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User talk:Serenity

2008-02-13T09:18:15Z

Ka-Ping Yee: New section: Questions on "Hero" and "The Passage"

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== Moving the TOC ==

This can also be done by adding <nowiki>__TOC__</nowiki> wherever you want the TOC to appear. This not only moves the TOC to that position, but also forces it to appear even if it normally wouldn't (less than four sections in the article). There's also its brother, <nowiki>__NOTOC__</nowiki>, of course. --[[User:Catrope|Catrope]]<sup>([[User talk:Catrope|Talk to me]] or [[Special:Emailuser/Catrope|e-mail me]])</sup> 08:59, 4 February 2008 (CST)
:Ah cool. Let's try that :) Though the article isn't big enough to really need it anyways. -- [[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 09:51, 4 February 2008 (CST)
::You'd think I'd learn that trick myself, which was the cause of the rearranging on that awkwardly appearing article, especially that "Overview" item. --[[User:Spencerian|Spencerian]] 09:58, 4 February 2008 (CST)
:::Yeah, it doesn't look as good as some other articles for some reason. And leaving the TOC away with using div clears makes the spacing between the headers too large. I think it looks halfway decent now. One sentence, TOC + large picture + rest. -- [[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 10:02, 4 February 2008 (CST)

== Questions on "Hero" and "The Passage" ==

Thanks for editing the questions I added -- your shortened wording is much clearer and better. [[User:Ka-Ping Yee|Ka-Ping Yee]] 03:18, 13 February 2008 (CST)

The Passage

2008-02-12T14:03:09Z

Ka-Ping Yee: why send the whole fleet through the cluster?

:''For information on the star cluster itself, see [[Passage (star cluster)]].''
{{Episode Data
| title= The Passage
| image=Season 3 - Promo - The Passage - Kat.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 10
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Jane Espenson]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Nankin]]
| production= 310
| rating=1.3
| US airdate= 2006-12-08
| CAN airdate=2006-12-09
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| podcast = Y
| population= 41420
| oldpopulation= 41422
| prev= [[Unfinished Business]]
| next= [[The Eye of Jupiter]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D205359970%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000V22QM2&tag=battlestarwik-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
}}

== Overview ==
:''Starvation threatens the population after the food-processing systems become contaminated, but the [[Fleet]] is cut off from a food source by the intense radiation put out by a huge star cluster. ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'''s pilots must guide the civilian vessels on a dangerous journey directly through the radiation.''

