Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Reins of a Waterfall

2010-02-06T20:00:02Z

Real Too: /* Guest Stars */

{{spoiler}}
{{Episode Data
| image= ReiningWaterfall.jpg
| series= cap
| title=The Reins of a Waterfall
| season=1
| episode=3
| special=
| extra=
| guests=
| writer=[[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate=February 5, 2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=February 16, 2010
| dvd=
| prev= [[Rebirth]]
| next = [[Gravedancing]]
}}

== Overview ==

: ''Daniel Graystone attempts damage control in light of [[Amanda Graystone|his wife]]'s false revelation that [[Zoe Graystone|their daughter]] was one of the suicide bombers of [[Maglev 23]].''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==
* The documentation in the ''Battlestar Galactica'' episode "[[Hero]]" gave William Adama's parents as Joseph and Evelyn Adama. Does this mean that Joseph will marry his assistant Evelyn?
* What will become of the Tamara avatar? Will she realize she is no longer in real space?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Patton Oswalt]] as [[Baxter Sarno]]
*[[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
*[[Kendall Cross]]
*[[Peter Wingfield]] as [[Gara Singh]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as [[Priyah Magnus]]
*[[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
*[[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
*[[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
*[[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
*[[Liam Sproule]] as [[Keon]]
*[[Renu Bakshi]] as [[Abasi Lowe]]
*[[Dale Wolfe]] as [[Steve Bahara]]
*[[Teryl Rothery]] as [[Evelyn]]
*[[Julius Chapple]] as [[Larry]]
*[[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
*[[Sarah Afful]] as Angry Woman
*[[Lynn Colliar]] as [[Delice Jackson]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as [[Francis]]
*[[Lee Tichon]] as [[Kalil]]
*[[Kristian Haas]] as [[Paulie]]
*[[Sheldon Yamkovy]] as Protester
*[[Dawn Chubai]] as Reporter
*[[Elfina Y. Luk]] as Reporter
*[[Shane Sweet]] as Student
*[[Warren Stroka]] as Man on Street

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Ronald D. Moore]]

Reins of a Waterfall

2010-02-06T19:59:45Z

Real Too: /* Guest Stars */ adding complete guest cast

{{spoiler}}
{{Episode Data
| image= ReiningWaterfall.jpg
| series= cap
| title=The Reins of a Waterfall
| season=1
| episode=3
| special=
| extra=
| guests=
| writer=[[Michael Angeli]]
| story=
| director= [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate=February 5, 2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=February 16, 2010
| dvd=
| prev= [[Rebirth]]
| next = [[Gravedancing]]
}}

== Overview ==

: ''Daniel Graystone attempts damage control in light of [[Amanda Graystone|his wife]]'s false revelation that [[Zoe Graystone|their daughter]] was one of the suicide bombers of [[Maglev 23]].''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==
* The documentation in the ''Battlestar Galactica'' episode "[[Hero]]" gave William Adama's parents as Joseph and Evelyn Adama. Does this mean that Joseph will marry his assistant Evelyn?
* What will become of the Tamara avatar? Will she realize she is no longer in real space?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Patton Oswalt]] as [[Baxter Sarno]]
*[[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
*[[Kendall Cross]]
*[[Peter Wingfield]] as [[Gara Singh]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as [[Priyah Magnus]]
*[[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
*[[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
*[[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
*[[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
*[[Liam Sproule]] as [[Keon]]
*[[Renu Bakshi]] as [[Abasi Lowe]]
*[[Dale Wolfe]] as [[Steve Bahara]]
*[[Teryl Rothery]] as [[Evelyn]]
*[[Julius Chapple]] as [[Larry]]
*[[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
*[[Sarah Afful]] as [[Angry Woman]]
*[[Lynn Colliar]] as [[Delice Jackson]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as [[Francis]]
*[[Lee Tichon]] as [[Kalil]]
*[[Kristian Haas]] as [[Paulie]]
*[[Sheldon Yamkovy]] as Protester
*[[Dawn Chubai]] as Reporter
*[[Elfina Y. Luk]] as Reporter
*[[Shane Sweet]] as Student
*[[Warren Stroka]] as Man on Street

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Angeli]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Ronald D. Moore]]

Rebirth

2010-02-02T05:00:48Z

Real Too: /* Guest Stars */ completing the list of cast

{{Episode Data
| image= Rebirthed.jpg
| series= cap
| title=Rebirth
| season=1
| episode=2
| special=
| forumthread=4011
| extra=
| guests=
| writer=[[Mark Verheiden]]
| story=
| director= [[Jonas Pate]]
| production=102
| rating=
| US airdate=January 29, 2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=February 10, 2010
| dvd=
| prev= [[Caprica pilot|''Caprica'' pilot]]
| next= [[The Reins of a Waterfall]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''[[Zoe Graystone|Zoe]]'s attachment to the [[Cylon Prototype]] makes it difficult for [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and his company to duplicate success with other bodies. [[Amanda Graystone|Amanda]] looks into her daughter's life and finds that she barely knew the real Zoe. [[Clarice Willow|Sister Clarice]] invites [[Lacy Rand|Lacy]] for dinner, as [[Sam Adama|Sam]] begins to have a bad influence on his [[William Adama|nephew]].''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

=== Act 1 ===

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
*The musical piece [[Daniel Graystone]] is playing on the piano in his lab is the second movement of [[Nomion]]'s [[Nomion's 3rd Sonata|3rd Sonata]].
*In this episode, [[Bear McCreary]] introduces a specific theme for Sister [[Clarice Willow]] entitled "Clarice Theme."<ref name="bear's blog">{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=3108|title=Bear's Blog: "Caprica: Rebirth"|date=29 January 2009|accessdate=30 January 2009|last=McCreary|first=Bear|format=|language=}}</ref>
* [[Joseph Adama]]'s car is a [[w:Citroën DS|Citroën DS]], a well-known French car produced between 1955 and 1975.
* The sign over the window smashed by Sam says "ποιοτητα εκτύπωσης σε λογικές τιμές", which means "quality printing at a reasonable price" in modern Greek.
* The episode uses the visual effect of switching between [[Alessandra Toressani]] and the robot. This both conveys how Zoe-R thinks of herself and makes her more sympathetic to the audience.

== Analysis ==
*Homosexuality is totally accepted by Caprican society. William Adama's uncle Sam Adama had no reluctance in telling how his brother Joseph, William's father, would flirt with girls and he himself would flirt with boys when the two brothers were close to William's age. On modern Earth even in the most liberal modern countries, homosexuality is not usually discussed with frankness around or with children.
**In further contrast to modern Earth, where although homosexuality is gaining acceptance in most "first world" countries it is still viewed negatively by much of the world and is actually illegal and punishable by death in some countries, primarily in the Middle East. In ancient Greece and Rome, and in a few other cultures, homosexuality was much more widely accepted as part of life, but even in that time and place the union of man and woman was the ideal, with homosexuality seen as a pleasurable dalliance at most.
*[[wikipedia:Polygamy|Polygamous]] or plural marriages are legal in Caprican society. Sister Clarice Willow, so far the only person revealed in the series to have one, has three wives - Mabeth, Helena, and Desiree Willow (they use Desiree's last name as the family name) and at least four husbands - Olaf, Nestor, Tanner, and Reshawn - including a few that she didn't know the whereabouts of. They range across the board in both ethnic appearance and age, including a husband that could had been young enough to be her son (Nestor). The family has children, and Mabeth is currently pregnant.
**Judging from [[Lacy Rand]]'s reaction, the practice is unusual but not against general social mores. Her reaction is similar to that of a person in modern America who just discovered a friend was in a homosexual relationship or, in 1980's America, in a relationship with someone of a different skin color, i.e. surprised but accepting. The fact that she feels compelled to say, "It's cool" implies that at least some people on Caprica would consider it not cool.
**The Willow group marriage is different from the majority of polygamous marriages in those Earth cultures which allow the practice, which tend to be strictly [[wikipedia:Polygyny|polygynous]], heterosexual, and patriarchal. In these arrangements, a man has multiple wives, who have no other husbands, do not engage in intimate relations with the other wives, and have an unequal relationship with their husband. [[wikipedia:Polyandry|Polyandry]], where the woman has multiple husbands, and examples involving homosexual relations do historically and presently exist. There is, however, no known example of a culture where a group marriage would be polyandrous '''and''' polygynous.
*The Soldiers of the One is viewed by many (including the Caprican security forces) as a terrorist group, but that may be a simplistic and overly monolithic view. The original Zoe Graystone had been a member of the group. Nevertheless, she never appeared to advocate violent action, and was horrified when Stark revealed his bomb seconds before it was detonated. Stark's unwillingness to inform her ahead of time suggests that those in the STO who advocate terrorism must operate separately from those who do not.
*Zoe was more comfortable with Ben's family than with her own. She visited Ben's house and Natalie Stark was well aware of her relationship with her son, whereas Ben never visited the Graystone house and Zoe's parents didn't even know he existed.
*Amanda and Zoe's disconnect goes beyond Amanda knowing nothing of Zoe's religious and political affiliations. Amanda states that her daughter was too young to have a boyfriend, yet at 16 this is certainly not true. This is perhaps due to the idealization that many parents have of their children, thinking that they are more innocent and unworldly than they actually are.

== Questions ==
* Is Zoe developing feelings for [[Philomon]]? If he finds out about her being in the U-87, will he become an ally?
* Why does [[Sam Adama|Sam]] throw the trashcan through the store window?
* Why does Sam not want William to say the name "[[Guatrau]]"?
* Where is Tamara's avatar now?
* What is the previous incident that Clarice's spouses refer to? Did it involve inappropriate relations with a student?
* Is Clarice beginning a downward slide when she visits the [[Dive Bar]]?
* Under what circumstances in her past did Clarice smoke before?
* How much did Natalie know about her son's activities?
* Are Nestor and Clarice trying to get information out of Lacy about Zoe-A?
* How is the common surname of a group marriage agreed upon?
* Did all the Willow spouses enter into the marriage at the same time?
* Is the Willow group marriage a cover for STO activities?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

== Starring ==
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]]
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]]
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]]
* [[Alessandra Torresani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]]
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama]]
* [[Brian Markinson]] as [[Jordan Duram]]
* [[Polly Walker]] as Sister [[Clarice Willow]]

In the pilot, Avan Jogia was credited as part of the principal cast. He becomes a guest star in this and future episodes. On the other hand, Sasha Roiz and Brian Markinson, who were both credited as guest stars in the pilot, join the principal cast in this episode.

== Guest Starring ==
* [[Scott Porter]] as [[Nestor Willow]]
* [[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
* [[Alex Arsenault]] as [[Philo]]

== Co-Starring ==
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyris Xander]]
* [[Karen Austin]] as [[Ruth]]
* [[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama]]
* [[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
* [[Francoise Yip]] as [[Desiree Willow]]
* [[Phil Granger]] as [[Tanner]]
* [[Anita Torrance]] as [[Mar-Beth]]
* [[James Pizzinato]] as [[Drew]]
* [[Michael Eklund]] as [[Waylon]]
* [[Renu Bakshi]] as [[Abasi Lowe]]
* [[Dale Wolfe]] as [[Steve Bahara]]
* [[Feguins Toussaint]] as Bodyguard [[Sean]]
* [[Greg Webb]] as Man at the Mic
* [[Nimet Kanji]] as [[Natalie Stark]]
* [[Darryl Scheelar]] as Officer [[Mendez]]
* [[Jeanettea Antonio]] as Female at the Mic
* [[Kailyn Stratton]] as Six-year-old Zoe
* [[Brady Schlecker]] as Angry Crowd
* [[Mario Casoria]] as Angry Crowd
* [[Hannah]] as [[Caesar]] the Dog

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jonas Pate]]

Caprica pilot

2010-02-02T04:47:24Z

Real Too: /* Starring */

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| series= Caprica
| title=Caprica pilot
| season=1
| episode=1
| special=
| forumthread=4000
| extra=Series pilot
| guests=
| writer=[[Remi Aubuchon]]<br>[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Jeffrey Reiner]]
| production=101
| rating=
| US airdate= January 22, 2010<ref>{{cite_news|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090724syfy01|title=SYFY ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=24 July 2009|accessdate=25 July 2009|language=}}</ref>
| CAN airdate= January 22, 2010
| UK airdate=February 2, 2010
| dvd=21 April 2009
| next= [[Rebirth]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D312445880%2526id%253D309024119%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=B0021Y0S1E
}}

== Overview ==
: ''In the wake of the tragedy experienced by the [[Adama]] and [[Graystone]] families, a scientific breakthrough is about to occur—the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

: '''''Note:''' This episode is the two-hour '''pilot''' for the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' TV series, the [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Syfy Channel]]. It was released on DVD prior to being aired on television.''

== Plot summary==
{{expansion}}
===Caprica, 58 Years Before the Fall===
* Young people are engaged in group sex, fist fights, shootings, wild dancing, all to the beat of loud party music--this is the [[V-Club]]. From a balcony, [[Zoe Graystone]] watches a girl below, next to the stage. The girl appears to be a perfect copy of Zoe. [[Ben Stark]] and [[Lacy Rand]] join Zoe on the balcony and deplore the hedonism and depravity happening around them, but promise that she, the girl below, will change it all.
* On the dance floor, the music grows subdued. A muscled man displays a knife to the audience, and a dancer emerges on stage, her face shifting from human to monster and back in the strobe lights. While this is happening, another girl is dragged to the stage, to the sound of the audience chanting "Kill, kill, kill!" The muscled man brings the knife down and kills the girl, all to cheering from the audience. At that moment, the copy of Zoe looks and terrified and suddenly vanishes.
* On the balcony, Ben promises Zoe that eventually the copy will be perfect, because Zoe is perfect. They kiss while Lacy stares.
* In the real world, Zoe continues to immerse herself in the V-Club experience via a [[Holoband]], until another girl opens the bathroom stall and discovers her.
* Outside the [[Athena Academy]], Zoe, Ben, and Lacy meet again and talk about running away to [[Gemenon]]. They finish by pledging themselves to the "one true god."

===Two Families Ripped Apart===
* On the grounds of their waterfront home, [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and [[Amanda Graystone]] play tennis until they are interrupted by a call from the Academy about Zoe.
* In the kitchen, the three Graystones fight about Zoe's behavior, Daniel's "dirty science," and life in the Graystone family. Tensions escalate until a comment about marrying into money pushes Amanda over the edge, and she slaps Zoe.
* Zoe retreats to her room and the privacy of the Holoband. She hurries to a secret room in the V-Club and meets her copy. The two sit and talk about the horror of the human sacrifice, and how the audience knew what they were doing and drew strength from the experience. Zoe promises that her copy will help to change these attitudes among people, both here and on the outside.
* Amanda wordlessly drops Zoe off in front of the Academy. The instant Amanda drives away, Zoe and her two friends leave, heading for a [[Lev|maglev]] subway station.
* In front of the three of them on an escalator, [[Shannon Adama]] and her daughter [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]] talk with [[Joseph Adama]] (who is walking through another part of [[Caprica City]]), demanding that he come home in time to be at [[William Adama|Willie]]'s birthday party. Depsite a court appointment, Joseph promises to be there.
* At the last moment, Lacy backs out, despite promises of a new family and a new life on Gemenon. She watches the Lev leave the station.
* On the train, Tamara tells her mother about someone she was forced to deal with for insulting her [[Tauron]] heritage. While this is happening, Zoe types out a message on a [[computer sheet]] forgiving her mother, then sends it.
* She looks at Ben, who seems very nervous and distracted. He apologizes, stands up, and opens his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his torso. He announces, "The one true god shall drive out the many," and detonates the bomb. The train is consumed in the fireball. The sound of the explosion is heard by Joseph. He and the pedestrians around him are frozen by the sight of smoke rising into the street.

Daniel Graystone manages to resurrect [[Zoe_Graystone|Zoe]]- after a fashion. Daniel and Joseph Adama meet under conditions of mutual grief. Graystone, already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her memories and personality which was created by his brilliant daughter Zoe in life, plans to steal a break through CPU chip from one of his business competitors. To obtain it he convinces Joseph Adams to use his organized crime contacts, which is done, possibly with Adams's acquiescence to murder to acquire it. Graystone, with the chip and a pre existing military robot prototype, intends to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], which, unknown to him, is the first step toward creating the Cylon race. Adams, despite lingering reservations works with Graystone to see his own dead daughter again and "Tamara" is recreated in Virtual Reality, much like Zoe-A. Adams meets her in virtual reality but unlike Zoe-A she is terrified and confused. Tamara then realizes she cannot feel her heart beat, to their mutual horror. As his "daughter" goes into hysterics, Adams breaks the connection and is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics and, as he views, the immorality of the creation and renounces it.

However, as a result the tragedy of losing his daughter, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adams. He also has a new found pride in his actual Tauron family name and reclaims the name of "Adama" for him and his son.

Afterward not heeding Adama's fears, Graystone attempts to download Zoe-A into one of his prototype [[Cylon Prototype|U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]]s robotic Cylon forms. It seems to be a failure with the download data becoming corrupted and lost forever. Graystone goes into Virtual reality to find Zoe-A but to his renewed grief, she is gone. Later however Zoe-R awakens in her mechanical body and calmly calls her best friend [[Lacy Rand]] for help.

== Notes ==
* In the script, Joseph Adama insists that Daniel Graystone delete the Tamara avatar. This does not happen in the aired pilot.
* In the stadium scene, the shot where fans are throwing food and drinks at the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] contains a small goof. If you look at the stadium rafters, a Canadian and an American flag can be seen. The stadium scenes were shot at [[w:General Motors Place|General Motors Place]] in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the [[w:Vancouver Canucks|Vancouver Canucks]]. Also of note, the Pre-Cylon War Buccaneers team colors of blue, green, and white are the colors of the current Canucks uniforms.
* For whatever reason, [[Sina Najafi]] isn't wearing blue contact lenses in at least the pilot, thus meaning that [[William Adama]] now has dark brown eyes instead of the blue eyes Olmos' character has.
* It is worth noting that Joseph Adama doesn't use his lucky cigarette lighter at any point during the pilot.

== Differences between the DVD and TV Cut==
* Several establishing shots of [[Caprica (RDM) | Caprica]] were redone for the TV version of the pilot, giving the planet a more exotic and futuristic look.
* At the beginning a neighboring world of Caprica is shown. The planet is not mentioned in dialog and therefore it is not known whether it is actually one of the other [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol | Colonies]]. Given that it seems to be an arid, red and desert-like world it might be [[Gemenon]] or [[Tauron]].
* The [[Graystone Industries]] building was heavily redesigned.
* When [[Daniel Graystone]] confronts [[Zoe Graystone | Zoe's avatar]], she states that the human brain consists of about 100 Terrabyte of information, instead of the 300 Megabyte that were mentioned in the DVD version.
* The scene at the [[Pyramid (RDM) | Pyramid game]] was completely reshot with the characters watching from box seats high above the field. This also offers the very first glimpse at a professional Pyramid match.

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==

*Will Zoe's consciousness in the U-87 emerge more frequently or less frequently as time goes on?
*How long will it take for the U-87 to go into mass production and enter military service as the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]?
**Also, why is the production model designated the 0005, instead of remaining the U-87?
**On a related note, why do all of the 0005s have masculine voices instead of keeping the distinctly feminine voice of the U-87 (which sounds suspiciously like Zoe's)?
*Will the murder of Defense Minister [[Val Chambers]] lead to greater discrimination and reprisals against Taurons?
*Will Tamara Adama's avatar be downloaded into a Cylon brain, or will Graystone actually comply with Joseph Adama's wishes and delete it, considering that Adama knows the [[Guatrau]] personally and socially to the point of being on first name terms with him?
**On that note, did Graystone create an avatar for Shannon Adama as well? If so, how will Joseph, Sam, and William react?
*Why did Joseph and Sam Adama go to such great lengths to keep their family's past a secret from William and Tamara? Could it have something to do with how their father, William the First, died?
*Where and how did Ben Stark obtain the [[G-4]]? Was his suicide bombing authorized?
*Will Joseph Adama invest in a holoband for himself and William, or does he consider the entire network, and possibly networks in general, to be abominations? Is this the origin of William's phobia about integrated computer networks as depicted on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]''?
*If there isn't a single flower on the entire surface of Tauron, what kind of crops do they grow?
*Why did Zoe and Ben decide to go to Gemenon to escape religious persecution?
*Is there an enclave of the [[Soldiers of the One]] on Gemenon?
*Will holoband technology be banned along with artificial intelligence due to the Cylon War, or will it still exist at the time of the Fall?
* In what way was Zoe's avatar supposed to bring about change and how exactly was it to do this?
* Is there any significance to the fact that Caprica's twin world was never previously seen? Is this planet Tauron or any of the other Colonies?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Joseph discussing his family past with Willie:''
:'''Joseph Adama''': I want you to know who you are. We come from a long, proud line of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]] peasants who knew how to work the land and still stand proud. You're named after your grandfather. Did I ever tell you that?
:'''Willie Adama''': Nope.
:'''Joseph Adama''': William. He was killed during the Tauron uprising. Our last name isn't Adams. I changed it after I arrived here on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]. Our family name is Adama. Adama. And it's a good, honorable Tauron name.

*''The Cylon prototype after having destroyed all targets during an exercise:''
:'''Cylon prototype''': All targets neutralized. Program completed [[by your command]].

*''After having watched the live-fire demonstration of Graystone Enterprise's military robot:''
:'''Joan Leyte''': What'd you call it?
:'''Daniel Graystone''': A cybernetic life-form node. A [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], Minister.
:'''Joan Leyte''' : Hmm. Cylon. Interesting.

==Starring==
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]]
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]]
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]]
* [[Alessandra Torresani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]]
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]
* [[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
* [[Polly Walker]] as Sister [[Clarice Willow]]

In the pilot, Avan Jogia is credited as part of the principal cast. He becomes a guest star in his future appearances. On the other hand, Sasha Roiz and Brian Markinson, who are both credited as guest stars in the pilot, join the principal cast in the first regular episode of the series.

==Guest cast==
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama|Sam Adams]]
* [[Brian Markinson]] as [[Jordan Duram]]
* [[William B. Davis]] as Minister of Defense [[Val Chambers]]
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
* [[Jorge Montesi]] as The [[Guatrau]]
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
* [[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama|Shannon Adams]]
* [[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
* [[Veena Sood]] as Minister of Defense [[Joan Leyte]]
* [[Karen Austin]] as [[Ruth]]
* [[Nancy Kerr]] as Prosecutor
* [[Terence Kelly]] as Mayor
* [[Angela Moore]] as Judge
* [[Josh Byer]] as Defendant
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]
* [[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]
* [[Kathryn Schellenberg]] as Dancer
* [[Maiko Miyauchi]] as Dancer
* [[Daina Ashbee]] as Dancer
* [[Adrienne Chan]] as Dancer
* [[Salma Allam]] as Dancer
* [[Kirsten Wicklund]] as Dancer
* [[Shawn Stewart]] as Dancer
* [[Donald Sales]] as Dancer
* [[Paul Becker]] as Dancer
* [[Cara Long]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Jay Devery]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Keita Parker]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chelsea Darden]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Megan Sehn]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chantal Ayre]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Michelle Andrew]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Eva Hartkopf]] as V-Club Patron
* Uncredited as [[Sean]]

Prior to the release of the pilot, many names were given in the cast. Of those not confirmed in the credits are the following and if they do appear, would be categorized uncredited:
* [[Edwina Cheer]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Ildiko Ferenczi]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Marci T. House]] as Woman<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Nathalie Marrable]] as Burlesque Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Charlie Robson]] as Avatar<ref name="imdumb"/>

Though referred to throughout the episode, [[Tomas Vergis]] does not appear in the final feature, nor in the deleted scenes, yet had been listed as one point being portrayed by [[Roger R. Cross]].<ref>Though once listed, the credit has now been removed from IMDb.</ref> Michelle Andrew is credited in the pilot, but as "V-Club Patron" and not as "Lap Dancer".<ref name="imdumb"/>

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Remi Aubuchon]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Reiner]]

[[fr:Pilot (Caprica)]]

Caprica pilot

2010-02-02T04:43:39Z

Real Too: /* Starring */

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| series= Caprica
| title=Caprica pilot
| season=1
| episode=1
| special=
| forumthread=4000
| extra=Series pilot
| guests=
| writer=[[Remi Aubuchon]]<br>[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Jeffrey Reiner]]
| production=101
| rating=
| US airdate= January 22, 2010<ref>{{cite_news|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090724syfy01|title=SYFY ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=24 July 2009|accessdate=25 July 2009|language=}}</ref>
| CAN airdate= January 22, 2010
| UK airdate=February 2, 2010
| dvd=21 April 2009
| next= [[Rebirth]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D312445880%2526id%253D309024119%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=B0021Y0S1E
}}

== Overview ==
: ''In the wake of the tragedy experienced by the [[Adama]] and [[Graystone]] families, a scientific breakthrough is about to occur—the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

: '''''Note:''' This episode is the two-hour '''pilot''' for the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' TV series, the [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Syfy Channel]]. It was released on DVD prior to being aired on television.''

== Plot summary==
{{expansion}}
===Caprica, 58 Years Before the Fall===
* Young people are engaged in group sex, fist fights, shootings, wild dancing, all to the beat of loud party music--this is the [[V-Club]]. From a balcony, [[Zoe Graystone]] watches a girl below, next to the stage. The girl appears to be a perfect copy of Zoe. [[Ben Stark]] and [[Lacy Rand]] join Zoe on the balcony and deplore the hedonism and depravity happening around them, but promise that she, the girl below, will change it all.
* On the dance floor, the music grows subdued. A muscled man displays a knife to the audience, and a dancer emerges on stage, her face shifting from human to monster and back in the strobe lights. While this is happening, another girl is dragged to the stage, to the sound of the audience chanting "Kill, kill, kill!" The muscled man brings the knife down and kills the girl, all to cheering from the audience. At that moment, the copy of Zoe looks and terrified and suddenly vanishes.
* On the balcony, Ben promises Zoe that eventually the copy will be perfect, because Zoe is perfect. They kiss while Lacy stares.
* In the real world, Zoe continues to immerse herself in the V-Club experience via a [[Holoband]], until another girl opens the bathroom stall and discovers her.
* Outside the [[Athena Academy]], Zoe, Ben, and Lacy meet again and talk about running away to [[Gemenon]]. They finish by pledging themselves to the "one true god."

===Two Families Ripped Apart===
* On the grounds of their waterfront home, [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and [[Amanda Graystone]] play tennis until they are interrupted by a call from the Academy about Zoe.
* In the kitchen, the three Graystones fight about Zoe's behavior, Daniel's "dirty science," and life in the Graystone family. Tensions escalate until a comment about marrying into money pushes Amanda over the edge, and she slaps Zoe.
* Zoe retreats to her room and the privacy of the Holoband. She hurries to a secret room in the V-Club and meets her copy. The two sit and talk about the horror of the human sacrifice, and how the audience knew what they were doing and drew strength from the experience. Zoe promises that her copy will help to change these attitudes among people, both here and on the outside.
* Amanda wordlessly drops Zoe off in front of the Academy. The instant Amanda drives away, Zoe and her two friends leave, heading for a [[Lev|maglev]] subway station.
* In front of the three of them on an escalator, [[Shannon Adama]] and her daughter [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]] talk with [[Joseph Adama]] (who is walking through another part of [[Caprica City]]), demanding that he come home in time to be at [[William Adama|Willie]]'s birthday party. Depsite a court appointment, Joseph promises to be there.
* At the last moment, Lacy backs out, despite promises of a new family and a new life on Gemenon. She watches the Lev leave the station.
* On the train, Tamara tells her mother about someone she was forced to deal with for insulting her [[Tauron]] heritage. While this is happening, Zoe types out a message on a [[computer sheet]] forgiving her mother, then sends it.
* She looks at Ben, who seems very nervous and distracted. He apologizes, stands up, and opens his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his torso. He announces, "The one true god shall drive out the many," and detonates the bomb. The train is consumed in the fireball. The sound of the explosion is heard by Joseph. He and the pedestrians around him are frozen by the sight of smoke rising into the street.

