they appeared in [[War of the Gods, Part II]]. They are seen in both this and that episode as figures in white hoods and robes with whited-out faces and black eyes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* '''[[Number Three]]''': (to [[Caprica Six]]) "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

* ''[[Bulldog]] calls on [[Saul Tigh]] at Saul's quarters:
:'''Tigh''': So ... drink?
:'''Bulldog''': You have no idea!
:'''Tigh''' (scowling, unseen): Yes, I do.

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

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
*[[Carl Lumbly]] as Lt. [[Daniel Novacek]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[imdb:nm0447921|Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

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

User:Josh-buck

2006-10-31T02:16:41Z

Josh-buck:

[[Image:Apollo LDYBPII.JPG]] AM LIKE THAT--WANT TO BE LIKE THAT: [[Image:Season_3_Lee.jpg]]

Kara Thrace

2006-10-19T23:26:51Z

Josh-buck: /* Background */

:''This article discusses the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] character with the pilot callsign of "Starbuck." For information on Kara Thrace's counterpart in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Starbuck (TOS)]].''

'''Kara "Starbuck" Thrace''', serial number 462753, is a gifted Viper pilot - and knows it. This leaves her with an attitude that has at times thwarted her career advancement. However, thanks to William Adama, Thrace's skills in battle have extended beyond the cockpit to greatly aid the Fleet.

{{Character Data
|photo= Season 3 Thrace.jpg
|age=
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Kara Thrace
|callsign= Starbuck
|seen= Miniseries
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children= [[Kacey]]
|marital status= Married to [[Samuel Anders]] (Formerly engaged to [[Zak Adama]])
|role= Unknown, Formerly: Commander Air Group, Battlestar ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]])
|rank= Captain
|actor= [[Katee Sackhoff]]
|cylon=
}}

== Background ==
*In an unhappy childhood, Thrace was so frequently beaten by her mother, [[Socrata]] (revealed in TV Guide Magazine), that she came to accept pain as a way of life ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
*Her father was a pianist ([[Valley of Darkness]]), suggesting that her formerly broken finger bones on both hands had been intentionally broken by a parent using her father's piano ([[The Farm]]).
*Thrace left home to join the [[Colonial Fleet|military]].
* She was a very talented [[pyramid]] player ([[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]), and received a scholarship to the Fleet Academy to play pyramid. During this time, she injured her knee and was no longer able to play pyramid at a professional level. During that time, however, she discovered a passion and skill at being a fighter pilot ([[Podcast:The Hand of God]]). On graduating from Colonial Flight School, she undertook a period of active duty before returning to flight school as an instructor.
*Thrace fell in love with a young recruit, [[Zak Adama]]. Despite his mediocre performance, she passed him on his final flight examination, despite failing three of the required maneuvers ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace's engagement to Zak Adama ends when he was killed during a routine mission shortly after graduating. At the time, [[Lee Adama]], Zak's elder brother, blamed their father for Zak Adama's death. In her guilt, Thrace did little to alter this idea. She did, however, meet [[William Adama]] shortly after the accident, and the two struck up such a strong rapport that they stood together at the funeral ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*Thrace resigned from flight school as a instructor and transferred as an operational pilot aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'' under the command of William Adama, where she served for some two years prior to the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]] on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. Before the Cylon attack, she was second in command of the remaining pilots, subordinate to the [[CAG]], [[Jackson Spencer]].
*At the time of the Cylon attack she has an run-down apartment in [[Delphi]] that overlooks a parking lot. She rarely used the dilapidated apartment. She was also a very avid painter, and her apartment was cluttered with her paintings ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Despite her reckless approach to life, Thrace hides the fact that she is deeply spiritual. She frequently prays (or talks) to the [[Lords of Kobol]], particularly [[Aphrodite]] and [[Artemis]] in times of need ([[Miniseries]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]", "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]").

==Character History at a Glance==
*Thrace's attitude quickly runs her afoul of Colonel [[Saul Tigh]], ''Galactica's'' [[Executive officer]]. Their open mutual dislike of one another leads to the point where blows are exchanged, with Thrace ending up in the brig ([[Miniseries]]).
*While in the brig, Captain Spencer is killed in a Cylon slaughter of ''Galactica's'' last [[Viper Mark VII|Viper]] squadron. Lee "Apollo" Adama, who joins ''Galactica'', is given the senior pilot title.
*Thrace manages to keep two of three nuclear missiles from striking ''Galactica'' in their first Cylon sortie, and saves Captain Adama from doom in an innovative maneuver in the [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage]].
*Her skills in saving Apollo brings her grudging respect from Colonel Tigh, but she is unable to accept his offer of the olive branch - an act that will have repercussions for her later.