== Summary ==
=== On ''[[Galactica]]'' ===
*[[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] flies a [[Raptor]] through a [[Passage (star cluster)|blinding, immensely bright gas cloud]]. The Raptor's outer skin is charring from the intense heat. Athena is managing to fight off the intense radiation buildup surrounding her, thanks to her [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon physiology]], but a radiation monitor badge she wears is changing color from white, spotting to an ominous black.
*Elsewhere in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], President [[Laura Roslin]] summarizes the contamination of the basic foodstuff material storage used to feed everyone, from soldier to civilian. The situation is dire; 7 to 10 days of rations remain. The Fleet is starving.
*A group of pilots, including [[Lee Adama]], [[Kara Thrace]], [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog]] and [[Louanne Katraine]], are combining what little food they have and sharing it, down to the last crumb.
*Admiral [[William Adama]] and his command staff await Athena's return from her reconnaissance mission to what they believe is a [[Algae planet|planet with algae]]. The algae, according to Dr. [[Cottle]], isn't extremely palatable but is protein-rich and will allow them to restock their food stores and survive. Athena is three hours late from return.
*Athena does make it back to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. While her radiation badge is black, her Cylon physiology protects her (although she is obviously uncomfortable). She reports success; the planet is teeming with algae.
*But the travel through the star cluster is extremely dangerous. Two [[FTL|jumps]] are required to reach the planet on the other side of the cluster, which cannot be circumnavigated. The navigation computers of any civilian ships inside the cluster would be inoperative due to insufficient shielding and the intense radiation leaves a ship only minutes to gather their bearings for the second jump out before they absorb a fatal dose of radiation. Any ship would also have to endure the intense heat as well.
*''Galactica'' alone cannot be used to ferry the people, and the civilian ships alone would not make the trip as they would get lost within the cluster cloud. There is too much algae for ''Galactica'' to bring the food to the people in time.
*The Adamas consider the use of the Raptors, whose navigation systems are radiation-hardened to protect against nuclear strikes, as pilot ships that will guide a group of civilian ships at a time by visual reckoning, relaying the proper jump coordinates once visual sighting is made to get the ships to the other side. Five jumps are needed, and skeleton crews are used on each civilian ship to limit the Fleet's possible losses, with the civilians temporarily transferred to ''Galactica'', which will survive the radiation effects thanks to the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar's]] dense hull plating ([[Miniseries]]).
*A group of civilians are bunked on ''Galactica'' from the civilian ships. One of them recognizes Kat, but calls out for her by another name: "Sasha." Kat reacts angrily to the man, [[Enzo]], and barely acknowledges his call before warning him to back off.
*The pilots are briefed on the plan, and each given radiation badges. When Major Adama encourages the use of [[stims]], Kat objects, warning that stims work by boosting the body's metabolism. In their starvation state, the stims would make them ill. Adama leaves the use of the drug to the pilot's discretion.
*Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] returns to the [[CIC]] and is greeted by a round of applause from the crew. He promptly reminds them that they have "jobs to do," resuming his post as [[XO]] of ''Galactica''. Admiral Adama keeps a quiet smile to himself as he notices Tigh's return, knowing his friend would not care to be particularly noticed.
*The first outbound flight into the cluster begins. The ''[[Adriatic]]'' is lost when its Raptor guide, flown by [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog]], cannot locate her.
*Successive trips continue, but another ship, the ''[[Carina]]'', guided by Kat, is lost as well, which greatly angers and saddens her. She stays in the cloud a few minutes too long during her extended search, and her radiation badge becomes dark.
*In the [[hangar deck]], Thrace notices Enzo interacting with Kat and gets suspicious. She later questions Enzo and later, Kat.
*Kat begs Thrace not to tell Admiral Adama about her past life as a drug runner and the fact that she acquired her name, "Louanne Katraine," from a child that died two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]], using it to clear ''Galactica'''s pilot screening when she was a [[nugget]]. Thrace accepts her offer, warning her to embrace who she really is.
*Feeling backed into a corner, Kat is physically stressed. Her hair is falling out, a sign of radiation poisoning. Fearful of what will happen to her if Admiral Adama finds out about her past, she chooses to continue her Raptor flights, swapping her radiation badge with [[Helo]]'s. She allows herself a sexual romp with Enzo before preparing for the last outbound flight.
*The last outbound trip is more destructive. Even ''Galactica'' cannot withstand the heat and begins to suffer heat-related decompression failures throughout its hull. Adama orders his son to wrap out visual sighting and perform the escape jump.
*Kat cannot find her last ship. Realizing she had already absorbed too much radiation, she elects to remain in the cloud to continue searching for her lost ship.
*''Galactica'' waits for several frightening minutes until both Kat's Raptor and the last civilian ship rejoin them.
*Kat is greeted by the command staff and many crewmembers to celebrate her accomplishment. The young pilot pumps her arms in the air and tries to remove her helmet before she collapses from radiation poisoning.
*In [[sickbay]], Kara Thrace talks to Kat, whose exposure to the cloud's radiation was too extreme. Thrace recants a part of her conversation with Kat and her origins, and tries unsuccessfully to leave Kat's bedside with a smile before leaving the dying pilot with a bottle of sleeping pills as a gesture of self-euthanization. Kat thanks her.
*Admiral Adama stands by Kat's bedside immediately after Thrace's departure. Kat attempts to confess her past, but Adama tells her that her past will not change the heroic thing she did for the Fleet. He gives her the status of [[CAG]] once more, a position she held from colonization of [[New Caprica]] to Major Adama's return to ''Galactica'', despite the fact that Kat will not survive to fly again.
*Adama stays at Kat's bedside, talking with her and how he would have loved to have had a third child, commenting that he, like his ex-wife, [[Carolanne Adama|Carolanne]], would have liked a daughter.
*Some time later, the pilots assemble in their [[Pilot ready rooms|ready room]] as Admiral Adama changes the pilot organization chart, placing Kat as the CAG.
*Kara Thrace enters ''Galactica'''s [[memorial hallway]] and tacks a photo of Kat on the board. She cries quietly as Lee Adama looks on from a distance.

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===
*[[Number Three]] wakes up in bed with Baltar and [[Caprica-Six]]. She gets up and excuses herself, saying that she has things to do. When Baltar wonders what she is doing alone, Six tells him that the other [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] are also concerned about Three's activities.
*Later, Baltar confronts Three about her unexplained absences and surmises that she has been dying and [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrecting]] over and over again.
*Baltar and Three discuss the [[final five]] Cylons, who are apparently the figures Three has been seeing between life and death. Baltar wonders aloud if he could be one of them, making him a hero to the Cylons instead of a traitor to the Colonials. Three tries to hold onto the memory of what they look like, but it always fades. Her drawings of them aren't very distinct.
*The two visit the [[Hybrid]]'s chamber. Against Three's advice, Baltar reaches out to touch the Hybrid and she grabs his hand. More coherent than usual, the Hybrid says a number of cryptic clues and returns to her usual behavior.
*Baltar deduces from the clues that the Hybrid is referring to a planet where the [[Eye of Jupiter]] can be found, as well as something related to the final five. Baltar states that he is convinced that ''everything'' the Hybrid says has meaning.

