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The Road Less Traveled

2008-04-20T01:02:54Z

Rabagley: /* Notes */ Demitrius has already been introduced in "The Ties that Bind" so the description here is unneeded.

{{spoiler}}

{{Episode Data
| image=4x05 - The Road Less Travelled - Promo 1.jpg
| title= The Road Less Travelled
| season= 4
| episode= 5
| guests=
| writer=[[Mark Verheiden]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/02/battlestar-ga-2.html|title=The Watcher: 'Battlestar Galactica': Hints and clues about Season 4}}</ref>
| story=
| director=
| production=407
| rating=
| US airdate=
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Escape Velocity]]
| next= [[Faith]]
}}

== Overview ==
{{spoiltext|''The prospect of a truce between humanity and the Cylons encourages Starbuck to trust an old enemy.<ref>Episode description was unintentionally accessible on scifi.com until recently. Descriptions were noted on other websites before removed, and editor confirmed them several days ago before removal from scif.com. </ref>}}

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==

== Analysis ==


== Questions ==


== Official Statements ==





== Noteworthy Dialogue ==



== Guest Stars ==


== External Links ==

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:RDM]]

Humanoid Cylon speculation

2007-04-14T07:17:07Z

Rabagley:

{{s3cleanup}}

{{delete|All criteria for humanoid Cylons has been thrown into question due to [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s comments and the events of "[[Crossroads, Part II]]".}}

<div align="center">
{| class="toc plainlinks" summary="Notice"
|-
| [[Image:BSG WIKI Caution.png]]
| This article is based on '''[[BW:CJ|plausible speculation]]''', which can violate [[BW:FANW|policies on fan-generated theories]] if analysis is taken too far.'''
|}
</div>
<br/>
{{seealso|Characters eliminated from suspicion}}

The [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons']] transformation into [[Humanoid Cylon|humanoid form]] introduces serious problems for the remnant of humanity known as [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] to identify Cylon operative from human.

This article details [[Battlestar Wiki:Citation Jihad#Derived content|plausible speculation]] on central and supporting characters in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' who, based on their behavior, motive, and background, could be a Cylon agent. As of the [[Crossroads, Part II|end of Season Three]], [[Cylon Models#Known Models|eleven]] Humanoid Cylons have been revealed to the audience, while the population of the Fleet knows only of the seven they encountered on [[New Caprica]]. [[Final Five#Four Revealed|One]] Cylon remains unaccounted for.

==Needed Qualifiers for Speculation==

A number of qualifiers applied to consider a character as one of the 7 original [[Humanoid Cylon]]s. However, these rules do not apply to members of the [[Final Five]] of which only one remains unidentified.

* The character is not one of the identified seven models. [[D'Anna Biers]] after seeing the Final Five, tells [[Brother Cavil]] that there are "five other Cylons" implying that she did not see any of the models she knew.

==Humanoid Cylons were never genuine humans==

According to [[Ron D. Moore]], the twelve humanoid models are based on human behavior and personality archetypes distilled into twelve varieties. '''Cylon agents are NOT copies or clones of any pre-existing humans, living or dead'''<ref>In an October 24th, 2005 [http://www.thefandom.com/Article50.phtml podcast interview] Ron Moore stated, "The idea is not there was one like an original human model that they were copied from. The idea was that these were...these models of Cylon were developed out of their own study of us. The Cylons on some level looked at humanity and said, 'Well, you know what, there's really only twelve of you...and these are the twelve.' And then if you look at them, they kind of represent different archetypes of what humanity is."</ref>.

==Death==

As only a humanoid Cylon can "return" from the dead, any human character that dies is instantly disqualified from suspicion. If the character returns in a manner other than being seen in a "flashback" scene or episode, then it is possible that the character is a Cylon. See the article, "[[Characters eliminated from suspicion]]", for more information.

==Loyalty/Disloyalty==

The next four all appear to be fervently against the Cylon consensus position, a position that may not change, even given their recent awareness of their identity. The method of their emergence as well as the lack of obvious hidden protocols don't imply that they are simply "deeper cover" agents. As a result, loyalty to the fleet and actions to sabotage the human effort should no longer be expected behaviors of the last Cylon.

==Suspected Cylons==

===Moderate probability of being a Cylon===

====Kara "Starbuck" Thrace====
* Known family members: Yes ([[Socrata Thrace]])
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Moderate

[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] was apparently disproved as being a Cylon: [[Simon]] wanted to use Starbuck's egg cells in Cylon/human hybrid experiments ([[The Farm]]). It would be illogical to take genetic material from another Cylon agent (unless Simon is [[Final five|unaware]] that Thrace is another Cylon agent).

Thrace's association with [[Zak Adama]] occurred over two years prior to the Cylon attack ([[Miniseries]]). Helo notes that he and Thrace have known each other for a "long time" but the actual length of their friendship isn't defined ([[Scattered]]).

[[Image:Valley of Darkness-Starbuck Helo.jpg|right|thumb|Thrace's painting ([[Valley of Darkness]])]]
[[Image:S3-eyeofjupiter.jpg|left|thumb|The symbol in the Temple of Five ([[The Eye of Jupiter]])]]
A strange connection between Thrace, the Cylons, or the ancient Thirteenth Tribe may exist based on the [[Temple of Five]]. A significant similarity exists between a symbol painted by Thrace that's found in her apartment in "[[Valley of Darkness]]" and the symbol in the Temple of Five, found over a year later. When informed of the similarity between her painting and the temple symbol by Helo, Thrace mentions that the symbol was something that she has drawn since childhood almost subconsciously some times.

The events of the second half of season 3, particularly rumors of Thrace's demise or destiny in the episode "[[Maelstrom]]", and the revelation of her drawing the Eye of Jupiter mandala subconsciously return this character's suspicion from "none" to "moderate." Supporting this tenuous level of suspicion is the fact that the [[Final five|five missing Cylons]] are not known to the seven revealed agents, leaving characters with strong levels of direct Cylon interaction (Thrace and Gaius Baltar, particularly) with strange associations that cannot be fully defined, particularly her interactions with the [[Leoben Conoy]] model and his prophetic indications of Thrace's destiny ([[Flesh and Bone]]).

Though clearly meant as a joke, [[Katee Sackhoff]] claims in the Season Three gag reel <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6307683077762423268&q|title=Battlestar Galactica: Season Three Gag Reel|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=Google Video|language=English}}</ref> that Starbuck is a Cylon and that she dies. Given that her character is believed to be dead after "[[Maelstrom]]" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.gateworld.net/galactica/news/2007/01/major_cast_member_to_depart.shtml|title=GateWorld - Battlestar Galatica News: Major cast member to depart|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>, and Sackhoff's name removed from the title credits for the remainder of the season, her earlier statements may be a more valid claim than previously thought.

Before her apparent death in [[Maelstrom]], she had a hallucination or vision of a being that looks like Leoben Conoy but suggests that he isn't, along with a number of other visions, including one of a raider. During this time, we are also introduced to her mother, Socrata Thrace, but it is unknown whether Kara was born to the elder Thrace or adopted.

Kara Thrace appeared in a Viper in [[Crossroads, Part II]], raising the question of how (or if) she survived the events in [[Maelstrom]].

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

====Gaius Baltar====
{{seealso|Baltar as Cylon speculation}}
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Moderate

[[Gaius Baltar]]'s odds of being a Cylon are not good, but not impossible either. The miniseries establishes him as a prominent public figure for years. Cylons talking amongst themselves in "[[Downloaded]]" continually referred to Baltar as a human. In "[[Torn]]" [[Caprica-Six]] mentions that she was (and possibly still is) considering to have a child with Baltar, which would appear impossible if he was a Cylon. However, when learning of the Cylon's "[[projection]]" abilities in "[[Torn]]" and how they may be related to his vision of Number Six, Baltar himself begins to question whether or not he is a Cylon.

Recent information from cast members that portray Cylons confirmed a season 3 storyline that indicates that the revealed agents do not know the identity of the five remaining Cylon agents. This storyline is introduced in the episode, "[[Torn]]."

Under extreme psychological duress Baltar confesses to President Roslin and Admiral Adama that he is '''not''' a Cylon, however the veracity of his confession is questionable ([[Taking a Break From All Your Worries]]).

====Anastasia "Dee" Dualla====
* Known family members: No<ref>While Dualla has mentioned her father in the episode, "[[Final Cut]]," he has not been seen on-screen. The [[Battlestar Wiki:Separate continuity|separate continuity]] character of [[Darrin Dualla]] is not canonical with this qualification.</ref>
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Moderate

[[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] seems to have a fairly well developed backstory regarding her past; she is a Sagittaron ([[Bastille Day]]), her father disapproved of her joining the military ([[Final Cut]]), but upon closer inspection none of this can be confirmed by a third party: the only source of information about Dualla's past in the series has been Dualla herself. Dualla's position in charge of ''Galactica's'' communications puts her in an ideal position for subversion. In "[[Valley of Darkness]]", Dualla is found in the enlisted head, having suffered a blow to the head from Cylon Centurions that passed through, the only survivor in the compartment. Cylon agents have often demonstrated the ability to physically damage themselves for a cause, including self-destruction<ref>There are numerous instances in the series, including [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii's]] attack from a copy of Number Six to give plausibilty for [[Helo]], and a suicide-bombing by a [[Number Five]].</ref>. Dualla could have feigned injury to avoid suspicion. Dualla's relationships with members of both government and military command ([[Billy Keikeya]] and [[Lee Adama]]) increase her involvement with secrets in the Fleet. Dualla's contraction of Mellorak infection in "[[The Woman King]]" would seem to decrease the possibility of her being a Cylon, as the hybrid Hera's blood seemed to have disease (cancer) resistance. However, Hera has herself been sick before and during the episode, and Cylons are also subject to infectious diseases ([[Torn]]).