[[image:Bastille_Day-Starbuck_Boxey.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] as acting [[CAG]] with [[Boxey (RDM)|Boxey]] as assistant in [[Bastille Day]].]]
*Thrace participates in a hostage rescue mission aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]''. Following the successful mission, Thrace tries to mend fences between herself and Colonel Tigh with a toast (consisting of water), apologizing in much the same way as Tigh himself had tried after their initial escape from [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. But Tigh rejects Thrace's apology, stating that her flaws are professional, while his flaws were personal ([[Bastille Day]]).
*Thrace eventually admits her secret about Zak Adama to William Adama himself, an act that brings their close friendship almost to the breaking point ([[Act of Contrition]]).
*During a surprise encounter with Cylons during [[nugget]] training, Starbuck destroys several Cylon Raiders, but her ship is damaged and tumbles towards a small red moon with an unbreathable atmosphere. With her Viper in a fatal flat-spin, Starbuck is forced to eject from her Viper ([[You Can't Go Home Again]]).
*Thrace (nursing a damaged knee) repairs the downed Cylon Raider found on the inhabitable moon and returns to ''Galactica'', giving the Fleet a vital piece of Cylon fighter technology for study and use.
*The recovering Thrace, off flight status, is asked by Commander Adama to plan a special attack on a Cylon [[tylium]] refinery. The tactical planning role is not something she relishes, and she frequently shows resentment towards others for her condition ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).
*During Thrace's undesired interrogation of a Cylon prisoner, a copy of a known [[Cylon agent]] named [[Leoben Conoy]], she uses some drastic acts to try to extract the information from the Cylon agent ([[Flesh and Bone]]).
[[image:Starbuck-Kobols_Last_Gleaming_pt2.jpg|thumb|right|'''Starbuck''' retrieves the [[Arrow of Apollo]] in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]].]]
*Thrace is assigned to plant a nuclear device on board a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] in orbit around [[Kobol]]. Disobeying orders to retrieve the [[Arrow of Apollo]] by President Roslin's request, disillusioned by Commander Adama, she Jumps to Caprica ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), landing in [[Delphi]].
*In the [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies]] with the Arrow, she is violently attacked by a copy of [[Number Six]]. Despite being heavily outmatched in the fight, Thrace luckily defeats the Cylon.
*At the museum, she reunites with [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], whom she thought dead, and discovers a second copy of [[Sharon Valerii]], realizing instantly that the woman is a Cylon.
*Valerii, fearing for her child, steals Thrace's Raider. In exasperation, Starbuck could only mutter: "Bitch took my ride" ([[Scattered]]). Like Helo, Starbuck was left with no way to return to the Fleet unless she could find her Raider or another Cylon spacecraft, as enemy FTL engines were the only ones sufficently powerful to reach the Fleet.
*Starbuck berates Helo's love for the Caprica copy of Valerii. Thrace finds the keys of her surplus military utility vehicle in her old jacket in her old apartment. Thrace has a ride again, if only to move more efficiently about Caprica ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
*Thrace and Helo meet a [[Caprica Resistance|resistance movement]] on Caprica. Thrace and [[Samuel Anders]] strike up a rapport as fellow [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] players and end up as lovers.
*During planning to steal a [[Heavy Raider]], Thrace is shot in a military action, waking up in a hospital on Caprica. Thrace is told by her doctor, [[Simon]], that Anders died from wounds he suffered in getting Thrace to safety.
*Thrace discovers that Simon is working with a [[Number Six|known Cylon agent]]. She overhears that the next day he plans to extract her ovaries for use in the Cylon's attempts to study and create a hybrid Cylon/human embryo. Simon also makes the mistake of calling Thrace by her callsign, Starbuck, which she had never revealed.
*Staggering and in pain, Thrace kills Simon and escapes the hospital, but not before clocking a Six copy with a fire extinguisher and destroying the local farm power supply, mercy-killing [[Sue-Shaun]] and several other women in the facility.
*Another Simon copy appears just as the Resistance attacks the facility. The second Simon, now revealed as a Cylon agent himself, is immediately killed by the Resistance, but a squad of [[Cylon Centurion]]s appear and pins the Resistance down. Luckily, Helo's [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|copy of Sharon Valerii]] swoops in with a stolen [[Heavy Raider]], destroys the Centurions and flies the Resistance and Thrace out of harm's way.
*Thrace promises to Anders that she'll [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|return with a rescue mission]] for the remaining survivors. Anders returns the Arrow of Apollo to Thrace, which he hid on the resistance grounds for safekeeping ([[The Farm]]).
*Thrace, Helo and the pregnant Valerii land on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' in the Heavy Raider. Finding the [[Laura Roslin faction]] in orbit of [[Kobol]], Thrace is reunited with Lee Adama. He kisses her impulsively, catching Thrace by pleasant surprise, but a tense standoff follows when Adama discovers that another Valerii copy has returned with them. Roslin helps defuse the situation, and Thrace delivers the Arrow of Apollo to the President.