== Notes ==
*This is one of the few times an Air Group organization chart is visible. Kat, as the honorary [[CAG]], is in the top slot, while directly below her are the squadron leaders, which are [[Lee Adama|Apollo]], [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], [[Two Times]], and a fourth whose name is never visible to the camera. Other names visible on the chart include [[Narcho]], Chopper (also on the locker door left to Helo's), [[Raygun]], [[Helo]], [[Fuzzy]], [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]], [[Racetrack]], and Sever (See also ''[[List of pilots#Mentioned_Only|List of pilots]]''). Pilots and [[ECO]]s may be listed below their squadron leaders in descending order of seniority, as both [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog]], for example, are listed directly beneath Starbuck, and the two of them are among ''Galactica's'' senior flight officers.
*A [[Straits of Madagon|perilous journey]] by the [[The Fleet (TOS)|"rag-tag" Fleet]] in the [[Original Series]], where pilots are also critical to the Fleet's safety, appears in its series premiere, "[[Saga of a Star World]]" .
*"The Passage" was written by ''Galactica'' newcomer [[Jane Espenson]]. The episode arose when the show brought in Dr. [[Kevin Grazier]], a scientist from the [[w:Jet Propulsion Laboratory|Jet Propulsion Laboratory]], who talked about how one would navigate through space; how one would figure out how to get from one point in the to universe to, for example, Earth. Grazier's talk prompted the story at the heart of Espenson's episode.
*This episode marks the destruction of two civilian ships, the ''[[Adriatic]]'' and ''[[Carina]]''. This results in more crowded conditions on the other ships in the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], including ''Galactica'', as evidenced in "[[The Woman King]]".
*This is the second episode in which dialog has been censored in the [[w:Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]] broadcast. Starbuck sarcastically proclaims she gave Dr. [[Cottle]] "[[w:fellatio|head]]" in response to Kat saying she gave him her protein bar. The last word is simply muted, but Starbuck clearly opens her mouth. The line was not edited on its first showing on Sky One.
*Though the actual dialog between Baltar and Three employs the name "Jupiter", the closed-captioning subtitles uses "Zeus" instead. This discrepancy and the question as to why the Roman name Jupiter would be used instead of its Greek counterpart may indicate that the original script employed the name Zeus before. However, there is a precedent for using gods from the Roman pantheon; namely Mars and Mercury.
*[[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]] is now the only survivor of the three nuggets originally introduced in "[[Act of Contrition]]".
*[[Hoshi]] appears in the CIC, assuming Dualla's former duties. Other ''Pegasus'' crew members to have made the transfer to ''Galactica'' include [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]], seen on the flight roster at the end of the episode, and [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]] seen in "[[Torn]]".
*On the memorial wall Kat's picture is placed below the one of [[Reilly]]'s girlfriend she herself put there in "[[Scar]]".
*A note just above it reads "God rest your souls" - not "''Gods'' rest your souls". A rare departure from the established [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Colonial polytheism]].
*Scenes cut either during the the writing process or after being shot include Helo fearing radiation poisoning, [[anti-radiation medication]] being reserved for Adama and Roslin, a scene in which Helo and Sharon discuss the loss of Hera, and a scene where Apollo and Starbuck seemingly chew bubble gum only for it to be revealed as paper. An additional scene where Admiral Adama shows his trust of Kat was shot for "Exodus", but cut ([[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three]]).
*A B-plot had Roslin experiencing shared visions with Sharon Agathon. This was reworked into "[[Crossroads, Part I]]" (Season 3 Companion).

== Analysis ==
*Adama may have already abandoned his declaration from "[[Unfinished Business]]", as his treatment of Kat during her final hours suggests.
**It could also be that because she was dying he decided to comfort her in her final hours.
*The ranking shuffle resumes in this episode: Tigh returns to the CIC as XO, sending Helo back to the flight lines as a senior flight officer (retaining his rank of captain). At the end of the episode, Kat is posthumously given honorary CAG status, although Apollo is still ''de facto'' CAG.
*Baltar calls the Number Three "D'Anna", to which she responds. This may indicate acceptance of Baltar's custom of referring to and addressing some models by their "human" names—in this same scene, Baltar refers to "the relevant Simon" and in prior episodes refers to "one of the Dorals"' views on toilet paper. This custom is shared with the other humans, such as Ellen Tigh who mentions "one of the Brother Cavils," and Adama, who refers to both the [[Ragnar Anchorage]] copy and the stowaway copy in "[[Flesh and Bone]]" as "Leoben Conoy".
**Since this model has memories of viewing the footage acquired by the Galactica copy of D'Anna Biers on Caprica (seen in flashback in "[[Hero]]"), the possibility that both are the same individual can be ruled out.
**This is likely the copy that wanted to box Boomer and Caprica-Six in "[[Downloaded]]", since the one that has the visions on New Caprica talks about her death at the hands of the two.
*Gaeta is one of the few in CIC not to applaud Tigh's return to duty. This may be due to lingering feelings of resentment over his treatment by Tigh and the [[The Circle|Circle]].
*Number Three does not know what the final five humanoid Cylon models look like, at least not consciously.
*No [[Anti-radiation medication|anti-radiation injections]] are seen to be used by the pilots. Unless they are administered off screen this could either mean that the Fleet's supplies are used up, or that even the medication doesn't help against such intense levels of stellar radiation. Oddly, the pilots are not issued with anti-radiation suits (worn by the deck crew) or put on a rotation to limit their individual exposure, although there are more pilots than ships now according to "[[Torn]]".
* Lee Adama comments that the pilots shepherded eight ships through, but lost one during outbound trip four. At this rate, multiplied by 5, this suggests there are only 45 ships left from the roughly 75 that existed before the colonization of New Caprica. The first outbound trip only seems to involve five civilian ships being escorted, further reducing the number. This loss rate of around 30 ships seems unfeasible given the likely overcrowding that would result and given that only roughly 2,000 people died or were left behind on New Caprica. Larger groups of ships guided through off screen during outbound trips two and three could account for some of that. It is also possible that ''Galactica'' herself carried smaller ships (such as ''Colonial One'') in her flight pods.
* The fact that outbound trips two and three are not shown could also explain why it seems that the same group of pilots is carrying out the ferrying operation with seemingly no shifts, despite a surplus of pilots.
*From a certain perspective it actually makes sense to re-use the same pilots on most of the flights–up to a point, as this would prevent the risk of widespread radiation induced ill-effects putting most of ''Galactica's'' pilot complement out of action.
*While it has not been conclusively established that the five figures are in fact the "Final Five" humanoid Cylons, the first sketch of the alleged "Final Five" that Number Three shows Baltar depicts two male and three female figures. If this proves accurate then of the twelve Cylon models there are six males and six females.
*Baltar's grooming has declined steadily since his election to the presidency. While no longer a messy drunk as he was on [[New Caprica]], he has grown a scraggly and untrimmed beard.
* One of Three's sketches in particular appears to depict the profile of a mustached and bearded male with long hair—a possible reference to Baltar; later in the episode after Baltar communes with the Hybrid, Three says "Could there be a connection between their gods and ours?" where "their" refers to the polytheistic human pantheon and "ours", the Cylon single god, a possible slip on her part indicating that she believes Baltar to be a Cylon, or that she believes Baltar has accepted the Cylon religion, and so no longer counts him as following human beliefs. However, she may be using "ours" to refer to all Cylons, not just herself and Baltar.
*"Find the hand that lies in the shadow of the light, in the eye of the husband of the eye of the cow", is what the Hybrid tells Baltar. Baltar analyzes "the eye of the cow" to be Hera (since she was referred to as "cow-eyed Hera"). The husband of Hera is Jupiter, which yields: "Find the hand that lies in the shadow of the light, in the Eye of Jupiter." The Eye of Jupiter is also written about in the ancient texts, which prompts Three to believe there may be a connection to the Colonial and Cylon gods. According to Baltar, the Eye of Jupiter is most likely some kind of artifact (like the [[Arrow of Apollo]]), located on a planet in the shadow of a bright star cluster. The "hand" is believed to be a reference to the number five, meaning the Eye of Jupiter will contain or point to information about the Final Five.
**Interestingly, the Fleet can gather protein from a planet in the star cluster after this episode. This will probably mean that the Cylons will run into the Colonials when they find the right planet, much like in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]", but reversed as the Cylons found the [[Lion's Head Nebula]] before the Fleet did.
*The possible connection between the Colonial pantheon and the Cylon god which Three comments on was previously indicated in "[[Exodus, Part I]]", by the statements of Oracle [[Dodona Selloi]], with whom Three conferred.
*The [[astrometrics]] lab probably plays a very large role in the discovery of the algae planet and the charting of the star cluster.