Daniel Graystone manages to resurrect [[Zoe_Graystone|Zoe]]- after a fashion. Daniel and Joseph Adama meet under conditions of mutual grief. Graystone, already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her memories and personality which was created by his brilliant daughter Zoe in life, plans to steal a break through CPU chip from one of his business competitors. To obtain it he convinces Joseph Adams to use his organized crime contacts, which is done, possibly with Adams's acquiescence to murder to acquire it. Graystone, with the chip and a pre existing military robot prototype, intends to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], which, unknown to him, is the first step toward creating the Cylon race. Adams, despite lingering reservations works with Graystone to see his own dead daughter again and "Tamara" is recreated in Virtual Reality, much like Zoe-A. Adams meets her in virtual reality but unlike Zoe-A she is terrified and confused. Tamara then realizes she cannot feel her heart beat, to their mutual horror. As his "daughter" goes into hysterics, Adams breaks the connection and is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics and, as he views, the immorality of the creation and renounces it.

However, as a result the tragedy of losing his daughter, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adams. He also has a new found pride in his actual Tauron family name and reclaims the name of "Adama" for him and his son.

Afterward not heeding Adama's fears, Graystone attempts to download Zoe-A into one of his prototype [[Cylon Prototype|U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]]s robotic Cylon forms. It seems to be a failure with the download data becoming corrupted and lost forever. Graystone goes into Virtual reality to find Zoe-A but to his renewed grief, she is gone. Later however Zoe-R awakens in her mechanical body and calmly calls her best friend [[Lacy Rand]] for help.

== Notes ==
* In the script, Joseph Adama insists that Daniel Graystone delete the Tamara avatar. This does not happen in the aired pilot.
* In the stadium scene, the shot where fans are throwing food and drinks at the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] contains a small goof. If you look at the stadium rafters, a Canadian and an American flag can be seen. The stadium scenes were shot at [[w:General Motors Place|General Motors Place]] in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the [[w:Vancouver Canucks|Vancouver Canucks]]. Also of note, the Pre-Cylon War Buccaneers team colors of blue, green, and white are the colors of the current Canucks uniforms.
* For whatever reason, [[Sina Najafi]] isn't wearing blue contact lenses in at least the pilot, thus meaning that [[William Adama]] now has dark brown eyes instead of the blue eyes Olmos' character has.
* It is worth noting that Joseph Adama doesn't use his lucky cigarette lighter at any point during the pilot.

== Differences between the DVD and TV Cut==
* Several establishing shots of [[Caprica (RDM) | Caprica]] were redone for the TV version of the pilot, giving the planet a more exotic and futuristic look.
* At the beginning a neighboring world of Caprica is shown. The planet is not mentioned in dialog and therefore it is not known whether it is actually one of the other [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol | Colonies]]. Given that it seems to be an arid, red and desert-like world it might be [[Gemenon]] or [[Tauron]].
* The [[Graystone Industries]] building was heavily redesigned.
* When [[Daniel Graystone]] confronts [[Zoe Graystone | Zoe's avatar]], she states that the human brain consists of about 100 Terrabyte of information, instead of the 300 Megabyte that were mentioned in the DVD version.
* The scene at the [[Pyramid (RDM) | Pyramid game]] was completely reshot with the characters watching from box seats high above the field. This also offers the very first glimpse at a professional Pyramid match.

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==

*Will Zoe's consciousness in the U-87 emerge more frequently or less frequently as time goes on?
*How long will it take for the U-87 to go into mass production and enter military service as the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]?
**Also, why is the production model designated the 0005, instead of remaining the U-87?
**On a related note, why do all of the 0005s have masculine voices instead of keeping the distinctly feminine voice of the U-87 (which sounds suspiciously like Zoe's)?
*Will the murder of Defense Minister [[Val Chambers]] lead to greater discrimination and reprisals against Taurons?
*Will Tamara Adama's avatar be downloaded into a Cylon brain, or will Graystone actually comply with Joseph Adama's wishes and delete it, considering that Adama knows the [[Guatrau]] personally and socially to the point of being on first name terms with him?
**On that note, did Graystone create an avatar for Shannon Adama as well? If so, how will Joseph, Sam, and William react?
*Why did Joseph and Sam Adama go to such great lengths to keep their family's past a secret from William and Tamara? Could it have something to do with how their father, William the First, died?
*Where and how did Ben Stark obtain the [[G-4]]? Was his suicide bombing authorized?
*Will Joseph Adama invest in a holoband for himself and William, or does he consider the entire network, and possibly networks in general, to be abominations? Is this the origin of William's phobia about integrated computer networks as depicted on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]''?
*If there isn't a single flower on the entire surface of Tauron, what kind of crops do they grow?
*Why did Zoe and Ben decide to go to Gemenon to escape religious persecution?
*Is there an enclave of the [[Soldiers of the One]] on Gemenon?
*Will holoband technology be banned along with artificial intelligence due to the Cylon War, or will it still exist at the time of the Fall?
* In what way was Zoe's avatar supposed to bring about change and how exactly was it to do this?
* Is there any significance to the fact that Caprica's twin world was never previously seen? Is this planet Tauron or any of the other Colonies?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Joseph discussing his family past with Willie:''
:'''Joseph Adama''': I want you to know who you are. We come from a long, proud line of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]] peasants who knew how to work the land and still stand proud. You're named after your grandfather. Did I ever tell you that?
:'''Willie Adama''': Nope.
:'''Joseph Adama''': William. He was killed during the Tauron uprising. Our last name isn't Adams. I changed it after I arrived here on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]. Our family name is Adama. Adama. And it's a good, honorable Tauron name.

*''The Cylon prototype after having destroyed all targets during an exercise:''
:'''Cylon prototype''': All targets neutralized. Program completed [[by your command]].

*''After having watched the live-fire demonstration of Graystone Enterprise's military robot:''
:'''Joan Leyte''': What'd you call it?
:'''Daniel Graystone''': A cybernetic life-form node. A [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], Minister.
:'''Joan Leyte''' : Hmm. Cylon. Interesting.

==Starring==
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]]
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]]
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]]
* [[Alessandra Torresani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]]
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]
* [[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
* [[Polly Walker]] as Sister [[Clarice Willow]]

In the pilot, Avan Jogia is credited as part of the principal cast. He becomes a co-star in his future appearances. On the other hand, Sasha Roiz and Brian Markinson, who are both credited as guest stars in the pilot, join the principal cast in the first regular episode of the series.

==Guest cast==
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama|Sam Adams]]
* [[Brian Markinson]] as [[Jordan Duram]]
* [[William B. Davis]] as Minister of Defense [[Val Chambers]]
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
* [[Jorge Montesi]] as The [[Guatrau]]
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
* [[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama|Shannon Adams]]
* [[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
* [[Veena Sood]] as Minister of Defense [[Joan Leyte]]
* [[Karen Austin]] as [[Ruth]]
* [[Nancy Kerr]] as Prosecutor
* [[Terence Kelly]] as Mayor
* [[Angela Moore]] as Judge
* [[Josh Byer]] as Defendant
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]
* [[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]
* [[Kathryn Schellenberg]] as Dancer
* [[Maiko Miyauchi]] as Dancer
* [[Daina Ashbee]] as Dancer
* [[Adrienne Chan]] as Dancer
* [[Salma Allam]] as Dancer
* [[Kirsten Wicklund]] as Dancer
* [[Shawn Stewart]] as Dancer
* [[Donald Sales]] as Dancer
* [[Paul Becker]] as Dancer
* [[Cara Long]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Jay Devery]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Keita Parker]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chelsea Darden]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Megan Sehn]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chantal Ayre]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Michelle Andrew]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Eva Hartkopf]] as V-Club Patron
* Uncredited as [[Sean]]

Prior to the release of the pilot, many names were given in the cast. Of those not confirmed in the credits are the following and if they do appear, would be categorized uncredited:
* [[Edwina Cheer]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Ildiko Ferenczi]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Marci T. House]] as Woman<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Nathalie Marrable]] as Burlesque Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Charlie Robson]] as Avatar<ref name="imdumb"/>

Though referred to throughout the episode, [[Tomas Vergis]] does not appear in the final feature, nor in the deleted scenes, yet had been listed as one point being portrayed by [[Roger R. Cross]].<ref>Though once listed, the credit has now been removed from IMDb.</ref> Michelle Andrew is credited in the pilot, but as "V-Club Patron" and not as "Lap Dancer".<ref name="imdumb"/>

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Remi Aubuchon]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Reiner]]

[[fr:Pilot (Caprica)]]

Caprica pilot

2010-02-02T04:28:25Z

Real Too: /* Starring */

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| series= Caprica
| title=Caprica pilot
| season=1
| episode=1
| special=
| forumthread=4000
| extra=Series pilot
| guests=
| writer=[[Remi Aubuchon]]<br>[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Jeffrey Reiner]]
| production=101
| rating=
| US airdate= January 22, 2010<ref>{{cite_news|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090724syfy01|title=SYFY ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=24 July 2009|accessdate=25 July 2009|language=}}</ref>
| CAN airdate= January 22, 2010
| UK airdate=February 2, 2010
| dvd=21 April 2009
| next= [[Rebirth]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D312445880%2526id%253D309024119%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=B0021Y0S1E
}}

== Overview ==
: ''In the wake of the tragedy experienced by the [[Adama]] and [[Graystone]] families, a scientific breakthrough is about to occur—the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

: '''''Note:''' This episode is the two-hour '''pilot''' for the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' TV series, the [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Syfy Channel]]. It was released on DVD prior to being aired on television.''

== Plot summary==
{{expansion}}
===Caprica, 58 Years Before the Fall===
* Young people are engaged in group sex, fist fights, shootings, wild dancing, all to the beat of loud party music--this is the [[V-Club]]. From a balcony, [[Zoe Graystone]] watches a girl below, next to the stage. The girl appears to be a perfect copy of Zoe. [[Ben Stark]] and [[Lacy Rand]] join Zoe on the balcony and deplore the hedonism and depravity happening around them, but promise that she, the girl below, will change it all.
* On the dance floor, the music grows subdued. A muscled man displays a knife to the audience, and a dancer emerges on stage, her face shifting from human to monster and back in the strobe lights. While this is happening, another girl is dragged to the stage, to the sound of the audience chanting "Kill, kill, kill!" The muscled man brings the knife down and kills the girl, all to cheering from the audience. At that moment, the copy of Zoe looks and terrified and suddenly vanishes.
* On the balcony, Ben promises Zoe that eventually the copy will be perfect, because Zoe is perfect. They kiss while Lacy stares.
* In the real world, Zoe continues to immerse herself in the V-Club experience via a [[Holoband]], until another girl opens the bathroom stall and discovers her.
* Outside the [[Athena Academy]], Zoe, Ben, and Lacy meet again and talk about running away to [[Gemenon]]. They finish by pledging themselves to the "one true god."

===Two Families Ripped Apart===
* On the grounds of their waterfront home, [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and [[Amanda Graystone]] play tennis until they are interrupted by a call from the Academy about Zoe.
* In the kitchen, the three Graystones fight about Zoe's behavior, Daniel's "dirty science," and life in the Graystone family. Tensions escalate until a comment about marrying into money pushes Amanda over the edge, and she slaps Zoe.
* Zoe retreats to her room and the privacy of the Holoband. She hurries to a secret room in the V-Club and meets her copy. The two sit and talk about the horror of the human sacrifice, and how the audience knew what they were doing and drew strength from the experience. Zoe promises that her copy will help to change these attitudes among people, both here and on the outside.
* Amanda wordlessly drops Zoe off in front of the Academy. The instant Amanda drives away, Zoe and her two friends leave, heading for a [[Lev|maglev]] subway station.
* In front of the three of them on an escalator, [[Shannon Adama]] and her daughter [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]] talk with [[Joseph Adama]] (who is walking through another part of [[Caprica City]]), demanding that he come home in time to be at [[William Adama|Willie]]'s birthday party. Depsite a court appointment, Joseph promises to be there.
* At the last moment, Lacy backs out, despite promises of a new family and a new life on Gemenon. She watches the Lev leave the station.
* On the train, Tamara tells her mother about someone she was forced to deal with for insulting her [[Tauron]] heritage. While this is happening, Zoe types out a message on a [[computer sheet]] forgiving her mother, then sends it.
* She looks at Ben, who seems very nervous and distracted. He apologizes, stands up, and opens his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his torso. He announces, "The one true god shall drive out the many," and detonates the bomb. The train is consumed in the fireball. The sound of the explosion is heard by Joseph. He and the pedestrians around him are frozen by the sight of smoke rising into the street.

Daniel Graystone manages to resurrect [[Zoe_Graystone|Zoe]]- after a fashion. Daniel and Joseph Adama meet under conditions of mutual grief. Graystone, already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her memories and personality which was created by his brilliant daughter Zoe in life, plans to steal a break through CPU chip from one of his business competitors. To obtain it he convinces Joseph Adams to use his organized crime contacts, which is done, possibly with Adams's acquiescence to murder to acquire it. Graystone, with the chip and a pre existing military robot prototype, intends to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], which, unknown to him, is the first step toward creating the Cylon race. Adams, despite lingering reservations works with Graystone to see his own dead daughter again and "Tamara" is recreated in Virtual Reality, much like Zoe-A. Adams meets her in virtual reality but unlike Zoe-A she is terrified and confused. Tamara then realizes she cannot feel her heart beat, to their mutual horror. As his "daughter" goes into hysterics, Adams breaks the connection and is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics and, as he views, the immorality of the creation and renounces it.

However, as a result the tragedy of losing his daughter, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adams. He also has a new found pride in his actual Tauron family name and reclaims the name of "Adama" for him and his son.

Afterward not heeding Adama's fears, Graystone attempts to download Zoe-A into one of his prototype [[Cylon Prototype|U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]]s robotic Cylon forms. It seems to be a failure with the download data becoming corrupted and lost forever. Graystone goes into Virtual reality to find Zoe-A but to his renewed grief, she is gone. Later however Zoe-R awakens in her mechanical body and calmly calls her best friend [[Lacy Rand]] for help.

== Notes ==
* In the script, Joseph Adama insists that Daniel Graystone delete the Tamara avatar. This does not happen in the aired pilot.
* In the stadium scene, the shot where fans are throwing food and drinks at the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] contains a small goof. If you look at the stadium rafters, a Canadian and an American flag can be seen. The stadium scenes were shot at [[w:General Motors Place|General Motors Place]] in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the [[w:Vancouver Canucks|Vancouver Canucks]]. Also of note, the Pre-Cylon War Buccaneers team colors of blue, green, and white are the colors of the current Canucks uniforms.
* For whatever reason, [[Sina Najafi]] isn't wearing blue contact lenses in at least the pilot, thus meaning that [[William Adama]] now has dark brown eyes instead of the blue eyes Olmos' character has.
* It is worth noting that Joseph Adama doesn't use his lucky cigarette lighter at any point during the pilot.

== Differences between the DVD and TV Cut==
* Several establishing shots of [[Caprica (RDM) | Caprica]] were redone for the TV version of the pilot, giving the planet a more exotic and futuristic look.
* At the beginning a neighboring world of Caprica is shown. The planet is not mentioned in dialog and therefore it is not known whether it is actually one of the other [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol | Colonies]]. Given that it seems to be an arid, red and desert-like world it might be [[Gemenon]] or [[Tauron]].
* The [[Graystone Industries]] building was heavily redesigned.
* When [[Daniel Graystone]] confronts [[Zoe Graystone | Zoe's avatar]], she states that the human brain consists of about 100 Terrabyte of information, instead of the 300 Megabyte that were mentioned in the DVD version.
* The scene at the [[Pyramid (RDM) | Pyramid game]] was completely reshot with the characters watching from box seats high above the field. This also offers the very first glimpse at a professional Pyramid match.

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==

*Will Zoe's consciousness in the U-87 emerge more frequently or less frequently as time goes on?
*How long will it take for the U-87 to go into mass production and enter military service as the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]?
**Also, why is the production model designated the 0005, instead of remaining the U-87?
**On a related note, why do all of the 0005s have masculine voices instead of keeping the distinctly feminine voice of the U-87 (which sounds suspiciously like Zoe's)?
*Will the murder of Defense Minister [[Val Chambers]] lead to greater discrimination and reprisals against Taurons?
*Will Tamara Adama's avatar be downloaded into a Cylon brain, or will Graystone actually comply with Joseph Adama's wishes and delete it, considering that Adama knows the [[Guatrau]] personally and socially to the point of being on first name terms with him?
**On that note, did Graystone create an avatar for Shannon Adama as well? If so, how will Joseph, Sam, and William react?
*Why did Joseph and Sam Adama go to such great lengths to keep their family's past a secret from William and Tamara? Could it have something to do with how their father, William the First, died?
*Where and how did Ben Stark obtain the [[G-4]]? Was his suicide bombing authorized?
*Will Joseph Adama invest in a holoband for himself and William, or does he consider the entire network, and possibly networks in general, to be abominations? Is this the origin of William's phobia about integrated computer networks as depicted on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]''?
*If there isn't a single flower on the entire surface of Tauron, what kind of crops do they grow?
*Why did Zoe and Ben decide to go to Gemenon to escape religious persecution?
*Is there an enclave of the [[Soldiers of the One]] on Gemenon?
*Will holoband technology be banned along with artificial intelligence due to the Cylon War, or will it still exist at the time of the Fall?
* In what way was Zoe's avatar supposed to bring about change and how exactly was it to do this?
* Is there any significance to the fact that Caprica's twin world was never previously seen? Is this planet Tauron or any of the other Colonies?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Joseph discussing his family past with Willie:''
:'''Joseph Adama''': I want you to know who you are. We come from a long, proud line of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]] peasants who knew how to work the land and still stand proud. You're named after your grandfather. Did I ever tell you that?
:'''Willie Adama''': Nope.
:'''Joseph Adama''': William. He was killed during the Tauron uprising. Our last name isn't Adams. I changed it after I arrived here on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]. Our family name is Adama. Adama. And it's a good, honorable Tauron name.

*''The Cylon prototype after having destroyed all targets during an exercise:''
:'''Cylon prototype''': All targets neutralized. Program completed [[by your command]].

*''After having watched the live-fire demonstration of Graystone Enterprise's military robot:''
:'''Joan Leyte''': What'd you call it?
:'''Daniel Graystone''': A cybernetic life-form node. A [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], Minister.
:'''Joan Leyte''' : Hmm. Cylon. Interesting.

==Starring==
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]]
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]]
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]]
* [[Alessandra Torresani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]]
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]
* [[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
* [[Polly Walker]] as Sister [[Clarice Willow]]

In the pilot, Avan Jogia is credited as part of the principal cast. He becomes a co-star in his future appearances. On the other hand, Sasha Roiz, who is credited as a guest star in the pilot, joins the principal cast in the first regular episode of the series.

==Guest cast==
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama|Sam Adams]]
* [[Brian Markinson]] as [[Jordan Duram]]
* [[William B. Davis]] as Minister of Defense [[Val Chambers]]
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
* [[Jorge Montesi]] as The [[Guatrau]]
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
* [[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama|Shannon Adams]]
* [[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
* [[Veena Sood]] as Minister of Defense [[Joan Leyte]]
* [[Karen Austin]] as [[Ruth]]
* [[Nancy Kerr]] as Prosecutor
* [[Terence Kelly]] as Mayor
* [[Angela Moore]] as Judge
* [[Josh Byer]] as Defendant
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]
* [[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]
* [[Kathryn Schellenberg]] as Dancer
* [[Maiko Miyauchi]] as Dancer
* [[Daina Ashbee]] as Dancer
* [[Adrienne Chan]] as Dancer
* [[Salma Allam]] as Dancer
* [[Kirsten Wicklund]] as Dancer
* [[Shawn Stewart]] as Dancer
* [[Donald Sales]] as Dancer
* [[Paul Becker]] as Dancer
* [[Cara Long]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Jay Devery]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Keita Parker]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chelsea Darden]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Megan Sehn]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chantal Ayre]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Michelle Andrew]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Eva Hartkopf]] as V-Club Patron
* Uncredited as [[Sean]]

Prior to the release of the pilot, many names were given in the cast. Of those not confirmed in the credits are the following and if they do appear, would be categorized uncredited:
* [[Edwina Cheer]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Ildiko Ferenczi]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Marci T. House]] as Woman<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Nathalie Marrable]] as Burlesque Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Charlie Robson]] as Avatar<ref name="imdumb"/>

Though referred to throughout the episode, [[Tomas Vergis]] does not appear in the final feature, nor in the deleted scenes, yet had been listed as one point being portrayed by [[Roger R. Cross]].<ref>Though once listed, the credit has now been removed from IMDb.</ref> Michelle Andrew is credited in the pilot, but as "V-Club Patron" and not as "Lap Dancer".<ref name="imdumb"/>

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Remi Aubuchon]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Reiner]]

[[fr:Pilot (Caprica)]]

Caprica pilot

2010-02-02T04:27:52Z

Real Too: /* Guest cast */ added the principal cast

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| series= Caprica
| title=Caprica pilot
| season=1
| episode=1
| special=
| forumthread=4000
| extra=Series pilot
| guests=
| writer=[[Remi Aubuchon]]<br>[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Jeffrey Reiner]]
| production=101
| rating=
| US airdate= January 22, 2010<ref>{{cite_news|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20090724syfy01|title=SYFY ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE FOR CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=24 July 2009|accessdate=25 July 2009|language=}}</ref>
| CAN airdate= January 22, 2010
| UK airdate=February 2, 2010
| dvd=21 April 2009
| next= [[Rebirth]]
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D312445880%2526id%253D309024119%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=B0021Y0S1E
}}

== Overview ==
: ''In the wake of the tragedy experienced by the [[Adama]] and [[Graystone]] families, a scientific breakthrough is about to occur—the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

: '''''Note:''' This episode is the two-hour '''pilot''' for the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' TV series, the [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Syfy Channel]]. It was released on DVD prior to being aired on television.''

== Plot summary==
{{expansion}}
===Caprica, 58 Years Before the Fall===
* Young people are engaged in group sex, fist fights, shootings, wild dancing, all to the beat of loud party music--this is the [[V-Club]]. From a balcony, [[Zoe Graystone]] watches a girl below, next to the stage. The girl appears to be a perfect copy of Zoe. [[Ben Stark]] and [[Lacy Rand]] join Zoe on the balcony and deplore the hedonism and depravity happening around them, but promise that she, the girl below, will change it all.
* On the dance floor, the music grows subdued. A muscled man displays a knife to the audience, and a dancer emerges on stage, her face shifting from human to monster and back in the strobe lights. While this is happening, another girl is dragged to the stage, to the sound of the audience chanting "Kill, kill, kill!" The muscled man brings the knife down and kills the girl, all to cheering from the audience. At that moment, the copy of Zoe looks and terrified and suddenly vanishes.
* On the balcony, Ben promises Zoe that eventually the copy will be perfect, because Zoe is perfect. They kiss while Lacy stares.
* In the real world, Zoe continues to immerse herself in the V-Club experience via a [[Holoband]], until another girl opens the bathroom stall and discovers her.
* Outside the [[Athena Academy]], Zoe, Ben, and Lacy meet again and talk about running away to [[Gemenon]]. They finish by pledging themselves to the "one true god."

===Two Families Ripped Apart===
* On the grounds of their waterfront home, [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and [[Amanda Graystone]] play tennis until they are interrupted by a call from the Academy about Zoe.
* In the kitchen, the three Graystones fight about Zoe's behavior, Daniel's "dirty science," and life in the Graystone family. Tensions escalate until a comment about marrying into money pushes Amanda over the edge, and she slaps Zoe.
* Zoe retreats to her room and the privacy of the Holoband. She hurries to a secret room in the V-Club and meets her copy. The two sit and talk about the horror of the human sacrifice, and how the audience knew what they were doing and drew strength from the experience. Zoe promises that her copy will help to change these attitudes among people, both here and on the outside.
* Amanda wordlessly drops Zoe off in front of the Academy. The instant Amanda drives away, Zoe and her two friends leave, heading for a [[Lev|maglev]] subway station.
* In front of the three of them on an escalator, [[Shannon Adama]] and her daughter [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]] talk with [[Joseph Adama]] (who is walking through another part of [[Caprica City]]), demanding that he come home in time to be at [[William Adama|Willie]]'s birthday party. Depsite a court appointment, Joseph promises to be there.
* At the last moment, Lacy backs out, despite promises of a new family and a new life on Gemenon. She watches the Lev leave the station.
* On the train, Tamara tells her mother about someone she was forced to deal with for insulting her [[Tauron]] heritage. While this is happening, Zoe types out a message on a [[computer sheet]] forgiving her mother, then sends it.
* She looks at Ben, who seems very nervous and distracted. He apologizes, stands up, and opens his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his torso. He announces, "The one true god shall drive out the many," and detonates the bomb. The train is consumed in the fireball. The sound of the explosion is heard by Joseph. He and the pedestrians around him are frozen by the sight of smoke rising into the street.

Daniel Graystone manages to resurrect [[Zoe_Graystone|Zoe]]- after a fashion. Daniel and Joseph Adama meet under conditions of mutual grief. Graystone, already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her memories and personality which was created by his brilliant daughter Zoe in life, plans to steal a break through CPU chip from one of his business competitors. To obtain it he convinces Joseph Adams to use his organized crime contacts, which is done, possibly with Adams's acquiescence to murder to acquire it. Graystone, with the chip and a pre existing military robot prototype, intends to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], which, unknown to him, is the first step toward creating the Cylon race. Adams, despite lingering reservations works with Graystone to see his own dead daughter again and "Tamara" is recreated in Virtual Reality, much like Zoe-A. Adams meets her in virtual reality but unlike Zoe-A she is terrified and confused. Tamara then realizes she cannot feel her heart beat, to their mutual horror. As his "daughter" goes into hysterics, Adams breaks the connection and is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics and, as he views, the immorality of the creation and renounces it.

However, as a result the tragedy of losing his daughter, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adams. He also has a new found pride in his actual Tauron family name and reclaims the name of "Adama" for him and his son.

Afterward not heeding Adama's fears, Graystone attempts to download Zoe-A into one of his prototype [[Cylon Prototype|U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]]s robotic Cylon forms. It seems to be a failure with the download data becoming corrupted and lost forever. Graystone goes into Virtual reality to find Zoe-A but to his renewed grief, she is gone. Later however Zoe-R awakens in her mechanical body and calmly calls her best friend [[Lacy Rand]] for help.

== Notes ==
* In the script, Joseph Adama insists that Daniel Graystone delete the Tamara avatar. This does not happen in the aired pilot.
* In the stadium scene, the shot where fans are throwing food and drinks at the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] contains a small goof. If you look at the stadium rafters, a Canadian and an American flag can be seen. The stadium scenes were shot at [[w:General Motors Place|General Motors Place]] in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the [[w:Vancouver Canucks|Vancouver Canucks]]. Also of note, the Pre-Cylon War Buccaneers team colors of blue, green, and white are the colors of the current Canucks uniforms.
* For whatever reason, [[Sina Najafi]] isn't wearing blue contact lenses in at least the pilot, thus meaning that [[William Adama]] now has dark brown eyes instead of the blue eyes Olmos' character has.
* It is worth noting that Joseph Adama doesn't use his lucky cigarette lighter at any point during the pilot.