*Temporarily removed from miltary protoco, Lee Adama playfully teases Thrace by stealing a pyramid ball she took from Caprica. Adama senses her depression about Caprica and tells her that he'd be happy to hear about any problems she had. He also let slip that he loved her, which brightened Thrace's mood to the point where she teased him back about his slip.
*With a team led by Laura Roslin, Lee Adama, and, later, joined by the recovered Commander Adama, Thrace enters the [[Tomb of Athena]] and successfully uses the Arrow of Apollo to activate a hologram that shows constellations of the Twelve Colonies' ancient symbols.
*Thrace realizes that they are on a recreation of Earth. Together with Lee Adama, they locate the Lagoon Nebula, a celestial body known to Commander Adama and Lee Adama, and gather sufficient information to begin an actual course to Earth ([[Home, Part II]]).
*Thrace shows off the impressive stealth abilities in the new [[Blackbird]] fighter in her maiden flight ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).
*With the arrival of ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', Admiral [[Helena Cain]] summarily assigns Thrace (and Lee Adama) to ''Pegasus'' after digesting the reports of ''Galactica'''s officers.
*[[Cole Taylor|The ''Pegasus'' CAG]] removes Thrace from the Cylon recon mission. Lee Adama secretly tells her to use the [[Blackbird]] to take recon photos of the Cylon Unknown. ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]])
*Returning from her very successful mission, the [[Blackbird]]'s lack of a Colonial transponder is mistaken for a Cylon [[Raider]] on [[DRADIS]], and Starbuck is nearly confronted and shot at by Vipers from ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''. After narrowly avoiding certain death by declaring herself a friendly, Thrace transmits her recon photos to ''Pegasus'' and Admiral Cain.
*Cain is so impressed with Starbuck's performance that Cain promotes Thrace to Captain and ''Pegasus'' CAG.
*Thrace is assigned the task of planning the joint attack on the Resurrection Ship, but successfully asks to have Adama on her team, restoring him to flight status.
*After she briefs Cain and Commander Adama on her battle plan, Adama asks Thrace privately to assassinate Cain after the battle is complete. Adama fears that if Cain continues to command, the Fleet would be in mortal jeopardy from Cain's draconian command.
*Thrace's battle planning, as before on the [[tylium]] [[The Hand of God (RDM)|mine]], works to near-perfection, with the Resurrection Ship destroyed and its supporting basestars.
*As a result of the battle events, Thrace is left without backup as she walks to the ''Pegasus'' CIC to shoot Cain, obviously afraid and apprehensive. When Commander Adama calls, Thrace slowly moves her hand to her sidearm but, to her relief, Adama does not give the kill order and cryptically instructs her to stand down.
*Starbuck and [[Kat]] are involved in the protection of a mining operation from periodic Raider attacks. One Raider, nicknamed [[Scar (Raider)|Scar]], fuels an intensive rivalry for the pilot's "top gun" honor. Thrace, still depressed over her inability to convince Fleet command to initiate a rescue for Samuel Anders and his resistance, drinks heavily and obsesses over removing Scar from the sky, even at the cost of her life. Fortunately, Starbuck realizes the futility of her actions, and works together with Kat to destroy the remarkably dangerous Raider ([[Scar]]).
*A few weeks later, Thrace takes leave on ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' when she was dragooned into rescuing Lee Adama and several other ''Galactica'' crew and residents after terrorists take them hostage in exchange for the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. Thrace gathers intel on the situation, but her cover is blown. In the retreating firefight, Lee Adama is caught in the crossfire. After the situation is resolved, Thrace intended to sit at Adama's bedside, only to discover that Dualla beat her there ([[Sacrifice]]).
*Later, Thrace is assigned to ''Pegasus'' as a flight trainer. Though the pilots like her, Commander [[Barry Garner]] does not, eventually confining her to quarters for "insubordination." Following the [[Battle of the Binary Star System|ill-fated rescue and retreat]] from a Cylon ambush (where Thrace leads the fighters), Thrace informs new ''Pegasus'' Commander Lee Adama that she was taking over his old CAG post aboard ''Galactica'' ([[The Captain's Hand]]).
*Thrace gets her wish: The Caprica rescue is approved, and she leads a large Raptor squadron to the planet. The group soon met up with Anders, who reports that their HQ had been destroyed and Thrace's timing was just perfect. A squad of Centurions ambush and pin down the group moments later ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]).
*Still pinned down from attack fire, Starbuck and Anders agree to kill each other to avoid capture and interrment at a [[Farms|farm]]. But the attack stops, and a [[Cavil|man]] appears, praising the [[Lords of Kobol|Gods]] as he announces that the Cylons not only have ceased fire, but are abandoning the Twelve Colonies. Starbuck isn't really surprised to discover that the man, known as Brother Cavil, was a Cylon upon their return to the Fleet.
*Starbuck and Anders proceed to get drunk, and host a disastrous visitation with Lee Adama. This apparently led to a rift between the two comrades.