====Felix Gaeta====
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Moderate

As tactical officer, [[Felix Gaeta]], being technically minded, is initially fond of [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar's work]]. He admitted to ignoring the [[Cylon transponder|Cylon device]] found below the [[DRADIS]] console in the [[Miniseries]], believing it to be part of the new [[Galactica Museum|museum]]. Gaeta neglects an update to [[emergency jump coordinates]] to the Fleet ([[Scattered]]), and proposes creating a [[Computers|computer]] network to fix the matter, leaving the ship vulnerable (and compromised twice).

Gaeta's recent behavioral changes from the stress of working at evading the Cylons shows by "[[Final Cut]]" as Gaeta is shown in his interview drunk, smoking, and wearing a new tattoo. By the following episode, "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", Gaeta angrily snaps at Colonel Tigh for giving a difficult order, causing surprise throughout [[CIC]] as Gaeta is normally a calm, reserved officer even under the worst of conditions. Contrast this behavior with "Boomer" Valerii, who still appeared quite alert after 5 continuous days of combat status. Note the following dialogue from the first regular series episode, "[[33]]":

::'''[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]''': Hey, how about you, Boomer? [[Cottle|Doc]] tells me you're holding up better than anybody in the squadron.
::'''Boomer''': I'm tired, like everybody else.
::'''Apollo''': You never seem it.
::'''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]''': 'Cause she's a Cylon.
::'''Boomer''': You're just gonna make me come over there and kick your ass, aren't you?

While even Cylon agents develop severe behavioral and physiological issues after extended work and abuse ([[Number Six#Gina|Pegasus]]), Cylon agents appear to be more resilient than humans, which may limit the likelihood of Gaeta's possible Cylon connection. On the other hand, if he were a Cylon, Gaeta's human personality may have finally been overtaxed by that time, suggesting that an actual human might have snapped earlier in their exodus in contrast.
Boomer, however, was unaware of her Cylon nature and thus would not have hidden her enhanced physique. An aware infiltrator would presumably feign more ordinary levels of endurance.

The seven known Humanoid Cylons appear to have integrated human agents into the Colonies no earlier than 2 years before the events of the Miniseries. No information is available on dates of infiltration by the [[Final Five]], whose activities are unknown to the seven. Gaeta has served with Commander Adama for three years ([[Miniseries]]). Over a year later, Saul Tigh confirms that he has worked with Gaeta for 4 years ([[Collaborators]]).

Gaeta chose to stay with Baltar's puppet administrator on New Caprica to feed inside information to the resistance, which Galen Tyrol confirms ("[[Occupation]]", "[[Precipice]]", "[[Collaborators]]"). Since humanoid Cylons are not clones of actual humans, the likelihood of Gaeta as a Cylon agent would depend on the start of [[Final Five]]'s infiltration into Colonial society.

====Diana Seelix====
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Moderate

[[Diana Seelix]]'s odds of being a Cylon were, in retrospect, always somewhat moderate. The only circumstantial disqualifier would be that there were probably many opportunities for her to aid the Cylon cause that she didn't take, particularly when she fought in the resistance under [[Galen Tyrol]]. However, the fact that she took up arms is interesting considering that she stated on [[Kobol (RDM)|Kobol]] that she hadn't used a gun "since basic" ([[Fragged]]). Finally, in "[[A Day in the Life]]", Seelix was in a position where she conceivably could have caused the inner airlock doors to close with Galen and [[Cally Tyrol]] inside. Cinematically, extra attention was given to her relatively indecipherable operation of the controls in the airlocks's observation room.

===Low probability of being a Cylon===

====Romo Lampkin====
* '''Chances of being a Cylon:''' Low

Defense attorney [[Romo Lampkin]] claims to have been a student of [[Joseph Adama]]'s, but this claim cannot be independently verified. His desire to be the attorney for [[Gaius Baltar]] is unexplained.

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Cylons]]
[[Category:Cylons (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Crossroads, Part II

2007-03-28T05:41:01Z

Rabagley: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| title= Crossroads, Part II
| image= 3x20-CrossroadsPartII-BaltarSixHera.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 20
| guests=
| writer= [[Mark Verheiden]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 320
| rating=
| US airdate= 2007-03-25
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= ?
| extra= '''Season Finale - 50 Minute Episode'''
| prev= [[Crossroads, Part I]]
| next= '''TBA'''
| 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%253D219291495%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''As Gaeta testifies against Baltar about the execution list that the accused signed on New Caprica, Roslin finds a disturbing link between her dreams and the [[Opera House]] on Kobol. Lee Adama turns around the trial with an unusual move, and several people make a disturbing discovery about themselves.''

== Summary ==

===Teaser===
*[[Admiral Adama]] shaves, cutting himself when the lights flicker.
*[[Laura Roslin]] calls, seeking a bit of humorous motivation to get out of bed and face the [[Crossroads, Part I|trial]] again, which she does not relish.
*After one feeble attempt, Adama manages "get your fat, lazy ass out of that rack, Roslin!" which makes Roslin laugh and give a heartfelt thank you. Adama tells her, "Don't let 'em see you sweat, Laura."
*[[Samuel Anders]] and [[Tory Foster]] are sexually engaged when she hears a strange music. When she notes it to Anders, he's surprised at the revelation, having heard it before himself.
*[[Diana Seelix]] knocks on the duty locker door and Anders opens it. An unconfortable silence between Seelix, Anders and Foster begins.
*[[Galen Tyrol]] is half-asleep, humming the music. He leaves his bed and quarters and goes to a section of ventilation to hear the music elsewhere on ''[[Galactica]]''.
*[[Lee Adama]] recommends a mistrial for [[Gaius Baltar]], using his grandfather's written advice, believing that their successes are actually worsening the issue. Baltar is incensed at the suggestion, believing that Adama wants to leave the case.
*[[Romo Lampkin]], Baltar's attorney, is inclined to agree with Adama, but young Adama's comment about his father's words about the "treacherous" Baltar leaves him to ponder.
*Baltar doesn't want to repeat the terror he's experienced in the time before the trial.
*[[Racetrack]] is training Seelix, Anders, and other [[Raptor]] [[nugget]]s, when Anders overhears Chief Tyrol humming. Together, they realize that the melody feels like something out of childhood, and they hear only a part of the melody.
*Before they can analyze further, Racetrack yells for Anders to return to the group.

===Act 1===
*Roslin takes [[diloxin]] treatment in [[sickbay]]. As she lies down and dreams, she experiences the same dream as [[Sharon Agathon]], also in sickbay with [[Hera Agathon|her daughter]], and both scream simultaneously. The two ask to talk privately.
*Later, Roslin and Sharon Agathon meet with [[Caprica-Six]], who has also experienced the dreams. When asked why Six is trying to reach Hera, she says that she felt she had to protect her "with (my) life."
*[[Saul Tigh]] tells Admiral Adama about the music. The admiral tells Tigh that he will look into it later as he leaves for court.
*The trial resumes. Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]] is on the stand. The [[Precipice|execution order]] from [[New Caprica]] is admitted as evidence by [[Cassidy]], the prosecutor.
*Gaeta lies, as viewers are shown the actual events where Baltar is forced to sign at gunpoint, where Gaeta says that Baltar did not resist.
*Lampkin chooses not to cross-examine, to Baltar's great horror. The prosecution rests.

===Act 2===
*After a recess, the defense begins its case.
*Lampkin motions for a mistrial, as Baltar objects, due to prejudicial comments by Admiral Adama four days before. He asks for Mr. Lee Adama to take the stand.
*The prosecuting attorney strongly objects, but after Lampkin warns of much case law (he can think of seven examples off the top of his head) that permits such a procedure, the tribunal allows Mr. Adama to testify.
*Mr. Adama refuses to confirm his father's comments. As Lampkin tries to intimidate Mr. Adama, he restates, asking if Baltar deserves a fair trial.
*Asked why, Mr. Adama believes Baltar is not guilty, but Admiral Adama asks for the questioning to continue.
*Pressed for more clarification, Mr. Adama states that Baltar did not commit treason. He asks the tribunal what anyone else would do in that situation. He notes that all other conspirators and resistance fighters were pardoned, as were many, many other mistakes of the past, from [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|Roslin]], to [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|Admiral Adama]], and himself in the destruction of the ''[[Olympic Carrier]]'' and running from [[New Caprica]], recommending never to return with [[Pegasus (RDM)|his battlestar]].
*Mr. Adama believes that new laws are needed because they are less of a civilization now and more of a gang. He states that, unlike everyone else, Baltar is being prosecuted because of his arrogance and other considerable character flaws and is not being accorded the same forgiveness as others.
*Adama believes that the trial is built on emotions and shame from the events of New Caprica, and the shame of those that ran away. Mr. Adama looks to his father as he speaks.
*He believes that Baltar is a scapegoat for all the guilt of the people.
*The prosecuting attorney does not cross-examine, and the defense rests.
*The tribunal steps out to deliberate as Roslin steps down to congratulate Cassidy for her work.

===Act 3===
*Baltar is acquitted, 3 votes to 2 against. Yelling turns into a riot in the gallery as marines try to get Baltar to safety while the [[Fleet News Service|press]] tries to interview many players.
*Baltar is happily discussing the victory but makes a mistake in insulting Admiral Adama. Lee Adama warns him, "Don't push it, doctor."
*When Baltar asks Lampkin to aid him in a book tour and other profitable matters, Lampkin tells him that his association with Baltar is done.
*Baltar suddenly realizes that, despite his apparent freedom, he is a man without a country, without work, friends, or even quarters.
*Lampkin and Mr. Adama say their goodbyes. Lee Adama, on seeing Lampkin walking away without his cane, realizes that he had used the cane as yet another psychological tactic.
*Gaius Baltar tries to be inconspicuous as he moves files elsewhere, but all eyes are on him.
*Roslin and Admiral Adama speak in [[CIC]]. She is incensed at the verdict. Adama reminds Roslin that "not guilty" does not mean "innocent."
*Roslin assumes that Adama cast a guilty vote, when, to Roslin's shock and anger, the admiral states he voted not guilty, feeling that the prosecution did not hold their case.
*Adama tells Roslin that no one is asking anyone to forgive or forget, but they must look to the future.
*Adama orders the last jump to the [[Ionian nebula]]. The jump is successful, and Adama orders a [[DRADIS]] scan when Roslin becomes immediately dazed and stunned.
*As Admiral Adama looks to Roslin to check on her health, main power on every ship of the Fleet fails, leaving each one, including ''Galactica'', drifting dangerously close to each other.

