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Home, Part II

2006-09-18T11:07:08Z

Luis Dantas: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| image = Tomb_of_athena_lobby.jpg
| title=Home, Part II
| series=
| season=2
| episode=7
| guests=
| writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]] <br/> [[David Eick]]
| story=
| director=[[Jeff Woolnough]]
| production=207
| rating= 2.1
| US airdate=2005-08-26
| UK airdate=2006-02-21
| dvd= {{Season 2.0 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population=47,855
| prev=[[Home, Part I]]
| next=[[Final Cut]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Adama leads a mission to Kobol to find President Roslin and her team of tomb-hunters, reconcile with his son, and reunite the divided fleet.''

== Summary ==
* [[Laura Roslin]]'s scouting team makes its way through rain and cold towards the [[Gates of Hera]] and the [[Tomb of Athena]]. With the death of [[Elosha]], Roslin now has to interpret what information they have of the [[Sacred Scrolls]] by herself or using the help of the second copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]].
* Meanwhile, on ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] and others on the command staff pore over their topography data of [[Kobol]] to determine Roslin's whereabouts. Adama plans a [[Raptor]] expedition to Kobol, travelling himself to "reach out" to Roslin there and work to mend fences.
* [[Meier]] and [[Tom Zarek]] continue to seek an opportunity to eliminate [[Lee Adama]] to gain a political advantage with Roslin and the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. Zarek warns Meier that any action against Captain Adama must not occur before the team finds the Tomb.
* [[Gaius Baltar]] begins to strongly deny the existence of his virtual [[Number Six]]. Six turns the tables by reappearing in a more casually dressed manner and claiming that Baltar is, indeed, crazy. Six claims that Baltar doesn't really have a "chip" in his head implanted by the Cylons, and that she is actually part of his own subconscious "[[frak]]king with (his) mind." She challenges him to visit [[sickbay]] for a brain scan to convince him of her "revelation."
* Adama brings along [[Galen Tyrol]] and [[Billy Keikeya]] aboard [[Racetrack]]'s Raptor to accompany him on his expedition. Adama feels Billy's presence will help his mission with Roslin. He relates that Roslin feels that Keikeya will become president himself one day.
* [[Helo]]'s Valerii is happy to be "back in the Fleet", although she herself was never physically there; she is sharing her memories of her dead [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica'' counterpart]].
* [[Kara Thrace]] relates information on the [[Caprica Resistance]] to Roslin, but Roslin states that her current thoughts are focused only on the location of the Tomb, cutting off Thrace's [[Scar|first attempt]] to fulfill her promise to [[Samuel Anders]].
* Meier begins to solicit Sharon Valerii's help as a pawn to kill Lee Adama so as not to leave suspicion on himself or Zarek. He twists the story of the fate of her ''Galactica'' counterpart to upset her.
* A brain scan performed by Dr. [[Cottle]] confirms for the agitated Baltar that there are no ''mechanical'' devices or abnormalities in his head. Cottle writes off Baltar as another hypochondriac.
* Commander Adama's team finds Roslin's camp. The commander, his son and Thrace exchange warm hugs, and Commander Adama gives a sincere welcome to Roslin. Roslin is particularly happy to see Keikeya.
* The mood of the reunion sours when Commander Adama sees the second Valerii. Upset, he attacks her and throws her to the ground, but stops his assault when the pressures of his recovery form anxiety that causes him chest pain. Valerii says, "And you ask 'why?'" (mysteriously answering Adama's question, "Why?" said over her ''Galactica'' counterpart's dead body).
* Roslin and Commander Adama bury the hatchet in their first heart-to-heart conversation about themselves and the Fleet. When Roslin brings up the Caprican resistance and whether abandoning the Colonies was the best idea, Commander Adama cuts her off, stating that Roslin saved his life, and that of his son. If he did not take her advice, they would all be dead.
* With Commander Adama in the group, Tom Zarek tells Meier to abandon their plans on Lee Adama, but Meier secretly continues the plan, giving Sharon Valerii one of his [[Stallion|civilian sidearms]] to shoot Lee Adama while he and another Zarek team member work to shoot Commander Adama.
* Valerii relates her feelings to Helo on how the Fleet sees her and other Cylon agents: as machines, not people, with no rights. Realizing what Meier is trying to do (but not relaying the story to Helo), she tells Helo to trust her in what must be done next.
* The team finds the Tomb of Athena. Immediately, Valerii raises her gun towards Commander Adama as Meier raises his gun to Lee Adama's head. But Valerii is feinting: She shoots Meier instead while Lee Adama kills another Meier conspirator that raised his gun at him. Valerii states to Commander Adama that, unlike "[[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]", she is aware of who and what she is, and that she makes own decisions on her destiny. She surrenders her gun to Commander Adama as her first of [[Flight of the Phoenix|many]] overtures of good faith.
* The [[Arrow of Apollo]] is not a key to the door of the Tomb; the expedition pushes the door open. Commander Adama leaves Zarek, Valerii, and Helo guarded by Tyrol outside while Roslin, the Adamas, Keikeya and Thrace enter the Tomb. Inside, they find [[Wikipedia:Sarchophagus|sarcophagi]], each bearing statues that represent the tribal symbols. One status, Sagittaron, is missing his arrow.
* When the Arrow is placed on the Sagittaron statue, a hologram of sorts activates around the team, placing them on a grassy field surrounded by stone pillars with glowing representations of the ancient tribal symbols that would later form the symbols of the Colonies. They soon deduce that they are standing on a representation of [[Earth]] in a planetarium of sorts that shows the Zodiac: the constellations form a representation what the Thirteenth Tribe would see from the vantage of Earth's sky.
* Lee Adama finds what they came for in the virtual sky above: The [[Wikipedia:Lagoon_Nebula|Lagoon Nebula]], a celestial point known to the Colonials as well, which now provides the Fleet both a destination and a direction to Earth, although Commmander Adama warns that the Nebula is very far away.
* Back on ''Galactica'', Adama completes his reunification of the Fleet and fence-mending by leading a rousing ovation for the reinstated President Roslin at an assembly in the starboard [[Hangar Deck|hangar deck]], complete with cheers from the crowd.
* Sharon Valerii is placed in the special brig designed for her counterpart. Helo visits her while Gaius Baltar watches with his virtual Number Six, who now returns in her usual form. She claims now that she is an "angel of [[God]]" with a mission to guide and protect Baltar "until the end of the human race."