== Questions ==
*Was the Fleet-wide failure of food-processing systems a result of sabotage? If so, were Cylons responsible, or someone else?
*A few episodes prior, in "[[Torn]]", Racetrack agrees to be Athena's ECO, noting "too many pilots, not enough birds." If this is the case, why aren't there enough pilots to allow shifts to be taken, especially when those otherwise flying Vipers (Hotdog, Apollo, Starbuck, Kat) are factored in?
*If the star cluster emits so much radiation, how was the Fleet able to infer that a particular planet on the opposite side would be rich in algae?
*Was assisted suicide an accepted practice in the Colonies, even if not by a practicing physician?
*Are there going to be radiation consequences for the pilots exposed to the conditions of the star cluster, especially those pilots who did in fact have a black indicator?
*How many pilots and crew were lost on the two civilian ships ''Adriatic'' and ''Carina''? Will their loss cause problems for the civilians that used to live on them? ([[The Eye of Jupiter|Answer 1]], [[The Woman King|Answer 2]])
*Were there any other ships lost besides ''Adriatic'' and ''Carina''?
*Other Cylons were seen to attend Three during her resurrection in "[[Hero]]". How has she been able to keep subsequent resurrections secret?
*Are the 'nurse' Cylons at the Resurrection Ship aware of Three's attempts to discover who the final five are?
*During the brief martial law when Roslin was ousted as President, she and Apollo hid inside a meat refrigeration locker. Was all the "real" food, such as meat, fresh fruits, and drinks all used up or left behind on New Caprica?
*If there was no food contamination, how long would the Fleet's food supply have lasted?
*Is there a centralized food distribution system in place for the Fleet?
*Why was it necessary to lead all the ships in the fleet through the cluster? At the beginning of the episode Gaeta explains that ''Galactica'' cannot jump to pick up food alone, as it would require many trips and it would leave the fleet undefended. But why was it infeasible to send just one (or a few) of the civilian ships, led by Raptors, to pick up food and bring it back to the rest of the fleet?

== Official Statements ==
*''In [[Ron Moore]]'s blog on [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/ July 27th, 2006]:''
:"We were pretty excited to have Jane too. I actually took Jane's first pitch way back in my early days at ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek|Star Trek]]'' and I had the pleasure of buying what turned out to be her first sale. I hadn't seen her since, but I'd followed her career from afar and was very proud to see her do so well. Turns out that Jane was a huge fan of ''Galactica'' and really wanted to do a script for us, so we jumped on the chance. I think we're all hoping that we could get her on staff at some point in the future, but we'll have to wait and see how everything shakes out for Season Four -- and whether she's even available, she's very much in demand these days. Her episode this year is "The Passage" (originally Ep 9) and deals with a harrowing voyage of the rag-tag fleet and focuses on Kat."

*''[[Jane Espenson]] discusses writing the episode''
: "My episode originally had a [[Laura Roslin|Laura]] story threaded through it that had to be cut in later drafts because there was just too much story in the episode as a whole, and I missed it, just because she was so much fun to write. And any character with a strong opinion on what's going on in the episode is always fun and easy to write.