== Differences between the DVD and TV Cut==
* Several establishing shots of [[Caprica (RDM) | Caprica]] were redone for the TV version of the pilot, giving the planet a more exotic and futuristic look.
* At the beginning a neighboring world of Caprica is shown. The planet is not mentioned in dialog and therefore it is not known whether it is actually one of the other [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol | Colonies]]. Given that it seems to be an arid, red and desert-like world it might be [[Gemenon]] or [[Tauron]].
* The [[Graystone Industries]] building was heavily redesigned.
* When [[Daniel Graystone]] confronts [[Zoe Graystone | Zoe's avatar]], she states that the human brain consists of about 100 Terrabyte of information, instead of the 300 Megabyte that were mentioned in the DVD version.
* The scene at the [[Pyramid (RDM) | Pyramid game]] was completely reshot with the characters watching from box seats high above the field. This also offers the very first glimpse at a professional Pyramid match.

== Analysis ==

== Questions ==

*Will Zoe's consciousness in the U-87 emerge more frequently or less frequently as time goes on?
*How long will it take for the U-87 to go into mass production and enter military service as the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]]?
**Also, why is the production model designated the 0005, instead of remaining the U-87?
**On a related note, why do all of the 0005s have masculine voices instead of keeping the distinctly feminine voice of the U-87 (which sounds suspiciously like Zoe's)?
*Will the murder of Defense Minister [[Val Chambers]] lead to greater discrimination and reprisals against Taurons?
*Will Tamara Adama's avatar be downloaded into a Cylon brain, or will Graystone actually comply with Joseph Adama's wishes and delete it, considering that Adama knows the [[Guatrau]] personally and socially to the point of being on first name terms with him?
**On that note, did Graystone create an avatar for Shannon Adama as well? If so, how will Joseph, Sam, and William react?
*Why did Joseph and Sam Adama go to such great lengths to keep their family's past a secret from William and Tamara? Could it have something to do with how their father, William the First, died?
*Where and how did Ben Stark obtain the [[G-4]]? Was his suicide bombing authorized?
*Will Joseph Adama invest in a holoband for himself and William, or does he consider the entire network, and possibly networks in general, to be abominations? Is this the origin of William's phobia about integrated computer networks as depicted on ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]''?
*If there isn't a single flower on the entire surface of Tauron, what kind of crops do they grow?
*Why did Zoe and Ben decide to go to Gemenon to escape religious persecution?
*Is there an enclave of the [[Soldiers of the One]] on Gemenon?
*Will holoband technology be banned along with artificial intelligence due to the Cylon War, or will it still exist at the time of the Fall?
* In what way was Zoe's avatar supposed to bring about change and how exactly was it to do this?
* Is there any significance to the fact that Caprica's twin world was never previously seen? Is this planet Tauron or any of the other Colonies?

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Joseph discussing his family past with Willie:''
:'''Joseph Adama''': I want you to know who you are. We come from a long, proud line of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]] peasants who knew how to work the land and still stand proud. You're named after your grandfather. Did I ever tell you that?
:'''Willie Adama''': Nope.
:'''Joseph Adama''': William. He was killed during the Tauron uprising. Our last name isn't Adams. I changed it after I arrived here on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]. Our family name is Adama. Adama. And it's a good, honorable Tauron name.

*''The Cylon prototype after having destroyed all targets during an exercise:''
:'''Cylon prototype''': All targets neutralized. Program completed [[by your command]].

*''After having watched the live-fire demonstration of Graystone Enterprise's military robot:''
:'''Joan Leyte''': What'd you call it?
:'''Daniel Graystone''': A cybernetic life-form node. A [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], Minister.
:'''Joan Leyte''' : Hmm. Cylon. Interesting.

==Starring==
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]]
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]]
* [[Paula Malcomson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]]
* [[Alessandra Torresani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]]
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]
* [[Avan Jogia]] as [[Ben Stark]]
* [[Polly Walker]] as [[Sister Clarice Willow]]

In the pilot, Avan Jogia is credited as part of the principal cast. He becomes a co-star in his future appearances. On the other hand, Sasha Roiz, who is credited as a guest star in the pilot, joins the principal cast in the first regular episode of the series.

==Guest cast==
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama|Sam Adams]]
* [[Brian Markinson]] as [[Jordan Duram]]
* [[William B. Davis]] as Minister of Defense [[Val Chambers]]
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama|William Adams]]
* [[Jorge Montesi]] as The [[Guatrau]]
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]] as [[Cyrus Xander]]
* [[Genevieve Buechner]] as [[Tamara Adama|Tamara Adams]]
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama|Shannon Adams]]
* [[Katie Keating]] as Prefect [[Caston]]
* [[Veena Sood]] as Minister of Defense [[Joan Leyte]]
* [[Karen Austin]] as [[Ruth]]
* [[Nancy Kerr]] as Prosecutor
* [[Terence Kelly]] as Mayor
* [[Angela Moore]] as Judge
* [[Josh Byer]] as Defendant
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]
* [[Jim Thomson]] as Voice of [[Serge]]
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]
* [[Kathryn Schellenberg]] as Dancer
* [[Maiko Miyauchi]] as Dancer
* [[Daina Ashbee]] as Dancer
* [[Adrienne Chan]] as Dancer
* [[Salma Allam]] as Dancer
* [[Kirsten Wicklund]] as Dancer
* [[Shawn Stewart]] as Dancer
* [[Donald Sales]] as Dancer
* [[Paul Becker]] as Dancer
* [[Cara Long]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Jay Devery]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Keita Parker]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chelsea Darden]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Megan Sehn]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Chantal Ayre]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Michelle Andrew]] as V-Club Patron
* [[Eva Hartkopf]] as V-Club Patron
* Uncredited as [[Sean]]

Prior to the release of the pilot, many names were given in the cast. Of those not confirmed in the credits are the following and if they do appear, would be categorized uncredited:
* [[Edwina Cheer]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Ildiko Ferenczi]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Marci T. House]] as Woman<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Nathalie Marrable]] as Burlesque Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Charlie Robson]] as Avatar<ref name="imdumb"/>

Though referred to throughout the episode, [[Tomas Vergis]] does not appear in the final feature, nor in the deleted scenes, yet had been listed as one point being portrayed by [[Roger R. Cross]].<ref>Though once listed, the credit has now been removed from IMDb.</ref> Michelle Andrew is credited in the pilot, but as "V-Club Patron" and not as "Lap Dancer".<ref name="imdumb"/>

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

{{Episode list (Caprica season 1)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Remi Aubuchon]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Reiner]]

[[fr:Pilot (Caprica)]]

The Plan

2009-11-01T01:43:35Z

Real Too: /* Also Starring */ adjusting the links

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image=The Plan - Tigh and Adama in Galactica Corridor.jpg
| title= The Plan
| season=
| special=Y
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Jane Espenson]] <ref name ="cyloncentric">{{cite_web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/08/battlestar-gala.html|title='Battlestar Galactica': Edward James Olmos will direct Cylon-centric special feature|date=08-06-2008|accessdate=09-03-2008}}</ref>
| story=
| director= [[Edward James Olmos]]<ref name ="cyloncentric"/>
| production= 101 - 01001
| rating=
| US airdate=2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=
| dvd=October 27, 2009
| population=
| prev=[[Daybreak, Part II]]
| next=
}}

== Overview ==
:''This special episode, based on the episode title, involves characters and events based around the series' premise stated in the opening credits of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and their plan for humanity. This story is set during the events of the [[Miniseries]] through Season 2's "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]," told from the Cylons' perspective. The disappearance of [[Shelly Godfrey]] is explained, as is [[Ellen Tigh]]'s mysterious appearance. [[Samuel Anders]] and [[Number One|John Cavil]] are the main viewpoint characters.''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

*The show opens with the statement "The [[Cylons]] were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. They look and feel human. Some are programmed to think they are human. There are many copies and they have a Plan." While this is being said, the Cylon Fleet is shown.

*Inside the [[battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', two [[Number One]]s are being escorted to an airlock. Both of them are having a difference of opinion.

One A - "I was doing fine here, thanks for exposing me."

One B - "You weren't doing fine. Thank goodness. If you'd wiped out this fleet you would have made us ever more irredeemable in the eyes of our parents."

One A - "No, I would have proved us to be superior."

One B - "No, no see, I figured out what went wrong."

One A - "Well that's a very useful revelation to have, if you're standing in front of an airlock."

One B - "None the less"

One A - "Our failure is obvious. We had our foot on the throat of humanity and we failed to step down hard enough."

One B - "That was our error. Have you learned nothing in all this time in the fleet? Because I learned a great deal among the rebels on Caprica. Every killing of a human being was a grievous error. You want to know why?"

One A - "I really don't."

One B - "Are you certain?" Because it's fascinating."

One A - "Listen, brother. If you are right, that means this whole project was doomed from the beginning."

One B - "Yes, from the very top."

=== Act 1 ===

'''This event take place 2 weeks before the attack on the colonies:'''

*''At the Cylon Fleet near [[The Colony]]'', two [[Number One]]s are standing over the resurrection tubs of the "[[Final Five]]:" [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Saul Tigh]], [[Samuel T. Anders]], [[Galen Tyrol]] and [[Tory Foster]] they are talking about what they "the Ones" might expect after their parents resurrect. One of the "Ones" plans on joining one of the mothers, "[[Ellen Tigh]]" on [[Picon]] since he has never experience a nuclear holocaust in person. The other "One" is going to make his way to [[Caprica]] to make the final arrangement with their contact.

'''This event takes place 14 hours before the attack on the colonies:'''

''[[Caprica City]]:''

*[[Dr. Gaius Baltar]] is having a little conversation with a "[[Number Six]]" who has been posing as an agent of a company seeking defense contracts in exchange for his access to government mainframes she helped him design the navigation program used by the Colonial warships. However, she has been covertly creating backdoors in the program. Shortly after their goodbyes "Number Six" meets up with a "Number One" and passes off the access codes to the Colonial Defenses which will later be used in the attack.

'''These events take place just prior to the attack on the [[Colonies]]:'''

*Inside of Club Pink Moon on Picon, a "Number One" talking with Ellen Tigh about why she like olives. They introduce themselves to each other (there is a quick flash to her inside of the resurrection tub). The "Number One" orders her another drink.

*Meanwhile back at the Cylon Fleet - The Cylon Fleet jumps to there potions over the [[Twelve Colonies]] so there attack can begin.

*The "Number One" ask Ellen why she is there, stating she is meant for greater things.

*At the ''Caprica Pyramid Training Camp:'', Sam T. Anders is practicing Pyramid with his teammates.

*Meanwhile the Cylon Fleet jumps in over the Twelve Colonies and begins to count down to the attack.

*Back on Caprica in Delphi Tory Foster is driving to a Airport/Spaceport (a quick flash to her in her resurrection tub).

*The Cylon Fleet continues to make their final preparation for attack over the Twelve Colonies.

*Back in Club Pink Moon on Picon, Ellen and the "Number One" continue the conversation about people learning their lessons.

*The Cylons Fleet closes in on the Colonies to begin their attack. The hybrid uses the backdoors the "Number Six" had created in the defense system. The [[vipers]] of the [[Colonial Fleet]] see the [[Basestar]]s and [[raiders]] but the [[Battlestars]] won’t confirm they are there since the defense system is starting to crash. The Cylons scan the Battlestars and vipers and they all go dead in space. The Cylons begin to launch their nuclear weapons onto the Colonies.

*Back at the Pyramid Training Grounds, Sam and his team continue to practice as the bombs start to fall. (There is a quick flash to Sam in his resurrection tub). The bombs continue to fall.

*Ellen and “Number One” carry on their conversation about selling yourself out.
[[Image:Cylon_mirv.jpg|thumb|A Cylon MIRV.]]
*The bombs make their final decent.

*Tory is still driving to the Airport/Spaceport in Delphi, Caprica talk with someone on the car phone.

*The Pyramid team continues its practice and the coach shows Sam up by making a great goal.

*The warheads arm for their final dispersement as they continues to fall. The coach toasts his goal with the team doctor (who really is a [[Humanoid Cylon]] a "[[Number Four]]").

*Tory continues her drive.

*The warhead launch out of their capsule and make their way to their final targets.

*Sam falls to the ground giving into his defeat by the coach. The warheads are launched and begin to proceed to their targets. The destruction of the Colonies has begun. You are taken through several screens of the destruction throughout the Colonies.

*Sam says "This has happened before." The Pyramid team watches as the bombs go off near them. The team doctor crack a smile. You are taken around the Colonies showing the attack by the Cylons. The progress reports come in. (See: [[The Plan#Noteworthy Dialogue |
Noteworthy Dialogue]]). A screen of each Planet listed burning from the attack.

*Back on ''[[Galactica]]'' in the [[CIC]] they receive word of the attack on the Twelve Colonies. [[Saul Tigh]] the first officer thinks is just a joke being play on [[Commander Adama]] since he is about to retire. (A flash to Saul in his resurrection tub). There are some shots of different Humanoid Cylons throughout the Colonies just after the attacks. Back on Picon, Ellen has been hurt badly and also says "This has happened before." When she looks up at the "Number One" she asks if she is going to die. His reply is "No, not when you have so much to learn."

*Commander Adama makes the announcement to the crew of the ship about the attack on the Colonies. While he does this, rescue operation are beginning through the Colonies. Galen "Chief" Tyrol making a motivation speech to his crew to get the Galactica ready for battle (there is a quick flash to him in his resurrection tub).

*Back on Occupied-Caprica the Cylon [[Centurions]] are collecting the damaged ones and bringing them to a container for what appears to be repairs. The Pyramid team sees this and debates what they should do.

*Meanwhile, on ''[[Colonial One]]'' they bring aboard survivors from Caprica.

*Back on Galactica, Commander Adama finds a cryptic message left for him by Baltar. '''"There are only 12 Cylon models." ''' Baltar is in his cabin in shock and disbelief as to what has just happened.

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
[[Image:Universal_intro.jpg|thumb|The Universal Studios Intro for 'The Plan']]
*The planet behind the Universal Studios logo at the beginning of the movie is [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] instead of [[Earth]].
*Unknown to the Colonials there apparently ''was'' a second Resurrection Ship nearby by the time the Cavil's were executed allowing them to download into new bodies when killed, although the Caprica copy was presumably boxed.
* ''Galactica'' Cavil was Ellen's mysterious hero that saved her from the attack on Picon. It was known to be a Number One, but it wasn't clear exactly ''which'' one it was.
*An outfit is listed on propworx<ref>[http://archive.battlestarprops.com/1003/192 Gina's Outfit in Scene with Boomer]</ref> as being worn in the extended version of "Daybreak" by [[Gina Inviere]], in a scene where she speaks to [[Sharon Valerii]] just before the latter becomes a sleeper agent. This scene does not appear in the extended "Daybreak", but [[Ronald Moore]]'s commentary on that episode states that it was moved to "The Plan". Thus, the Six seen speaking to Boomer is Gina Inviere.
*[[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] is identified in "The Plan" as ''Scorpia'' Fleet Shipyards.

== Analysis ==
*Given the ''Galactica'' copy of Cavil's comments in the airlock, his resurrected self is the copy that led the anti-human Cylon faction during the [[Cylon Civil War]] and later killed himself permanently in CIC during the [[Battle of The Colony]].

*It is likely that the device Leoben constructs to intercept Colonial military transmissions is a forerunner of the device he gave [[Laura Roslin]] to overcome the [[Gaeta's Mutiny|mutineers']] communications jamming in "[[Blood on the Scales]]."

== Questions ==
* Did Giana take her husband's surname? In other words, is the full alias of Number Four actually "Simon O'Neil"?
* Is ''Galactica'' Cavil really the same Cavil that leads one side of the Cylon Civil War?
* Is the Club Pink Moon on Picon a Hat Tip to the late Nick Drake?

== Official Statements ==

===Future Movies===
Speaking at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, director and star of ''The Plan'', [[Edward James Olmos]] stated that he believes there will be several more ''Battlestar Galactica'' movies in the future and is confident that the DVD release of ''The Plan'' will sell well enough to facilitate these films:
:"As a matter of fact, I've got to tell you right now. Because of you all, what you're doing, because of the love for that world...I can guarantee that this will not be the last movie." <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://io9.com/5322385/olmos-the-plan-wont-be-the-last-bsg-movie|title=Olmos: The Plan Won't Be the Last BSG Movie|date=Fri Jul 24 2009|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>
This statement, however, is by no means official, as both [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]], [[David Eick]], and [[SciFi Channel|SyFy]] have made no mention of any additional ''Battlestar'' films.

Olmos later went on to clarify that if ''The Plan'' sold ¾ of a million copies (750,000) then Universal Studios would assuredly be willing to produce future ''Battlestar''-related productions. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/2009/08/edward-james-olmos-holds-court.html|title=Edward James Olmos holds court|date=Sat 08 Aug 2009|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*Sam and his team our practicing at the Pyramid Training camp on Caprica, you see Sam lying on the ground just after the coach had showed him up by making a goal. He is looking up into the sky just as the bombs are coming in and he says, "This has happened before." It was as if part of Sam's memory was breaking through trying to warn him that the cycle was starting again.

*Ellen Tigh makes a similar statement when she first comes to after the attacks.

*{{audio|Colonies of man.mp3|''A Hybrid summarizes the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and notes all but the two most religious colonies (Gemenon and Sagittaron):''}}
:Progress reports arriving.
:The farms of [[Aerilon]] are burning.
:The beaches of [[Canceron]] are burning.
:The plains of [[Leonis]] are burning.
:The jungles of [[Scorpia]] are burning.
:The pastures of [[Tauron]] are burning.
:The harbours of [[Picon]] are burning.
:The cities of [[Caprica]] are burning.
:The oceans of [[Aquaria]] are burning.
:The courthouses of [[Libran]] are burning.
:The forests of [[Virgon]] are burning.
:The colonies of man lie trampled at our feet.

*The named locations on Leonis, Scorpia, Tauron, Picon, Aquaria and Libran evoke the zodiac symbols each is named for. Aerilon's association with agriculture and Caprica's association with sophisticated, urban life were established in "[[Dirty Hands]]" and "[[The Woman King]]".

*The Hydrid on the basestar states - "Twelve Battles, Three Stars"

== Starring ==

* [[Edward James Olmos]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Number One]]
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel T. Anders]]
* [[Grace Park]] as [[Number Eight]]
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Number Two]]
* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Number Four]]
* [[Lymari Nadal]] as [[Giana O'Neill]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Tricia Helfer]] as [[Number Six]]

== Co-Starring ==

* [[Alisen Down]] as [[Jean Barolay]]
* [[Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]]

== Also Starring ==

* [[Alonso Oyarzun]] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
* [[Colin Corrigan]] as Marine Alan [[Nowart]]
* [[Diego Diablo Del Mar]] as [[Hillard]]
* [[Bruce Dawson]] as [[Coach]]
* [[Lawrence Haegert]] as [[Wheeler]]
* [[Tommy Europe]] as [[Rally]]
* [[Maya Washington]] as [[Sue-Shaun]]
* [[Luvia Petersen]] as [[Kai]]
* [[Richard Yearwood]] as [[Marine]]
* [[Alex Ferris]] as [[Boy]]
* [[Gina Vultaggio]] as [[Jemmy]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Jane Espenson]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Edward James Olmos]]

The Plan

2009-11-01T01:42:31Z

Real Too: /* Guest Stars */ updated cast to show all names that are credited

{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image=The Plan - Tigh and Adama in Galactica Corridor.jpg
| title= The Plan
| season=
| special=Y
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Jane Espenson]] <ref name ="cyloncentric">{{cite_web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2008/08/battlestar-gala.html|title='Battlestar Galactica': Edward James Olmos will direct Cylon-centric special feature|date=08-06-2008|accessdate=09-03-2008}}</ref>
| story=
| director= [[Edward James Olmos]]<ref name ="cyloncentric"/>
| production= 101 - 01001
| rating=
| US airdate=2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=
| dvd=October 27, 2009
| population=
| prev=[[Daybreak, Part II]]
| next=
}}

== Overview ==
:''This special episode, based on the episode title, involves characters and events based around the series' premise stated in the opening credits of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and their plan for humanity. This story is set during the events of the [[Miniseries]] through Season 2's "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]," told from the Cylons' perspective. The disappearance of [[Shelly Godfrey]] is explained, as is [[Ellen Tigh]]'s mysterious appearance. [[Samuel Anders]] and [[Number One|John Cavil]] are the main viewpoint characters.''

== Summary ==

=== Teaser ===

*The show opens with the statement "The [[Cylons]] were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. They look and feel human. Some are programmed to think they are human. There are many copies and they have a Plan." While this is being said, the Cylon Fleet is shown.

*Inside the [[battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', two [[Number One]]s are being escorted to an airlock. Both of them are having a difference of opinion.

One A - "I was doing fine here, thanks for exposing me."

One B - "You weren't doing fine. Thank goodness. If you'd wiped out this fleet you would have made us ever more irredeemable in the eyes of our parents."

One A - "No, I would have proved us to be superior."

One B - "No, no see, I figured out what went wrong."

One A - "Well that's a very useful revelation to have, if you're standing in front of an airlock."

One B - "None the less"

One A - "Our failure is obvious. We had our foot on the throat of humanity and we failed to step down hard enough."

One B - "That was our error. Have you learned nothing in all this time in the fleet? Because I learned a great deal among the rebels on Caprica. Every killing of a human being was a grievous error. You want to know why?"

One A - "I really don't."

One B - "Are you certain?" Because it's fascinating."

One A - "Listen, brother. If you are right, that means this whole project was doomed from the beginning."

One B - "Yes, from the very top."

=== Act 1 ===

'''This event take place 2 weeks before the attack on the colonies:'''

*''At the Cylon Fleet near [[The Colony]]'', two [[Number One]]s are standing over the resurrection tubs of the "[[Final Five]]:" [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Saul Tigh]], [[Samuel T. Anders]], [[Galen Tyrol]] and [[Tory Foster]] they are talking about what they "the Ones" might expect after their parents resurrect. One of the "Ones" plans on joining one of the mothers, "[[Ellen Tigh]]" on [[Picon]] since he has never experience a nuclear holocaust in person. The other "One" is going to make his way to [[Caprica]] to make the final arrangement with their contact.

'''This event takes place 14 hours before the attack on the colonies:'''

''[[Caprica City]]:''

*[[Dr. Gaius Baltar]] is having a little conversation with a "[[Number Six]]" who has been posing as an agent of a company seeking defense contracts in exchange for his access to government mainframes she helped him design the navigation program used by the Colonial warships. However, she has been covertly creating backdoors in the program. Shortly after their goodbyes "Number Six" meets up with a "Number One" and passes off the access codes to the Colonial Defenses which will later be used in the attack.

'''These events take place just prior to the attack on the [[Colonies]]:'''

*Inside of Club Pink Moon on Picon, a "Number One" talking with Ellen Tigh about why she like olives. They introduce themselves to each other (there is a quick flash to her inside of the resurrection tub). The "Number One" orders her another drink.

*Meanwhile back at the Cylon Fleet - The Cylon Fleet jumps to there potions over the [[Twelve Colonies]] so there attack can begin.

*The "Number One" ask Ellen why she is there, stating she is meant for greater things.

*At the ''Caprica Pyramid Training Camp:'', Sam T. Anders is practicing Pyramid with his teammates.

*Meanwhile the Cylon Fleet jumps in over the Twelve Colonies and begins to count down to the attack.

*Back on Caprica in Delphi Tory Foster is driving to a Airport/Spaceport (a quick flash to her in her resurrection tub).

*The Cylon Fleet continues to make their final preparation for attack over the Twelve Colonies.

*Back in Club Pink Moon on Picon, Ellen and the "Number One" continue the conversation about people learning their lessons.

*The Cylons Fleet closes in on the Colonies to begin their attack. The hybrid uses the backdoors the "Number Six" had created in the defense system. The [[vipers]] of the [[Colonial Fleet]] see the [[Basestar]]s and [[raiders]] but the [[Battlestars]] won’t confirm they are there since the defense system is starting to crash. The Cylons scan the Battlestars and vipers and they all go dead in space. The Cylons begin to launch their nuclear weapons onto the Colonies.

*Back at the Pyramid Training Grounds, Sam and his team continue to practice as the bombs start to fall. (There is a quick flash to Sam in his resurrection tub). The bombs continue to fall.

*Ellen and “Number One” carry on their conversation about selling yourself out.
[[Image:Cylon_mirv.jpg|thumb|A Cylon MIRV.]]
*The bombs make their final decent.

*Tory is still driving to the Airport/Spaceport in Delphi, Caprica talk with someone on the car phone.

*The Pyramid team continues its practice and the coach shows Sam up by making a great goal.

*The warheads arm for their final dispersement as they continues to fall. The coach toasts his goal with the team doctor (who really is a [[Humanoid Cylon]] a "[[Number Four]]").

*Tory continues her drive.

*The warhead launch out of their capsule and make their way to their final targets.

*Sam falls to the ground giving into his defeat by the coach. The warheads are launched and begin to proceed to their targets. The destruction of the Colonies has begun. You are taken through several screens of the destruction throughout the Colonies.

*Sam says "This has happened before." The Pyramid team watches as the bombs go off near them. The team doctor crack a smile. You are taken around the Colonies showing the attack by the Cylons. The progress reports come in. (See: [[The Plan#Noteworthy Dialogue |
Noteworthy Dialogue]]). A screen of each Planet listed burning from the attack.

*Back on ''[[Galactica]]'' in the [[CIC]] they receive word of the attack on the Twelve Colonies. [[Saul Tigh]] the first officer thinks is just a joke being play on [[Commander Adama]] since he is about to retire. (A flash to Saul in his resurrection tub). There are some shots of different Humanoid Cylons throughout the Colonies just after the attacks. Back on Picon, Ellen has been hurt badly and also says "This has happened before." When she looks up at the "Number One" she asks if she is going to die. His reply is "No, not when you have so much to learn."

*Commander Adama makes the announcement to the crew of the ship about the attack on the Colonies. While he does this, rescue operation are beginning through the Colonies. Galen "Chief" Tyrol making a motivation speech to his crew to get the Galactica ready for battle (there is a quick flash to him in his resurrection tub).

*Back on Occupied-Caprica the Cylon [[Centurions]] are collecting the damaged ones and bringing them to a container for what appears to be repairs. The Pyramid team sees this and debates what they should do.

*Meanwhile, on ''[[Colonial One]]'' they bring aboard survivors from Caprica.

*Back on Galactica, Commander Adama finds a cryptic message left for him by Baltar. '''"There are only 12 Cylon models." ''' Baltar is in his cabin in shock and disbelief as to what has just happened.

=== Act 2 ===

=== Act 3 ===

=== Act 4 ===

== Notes ==
[[Image:Universal_intro.jpg|thumb|The Universal Studios Intro for 'The Plan']]
*The planet behind the Universal Studios logo at the beginning of the movie is [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] instead of [[Earth]].
*Unknown to the Colonials there apparently ''was'' a second Resurrection Ship nearby by the time the Cavil's were executed allowing them to download into new bodies when killed, although the Caprica copy was presumably boxed.
* ''Galactica'' Cavil was Ellen's mysterious hero that saved her from the attack on Picon. It was known to be a Number One, but it wasn't clear exactly ''which'' one it was.
*An outfit is listed on propworx<ref>[http://archive.battlestarprops.com/1003/192 Gina's Outfit in Scene with Boomer]</ref> as being worn in the extended version of "Daybreak" by [[Gina Inviere]], in a scene where she speaks to [[Sharon Valerii]] just before the latter becomes a sleeper agent. This scene does not appear in the extended "Daybreak", but [[Ronald Moore]]'s commentary on that episode states that it was moved to "The Plan". Thus, the Six seen speaking to Boomer is Gina Inviere.
*[[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] is identified in "The Plan" as ''Scorpia'' Fleet Shipyards.

== Analysis ==
*Given the ''Galactica'' copy of Cavil's comments in the airlock, his resurrected self is the copy that led the anti-human Cylon faction during the [[Cylon Civil War]] and later killed himself permanently in CIC during the [[Battle of The Colony]].