== Questions ==
* How did Adama and the others return from the map of Earth?
**What exactly was the map of Earth? Were they in the same room in the Tomb of Athena, and a 3D hologram was projected around them? Could it have been "all in their heads?" If so, would it even be perceived by the Cylons if they tried to view it?
***In Ron D. Moore's blog on the official Scifi.com site, October 14, 2005 entry, Moore says that the map was "probably a holographic projection of some sort". As for what was preventing the Cylons finding the map now that the Tomb was open, Moore said that they planned to have Cylon Centurions attack again at the Tomb, destroying the hologram projector, however it was decided not to do this because it didn't flow well dramatically. (This abortive attack sequence mirrors a similar event in the search for Earth on a tomb on Kobol in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] episode, "[[Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II]].")
****Presumably, the Colonials took the Arrow with them, and without it, the map won't turn on.
**Did they retrieve the Arrow of Apollo? Is the map still active? If the Cylons find the map in working order and can use it, could they use the strength of their information networks to find Earth before the Colonials do?
*Just who or what is the copy of Number Six that Dr. Baltar sees all the time? Is she truly some form of supernatural force (like Count [[Iblis]] in the Original Series)? Repeated medical scans showed no foreign objects in Baltar's mind.
**For more on this issue, see the article, "[[Cylon-Related Hallucinations]]."
*How was the virtual Six capable of moving the chair in the Cylon holding cell? The chair was seen in both positions in "objective" shots (i.e. shots not from Baltar's POV that didn't include Six.)
**This may be a simple continuity error or it might suggest that Six can selectively appear as a physical manifestation, as hinted at by the appearance of [[Shelly Godfrey]].
**Baltar could have simply hallucinated that she moved it.
*Caprica-Valerii reminded Adama that he asked her ''Galactica'' counterpart's corpse "why" in [[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]. How did she know, without also knowing that Boomer had been killed? Or, was Boomer answering Adama's question of "why" from his attack: that humans have always abused Cylons as he had just done?
**Along that line, in the previous scene with [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], Caprica-Valerii mentions how she was able to remember portions of her life (such as getting her wings), and not others (such as the assassination of [[William Adama]]). Is the communication between copies delayed or possibly selective, even in death?
***Caprica-Valerii elaborates on this more in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]", in which she is actually referring to Adama's question of "Why are we as a species worthy of survival?" asked in the [[Miniseries]]. The connation that she is referring to Adama's emotional question of "Why?" to Boomer's corpse in this same episode could just be the result of messy editing.
***Clarification: the flashback to the scene in the morgue was removed for the DVD release. This probably confirms that the editing was an error and Sharon really meant the "Why?" in Adama's speech from the [[Miniseries]]
*How can Adama use the Messier number M8 to refer to the Lagoon Nebula? The Messier catalog was created in 1774, on Earth. Possible answers:
**Language and nomenclature in the show is allegorical: the Colonials speak English, Adama references the game of craps ("gotta roll a hard six"), many characters have Western, biblical, or mythological names.
**Parallel development between Earth and the Twelve Colonies extends past attire, vehicles, medicine and government documents to include highly specific astronomical nomenclature.
**The show is set in the distant future, and the inhabitants of Kobol are actually descendents of an Earth-based population, some of whom returned after a vaguely-alluded-to disaster.
***This is supported by otherwise difficult to explain terms such as the Battlestar ''[[Columbia]]'', which appears to be named for the 15th century Earth explorer [[Wikipedia:Christopher Columbus|Christopher Columbus]].
***The cultural influence is also supported by the setup of the map itself. Only someone who could have been on Earth originally could have properly plotted out the Zodiac constellations as seen from Earth. Unless, of course the map was created by the Lords of Kobol, whoever or whatever they were.
*What are Tom Zarek's true motivations? We see in "[[Home, Part I]]" that he had a desire to become the next "Fleet Commander", like [[William Adama]], and is willing to go along and eliminate anyone in his way, such as [[Lee Adama]]. Yet, during the foray on Kobol, he reverses his position and applauds [[Laura Roslin]] when she re-assumes the presidency.
*Caprica-Valerii's claim that the Cylons know more about Colonial religion than the Colonials raises interesting questions. The Cylons had direct access to the Arrow of Apollo and had at least a token presence on Kobol. If all of them knew where the Tomb of Athena was as Valerii claims, why didn't they use this knowledge to locate Earth themselves?
**As shown in the honey trap story arc with [[Helo]] in season 1, the Cylons are very intelligent, but intelligence does not beget wisdom in other human matters such as love. In this case, since the Cylons dismiss the Lords of Kobol although not necessarily the people and entities surrounding the religion, the Cylons may have viewed the Arrow as a reproduction, and not a genuine article.
**Perhaps the Cylons knew or deduced that the Arrow belonged with the Sagittaron Statue and it simply did not occur to them that the genuine Arrow would be anywhere but in Sagittaron or perhaps Kobol.
* If the Arrow of Apollo belongs to the Sagittaron Statue why was the arrow on Caprica? since it's a Sagittarion national treasure shouldn't it be on Sagittaron?
**There are many treasures in American museums not originating from America so there is no reason why a Sagittaron treasure could not be held in a Caprican museum.