==Currently...==
[[Image:Karanew.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Kara Thrace one year later]]
In the following year, Thrace marries Anders, and the two move to [[New Caprica City]]. Life on New Caprica tempered Thrace, and she often behaved in ways Starbuck never would have, including hugging Colonel Tigh and pampering Anders during his bout with an illness.

She watches in horror at the sudden arrival of hundreds of Cylon ships in the sky over New Caprica. A few of ''Galactica's'' former crew gather near Thrace, looking to her for guidance. Starbuck responds the only way she knows how: "Fight 'em until we can't" ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). During the Cylon invasion of [[New Caprica]] a Leoben copy slips into Kara Thrace and Samuel Anders' tent and asks the ailing Anders where Thrace is ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). It is subsequently revealed that this Conoy kept Kara prisoner in an apartment located within the Cylon complex built in New Caprica City subsequent to the Cylon occupation of New Caprica. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Ostensibly, the New Caprica copy of Conoy is attempting to make Kara realize both that she loves him and also convert her to the [[Cylon Religion|Cylon monotheistic religion]]. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Kara has assaulted and killed this Conoy at least five times. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). However, despite repeatedly killing him, she remains imprisoned in Conoy's New Caprica apartment, and Conoy is repeatedly downloaded into new bodies, after which he returns to the apartment and continues his attempts at converting Kara. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). Most recently, Conoy brought a small child named Kacey (appearing to be approximately two to three years in age) who he claims is Kara's and his child. ([[Precipice]]). Conoy explains that the child was created using one of Kara's ovaries (left undestroyed after it was harvested from her while she was on Caprica) and his genetic material. ([[Precipice]]). Whatever the truth of Kacey's origin, it appears clear that Conoy is using her to break down Kara's resistance, and that he has had at least some success in doing so. ([[Precipice]], [[Exodus, Part I]]).

<div style="clear: both;"></div>

==Notes==
*On the Sci-Fi Channel's preview for season 2.5 (US), Katee Sackoff is quoted as saying that Starbuck is "the best Viper pilot...EVER."
*[[Wikipedia:Thrace|Thrace]] was a region in south-eastern Europe that was heavily influenced by the ancient Greeks and was eventually conquered by [[Wikipedia:Philip_II_of_Macedonia|Phillip II of Macedonia]]. Thracians were considered by most to be the most ferocious fighters and were often highly paid mercenaries for Greek kings.
*After auditioning for the role of [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], [[Grace Park]] was asked by director [[Michael Rymer]] to audition for the role of Starbuck, and she was actually one of two finalists up for the role (the other being Katee Sackhoff, who got the part). Ultimately Park was cast as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon "Boomer" Valerri]].
*In a TV Guide [http://online.tvguide.com/newsearch/detail.aspx?id=4371595&sourcetype=S&progseriesparentid=4371595&tvobjectid=191395&keyword=Battlestar+Galactica&referrer=search1 photo shoot] at the BSG studios, Katee Sackhoff explained that the tattoo that Starbuck bears on her left arm is a wing and a circle and has half of the constellation of Capricorn (a reference to [[Caprica]] obviously) and a small symbol of the planet as well. It matches a mirror image of the tattoo on Anders' right arm. When the two of them hold each other with their respective arms crossing, the 2 tattoos come together to form an image of a single ring with 2 wings that is supposed to represent their union. According to Sackhoff, Kara and Anders had the tattoos done around the time of their wedding.
*The license plate on Thrace's truck on Caprica is "FB 42 E3" ([[Valley of Darkness]]).
{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=[[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]|title=Commander, Air Group of the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''|after=''(unknown)''}}
{{succession box|before=[[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]|title=Commander, Air Group of the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''|after=[[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katriane]]}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:Characters|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Thrace, Kara]]
[[Category:RDM|Thrace, Kara]]

Number One

2006-10-19T00:15:07Z

Josh-buck: /* Analysis */

{{Character Data
|photo=Cavilo.jpg
|age=
|colony=
|birthname=
|callsign=
|seen= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role= Cylon Infiltrator, Priest
|rank=
|actor= [[Dean Stockwell]]
|cylon= y
|name= Cavil ?
}}

'''Cavil''' is a [[Cylon agent]] who, prior to being discovered, posed as a [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonial]] [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Clergy|priest]].