===Act 4===
*Pilots scramble with [[flashlight]]s to their stations while CIC tries to get to auxiliary power, but battery power is the best they can muster.
*The scene shifts to a dream in the [[Opera House]] again, with Gaius Baltar holding Hera and Caprica-Six next to him. Above them, the glowing images of the [[Final Five]] appear. Caprica-Six awakens from the dream.
*Baltar tries to take advantage of the darkness and chaos when three women confront him. Frightened, Baltar is told by the women that they will take him to safety.
*The mysterious music gets louder, and Tigh, Galen Tyrol, Tory Foster and Anders begin quoting lyrics from an [[The Music|increasingly coherent melody]].
*As viewers watch, the music gets louder and more dynamic, forming a rock song. Each of the four are drawn to the gym on ''Galactica'', where they discover each other. Each are stunned and shocked.
*Tyrol believes the impossible; that all of them are [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]]. Each of them begin to hum the music, together, coherently, in full. Tigh angrily stops them and closes the hatches while they talk.
*Tigh states his time in service, and his history, trying to believe that none of it was in vain. Anders objects as well.
*As power is restored, DRADIS picks up a large Cylon fleet coming their way. [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] manage to scramble. [[Helo]], as acting XO, notes the mass power outage will mean that it will take at least 20 minutes for the [[FTL]] jump drives on the civilian ships to be ready. The admiral doesn't believe they have the time.
*In the closed room, Tigh states that, despite what they believe about themselves, that he is going to do his job as a Colonial officer, and heads to CIC. The others follow suit.
*The hangar deck is abuzz with activity as Chief Tyrol tries to resume his usual work.
*Lee Adama, after watching other pilots run from duty lockers to flight preparation, heads there himself to prep.
*Admiral Adama orders the preparation of the battlestar's nuclear weapons. Tigh reports on station, keeping his face stony.
*The Vipers launch. [[Helo]] is confused about the pilot of Viper 3.
*Apollo, in Viper 3, picks up a target on his [[Viper Mark VII|Viper's]] DRADIS, and tracks it down. As he looks around, an image of a [[Viper Mark II]] keeps appearing and disappearing in the clouds. The image buzzes overhead and alarms the pilot momentarily.
*Pulling alongside in her undamaged Viper, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] greets Apollo. She tells him not to "freak out," that it really is her.
*The [[Maelstrom|believed-dead]] pilot tells Apollo that she has been to [[Earth]], and that she can guide the Fleet there.
*As the music continues to play, the episode concludes as the shot pulls swiftly and violently away from Apollo and Starbuck's Viper, past the Colonial fleet, the Cylon fleet and several planets to show an arm of the galaxy.
*The shot suddenly zooms forward and through another nearby galactic arm to the familiar blue-green planet of Earth and what is known to viewers as the North American continent (in its current shape, long after the tectonic drift that split the [[w:Pangaea|Pangaea]] super-continent millions of years earlier in the planet's history).

== Questions ==
* What is the source of the music?
* Are we supposed to interpret the music as the actual Dylan song, and therefore a connection to Earth? ([[#Official Statements|Answer]])
* Is Saul Tigh the oldest humanoid Cylon model?
* Who is the twelfth Cylon?
* Did the Cylons develop humanoid models before the first [[Cylon War]]?
* Why does [[Caprica Six]] feel the need to protect [[Hera]] with her life?
* How are [[Laura Roslin]], [[Hera]], [[Sharon Agathon]], and [[Caprica Six]] spiritually connected, and what is the nature of said connection?
* Assuming they choose to reveal their true natures, how will those close to the four revealed Cylons react when they learn the truth about their friends/loved ones?
* Will Colonel Tigh's hatred of the Cylons persist in light of his discovery of his Cylon nature?
* Will Cally's hatred of the Cylons persist if she discovers that her husband is a Cylon and that [[Nicholas Tyrol|her son]] is a human-Cylon hybrid?
* What is the importance of the [[Opera House]]?
* Who are the women who spirit [[Gaius Baltar]] to safety and what are their plans?
* What is the current state of [[Earth]]?
* What phenomenon causes the simultaneous power loss and equally simultaneous power restoration throughout the Fleet after jumping to the [[Ionian nebula]]? Are the pursuing Cylons also affected?
* As [[William Adama]] is the deciding vote for Baltar's 'not guilty' verdict, how will this act (and Lee Adama's testimony) affect their relationship with each other?
* How will Kara Thrace's "resurrection" from the dead be viewed by the Colonials?
* What convinces [[Laura Roslin]] to take the [[diloxin]] treatments she scoffed earlier?
* How were Kara Thrace and her Viper, unharmed and without any explicable means, able to survive the events of "[[Maelstrom]]" and transport from the "interior" of a gas planet to Earth and then to the Ionian nebula within a relatively short span of time?
* With the revelation that they are Cylons, will their allegiances to the Colonials change as they begin to accept their Cylon natures?
* Did the Six in [[Torn]] say that the [[Final Five]] were "complicated" because they aren't just "deeper" cover agents but rebels or otherwise outcasts from Cylon society?
* If any of the Final Five were to die, would they be resurrected in a Cylon Resurrection Ship?
* Are any of their histories, such as Tigh's 40 years of service and Tyrol's memories of his parents, true?
* Does Lee Adama truly see Starbuck in a Viper or has she become an apparition, similar in nature to Baltar's internal-Six?
* Do the Final Five Cylons have the same physiology as the other seven, such as their innate immunology, the ability to interface with computer equipment via optical link, and general inability to conceive children?
* Will Roslin's appearance in future episodes change drastically because of her cancer treatments?
* Will the six other active Cylon models discover the identities of the Final Five?
* How far is the Fleet away from the Solar System?
* Did Baltar have the same dream as Caprica-Six, Athena, Hera and Roslin?
* Did Tigh ask, "What about Ellen?" because he wonders if she is also a Cylon (and that she may be resurrected somewhere)?

== Analysis ==

* With the revelation that [[Galen Tyrol]] is a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]], the second known Human-Cylon hybrid known to exist is in the form of [[Nicholas Tyrol]]. His birth reinforces the Cylon belief that love is a necessary component to successful procreation. This would make one male and one female hybrid born to date. There may be significant biological differences between the two hybrids; one was carried to term by a human while the other was carried to term by a Cylon.
* The reason for Tyrol's discovery of the [[Temple of Five]] on the [[algae planet]] is better explained here, however it is clearly apparent that his conscious mind is unable to rationalize the reason he discovers it.
* It is also reaffirmed that none of the original seven, are aware of the final five. As demonstrated by [[Sharon Valerii]]'s lack of knowledge about Galen Tyrol's true nature during her relationship with him in [[Season 1 (2004-05)|Season 1]] and the torture of Saul Tigh on New Caprica by the Cylons.
* Saul Tigh has been known to physically exist for roughly 23 years as of this episode. While Tigh claims to have fought in the first Cylon War, aside from likely military documentation about his service in the war, there are no supporting non-Cylon witnesses to support his claim. This predates the two-year marker previously indicated by two known infiltrators, [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii]].
* The final scene of the episode depicts Earth, notably the North America content, definitively indicating the existence of this planet.
* As described by Tyrol when the four meet, the music and the Fleet's arrival to the nebula set off a switch within the minds of the four Cylons. However, unlike Boomer, their Cylon natures did not come with a different set of memories of personality.
* All four new Cylons all hold very important or potentially important roles within the Fleet. Tigh is the right hand man for Adama. Foster is the right hand woman for Roslin. Tyrol is the chief in charge of all military maintenance and repairs on the Vipers and Raptors. Anders is a new pilot amongst the soldiers of the Fleet.
* According to Lampkin, Joseph Adama was a brilliant defense attorney, but not an honest man. This may allude to one of the reasons why Lampkin despised Joseph Adama, but explains Lampkin's tactics as he also respected Joseph as a mentor.
* Lee Adama finally realizes the full extent of how he was manipulated once he sees Lampkin walk off on his own with no cane. Lampkin's ruse was successful in putting a wedge between the Adamas to allow Baltar to be pronounced not guilty.
* Another tendency for the younger Adama is that when faced with the option of completely severing and opposing his father, he will relent and attempt to return to his father's good graces. This has been seen when Lee Adama was given the chance to denounce his father to the Fleet during the military coup, but eventually told Zarek that he couldn't.
* Ironically, it was Roslin who originally wanted Lee Adama to lead a panel to determine who is fit to be on the tribunal. Her reasons being that she believed Lee Adama has a sense of right and wrong that others don't have at that time. Her belief about Lee comes back to haunt her as he rightly pointed out that her broad forgiveness policy for all within the Fleet after the second Exodus should be applied to Baltar as well. Her fear and knowledge of Baltar's involvement with the genocide of the Colonies has clouded her judgment to extend her original act of grace to Baltar.
* Lampkin, apparently was telling the truth that all he had wanted was to have the glory of being the attorney for the most hated man of the Fleet. Once his job is accomplished, he cleans his hands of Baltar, and makes it clear that besides the trial, he does not want to be associated with Baltar.
* The events in the Opera House apparently take place much further in the future of the show as Baltar is clean shaven as he stands next to Caprica-Six.
* Starbuck's last words in the episode allude back to "[[Maelstrom]]" as she is taking on the role of the [[Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn|Aurora]] idol that she gave to Adama before her "death". She claims that, like the idol placed on the model ship, she will be leading the way to Earth.

== Notes ==
* Four of the so-called "[[Final Five]]" are revealed to be [[Galen Tyrol]], [[Samuel Anders]], [[Saul Tigh]], and [[Tory Foster]].
* Lee Adama points out a string of incidents throughout the series that would have resulted in serious consequences under normal circumstances, but where the persons involved weren't punished: his destruction of the ''Olympic Carrier'' ([[33]]), William Adama's coup against Roslin, Lee putting a weapon to Colonel Tigh's head and supporting a munity ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]), Helo and Chief Tyrol killing Lt. [[Thorne]] ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]), Tigh's use of suicide bombers on New Caprica ([[Occupation]]), people supporting the Cylons on New Caprica ([[Collaborators]]).