== Analysis ==
*The map to Earth is believable and satisfying: no goofy special effects or flaming letters spelling out "Go This Way," just basic astronomy. It gives the Colonials both a "compass" and "landmarks" to follow.

*The compass is the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagoon_Nebula Lagoon Nebula], an actual nebula visible from both Earth and the Colonies. Assuming the Colonials' astronomical instruments are advanced enough to permit them to see the nebula from a greater distance than we can, the Lagoon Nebula gives them a general direction to head toward. They also know that Earth is within realistic traveling distance, and they know that Earth will be in a sphere centered on the Lagoon Nebula. The twelve star groupings that appeared on the Colonies' original flags are actual constellations, the twelve signs of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac Zodiac] (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces). These constellations will serve as landmarks: at the right planet, or within perhaps a few light-years of the nebula, these constellations will begin appear as they do on the Colonials' flags, assuming that they compensate for the natural drift of stars relative to Earth over time, as constellations are not static.

*If each of the Twelve Tribes had an associated symbol that the Thirteenth Tribe identified in their constellations, did the Thirteenth Tribe have one of their own? There is a thirteenth constellation in the Zodiac, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus Ophiuchus] the snake-bearer, which is not included in astrology.

:Ophiuchus may, however, be included in Greek mythology, as it is speculated that the snake-bearer represents Asclepius, the healer. The story of Asclepius is that he learned the secrets of life and death while watching one snake cure another snake he had wounded. Zeus struck Asclepius down out of fear that, under his care, the human race could become immortal.

*As the nebula and constellations in the map to Earth are recognizably ours, this would appear to indicate that the Tomb of Athena isn't a Cylon construct intended to lead the Colonials astray.

*Despite the new data, it could take the Colonials years of searching within the vicinity of the Lagoon Nebula to find Earth.

* This may be the first episode where Adama and the President call each other by their first names, and not formally: "Bill" and "Laura." By the end of this episode, it appears that Adama realizes that, while Roslin did step over the line with her redirection of Starbuck, that there was a logical need to get information on Earth in any way possible. After his near-death experience, Adama seemed more resigned that they should all meet their doom or glory together rather than separate. Roslin reinforced the fleet's hope and gave it direction and purpose. Adama's rousing formal applause generation for Roslin at the end of the episode shows that Adama has firmly buried the hatchet between himself and the President.

* Commander Adama's sense of humor is returning: first in his talk with Billy about Roslin's comments on his future of being president someday ("Don't let it go to your head: [[Richard Adar|Adar]] was a moron.") and in his glib comment on how well their luck was going so far, as their Raptor's descent subjected them to several G-forces and pressed both of them firmly, visibly and uncomfortably against the bulkheads.

* Helo is already experiencing repercussions regarding his relationship with Caprica-Boomer. First by Apollo, who voices his uneasiness about the pair to Starbuck and then later, indirectly, by Commander Adama himself who makes a point of leaving Helo outside the Tomb of Athena with Zarek, Boomer and Tyrol. Tyrol was given the order to guard them which indicates that the chief is the only one of the four left outside that Adama trusts.