: "The hardest stuff to write in this episode wasn't because of any hard-to-capture voices but because there was a big chunk of mission-planning exposition that had to be done as clearly and as quickly as possible. That is always the very hardest stuff to write, setting down the rules without sounding like a textbook. It was challenging, but so nice when I felt like I'd gotten it right."<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/06/jane-espenson-answers-your-battlestar-questions/|title=TV Squad: Jane Espenson answers your Battlestar questions|date=6 December 2006|accessdate=11 December 2006|last=McDuffee|first=Keith|format=|language=English}}</ref>

* ''Epsenson talks about the scientific aspects of the episode:''

: "When I was given this episode, all the technical stuff about globular star clusters was given to me. And the writers were really patient in explaining technical stuff about the FTL drive and jump co-ordinates and the fact that you can't talk on the wireless over a jump-boundary -- I originally had Galactica in contact with Sharon-Athena while she out in the cluster doing her original recon, but that obviously didn't make sense. I received lots of help from the show's tech adviser, who is wonderful, and who explained all sorts of interesting things to me about how radiation differs from radioactivity and how gravitational forces are more likely to damage large ships than small ones.... The research that I really did on my own was about figuring out how the fleet had been making food prior to this crisis. The explanation was cut for length, but in one draft it was stated that the fleet "grew" meat from cloned cells and that it was this system that got so badly contaminated. As for the algae, I think that was already in place when I was given the story... it's just an obvious alternative protein source."<ref name="espenson-2">{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/11/jane-espenson-on-post-the-passage-questions/|title=TV Squad: Jane Espenson on post-The Passage questions|date=11 November 2006|accessdate=11 November 2006|last=McDuffee|first=Keith|format=|language=English}}</ref>

* ''Espenson discusses the [[Hybrid]]'s dialogue:''

: "I wrote this for the Hybrid in that pre-grab moment: 'Seascape portrait of the woman-child cavern of the soul under pressure-heat ratio--' which is, I think, what we hear. But there is at least one BSG writer who can generate pages of beautiful, haunting and resonant Hybrid-speak at will. He writes lots of her stuff and more power to him!"<ref name="espenson-2"/>

* ''Espenson discusses scenes that were cut from the script due to time constraints:''

: "I think I got a more-than-fair edit! I was amazed! The draft that was shot was way too long -- we all knew it was too long. So lots of scenes had to be cut -- two Adama/Kat scenes that I can think of. A Lee/Dualla scene, a Lee/Starbuck scene, an Adama/Tigh scene, lots and lots of Sharon/Helo stuff... the fact that the episode holds together, that it makes sense and has emotional punch... wow. And that's not even counting lots of Cylon stuff, Laura stuff and [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] stuff that got cut before shooting! This show is so rich, the world is so full, and there are emotions along every axis between every pairing of characters, that it's incredibly easy to find things that you just HAVE to explore. This is part of what gives the series such a great voyeuristic quality... as a viewer you just KNOW that there are scenes that have played out between these people that you have never seen, and you get to infer what they must've been. I like that the edit of this episode hints at the things unseen. And I love that despite the time pressures, moments were allowed to play out... Kat watching her fellow pilots suffer, Kat in the mirror, the final hospital scene... I think it was a lovely edit."<ref name="espenson-2"/>

*''Espenson discusses fan's expectation of humor from her stories and their pertinence to "The Passage":''

: "I know people expect humor from me. I hope they understand why, given a story about Kat's redemptive and unglamorous death, I kept the funny knob turned down -- couldn't resist the giddy Tigh-Adama scene, however, and my personal favorite line the piece, Baltar's "You've got goo in your hair." Anyway, I hope the fans liked what they saw; I hope it felt real; I hope I get to write more Battlestar episodes, and get to play some more with these wonderful characters and their tragic, human, uplifting lives."<ref name="espenson-2"/>

* ''[[G. Patrick Currie]], the actor who portrayed [[Enzo]], discusses preparing for the role:''

: Oh, it was very good. I loved the character from the very beginning. I remember I woke up that morning and I knew from the script how Enzo felt and how his world felt to me. Before the audition I woke up and I said "Enzo lives in a world by himself. Also, in the script he was starving. When I woke up I had no breakfast and I went for a walk for two miles by myself and then I went to the audition.

* ''Currie discusses shooting the episode:''

: [The shoot took] four days. Those were fun days. I knew [[Tahmoh Penikett|Tahmoh [Penikett]], [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]] from the show. He was also on "[[w:Stargate SG-1|Stargate]]" with me. When I played "Fifth", he was, I think, "First" or "Second". Whatever, one of the four. We haven’t seen each other since then. When I arrived at the set, he came up to me and he said, "I heard you got this part and I'm excited to see you again. The director said your audition was very good". That was very nice and very welcoming.<ref name="cc-curie">{{cite_web|url=http://www.caprica-city.de/index.php?seite=artikel&aktion=show&ID=97|title=Caprica-City.de Interview with G. Patrick Currie|date=15 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|author=Mirco Neubauer (xshrekx) and René Kissien (Lex)|format=|language=English}}</ref>

: And I saw a few other people who I met there; it's good to see old faces. I spend one afternoon speaking with [[Kandyse McClure]] [[Anastasia Dualla|[Dualla]]], she's hilarious. It was a little difficult because one moment Enzo was laughing and having a good time and then I have to get on the Set and be all dark again. She's such a beautiful girl and she is so funny. I had a great time.<ref name="cc-curie"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Adama and Tigh discuss the food shortage''
::'''Adama:''' I hear they're still eating paper. Is that true?
::'''Tigh:''' No. Paper shortage.