While other Cylon agents have a number associated with their model, such as [[Number Six]] and [[Number Three]], the number designation for the Cavil model is currently unknown.

==''Galactica'' Copy==

On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', the first viewed copy of Brother Cavil provides counsel for [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] after Tyrol's maddened attack against [[Cally]]. Cavil identifies the source of Tyrol's anxiety as arising from the fear that he could be a [[Cylon agent|Cylon sleeper agent]]. This Cavil seems to be personally very familiar with Tyrol and is apparently aware that [[Cally]] harbors romantic feelings for him ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]). The significance of Cavil's interest in Tyrol's personal affairs, if any, is unknown.

A somewhat eccentric figure, Cavil is a surprisingly harsh critic of prayer for a priest, but claims to have been preaching "longer than you [Tyrol] have been sucking down oxygen" ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]). This interesting claim, if true, implies that the humanoid [[Cylon agent]]s came into existence no later than approximately ten years after the end of the [[First Cylon War]] (assuming that Tyrol is approximately 30 years old). Whether Cavil is being truthful cannot be determined at this time.

Despite his cynicism, Cavil prays with [[Laura Roslin]] for her re-election to the presidency to be successful ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).

==Caprica Copy==
[[Image:Cyca2.jpg|left|thumb|Caprican Cavil]]
A second copy of this model emerges from the crew of resistance members rescued by the Caprica [[SAR]] team, telling them that the Cylons had left the Colonies. What he does not tell them — until Tyrol blew his cover upon his arrival at ''Galactica'' — is that he is a Cylon.

Due to this copy's discovery, the Fleet copy is arrested as well and thrown in ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'''s brig. Laura Roslin orders them ejected into space after Caprica-Cavil informs her and Admiral Adama that the Cylons had made two mistakes: the attack on the Colonies and the pursuit of [[the Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). Though their execution was not shown, a later conversation indicated that they were executed ([[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II, deleted scene]]).

Like his Fleet counterpart, the Caprica copy also expresses doubt in the active involvement of divine forces in the real world, although he focuses his contempt on the Cylon religion. He says that "There is no God", something that the Cavils have been telling the other Cylons for years, though he acknowledges that God's existence or nonexistence can't actually be proven. Based on his conversation with the Fleet copy, this viewpoint appears to be shared between at least these two copies, and possibly across the entire model.

==New Caprica Copies==
[[Image:Cavz.jpg|thumb|right|A Cavil on New Caprica]]

At least two copies of Cavil are present in the invasion fleet on New Caprica, as seen in [[Occupation]] and [[Precipice]], though there are probably a lot more. They have some authority over humans in detainment, as [[Ellen Tigh]] is able to use sexual favors to bribe another into releasing [[Saul Tigh]]. This may have been a self-serving ruse, because after a second sexual encounter, Cavil says to her of Saul, "When's his next meeting with the insurgents?" and "we know he's their leader - why do you think we let him out of detention?". Ellen replies, "I thought it was because of the 'twist'", referring to a sex act, and Cavil says, "oh, yes, that too."

Two copies, possibly those same two, are also involved in the Cylon leaders' discussions such as whether to kill [[Gauis Baltar]].

Another copy (or perhaps one of the previous two) also acts as a type of liaison between the [[New Caprica Police|NCP]] and their Cylon masters. He gives [[Jammer]] the list of Colonials to detain, and later accompanies the NCP to the site of a mass execution of Colonial Detainees ([[Occupation]]).

The NCP liasion version is critically wounded during an attack by the Resistance movement. Cavil is left with a bullet wound to the stomach and is left to die after the detainees are liberated. Cavil resorts to suicide by severing his [[w:carotid artery|carotid artery]] with a spent casing. He downloads into a new body for the third time — an experience that, as he explains, is similar to having a white hot poker slammed through his skull ([[Exodus, Part I]]).