*It is likely that the device Leoben constructs to intercept Colonial military transmissions is a forerunner of the device he gave [[Laura Roslin]] to overcome the [[Gaeta's Mutiny|mutineers']] communications jamming in "[[Blood on the Scales]]."

== Questions ==
* Did Giana take her husband's surname? In other words, is the full alias of Number Four actually "Simon O'Neil"?
* Is ''Galactica'' Cavil really the same Cavil that leads one side of the Cylon Civil War?
* Is the Club Pink Moon on Picon a Hat Tip to the late Nick Drake?

== Official Statements ==

===Future Movies===
Speaking at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, director and star of ''The Plan'', [[Edward James Olmos]] stated that he believes there will be several more ''Battlestar Galactica'' movies in the future and is confident that the DVD release of ''The Plan'' will sell well enough to facilitate these films:
:"As a matter of fact, I've got to tell you right now. Because of you all, what you're doing, because of the love for that world...I can guarantee that this will not be the last movie." <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://io9.com/5322385/olmos-the-plan-wont-be-the-last-bsg-movie|title=Olmos: The Plan Won't Be the Last BSG Movie|date=Fri Jul 24 2009|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>
This statement, however, is by no means official, as both [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]], [[David Eick]], and [[SciFi Channel|SyFy]] have made no mention of any additional ''Battlestar'' films.

Olmos later went on to clarify that if ''The Plan'' sold ¾ of a million copies (750,000) then Universal Studios would assuredly be willing to produce future ''Battlestar''-related productions. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/2009/08/edward-james-olmos-holds-court.html|title=Edward James Olmos holds court|date=Sat 08 Aug 2009|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*Sam and his team our practicing at the Pyramid Training camp on Caprica, you see Sam lying on the ground just after the coach had showed him up by making a goal. He is looking up into the sky just as the bombs are coming in and he says, "This has happened before." It was as if part of Sam's memory was breaking through trying to warn him that the cycle was starting again.

*Ellen Tigh makes a similar statement when she first comes to after the attacks.

*{{audio|Colonies of man.mp3|''A Hybrid summarizes the Fall of the Twelve Colonies and notes all but the two most religious colonies (Gemenon and Sagittaron):''}}
:Progress reports arriving.
:The farms of [[Aerilon]] are burning.
:The beaches of [[Canceron]] are burning.
:The plains of [[Leonis]] are burning.
:The jungles of [[Scorpia]] are burning.
:The pastures of [[Tauron]] are burning.
:The harbours of [[Picon]] are burning.
:The cities of [[Caprica]] are burning.
:The oceans of [[Aquaria]] are burning.
:The courthouses of [[Libran]] are burning.
:The forests of [[Virgon]] are burning.
:The colonies of man lie trampled at our feet.

*The named locations on Leonis, Scorpia, Tauron, Picon, Aquaria and Libran evoke the zodiac symbols each is named for. Aerilon's association with agriculture and Caprica's association with sophisticated, urban life were established in "[[Dirty Hands]]" and "[[The Woman King]]".

*The Hydrid on the basestar states - "Twelve Battles, Three Stars"

== Starring ==

* [[Edward James Olmos]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Number One]]
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel T. Anders]]
* [[Grace Park]] as [[Number Eight]]
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Number Two]]
* [[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Number Four]]
* [[Lymari Nadal]] as [[Giana O'Neill]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
* [[Tricia Helfer]] as [[Number Six]]

== Co-Starring ==

* [[Alisen Down]] as [[Jean Barolay]]
* [[Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]]

== Also Starring ==

* [[Alonso Oyarzun]] as [[Specialist Socinus]]
* [[Colin Corrigan]] as [[Marine Alan Nowart]]
* [[Diego Diablo Del Mar]] as [[Hillard]]
* [[Bruce Dawson]] as [[Coach]]
* [[Lawrence Haegert]] as [[Wheeler]]
* [[Tommy Europe]] as [[Rally]]
* [[Maya Washington]] as [[Sue-Shaun]]
* [[Luvia Petersen]] as [[Kai]]
* [[Richard Yearwood]] as [[Marine]]
* [[Alex Ferris]] as [[Boy]]
* [[Gina Vultaggio]] as [[Jemmy]]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Jane Espenson]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Edward James Olmos]]

Caprica pilot

2009-04-29T01:27:30Z

Real Too: /* Guest Stars */ including the complete cast for the pilot

{{spoiler}}
{{cleanup}}
{{Episode Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| series= cap
| title=Caprica pilot
| season=
| episode=
| special=Y
| extra=Series pilot
| guests=
| writer=[[Remi Aubuchon]]<br>[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| story=
| director= [[Jeffrey Reiner]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate=2010
| CAN airdate=
| UK airdate=Spring 2009<ref>{{cite_news|first=Chris|last=Aylott|url=http://www.skypressoffice.co.uk/SkyOne/news/showarticle.asp?id=2528&month=8&year=2008|title=Sky1 secures exclusive UK rights to Battlestar Galactica prequel CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=6 August 2008|accessdate=9 August 2008|language=}}</ref>
| dvd=
| population=
}}
This episode will be the two-hour '''pilot''' for the ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' TV series, a [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Sci Fi Channel]]. It is currently in post-production. It is due to be released on DVD on April 21, 2009 before debuting in 2010. However, copies have been appearing on the internet since April 13th.

== Overview ==
''In the wake of the tragedy experienced by the [[Adama]] and [[Graystone]] families, a scientific breakthrough is about to occur - the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Plot summary==
:''It should be kept in mind that, while this information comes from reliable sources, the series is still in production, and some details - such as names, events and character backgrounds - may still change to a certain degree.''

When [[Zoe Graystone]] dies in a suicide bombing on a train due to the religious fanaticism of her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], her father [[Daniel Graystone]] manages to resurrect her - after a fashion. The same terrorist attack claimed the lives of [[Joseph Adama|Joseph Adams]]'s wife [[Shannon Adama|Shannon]] and his daughter, [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]]. The two fathers meet under conditions of mutual grief. Graystone, already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her memories and personality which was created by his brilliant daughter Zoe in life, plans to steal a break through CPU chip from one of his business competitors. To obtain it he convinces Joseph Adams to use his organized crime contacts, which is done, possibly with Adams's acquiescence to murder to acquire it. Graystone, with the chip and a pre existing military robot prototype, intends to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], which, unknown to him, is the first step toward creating the Cylon race. Adams, despite lingering reservations works with Graystone to see his own dead daughter again and "Tamara" is recreated in Virtual Reality, much like Zoe-A. Adams meets her in virtual reality but unlike Zoe-A she is terrified and confused. Tamara then realizes she cannot feel her heart beat, to their mutual horror. As his "daughter" goes into hysterics, Adams breaks the connection and is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics and, as he views, the immorality of the creation and renounces it.

However, as a result the tragedy of losing his daughter, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adams. He also has a new found pride in his actual Tauron family name and reclaims the name of "Adama" for him and his son.

Afterward not heeding Adama's fears, Graystone attempts to download Zoe-A into one of his prototype [[Cylon Prototype|U-87 Cyber Combat Unit]]s robotic Cylon forms. It seems to be a failure with the download data becoming corrupted and lost forever. Graystone goes into Virtual reality to find Zoe-A but to his renewed grief, she is gone. Later however Zoe-R awakens in her mechanical body and calmly calls her best friend [[Lacy Rand]] for help.

== Notes ==

== Analysis ==
* In the stadium scene, the shot where fans are throwing food and drinks at the [[Caprica Buccaneers]] contains a small goof. If you look at the stadium rafters, a Canadian and an American flag can be seen. The stadium scenes were shot at [[w:General Motors Place|General Motors Place]] in downtown Vancouver, home rink of the [[w:Vancouver Canucks|Vancouver Canucks]]. Also of note, the Buccaneers team colors - blue, green, and white - are the colors of the current Canucks uniforms.

== Questions ==

== Official Statements ==

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Joseph discussing his family past with Willie:''
:'''Joseph Adama''': I want you to know who you are. We come from a long, proud line of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Tauron|Tauron]] peasants who knew how to work the land and still stand proud. You're named after your grandfather. Did I ever tell you that?
:'''Willie Adama''': Nope.
:'''Joseph Adama''': William. He was killed during the Tauron uprising. Our last name isn't Adams. I changed it after I arrived here on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]]. Our family name is Adama. Adama. And it's a good, honorable Tauron name.

*''The Cylon prototype after having destroyed all targets during an exercise:''
:'''Cylon prototype''': All targets neutralized. Program completed [[By your command|by your command]].

*''After having watched the live-fire demonstration of Graystone Enterprise's military robot:''
:'''Joan Leyte''': What'd you call it?
:'''Daniel Graystone''': A cybernetic life-form node. A [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]], Minister.
:'''Joan Leyte''' : Hmm. Cylon. Interesting.

==Cast and characters==
The complete cast, as listed in the credits for the pilot episode as released on DVD, is as follows:

Starring:
* Eric Stoltz - Daniel Graystone
* Esai Morales - Joseph Adama
* Paula Malcomson - Amanda Graystone
* Alessandra Torresani - Zoe Graystone
* Magda Apanowicz - Lacy Rand
* Avan Jogia - Ben Stark

And:
* Polly Walker - Sister Clarice Willow

Guest Stars:
* Sasha Roiz - Sam Adams
* Brian Markinson - Jordan Duram
* William B. Davis - Secretary of Defense Val Chambers

Other Cast:
* Sina Najafi - William Adams
* Jorge Montesi - The Guatrau
* Hiro Kanagawa - Cyrus Xander
* Genevieve Buechner - Tamara Adams
* Anna Galvin - Shannon Adams
* Katie Keating - Prefect Caston
* Veena Sood - Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte
* Karen Austin - Ruth
* Nancy Kerr - Prosecutor
* Terence Kelly - Mayor
* Angela Moore - Judge
* Josh Byer - Defendant
* Vicky Lambert - Hecate
* Jim Thomson - Voice of Serge
* Jared Keeso - Rod Jenkins
* Kathryn Schellenberg - Dancer
* Maiko Miyauchi - Dancer
* Daina Ashbee - Dancer
* Adrienne Chan - Dancer
* Salma Allam - Dancer
* Kirsten Wicklund - Dancer
* Shawn Stewart - Dancer
* Donald Sales - Dancer
* Paul Becker - Dancer
* Cara Long - V-Club Patron
* Jay Devery - V-Club Patron
* Keita Parker - V-Club Patron
* Chelsea Darden - V-Club Patron
* Megan Sehn - V-Club Patron
* Chantal Ayre - V-Club Patron
* Michelle Andrew - V-Club Patron
* Eva Hartkopf - V-Club Patron

The character Tomas Vergis (ostensibly played by Roger R. Cross) does not appear in the pilot episode, nor in the deleted scenes for the pilot episode.

The guest cast as announced prior to the release of the pilot included:
* [[Genevieve Buechner]]<ref name="vancouver_sun">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=e6f5a106-a785-4a7d-b2b4-c6911c37dfaf|title=Canada.com: Battlestar Galactica spinoff filming in town|date=12 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=Zacharias|first=Yvonne|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Tamara Adama]]<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]]<ref name="canada.com">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/etoday/story.html?id=9751e662-b3d9-48d9-b247-350b5f2f7419|title=The Province: Now shooting: movie writer glen schaefer on five productions shooting around b.C.|date=22 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Cyrus Xander]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Veena Sood]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Joan Leyte]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Brian Markinson]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Jordan Duram]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam Adama]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Katie Keating]] as [[Caston]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Roger R. Cross]] as [[Tomas Vergis]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Jorge Montesi]] as [[Guatrau]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Michelle Andrew]] as Lap Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Edwina Cheer]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Ildiko Ferenczi]] as Bikini Girl<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Marci T. House]] as Woman<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Nathalie Marrable]] as Burlesque Dancer<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Charlie Robson]] as Avatar (uncredited)<ref name="imdumb"/>

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

[[Category:Episodes written by Remi Aubuchon]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Jeffrey Reiner]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:A to Z]]

Caprica (series)

2009-04-26T04:38:53Z

Real Too: /* Cast and characters */ correcting "Sam Adama" to "Sam Adams"

:''For information on the colony in the [[Re-imagined Series]], see [[Caprica (RDM)]]. For other uses, see [[Caprica]].''
{{Series Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| title= Caprica
| creator= [[Remi Aubuchon]]
| starring=
| composer= [[Bear McCreary]]
| company= [[w:NBC Universal|NBC Universal]]
| seasons= 1
| episodes= 20 (18 ordered and the already-shot pilot)
| episodelistid= Caprica
| channel= [[Sci Fi Channel]]
| US airdate= 2010<ref>Although an airdate for the series has yet to be announced, the 2 hour pilot episode was released in advance on the series premier on 21 April 2009.</ref>
| UK airdate= Spring 2009<ref>{{cite_news|first=Chris|last=Aylott|url=http://www.skypressoffice.co.uk/SkyOne/news/showarticle.asp?id=2528&month=8&year=2008|title=Sky1 secures exclusive UK rights to Battlestar Galactica prequel CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=6 August 2008|accessdate=9 August 2008|language=}}</ref>
| dvd=
| exec producer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]<br/>[[David Eick]]<br/>[[Remi Aubuchon]]
| producer=
| supervising producer=
| associate producer=
| co-producer=
| story editor=
| prev=
| next=
| itunes=
}}
'''''Caprica''''' is a future television [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] to be produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Sci Fi Channel]]. The [[Caprica pilot|pilot episode]] is currently in post-production with two scripts for a tentative series having been ordered.

''Caprica'' is a [[Wikipedia:Prequel|prequel]] to the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] that deals with the Adama and [[Graystones|Graystone]] families on the planet [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] and the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] in the Twelve Colonies.

==Overview ==

The Sci Fi Channel will delve into the backstory of ''Battlestar Galactica'' with a new series that looks at the creation of the race of robots known as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] by the humans of the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol]] and the eventual revolt of the Cylons against their human masters, which will lead the two races to become locked to the death in a [[Cylon War|bitter war]] for their respective survivals. ''Caprica'' begins over 50 years before the Ronald D. Moore-created ''Battlestar Galactica'' series.

As ''Battlestar Galactica'' is about a lot more than space battles, ''Caprica'' will be as much family drama as sci-fi tale. Remi Aubuchon (''[[w:The Lyon's Den|The Lyon's Den]]'', ''[[w:24 (TV series)|24]]'') is writing the pilot script with co-writer (and executive producer) Ronald D. Moore; "Galactica" veterans Ronald D. Moore and David Eick will executive produce it. The two-hour pilot will be directed by [[Jeff Reiner]] (''[[w:Friday Night Lights|Friday Night Lights]]'').<ref name="release">Official Press Release: "SCIFI GIVES 'CAPRICA' THE GREENLIGHT". 18 March 2008. [[bsp:Caprica Press Release|Available exclusively on BattlestarPegasus.com]].</ref>

== Plot summary==
:''It should be kept in mind that, while this information comes from reliable sources, the series is still in production, and some details - such as names, events and character backgrounds - may still change to a certain degree.''

''Caprica'' will take place more than fifty years before the events of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. It will follow the lives of two families, the [[Graystone]]s and the [[Adamas|Adamas]]<ref>"Adams" is the Caprican surname adopted by the Adamas, since Adama is a Tauron name. The name is changed due to anti-Tauron prejudices on Caprica at the time.</ref> (the family of [[William Adama]]). When the series begins, a startling development is about to occur - the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or "[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]"<ref>According to Bradley Thompson, a character coins the term, explaining that it is, "A cybernetic life-form node, a Cylon."</ref>.

The Graystone family includes the father [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and mother [[Amanda Graystone|Amanda]], a computer scientist and surgeon respectively. When their daughter [[Zoe Graystone|Zoe]] dies due to the religious fanaticism of her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], her father manages to resurrect her - after a fashion. Already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her personality, he uses stolen technology to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], the first step towards creating the Cylon race.

The same terrorist attack claimed the lives of [[Joseph Adama]]'s [[Evelyn Adama|wife]] and daughter, [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]]. Together with Daniel Graystone he works on bringing back their children, but is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics. However, as a result of this tragedy, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adama. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=e1304fb7-b29d-4d3e-9873-d2230fcfc998|title=eOnline! Exclusive! Caprica Pilot Preview|date=Apr 1, 2008}}</ref>

==Cast and characters==
Casting info concerning main characters has been revealed <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/03/exclusive-caprica-casting-info-revealed/|title=Caprica casting info}}</ref>, including:

The main cast/characters will include:
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]] <ref name="casting1">{{cite_web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=44887|title=Comingsoon.net: Stoltz and Toressani Join Battlestar Prequel }}</ref>
* [[Paula Malcolmson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Deadwood-s-Malcolmson-Signs-On-For-Caprica-10281.html|title=Deadwood's Malcomson Signs On For Caprica}}</ref>
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425015.html|title=Jericho' Actor Finds Way To 'Caprica'}}</ref>
* [[Polly Walker]] as [[Clarice Willow]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425051.html|title=Could 'Caprica' Star Be Overbooked?}}</ref>
* [[Alessandra Toressani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]] <ref name="casting1"/>
* [[Avan Jogia]]<ref name="vancouver_sun">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=e6f5a106-a785-4a7d-b2b4-c6911c37dfaf|title=Canada.com: Battlestar Galactica spinoff filming in town|date=12 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=Zacharias|first=Yvonne|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Ben Stark]] <ref name="News & Notes">{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/|title=News & Notes|date=May 28, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama]]<ref>The Watcher: [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/07/talking-battles.html Talking 'Battlestar Galactica's' finale, 'Caprica' and the 'Battlestar' TV movie with Ron Moore]</ref>

Other known characters include:
* [[Genevieve Buechner]]<ref name="vancouver_sun"/> as [[Tamara Adama]]<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]]<ref name="canada.com">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/etoday/story.html?id=9751e662-b3d9-48d9-b247-350b5f2f7419|title=The Province: Now shooting: movie writer glen schaefer on five productions shooting around b.C.|date=22 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Cyrus Xander]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Veena Sood]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Joan Leyte]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Brian Markinson]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Jordan Duram]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam (Caprica)|Sam]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Katie Keating]] as [[Caston]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Roger R. Cross]] as [[Tomas Vergis]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama]]<ref name="imdumb"/>

The complete cast, as listed in the credits for the pilot episode as released on DVD, is as follows:

Starring:
* Eric Stoltz - Daniel Graystone
* Esai Morales - Joseph Adama
* Paula Malcomson - Amanda Graystone
* Alessandra Torresani - Zoe Graystone
* Magda Apanowicz - Lacy Rand
* Avan Jogia - Ben Stark

And:
* Polly Walker - Sister Clarice Willow

Guest Stars:
* Sasha Roiz - Sam Adams
* Brian Markinson - Jordan Duram
* William B. Davis - Secretary of Defense Val Chambers

Other Cast:
* Sina Najafi - William Adams
* Jorge Montesi - The Guatrau
* Hiro Kanagawa - Cyrus Xander
* Genevieve Buechner - Tamara Adams
* Anna Galvin - Shannon Adams
* Katie Keating - Prefect Caston
* Veena Sood - Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte
* Karen Austin - Ruth
* Nancy Kerr - Prosecutor
* Terence Kelly - Mayor
* Angela Moore - Judge
* Josh Byer - Defendant
* Vicky Lambert - Hecate
* Jim Thomson - Voice of Serge
* Jared Keeso - Rod Jenkins
* Kathryn Schellenberg - Dancer
* Maiko Miyauchi - Dancer
* Daina Ashbee - Dancer
* Adrienne Chan - Dancer
* Salma Allam - Dancer
* Kirsten Wicklund - Dancer
* Shawn Stewart - Dancer
* Donald Sales - Dancer
* Paul Becker - Dancer
* Cara Long - V-Club Patron
* Jay Devery - V-Club Patron
* Keita Parker - V-Club Patron
* Chelsea Darden - V-Club Patron
* Megan Sehn - V-Club Patron
* Chantal Ayre - V-Club Patron
* Michelle Andrew - V-Club Patron
* Eva Hartkopf - V-Club Patron

The character Tomas Vergis (ostensibly played by Roger R. Cross) does not appear in the pilot episode, nor in the deleted scenes for the pilot episode.

==Production history==
===Initial concept===
According to an [http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=1487 interview] with IFmagazine, David Eick said that they had been contemplating a spinoff prequel series since [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season 2]] began and were tossing around ideas. About the same time, ''24'' writer Remi Aubuchon pitched a series that had a lot of similarities to the Cylon storyline. Realizing that they could not devote their full time to both ''Battlestar Galactica'' and a spinoff, Moore and Eick decided to merge with Auchubon, seeing it as an opportunity: "We took some of what we had and some of what he had ".

According to a [http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1818631#Post1818631 post] on the official Scifi.com messageboard by Ron Moore's wife [[Terry Dresbach]], executive producer Remi Aubochon will be the showrunner for "Caprica", in charge of the writing staff. Ron Moore will oversee and approve the story arcs, casting, sets, and read the scripts, though Moore will probably rarely write an individual episode for ''Caprica''.

In an [http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RemiAubuchon.html interview] in Dreamwatch Magazine in May 2006, Remi Aubuchon said that he originally pitched a series which was an "allegorical story about slavery with robots", when approached by Moore and Eick. Aubuchon stated that [[William Adama]] will be 11 years old when the series begins. Aubuchon described the new show by saying, "This is a very human story about how our own hubris can lead us to disaster". He goes on to say that ''Caprica'' is meant to stand on its own from ''BSG'': while still addressing backstory issues from ''Battlestar'', it will not be required to have watched it to enjoy ''Caprica''. However, "certain elements have been embedded into the first few episodes of season 3" of ''Battlestar Galactica'', which might refer to things which will be further fleshed-out in the prequel series.

On November 6, 2006, the Sci Fi Pulse website reported that Ron D. Moore updated Dreamwatch magazine regarding the new series:

:"It's actually a prequel, and this would be a one hour pilot not a mini – series. It takes place 50 years before the events of ''Battlestar Galactica'' and it's essentially about the creation of the Cylons.

:"It's a very different show; it's not action – adventure and it's not even in space. It takes place on the Planet (sic) Caprica and it’s more of a family drama, with political and corporate intrigue. We're well into the writing of it actually; we're doing re-writes on the script right now and Sci Fi has been very happy so far. At the moment, we're just waiting to see if they greenlight it or not. Generally, there’s always a two step process: there's ordering the pilot and then there's ordering the series, but because we're not designing it as a mini – series, I don't know that anybody would even see the pilot if they chose not to go to series with it.

:"Tonally, it will be very different," promises Moore. “This is Caprica before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|fall]]. It's a decadent world, but also a world that's going at a very fast pace. It's a prosperous society that hasn’t experienced the devastation of the first Cylon war yet, so this culture has really not been taken down a peg, and their hubris is getting the better of them. It's a go – go society that's teetering on the brink, so it’s not that apocalyptic survival scenario of ''Galactica''. The whole thing is tonally very different." <ref>{{cite_news|first=Ian M. |last=Cullen|url=http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RDM_Caprica_Update.html|title=Ron D. Moore Gives Progress Report For Caprica|publisher=Sci Fi Pulse|page=|date=6 November 2006|accessdate=10 November 2006|language=English}}</ref>

===Development hell===
Since April 26, 2006, ''Caprica'' was in [[w:development hell|"development hell"]] (major rewrites and resubmissions to network executives), until it was seriously considered during the [[WGA strike]] of 2007-08. On March 24, 2007, Moore discussed the status of ''Caprica'' with Salon.com's Laura Miller:

: "It's possible [that the series will still happen]. It's been in development at SciFi for a while and they haven't picked it up. And I don't know if they're going to pick it up at this point. There's talk of doing it as a TV movie and seeing how that works, as a back-door pilot, much as we did with the "Galactica" [[Miniseries]]. Right now there's nothing telling me that they're going to move on it anytime soon, so I'm starting to feel that it's going to remain on the development shelf.

: "It was a different kind of show. Instead of an action-adventure sci-fi piece, it was more of a prime-time soap, a sci-fi "[[w:Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]." It was about a family, the Adamas, and [[Graystones|a company]], and it was about the creation of the cylons (sic) 50 years ago. It was not going to be space-based, but set entirely on the planet of Caprica. But it would have sci-fi touches, and it would deal with issues like artificial intelligence and the various schemings and backbitings that you get in the traditional soap opera."<ref>{{cite_news|first=Laura|last=Miller|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2007/03/24/battlestar/index2.html|title=The man behind "Battlestar Galactica"|publisher=Salon.com|page=3|date=24 March 2007|accessdate=25 April 2007|language=}}</ref>

===New life===
On September 18, 2007, it was reported that with the end of ''Battlestar Galactica'' around the corner and Moore poised to leave Sci Fi for NBC, Sci Fi executives were considering green-lighting the 2-hour pilot for production as a means of keeping Moore with the channel. Contingent on the performance of "[[Razor]]", it was reported that ''Caprica'' might also see a release in the form of a direct-to-DVD movie that is simultaneously premiered on television <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/09/sci_fi_executives_weigh_battle.php|title=Sci Fi Executives Weigh 'Battlestar Galactica' Options|date=September 18, 2007|accessdate=September 18, 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>. Furthermore, with the [[WGA strike|writer's strike]] (the first since 1988), networks scrambled to stockpile finished scripts for various productions, and thus ''Caprica'' became a front runner for production because its script had already been completed before said strike.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news424175.html|title=SciFi Channel Stockpiling For Writers Strike|date=September 20, 2007|accessdateSeptember 20, 2007last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>

In March of 2008, it was announced by the SciFi Channel during a news conference that ''Caprica'' will get a two-hour pilot episode<ref>http://www.syfyportal.com/news424829.html</ref>, the filming for which ended June 19th.<ref name="canada.com"/><ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.straight.com/article-151166/its-a-bc-summer-stars-and-film-shoots|title=It's a B.C. summer of stars and film shoots|date=26 June 2008|accessdate=26 June 2008|author=Craig Takeuchi, R. Paul Dhillon, and Sean Minogue|format=|language=}}</ref>

===Series pickup===
On December 2, 2008, SciFi Channel officially announced that Caprica is picked up for a 20 episode first season. According to the press release, production is slated to begin in the summer of 2009 and the series is expected to begin airing in 2010. The reason for the delay is attributed to the fact that they are attempting to regroup the core staff that worked on the pilot and ''Battlestar Galactica'', as these persons have since found work on other projects.<ref>{{cite_news|last=Rosenblatt|first=Michelle|url=http://nbcumv.com/scifi/release_detail.nbc/scifi-20081202000000-scifigreenlights.html|title=Official Press Release: 'Battlestar Galactica' Prequel Gets 20 Episode Order |publisher=NBC-Universal|page=|date=2 Decmeber 2008|accessdate=2 December 2008|language=}}</ref>

===Analysis===
In the finale of Battlestar Galactica, [[Earth (RDM)#A New Earth|our Earth]] was discovered 150,000 years before the present day. Therefore, unlike most science fiction series, ''Caprica'' is a tale of our ancestors rather than our descendants.

==Visual Cues==
* The shape of the Graystone office building's tower is pentagonal, capped with two concentric pentagons -- the same pattern that was marked on original-series Cylon Raiders.

* The monotheistic movement on Caprica uses an "infinity" symbol to represent itself.