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
* ''[[Saul Tigh]], [[Tory Foster]], [[Samuel Anders]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] decide what to do now they know they're Cylons:''
: '''[[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]]''': (over the intercom) Inbound Cylon Fleet. I repeat. Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill.
: '''Tory Foster''': My Gods, what are we going do?
: '''Saul Tigh''': The ship is under attack, we do our jobs. Report to your stations.
: '''Galen Tyrol''': Report to Stations?
: '''Saul Tigh''': My name is Saul Tigh, I am an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be.
* ''[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] pulls alongside [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] in her undamaged Viper:''
: '''Starbuck''': Hi, Lee.
: '''Apollo''': (his eyes widen in disbelief) Kara?
: '''Starbuck''': Dont freak out, it really is me (laughs). It's going to be okay. I've been to Earth. I know where it is. And I'm going to take us there.

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Jamie Bamber]] discusses the finale:''
: It is a different finale in the sense that the previous ones have been about fragmenting the characters and spreading them all over different parts of space, and this one, everyone is really on board ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. Every major character is on ''Galactica'', and the stuff going on down on ''Galactica'' is where the drama is.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7BAC4FC1D4-115F-457C-8E4A-01A539D77D39%7D|title=''Galactica'''s Jamie Bamber Visits a Heavenly ''Ghost''|date=2007-02-23|accessdate=2007-02-23|last=Cohn|first=Angel|format=|language=}}</ref>
* ''SciFi.com Forums Admin discusses the running time:''
: The Sunday, March 25, season finale of ''Battlestar Galactica'' will run five minutes longer than usual. If you plan on recording the episode, set your DVR or VCR to continue for five to 10 minutes after the end of the hour so you do not miss anything.<ref>{{cite_news|first=|last=|url=http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2266869|title=BSG Season Finale on March 25 will run 5 minutes overtime|publisher=|page=|date=2007-03-07|accessdate=2007-03-08|language=English}}</ref>
* Bear McCreary discusses the use of the [[w:Bob Dylan|Bob Dylan]] song:
: ''I learned that the idea was not that Bob Dylan necessarily exists in the characters' universe, but that an artist on one of the colonies may have recorded a song with the exact same melody and lyrics. Perhaps this unknown performer and Dylan pulled inspiration from a common, ethereal source.''<ref>Bear McCreary's blog, {{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm|title="Crossroads, Pt. II"|date=2007-03-25|accessdate=2007-03-27}}</ref>
*RDM has confirmed in [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07085/770732-352.stm this] interview that Tyrol, Tigh, Tory, and Anders are indeed Cylons and members of the Final Five.

== Guest Stars ==

*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as [[Dr. Cottle]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Chelah Horsdal]] as [[Cassidy]]
*[[Katee Sackhoff]] as [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Jen Halley]] as [[Diana Seelix]]
*[[Brad Dryborough]] as [[Hoshi]]
*[[Alison Matthews]] as [[Karen Fallbrook|Fallbrook]]
*[[Susan Hogan]] as [[Doyle Franks]]
*[[Stephen Holmes]] as Reporter #2
*[[Keegan Connor Tracy]] as [[Young Woman]]
*[[William Samples]] as Judge #2
*[[Lily Duong-Walton]] as [[Hera Agathon]] (uncredited)

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Crossroads, Part II]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Crossroads, Part II]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Crossroads, Part II]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Crossroads, Part I

2007-03-21T07:26:31Z

Rabagley: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| title= Crossroads, Part I
| image= 3x19-CrossroadsPartI-TrialJudges.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 19
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 319
| rating=
| US airdate= 2007-04-18
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= ?
| prev= [[The Son Also Rises]]
| next= [[Crossroads, Part II]]
| 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%253D219291493%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''Baltar's trial commences, with the prosecution presenting evidence of treason committed on New Caprica amid controversial testimonies from Colonel Tigh and President Roslin.''

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*[[Laura Roslin]], significantly different in dress and hairstyle, is walking through what appears to be the [[Opera House]]. She searches for and finds little [[Hera Agathon]] walking through the hallways, unable to reach her.
*Also following Hera is her mother [[Sharon Agathon]], who does not appear pleased to see Roslin in pursuit. Both women run down the stairs towards Hera.
*As they turn the corner, a [[Number Six]] in white clothing catches Hera and starts a movement as if to turn. There is a dark figure in the indistinct shadows behind her.
*Roslin wakes up. This has been a dream, though it bears a strong resemblance to Roslin's [[Chamalla|Chamalla extract]] induced visions of the past.
*The [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] is en route to the [[Ionian nebula]], but it is still several days away.
*Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] is trying to tune into [[Talk Wireless]] or music in [[Joe's bar]]. [[Brendan Costanza]], [[Diana Seelix]] and [[Samuel Anders]] are playing [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]]. Anders notes Tigh's attempts to find the music.
*[[Tory Foster]] speaks with [[Cassidy]], the prosecuting attorney in [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial. Foster's assertion that [[Epiphanies|Roslin witnessed Baltar and a Six on Caprica]] doesn't convince Cassidy need for hard evidence.
*Meanwhile, in the brig, Baltar is visited by a member of the press, who wants to give him a picture of her son, who she claims is sick—she also claims, much to Baltar's bemusement, that Baltar is capable of saving her son by Baltar's simply blessing him. He refuses until she forces it onto him before the [[Colonial Marine Corps|marine]]s remove her.
*The [[Virtual beings|virtual Six]] appears to console the emotionally tortured Baltar, noting that 30 to 40 people have written him letters.

===Act 1===
*[[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]] and [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]] are conducting reconnaissance to see if any Cylons are following the Fleet's jumps. Her [[Raptor]] hides behind an asteroid as they play [[Triad (RDM)|cards]] and wait.
*The trial begins. Cassidy asks the courtroom how loss is measured.
*She notes the number of people who settled on New Caprica, the number who was escaped in the [[Second Exodus]] and the number lost: 5,197 left behind, killed or otherwise missing.
*The attorney claims that the trust put in Baltar was gravely misplaced, and that the ultimate price must be paid.
*[[Romo Lampkin]], Baltar's attorney, immediately asks to change the plea to guilty as a ploy to use reverse psychology to claim that the power of [[w:Mob rule|mob rule]] is trying to sway opinion in the court.
*Lampkin claims that President Roslin is seeking vengeance on Baltar for [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|her lost election]], and claims that the [[New Caprica]]ns were victims of a hopeless battle. Baltar's decision to surrender to the Cylons had saved lives, he claims, versus what Lampkin claims Roslin would have done -- stand and fight.
*Back on Racetrack's Raptor, five [[Basestar (RDM)|baseships]] suddenly appear and attack. Racetrack's [[FTL]] drive barely comes online in time to allow them to escape an incoming missile.
*Back on ''[[Galactica]]'', in [[CIC]], Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] orders a scan for any [[Cylon transponder|tracking devices]] that may have been left on Fleet ships during the New Caprica siege. At the same time [[Tory Foster]] hands Roslin a cup and a thermos can. Roslin insists on asking the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]] for information. When Tigh objects, Roslin snaps back, uncharacteristically.
*[[Lee Adama]] enters CIC near Roslin, who is collecting herself in the Weapons Control station. He notices Roslin's cup, which she left on the table, and smells it, detecting something unexpected.
*Caprica-Six is questioned. She suggests that the [[Daru Mozu|fuel ship]] is being tracked by a unique radiation signature emitted by the ship. The [[Virtual beings|virtual Baltar]] appears and convinces her not to cooperate further. Caprica Six retaliates to Tigh's interrogation by recalling [[Ellen Tigh]], inciting Tigh to strike her, and Six to strike back before [[Marine]]s intervene and shackle the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]].

===Act 2===
*In court, Tigh is questioned, and asked if Baltar appeared to help the [[New Caprica Resistance|resistance]] in any way. Tigh is noticeably drunk. When questioned about Ellen, Tigh acknowledges her involvement but becomes more withdrawn.
*Lampkin cross-examines about the [[NCP]] [[Precipice|initiation bombing]] and how the resistance attempted to target Baltar. Lampkin continues to question about Ellen Tigh's [[Exodus, Part I|collaboration]] by asking Colonel Tigh if his wife was a collaborator, muddying the differences between Ellen Tigh and Baltar. Lampkin points out that Tigh appears drunk. Matters turn to the worst when Tigh begins to hear the music.
*Tigh is asked the nature of Ellen's death, and Tigh resolutely answers, claiming that Baltar's inaction made him kill his wife. He reflects a portion of his wife's [[Exodus, Part II|last words]] to tell how he would do anything to have Baltar killed. Tigh begins to show increasingly signs of anger as the music in his head continues to increase in volume.
*In Joe's Bar, Anders turns a eye to strange noises from the bar's public wireless and shares a look with Foster.
*Under testimony, Roslin notes the execution of 200 people under Cylon tyranny.
*Lampkin attempts to get Lee Adama to give some insight about Roslin's testimony and Roslin herself, instead of being a passive observer who is simply satisfied in embittering his father.
*Lampkin attempts to play to on Lee Adama's sense of justice by putting him between two difficult decisions. One being the betrayal of Roslin and his father, or putting his words about justice into action by sharing the personal information with Lampkin.