==Analysis==
The Cavils appear to be very radical thinkers, and demonstrate a unity among the model not seen in any other. Copies appear to have a well-developed sense of sardonic humor and are given to making jokes in even the most awkward, dangerous, and heightened circumstances ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]], [[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). They seem to have discovered many revelations that [[Caprica-Six]] realized through her "virtual" Baltar ([[Downloaded]]). Judging by this, the Cavil copies are probably among the first to flock to Caprica's banner.

In [[Occupation]] and [[Precipice]], the Cavils are the most ''outwardly'' ruthless and cruel to humans. Perhaps even more troubling, the Cavils appear to take pleasure (or at least a noticeable level of amusement) in their own acts of psychological and physical cruelty. ([[Occupation]], [[Precipice]]). The Cavils like toying with the idea of liquifying the human population on New Caprica as a solution to the Resistance, to "Perhaps a more managable number. Say, less than a thousand." Viewers can infer (correctly or not) from the New Caprica detention scene between a Cavil and [[Saul Tigh]] that a Cavil is significantly involved in the brutal, months-long interrogation. In conversation with the other Cylons, Cavils are vocal and callous proponents of harsh measures against the [[New Caprica Resistance]] and are strong advocates of mass executions.

It is ironic that the first two known copies of this apparently atheistic or agnostic model pose as clergymen. This may be an intentional mockery of religion on their part, or a mockery of the Cavils by whomever assigned them their roles as infiltrators.

With the Cylons apparently occupying [[New Caprica]] at the end of the [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|episode]], it appears that the Cavils on ''Galactica'' are either lying about the Cylon change of heart or the Cylon plans changed after the second Cavil was captured on ''Galactica''.

In "[[Exodus, Part I]]" it is learned that at least one Cavil unit experienced increasing head pain with each resurrection, the third with a particular unit, the one that lead the execution squad that was intercepted by the Resistance. This could involve all humanoid Cylon models or be unique to the Cavil model due to apparent age. Their appearance is of a man in his early 60's to early '70s.

The word ''cavil'' is a noun and verb involving an irrelevant or trivial point made during an argument or discussion; synonyms include ''quibble'' and ''carp.'' (<span class="plainlinks">[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cavil Dictionary Reference]</span>)

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Cavil]]
[[Category:Characters|Cavil]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Cavil]]
[[Category:Cylons|Cavil]]
[[Category:Cylons (RDM)|Cavil]]
[[Category:RDM|Cavil]]

Epiphanies

2006-10-19T00:08:46Z

Josh-buck:

{{Episode Data
| image = 2BATejC05.jpg
| title= Epiphanies
| season= 2
| episode= 13
| guests= [[Colm Feore]] as President [[Richard Adar|Adar]]
| writer= [[Joel Anderson Thompson]]
| story=
| goof= Y
| director=[[Rod Hardy]]
| production= 213
| pating= 1.9
| US airdate= 2006-01-20
| UK airdate= 2006-04-28
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 49,598
| prev= [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
| next= [[Black Market]]
| podcast= Y
}}