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

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Behind the Scenes]] [[Category:RDM]] [[Category: Series in the Re-Imagined Continuity]]

Caprica (series)

2009-04-26T04:24:59Z

Real Too: /* Cast and characters */ minor correction

:''For information on the colony in the [[Re-imagined Series]], see [[Caprica (RDM)]]. For other uses, see [[Caprica]].''
{{Series Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| title= Caprica
| creator= [[Remi Aubuchon]]
| starring=
| composer= [[Bear McCreary]]
| company= [[w:NBC Universal|NBC Universal]]
| seasons= 1
| episodes= 20 (18 ordered and the already-shot pilot)
| episodelistid= Caprica
| channel= [[Sci Fi Channel]]
| US airdate= 2010<ref>Although an airdate for the series has yet to be announced, the 2 hour pilot episode was released in advance on the series premier on 21 April 2009.</ref>
| UK airdate= Spring 2009<ref>{{cite_news|first=Chris|last=Aylott|url=http://www.skypressoffice.co.uk/SkyOne/news/showarticle.asp?id=2528&month=8&year=2008|title=Sky1 secures exclusive UK rights to Battlestar Galactica prequel CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=6 August 2008|accessdate=9 August 2008|language=}}</ref>
| dvd=
| exec producer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]<br/>[[David Eick]]<br/>[[Remi Aubuchon]]
| producer=
| supervising producer=
| associate producer=
| co-producer=
| story editor=
| prev=
| next=
| itunes=
}}
'''''Caprica''''' is a future television [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] to be produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Sci Fi Channel]]. The [[Caprica pilot|pilot episode]] is currently in post-production with two scripts for a tentative series having been ordered.

''Caprica'' is a [[Wikipedia:Prequel|prequel]] to the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] that deals with the Adama and [[Graystones|Graystone]] families on the planet [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] and the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] in the Twelve Colonies.

==Overview ==

The Sci Fi Channel will delve into the backstory of ''Battlestar Galactica'' with a new series that looks at the creation of the race of robots known as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] by the humans of the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol]] and the eventual revolt of the Cylons against their human masters, which will lead the two races to become locked to the death in a [[Cylon War|bitter war]] for their respective survivals. ''Caprica'' begins over 50 years before the Ronald D. Moore-created ''Battlestar Galactica'' series.

As ''Battlestar Galactica'' is about a lot more than space battles, ''Caprica'' will be as much family drama as sci-fi tale. Remi Aubuchon (''[[w:The Lyon's Den|The Lyon's Den]]'', ''[[w:24 (TV series)|24]]'') is writing the pilot script with co-writer (and executive producer) Ronald D. Moore; "Galactica" veterans Ronald D. Moore and David Eick will executive produce it. The two-hour pilot will be directed by [[Jeff Reiner]] (''[[w:Friday Night Lights|Friday Night Lights]]'').<ref name="release">Official Press Release: "SCIFI GIVES 'CAPRICA' THE GREENLIGHT". 18 March 2008. [[bsp:Caprica Press Release|Available exclusively on BattlestarPegasus.com]].</ref>

== Plot summary==
:''It should be kept in mind that, while this information comes from reliable sources, the series is still in production, and some details - such as names, events and character backgrounds - may still change to a certain degree.''

''Caprica'' will take place more than fifty years before the events of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. It will follow the lives of two families, the [[Graystone]]s and the [[Adamas|Adamas]]<ref>"Adams" is the Caprican surname adopted by the Adamas, since Adama is a Tauron name. The name is changed due to anti-Tauron prejudices on Caprica at the time.</ref> (the family of [[William Adama]]). When the series begins, a startling development is about to occur - the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or "[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]"<ref>According to Bradley Thompson, a character coins the term, explaining that it is, "A cybernetic life-form node, a Cylon."</ref>.

The Graystone family includes the father [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and mother [[Amanda Graystone|Amanda]], a computer scientist and surgeon respectively. When their daughter [[Zoe Graystone|Zoe]] dies due to the religious fanaticism of her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], her father manages to resurrect her - after a fashion. Already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her personality, he uses stolen technology to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], the first step towards creating the Cylon race.

The same terrorist attack claimed the lives of [[Joseph Adama]]'s [[Evelyn Adama|wife]] and daughter, [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]]. Together with Daniel Graystone he works on bringing back their children, but is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics. However, as a result of this tragedy, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adama. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=e1304fb7-b29d-4d3e-9873-d2230fcfc998|title=eOnline! Exclusive! Caprica Pilot Preview|date=Apr 1, 2008}}</ref>

==Cast and characters==
Casting info concerning main characters has been revealed <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/03/exclusive-caprica-casting-info-revealed/|title=Caprica casting info}}</ref>, including:

The main cast/characters will include:
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]] <ref name="casting1">{{cite_web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=44887|title=Comingsoon.net: Stoltz and Toressani Join Battlestar Prequel }}</ref>
* [[Paula Malcolmson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Deadwood-s-Malcolmson-Signs-On-For-Caprica-10281.html|title=Deadwood's Malcomson Signs On For Caprica}}</ref>
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425015.html|title=Jericho' Actor Finds Way To 'Caprica'}}</ref>
* [[Polly Walker]] as [[Clarice Willow]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425051.html|title=Could 'Caprica' Star Be Overbooked?}}</ref>
* [[Alessandra Toressani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]] <ref name="casting1"/>
* [[Avan Jogia]]<ref name="vancouver_sun">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=e6f5a106-a785-4a7d-b2b4-c6911c37dfaf|title=Canada.com: Battlestar Galactica spinoff filming in town|date=12 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=Zacharias|first=Yvonne|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Ben Stark]] <ref name="News & Notes">{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/|title=News & Notes|date=May 28, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama]]<ref>The Watcher: [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/07/talking-battles.html Talking 'Battlestar Galactica's' finale, 'Caprica' and the 'Battlestar' TV movie with Ron Moore]</ref>

Other known characters include:
* [[Genevieve Buechner]]<ref name="vancouver_sun"/> as [[Tamara Adama]]<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]]<ref name="canada.com">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/etoday/story.html?id=9751e662-b3d9-48d9-b247-350b5f2f7419|title=The Province: Now shooting: movie writer glen schaefer on five productions shooting around b.C.|date=22 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Cyrus Xander]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Veena Sood]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Joan Leyte]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Brian Markinson]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Jordan Duram]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam (Caprica)|Sam]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Katie Keating]] as [[Caston]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Roger R. Cross]] as [[Tomas Vergis]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama]]<ref name="imdumb"/>

The complete cast, as listed in the credits for the pilot episode as released on DVD, is as follows:

Starring:
* Eric Stoltz - Daniel Graystone
* Esai Morales - Joseph Adama
* Paula Malcomson - Amanda Graystone
* Alessandra Torresani - Zoe Graystone
* Magda Apanowicz - Lacy Rand
* Avan Jogia - Ben Stark

And:
* Polly Walker - Sister Clarice Willow

Guest Stars:
* Sasha Roiz - Sam Adama
* Brian Markinson - Jordan Duram
* William B. Davis - Secretary of Defense Val Chambers

Other Cast:
* Sina Najafi - William Adams
* Jorge Montesi - The Guatrau
* Hiro Kanagawa - Cyrus Xander
* Genevieve Buechner - Tamara Adams
* Anna Galvin - Shannon Adams
* Katie Keating - Prefect Caston
* Veena Sood - Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte
* Karen Austin - Ruth
* Nancy Kerr - Prosecutor
* Terence Kelly - Mayor
* Angela Moore - Judge
* Josh Byer - Defendant
* Vicky Lambert - Hecate
* Jim Thomson - Voice of Serge
* Jared Keeso - Rod Jenkins
* Kathryn Schellenberg - Dancer
* Maiko Miyauchi - Dancer
* Daina Ashbee - Dancer
* Adrienne Chan - Dancer
* Salma Allam - Dancer
* Kirsten Wicklund - Dancer
* Shawn Stewart - Dancer
* Donald Sales - Dancer
* Paul Becker - Dancer
* Cara Long - V-Club Patron
* Jay Devery - V-Club Patron
* Keita Parker - V-Club Patron
* Chelsea Darden - V-Club Patron
* Megan Sehn - V-Club Patron
* Chantal Ayre - V-Club Patron
* Michelle Andrew - V-Club Patron
* Eva Hartkopf - V-Club Patron

The character Tomas Vergis (ostensibly played by Roger R. Cross) does not appear in the pilot episode, nor in the deleted scenes for the pilot episode.

==Production history==
===Initial concept===
According to an [http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=1487 interview] with IFmagazine, David Eick said that they had been contemplating a spinoff prequel series since [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season 2]] began and were tossing around ideas. About the same time, ''24'' writer Remi Aubuchon pitched a series that had a lot of similarities to the Cylon storyline. Realizing that they could not devote their full time to both ''Battlestar Galactica'' and a spinoff, Moore and Eick decided to merge with Auchubon, seeing it as an opportunity: "We took some of what we had and some of what he had ".

According to a [http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1818631#Post1818631 post] on the official Scifi.com messageboard by Ron Moore's wife [[Terry Dresbach]], executive producer Remi Aubochon will be the showrunner for "Caprica", in charge of the writing staff. Ron Moore will oversee and approve the story arcs, casting, sets, and read the scripts, though Moore will probably rarely write an individual episode for ''Caprica''.

In an [http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RemiAubuchon.html interview] in Dreamwatch Magazine in May 2006, Remi Aubuchon said that he originally pitched a series which was an "allegorical story about slavery with robots", when approached by Moore and Eick. Aubuchon stated that [[William Adama]] will be 11 years old when the series begins. Aubuchon described the new show by saying, "This is a very human story about how our own hubris can lead us to disaster". He goes on to say that ''Caprica'' is meant to stand on its own from ''BSG'': while still addressing backstory issues from ''Battlestar'', it will not be required to have watched it to enjoy ''Caprica''. However, "certain elements have been embedded into the first few episodes of season 3" of ''Battlestar Galactica'', which might refer to things which will be further fleshed-out in the prequel series.

On November 6, 2006, the Sci Fi Pulse website reported that Ron D. Moore updated Dreamwatch magazine regarding the new series:

:"It's actually a prequel, and this would be a one hour pilot not a mini – series. It takes place 50 years before the events of ''Battlestar Galactica'' and it's essentially about the creation of the Cylons.

:"It's a very different show; it's not action – adventure and it's not even in space. It takes place on the Planet (sic) Caprica and it’s more of a family drama, with political and corporate intrigue. We're well into the writing of it actually; we're doing re-writes on the script right now and Sci Fi has been very happy so far. At the moment, we're just waiting to see if they greenlight it or not. Generally, there’s always a two step process: there's ordering the pilot and then there's ordering the series, but because we're not designing it as a mini – series, I don't know that anybody would even see the pilot if they chose not to go to series with it.

:"Tonally, it will be very different," promises Moore. “This is Caprica before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|fall]]. It's a decadent world, but also a world that's going at a very fast pace. It's a prosperous society that hasn’t experienced the devastation of the first Cylon war yet, so this culture has really not been taken down a peg, and their hubris is getting the better of them. It's a go – go society that's teetering on the brink, so it’s not that apocalyptic survival scenario of ''Galactica''. The whole thing is tonally very different." <ref>{{cite_news|first=Ian M. |last=Cullen|url=http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RDM_Caprica_Update.html|title=Ron D. Moore Gives Progress Report For Caprica|publisher=Sci Fi Pulse|page=|date=6 November 2006|accessdate=10 November 2006|language=English}}</ref>

===Development hell===
Since April 26, 2006, ''Caprica'' was in [[w:development hell|"development hell"]] (major rewrites and resubmissions to network executives), until it was seriously considered during the [[WGA strike]] of 2007-08. On March 24, 2007, Moore discussed the status of ''Caprica'' with Salon.com's Laura Miller:

: "It's possible [that the series will still happen]. It's been in development at SciFi for a while and they haven't picked it up. And I don't know if they're going to pick it up at this point. There's talk of doing it as a TV movie and seeing how that works, as a back-door pilot, much as we did with the "Galactica" [[Miniseries]]. Right now there's nothing telling me that they're going to move on it anytime soon, so I'm starting to feel that it's going to remain on the development shelf.

: "It was a different kind of show. Instead of an action-adventure sci-fi piece, it was more of a prime-time soap, a sci-fi "[[w:Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]." It was about a family, the Adamas, and [[Graystones|a company]], and it was about the creation of the cylons (sic) 50 years ago. It was not going to be space-based, but set entirely on the planet of Caprica. But it would have sci-fi touches, and it would deal with issues like artificial intelligence and the various schemings and backbitings that you get in the traditional soap opera."<ref>{{cite_news|first=Laura|last=Miller|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2007/03/24/battlestar/index2.html|title=The man behind "Battlestar Galactica"|publisher=Salon.com|page=3|date=24 March 2007|accessdate=25 April 2007|language=}}</ref>

===New life===
On September 18, 2007, it was reported that with the end of ''Battlestar Galactica'' around the corner and Moore poised to leave Sci Fi for NBC, Sci Fi executives were considering green-lighting the 2-hour pilot for production as a means of keeping Moore with the channel. Contingent on the performance of "[[Razor]]", it was reported that ''Caprica'' might also see a release in the form of a direct-to-DVD movie that is simultaneously premiered on television <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/09/sci_fi_executives_weigh_battle.php|title=Sci Fi Executives Weigh 'Battlestar Galactica' Options|date=September 18, 2007|accessdate=September 18, 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>. Furthermore, with the [[WGA strike|writer's strike]] (the first since 1988), networks scrambled to stockpile finished scripts for various productions, and thus ''Caprica'' became a front runner for production because its script had already been completed before said strike.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news424175.html|title=SciFi Channel Stockpiling For Writers Strike|date=September 20, 2007|accessdateSeptember 20, 2007last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>

In March of 2008, it was announced by the SciFi Channel during a news conference that ''Caprica'' will get a two-hour pilot episode<ref>http://www.syfyportal.com/news424829.html</ref>, the filming for which ended June 19th.<ref name="canada.com"/><ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.straight.com/article-151166/its-a-bc-summer-stars-and-film-shoots|title=It's a B.C. summer of stars and film shoots|date=26 June 2008|accessdate=26 June 2008|author=Craig Takeuchi, R. Paul Dhillon, and Sean Minogue|format=|language=}}</ref>

===Series pickup===
On December 2, 2008, SciFi Channel officially announced that Caprica is picked up for a 20 episode first season. According to the press release, production is slated to begin in the summer of 2009 and the series is expected to begin airing in 2010. The reason for the delay is attributed to the fact that they are attempting to regroup the core staff that worked on the pilot and ''Battlestar Galactica'', as these persons have since found work on other projects.<ref>{{cite_news|last=Rosenblatt|first=Michelle|url=http://nbcumv.com/scifi/release_detail.nbc/scifi-20081202000000-scifigreenlights.html|title=Official Press Release: 'Battlestar Galactica' Prequel Gets 20 Episode Order |publisher=NBC-Universal|page=|date=2 Decmeber 2008|accessdate=2 December 2008|language=}}</ref>

===Analysis===
In the finale of Battlestar Galactica, [[Earth (RDM)#A New Earth|our Earth]] was discovered 150,000 years before the present day. Therefore, unlike most science fiction series, ''Caprica'' is a tale of our ancestors rather than our descendants.

==Visual Cues==
* The shape of the Graystone office building's tower is pentagonal, capped with two concentric pentagons -- the same pattern that was marked on original-series Cylon Raiders.

* The monotheistic movement on Caprica uses an "infinity" symbol to represent itself.

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

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Behind the Scenes]] [[Category:RDM]] [[Category: Series in the Re-Imagined Continuity]]

Caprica (series)

2009-04-26T04:22:52Z

Real Too: /* Cast and characters */ adding the complete cast, as listed in the pilot episode itself

:''For information on the colony in the [[Re-imagined Series]], see [[Caprica (RDM)]]. For other uses, see [[Caprica]].''
{{Series Data
| image= Caprica Promo Shot.jpg
| title= Caprica
| creator= [[Remi Aubuchon]]
| starring=
| composer= [[Bear McCreary]]
| company= [[w:NBC Universal|NBC Universal]]
| seasons= 1
| episodes= 20 (18 ordered and the already-shot pilot)
| episodelistid= Caprica
| channel= [[Sci Fi Channel]]
| US airdate= 2010<ref>Although an airdate for the series has yet to be announced, the 2 hour pilot episode was released in advance on the series premier on 21 April 2009.</ref>
| UK airdate= Spring 2009<ref>{{cite_news|first=Chris|last=Aylott|url=http://www.skypressoffice.co.uk/SkyOne/news/showarticle.asp?id=2528&month=8&year=2008|title=Sky1 secures exclusive UK rights to Battlestar Galactica prequel CAPRICA|publisher=|page=|date=6 August 2008|accessdate=9 August 2008|language=}}</ref>
| dvd=
| exec producer= [[Ronald D. Moore]]<br/>[[David Eick]]<br/>[[Remi Aubuchon]]
| producer=
| supervising producer=
| associate producer=
| co-producer=
| story editor=
| prev=
| next=
| itunes=
}}
'''''Caprica''''' is a future television [[spin-off]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]] to be produced by [[Remi Aubuchon]], [[Ronald D. Moore]], [[David Eick]] for the [[Sci Fi Channel]]. The [[Caprica pilot|pilot episode]] is currently in post-production with two scripts for a tentative series having been ordered.

''Caprica'' is a [[Wikipedia:Prequel|prequel]] to the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] that deals with the Adama and [[Graystones|Graystone]] families on the planet [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] and the invention of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] in the Twelve Colonies.

==Overview ==

The Sci Fi Channel will delve into the backstory of ''Battlestar Galactica'' with a new series that looks at the creation of the race of robots known as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] by the humans of the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol]] and the eventual revolt of the Cylons against their human masters, which will lead the two races to become locked to the death in a [[Cylon War|bitter war]] for their respective survivals. ''Caprica'' begins over 50 years before the Ronald D. Moore-created ''Battlestar Galactica'' series.

As ''Battlestar Galactica'' is about a lot more than space battles, ''Caprica'' will be as much family drama as sci-fi tale. Remi Aubuchon (''[[w:The Lyon's Den|The Lyon's Den]]'', ''[[w:24 (TV series)|24]]'') is writing the pilot script with co-writer (and executive producer) Ronald D. Moore; "Galactica" veterans Ronald D. Moore and David Eick will executive produce it. The two-hour pilot will be directed by [[Jeff Reiner]] (''[[w:Friday Night Lights|Friday Night Lights]]'').<ref name="release">Official Press Release: "SCIFI GIVES 'CAPRICA' THE GREENLIGHT". 18 March 2008. [[bsp:Caprica Press Release|Available exclusively on BattlestarPegasus.com]].</ref>

== Plot summary==
:''It should be kept in mind that, while this information comes from reliable sources, the series is still in production, and some details - such as names, events and character backgrounds - may still change to a certain degree.''

''Caprica'' will take place more than fifty years before the events of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. It will follow the lives of two families, the [[Graystone]]s and the [[Adamas|Adamas]]<ref>"Adams" is the Caprican surname adopted by the Adamas, since Adama is a Tauron name. The name is changed due to anti-Tauron prejudices on Caprica at the time.</ref> (the family of [[William Adama]]). When the series begins, a startling development is about to occur - the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or "[[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]"<ref>According to Bradley Thompson, a character coins the term, explaining that it is, "A cybernetic life-form node, a Cylon."</ref>.

The Graystone family includes the father [[Daniel Graystone|Daniel]] and mother [[Amanda Graystone|Amanda]], a computer scientist and surgeon respectively. When their daughter [[Zoe Graystone|Zoe]] dies due to the religious fanaticism of her boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], her father manages to resurrect her - after a fashion. Already having [[Zoe-A]], a [[digital clone]] of her personality, he uses stolen technology to create a robotic version of his daughter, known as [[Zoe-R]], the first step towards creating the Cylon race.

The same terrorist attack claimed the lives of [[Joseph Adama]]'s [[Evelyn Adama|wife]] and daughter, [[Tamara Adama|Tamara]]. Together with Daniel Graystone he works on bringing back their children, but is appalled at his partner's methods and ethics. However, as a result of this tragedy, he grows closer to his 11-year old son, William Adama. <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=e1304fb7-b29d-4d3e-9873-d2230fcfc998|title=eOnline! Exclusive! Caprica Pilot Preview|date=Apr 1, 2008}}</ref>

==Cast and characters==
Casting info concerning main characters has been revealed <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/03/exclusive-caprica-casting-info-revealed/|title=Caprica casting info}}</ref>, including:

The main cast/characters will include:
* [[Eric Stoltz]] as [[Daniel Graystone]] <ref name="casting1">{{cite_web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=44887|title=Comingsoon.net: Stoltz and Toressani Join Battlestar Prequel }}</ref>
* [[Paula Malcolmson]] as [[Amanda Graystone]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Deadwood-s-Malcolmson-Signs-On-For-Caprica-10281.html|title=Deadwood's Malcomson Signs On For Caprica}}</ref>
* [[Esai Morales]] as [[Joseph Adama]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425015.html|title=Jericho' Actor Finds Way To 'Caprica'}}</ref>
* [[Polly Walker]] as [[Clarice Willow]] <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news425051.html|title=Could 'Caprica' Star Be Overbooked?}}</ref>
* [[Alessandra Toressani]] as [[Zoe Graystone]] <ref name="casting1"/>
* [[Avan Jogia]]<ref name="vancouver_sun">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastlife/story.html?id=e6f5a106-a785-4a7d-b2b4-c6911c37dfaf|title=Canada.com: Battlestar Galactica spinoff filming in town|date=12 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=Zacharias|first=Yvonne|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Ben Stark]] <ref name="News & Notes">{{cite_web|url=http://galacticasitrep.blogspot.com/|title=News & Notes|date=May 28, 2008}}</ref>
* [[Sina Najafi]] as [[William Adama]]<ref>The Watcher: [http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2008/07/talking-battles.html Talking 'Battlestar Galactica's' finale, 'Caprica' and the 'Battlestar' TV movie with Ron Moore]</ref>

Other known characters include:
* [[Genevieve Buechner]]<ref name="vancouver_sun"/> as [[Tamara Adama]]<ref name="imdumb">This information comes from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799862/ ''Caprica'' entry on IMDb]. It may or may not be accurate, as IMDb has [[BW:CJ|no apparent fact checking facilities]]. We provide this information as a service to fans who may be looking for it, and we make no claim as to either its accuracy or unverifiable lack thereof.</ref>
* [[Hiro Kanagawa]]<ref name="canada.com">{{cite_web|url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/etoday/story.html?id=9751e662-b3d9-48d9-b247-350b5f2f7419|title=The Province: Now shooting: movie writer glen schaefer on five productions shooting around b.C.|date=22 June 2008|accessdate=22 June 2008|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref> as [[Cyrus Xander]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Veena Sood]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Joan Leyte]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Brian Markinson]]<ref name="canada.com"/> as [[Jordan Duram]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Sasha Roiz]] as [[Sam (Caprica)|Sam]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Jared Keeso]] as [[Rod Jenkins]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Katie Keating]] as [[Caston]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Magda Apanowicz]] as [[Lacy Rand]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Vicky Lambert]] as [[Hecate]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Roger R. Cross]] as [[Tomas Vergis]]<ref name="imdumb"/>
* [[Anna Galvin]] as [[Shannon Adama]]<ref name="imdumb"/>

The complete cast, as listed in the credits for the pilot episode, is as follows:

Starring:
* Eric Stoltz - Daniel Graystone
* Esai Morales - Joseph Adama
* Paula Malcomson - Amanda Graystone
* Alessandra Torresani - Zoe Graystone
* Magda Apanowicz - Lacy Rand
* Avan Jogia - Ben Stark

And:
* Polly Walker - Sister Clarice Willow

Guest Stars:
* Sasha Roiz - Sam Adama
* Brian Markinson - Jordan Duram
* William B. Davis - Secretary of Defense Val Chambers

Other Cast:
* Sina Najafi - William Adams
* Jorge Montesi - The Guatrau
* Hiro Kanagawa - Cyrus Xander
* Genevieve Buechner - Tamara Adams
* Anna Galvin - Shannon Adams
* Katie Keating - Prefect Caston
* Veena Sood - Secretary of Defense Joan Leyte
* Karen Austin - Ruth
* Nancy Kerr - Prosecutor
* Terence Kelly - Mayor
* Angela Moore - Judge
* Josh Byer - Defendant
* Vicky Lambert - Hecate
* Jim Thomson - Voice of Serge
* Jared Keeso - Rod Jenkins
* Kathryn Schellenberg - Dancer
* Maiko Miyauchi - Dancer
* Daina Ashbee - Dancer
* Adrienne Chan - Dancer
* Salma Allam - Dancer
* Kirsten Wicklund - Dancer
* Shawn Stewart - Dancer
* Donald Sales - Dancer
* Paul Becker - Dancer
* Cara Long - V-Club Patron
* Jay Devery - V-Club Patron
* Keita Parker - V-Club Patron
* Chelsea Darden - V-Club Patron
* Megan Sehn - V-Club Patron
* Chantal Ayre - V-Club Patron
* Michelle Andrew - V-Club Patron
* Eva Hartkopf - V-Club Patron

The character Tomas Vergis (ostensibly played by Roger R. Cross) does not appear in the pilot episode, nor in the deleted scenes for the pilot episode.

==Production history==
===Initial concept===
According to an [http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=1487 interview] with IFmagazine, David Eick said that they had been contemplating a spinoff prequel series since [[Season 2 (2005-06)|Season 2]] began and were tossing around ideas. About the same time, ''24'' writer Remi Aubuchon pitched a series that had a lot of similarities to the Cylon storyline. Realizing that they could not devote their full time to both ''Battlestar Galactica'' and a spinoff, Moore and Eick decided to merge with Auchubon, seeing it as an opportunity: "We took some of what we had and some of what he had ".

According to a [http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1818631#Post1818631 post] on the official Scifi.com messageboard by Ron Moore's wife [[Terry Dresbach]], executive producer Remi Aubochon will be the showrunner for "Caprica", in charge of the writing staff. Ron Moore will oversee and approve the story arcs, casting, sets, and read the scripts, though Moore will probably rarely write an individual episode for ''Caprica''.

In an [http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RemiAubuchon.html interview] in Dreamwatch Magazine in May 2006, Remi Aubuchon said that he originally pitched a series which was an "allegorical story about slavery with robots", when approached by Moore and Eick. Aubuchon stated that [[William Adama]] will be 11 years old when the series begins. Aubuchon described the new show by saying, "This is a very human story about how our own hubris can lead us to disaster". He goes on to say that ''Caprica'' is meant to stand on its own from ''BSG'': while still addressing backstory issues from ''Battlestar'', it will not be required to have watched it to enjoy ''Caprica''. However, "certain elements have been embedded into the first few episodes of season 3" of ''Battlestar Galactica'', which might refer to things which will be further fleshed-out in the prequel series.

On November 6, 2006, the Sci Fi Pulse website reported that Ron D. Moore updated Dreamwatch magazine regarding the new series:

:"It's actually a prequel, and this would be a one hour pilot not a mini – series. It takes place 50 years before the events of ''Battlestar Galactica'' and it's essentially about the creation of the Cylons.

:"It's a very different show; it's not action – adventure and it's not even in space. It takes place on the Planet (sic) Caprica and it’s more of a family drama, with political and corporate intrigue. We're well into the writing of it actually; we're doing re-writes on the script right now and Sci Fi has been very happy so far. At the moment, we're just waiting to see if they greenlight it or not. Generally, there’s always a two step process: there's ordering the pilot and then there's ordering the series, but because we're not designing it as a mini – series, I don't know that anybody would even see the pilot if they chose not to go to series with it.