== Notes ==
*Population is 47,855, a loss of three since Part I. Two of these were seen on-screen in the last episode (Elosha and a [[Laura Roslin faction]] [[Wikipedia: Redshirt (character)|Redshirt]]). The other may have happened offscreen in the same ambush.
** At episode's end, the count is now 47,853, with the death of [[Meier]] and one of [[Tom Zarek]]'s lackeys.
*The fleet has been reunited, and Commander Adama has restored Laura Roslin to the Presidency.
*The Fleet now has a general idea of the direction they need to take to find Earth.
*Helo still loves Caprica-Sharon, although he knows she's a Cylon.
*Caprica-Valerii's hybrid child is a [[Hera|girl]]. She claims to just "know" this.
*The child that Six claims she and Baltar will have ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]) is actually Caprica-Valerii's and Helo's biological daughter.
*Caprica-Valerii does not "remember" shooting Commander Adama, and she was unaware that Boomer is killed by [[Cally]] (she thought she was just in the [[brig]]). This Sharon copy thinks of herself as a "person" and not simply "a machine".
*Caprica-Valerii possesses the memories of Boomer's two years aboard ''Galactica''. She "remembers" how exhilarating it was to get her wings and how it felt to be a member of the "family" that is ''Galactica's'' crew. She considers Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] a dear friend of sorts, even though she admits she herself has never actually met him. Caprica-Valerii herself acknowledges that it's weird that she has deep-seated memories of things she fully knows she's never actually done.
*Caprica-Valerii apparently still believes that there is only "one true God" and that the Colonials "worship false idols".
*According to Starbuck's observations, the Cylons have a plan for Caprica; "they're cleaning up the bodies, moving in the heavy machinery to repair the infrastructure..."
**Ron D. Moore has stated in interviews that this is actually a major plot point (as later witnessed in "[[Downloaded]]"). Also, while the Cylon [[Farms]] (the hybrid experiments) are logically ''a'' plan for the Twelve Colonies, RDM said that it is not their ''only'' plan.
*Dr. Baltar has had a medical scan performed on his head, and it appears that there are no "foreign objects", like a metallic computer chip containing a copy of Number Six's mind, within it.
*Baltar has come to the realization that the copy of [[Number Six]] he sees cannot be just a hallucination, because she knows things his subconscious mind couldn't possibly know.
*This episode probably begins a few hours after "[[Home, Part I]]," although it could conceivably begin immediately after it.
*If the map displayed in the Tomb of Athena was from the perspective of an Earth-bound viewer, the Lagoon Nebula should have been in Sagittarius, not Scorpio.
**This could be accounted for by drift through time. The map was made millennia ago, by now the angle of view could have changed significantly.
*Since Lee and Cmdr. Adama both recognized the Lagoon Nebula, and the nebula appears the same as it does from Earth, the Colonies must be located on a line that passes through Sol and the Lagoon Nebula. This would place the Colonies - and Kobol - in the Cygnus Arm of the galaxy.
*Between Sharon's Heavy Raider that's been returned to the Fleet in this episode and the Heavy Raider from "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]," the Fleet may have up to two captured Heavy Raiders by this point. However, the one that crashes into the starboard flight pod may have been too damaged to be salvageable.
*On Kobol, Zarek tells Meier that it's "harder" to get blood on your hands than to wash it off when referring to killing Apollo. Given the context, it's reasonable to assume that the correct line was that it is "easier" to get blood on your hands than wash it off, that Richard Hatch flubbed the line, and that the flub was not caught during filming.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
* ''On "Earth":''
*:<b>Cmdr. Adama:</b> I thought we were in the Tomb of Athena.
*:<b>Starbuck:</b> I think that was just the lobby.

== Official Statements ==

In the podcast for this program, Moore and Eick commented on their attempt to have a more colorful turn of phrase in the dialogue on the Raptor from Chief Tyrol and Adama. Tyrol's original line, in his frustration on reading a map was, "Topography's for pussies, anyway." Likewise, Adama's comment about President Adar to Bill was originally "...Adar was a prick." Both lines were changed at the behest of the studio's standards and practices unit.

* ''From [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2363 Hollywood North Report's interview] with [[Edward James Olmos]]:''

: '''Robert Falconer''': One watches the series with the sense that [[William Adama]] is either an Atheist, or a man who is very private about his religious beliefs, which is interesting considering he’s part of a society whose cultural iconography seems innately tied to its [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|religion]]. Has the discovery of the [[Tomb of Athena]] changed his mind about the existence of [[Earth]], or his religious beliefs, if any?

: '''Edward James Olmos''': To answer the first part of the question, I think the beliefs Adama held were spiritual, and that he believed in the spiritual nature of humankind, but he was never a religious person, per se. He studied religions, but it wasn’t his thing, which is part of why the whole idea of Earth merely seemed like mythology or folklore to him.

: As to events altering him as an individual…a lot has changed there. The biggest change Adama went through spiritually and emotionally was his own death. And when you come back from a death experience, where you’re “clinically dead” and your body stops functioning and then all of a sudden you’re brought back, at that moment you’re gone from this understanding and reality…not just lingering there, but gone.

: Now nobody really knows what happens during those moments, but that disembodiment, where you’re just looking at everything going on as though watching a movie, is a profoundly altering experience by all accounts. And I think that experience has changed Adama the most.