===Act 3===
*Admiral Adama drags the drunken Tigh to his quarters. The Fleet is nine jumps away from the nebula, and repairs are being made to the fuel ship to keep it from being tracked.
*Tigh says that he can't "smell her anymore" and apologizes for his actions in court. Adama replies that, as his [[Scattered|oldest friend]], he could never embarrass him.
*In the admiral's quarters, Major Adama suggests the idea of sending the fuel ship on a different course to throw off the Cylons temporarily, and the admiral coldly takes it under advisement.
*The two Adamas verbally spar. Admiral Adama angrily accuses his son of helping Lampkin by telling him about what Tigh did to Ellen.
*In response, Major Adama resigns from military duty, while his father accepts the resignation in anger.
*The mood is tense in court when, instead of Lampkin, Lee Adama asks to address the court.
*Lee Adama (in civilian dress) questions President Roslin, but asks if it was Baltar that [[Epiphanies|saved her from cancer]]. When Admiral Adama objects, Lampkin asks for hostile witness latitude, which is given.
*Roslin tells how the cancer was cured. When asked what medications she was currently taking, she says "I don't remember." Asked specifically about [[chamalla]] use, and if she has had hallucinations recently, Roslin counters in the affirmative but notes how it [[Home, Part II|provided the first clues to Earth]] as well as noting Lee Adama's own involvement.
*Before Lee Adama asks his next question, Roslin whispers to him: "Don't do this." He then asks if she was taking chamalla again.
*Admiral Adama tries to overrule the line of questioning but other tribunal judges overrule him, forcing Roslin to answer. She recalls [[Miniseries, Night 1|her fondness for Lee Adama's early leadership]], how calling him "Captain Apollo" way back then had a nice ring to it, but how sad she was at how his behavior has changed.
*Adama notes that chamalla can be sweetened to mask its bitter taste, recalling the cup of tea that Tory gave Roslin at ''Galactica'''s CIC, which gave him the clue to her use of the drug.
*Roslin confirms that she is taking chamalla again. She then challenges counselor Adama to finished what he had started with his last question. When he asks her why was taking the drug again, she tells the court that she is taking the drug again because her cancer has returned.

===Act 4===
*[[Anastasia Dualla]] packs her bags and leaves her husband in disgust over his questioning of Roslin and his usage of the justice system she believes should be dismantled and rebuilt to make it work again.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', reporters pepper President Roslin about her cancer, how it will be treated, and if she planned on using Hera Agathon's blood again. The line of questioning infuriates Foster, but Roslin asks her to leave the press conference. When [[Karen Fallbrook]] asks how long the President has to live, an unflinching Roslin repeats the same question at the reporter, leaving Fallbrook speechless.
*After the press conference, Roslin angrily criticizes her aide, complaining that Foster is off her game. Foster claims that she hasn't been sleeping well.
*In his quarters, the drunken Tigh still hears the mysterious music and tries to track its source.
*[[Helo]] arrives in CIC as interim [[Executive officer]] and finds Lt. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]], who briefs him. The [[tylium]] fuel ship decoy plan is nearing completion, but there are no further reports of Cylon forces. Three jumps from the nebula.
*Helo remembers a certain smell in the air when trouble was brewing, recalling the weather on Caprica. He believes "something over the horizon" is coming, something that doesn't bode well for the Fleet. "A storm is coming," he says.
*The music that Tigh, Anders, and Foster are hearing appears to be coming from the ship itself.

===Bonus Scene===

* Lee Adama asks Lampkin, "You know he's guilty, right?". Lampkin appeals to Adama's sense of justice, stating that everyone is guilty of something and there is a difference between guilt and criminality.

== Questions ==

* Did Tigh continue drinking all the time, or did he stop for a while after he seemingly pulled himself together again?

* Why does Anders pursue being a pilot?

* Is there a budding romance developing between Anders and Seelix?

* Why are Tigh, Anders, and Foster apparently the only ones who can hear the ever increasing music?

* Does Foster actually hear the music?

* What is the mysterious music and where is it coming from?

* Is Roslin back on using chamalla extract because of prescription from Cottle or is she attempting to receive visions of the future again?

* Did Athena or Caprica-Six receive the same vision that Roslin found herself in during the teaser of the episode?

* Who is the shadowy figure behind the Six in Roslin's vision?

* Would Athena and Helo be willing to donate some of Hera's blood to save Roslin from her cancer?

* Barring any effective treatment, how long does Roslin have to live?

* Would Hera's blood have any effect on the cancer now since the cancer apparently has resisted Hera's innate immunology?

* With Helo temporarily assigned as XO, who has replaced him as CAG? Or is he temporarily holding down both posts?

* Why did Roslin look so different in her dream?

* Will Baltar be cross-examined?

* Where is Zarek in the midst of the trial proceedings?

* How is Caprica's virtual Baltar aware of the details of Saul and Ellen Tigh's relationship and Ellen's death?

* Why has Adama waited so long to order a sweep of tracking devices throughout the Fleet?

== Analysis ==

* [[Samuel Anders]] wears a uniform with rank insignia and hangs around with Seelix and Costanza. Together with being addressed as "you [[nugget]]s", this indicates that he joined the pilot training program.
* The Cylons have apparently been tracking the fleet since the destruction of the Temple of Five. Their strategy was to delay jumping into any system that the Fleet has been until after six plus hours to ensure that the Fleet would not realize that they were being tracked.
* Adama's military experience comes into play again when he orders that the decoy Raptor stay for a total of 12 hours. This is reminiscent of his previous strategies such as the decision to attack the Cylon tylium factory in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." When he changes the regular pattern and stays longer than the Cylons had expected, he finally caught them in the act.
* Lee Adama immediately displays signs of fear once Roslin challenges him to "finished what you(he) started" after asking her if she is taking chamalla again. This indicates that either he suspected that Roslin's cancer has returned or he was beginning to feel that his actions are treacherous.
* Helo's comment to Gaeta about a "'storm is coming'" highlights Adama's comment to him at the end of "[[The Woman King]]", specifically to how Helo has been many times the voice in the wilderness. His ability to sense or remember certain details hails back to the final scene in "[[Rapture]]" when he remembers that Thrace had painted the picture of the mandala. It's also similar to his wife predicting that "Something dark is coming" in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]".
* Lampkin's opening statement is another prime example of his rhetorical skill. He uses reverse psychology to goad the mob to respond and eventually lead one man in the audience to state his desire to see Baltar die. This display of emotion played in Lampkin's favor as it would make the judges wary of giving into the mob mentality. Secondly, he cleverly paints Roslin as a fanatic by proposing that had Roslin been president when the Cylons invaded New Caprica, the entire human race would have been exterminated. However, as [[Precipice|Zarek has stated to Roslin]], if she had been President, the settlement and eventual invasion of New Caprica would have never taken place.
* It appears the closer the Fleet is to the nebula, Tigh, Anders, and Foster hear the music increasingly, even to the point of exhaustion.
* There is a growing movement in the Fleet that believes Baltar has some sort of healing or divine abilities. His internal-Six doesn't allow him to brush off these devoted followers aside, indicating that his belief about himself that he is the "Chosen One" is coming true.
* Lee Adama's actions towards his father and Roslin have led to another impasse between himself and Dualla. Lee Adama has come to a point where he has been alienated from his father, from Roslin, and his wife, in an attempt to gain some sort of respect from Lampkin and to act in accordance with his noble conceptions of justice by following in his grandfather's footsteps.
* Lee Adama's words to the pilots in "[[A Day in the Life]]" come back to haunt Racetrack when the Cylons jump on top of her Raptor right after the end of a card game. The ship's systems apparently had been powered down as Racetrack can't even maneuver or evade the missile to give the FTL drive a few more moments to spin up.

== Notes ==

*The episode has one of the most sparse musical score yet. The only major pieces are during Roslin's dream at the beginning and the music Tigh keeps hearing. According to a [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm blog entry] by composer [[Bear McCreary]], director [[Michael Rymer]] and the editors decided not to use any music during the court room part, in order to let the scenes speak for themselves.
*It's the first episode without an intro sequence, thus increasing the effective running time a little bit. Because of that, no updated [[Survivor Count]] is available.
*The bitterness of chamalla and that it can be sweetened to make it taste better, is first mentioned by the oracle [[Dodona Selloi]] in "[[Exodus, Part I]]".
*One of the shots of others listening to the trial on the [[wireless]] shows the [[refinery ship]] from "[[Dirty Hands]]".
*A storm is often used as a metaphor for a battle, conflict, or massive upheaval in science fiction. Helo's final line in this episode is almost an exact duplicate of the ending of the movie ''[[w:The Terminator|The Terminator]]'', and a huge storm (a sandstorm) takes place during the climax of the novel ''[[w:Dune (novel)|Dune]]''.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==
Notes from the podcast:

* The opening teaser is indeed set in the Kobol Opera House that has been seen numerous times. This particular scene in the teaser was a late addition as the director and producers wanted to create a foreboding atmosphere to the episode. This was influenced by the fact that the studio executives were not favorable to the idea of ending the season with Baltar's trial.

* RDM goes more into the original trial storyline that involved the Saggitarons and Baltar. In summary, during their time on New Caprica, the food supply had been contaminated and a famine had fallen on most of the colonists, except the Saggitarons, who had been very careful with their harvests and supplies. This alienation between the Saggitarons and the rest of the colonies came to a collision when Baltar was attempting to have the Saggitaron leadership share their food with the other colonists. Unfortunately, Baltar is forced to kill one of the leaders, and thus began the riots and slaughter directed towards the Saggitarons. This killing was to be eventually revealed that it was a necessity instead of an act of genocide.

* Another component of the original storyline was to have Lee Adama be Baltar's only attorney and Lee's morals come into play when he obtains a video recording of Baltar actually shooting the Saggitaron leader. The cliff hanger of the episode was suppose to leave the audience wondering what will Lee do now that he believes Baltar is guilty.

* Over time, RDM and the director agreed that this storyline involved too many plot elements that the audience had never witnessed about Baltar. Once the decision was made, RDM completely revised the whole trial and rewrote the episodes.