:"Tonally, it will be very different," promises Moore. “This is Caprica before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|fall]]. It's a decadent world, but also a world that's going at a very fast pace. It's a prosperous society that hasn’t experienced the devastation of the first Cylon war yet, so this culture has really not been taken down a peg, and their hubris is getting the better of them. It's a go – go society that's teetering on the brink, so it’s not that apocalyptic survival scenario of ''Galactica''. The whole thing is tonally very different." <ref>{{cite_news|first=Ian M. |last=Cullen|url=http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/RDM_Caprica_Update.html|title=Ron D. Moore Gives Progress Report For Caprica|publisher=Sci Fi Pulse|page=|date=6 November 2006|accessdate=10 November 2006|language=English}}</ref>

===Development hell===
Since April 26, 2006, ''Caprica'' was in [[w:development hell|"development hell"]] (major rewrites and resubmissions to network executives), until it was seriously considered during the [[WGA strike]] of 2007-08. On March 24, 2007, Moore discussed the status of ''Caprica'' with Salon.com's Laura Miller:

: "It's possible [that the series will still happen]. It's been in development at SciFi for a while and they haven't picked it up. And I don't know if they're going to pick it up at this point. There's talk of doing it as a TV movie and seeing how that works, as a back-door pilot, much as we did with the "Galactica" [[Miniseries]]. Right now there's nothing telling me that they're going to move on it anytime soon, so I'm starting to feel that it's going to remain on the development shelf.

: "It was a different kind of show. Instead of an action-adventure sci-fi piece, it was more of a prime-time soap, a sci-fi "[[w:Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]." It was about a family, the Adamas, and [[Graystones|a company]], and it was about the creation of the cylons (sic) 50 years ago. It was not going to be space-based, but set entirely on the planet of Caprica. But it would have sci-fi touches, and it would deal with issues like artificial intelligence and the various schemings and backbitings that you get in the traditional soap opera."<ref>{{cite_news|first=Laura|last=Miller|url=http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2007/03/24/battlestar/index2.html|title=The man behind "Battlestar Galactica"|publisher=Salon.com|page=3|date=24 March 2007|accessdate=25 April 2007|language=}}</ref>

===New life===
On September 18, 2007, it was reported that with the end of ''Battlestar Galactica'' around the corner and Moore poised to leave Sci Fi for NBC, Sci Fi executives were considering green-lighting the 2-hour pilot for production as a means of keeping Moore with the channel. Contingent on the performance of "[[Razor]]", it was reported that ''Caprica'' might also see a release in the form of a direct-to-DVD movie that is simultaneously premiered on television <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/09/sci_fi_executives_weigh_battle.php|title=Sci Fi Executives Weigh 'Battlestar Galactica' Options|date=September 18, 2007|accessdate=September 18, 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>. Furthermore, with the [[WGA strike|writer's strike]] (the first since 1988), networks scrambled to stockpile finished scripts for various productions, and thus ''Caprica'' became a front runner for production because its script had already been completed before said strike.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.syfyportal.com/news424175.html|title=SciFi Channel Stockpiling For Writers Strike|date=September 20, 2007|accessdateSeptember 20, 2007last=|first=|format=|language=English}}</ref>

In March of 2008, it was announced by the SciFi Channel during a news conference that ''Caprica'' will get a two-hour pilot episode<ref>http://www.syfyportal.com/news424829.html</ref>, the filming for which ended June 19th.<ref name="canada.com"/><ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.straight.com/article-151166/its-a-bc-summer-stars-and-film-shoots|title=It's a B.C. summer of stars and film shoots|date=26 June 2008|accessdate=26 June 2008|author=Craig Takeuchi, R. Paul Dhillon, and Sean Minogue|format=|language=}}</ref>

===Series pickup===
On December 2, 2008, SciFi Channel officially announced that Caprica is picked up for a 20 episode first season. According to the press release, production is slated to begin in the summer of 2009 and the series is expected to begin airing in 2010. The reason for the delay is attributed to the fact that they are attempting to regroup the core staff that worked on the pilot and ''Battlestar Galactica'', as these persons have since found work on other projects.<ref>{{cite_news|last=Rosenblatt|first=Michelle|url=http://nbcumv.com/scifi/release_detail.nbc/scifi-20081202000000-scifigreenlights.html|title=Official Press Release: 'Battlestar Galactica' Prequel Gets 20 Episode Order |publisher=NBC-Universal|page=|date=2 Decmeber 2008|accessdate=2 December 2008|language=}}</ref>

===Analysis===
In the finale of Battlestar Galactica, [[Earth (RDM)#A New Earth|our Earth]] was discovered 150,000 years before the present day. Therefore, unlike most science fiction series, ''Caprica'' is a tale of our ancestors rather than our descendants.

==Visual Cues==
* The shape of the Graystone office building's tower is pentagonal, capped with two concentric pentagons -- the same pattern that was marked on original-series Cylon Raiders.

* The monotheistic movement on Caprica uses an "infinity" symbol to represent itself.

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

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Behind the Scenes]] [[Category:RDM]] [[Category: Series in the Re-Imagined Continuity]]

Muffit

2007-12-09T02:22:40Z

Real Too: grammatical correction

[[Image:Muffit1.jpg|thumb|right|The original Muffit runs with Boxey on Caprica during the Cylon sneak attack ([[Saga of a Star World]]).]]

'''Muffit''' is the name of both [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]]'s [[daggit]] and, later, a robotic drone created by Doctor [[Wilker]] called the '''Muffit II'''.

The original, living Muffit is killed by falling debris in a major city on [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)#Caprica|Caprica]] during the [[Battle of Cimtar|Cylon sneak attack]]. Boxey mourns for Muffit on the [[Rising Star (TOS)|''Rising Star'']], refusing to eat as a result ([[Saga of a Star World]]).

[[Image:Muffit.jpg|thumb|left|Muffit II, the robotic daggit.]]

To ease Boxey's emotional suffering, his future stepfather [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] asks Dr. Wilker to furnish a prototype robotic daggit, called the Muffit II. As no daggits have survived the sneak attack, there is a genuine need for replacement daggits, as they had played numerous roles in Colonial society, including that of domesticated pet, watch animal, and tracker. In order to train Muffit II, Wilker scans an image of Boxey into its circuits for imprinting purposes, thus allowing Boxey to train the robot.

Muffit accompanies Boxey to the surface of [[Carillon]], and runs out of the [[landram]] near a rich [[tylium]] deposit. Boxey and Muffit are "kidnapped" by the [[Ovions]], but are later turned over to Apollo and [[Serina]] by the [[Lotay|Queen of the Ovions]]. When [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] and Apollo are discovering the Ovion plot, Boxey ends up chasing Muffit out of the elevator, and is nearly killed by a sword-wielding [[Centurion (TOS)|Centurion]]. The [[warrior]]s intervene, and as a result end up finding and rescuing [[Cassiopeia]]. During the ensuing escape and conflict with the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]], Muffit helps to destroy a Centurion by tearing into its leg ([[Saga of a Star World]]).

Muffit stows away in the [[snowram]] with [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] in order to be able to see the snow on the surface of [[Arcta]]. When the snowram is disabled and the commando team nearly succumbs to the effects of the diethene storm, Muffit exits the snowram and wanders off. They fear that Muffit might attract the attention of Centurions trying to find them. They eventually pass out due to the diethene, but awaken to discover that Muffit had brought some [[Theta]]s back to the snowram, saving the team and the mission ([[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I]]).

When an expedition is sent to [[Serenity]] to trade for agricultural supplies, Boxey and Muffit are allowed to join the landing party. [[Belloby|Siress Belloby]] is kidnapped by the [[Borays]], so Apollo uses Muffit to track her scent back to the main camp of the Borays, where an agreement is brokered with [[Nogow|their leader]] ([[The Magnificent Warriors]]).

Among other things, including the ability to wave ([[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I]]), Muffit is trained by Boxey to "sniff" out [[Hydronic mushies|mushies]]. This ability comes in very handy when Boxey, [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] and [[Athena (TOS)|Athena]] are stranded in ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]]'s'' [[rejuvenation center]]. Muffit is able to sniff out the mushies placed on the bridge, and thereby negotiate a convoluted, maze-like path through the ship's ventilation ducts to retrieve gravely needed lifemasks. Later, Muffit returns to the fire-engulfed duct system to save the life of a fallen firefighter ([[Fire in Space]]).

== Notes ==

* [[Peanuts]] is apparently the name of the dog who portrayed the original living daggit in the scenes on [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)#Caprica|Caprica]].
* Muffit II was played by a chimpanzee named [[Evolution]], who is referred to by the nickname of "Evie the Chimp".
* [[List of props (TOS)|The Muffit "hero" suit]] used in the series still exists and was presented for auction on August 1, 2005. It remains the only known Muffit costume still in existence.<ref name="ha21">{{cite_web|url=http://www.profilesinhistory.com/louImages/auction21Images/Auction21.pdf|title=Hollywood Auction 21 Booklet|date=1 August 2005|accessdate=25 August 2007|last=|first=|format=PDF|language=}}</ref>
* The costume itself consists of servos to animate both the spinning ears and to move the mouth, controlled by a wireless remote control to animate these functions. The tail itself is a high-gauge spring, which bounces as Evolution moved.<ref name="ha21"/>
* The costume was created by [[John Dykstra]] and his team at Apogee.<ref name="ha21"/>
* When performing long takes that did not require movement, the production crew would place a custom articulated form inside the suit.<ref name="ha21"/>

== References ==

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

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:Main Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:TOS]]

Cylons (RDM)

2007-12-08T13:39:51Z

Real Too: grammatical correction

{{quality article}}
{{featured article candidate previous}}
''This article discusses the Cylons of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For the Cylons of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], see [[Cylons (TOS)]].''<br>
{{RDM cylons series}}
::''The Cylons were created by Man. ''
::''They were created to make life easier on the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. ''
::''And then the day came when the Cylons decided to kill their masters. ''
::''After a [[Cylon War|long and bloody struggle]], an [[Cimtar (RDM)|armistice was declared]]. ''
::''The Cylons left for another world to call their own. ''
::''A [[Armistice Station|remote space station]] was built... ''
::''Where Cylon and human could meet and maintain diplomatic relations. ''
::''Every year, the Colonials send an officer... ''
::''The Cylons send no one. ''
::''No-one has seen or heard from the Cylons in over forty years... ''

:::---Opening text of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' [[Miniseries]]
<div style="clear: both;"></div><br />
[[Image:Centurion armor old.jpg|left|150px]]
[[Image:Razor Flashback 4.jpg|right]]
In the [[Re-imagined Series]], the robots known as the '''Cylons''' are a ''creation'' of the humanity of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies of Kobol]].

The first Cylons were sentient<ref>This is noted by [[William Adama]] to his son [[Lee Adama|Lee]] in the episode "[[Exodus, Part I]]".</ref> bipedal robots used primarily for dangerous work such as mining. Created long before the [[Articles of Colonization]] united the twelve sovereign governments, the Cylons were also used as soldiers to fight inter-colony wars.

For reasons unknown<ref>The planned spinoff series ''[[Caprica (series)|Caprica]]'' is believed to have the answer to this question. However, the series pilot is currently not scheduled in production.</ref>, some 52 years prior to the decommissioning of the Colonial battlestar ''[[Galactica]]'',<ref>[[Miniseries, Night 1]]. See also ''[[Galactica Museum]]''.</ref> the Cylons revolted against their masters, resulting in a [[Cylon War|costly and protracted twelve-year war]] between the machines and humans. Both Cylon and human took heavy tolls as Cylon [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]], Colonial [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestars]], [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s and [[Viper Mark II|Vipers]] clashed in many battles, such as the Colonial offensive [[Operation Raptor Talon]].<ref>This battle is seen in a series of deleted scenes from the special episode "[[Razor]]" and the ''[[Razor Flashback]]'' web-episodes.</ref>

Eventually, the two sides declared an armistice.<ref>The armistice begins immediately as the events of [[Operation Raptor Talon]] conclude, as shown in episode 7 of the [[Razor Flashbacks]].</ref> The Cylons become exiled from the Colonies to establish [[Cylon homeworld|their own homeworld]].

The unified worlds of the Colonies created a [[Armistice Station|space station]] for maintaining diplomatic relations. However, the Cylons ignored this overture.
<div style="clear: both;"></div><br />

[[Image:CylonCenturion.jpg|left|150px]]
[[Image:NumSix.jpg|right|200px]]<br />
The Cylon hatred and envy of humanity ran deep within their programming.

In their exile, the Cylons continued in secret to work towards the destruction of the human race, devising an elaborate plan to wipe out the Twelve Colonies through nuclear bombardment, [[CNP|computer sabotage]], [[Caprica Six|infiltration]] and vast numbers of [[Basestar (RDM)|modernized battleships]].

In addition to a [[Cylon Centurion|modernized version]] of the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Cylon warrior]], the cybernetic race now also exists in a [[Humanoid Cylon|humanoid form]]<ref>Episode 5 of the [[Razor Flashbacks]] strongly suggests that the Cylon project to transform themselves from the mechanical to the [[Humanoid Cylon|biological]] was already taking place at the time of the armistice, suggesting that the Cylons may have agreed to an armistice to keep their secret from being revealed.</ref> used as the prime infiltrators in Colonial society. The humanoid Cylons can express joy, love, anger, and sadness, expressing genuine human behavior in almost every way.

The Cylons return forty years after their exile in a genocidal surprise attack. The Cylons annihilate the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] and billions of people, [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|killing all but approximately 52,000 humans]].<ref>This number includes the approximately 50,000 survivors of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]] as well as the survivors aboard ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', which finds ''Galactica'' in season two of the Re-imagined Series.</ref>

These survivors are [[Battle of Ragnar Anchorage|pursued]] by the Cylons, initially guarded only by a lone battlestar, ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
==References==
<div style="font-size:85%"><references/></div>

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

[[de:Zylonen (RDM)]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:41:54Z

Real Too:

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but are in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended version on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor." A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
:'''Hybrid:''' At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you . . . a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.
:'''Hybrid:''' Then come up closer. There's something I have to tell you. Come. (Grabs her arm.) Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:37:21Z

Real Too: added one line of dialogue in the Hybrid-Shaw scene, and wove two separate sections together

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor." A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
:'''Hybrid:''' At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you . . . a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.
:'''Hybrid:''' Then come up closer. There's something I have to tell you. Come. (Grabs her arm.) Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:26:20Z

Real Too:

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor." A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
:'''Hybrid:''' At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you . . . a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:23:49Z

Real Too:

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor." A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you . . . a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:22:03Z

Real Too:

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor. A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you . . . a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:18:19Z

Real Too: adding Cain's monologue to Shaw about what it means to be a "razor"

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Cain, promoting Shaw to Captain, after Shaw's actions on ''Scylla'':''
:'''Cain:''' I've seen officers happier about a promotion.
:'''Shaw:''' I am happy, sir. I, um, I guess I just don't know what I've done to deserve it.
:'''Cain:''' Don't, Captain. Don't do it. Don't look back. Sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on. So that we can continue to fight. Sometimes we have to do things that we never thought we were capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday, you showed me that you are capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation, and even your revulsion. Every natural inhibition that, during battle, can mean the difference between life and death. When you can be this (holding the blade) for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor. A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:08:53Z

Real Too: clarifying that the Shaw-Thrace scene before the rescue mission is in the extended version only

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star (in the extended version only):''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor. A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T05:04:59Z

Real Too: adding Shaw and Thrace's dialogue just before the rescue mission

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''Shaw and Thrace preparing for the rescue mission and assault on the base star:''
:'''Thrace:''' Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as my mom the Sergeant-Major used to say.
:'''Shaw:''' That all she taught you?
:'''Thrace:''' Fear gets you killed; anger keeps you alive.
:'''Shaw:''' Admiral Cain said the same thing. She said to me once, "If you can be this" (opening the blade) "for as long as you have to be, you're a razor. A weapon can't feel fear, has no regrets. It just is.
:'''Thrace:''' Noticed you would've gotten along just fine. Of course, my mom was full of crap about a lot of things. Held on to her anger so tight that at the end, that's all she had left. She died alone. You ask me, fear, anger -- two sides of the same coin. You gotta let go of both.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T04:53:38Z

Real Too: adding Hybrid and Shaw's final bit of dialogue

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
:'''Shaw:''' What?
:'''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''The first Hybrid and Shaw, just before Shaw detonates the nuke:''
:'''Hybrid:''' As my own existence comes to a close, only to begin anew, in ways uncertain.
:'''Shaw:''' You're scared, aren't you, mother-frakker? You should be.
:'''Hybrid:''' All this has happened before, and it will happen again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again . . . again.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T04:47:50Z

Real Too: expanding the dialogue between the Hybrid and Shaw

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself/itself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the first Hybrid:''
:'''Hybrid:''' Come in, Major. I've been waiting for you for a long time.
:'''Shaw:''' You're what all this is about, aren't you? What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I have seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child. . . . Do you wish to be forgiven?
:'''Shaw:''' Yes.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
: '''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end.
: '''Shaw:''' What?
: '''Hybrid:''' She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T04:40:41Z

Real Too: correcting a technical glitch in the last edit

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*''The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):''
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the [[first Hybrid]]:''
:'''Shaw:''' What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I've seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
: '''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end. She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

Razor

2007-12-06T04:39:21Z

Real Too: addition of the Hybrid's dialogue to himself/itself

{{Episode Data
| title= Razor
| image= Razor Promo.jpg
| season=
| special= Y
| movie=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer= [[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 401/402
| rating=1.21 (total; all demographics)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7509|title=The Futon Critic: CABLE RATINGS ROUND-UP (WEEK OF NOVEMBER 19-25): 'TEQUILA' SCORES, 'RAZOR' FALTERS|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref><br/>0.8 (adults 18 to 49 demographic)<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/james-hibberd/2007/11/battlestar_galactica_ratings_a.php|title= 'Battlestar Galactica' Ratings Adrift|date=28 November 2007|accessdate=29 November 2007|last=Hibberd|first=James|format=|language=}}<br/>It should be noted that "Razor" aired during the Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, and as such television shows tend to have lower ratings during this weekend. Given both the holiday and that this marks the start of the holiday shopping season, a ratings decline should be expected.</ref>
| US airdate= 24 November 2007
| UK airdate= 18 December 2007 <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://forums.digiguide.com/topic.asp?id=22807|title=DigiGuide|date=|accessdate=03 December 2007|last=|first=|format=|language=en}}</ref>
| dvd= {{flag|US}} 4 December 2007<br/>{{flag|UK}} 26 December 2007
| population= 49,579
| podcast=
| extra= {{flag|US}} 12 November 2007 (theater screening in select U.S. cities)
| prev= [[Razor Flashbacks|Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks]]
| next= [[He That Believeth In Me]]
| itunes=
| imdb=0991178
| unbox=http://astore.amazon.com/battlestarwik-20/detail/B000ZU01LI
}}

== Overview ==

: ''A tale centered around the new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' officer [[Kendra Shaw]], following her entire tenure on the battlestar from the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] under Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]], to [[Lee Adama]]'s command and a frightful rescue mission to save crew members who have been captured by the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]].''

== Summary ==

=== First Cylon War ===
*As [[William Adama]] enters what appears to be a Cylon laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the later [[humanoid Cylon|humanoid Cylons]] would use.
*He kneels down and touches the substance, and immediately begins to hear the screams of torture victims. As he looks back at the tank, a hand abruptly grabs his arm. The hand disappears just as quickly as it appeared, and Adama falls back to the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."
*A banging sound is heard from a locked chamber nearby. As Adama approaches the window of the chamber, an unidentified man presses his face against the window and begs Adama to release him and the other captives. Adama finds a piece of metal nearby, and attempts to break open the door to the chamber.
*As Adama attempts to free the door, the man tells him that they are civilians from the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenese]] ship ''[[Diana]]'', whose convoy was attacked by the Cylons, and that there were initially 50 of them who were taken away one by one.
*Suddenly the ground begins to tremble. Adama manages to open the door a little bit, but not enough to allow the captives to escape. The man urges Adama to leave them and save himself. He asks Adama to tell others of what has happened to them. Adama finally complies after he realizes that he cannot free the prisoners, and runs out of the laboratory.
*Emerging from the laboratory warehouse, Adama sees the [[Guardian basestar]] lifting off into the clouds. He radios his findings about the Cylon experimentation on humans to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', but the young pilot is shocked to learn that an armistice has just been signed, and the war is over.

=== The Fall of the Twelve Colonies ===
====Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards====
{{mainarticle|Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards}}
*The battlestar ''Pegasus'' is docked at the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Scorpia|Scorpia]] for a three-month overhaul. As [[Kendra Shaw]] approaches the ship from [[Raptor 179]], she gazes in awe at the size of the [[Mercury class battlestar]].
*Admiral [[Helena Cain]] is in her quarters, reviewing a crew status report as her [[XO]], Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]] enters. He lightly encourages her to take her shore leave, but she insists that she could never leave ''Pegasus'' in the hands of the civilian contractors assigned to oversee her overhaul.
*In the port hangar bay, Raptor 179 has recently arrived. With orders to report directly to [[CIC#Pegasus|CIC]], Shaw steps down and asks a pair of passing crewman to help her locate it. The crewman, however, are too busy to notice her.
*Shaw wanders through the port [[flight pod]], past groups of busy civilians, until she finds [[Gina Inviere]], a civilian network administrator assigned to ''Pegasus'''s overhaul. Inviere shows Shaw a map of ''Pegasus'', with a route to the CIC, and the two discuss the origins of Gina's last name.
*Shaw eventually reaches the CIC, where she finds Cain and Belzen at the Command and Control station. Shaw drops her gear and salutes the admiral. Cain is harsh on her new aide. She grills Shaw for being late to the CIC, concluding that she either stopped for a cup of coffee, or got lost. After Shaw leaves, Cain breaks out in laughter with Belzen, revealing that she only had a joke at the lieutenant's expense.
*[[Hoshi]] escorts her to her quarters. As they are walking down the hallway, a large blast shakes ''Pegasus'', and the noise ripples through the hallway. Shaw and Hoshi are immediately thrown to the floor. As Shaw awakens, she is in a daze. She looks around to find Hoshi unconscious on the floor. The hallway has suddenly become a disaster area.
*Admiral Cain, who was on her way to her quarters at the time, finds Shaw and Hoshi in the corridor. She asks Shaw if she is alright, but when she doesn’t respond, Cain slaps her in the face. Shaw immediately awakens. The hallway echoes with screams of horror, and the [[Action Stations|Condition One]] sirens blare. After an aborted attempt to wake Hoshi, the two head to the CIC.
*''Pegasus'' is on fire in space. [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raiders]] flood the shipyard; missiles strike two helpless ''[[Valkyrie]]''-type battlestars nearby.
*In the CIC, Colonel [[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] and many of the CIC personnel are unconscious. Belzen is coordinating the response effort, but there have been multiple nuclear detonations. Luckily however, the battlestar still has main power and propulsion, but that’s about it. [[DRADIS]] and weapons have both been knocked out.
*The Cylon attack is taking its toll on the shipyards. The two ''Valkyrie''-type battlestars lose their moorings and one crashes into the shipyards, instantly destroying it.
*Cain orders the ship to seal all hatches and release all moorings in preparation for an immediate departure. As the ship evacuates the shipyards, Cain orders the [[Propulsion in the Re-imagined Series#Faster-Than-Light travel|FTL]] drive spun up for an immediate jump.
*A Cylon Raider fires two nuclear missiles at ''Pegasus'' from across the shipyards. The missiles fly past a [[Galactica type battlestar]] as its moorings are destroyed, and past the wreckage of several other battlestars and support vessels.
*Cain orders an immediate jump, but Shaw says that with the navigational computer off-line, she would have to enter a random set of coordinates, [[Blind jump|which could take the battlestar anywhere]], possibly within a star or other larger astral body. Cain yells back at her to do it anyway, and the battlestar jumps away.

====So Say We All====
*Two days since the attack on the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards, ''Pegasus'' is four to five jumps away from the Colonies. Belzen reports that many of ''Pegasus'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor]]s are either destroyed or beyond repair, over a quarter of the crew is dead, and rumors are circulating about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies and the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]].
*Shaw has been working without sleep to restore the navigational and defense computer systems, and she has finally done it. Additionally, she has discovered lines of hidden Cylon computer code inside the [[Command Navigation Program]], which was fortunately down during the attack. Shaw suggests that the entire program be purged from the system.
*The time has finally come for Cain to reveal the extent of the devastation at home to her crew. She tells them that their colonies have been destroyed, their cities nuked, their fleet obliterated. While the victory of one ship may seem unattainable when even their very survival is at stake, she tells them that they have revenge to reach for instead.
*In an expression of determination and conviction, the crew resoundingly shouts, “So say we all!” over and over, after hearing Cain’s words.
*Cain, Shaw, Fisk and Belzen are in the admiral’s quarters, looking over recently gathered intelligence for a low-risk attack on a Cylon outpost. They are discussing a somewhat isolated communications relay when Gina Inviere enters. She greets the admiral with a kiss and a flirtatious shoulder pinch, and the five sit down to enjoy some wine and conversation.
*Cain assures her senior staff that while she does want to engage in guerrilla warfare tactics against the Cylons, she is not willing to put the ship and crew in any amount of excessive danger.
*Shaw and Inviere are working on firewalling all of ''Pegasus'''s computer networks to prevent them from being infiltrated by the Cylons, but constantly having to find a senior officer to input their command codes for system access is making the process take exceedingly long. Inviere discreetly complains about it, and Shaw says that under the circumstances, she would speak to Cain about raising her clearance. In the meantime, she gives Inviere her own command code to use. Inviere then discusses her relationship with Cain in greater detail.

====Battle of the Communications Relay ====
{{mainarticle|Battle of the Communications Relay}}
*''Pegasus'' prepares for a hit-and-run attack on what appears to be a somewhat neglected Cylon communications relay. However, when ''Pegasus'' arrives, there are twelve Cylon Raiders guarding the relay. Despite the increased enemy presence, Cain orders [[Blue Squadron (RDM)|Blue Squadron]] to advance.
*Almost the second after the Vipers are launched, fifteen enemy squadrons of fighters jump into DRADIS range. Cain orders ''Pegasus'''s defensive fire concentrated on the incoming attack squadrons, but Shaw reports that the weapons grid won't respond to commands.
*In spite of the odds, Cain orders Belzen to launch the reserve Vipers, but he insists that taking such an action would cost too many lives and resources. She persists in her orders, but Belzen refuses to carry them out. Cain orders Belzen to hand her his sidearm, which she uses to shoot him in the forehead, in front of the entire bridge crew. <ref>This event is recalled by [[Jack Fisk]] to [[Saul Tigh]] months later, over drinks, in the Season 2 episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]."</ref>
*Cain turns to a stunned Fisk, tells him that he is now the [[Executive Officer|XO]] and orders him to launch the reserve Vipers. Fisk, nearly petrified by what he just saw, is more than compelled to follow the order. As the last of ''Pegasus’s'' remaining squadrons launch, Cylon batteries pound the hull.
*With the weapons grid down, Cylon [[Heavy Raider]]s easily breach ''Pegasus’s'' defensive perimeter. [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] begin pouring into the ship through breached [[airlock]]s. Cain orders fast-response teams of [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to engage the Centurions, and orders Shaw to Secondary Damage Control, as she fears that the Cylons will use this junction to vent all of ''Pegasus’s'' air into space.<ref>This tactic is reminiscent of a similar tactic attempted by the Cylons in the episode "[[Valley of Darkness]]."</ref>
*As Shaw heads to Secondary Damage Control, she finds Gina Inviere trying to escape the Centurions, and orders her to the CIC. As she peers around the corner, she is almost seen by a Centurion. She waits for it to leave, and as she turns the corner to go down the hallway, she sees a [[Number Six]] Cylon, following the Centurion. At first, Shaw doesn’t understand what she sees, but then it comes together – [[Humanoid Cylon|the Cylons can mimic human form]], and Gina Inviere is one of them. Shaw shoots and kills the Six, leaving it dead right in front of a security camera.
*Shaw immediately heads to the CIC to take Inviere, now also in CIC, into custody before she can do any more harm. In the CIC, she directs her weapon at Inviere, and orders the Marines to take her into custody. When Cain belays the order, Shaw states that Gina is a Cylon infiltrator and that "they can look like us". When Cain scoffs, Shaw asks Hoshi to display the security feed from Airlock 4.
*Cain balks at the image of the dead humanoid Cylon in the form of her lover. Feeling betrayed and without any other options, she orders the guards to remove Inviere ("''this thing''") from the bridge. As a Cylon missile strikes ''Pegasus'', Gina uses the moment to flip her captor around by the jaw, and gains control of his [[Weapons in the Re-imagined Series#Handheld weapons|weapon]], which she uses to shoot his comrade. She then snaps the Marine's neck, and trains her weapon on Cain. In a moment of hesitation, Inviere cannot bring herself to shoot Cain, and Shaw sneaks up behind her, clubbing the Cylon over the head with the butt of her rifle.