: The second life-altering experience for him was the discovery of the Tomb of Athena. One moment he’s standing in the tomb, the next he’s standing “outside” on open land for reasons not fully understood at this point.

: I think those have been the most startling moments for Adama – those and discovering first-hand the new strengths and powers of the Cylons. When [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon (Boomer)]] – who I loved like a member of my own family – is lying in the morgue and I ask her, “Why?”…then later I discover the [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|other copy of Sharon]] on the surface of [[Kobol]] while I’m trying to reunite the family and [[The Fleet (RDM)|the fleet]], and she whispers in my ear, “And you ask me ‘why?’”…I realize the full implications of what we’re dealing with and I say to [[Lee Adama|Lee]] later, “They’re much stronger than we are.”

: And so all these things cause everything to change for Adama.

* ''[[Paul Campbell]] discusses antics during filming of the episode in an interview with [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84 MediaBlvd]:''

: '''MB/TSFW:''' We had some questions come in from people that read the message board, and one of them was from [[Aaron Douglas]]. (Editor’s note: The question was actually from an earlier interview with TheSciFiWorld.net). He said that we should ask you about the names that Paul and Aaron made up for the race horses that [[Mary McDonnell|Mary [McDonnell]]] took her husband to see.

: '''Paul:''' I was thinking about that the other day. We had this ridiculous…Did he give you any names?

: '''MB/TSFW:''' No, but he said you were all laughing so hard that you ruined take after take.

: '''Paul:''' Absolutely, and once you get Mary on a roll, once you get her giggling, she will not stop. So we had a field day. We were shooting Home Pt. 2, and Mary was talking about taking her husband to the horse races and just randomly picking names. And we were talking about if you were just randomly picking names having no knowledge of the horses, what names you might choose. It would be like Lighting Steed, and Farts Dust, and choosing between the two. Or Beaten by A Nose, and A Nose for silly horse names. Three legged old man, and Guaranteed to Win. But for some reason it just struck us as incredibly silly, and we must have gone on for two or three hours, and we had hundreds of names. I think Mary laugher (sic) her way thru about 50% of those takes. <ref>http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84</ref>

* ''[[Jamie Bamber]] discusses [[Lee Adama]]'s relationship with [[William Adama|his father]] after their reunion on Kobol:''

: Well, they barely see each other for the first half of the season. That serves to emphasis (sic) the pain invovled in the divergent paths the two men seem to be on. Lee stands over his father's comatose body on two occasions and each time feels a connection to his dad despite his apparent treacherous actions. His father's recovery he only experiences as a reported event while in exile [with [[Laura Roslin]]], and he seems doomed not to be able to put things right, and he is committed to denouncing his father's actions for the sake of democracy's cause. So when at the eventual meeting of the two men not a word is said about the past, it is so much more powerful. They now need each other on such a deep, family level that no past event can damage that. They have reached a point of acceptance of each other and each other's convictions, different as they may at times be. <ref>"Inside Battlestar Galactica", <u>Sci-Fi Magazine</u> February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008d708.jpg 53]</ref>

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[imdb:nm0001664|James Remar]] as [[Meier]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]

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

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/207/ "Home, Part II"] at scifi.com

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)|Home, Part II]]
[[Category: A to Z|Home, Part II]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeff Woolnough]]

Elosha

2006-08-13T18:44:08Z

Luis Dantas: /* Biography */ typo: lost->loss

{{Character Data
|photo= Elosha1.jpg
|age=
|colony=
|birthname=Elosha
|callsign=
|seen= Miniseries
|death= [[Home, Part I]]
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role=Priestess, Colonial Fleet / Spiritual Advisor to [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]].
|rank=
|actor= [[Lorena Gale]]
|cylon=
}}

'''Elosha''' was a priestess who attended the decommissioning ceremonies for the [[Battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', and later presided over services within the fleet. She and President [[Laura Roslin]] became friends and confidants by means of a mutual spiritual awakening.

==Biography==
According to a [http://scifitalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=18387 podcast conversation] with actress [[Lorena Gale]], Elosha had been on the [[Quorum of Twelve]] for some twenty years. She was present on ''Galactica'' to "cut the tape" at the decommissioning ceremony.

According to Gale and her readings of various scripts, Elosha had been a "wild child" and a "juvenile delinquent", and as such was given a choice between reform school and the monastery. She chose the monastery, where they "do a lot of drugs", i.e. [[Chamalla|chamalla]]. Elosha certainly knows the scriptures inside and out.

At the time of the [[Cylon Attack|Cylon attack]], she was travelling aboard ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'', returning to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] with others who had attended the ''Galactica'' ceremonies. When word came through that President [[Richard Adar]]'s entire cabinet has been wiped out with the exception of [[Laura Roslin]], the Education Secretary, Elosha officiated at a swearing-in ceremony at which Roslin was made President of the Twelve Colonies.

Following the Cylon attack, when the suriving fleet had apparently evaded the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], Elosha presided over a service aboard the ''[[Galactica]]'' in memory of the ship's dead ([[Miniseries]]). At the time, with his crew suffering from shock and low morale, [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] gave his people cause for hope: the legendary planet [[Earth]], enlisting Elosha's help to do so.