* RDM hints that Athena and Roslin did indeed see each other during the dream sequence. A deleted scene had Roslin in the the restroom attempting to cool her head down while Athena comes out from one of the stalls. They looked at each other briefly in a silent acknowledgment that they did see each other in the dream.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Jen Halley]] as [[Diana Seelix]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Mark Sheppard]] as [[Romo Lampkin]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Keegan Connor Tracy]] as Young Woman
*[[Chelah Horsdal]] as [[Cassidy]]
*[[Susan Hogan]] as [[Franks]]
*[[William Samples]] as Judge Number Two
*Lily Duong-Walton as [[Hera Agathon]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Crossroads, Part I

2007-03-21T07:22:50Z

Rabagley: /* Teaser */

{{Episode Data
| title= Crossroads, Part I
| image= 3x19-CrossroadsPartI-TrialJudges.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 19
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Rymer]]
| production= 319
| rating=
| US airdate= 2007-04-18
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= ?
| prev= [[The Son Also Rises]]
| next= [[Crossroads, Part II]]
| 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%253D219291493%2526id%253D200852806%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}

== Overview ==
:''Baltar's trial commences, with the prosecution presenting evidence of treason committed on New Caprica amid controversial testimonies from Colonel Tigh and President Roslin.''

== Summary ==
===Teaser===
*[[Laura Roslin]], significantly different in dress and hairstyle, is walking through what appears to be the [[Opera House]]. She searches for and finds little [[Hera Agathon]] walking through the hallways, unable to reach her.
*Also following Hera is her mother [[Sharon Agathon]], who does not appear pleased to see Roslin in pursuit. Both women run down the stairs towards Hera.
*As they turn the corner, a [[Number Six]] in white clothing catches Hera and starts a movement as if to turn. There is a dark figure in the indistinct shadows behind her.
*Roslin wakes up. This has been a dream, though it bears a strong resemblance to Roslin's [[Chamalla|Chamalla extract]] induced visions of the past.
*The [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] is en route to the [[Ionian nebula]], but it is still several days away.
*Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] is trying to tune into [[Talk Wireless]] or music in [[Joe's bar]]. [[Brendan Costanza]], [[Diana Seelix]] and [[Samuel Anders]] are playing [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]]. Anders notes Tigh's attempts to find the music.
*[[Tory Foster]] speaks with [[Cassidy]], the prosecuting attorney in [[Gaius Baltar]]'s trial. Foster's assertion that [[Epiphanies|Roslin witnessed Baltar and a Six on Caprica]] doesn't convince Cassidy need for hard evidence.
*Meanwhile, in the brig, Baltar is visited by a member of the press, who wants to give him a picture of her son, who she claims is sick—she also claims, much to Baltar's bemusement, that Baltar is capable of saving her son by Baltar's simply blessing him. He refuses until she forces it onto him before the [[Colonial Marine Corps|marine]]s remove her.
*The [[Virtual beings|virtual Six]] appears to console the emotionally tortured Baltar, noting that 30 to 40 people have written him letters.

===Act 1===
*[[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]] and [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]] are conducting reconnaissance to see if any Cylons are following the Fleet's jumps. Her [[Raptor]] hides behind an asteroid as they play [[Triad (RDM)|cards]] and wait.
*The trial begins. Cassidy asks the courtroom how loss is measured.
*She notes the number of people who settled on New Caprica, the number who was escaped in the [[Second Exodus]] and the number lost: 5,197 left behind, killed or otherwise missing.
*The attorney claims that the trust put in Baltar was gravely misplaced, and that the ultimate price must be paid.
*[[Romo Lampkin]], Baltar's attorney, immediately asks to change the plea to guilty as a ploy to use reverse psychology to claim that the power of [[w:Mob rule|mob rule]] is trying to sway opinion in the court.
*Lampkin claims that President Roslin is seeking vengeance on Baltar for [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|her lost election]], and claims that the [[New Caprica]]ns were victims of a hopeless battle. Baltar's decision to surrender to the Cylons had saved lives, he claims, versus what Lampkin claims Roslin would have done -- stand and fight.
*Back on Racetrack's Raptor, five [[Basestar (RDM)|baseships]] suddenly appear and attack. Racetrack's [[FTL]] drive barely comes online in time to allow them to escape an incoming missile.
*Back on ''[[Galactica]]'', in [[CIC]], Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] orders a scan for any [[Cylon transponder|tracking devices]] that may have been left on Fleet ships during the New Caprica siege. At the same time [[Tory Foster]] hands Roslin a cup and a thermos can. Roslin insists on asking the incarcerated [[Caprica-Six]] for information. When Tigh objects, Roslin snaps back, uncharacteristically.
*[[Lee Adama]] enters CIC near Roslin, who is collecting herself in the Weapons Control station. He notices Roslin's cup, which she left on the table, and smells it, detecting something unexpected.
*Caprica-Six is questioned. She suggests that the [[Daru Mozu|fuel ship]] is being tracked by a unique radiation signature emitted by the ship. The [[Virtual beings|virtual Baltar]] appears and convinces her not to cooperate further. Caprica Six retaliates to Tigh's interrogation by recalling [[Ellen Tigh]], inciting Tigh to strike her, and Six to strike back before [[Marine]]s intervene and shackle the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]].

===Act 2===
*In court, Tigh is questioned, and asked if Baltar appeared to help the [[New Caprica Resistance|resistance]] in any way. Tigh is noticeably drunk. When questioned about Ellen, Tigh acknowledges her involvement but becomes more withdrawn.
*Lampkin cross-examines about the [[NCP]] [[Precipice|initiation bombing]] and how the resistance attempted to target Baltar. Lampkin continues to question about Ellen Tigh's [[Exodus, Part I|collaboration]] by asking Colonel Tigh if his wife was a collaborator, muddying the differences between Ellen Tigh and Baltar. Lampkin points out that Tigh appears drunk. Matters turn to the worst when Tigh begins to hear the music.
*Tigh is asked the nature of Ellen's death, and Tigh resolutely answers, claiming that Baltar's inaction made him kill his wife. He reflects a portion of his wife's [[Exodus, Part II|last words]] to tell how he would do anything to have Baltar killed. Tigh begins to show increasingly signs of anger as the music in his head continues to increase in volume.
*In Joe's Bar, Anders turns a eye to strange noises from the bar's public wireless and shares a look with Foster.
*Under testimony, Roslin notes the execution of 200 people under Cylon tyranny.
*Lampkin attempts to get Lee Adama to give some insight about Roslin's testimony and Roslin herself, instead of being a passive observer who is simply satisfied in embittering his father.
*Lampkin attempts to play to on Lee Adama's sense of justice by putting him between two difficult decisions. One being the betrayal of Roslin and his father, or putting his words about justice into action by sharing the personal information with Lampkin.

===Act 3===
*Admiral Adama drags the drunken Tigh to his quarters. The Fleet is nine jumps away from the nebula, and repairs are being made to the fuel ship to keep it from being tracked.
*Tigh says that he can't "smell her anymore" and apologizes for his actions in court. Adama replies that, as his [[Scattered|oldest friend]], he could never embarrass him.
*In the admiral's quarters, Major Adama suggests the idea of sending the fuel ship on a different course to throw off the Cylons temporarily, and the admiral coldly takes it under advisement.
*The two Adamas verbally spar. Admiral Adama angrily accuses his son of helping Lampkin by telling him about what Tigh did to Ellen.
*In response, Major Adama resigns from military duty, while his father accepts the resignation in anger.
*The mood is tense in court when, instead of Lampkin, Lee Adama asks to address the court.
*Lee Adama (in civilian dress) questions President Roslin, but asks if it was Baltar that [[Epiphanies|saved her from cancer]]. When Admiral Adama objects, Lampkin asks for hostile witness latitude, which is given.
*Roslin tells how the cancer was cured. When asked what medications she was currently taking, she says "I don't remember." Asked specifically about [[chamalla]] use, and if she has had hallucinations recently, Roslin counters in the affirmative but notes how it [[Home, Part II|provided the first clues to Earth]] as well as noting Lee Adama's own involvement.
*Before Lee Adama asks his next question, Roslin whispers to him: "Don't do this." He then asks if she was taking chamalla again.
*Admiral Adama tries to overrule the line of questioning but other tribunal judges overrule him, forcing Roslin to answer. She recalls [[Miniseries, Night 1|her fondness for Lee Adama's early leadership]], how calling him "Captain Apollo" way back then had a nice ring to it, but how sad she was at how his behavior has changed.
*Adama notes that chamalla can be sweetened to mask its bitter taste, recalling the cup of tea that Tory gave Roslin at ''Galactica'''s CIC, which gave him the clue to her use of the drug.
*Roslin confirms that she is taking chamalla again. She then challenges counselor Adama to finished what he had started with his last question. When he asks her why was taking the drug again, she tells the court that she is taking the drug again because her cancer has returned.

===Act 4===
*[[Anastasia Dualla]] packs her bags and leaves her husband in disgust over his questioning of Roslin and his usage of the justice system she believes should be dismantled and rebuilt to make it work again.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', reporters pepper President Roslin about her cancer, how it will be treated, and if she planned on using Hera Agathon's blood again. The line of questioning infuriates Foster, but Roslin asks her to leave the press conference. When [[Karen Fallbrook]] asks how long the President has to live, an unflinching Roslin repeats the same question at the reporter, leaving Fallbrook speechless.
*After the press conference, Roslin angrily criticizes her aide, complaining that Foster is off her game. Foster claims that she hasn't been sleeping well.
*In his quarters, the drunken Tigh still hears the mysterious music and tries to track its source.
*[[Helo]] arrives in CIC as interim [[Executive officer]] and finds Lt. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]], who briefs him. The [[tylium]] fuel ship decoy plan is nearing completion, but there are no further reports of Cylon forces. Three jumps from the nebula.
*Helo remembers a certain smell in the air when trouble was brewing, recalling the weather on Caprica. He believes "something over the horizon" is coming, something that doesn't bode well for the Fleet. "A storm is coming," he says.
*The music that Tigh, Anders, and Foster are hearing appears to be coming from the ship itself.

===Bonus Scene===

* Lee Adama asks Lampkin, "You know he's guilty, right?". Lampkin appeals to Adama's sense of justice, stating that everyone is guilty of something and there is a difference between guilt and criminality.

== Questions ==

* Did Tigh continue drinking all the time, or did he stop for a while after he seemingly pulled himself together again?

* Why does Anders pursue being a pilot?