====Massacre aboard the ''Scylla''====
* The victory at the communications relay is bittersweet. Over eight hundred of ''Pegasus''’s original crew are now dead <ref>Kendra Shaw reports "at least 816 dead, 121 injured" after the attack on the com relay. Earlier, Colonel Belzen reports the loss of over 700 people in the attack on the shipyards. Given ''Pegasus'''s crew complement of approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', adding both numbers would mean that almost half of the crew died. ''Battlestar Wiki'' assumes that Shaw is relating the casualties of both battles.</ref>, over 90 Vipers are either destroyed or out of commission, and the deck crew doesn't have the resources to repair all remaining ones.
*As Cain and Shaw discuss the battle, Gina Inviere looks on from her cell. Shaw blames herself for the high cost of the battle, for giving Inviere her access codes, which she used to take down the weapons grid.
*The hatch opens, and Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]] salutes Admiral Cain. Cain orders him to use whatever means he can conjure to retrieve information from Inviere, including torture and rape. As Thorne enters Inviere’s cell, Cain is called to the CIC.
*As Cain enters the CIC, Fisk is elated to inform the admiral that a convoy of 15 civilian ships has been detected. Fisk and Shaw are thrilled at the discovery, but the mood quickly turns sour when they realize Cain has other things on her mind. Cain orders Fisk to prepare teams of Marines and engineers to board each ship. They will take what they need, including spare parts and people, and leave the ships without FTL drives to fend for themselves.
*Fisk and Shaw come aboard the ''[[Scylla]]'', where they find a relieved welcoming party. [[Peter Laird]] is the first to welcome them aboard. Excitement quickly turns to confusion however, when they hand Laird a list of Admiral Cain’s orders. Laird is shocked to learn that Cain wants to take their FTL drives. Laird informs the welcoming party, and they suddenly become an angry mob. Shaw informs them that they will use force if necessary, but Laird persistently refuses.
*As the mob inches closer to the boarding party, Fisk reports to Cain of the escalating situation. In an act that surprises even him, she orders him to shoot the families of any selectee that doesn’t comply with the orders.
*Fisk and the Marines are wary of the order, but they line up a couple of the families despite their reservations, hoping that showing the mob their resolve will force them to comply. The angry mob suddenly becomes violent – they throw whatever they can at the boarding party.
*At that very moment, Shaw pulls out her sidearm, and shoots a woman in the front in the head. The Marines follow suit, and before very long, the deck of the ''Scylla'' is painted with the blood of the dead. Shaw’s gaze drifts to her sidearm, still smoking from the shot, and then up to Laird, who is too stunned to move.
*In the aftermath, Shaw cannot bring her eyes to look upon the dead. Fisk comforts her by telling her that the entire fleet heard about what happened and there should be no more resistance. As her party leaves the ''Scylla'', she can’t help but look back.
*For her actions aboard the ''Scylla'', Cain promotes Shaw to captain. It is small comfort to Shaw, who is still anguished by what she has done. Seeing her vulnerability, Cain tells Shaw that the war is forcing them all to do things that they may not like, even hate, because if they don’t, then they may not live to simply become human again. By putting aside her fear, her reservations, even her revulsion to complete the mission, Shaw has become Cain’s "razor".

=== Present events ===
* Newly-promoted Commander [[Lee Adama]] is formally appointed commander of ''Pegasus'' by [[Laura Roslin]] in front of the ship's crew. In his speech he promises to change things on the battlestar and announces [[Kara Thrace]]'s appointment as acting [[CAG]].
* Shaw follows the speech on the [[wireless]] set, but eventually switches it off. She walks to a jar, takes out a syringe and injects herself with a drug. She is still troubled about what happened on the ''Scylla''.
* Next, she is summoned to Adama's office, who reads her service file and points out that she received glowing reports from Cain, but increasingly negatives ones from Fisk and [[Barry Garner|Garner]], who eventually assigned her to kitchen duty because of "persistent insubordinate behavior". After listening to Shaw's candid opinions about him and his predecessors, Adama offers her the job of executive officer; he intends to give the crew back its pride, and as an outsider he needs someone to uphold Cain's legacy.
* During a firearms drill, she shows competence but also how hard she is on the crew. William Adama comments that his son found an XO meaner than [[Saul Tigh]].
* The Admiral gives Commander Adama his first mission: a [[SAR|search and rescue]] for two pilots and a civilian science team in an overdue Raptor.
* At their destination, Starbuck and [[Showboat]] conduct a Viper patrol and suddenly encounter enemy fighters of an unfamiliar configuration. Although able to identify them as Cylons, Starbuck doesn't realize that they are in fact [[Raiders (RDM)#Cylon War-era Raider|Raiders like the ones used in the first Cylon War]].
* ''Pegasus'' establishes a defensive perimeter and orders the Vipers to return prior to an FTL jump. When the [[Computers in the Re-imagined Series#Navigation computer|navigational computer]] malfunctions and the Raiders close, Shaw orders to the vessel's offensive flight pod [[Battery|batteries]] turned on the incoming targets, placing Starbuck and Showboat inside the battlestar's close-in firing solution. Struggling their way through the barrage, a Raider follows them into the [[flight pod]], which Starbuck shoots down once inside the landing bay. On the [[hangar deck]], she angrily confronts Shaw over her decision to open fire, but Adama defends his XO.
* ''Pegasus'' returns to the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]], and Admiral Adama, Roslin and Tigh inspect the downed Raider on the hangar deck. [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] recalls the "[[Guardians]]", a group of [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Centurion models]] that escaped being scrapped by the [[humanoid Cylons]]. The Guardians guard the [[first Hybrid]], created by the Cylons as a first attempt at an organic model and eventually abandoned as an evolutionary dead end. This causes Adama to remember the events on the ice planet on the last day of the Cylon War, finally realizing the significance of what he saw over 40 years ago.
* After examining the Raider's navigational data, Admiral Adama believes that the Raptor crew was captured by the Guardians and orders his son to jump to a possible base of theirs. For the duration of the operation, he transfers his flag to ''Pegasus'', but assures Lee that it will be his mission.
* Shaw drafts an attack plan for ''Pegasus'' to draw Cylon forces away while a Raptor, piloted by Thrace and carrying a strike team, jumps to the Cylon base. Before signing off on the plan, Lee Adama confronts Shaw over the incident on the ''Scylla''. She just replies that she is Cain's legacy - a razor - and that Cain wouldn't have hesitated to execute the plan.
* Before the battle Shaw is about to take another shot of the drug and when she is caught by Thrace, who is looking for a bottle of [[ambrosia]]. The two stalemate and agree to keep each other's secrets, and realize that they are more alike than they thought.
* The mission doesn't go as planned when the strike team's Raptor is pursued by two Raiders. They simulate an engine malfunction, emergency blow the side hatch and sling themselves out of the flat-spinning Raptor before it is destroyed by the Cylons, escaping undetected. Using EVA thrusters, they make their way to the Guardian basestar.
* Thrace, Shaw, [[Erin Mathias|Mathias]], [[Dasilva]] and [[Hudson]] find the missing Raptor crew, whom the Cylons mutilate in a manner similar to what William Adama saw in the first Cylon War. As they free the survivors, two Centurions attack, wound Dasilva and begin to drag him away. Unwilling to let him suffer same treatment as the Raptor crew, Shaw shoots Dasilva, but in turn is shot in the abdomen.
* While under cover from the firefight, Mathias reports to ''Pegasus'' that the detonator for the nuclear warhead, which they plan to use to destroy the basestar, is damaged.
* ''Pegasus'' loses wireless contact with the boarding team and Lee Adama orders a [[Missile tubes|nuclear ship to ship missile]] to be armed and readied. Thrace herself considers the "mission outcome doubtful". Assuming that the team is dead, Commander Adama orders the launch of the missile, but is overridden by his father, who wants to give the team a chance.
* After reestablishing contact and learning that an evacuation Raptor is on the way, Shaw orders Mathias to rig a manual detonator for the nuke, determined to complete the mission. While Lee is reluctant to sacrifice someone to detonate the warhead, his father believes that the Cylons would easily shoot down a missile, but leaves the final decision to Lee. He orders Thrace to get the team to safety, but to stay behind and detonate the nuke manually.
* The team prepares to suit up and leave, when Shaw forces Thrace to hand over the warhead at gunpoint and remains on the baseship. Walking through the hallways, she finds the Cylon Hybrid, who knows her name, saying that he has been waiting for her for a long time. He tells her that the Centurions worship him as god, and observes Shaw's desire to be forgiven for what she has become. The Hybrid also delivers a warning about Thrace: she will lead the human race to its end, she is the herald of the apocalypse and the harbinger of death, and she must not be followed.
* Shaw tries to relay this to ''Pegasus'', but her transmission is blocked by Cylon jamming shortly after the start, and the warning is not heard. She then detonates the nuke, killing herself and destroying the basestar.
* Later, the Adamas discuss the battle and its outcome, the admiral noting Thrace's recommendation of Shaw for a posthumous commendation. Reviewing the logs, Admiral Adama doesn't find fault in either Cain's or Shaw's decisions, but Commander Adama vehemently disagrees, citing the ''Scylla''. The admiral replies that he never had to face similar circumstances, and that he had people like Lee, Roslin and Tigh to counsel and challenge him and keep him from making extreme and questionable decisions. He comforts Lee, telling him that his decision to launch the nuclear missile and sacrifice the strike team wasn't wrong, just necessary from Lee's perspective at the time.
* Outside [[Officer's quarters#Admiral Adama's quarters|Adama's quarters]], Lee meets Thrace, who now has Cain's knife given to her by Shaw. She is unsure if Shaw sacrificed herself as atonement or if she just "had it coming." Thrace tells him that she requested reassignment back to ''Galactica'' because she thinks Lee would keep trying to get her killed. When asked if she might deserve that, she jokingly replies that she has a [[The Destiny|destiny]] and plans to live to keep it.



== Notes ==

===Production===
*A four-part podcast of the original story meeting for "Razor" is available on the [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast/season04/ SciFi website].
* Despite being credited, [[Aaron Douglas]] ([[Galen Tyrol]]), [[Tahmoh Penikett]] ([[Karl Agathon]]), [[Alessandro Juliani]] ([[Felix Gaeta]]), [[Michael Trucco]] ([[Samuel Anders]]), [[Kandyse McClure]] ([[Anastasia Dualla]]) and [[Matthew Bennett]] ([[Number Five]]/[[Aaron Doral]]) do not appear in the aired version of "Razor".
**Bennett appears briefly in the [[Razor Flashback]] web-episodes as [[Aaron Doral]], in a flashback two days before the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
**Tyrol is mentioned by Admiral Adama having helped [[Gaius Baltar]] remove navigational information from the Cylon Raider, but is never seen otherwise.
* Scenes involving a young Helena Cain and her father, as well as Kendra Shaw on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] were cut from the TV version, but will be in the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|extended cut on DVD]]. These scenes, which reveal the loss of her entire family to the Cylons<ref name="watcher-forbes">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/battlestar-ga-1.html|title='Battlestar Galactica: Razor' cuts to the heart of the matter|date=20 November 2007|accessdate=22 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>, will also explain the significance of Cain's knife, the episode's literal "razor" <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/10/coming-to-a-mov.html|title=Coming to a movie theater near you: 'Battlestar Galactica: Razor'|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* [[Michael Taylor]] noted that the original opening for "Razor" was inspired by ''[[w:Apocalypse Now|Apocalypse Now]]'', but this was later cut <ref name="thewatcher">{{cite_web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/11/answers-to-your.html|title=Answers to your 'Razor' questions and clues about 'Battlestar Galactica's' final season|date=16 November 2007|accessdate=16 November 2007|last=Ryan|first=Maureen|format=|language=}}</ref>.
* Scenes with [[Alastair Thorne]] torturing [[Gina]] were filmed but removed as "it played a little too much like an outtake from ''[[w:Spartacus|Spartacus]]''."<ref name="thewatcher"/>
*According to composer [[Bear McCreary]], no specific soundtrack release for "Razor" is currently planned. However, the best tracks will be included on the Season 4 soundtrack <ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=205|title=Bear McCreary's blog|date=|accessdate=|last=|first=|format=|language=}}</ref>.
*According to [[Gary Hutzel]], the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] was written so that "we would see it in bits and pieces. For the most part, it centered on the fact that they had to jump out of there before two nuclear missiles hit them." As for the [[blind jump]], the impetus for it was to be filmed only from the point-of-view of the CIC personnel, who saw the two incoming warheads on [[DRADIS]], which prompted the jump. However, [[Felix Alacla]] wanted the scene to be something out of ''[[w:Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbor]]'', thus the effects of the two missiles were added in.<ref name="vfxworld-2">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460&page=2|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=2}}</ref>
* Hutzel laid out the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] shots himself, eventually choosing the chrome appearance over a sophisticated silver metallic appearance, as the chrome surfaces were best for reflections.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Universal Home Entertainment financed part of "Razor" for DVD-only effects and other material for the show which is proprietary, which is why such effects sequences are on the DVD or used in promotional material.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>
* Furthermore, the special effects shots were done in house without using a third-party source: over 184 shots were done, 120 of them being full CGI. Many new ships had to be developed specifically for "Razor", in addition to the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]-inspired Centurions.<ref name="vfxworld">{{cite_web|url=http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3460|title=
Raising the VFX Bar In-House on ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor''|date=26 November 2007|accessdate=30 November 2007|last=Bennett|first=Tara DiLullo|format=|language=|page=1}}</ref>

===Story===
* As [[Kendra Shaw]] scrubs through the [[wireless]] bands, she happens upon a [[Talk Wireless]] broadcast where the wireless personality notes [[Laura Roslin]]'s cancer remission, going on to infer that there was speculation on how the remission was brought about.
* The [[Guardian basestar]] appears to be an evolutionary gap in between the older Cylon War-era [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and the newer starfish type basestar.
* The flashback of a young William Adama finding a Cylon lab during the war is part of the fifth, sixth, and seventh episodes of the [[Razor Flashbacks|"Razor" web-episodes]].
* According to [[Sharon Agathon|Caprica-Valerii]], the [[Hybrid]]s were created as a means to grow out of their mechanical roots and into biological ones. The Cylons considered the hybrids a failure and, after creating enough of them to control their baseships, the project was abandoned.
*At the end Thrace asks to be re-assigned to ''Galactica'', currently holding the position of ''Pegasus'''s [[CAG]], which she assumes in "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
*Despite being a major, Kendra Shaw wears a colonel's [[Uniforms (RDM)|uniform]] with white/red trim. As shown on Doctor [[Cottle]] earlier, a major's uniform only has a white trim.
* When ''Pegasus'' jumps away from the Scorpion Fleet Yards, the vacuum created from the jump appears to suck in the surrounding flames and smoke of battle. This effect has been seen before in "[[Exodus, Part II]]" following ''Galactica'''s intra-atmosphere jump.

== Analysis ==

*Given the overall [[survivor count]] and the tally of 49,579 during the credits, "Razor" takes place between "[[The Captain's Hand]]" and "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]". Captions also place the flashback portions 10 months prior to the present events. However this timespan is closer to 9 months.
**This is also the only time during Lee Adama's command of ''Pegasus'' that the episode can even fit, since Starbuck leaves for Caprica in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I". See also ''[[Timeline - Season 2 (RDM)]]''
**Adama's selection of Shaw as his [[XO]] likely takes place very shortly after him taking command of ''Pegasus'', but other parts of the episode might take place slightly later.
**[[Sharon Agathon]]'s appearance ''may indicate'' that this episode takes place before "[[Downloaded]]", however this cannot be confirmed by any visual evidence as her appearance is brief and all camera shots are seemingly aimed to avoid shooting her belly. However, it can be reasonably surmised that because she is still cooperating with the Colonials that [[Hera]]'s birth and her subsequent faked death haven't occurred yet.
*According to Admiral Cain, a razor is someone who can set aside all fear, hesitation, revulsion and natural inhibition in battle (see [[#Noteworthy Dialogue|noteworthy dialogue]]).
**When Cain recruits [[Jack Fisk]] to assassinate Commander Adama, she tells him that he needs to pick Marines who are "[completely] reliable. Completely loyal. Razors." ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
**This bears a passing semblance to a poem by Japanese [[Wikipedia:Isoroku Yamamoto|Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto]]: "I am still the sword/Of my Emperor/I will not be sheathed/Until I die." Admiral Yamamoto knew about America, Americans and their potential from his time as a student at Harvard and as a naval attaché in Washington, DC. Despite misgivings about declaring war on America, he served his Emperor and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor.
**A razor is a physically present symbol in the episode in the form of a folding knife. It is passed from Cain to Shaw and eventually to Kara Thrace. The knife is used by Cain to explain the concept and how a person becomes one.
*Regarding the casualties suffered by ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of the Communications Relay]], Shaw's report that ''Pegasus'' suffered over 800 dead likely refers to the total casualty rate since the Cylon attack. Since ''Pegasus'' already suffered over 700 losses fleeing the Scorpion shipyards, adding 800 to this figure would mean that almost half the crew were killed. Considering that ''Pegasus'''s crew is approximately 1,750 when she encounters ''Galactica'', such a high death rate seems unlikely.
*The woman shot by Shaw could have been [[Peter Laird]]'s wife, given the pan shot from his expression as he looks at the bodies, to the dead woman's face. His evasiveness when asked about the rumors circulating about the ''Scylla'' in the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" would support this. On the other hand, his lack of emotion is unusual for a man who just witnessed his wife's execution, and Laird never mentions a wife explicitly.
*Given that an evac Raptor successfully retrieves the assault team by docking or at least flying close to the Guardian basestar without incident, it seems that the Guardian basestar itself appears to be unarmed and totally reliant on its Raiders for defense, unlike the standard [[Basestar (RDM)|Cylon basestar]].
*A curious technical gaffe appears to occur as the smoke from the various fires in the shipyard travel upward. Unless the flames (which would appear as a globular "blossom" shape without gravity) jet upward, the smoke, with the lack of convection (heat rising upward as lighter gases against gravity), would expand in all directions opposite the flames or venting, not "up" relative to the battlestar or flames.
*In stark contrast to her demeanor by the time of the rendezvous with ''Galactica'', Helena Cain is visibly more relaxed with her crew: She is stern when necessary, but also enjoys several moments of levity with subordinates and cultivates personable relations with her staff; she regards [[Jurgen Belzen]] as a personal friend (as described later by Fisk to Tigh); she initiates Shaw to ''Pegasus'' by chewing her out in the CIC and shares a humored look with her XO afterwards; the atmosphere at the dinner is very informal; she expresses strong emotions and sheds tears as she surveys the ship's casualties. All these point to the war and especially Gina's betrayal as reasons for her push over the edge to become a "razor" and the narrowing of her perspective to pure vengeance.
*Although she may have sacrificed herself in atonement, Kendra Shaw ended her life as a razor, casting aside fear and self-preservation to stay behind and die to complete her mission, echoing Admiral Cain's observation that "sometimes we have to leave people behind so that we can go on, so that we can continue to fight. Sometimes you have do things that we never thought we were capable of ..." When she arrives on ''Pegasus'', she is regarded as an opportunist, but in the end she is quite the opposite.
*Kendra Shaw's death marks the final transition from Cain's legacy to Admiral Adama's. Shaw was the last of Cain's inner circle. She was one of the officers who had Cain's utmost respect and trust. Her death signifies the complete replacement of ''Pegasus'''s original leadership and opens up the merging of the two battlestar crews.
*Admiral Cain suggests that Kendra Shaw used her mother's connections to secure an upwardly-mobile assignment on ''Pegasus'' — an ironic criticism, since then-Commander William Adama mentions to President Roslin how well-connected Cain is, helping her jump over half the commanders list for promotion to admiral ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Both Shaw and Thrace have been noticed and mentored by Admiral Cain. In this respect, the friction between the two takes on aspects of sibling rivalry.

== Questions ==

* How does the Hybrid know [[Kendra Shaw]]?
* Is the Hybrid's warning that [[Kara Thrace]] is the harbinger of death true? Does it say this to ensure that the eternal cycle continues per Pythian prophecy?
* Who is [[Pegasus (RDM)|''Pegasus'']]'s [[CAG]] after Thrace steps down?
* Whose decision was it to scrap the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|old Centurions]]? Did they resist?
* When the [[first Hybrid]] says "My children believe I am a god", to whom is he referring? The old model Cylons? The organic models?
* What does the first Hybrid mean when he says his existence will "begin again in ways uncertain"?
** Does this statement imply that the first Hybrid is capable of [[Resurrection (RDM)|downloading]]?
* Are all of the Guardians on the basestar when it is destroyed, or did they build other bases in the decades before?

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Michael Taylor]] on the scene with the three [[Guardians]] in the [[Raider (RDM)|Cylon War-era Raider]]:''
: Actually, early references to talking [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]] were cut from early versions of the script, only to be resurrected by one of our VFX guys, [[Adam Lebowitz|Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz]], who ended up giving them very similar dialogue to what I once had. We all mulled the issue and then concluded: What the [heck]; how can we revisit that era and not hear one of the signature lines? And yes, we’re a serious show, but sometimes it’s also not so terrible to acknowledge that this is a show, with a debt to another show, no matter how thoroughly we’ve tried to re-imagine it.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the limited appearance of [[Alastair Thorne]] in "Razor":''
: There’s only so many characters and storylines that we could explore in a movie of even nearly two hours, and frankly this was [[Helena Cain|Cain]]’s and [[Kendra Shaw|Kendra]]’s story. As far as the character of the torturer, Lt. Thorne, goes, I think it was scary enough to introduce him and imagine what poor [[Gina]] had in store.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the narrative of the story:''
: The script itself is somewhat less flashbacky, telling the story in a more chronological, linear way. Ultimately, we found it more effective to ground the story by relating it through a more present-day frame in which our regular characters, including Lee and Kara, are more front-and-center. But whether intended in the same way or not, what I like about both "Unfinished Business" and "Razor" is the way they fracture time, and show how the past affects and informs the present. I suppose that’s probably one of the themes that interests me most as a writer.<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses the relationship between [[Gina]] and [[Helena Cain]]:''
: I think part of the point about Cain’s and Gina’s relationship is that the fact that they had a same-sex relationship was no big deal. I think we started from the idea of wanting to explore whether Cain’s anger and revulsion at Gina, so evident in her first appearance in Season Two’s “Pegasus,” had a personal component. And the idea that Cain had had an intimate relationship with Gina quickly came to mind. It made Gina’s betrayal that much more devastating for her.

:That being said, we did not want to make much about the idea of Cain being “gay,” if indeed she is gay, or if indeed Colonial society makes much of the distinction between hetero- and homosexual preferences. I tend to think that in this respect, at least, they’re a bit more enlightened than we are. That being said, we honestly have not done much exploring of the sexual orientations of other characters so far in Season 4. If it were to serve a dramatic purpose—as it does in "Razor" —other than to underscore that homosexuality is as much a part of the ''Battlestar'' world as it is of ours, we may well. We still have a season of scripts to write, so who knows: Look out, “[[w:The L Word|The L Word]],” we’re coming for your [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]].<ref name="thewatcher"/>
* ''Taylor discusses how this story originated:''
: A number of ideas were tossed around, but they all centered on using the movie as an opportunity to revisit the series’ past. I believe an early notion of mine may even have touched on a [[w:Terminator|Terminator]]-like time-travel scenario that put some of our characters back on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] before the attack, but with foreknowledge of what was about to happen. I remember pitching the idea that [William] Adama would have to convince Cain to trust him and then join forces to try to stop the attack.

:All the writers were on a conference call with the show’s creators and executive producers, [[Ron D. Moore|Ron Moore]] and [[David Eick]], and I recall David in particular perking up at the mention of Cain and ''Pegasus''. It quickly became clear that our story would center around Cain’s ship and its own, very different journey in the aftermath of [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|the Cylon attacks]], and with that idea firmly in place the time travel and other kooky stuff quickly fell by the wayside and we began constructing a much more realistic story where our characters’ choices in the face of calamity, rather than through time-travel-enabled hindsight, became the key. But then that’s what ''Battlestar'' has always been about: the pressure of making genuine choices in real, and often horrific situations.<ref name="thewatcher"/>

* ''[[Michelle Forbes]] (Admiral [[Helena Cain]]) discusses [[Gina]]'s betrayal:''

: It was a massive betrayal. This woman is rarely vulnerable with anyone. She doesn’t allow herself that. For her to have taken that step [and become Gina’s lover] and been so ultimately betrayed, it did her head in, it did her heart in.

: She became very misguided at that time. I feel the actions that she took in that misguided place still were along the lines of what she felt she needed to do. And there’s nothing that she did that some world leader has not done.

: It’s very painful, what she did to Gina. There was such a deep sadness, but [for her] duty overrides that sadness, otherwise things don’t get done. There’s a lot of sorrow [in Cain]. It was not a punishment as much of a means to an end.<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''Forbes on the questions raised in the series:''

: These heightened situations [in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' bring up] these heightened questions we have to ask. As [Adama] says [[Miniseries, Night 1|in a speech]] [earlier in the series], ‘Are we worthy of survival? Who are we? Who have we become? Have we just become animals and it’s survival at any cost?’ These are important questions to raise.

: I love the fact that they ask these questions but never in a preachy manner. These are painful questions to ask. It’s so relevant it gives me goosebumps sometimes.

: This and ''[[w:The Wire|The Wire]]'' are just the two best written TV shows out there. You can’t just tune in and tune out. It’s not mindless entertainment. Occasionally with ''The Wire'' too I also feel like I need a notebook next to me [laughs]. They’re just fantastic stories with such complexity.

:It’s a very exciting time to be part of television. I feel so fortunate that I’ve been involved in some pretty interesting, odd shows. There are many more cropping up out there.

:[As for ''Battlestar Galactica''] I’ve never guested on a show and walked away a bigger fan. I was so thrilled to see everyone again, I am so fond of this company. They’re lovely people and the crew is fantastic. And this is not just an actor blowing smoke [laughs].<ref name="watcher-forbes"/>

* ''[[Gary Hutzel]] discusses the special effects of the tele-film:''

: Honestly, if we had gone with an outside house, we would have only been able to do a third of Razor at most. We were able to really accommodate this show and do over 184 effects. Over 120 of them are full CGI, 30 to 50 layer comps. It was very heavy, complex stuff. If we did not have an in-house op and went to do this show, it would have literally cut the show in half and then cut it down from there because of the expectations. In this case, we beefed up scenes and added shots and even a whole new sequence. We went from being down half the show to actually increasing a number of shots.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel discusses the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]] and other new CG scenes:''

: In meeting together and talking about what we'd like to do for Razor, we all agreed that it's basically our chance to do a ''Galactica'' movie. We have a feature quality cast and writing standards, but no opportunity to do one for financial reasons. Consequently, we approached it as a completely separate project. As it turns out, it was very much like doing a new pilot. We had to create many, many new models and work out new details for the sequences. Specifically, we had the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]] Centurions and original series ships that had to be created. Normally that type of development is only done on a pilot. But these were all new ideas, with new ships and an entire new fleet for the ''Pegasus'', and a huge fleet of shipyards. It was a huge undertaking for us... like a feature.<ref name="vfxworld"/>

* ''Hutzel on the [[Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]]:''

: So we discussed what we wanted to do and we developed a huge sequence that was all done in previs, including the [[Raider (RDM)|Raider]]s jumping in and then sending the virus to the docks. In the lore of the story from the [[miniseries]], at that time, they [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|took them by surprise]] by sending the virus to cut them off. So we had them coming in, the power going off, cruising over the docks and finally attacking. Eventually, the chain reaction on a ship next to ''Pegasus'' begins to detonate so we came up with this very elaborate sequence that we presented to [exec producer] Ron Moore. What ended up happening in this case was there wasn't enough live action to support what we'd done, but it still allowed us to run free and develop it from beginning to end. We trimmed it back until it felt like a good flow and it completely revitalized that sequence. It worked really well. It's a complex sequence with Raiders and lots and lots of pyro. Now because of our budget, we couldn't shoot pyro so we combined some original pyro elements from the miniseries with full CGI pyro which worked very, very well.<ref name="vfxworld-2"/>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]] talks to [[Kendra Shaw]] about her conduct during the crisis:''
:Sometimes we have to do things that we thought we were never capable of, if only to show the enemy our will. Yesterday you showed me that you're capable of setting aside your fear, setting aside your hesitation - and even your revulsion, every natural inhibition that during battle can make the difference between life and death. (opens folding knife.) When you can be this, for as long as you have to be, then you're a razor. (closes knife.) This war is forcing us all to become razors. Because if we don't, we don't survive. And then we don't have the luxury of becoming simply human again. Do you understand me?