== Overview ==

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

== Summary ==

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

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

== Questions ==

*Kara Thrace is flying Mk. II Vipers with ''Galactica's'' pilots again. Is she still the CAG of ''Pegasus''?
**According to interviews with RDM, Starbuck is still the ''Pegasus'' CAG. There's nothing to say she couldn't just continue flying joint missions with ''Galactica'', etc.
***Confirming this, Kat remarks that Starbuck is "late" for flying the [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]]. Presumably, the patrols are now a joint effort between the two battlestars.
*Now that Roslin recalls Baltar's involvement with a Cylon agent on Caprica, what will she do about it? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|One answer]])
*Given that [[Asha Janik]] had no previous criminal activity or associations, how was Captain Adama able to determine that she, by name, was responsible for the munitions sabotage?
*Will there be any consequences for Helo's near-mutiny? Helo, after all, did nothing wrong; speaking to superiors about one's disagreement with the course of action being taken is, in Adama's command, normal, expected, and, if time is available, welcome.
**Answer: apparently not. As mentioned of Colonel Tigh in "[[Final Cut]]", they have so few skilled people left that they can't afford to lose any of them.
*Will Roslin's attitude toward the Cylon fetus change following her recovery?
**Ronald D. Moore's podcast implies that her urgency was only prompted by her lack of faith in Baltar's ability to handle the situation. Will she be content to let to Sharon carry to term now that her survival is no longer in question?
*Roslin's recent series of Machiavellian orders (Cain's assassination in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]", and the forced abortion here) appear to have been facilitated by her belief that, given her impending death, she wouldn't have to deal with the ethical ramifications. Will this alter her relationship with Admiral Adama in the long term?
*Is security really so lax that Baltar (whom Adama does not consider especially trustworthy) would be able to smuggle one of ''Galactica's'' very few nuclear warheads off-ship?
**The warhead is the one given to Baltar by Commander Adama to build the [[Cylon detector]]; he's got 24 hours a day unrestricted access to it.
**''Galactica'' and its Raptors are capable of detecting radiological devices. Why wasn't the bomb noticed in transit? (see [[Epiphanies#Analysis|Analysis]]).
**Alternately, is the nuclear device actually functional? ([[Cloud 9|Yes]])
*Why aren't there posters of [[Gina]] scattered all over the fleet to inform everyone of her Cylon identity, making it difficult for her to hide, let alone lead a Cylon-sympathy movement?
**Ronald Moore did admit during his podcast that this was Gina's "Clark Kent" disguise and it was very shaky the way they played it off that nobody would recognize her. Will this loose end be tied-up in some future story line when they get further into the Colonial underground story lines that the next few episodes are supposed to follow?
***Gina was supposed to feature in a recurring subplot throughout almost every episode of Season 2.5 according to the podcasts, but for time reasons these sections of the script were cut and Gina only appears in a select few episodes for major plot developments.
**On the other hand, Gina does not appear to be leaving her room on ''Cloud 9'' that much, and the humans who do see her are Cylon sympathizers anyway.
*Does Gina "remember" Number Six's memories about having a relationship with Baltar on Caprica, or even after? In "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", she did not seem to know him, as Baltar introduced himself to her and explained that he had a relationship with another Cylon copy of her model. Here, however, it sort of seems like she remembers having a physical relationship with him, but isn't "ready" to go back to that after her torture. Then again, her lines also be interpreted to mean that she really never "knew" about him before she met him on ''Pegasus''. The process of Cylon memory-transfer and systematic updating isn't very well understood at this point.
*Why is it that in the last episode, "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]," Sharon is not noticeably pregnant even when wearing a close-fitting tank top, but is now suddenly visibly quite progressed in her pregnancy? (This is part of the [[Season two timeline discontinuity]])
**The same may be said of the physical condition of Gina. She now has no noticeable scars or other markings from her ordeal on Pegasus. Baltar does comment when he sees Number Six in the corridor, however, that it has been several weeks since he saw her last. This could help explain the noticeably pregnant Sharon.
***Gina does have several permanent physical scars from her ordeal, but her face has healed by now.
*Now that Roslin is no longer dying of cancer, is she still the "Dying Leader" foretold by the Book of [[Pythia]]?
**From [[Ron Moore]]'s blog on [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/ July 27, 2006]:
::" We have had numerous discussions of the fact that since Laura is no longer dying she may not, in fact, be the "dying leader" mentioned in the scriptures. There's also been talk of how that would be reflected throughout the fleet and in particular among the religious community and there will be some follow-up in this area. She isn't taking chamalla any longer, but she will experience some... "experiences" which will indicate that this part of her life isn't necessarily over."

== Analysis ==

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

*Roslin's cancer cure seemed somewhat a "[[Wikipedia:Deus ex machina |deus ex machina]]." For more analysis on the cure, see this [[Science in the Re-imagined Series#The Cancer Cure of Laura Roslin | section]] of the article [[Science in the Re-imagined Series]].
**It should be noted that the cure might not be permanent and the cancer may return in the future (as hinted by Ronald D. Moore in the podcast for this episode).

*A nuclear warhead was smuggled from ''Galactica'' to ''Cloud Nine''. How would such a device possibly get past the various [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] throughout the Fleet?
**This was a plot complication used in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" as well when a copy of [[Leoben Conoy]] claimed that a nuclear device was hidden in the Fleet. "Flesh and Bone" established that Colonial radiological scanning technology is limited; it would take hours for them to scan the entire Fleet. The process does work faster when they ''know'' specifically what ship to scan, such as the ''Olympic Carrier'' when it reappeared in "[[33]]" because it was a potential hostile, or Cylon ships. Here, they didn't know they should scan the outgoing Raptor (how frequently do people move nuclear warheads in the Fleet ''without'' their knowledge?) so they didn't think to scan it; they do not scan all air trafic.
**Like any device, [[Radiological Alarm|radiological sensors]] are only effective when they are online. It is possible that these sensors are intelligent enough to ignore known radioactive sources, such as Galatica's existing stores of nuclear warheads.