* Is there a budding romance developing between Anders and Seelix?

* Why are Tigh, Anders, and Foster apparently the only ones who can hear the ever increasing music?

* Does Foster actually hear the music?

* What is the mysterious music and where is it coming from?

* Is Roslin back on using chamalla extract because of prescription from Cottle or is she attempting to receive visions of the future again?

* Did Athena or Caprica-Six receive the same dream that Roslin found herself in during the teaser of the episode?

* Would Athena and Helo be willing to donate some of Hera's blood to save Roslin from her cancer?

* Barring any effective treatment, how long does Roslin have to live?

* Would Hera's blood have any effect on the cancer now since the cancer apparently has resisted Hera's innate immunology?

* With Helo temporarily assigned as XO, who has replaced him as CAG? Or is he temporarily holding down both posts?

* Why did Roslin look so different in her dream?

* Will Baltar be cross-examined?

* Where is Zarek in the midst of the trial proceedings?

* How is Caprica's virtual Baltar aware of the details of Saul and Ellen Tigh's relationship and Ellen's death?

* Why has Adama waited so long to order a sweep of tracking devices throughout the Fleet?

== Analysis ==

* [[Samuel Anders]] wears a uniform with rank insignia and hangs around with Seelix and Costanza. Together with being addressed as "you [[nugget]]s", this indicates that he joined the pilot training program.
* The Cylons have apparently been tracking the fleet since the destruction of the Temple of Five. Their strategy was to delay jumping into any system that the Fleet has been until after six plus hours to ensure that the Fleet would not realize that they were being tracked.
* Adama's military experience comes into play again when he orders that the decoy Raptor stay for a total of 12 hours. This is reminiscent of his previous strategies such as the decision to attack the Cylon tylium factory in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]." When he changes the regular pattern and stays longer than the Cylons had expected, he finally caught them in the act.
* Lee Adama immediately displays signs of fear once Roslin challenges him to "finished what you(he) started" after asking her if she is taking chamalla again. This indicates that either he suspected that Roslin's cancer has returned or he was beginning to feel that his actions are treacherous.
* Helo's comment to Gaeta about a "'storm is coming'" highlights Adama's comment to him at the end of "[[The Woman King]]", specifically to how Helo has been many times the voice in the wilderness. His ability to sense or remember certain details hails back to the final scene in "[[Rapture]]" when he remembers that Thrace had painted the picture of the mandala. It's also similar to his wife predicting that "Something dark is coming" in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]".
* Lampkin's opening statement is another prime example of his rhetorical skill. He uses reverse psychology to goad the mob to respond and eventually lead one man in the audience to state his desire to see Baltar die. This display of emotion played in Lampkin's favor as it would make the judges wary of giving into the mob mentality. Secondly, he cleverly paints Roslin as a fanatic by proposing that had Roslin been president when the Cylons invaded New Caprica, the entire human race would have been exterminated. However, as [[Precipice|Zarek has stated to Roslin]], if she had been President, the settlement and eventual invasion of New Caprica would have never taken place.
* It appears the closer the Fleet is to the nebula, Tigh, Anders, and Foster hear the music increasingly, even to the point of exhaustion.
* There is a growing movement in the Fleet that believes Baltar has some sort of healing or divine abilities. His internal-Six doesn't allow him to brush off these devoted followers aside, indicating that his belief about himself that he is the "Chosen One" is coming true.
* Lee Adama's actions towards his father and Roslin have led to another impasse between himself and Dualla. Lee Adama has come to a point where he has been alienated from his father, from Roslin, and his wife, in an attempt to gain some sort of respect from Lampkin and to act in accordance with his noble conceptions of justice by following in his grandfather's footsteps.
* Lee Adama's words to the pilots in "[[A Day in the Life]]" come back to haunt Racetrack when the Cylons jump on top of her Raptor right after the end of a card game. The ship's systems apparently had been powered down as Racetrack can't even maneuver or evade the missile to give the FTL drive a few more moments to spin up.

== Notes ==

*The episode has one of the most sparse musical score yet. The only major pieces are during Roslin's dream at the beginning and the music Tigh keeps hearing. According to a [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm blog entry] by composer [[Bear McCreary]], director [[Michael Rymer]] and the editors decided not to use any music during the court room part, in order to let the scenes speak for themselves.
*It's the first episode without an intro sequence, thus increasing the effective running time a little bit. Because of that, no updated [[Survivor Count]] is available.
*The bitterness of chamalla and that it can be sweetened to make it taste better, is first mentioned by the oracle [[Dodona Selloi]] in "[[Exodus, Part I]]".
*One of the shots of others listening to the trial on the [[wireless]] shows the [[refinery ship]] from "[[Dirty Hands]]".
*A storm is often used as a metaphor for a battle, conflict, or massive upheaval in science fiction. Helo's final line in this episode is almost an exact duplicate of the ending of the movie ''[[w:The Terminator|The Terminator]]'', and a huge storm (a sandstorm) takes place during the climax of the novel ''[[w:Dune (novel)|Dune]]''.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==
Notes from the podcast:

* The opening teaser is indeed set in the Kobol Opera House that has been seen numerous times. This particular scene in the teaser was a late addition as the director and producers wanted to create a foreboding atmosphere to the episode. This was influenced by the fact that the studio executives were not favorable to the idea of ending the season with Baltar's trial.

* RDM goes more into the original trial storyline that involved the Saggitarons and Baltar. In summary, during their time on New Caprica, the food supply had been contaminated and a famine had fallen on most of the colonists, except the Saggitarons, who had been very careful with their harvests and supplies. This alienation between the Saggitarons and the rest of the colonies came to a collision when Baltar was attempting to have the Saggitaron leadership share their food with the other colonists. Unfortunately, Baltar is forced to kill one of the leaders, and thus began the riots and slaughter directed towards the Saggitarons. This killing was to be eventually revealed that it was a necessity instead of an act of genocide.

* Another component of the original storyline was to have Lee Adama be Baltar's only attorney and Lee's morals come into play when he obtains a video recording of Baltar actually shooting the Saggitaron leader. The cliff hanger of the episode was suppose to leave the audience wondering what will Lee do now that he believes Baltar is guilty.

* Over time, RDM and the director agreed that this storyline involved too many plot elements that the audience had never witnessed about Baltar. Once the decision was made, RDM completely revised the whole trial and rewrote the episodes.

* RDM hints that Athena and Roslin did indeed see each other during the dream sequence. A deleted scene had Roslin in the the restroom attempting to cool her head down while Athena comes out from one of the stalls. They looked at each other briefly in a silent acknowledgment that they did see each other in the dream.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Jen Halley]] as [[Diana Seelix]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
*[[Colin Lawrence]] as [[Hamish McCall|Hamish "Skulls" McCall]]
*[[Mark Sheppard]] as [[Romo Lampkin]]
*[[Ryan Robbins]] as [[Charlie Connor]]
*[[Keegan Connor Tracy]] as Young Woman
*[[Chelah Horsdal]] as [[Cassidy]]
*[[Susan Hogan]] as [[Franks]]
*[[William Samples]] as Judge Number Two
*Lily Duong-Walton as [[Hera Agathon]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episode Guide|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Crossroads, Part I]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:RDM]]

A Measure of Salvation

2006-11-14T01:51:31Z

Rabagley: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| title= A Measure of Salvation
| image= Amos.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 7
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Bill Eagles]]
| production= 307
| rating=
| US airdate= November 10, 2006
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population= 41,420
| prev= [[Torn]]
| next= [[Hero]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]] are dispatched to investigate the derelict baseship. They find the humanoid [[Cylons]] dying from a virulent disease, which inspires [[Lee Adama]] to come up with a desperate plan against their enemy.''

== Summary ==
=== On ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' ===
*A boarding party comprising of [[Raptor]]s and [[Viper Mark VII|Vipers]] investigate the derelict [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. Among the boarding party are [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] and [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]].
*Aboard the derelict, [[marines]] explore the corridors, finding the [[Cylon agent|Cylons]] dead. Athena attempts to access the derelict basestar's [[Hybrid]], but is unsuccessful.
*Some "skinjobs" around the control center revive and advise the boarding party of the situation regarding the probe and subsequent infection of the Cylons. One of the infected Cylons, a [[Number Eight]], addresses Athena as "traitor."
*The boarding party and prisoners are en route back to ''Galactica'' when the basestar self-destructs.
*''Galactica'' quarantines the boarding party and prisoners while Dr. [[Cottle]] finds out if the virus affects humans. The human members of the boarding party are cleared while Athena is ordered to stay put, as her blood work hasn't been done. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] is infuriated, but wants to be notified as soon as her results are available.
*Dr. Cottle's investigation identifies [[Lymphocytic encephalitis|a virus]] that can be treated, but not cured for Cylons. [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]], [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]], Lee Adama, and Helo discuss the idea of taunting the vaccine in exchange for information. A [[Simon]] is brought before them, and informs them that the entire baseship was abandoned, because [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrection]] would infect the others. He also mentions that [[Gaius Baltar]] provided the information on the path to [[Earth]].
*Aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'', Lee Adama suggests a plan to eliminate the entire Cylon race by executing their prisoners in range of a [[Resurrection Ship]], where the downloaded consciousnesses would infect the remaining Cylons, because according to [[Simon]] the virus carries a bioelectric feedback component that could spread it even through the download process. Helo scoffs at the idea, considering it genocide.
*Aboard ''Galactica'', Athena finds she's immune because of antibodies generated within her body by carrying her daughter, [[Hera]]. Helo tells her of the Fleet's plan, and Athena understands.
*Admiral Adama shows slight dissent about the plan, indicating regulations that forbid him to proceed without presidential order. Despite the ethical ramifications, the President authorizes the biological attack.
*''Galactica'' jumps to a Cylon supply line, and launches Vipers and Raptors to attract the Cylon fleet. In the midst of this, Helo initiates a plan to thwart the execution, unplugging what looks like a standard power connector from an environmental control box.
*The Cylons jump into the area, with Resurrection Ship in tow. Adama orders the execution of the prisoners.
*Lee Adama leads a team to execute the prisoners, but finds that all the prisoners have been killed prior to the Resurrection Ship arriving. Adama orders a recall, and ''Galactica'' escapes without sustaining any major damage.
*Helo converses with Athena about his actions. He maintains that what he did was right, regardless of the consequences.
*Aboard ''Galactica'', Adama reports that the prisoners were suffocated due to a failure in the environmental controls. Roslin is quick to point out one or two might be responsible, but Adama closes the issue. Subsequently, the virus was most likely an accidental exposure, similar to one reported 3000 years ago. Adama points out that they're on the right track to Earth, but Roslin notes that the Cylons are on the right track as well.