Elosha further presided over the Service of the Dead following the loss of seven of the ''Galactica's'' pilots in freak accident on the hanger bay ([[Act of Contrition]]).

While she did not reveal as much to others, Elosha was having a crisis of faith: while she was versed in the [[Sacred Scrolls|Scriptures]] and the history of the Twelve Tribes of man, she did not entirely believe in the truth of either ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).

Her faith underwent a renewal when she is called to ''[[Colonial One]]'' to speak with [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]]. Here she learned that Roslin was having visions, one of which could be linked directly to the writings of [[Pythia]] ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]).

Because of her knowledge of ancient history, and of the scriptures, Elosha becomes Roslin's confidante and spiritual advisor, and is able to help discern the meanings of Roslin's visions ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]) - thus causing her own faith to undergo a renewal.

She becomes the fourth person to know of Roslin's terminal cancer ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).
[[Image:Home_pt1_mourning.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Roslin, et al. mourn the loss of Elosha on Kobol. (C. SciFi Channel)]]

Elosha accompanies Roslin on a Raptor piloted by [[Lee Adama]] as Roslin escapes from the ''Galactica's'' brig and follows her in their search for the whereabouts of Earth using the resources of [[Kobol]] ([[The Farm]]).

On the ''[[Astral Queen]]'', while Roslin's crew discuss their plans to explore Kobol, the priestess warns that, according to the Scriptures, at least one of them will die since Kobol takes a toll for uncovering its secrets. Unfortunately, Elosha was one of those fated to die and was killed in "[[Home]]" by a landmine explosion left by [[Cylon Centurion|Cylon Centurions]] in a trap. She was left amongst the other ancient gravestone markers on a trail described by the Scriptures that led to the [[Tomb of Athena]] ([[Home, Part I]]).

==External links==
*[http://scifitalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=18387 Podcast conversation] with Lorena Gale on Sci-Fi Talk (about 24 minutes, BSG talk near the beginning, no spoilers)

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
[[Category:RDM]]

The Living Legend, Part I

2006-08-13T12:25:39Z

Luis Dantas: /* Analysis */ typo (religious)

{{Episode Data
| image = The_Living_Legend.jpg
| title= The Living Legend, Part I
| series= tos
| season=
| episode= 10
| guests=
| writer= [[Glen A. Larson]]
| story= [[IMDB:nm0678758|Ken Pettus]] <br> [[Glen A. Larson]]
| director= [[IMDB:nm0250436|Vince Edwards]]
| production= 50919
| rating=
| US airdate= 1978-11-26
| UK airdate=
| dvd= 2004-12-28
| population=
| prev= [[The Young Lords]]
| next= [[The Living Legend, Part II]]
}}
== Overview ==

:[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]] ''is reunited with '' [[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]]'', a sister [[Battlestar (TOS)|battlestar]] previously thought destroyed. Led by the legendary and sometimes arrogant Commander [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]], the fleet is torn in its loyalty between [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] and Cain, but they eventually join forces in a daring attack on the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

* [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] are being pursued by unidentified objects from behind them in the heart of the [[Delphian Empire]].

* The two objects are none other then two other [[Colonial]] [[Viper (TOS)|Vipers]] flown by Lieutenant [[Sheba]], and Lieutenant [[Bojay]].

* Just as Sheba and Bojay are about to finish off Apollo and Starbuck, Sheba's [[scanner]] shows that the occupant of the Viper she is pursuing is human and orders a cease fire. In the ensuing dialogue, Apollo and Starbuck are informed that Sheba is strike leader of Silver Spar Squadron. They are re-united with Bojay, who served once on ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]]'s'' [[Blue Squadron]] before he was transferred to the [[Fifth Fleet]] that perished at the [[Battle of Molecay]], two [[Yahren (TOS)|yahrens]] before.

* Sheba and Bojay escort a bewildered Apollo and Starbuck aboard ''[[Battlestar (TOS)|battlestar]]'' ''[[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]]'' commanded by the legendary Commander [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]].

* Aboard ''Galactica'', Flight Sergeant [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly]] reports to Commander [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] that the fleet is low on fuel. Colonel [[Tigh (TOS)|Tigh]] reports that there is what appears to be scans of something massive, the size of a [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylon]] city not too far off. Adama orders the fleet to dead stop while awaiting word on the fate of Apollo and Starbuck's patrol.

* Apollo and Starbuck are re-united with warriors aboard ''Pegasus'' and are informed that Cain pulled ''Pegasus'' out into deep space after the [[Battle of Molecay]]. They have been fighting the Cylons and using fuel and weapons from the Cylons to fuel their own personal war effort.

* Colonel [[Tolan]], Cain's second in command, takes Apollo and Starbuck to Cain's quarters, where are re-united with the "living legend." They inform Cain of the fate of the [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|Colonies]] and of the 220 ship rag-tag fleet. Cain, now with information of ''Galactica'' surviving the war, declares that the Cylon Empire is about to fall as he plans to mount an offensive.