*''Starbuck gives a last minute pep talk to the pilots''
::'''Starbuck:''' Remember, we're all flying solo on this mission. So that means there'll be nobody there to bitch slap you if you start to get tired or start seeing little [[toaster]]s on your wing.

*''Baltar and Three confront the Hybrid'':
::'''Hybrid''': [Suddenly grabs Baltar's hand] Intelligence! A mind that burns like a fire!
::'''Baltar''': Yes, I'm here.
::'''Hybrid''': Find the hand that lies in the shadow of the light, in the eye of the husband of the eye of the cow.
::'''Baltar''': [Removes his hand from the [[Hybrid]]'s tank.]
::'''Three''': You all right? It just speaks nonsense, doesn't it?
::'''Baltar''': I don't think anything she says is nonsense.

*''Breaking the [[w:Fourth wall|fourth wall]]'':
::'''Hybrid''': Throughout history, the nexus between man and machine has spawned some of the most dramatic, compelling, and entertaining fiction.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
* [[Luciana Carro]] as Captain [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[G. Patrick Currie]] as [[Enzo]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hotdog" Costanza]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as [[Hoshi]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[Sebastian Spence]] as [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]]
* [[Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as the [[Hybrid]]
* [[Sean Roche]] as the hungry boy
* [[Ian Rozylo]] as convulsing pilot

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Passage, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Passage, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Passage, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Jane Espenson]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Nankin]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Auftrag ausgeführt]]
[[zh:通道]]

Hero

2008-02-12T13:52:02Z

Ka-Ping Yee: ask why Bulldog felt betrayed: wouldn't he have been told that Valkyrie would have to shoot hiim down?

: ''For the two [[Humanoid Cylon]]s that are hailed as heroes in "[[Downloaded]]", see [[Heroes of the Cylon]].''

{{Episode Data
| title= Hero
| image= Season 3 - Promo - Hero -Adama Tigh and Novacek.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 8
| guests= [[Carl Lumbly]] as [[Bulldog]]
| writer= [[David Eick]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production=
| rating=1.3
| US airdate= 2006-11-17
| CAN airdate=2006-11-18
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| podcast=Y
| population= 41421
| oldpopulation= 41420
| prev= [[A Measure of Salvation]]
| next= [[Unfinished Business]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D203931491%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000V1XH3K&tag=battlestarwik-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
}}

== 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]].''

== Summary ==

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

* ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' detects three [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|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, the party are surprised that a human has exited the Raider. A visibly weak Daniel Novacek salutes Adama; Adama returns the gesture.
* Over a meal of noodles Adama asks Novacek 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. He mentions that the Cylons complained of an infectious illness at the time, believing this offered him the chance to escape.
* Bulldog is debriefed by the [[Laura Roslin|President]] with Adama present, where they tell a (decidedly shaky) story of a Tauron mining facility too close to the Armistice Line. Skeptical, Roslin immediately questions Adama's story following the debriefing. He replies that it is "his mess" and that he resolve it. Once she leaves, Adama kicks over a table in frustration.
* Novacek sees [[Saul Tigh]] in his quarters shortly after Adama talks to him. Tigh informs Novacek that Adama (aboard the battlestar ''[[Valkyrie]]'') ordered Novacek shot down to get rid of evidence of their incursion into Cylon space.
*Meanwhile, Adama makes a similar confession to his son, [[Lee Adama|Lee]], stating his belief that he provoked the Cylon attacks on the Colonies. By presenting humanity as warmongers, he may have left the Cylons with no choice but to strike first. 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 replies, "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, allowing Bulldog escape. 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 attempting to murder Adama (mixed with flashbacks of Bulldog let out of his cell) and stops him.
* Adama later presents his resignation to Roslin. Bemused, she accuses him of naivete, and points out that the Admiralty may have been trying to provoke a war with the Commander as scapegoat. Nor can he say with confidence that any one act triggered the Cylon holocaust. She then tells him that his 'penance' will be to accept a [[Medal of Distinction]] for his long years of service, a gesture badly needed for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet's morale]].
* After sending Novacek off to a berthing on another ship with a uniform, Tigh (now wearing an eyepatch instead of medical gauze) and Adama sit down for a drink in the admiral's quarters to discuss [[Ellen Tigh]]'s death 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 memories from New Caprica and a startling vision of [[Final five|five white-robed beings]] whose identity is obscured.
*Three awakes in a [[Cylon rebirthing tank]] where a Three, Five, Six, and Eight help her recover. The downloaded Three tells her counterpart, "There's something beautiful, miraculous between life and death."

== Notes ==

*Laura Roslin reviews a [[:md:Image:Dossier.png |dossier]] prepared for her by [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] on her [[Miniseries, Night 1|first day]] aboard ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. It includes large photos of ''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. This biographical information has been integrated into [[William Adama]] article. Also, an analysis of Colonial dates used in the dossier can be found in the [[Colonial calendar]] article.
*Admiral William Adama names his son to succeed him as commander of ''Galactica'' in his [[:md:Image:3x8-Hero-ResignationLetter.jpg|resignation letter]], given that Lee Adama commanded ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''.
*Both [[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Sharon Agathon]] appear in this episode, but neither has any lines.