=== On a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] ===

*Aboard the bastestar, Baltar is being interrogated by Three and Caprica-Six, knowing about the beacon. Three and Caprica-Six imply that Baltar is connected to the virus and to Galactica. Baltar attempts to reconcile, only to be confronted by Centurions.
*In his "projection", his mental Six tells him to relax. Meanwhile, his body is being subjected to torture; Caprica Six is visibly disturbed by the torture and backs away.
*Baltar's torture continues as Three continues to interrogate Baltar regarding his supposed involvement with the virus. In his mind, he attemps to avert the pain by making love to his mental Six. Despite extreme pain, Baltar endures.

== Questions ==

* If [[Adama]] had brought the beacon aboard, what kind of information would it have given them about the location of Earth?
* Will [[Caprica-Six]] continue to stand by and permit Baltar's mistreatment at their hands?
* Where is Caprica-Six's own internal Baltar in all of this?
* Of the Cylons, which type told the basestar to self-destruct: The [[Hybrid]] or a [[Cylon agent]]? Considering her odd look after the destruction, might it have been [[Sharon Agathon|Athena]]?
* What kind of new start are the [[Cylon]]s planning for [[Earth]]? Just a new home planet, an attempt at human Cylon relations not tainted by the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, or something else?
* Why did an entire Cylon fleet (including a [[Resurrection Ship]]) jump to the encounter with ''Galactica''? Why was the [[Resurrection Ship]] not left behind somewhere else, as it was done in previous battles?
* Is D'anna in love with Baltar?
* Why is [[Gaeta]] so surprised to hear that Baltar is alive, given the fact that he was actually there when D'Anna offered Baltar to be evacuated from New Caprica?
* Why does [[Simon]] so quickly claim science can not provide a solution to the infection?
* Why wasn't the execution squad in place and waiting with the prisoners so the plan could have been implemented in a timely manner?
* Since the plan was to execute the prisoners then jump away, why wasn't the jump drive already spun up and ready?
* The environmental controls seem to have been circumvented by [[Karl Agathon]] pulling a single plug. In a combat ship aren't there cascading fail safe systems to protect against such catastrophic failures from simple system malfunctions?
* In his discussion with [[Laura Roslin]] at the end of the episode, [[Admiral Adama]] is aware that sabotage was involved in the death of the Cylon prisoners, yet he states there will be no investigation. While he might be relieved that the plan wasn't carried out, wouldn't he be seriously concerned and want to aggressively pursue this matter?
*[[Baltar]] calls the [[Number Three]] torturing him "D'anna". Is she, or at least does Baltar believe she is, the same number 3 that was previously masquerading in the fleet as a reporter?
*Has Starbuck regained full flight status, because she tried to pull her life together at the end of "[[Torn]]", or does she participate in the battle due to a pressing need for pilots?
*Will there be any consequences of the sabotage for Helo and Athena from other crewmembers who may figure they are behind said sabotage? How will this affect Helo's reputation as a Cylon-lover or his credibility as XO.
*Since the Cylon prisoners died after the jump, did they download and spread the infection despite Helo's sabotage? Raiders generally operate within range of a Resurrection Ship and ''Galactica'' encountered two Raiders immediately after the jump.

== Analysis ==

*The Cylons could have cured themselves of this plague relatively quickly, if ''Galactica'' had succeeded in infecting them. It was quickly noted in the episode that Sharon was immune herself because fetal cells from [[Hera]] created effective antibodies against the virus. Hera is immune to the virus because she is a hybrid Human-Cylon. Now that she is in custody of the Cylons, Baltar could have utilized her immunity, as he previously did on Roslin, as capital to further his self-preservation amongst them.
**It can be assumed that executing the captured Cylons will send them back to the Resurrection ship, thus infecting the Cylon network. However, the Human-Cylon hybrid has no extra copies on the Resurrection ship to transfer into, thus the antibodes will not be spread into the Cylon Network.
*The wider implications of such an event could have been religiously meaningful to the Cylons. Cylons have time and again shown religious deference by sometimes overlooking rational explanations. By saving the Cylon race Hera could have been elevated to messiah status, if her very creation has not already ordained her as one to the Cylons because their God proclaimed her creation.
**The presence of Hera is profound enough to the Cylons, which could be preventing them from seeing that Hera could be used as a tool.
*There is a fundamental flaw in the plan [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] develops: Even if the virus successfully infects the [[Resurrection Ship]], the other Cylons would isolate that individual ship, thus preventing a widespread epidemic. The resulting impact on the Cylon fleet would be no greater than previous destruction of the Resurrection Ship in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]".
**Apollo's plan is based on an account of the Cylon analysis of the threat; he could simply assume they are correct and that the virus can spread like wildfire from one Resurrection Ship to another.
**Also, by infecting a greater mass of ships, Galactica could board the ships, take much needed resources and more infected Cylons for further use as biological weapons.
*The science of the virus is somewhat questionable. While the biological aspect is sound, the existence of a "bioelectrical feedback component" appears to be technobabble. It would be impossible for a biological virus (i.e. a physical pathogen) to be transmitted by download to the Resurrection Ship. Such a feedback - scrambling the brainwave patterns - could disrupt the download process, but it is unclear how it could spread the virus itself on the other side.
**From Dr. Cottle's dialogue, it would appear that the problem lies with how the Cylons' immune systems reacts with the virus, more than the virus itself. If this is the case, it is likely that the immune system's reaction would carry though the download and possibly be passed to other Cylons througout the network.
*Dr. Cottle explains that Cylons carry antibodies that break down the RNA of his proposed vaccine. However antibodies have no degradative functionality, and only prime recognised pathogens for phagocytosis, though he may have simplified the explination. But as vaccines are developed from the pathonogenic organism (or a close relative) it would be impossible for the Cylons to carry antibodies specific for the vaccine RNA (or for the products it encodes) or otherwise they would be immune to the pathonogenic virus itself.
*Adama's reaction to the premature death of the prisoners is yet another example of what are simultaneously his greatest virtues and most glaring flaws - his dedication to those under his command, and his need to keep his conscience clear.
*In this episode, [[Raptors]] are shown loaded to the teeth with weapons systems. In the past ([[Miniseries]], [[The Hand of God]]), Raptors have rarely been depicted in actual combat, preferring instead to hang back while coordinating battlefield logistics. They have been shown armed in a few prior episodes ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]], [[Fragged]]), but this is by far their most prominent combat role to date. The Raptors are using the external missile pods and cannons introduced in "Exodus, Part [[Exodus, Part I|I]] & [[Exodus, Part II|II]]" and engage in the same maneuver used to launch the decoy drones during the Battle of New Caprica.
*The genetic pool the Cylons were created from predates the human immunity to the plague from just a couple hundred years ago, yet the Cylons, even as a class of machines, are only 40 to 60 years old. This indicates another, non-Colonial, source for the DNA.
**The genetic pool need not be so old. Because humans had been completely immune to this virus for hundreds of years, the Cylons may have simply overlooked it while creating their biological models.
*It seems this virus could also be a fairly reliable (although not conclusive) litmus test to for Cylons in the Colonial Fleet.
*It seems reasonable to assume that if Baltar is not infected with the virus, he is not a Cylon, likewise for all members of the ''Galactica'' crew who boarded the baseship.
**Baltar was in an isolation suit the entire time he was on the basestar. Using standard biohazard procedures, he would have remained in the suit which would have been disinfected from the outside before he took it off.
**Baltar could also be a different, more advanced model of Cylon in the beta-testing stage--a model that is immune (hence the secrecy of the other models).

== Notes ==
*[[Survivor count|Fleet population]] is 41,420. Barring any births, there is an unaccounted loss of at least two since "[[Torn]]".
*The story behind the Lion Nebula beacon and the virus may have been inspired by the lunar lander [[wikipedia:Surveyor 3|Surveyor 3]]. Before launching in 1967, its camera was accidentally contaminated by a common bacterium. When the camera was recovered by Apollo 12 astronauts, the microbes returned to life, having survived two and a half years of vacuum, radiation, and temperature extremes.
*This is the first episode in which [[Saul Tigh]] has not appeared, more than likely due to his promise to William Adama at the end of "Torn" after Adama's confrontation with both Tigh and Kara Thrace. Currently, the only characters to have appeared in every episode are [[Laura Roslin]] and [[William Adama]].
*Helo has been promoted to the rank of Captain, as evident in both dialogue and costuming.
*Starbuck appears to have returned to flight status following her decision to pull herself together at the end of "[[Torn]]".
*Dr. Cottle identifies the disease as [[Lymphocytic encephalitis]], however [[w:encephalitis|encephalitis]] is a condition (swelling of the brain) that can be caused by a pathogen, not a pathogen itself. More likely the pathogen is [[wikipedia:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus|Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus]].
*In [[Podcast:A Measure of Salvation|his podcast]], Moore notes that this episode shares similarities to the ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "[[MemoryAlpha:I, Borg|I, Borg]]", though he does not mention the episode by name. Moore also noted that this episode was brought up for discussion during the writer's meetings to discuss development of this episode, as "I, Borg" discussed using a lone [[MemoryAlpha:Hugh|Borg drone]] implanted with a computer virus to infect the [[MemoryAlpha:Borg|Borg collective]].

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==

* [[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]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[imdb:nm0669826|Eileen Pedde]] as Sgt. [[Mathias]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

== References ==
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{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:RDM]]