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

== Notes ==

* This episode is part of the [[Season two timeline discontinuity]].
*In the podcast, [[Ron Moore]] stated that a longer, more detailed explanation of the curing of Roslin's cancer using fetal hybrid blood was filmed - explaining that it was the fetal blood stem cells from the baby that were the actual cure - but Moore was afraid that this would be seen as [[technobabble]] and criticized by fans, so it was edited down to a truncated version. Ironically, this resulted in widespread complaint in critic reviews and fan messageboards that there was ''too little'' explanation in the final version.
* [[Lee Adama]] is once again a Captain, and has been reinstated as ''Galactica's'' CAG. His authority apparently extends to the ''Pegasus'' squadrons as well. This is consistent with [[Cole Taylor]]'s authority over ''Galactica's'' air wing, when ''Pegasus'' was the flagship.
* [[Gina]] has joined the Cylon sympathizers. The other members of the resistance are apparently unaware she is a [[Cylon agent]].
* Roslin was in an intimate relationship with President Adar.
*Roslin now recalls witnessing [[Gaius Baltar]]'s affair with a copy of [[Number Six]] on Caprica, prior to the attack.
* The [[Media:Radiation Symbol.jpg|radiation symbol]] used by the colonials is different from the one used in reality, but is still easily recognizable.
*''Galactica'' has been recruiting civilians to handle "grunt work" on the hangar deck.
*Baltar was aware of the [[Demand Peace]] movement prior to this episode.
*At least three bodies can be seen being vented into space after the explosion onboard ''[[Daru Mozu]]''.
*The file photograph of Number Six is of [[Shelly Godfrey]], seen in the episode "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]".
* The nuclear device Dr. Baltar gives the resistance is the same one he was given to create his [[Cylon detector]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
* ''Pegasus'' is barely featured in this episode, and none of her crew or interior locations are seen, except in the pre-episode recap.
*Admiral Adama continues to wear his commander's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with new admiral's rank insignia at his collar.
**Adama is a pragmatist who tends to eschew ceremony.
*This episode, which contained the issue of abortion, was aired on January 20th, 2 days before the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court [[Wikipedia:Roe v. Wade|Roe v. Wade]] decision of 1973.
**The issue of abortion was not, however, directly addressed—very few, if any, real-life abortions happen because of the national security implications of giving birth to a human-robot chimera.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*{{audio|Epiphanies - terminating the pregnancy.mp3|''Admiral Adama informs Agathon of Roslin's decision to terminate Sharon's pregnancy.''}}
:'''William Adama:''' There's no easy way to say this. It's about [[Sharon Agathon|the Cylon]]. The [[Laura Roslin|President]] has decided that her pregnancy will be terminated.
:'''[[Karl Agathon]] (taken aback):''' What? Why?
:'''Adama:''' Doc [[Cottle]] discovered some anomalies in the fetal blood work.
:'''Agathon:''' Isn't that expected?
:'''Adama:''' Maybe. But the President believes that to allow the baby to come to full term, it constitutes an unacceptable risk to [[the Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]].
:'''Agathon:''' I don't understand. Sharon's only [[Flight of the Phoenix|helped us]] since she came back from [[The Twelve Colonies#Caprica|Caprica]]. She even turned on her own.
:'''Adama:''' To save her life. Don't mistake the will to live for genuine compassion, Lieutenant. She's still the enemy.
:'''Agathon:''' Does she know?
:'''Adama:''' Not yet.
:'''Agathon:''' Then I should be the one to tell her. If that's all, sir.
:'''Adama:''' Helo, I don't expect you to agree to the decision, but I need you to ''accept'' it.
:'''Agathon:''' We're talking about my child, sir. Part of me. But I guess it's easier to kill when you call it a Cylon.
:'''Adama:''' Dismissed.

*''During Roslin's flashbacks:''
:'''President Richard Adar:''' {{audio|Epiphanies - one of the most interesting things about president.mp3|One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself. To anyone.}}

::*Roslin earlier attributed this saying to Adar in the episode "[[Flesh and Bone]]".

:'''Secretary Roslin:''' {{audio|Epiphanies - be prepared to fight.mp3|I am on my way to the ''Galactica'' to represent this administration. When I return, if you still want my job, be prepared to fight.}}

== Official Statements ==




== Guest stars ==
*[[Colm Feore]] as [[Richard Adar|President Adar]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt.[[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[imdb:nm1248979|David Richmond-Peck]] as [[Naylin Stans]]
*[[imdb:nm0226597|Holly Dignard]] as [[Asha Janik]]
*[[imdb:nm0674646|Paul Perri]] as [[Royan Jahee]]
*[[imdb:nm1274038|Jennifer Kitchen]] as [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marine]]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/213/ "Epiphanies"] at scifi.com

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Joel Anderson Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Rod Hardy]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Epiphanies]]