=== Pre-Holocaust ===

*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.
*Admiral Corman's office is decorated with weapons and war memorabilia. Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]'s quarters were similarly decorated. Both individuals seemed ready, almost eager, for a conflict.
*A [[Continuity errors (RDM)|continuity error]] in the flashback to the ''Valkyrie'' CIC has Adama wearing admiral's insignia on his uniform.

=== Cylons ===

*In her vision of the Opera house, Three briefly glimpses five white figures. In his Podcast for this episode, Moore implies that these correspond to the final five Cylon models.<ref name="podcast">{{cite rdm podcast| episode = Hero| act = 3 | id =fivecylons| timestamp = 00:30:51 | totalrunning = 00:47:05 }}.</ref>
*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]]. "End of Line" is a also a reference to the movie [[w:Tron (film)|''Tron'']] <ref name="podcast2">{{cite rdm podcast| episode = Hero| act = 1 | id =endofline| timestamp = 00:16:56 | totalrunning = 00:47:05 }}.</ref> and could also be a computer/programming reference.

=== Plot ===

*This episode shares some plot elements with the ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode "[[MemoryAlpha:The Defector|The Defector]]," written by Moore. 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.

*Novacek's capture was loosely inspired by the [[w:U-2 Crisis of 1960|U-2 Crisis of 1960]] in which [[w:Francis Powers|Francis Powers]] was shot down by the Soviets in his [[w:Lockheed U-2|U2 spy plane]].<ref>{{cite companion|page=56|season=3}}</ref>

=== Production ===

*Adama jokingly chides Novacek for his "bullshit attitude". The line was censored in the broadcast of the episode on the [[Sci Fi Channel]] in America, however in the release of the video on [[iTunes]], in the Canadian broadcast on the [[w:Space: The Imagination Station|SPACE channel]] and in the UK and Ireland broadcast on [[Sky One]], the line was uncensored.
*For the episode, [[Bear McCreary]] created a musical theme for Novacek, called "[[Music of Battlestar Galactica (RDM)#Novacek theme|Novacek's Theme]]", which was "very much inspired by [[w:Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock]]'s collaborations with composer [[w:Bernard Herrmann|Bernard Herrmann]]". <ref name="bear_mccreary">{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=75|title="Hero"|date=17 November 2006|accessdate=25 November 2006|last=McCreary|first=Bear|format=blog|language=English}}</ref>

== Analysis ==
*Dialogue in this episode consistently places the events of the Stealthstar mission three years prior to the present and one year prior to the [[Cylon attack]]. However, this contradicts previously established dates about the time Adama, Felix Gaeta, Galen Tyrol, Kara Thrace and Sharon Valerii served together on ''Galactica'':
** Gaeta: "And may I also take this opportunity to say it's been both a pleasure and an honor to serve under you these past three years." ([[Miniseries]])
** Tyrol: "Sir, on behalf of Deck Crew Five I'd like to present a token of our esteem and appreciation for the many years you've served as commanding officer of this ship." (Miniseries)
** Adama: "We [Thrace and I] talked about a lot of things. We've been aboard this ship for over two years, we know each other very well." ([[Act of Contrition]])
** Adama: "Chief Tyrol's been under my command for over five years" ([[Litmus]])
** Adama: "She [Boomer] was a vital, living person… aboard my ship for almost two years." ([[The Farm]])
** Tigh: "I think there's part of you that looks into [[Sharon Agathon|that thing]]'s eyes and still sees that [[Sharon Valerii|young girl]] that reported aboard two years ago as a [[rook]] pilot. Well, it's not. It never was. Bill, it's a ''machine''." ([[Sacrifice]])
:Since it is not specified which ships Tyrol and Gaeta served with Adama on, it is theoretically possible that they followed Adama from ''Valkyrie'' to ''Galactica'' as well. This scenario is highly unrealistic, however, and still conflicts with the statements that Thrace and Valerii served with Adama ''on Galactica'' for two years. [[Sources:Adama's Dossier|Adama's dossier]] places his taking command of ''Galactica'' at '''six''' years prior to the Cylon attack (or eight years prior to the episode). While such documents are frequently unreliable and inconsistent, this fits with the above comments and with Tyrol's statement in the Miniseries that Adama commanded the battlestar for "many years". ''Battlestar Wiki'' thus chooses to consider the dialogue in "Hero" a [[Continuity errors (RDM)|continuity error]] and to place the flashback events at six years before the Miniseries. (''See David Eick comments in [[Hero#Official Statements|Official Statements]] for rebuttal.'')
*''Valkyrie'' appears to be an intermediate step between the ''Galactica'' and ''Mercury'' battlestar designs. In addition, it seems to be slightly smaller than either; this may mean that it is a "light" or "fast" battlestar type designed to support larger vessels.
*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 (RDM)|Earth]] ([[Miniseries]]).
*At the end of the episode, [[Saul Tigh]] is trying to 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 shed new light on the motivation for his speech at ''Galactica's'' decommissioning ceremony. Also, they explain his near-monomania with safeguarding and/or rescuing those under his command or protection.
*The Cylons are able to detect and destroy the [[Stealthstar]] 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 possible that this may have been a result of Caprica-Six's work with Baltar, if the timelines line up (meaning if Six had gotten the access to the Defense mainframe before Novacek's mission).
**Given that the Stealthstar was built by an aerospace company, it can safely be assumed to be more sophisticated. However, it is only speculation that the Blackbird's stealth capabilities were less effective overall. While the Blackbird's hull is known to be made from carbon composites, the Stealthstar's technology is unknown.
**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 intelligence on the 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.
**Bulldog was communicating to ''Valkyrie'' before being attacked and used active DRADIS. Additionally, the Stealthstar seems to have been equipped with a transponder, as ''Valkyrie'' was able to track the Stealthstar. The Cylons may have been able to detect this radiation and fire at the source of it.
*Bulldog's story is even less believable given the fact that it took Kara Thrace several hours to gut a [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]] and learn how to fly it. 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 is 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 experience between death and rebirth, Three finds herself reliving a series of memories from her various lives, including a shot of her in a theater on Caprica in "[[Final Cut]]", her final moments during "[[Downloaded]]", and her discovery of Hera on New Caprica in "[[Exodus, Part II]]". She also has a vision of another kind: the [[Opera House]] seen by Baltar 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 leitmotifs in the series that have had little to no exposure in their original form since the end of season one/beginning of season two. The music as well as the imagery is a deliberately callback to the previous appearance of the Opera House, and the associated [[Music of Battlestar Galactica (RDM)#Passacaglia|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 had 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 had 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 characters to the Opera House.
*There is 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 trauma 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.