* Aboard ''Galactica'', [[Athena (TOS)|Athena]] informs Adama and Colonel Tigh that there is a visual echo coming from the scans ahead. The echo shows a battlestar. [[Omega]] informs Adama of a message coming over Fleet Com-Line Alpha — a communications channel used only between Colonial warships. Adama feels the message is a hoax. Cain appears on the monitor and informs, much to the delight of Adama, that he will be aboard shortly.

* Cain, with Apollo and Starbuck in tow as he boards ''Galactica'', informs Adama that the Cylons now control [[Gamoray (TOS)|Gamoray]], a society once thriving with 50 million people. This means the Cylons now control over half the galaxy.

* Cain had been doing strike runs on Gamoray for fuel to fund his war campaign but could not figure out why they didn't send [[Basestar (TOS)|basestars]] to finish him off. His answer was now clear: the renegade traffic the Cylons were having problems with was ''Galactica'' and her fleet.

*Cain tries to get Adama to side with him in an effort to conquer the Cylons on Gamoray. But Adama declines, citing the safety of the fleet as his main priority.

* Aboard ''Pegasus'', Cain meets with Starbuck and Apollo and asks about a woman he once knew before the war. It turns out the woman was [[Cassiopeia]], the woman Starbuck is involved with. Cain then introduces the two to Sheba, his daughter.

* After the meeting Apollo asks Starbuck what he plans to tell Cassiopeia about Cain being alive. Starbuck dismisses any suggestion of Cassiopeia rekindling a romance with Cain again, but Starbuck does tell her later that Cain is alive. Cassiopeia reunites with him aboard ''Pegasus''. They share a tender embrace and reminisce before Cassiopeia tells Cain about her relationship with Starbuck. She asks Cain for time for her to think.

* Aboard ''Galactica'', Apollo asks Starbuck how Cassiopeia took the news. Viewers learn a little of Starbuck's character: The [[warrior]] doesn't form deep attachments to people after being raised on his own. Young [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] puts in his two cents in, saying that Starbuck still has a bunch of other woman in wait for him.

* Back on ''Pegasus'', Cain and Cassiopeia talk about Sheba and how the relationship may cause issues between Cain and his daughter.

* Meanwhile in the Officer's Lounge, Apollo and Starbuck meet with warriors from Silver Spar Squadron. Sheba and Apollo butt heads over the military differences between Adama and Cain. Cain enters the lounge with Cassiopeia and Sheba leaves, very uncomfortable with seeing her. Apollo confronts Sheba about the conflict, but Sheba says that working with Apollo won't be a problem.

* A meeting of commanders is convened and a plan is made to intercept [[Cylon freighter (TOS)|Cylon Tankers]] to provide fuel for the fleet. Adama proposes to use a squadron from both battlestars. Cain declines at first but Adama informs him of the need for the warriors to integrate for the boost of morale. Cain agrees, boasting that his warriors would be glad to pass along their experience to ''Galactica's'' warriors. Apollo is surprised by Cain's arrogance.

* During pre-launch, Cain joins the mission to the surprise of Sheba. During the mission they are intercepted by a Cylon patrol. Blue Squadron almost seems at the mercy of the Cylons until Silver Spar Squadron engages. Cain orders Blue Squadron to pursue while he goes off to take care of the tankers.

* Cain destroys the tankers against orders, and tells a disbelieving Apollo that he was firing at a Cylon fighter.

*Aboard ''Galactica'', Cain maintains his story during a meeting with Adama. Apollo and Sheba and also cite Blue Squadron's inexperience. Cain now pushes the campaign against Gamoray to Adama. Adama tells Cain, rather tersely, that he will give his answer in the morning.

* Apollo knows the truth but remains silent. Confronting Sheba, she maintains that the tankers were hit by incidental fire. Apollo tells her that he had found a weakness or two.

* Another war meeting is convened and Cain pushes harder for a total victory at Gamoray. Adama again declines, citing too many losses of life. Adama offers an alternative; ''Pegasus'' is carrying a full fuel load and Adama wishes to divide that load amongst the fleet. Cain still feels a victory is possible. Adama is still not interested and orders the fuel to be distributed. When Cain declines this offer, Adama (the ranking officer) relieves Cain of his command.

* Aboard ''Pegasus'', Sheba and Bojay speak with Cain about going against Adama's orders. Cain refuses, citing that while he may be a stubborn warrior, he is the best one and won't leave the fleet defenseless.

* Aboard Baltar's basestar, [[Lucifer]] informs [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] of the finding of the trailing vessels of the Colonial Fleet. Baltar tells Lucifer to prepare of an attack to finally finish off ''Galactica'' for good without support from Gamoray. All Baltar wants is a celebration from Gamoray and to take command of Gamoray for himself.

*Lucifer questions Baltar's plan. Baltar responds that there are other [[Cylons (TOS)|IL-series]] robots that will gladly be at his side after the victory. Baltar then offers to accompany the strike force to punctuate his point of victory much to Lucifer's surprise.