== Questions ==
*Did Bulldog know of or see other human prisoners during his captivity?
*What class of battlestar does ''[[Valkyrie]]'' belong to?
*Why would a "stealth ship" in enemy territory break radio silence and use active [[DRADIS]]?
*How was ''Valkyrie'' able to track, target and engage a stealth ship?
*Was ''Valkyrie's'' mission the only one the admiralty undertook or were there others?
*Is [[Laura Roslin]] right in speculating that the admiralty might have sent ''Valkyrie'' in order to provoke a war?
*What was the "unknown" craft that jumped near Stealthstar, disabled it, and then jumped away? Whose was it? Where did it come from?
*Who are the five white-robed figures [[Three]] sees in her vision before downloading? ([[Final_Five#Four_Revealed|Answer]])
*Does Bulldog have information regarding the five remaining humanoid Cylon models of which nothing is known?
*How did Baltar's status change from torture victim in "[[A Measure of Salvation]]" to an apparent sexual relationship with [[Caprica Six]] and Number Three?
*Was Adama's whole command staff transferred from ''Valkyrie ''to ''Galactica'' after the failure of the recon mission?
*Why does Number Three go through all the trouble to program the Centurion to erase its memory once it shot her? Is she afraid of being [[boxing|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? ([[Rapture|Answer]])
*How does Bulldog find the Fleet?
*Why did Bulldog feel betrayed by Adama? When he went on the Stealthstar mission, did he understand that flying past the Armistice Line would be seen as an act of war? Why was it not already clear to him (for example from a mission briefing) that ''Valkyrie'' would have to shoot him down if anything went wrong?

== 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>
*''[[Bear McCreary]] discusses writing "Noavcek's Theme" on his web blog: ''
: In general, I only write thematic material for characters who matter in the grand scheme of the series, in hopes that the character will return at a later point in the story. In rare cases I make an exception in order to give a guest star a particularly resonant musical voice. For example, [[Bill Duke]]'s [[Phelan]] from [[Season 2 (2005-06)|season two]]'s "[[Black Market]]" required his own theme, since all the events of the episode led up to his eventual stand-off with [[Lee Adama|Lee]].

:"Hero" was obviously another such case. Novacek's mysterious past drives nearly every scene in the entire show, and it was clear he required his own theme as well.<ref name="bear_mccreary"/>
* ''David Eick defends the continuity errors insinuated by this episode:''
: When you watch the miniseries there is this natural assumption that the old commander has been on this ship [''Galactica''] the whole time — but that's never actually stated anywhere in the series. We actually did check it, and there was nothing in the show's continuity that makes events in "Hero" inconsistent. We also all really liked the idea that Adama had been assigned to the ''Galactica'' as a punishment, which is why we did it."<ref>{{cite companion|page=56|season=3}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Speaking to another Number Three after downloading:''
:'''Number Three''': 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.

*''Bulldog explains to Adama how he got off the Cylon baseship:''
:'''Bulldog''': Well sir, it's like this. The enemy had me locked in a cell for three years. The accommodations were lousy, the service was slow. And, after a while, I felt the institution had nothing left to offer me, so I left.

*''Colonel Tigh speaks to Bulldog in Adama's quarters:
:'''Tigh''': Tell you a dirty little secret: The toughest part of getting played is losing your dignity. Feeling like you are not worth the oxygen you are sucking down. You get used to it. You start to believe it. You start to love it. It's like a bottle that never runs dry. You can keep reaching for it over and over and over again.

*''Colonel Tigh calls on the Admiral at the end of the episode:
:'''Tigh''': I hear you got a medal.
:'''Adama''': Yeah. They're handing them out for anything these days- 'good behaviour', 'attendance'. 'Plays well with others.'

== 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]]
* [[Barry Kennedy]] as Admiral [[Corman]]
* [[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]]

[[de:Helden]]
[[zh:英雄]]