* Meanwhile Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer and Jolly board ''Pegasus'' for the fuel distribution. Tolan and Tigh confer on ''Pegasus''' bridge: Tolan wonders if they should wait until the bad moods on board from the warriors over the treatment of Cain subside. Tigh disagrees and orders the transfers to begin.

* On ''Pegasus'' landing bay, ''Galactica's'' warriors are met by resistance from Silver Spar Squadron. Just as it appears a fight is imminent, a red alert is sounded as Cylons attack the Fleet.

* On ''Galactica'', Cain and Adama agree to place ''Pegasus'' between the Fleet and the Cylon task force (the largest one since the destruction of the Colonies).

* Cain flies his Viper back to ''Pegasus'' and informs Tolan and Tigh of his resumption of command on the battlestar. His crew cheers while Tolan informs Tigh that the situation isn't personal. Tigh understands, and says "How can you fight a living legend?"

* ''Galactica'' takes heavy damage to her Alpha landing bay. Just as it seems the Cylons are going to have their victory, Baltar's Cylon pilot informs him of the second battlestar. Baltar is incredulous, but the pilot re-confirms the second battlestar's existence. When Baltar sees ''Pegasus'', he orders his pilot to retreat.

== Questions ==
* How many battlestars were part of the Fifth Fleet?

== Analysis ==

In ''The Living Legend'', a decidely popular episode of the original Galactica series, we see Adama finally meet his match, when confronted with another military leader, Commander Cain, who has his own league of loyal troops, and his own battlestar to boot. One of the few story arcs from the original series to be reimagined in the 2003 series, ''Living Legend'' provides many memorable moments, introduces a new regular character to the show (Lieutenant Sheba) and above all brings us Lloyd Bridges' interpretation of Commander Cain, an old "war daggit" if there ever was one.

Dramatically, the juxtaposition of two battlestar crews is interesting, as loyalties are put to the test when the military philosophies of the two commnaders clash. Thematically, however, the episode is perhaps a bit more unclear. Adama, who has reluctantly followed the edicts of the Council of Twelve, represents a sort of benign military rule, coupled with the religious mantle that he wears as the person who is guiding the Fleet to the promised land of Earth. Cain, patterned no doubt on George C. Scott's depiction of the famous WWII general in the acclaimed 1970 movie ''Patton [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066206/],'' represents a different philosophy. A damn the torpedoes, full stream ahead military machismo that Adama worries will get everyone killed. This point of view is never really challenged, however, and Cain takes a good portion of his crew and the Battlestar Pegasus with him on a military gamble that at the end of the episode is never confirmed to have worked or not. By surrendering on more than one occasion to Cain's view, Commander Adama seems to legitimate it, which must leave the viewer with the conclusion that Cain's philosophy is valuable and a good counterpoint to Adama's perspective. In other words, Adama has not been militaristic enough? Perhaps.

Cain was a character that was planned to return. Count Iblis suggests Sheba would see her father again a few episodes later, and there was apparently a script idea for a reunion had the series continued. Glen A. Larson's brief attempt to revive Galactica prior to the Moore production also involved Cain and the Battlestar Pegasus, and the character has appeared in fan fiction and comics over the years.

== Notes ==
* This is the first appearance of Lloyd Bridges as Commander Cain, Anne Lockhart as Sheba and Jack Stauffer as Bojay.

* In the episode "[[War of the Gods, Part I (TOS)|War of The Gods]]," Jack Stauffer returns as Bojay in command of ''Galactica's'' new Silver Spar Squadron.

* This is the first mention of more then just one fleet in the Colonial Military. In the pilot there appeared to be only one main fleet. ''Pegasus'' was part of the Fifth Fleet.

* Sheba was introduced as a new love interest for Apollo and their relationship was to develop over the course of the series had it continued into more seasons.

* Commander Cain and ''Pegasus'' were also slated to return in future episodes had the show not been cancelled.

* This episode along with Part Two and the episode "Fire in Space were edited together for the Video Release "Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack". In this video Jolly's report comes at the beginning then followed by Apollo and Starbucks' patrol scene. The first 45mins to an hour of this video were more narrative in nature with some scenes taken out completely from the original aired episode(s)

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

Cain: Galmonging Cylons!

Sheba (To Apollo): Working with you won't be a problem.

Apollo (To Sheba): We have found a weakness or two now haven't we?

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Lloyd Bridges]] as [[Cain (TOS)|Commander Cain]]
*[[imdb:nm082392|Jack Stauffer]] as [[Bojay]]
*[[imdb:nm0352069|Rod Haase]] as [[Tolan|Colonel Tolan]]
*[[imdb:nm0421191|Junero Jennings]] as [[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]] Bridge Officer
*[[imdb:nm0357288|Ted Hamaguchi]] as Helmsman

{{Episode List (TOS)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:TOS|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (TOS)|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Glen A. Larson|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Ken Pettus|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Glen A. Larson|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Vince Edwards|Living Legend, Part I, The (TOS)]]