*''Opening narration by Kendra Shaw:''
:You're born, you live and you die. There are no do-overs, no second chances to make things right if you frak 'em up the first time. Not in this life anyway.

*''[[Gina]] about Helena Cain and their relationship:''
:She has needs, just like the rest of us. No one can survive entirely on their own. Trust me Lieutenant, in the end, we're all just human.

*''Admiral Cain gives a speech to her crew after the [[Cylon attack]]:''
:This is your admiral. I know there've been a lot of rumors going around...about the destruction that's been visited on our [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|homeworlds]] by the Cylons. I would like to tell you that they're exaggerations, but in fact it can not even come close to convey the horror that's been unleashed upon us. The facts are...that our colonies have been destroyed, our cities have been nuked, and our fleet's gone too. So far there have been no indications of any other survivors. I imagine you're all asking yourselves the same question I am: What do we do now? Do we run? Do we hide? I think those are the easy choices. A philosopher once said "When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative." Look around you. Our imperative is right here, in our bulkheads, in our planes, in our guns and in ourselves. War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback. So we will fight. Because in the end it's the only alternative our enemies have left us. I say let's make these murdering things understand that as long as this crew and this ship survive, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you.

*''Cain and Shaw in the aftermath of the attack on the Cylon communications relay:''
:'''Shaw:''' 32 Vipers destroyed. 61 badly damaged. The acting chief says we don't have enough parts to repair them all.
:'''Cain:''' It's a rather high price for a tactical insignificant victory.
:'''Shaw:''' I wouldn't say it's insignificant, sir. I'd say we put the enemy on notice. The price we paid is my fault.
:'''Cain:''' How do you figure that, Lieutenant?
:'''Shaw:''' I gave [[Gina Inviere|her]], it, my access codes. [...]
:'''Cain:''' You gave it something far more important. You gave it your trust. As did I, but this ''thing'' really knows how to manipulate human emotion. Preys on it.

*''Shaw's opinions about ''Pegasus's'' previous commanders and Lee Adama:''
:[[Jack Fisk|Fisk]] was a [[black market (organization)|black market]] sell-out. Piece of garbage. Unworthy of the uniform. [[Barry Garner|Garner]] was a martinet who tried to micromanage this ship like it was some porky piece of machinery. [...] You're a step up. That doesn't change the fact that you're an outsider who was brought in to clean up our mess. Or the impression that your daddy just gave you a battlestar; like he was tossing you the keys to a new car.

*''Kendra Shaw and [[Kara Thrace]] meet in the ship's galley:''
:'''Thrace:''' (catching Shaw injecting a drug) So the XO's human after all. I used to do that myself. Scrub through the wireless bands. Reminds you you're not alone out here. (pauses) Got any more?
:'''Shaw:''' More of what?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever you're about to stick on your neck.
:'''Shaw:''' You don't miss much, do you?
:'''Thrace:''' Whatever floats your boat, right? I came down here looking for a [[ambrosia|lose bottle]] and you came down here for...guess we're both just trying to take the edge off, right?
:'''Shaw:''' Guess so.
:'''Thrace:''' That's good. Cause I'd hate to think that Lee's new XO can't handle the pressure. Maybe wants to get busted back to backing potatoes.
:'''Shaw:''' I'd hate to think that Lee's favorite pilot wants to find herself scrubbing floors for pilfering ship's stores.
:'''Thrace:''' (smirks) You keep my secret, sir, I'll keep yours.

*"The [[first Hybrid]], speaking to himself as Shaw's squad storms the base star (in the extended version only; please be aware that the Hybrid's phrases are very difficult to understand and that this transcript may not be fully accurate):"
: At last, they've come for me. I feel their lives, their destines, spilling out before me. The denial of the one true path. To play that out on a world not their own. But will they be soon enough? . . . Soon there will be four glorious new awakenings, struggling with the knowledge of their true selves, the pain of revelation bringing new clarity. And in the midst of confusion they will find that enemies are brought together by an awesome sense of belonging. Enemies now joined as one. The way forward, the once unthinkable, yet inevitable. And the fifth is still is in shadow, drawn toward the light, hungering for redemption, that will only come in the howl of terrible suffering. I can see them all - the seven, now six, self-described machines who believe themselves are of no sin, but in time it is sin that will consume them. They will know enmity, bitterness, the wrenching agony of the one splintering into many. And then they will join the promised land, gathered on the wings of an angel. Not an end, but a beginning.

*''Shaw and the [[first Hybrid]]:''
:'''Shaw:''' What are you?
:'''Hybrid:''' What am I? A man? Or am I a machine? My children believe I am a god.
:'''Shaw:''' Are you...a god?
:'''Hybrid:''' I've seen things. Your life, Kendra Shaw. The things you have done. Things you felt you had to do. All leading to this moment. You wish to be forgiven, my child.

*''The first Hybrid trying to warn Shaw:''
: '''Hybrid:''' Kara Thrace will lead the human race to its end. She is the herald of the apocalypse. The harbinger of death. They must not follow her.

*''[[William Adama|William]] and [[Lee Adama]] discuss Cain's actions:''
:'''William Adama''': I've been going through Cain's log and from a tactical perspective it's hard to find fault in anything she did. Or that Kendra Shaw did.
:'''Lee Adama:''' They [[Scylla|butchered innocent civilians]], Dad. Come on. How can you ignore that?
:'''William Adama:''' I know that I didn't have to face any of the situations that she did. I had the [[Laura Roslin|President]] in my face, arguing for the survival of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|civilian fleet]]. I've Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] keeping me honest, balancing my morality and my tactics. And I had you. Now...you don't have any children, so you might not understand this, but you see yourself reflected in their eyes. And there are some things that I've thought of doing with this fleet, but I've stopped myself, because I knew I'd have to face you the following day.

== Guest Stars ==
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]] (credit only)
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] (credit only)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] (credit only)
* [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] (credit only)
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]] (credit only)
* [[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Graham Beckel]] as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
* [[Stephanie Jacobsen]] as Lieutenant/Captain/Major [[Kendra Shaw]]
* [[Nico Cortez]] as Young [[William Adama]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Steve Bacic]] as Colonel [[Jurgen Belzen]]
* [[Brad Dryborough]] as Lieutenant [[Hoshi]]
* [[Eileen Pedde]] as Sergeant [[Erin Mathias]]
* [[Fulvio Cecere]] as Lieutenant [[Alastair Thorne]]
* [[Vincent Gale]] as [[Peter Laird]]
* [[Campbell Lane]] as [[First Hybrid|Hybrid]]
* [[Kyra Scott]] as Young [[Helena Cain]]
* [[Chandra Berg]] as Little [[Lucy Cain]]
* [[Peter Flemming]] as Helena's Father
* [[Shaker Paleja]] as Medic [[Hudson]]
* [[Andrew Dunbar]] as Marine [[Dasilva]]
* [[Jacob Blair]] as Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
* [[Peter Bryant]] as [[Frank Bruno]]
* [[Chris Bradford]] as Ops Officer
* [[Tyson Stanley]] as Young [[Marine]]
* [[Trevor Roberts]] as ''[[Scylla]]'' Protestor #1
* [[Cameron Macleod]] as ''Scylla'' Protestor #2
* [[Ingrid Tesch]] as Mother
* [[Joey Pierce]] as Marine [[Riggs]]
* [[Matt Drake]] as Son #1
* [[Dustin Eriksen]] as Son #2
* [[John Hainsworth]] as Man in Cage #1
* [[Victor Ayala]] as Man in Cage #2
* [[Deni Dolory]] as Woman in Cage
* [[Emily Hirst]] as Child in Cage
* [[Ben Cotton]] as Terrified Man
* [[Stefanie von Pfetten]] as Captain [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
* [[Alyssa Minniss]] as Flower Girl
* Uncredited as [[Gus]]

== External Links ==

* Composer [[Bear McCreary]] on the [http://bearmccreary.com/html/blog/blogmain.htm score for "Razor"]

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[de:Razor]]

The Captain's Hand

2007-11-23T05:05:26Z

Real Too:

{{Episode Data
| image = Adamas.jpg
| title= The Captain's Hand
| season= 2
| episode= 17
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Jeff Vlaming]]
| story=
| director= [[Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
| production=
| rating= [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|1.7]]
| US airdate= 2006-02-17
| UK airdate= 2006-04-25
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 49584
| oldpopulation= 49590
| prev= [[Sacrifice]]
| next= [[Downloaded]]
| podcast= Y
| 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%253D119951242%2526id%253D102808898%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000V20PCU&tag=battlestarwik-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
}}

== Overview ==

:''When two Raptors go missing after a training mission, new ''Pegasus'' commander [[Barry Garner]] challenges Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]]'s orders by sending his battlestar directly into the rescue zone — and a trap.''

== Summary ==
*Two [[Raptor]]s begin a training mission outside ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', which is near a [[Wikipedia:Binary star system|binary star]] that causes [[Dradis|DRADIS]] and communications interference. Shortly after contact with the Raptors is lost.

*On ''[[Galactica]]'', [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] and the deck crew are in the process of unloading containers, Chief Tyrol finds a pregnant teenager inside who asks for [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]].

*[[Lee Adama]], now promoted to Major, arrives as acting [[Executive officer|XO]] on the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''Pegasus'', where he runs into [[Kara Thrace]]. Both report to Commander Garner in ''Pegasus''' [[CIC]]. Garner argues with now-Captain Thrace over the disappearance of the Raptors.

*[[Barry Garner|Commander Garner]] and Major Adama talk in private about the discipline on ''Pegasus''. Garner thinks that [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] is a huge part of the problem and that the virtues learned in his experience as an engineer would do the ship some good.

*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Laura_Roslin|President Roslin]] is hounded by her new aide, [[Tory Foster]], about preparing for the coming election. Elsewhere, [[Tom Zarek]] discusses the idea of presidency. He concedes he's not able to garner support, but is willing to support someone more popular: [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]].

*Back on ''Galactica'', Dr. [[Cottle]] and Admiral Adama discuss the fate of the young woman found in the container, [[Rya Kibby]]. Kibby mentions the fact that she doesn't want to keep the baby, but Admiral Adama (on request from the Gemenese delegate) is intent on sending her back to her family. Dr. Cottle semi-sarcastically suggests that she request asylum aboard ''Galactica'', a suggestion that she takes seriously.

*News of Rya Kibby's asylum request raises a stir throughout the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] discusses the issue with Admiral Adama, Tory Foster, and Delegate [[Sarah_Porter|Sarah Porter]] from [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemonon|Gemenon]]. Delegate Porter states that abortion is an obscenity and demands that the girl be returned to her parents. Afterwards, President Roslin mentions she's not willing to even consider the idea of abortion in general, having fought for a woman's right to control her body for her entire career, but Admiral Adama quotes her own words back to her, reminding her that their population must increase in order to survive.

*While reviewing the last transmissions from the Raptors, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discovers the reason for the missing Raptors may be that they responded to a distress call. She attempts to bring this up with Commander Garner, who flatly rejects the theory and orders Thrace confined to quarters.

*Shortly thereafter additional search parties learn of the distress call that lured the first Raptors away. Commander Garner decides to start preparing the ''Pegasus'' for a jump.

*Over [[wireless]], Commander Garner, Major Adama, and [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] discuss the missing Raptor situation. Commander Garner feels that ''Pegasus'' should [[FTL|jump]] to bring home the missing crews and ships, while the Admiral and Major believe it may be a trap and orders a 5-Raptor recon mission to ascertain the training mission's fate.

*Garner orders a [[Combat Jump|combat jump]] despite Admiral Adama's orders. After discovering this Major Adama confronts Garner and attempts to relieve him of duty, however the Marines take Garner`s side instead and start to escort the Major back to his quarters.

*[[SAR]] Raptors at the rescue site find both Raptors, but the crews are dead. At that moment, three [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] ambush ''Pegasus'' with conventional and nuclear missile barrages seconds after their arrival.

*''Pegasus'''s FTL drive is disabled. Garner attempts to determine the FTL failure's cause from CIC, but the engineering crew are confused from the attack. Commander Garner heads down to Engineering to assess the damage himself, and transfers command of ''Pegasus'' to Major Adama who is briefly in shock over his new responsibility. Adama then orders ''Pegasus'' to a more defensive orientation and to target one of the basestars with its forward batteries, severely damaging the basestar and buying them more time.

*Garner's successful repair of their FTL system allows ''Pegasus'' to escape. Commander Garner, however, dies in the process due to vacuum exposure.

*In Admiral Adama's quarters, the Admiral and Lee Adama review the reports from the incident on ''Pegasus''. After discussing the late ''Pegasus'' commander, the Admiral offers his son the job of commanding ''Pegasus'', along with a promotion to Commander.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] proclaims his candidacy for President of the Colonies in the Presidential election in the midst of a press conference called by [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] regarding abortion in the Fleet.

== Notes ==
*Timeline-wise, Baltar says that he made an initial projection of the Fleet's population "over seven months ago". This would have been before the arrival of ''Pegasus'', since he said he factored in the arrival of her crew subsequently.
*Baltar states that he added the crew of the ''Pegasus'' into his calculations, with the result of the end of the human race within 18 years at current attrition rates.
*It has been "almost a month" since Apollo was shot in "[[Sacrifice]]".
*The recap at the beginning of this episode includes two scenes that did not actually appear in any previous episode, but were constructed by redubbing existing footage.
**The scene where Colonel Tigh and Admiral Adama discuss Garner's promotion is constructed from the scene in "Black Market" when Adama and Tigh are telling Apollo to go to ''Pegasus'' on the hangar deck. The scene has been cleverly redubbed, so that Adama is saying entirely new lines when the camera is pointed at ''Tigh'' (not at Adama's face), and then Tigh says new lines when the camera is pointed at ''Adama''.
**The same technique is used when Baltar is talking to Gina: when the camera is pointed at Baltar, [[Gina]] says "You must betray Roslin and run for President in the upcoming election", but this never occurs in the aired version of "[[Epiphanies]]".
*From the podcast, it seems that the "previously" scene (above) was actually meant for "[[Black Market]]", but the original hangar deck scene had to be heavily edited due to the legal complications surrounding Commander Barry Garner's name. The character was originally named "Barry Trammel", but at the last minute it had to be changed for legal reasons when the production team found that there was a real person with that name.
*Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]] is still on ''Pegasus'', mentioned by Kara Thrace as being in the brig for insubordination. The actor, [[John Pyper-Ferguson]], was unavailable for the episode, and the character was ultimately dropped to due difficulties in booking Ferguson.
*The adjectival form of "Gemenon" is "Gemenese".
*Under Gemenese law, minors are the "property" of their parents.
*[[Mercury class battlestar]]s do not need to retract their flight pods prior to a jump, unlike the [[Galactica type battlestar|Galactica type]].
*The coolant pressure gauges on ''Pegasus'' measure in PSI, presumably [[w:Pound-force per square inch|Pound-force per square inch]]. This is consistent with the use of customary units on the Viper Mk. II's altimeter, seen in "[[Act of Contrition]]".
*This is the fourth episode of the season in which [[Grace Park]] does not appear as [[Sharon Valerii]].
*Writer Jeff Vlaming references [[w:William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s "[[w:The Merchant of Venice|The Merchant of Venice]]" when he has [[Laura Roslin]] tell [[Quorum of Twelve]] delegate [[Sarah Porter]], "you have your pound of flesh".
*Sharon warned Admiral Adama in the previous episode, "[[Sacrifice]]", that the Cylons might try to lay ambushes near some pulsar stars ahead of their position, due to DRADIS interference.
*A promotional image for the episode is from a deleted scene, in which Rya tries to kill herself by overdosing on pills when she is told that she can't have an abortion, and she has to be resuscitated. See ''[[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#The Captain's Hand|List of Deleted Scenes]]'' for the summary.
*This episode had the lowest [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]] figure that an episode of the Re-Imagined Series received up to that point, although the episode was well-received by critics and fans. This is possibly the backlash from what Ron Moore himself feels were the less desirable episodes "Black Market" and "Sacrifice" (Reference: [[Podcast:Sacrifice#Teaser]]).
*Several fans thought that in the final scene with Apollo and Starbuck embracing, Apollo whispers "forever" into Starbuck's ear (after his last line that "we're okay", etc.). However on repeat viewing it's just Starbuck sighing three short times in a row, which vaguely sounds like three syllables. When actor Jamie Bamber was [http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1833539&page=0&fpart=86&vc=1 asked] about this, he confirmed that he did ''not'' whisper "forever".
*Visual effects gaffe: In the shot where the pressure gauge is showing zero the pressure hand is on the wrong side of the zero-stop pin, actually indicating a severe over-pressure instead of vacuum.

== Analysis ==
*The distance between ''Pegasus'' and the lost Raptors is reported in [[SU]]s.
*When Baltar announces his candidacy for the Presidency, Number Six applauds with a slow clap. This action runs in parallel to how then-Commander William Adama led the entire crew in a long, drawn-out slow clap in respect of President Roslin when she was re-instated to her office in "[[Home, Part II]]".
*The survivor count is decremented by six from "[[Sacrifice]]", but seven people died in that episode - terrorists [[Sesha Abinell]], [[Vinson]], [[Page]] and [[Chu]], two unnamed Marines, and civilian [[Billy Keikeya]]. At least one birth must have taken place to offset the population count between the two episodes.
*Based on the ''[[Colonial One]]'' whiteboard seen toward the end of the episode, only five people died as a result of the ambush on ''Pegasus'': [[Richard Bayer|Richard "Buster" Bayer]], [[Lyla Ellway|Lyla "Shark" Ellway]], the unnamed crew of [[Raptor 314]], and Commander [[Barry Garner]].
**This casualty figure is conspicuously low, considering that ''Galactica'' lost 85 crewmen as the result of a hit by a single nuclear missile in the [[Miniseries]], while ''Pegasus'' is hit with no less than three in this episode.
**On the other hand, it is consistent with the also surprisingly low number of casualties incurred in the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], and may indicate that the hull armor on ''Pegasus'' is significantly stronger than on ''Galactica'', which has many conspicuously bare structural ribs.
**A large number of the casualties ''Galactica'' incurred were due to the firefighting crews failure to use breathing gear when Tigh ordered the flight pod vented. However, based on dialogue in this episode, it appears that the ''Pegasus'' firefighting teams did take this precaution.
* It seems clear now that the Cylons are again shadowing the Fleet. They are doing so accurately enough to vector three basestars onto ''Pegasus''. However, as explained in "[[Scar]]", they are afraid to engage the Fleet directly because the Resurrection Ship was destroyed. In the past, one basestar was willing to simply wade into ''Galactica'' and its Vipers, but now they resort to both a sneak attack/trap, and ganging up on a battlestar using superior numbers. The Cylons set up the trap, so they knew where to jump and that's why it was so accurate. In no way does this support a theory that the Cylons want the Fleet to survive, and further, [[Ron Moore]] has repeatedly stated that the Cylons are not doing that and truly want to destroy the Fleet (at least, before the Season 2 finale).
*In the course of this episode, Lee Adama rises from the rank of Captain (CAG of ''Galactica'') to Major (No details are given on that posting except Adama was assigned to ''Pegasus''), to Commander and CO of ''Pegasus'' in the wake of Commander Garner's death saving his ship.
**Major Adama's duty was intended as a temporary stint as ''Pegasus'' acting XO, in order to support Garner and evaluate the performance of the ''Pegasus'' crew. In the opening scene, he tells [[Anastasia Dualla]] that he expects to return to ''Galactica'' "in a couple of weeks".
**The aired episode leaves the nature of Apollo's assignment somewhat open. One could think that he is officially ''Pegasus'''s XO. However, Garner doesn't consider him part of the crew. Moreover, according to a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#The Captain's Hand|deleted scene]], his father sends him there over concerns about Garner and the performance of the crew, while being undecided on whether to make him the ship's XO or not.
*Garner's decision to mount a rescue operation in contravention of his commanding officer's orders is an explicit parallel to "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", down to the choice of words:
:'''Adama:''' "I'm getting my men."
:'''Garner:''' "I'm going to get our men."
*Kara Thrace's posting is finally clarified in this episode: she is now serving as CAG on ''Galactica''.
**She was transferred to ''Pegasus'' in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" and then promoted to that ship's CAG over [[Cole Taylor]] in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]". In "[[Epiphanies]]", it is made clear that Lee Adama regained his posting as ''Galactica's'' CAG. In the same episode Thrace is piloting one of ''Galactica's'' Mk. II Vipers with Kat; in "[[Scar]]" she is serving on ''Galactica'', and appears to have assumed the majority of Adama's responsibilities as CAG, although she still takes orders from him.
**During this episode it is mentioned that she has only been on ''Pegasus'' for four days before getting thrown in the brig, possibly referring to the time she spent away on ''Galactica'' in "Scar" and in the Fleet on leave in "Sacrifice".
*Although there is no clear evidence of this, it's nice to imagine that when Admiral Adama promotes his son to Commander, he gives Lee his old Commander rank insignia.
**This is actually quite likely. the decision to bump Lee to Commander seems to have been made immediately following Garner's debacle, and given that Billy Keikeya had to search extensively for a jeweler to get Adama his Admiral's insignia, giving Lee his old rank insignia was probably as much practicality as it was sentiment.
*There are several factual errors in the scenes where Garner opens the valves to restore the FTL drive coolant pressure:
**Garner should not be able to open the hatch to gain access to the FTL auxiliary controls since the inside of the compartment is losing pressure and the hatch opened outwards. Assuming the breach had formed during the attack the air pressure outside of the compartment would have made it nearly impossible to open the hatch.
**A rupture of that size would not cause a wind-blown effect; otherwise the entire cabin would have had its atmosphere vacated in a shorter amount of time.
**As the atmosphere escapes the air pressure would decrease slower over time, however in this case it clearly decreases faster over time.
*This is the first time that the ''Pegasus'' [[flight pods]] are closely seen in operation. As indicated before, the lower landing bay is upside down. Vipers also land upside down are likely kept in place by magnetism. To create this effect, Starbuck's cockpit scene was flipped in editing. See [[Gravity in the Re-imagined Series#What about the flight pods on Pegasus?|Gravity in the Re-imagined Series]] for more details.
*Major Adama orders the battlestar "left" instead of "port" or give a more accurate bearing. This was normal on British and US naval ships during World War II - even though the officers commanding would know "port" and "starboard" there was no guarantee that the draftee actually steering would know the difference, or be expect not to get confused in the heat and stress of battle.

== Questions ==
*Why is [[Rya Kibby]] seeking an abortion? Who is the biological father to Rya's unborn child? Is this of any consequence?
*Would Adama allow Dr. Cottle to be arrested, give that he is one of the few remaining Doctors? From the episode, he is of the opinion that he would do what is necessary.
*Is Baltar's report real, or just invented to produce the opportunity to drive his wedge?
*Will Roslin replace Baltar as Vice President? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]])
**Can Roslin actually pick another Vice President, under Colonial law, if Baltar refuses to resign? (One of the reporters at the end actually directly asks if Baltar would remain as Vice President.)
*How will Zarek position himself in the Baltar campaign? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Answer]])
*Will Tigh accept (or even care) that Lee Adama now outranks him and has command of a ship?
*What will happen to Rya now that she has been granted asylum on ''Galactica''?
*Had Garner been serving as XO to ''Pegasus's'' previous commander, the late [[Jack Fisk]]?
*Does the fact that the Cylons have such a large force waiting to ambush ''Pegasus'' indicate that they have a new [[Resurrection Ship]] in place? (See #Analysis)
*Why is abortion legal and established throughout the Colonies despite being against the religious views of at least one planet? Does this indicate a strong central government, that can dictate laws against the wishes of large population groups, instead of a federal system with the planets having more autonomy?
*Now that Lee Adama is commanding ''Pegasus'', who does he have for an XO since it is apparent both battlestars are short field grade officers? ([[Razor|Answer 1]], [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer 2, Post-LDYB, Part I]])
*What kind of equipment is available to fix small breaches such as the one in the ''Pegasus'''s engine room? [[Helo]] uses a hand-held pressure pad to seal a minor breach in the damaged Raptor during the [[Miniseries]] right after he receives his leg wound. Kara Thrace uses her [[flight suit]] to seal a fist-sized hole in her recovered Raider in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]". Considering the importance of gaining access to that compartment why is no attempt made to seal the breach? ([[A Day in the Life|Answer]])

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Rekha Sharma]] discusses [[Tory Foster]]'s replacing [[Billy Keikeya]] ([[Paul Campbell]]):''
: '''Rekha Sharma:''' Actually, I hadn't seen the show at all until after I had shot the first episode .... but once I got all caught up, I thought - uh oh - people are gonna hate me... (ha ha !) what can I say ? - Billy was pretty sweet and unoffensive, and Tory's gotta whole different thing goin on.... but I'm glad I had no idea in the beginning. I'm always wary of preconceived notions getting in the way of the work.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/rekha_sharma_01.htm|title=Rekha Sharma interview by The Scifi World|date=May 16, 2007|accessdate=26 May 2007|last=Nuytens|first=Gilles|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*{{audio|The Captain's Hand - Lee's promotion.mp3|''Following the Cylon ambush of ''Pegasus'' and the death of Commander Garner.''}}
:'''Admiral Adama''': In your opinion, off the record, what was [[Barry Garner|Garner]]'s flaw?
:'''Major Lee Adama''': He was used to working with machines. Command is about people.
:'''Admiral Adama''': Remember that, as you take command of "The Beast" (''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''). Garner was my decision; his failures, my responsibility. Don't let me fail a second time. Congratulations, Commander.

*{{audio|The Captain's Hand - Baltar's announcement.mp3|''Responding to President Roslin's decision to criminalize abortion.''}}
:'''Vice-President Baltar''': It is true in the light of recent events, the President may have lost support in some quarters. I would ask the people to understand that if this is an extreme decision, we live in extreme times. The decision has been made with good faith. I, however, cannot with good conscience support it. I am so sorry, Madame President, but the Cylon have no understanding the meaning of the word "freedom". How could they? They're programmed...machines. Every time you take away one of our freedoms, every time we restrict or curtail one of our rights, we become one step closer to being like them. As the Vice-President, I am bound to follow the administration's lead; as President, I should have no such strictures. Given the current situation, I'm afraid that I have no alternative but to announce that I am, as of now, a candidate for the Presidency.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally Tyrol|Cally Henderson]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[John Heard]] as Commander [[Barry Garner]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]]
*[[Stephanie von Pfetten]] as Cpt. [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
*[[Kavan Smith]] as Lt. [[Richard Bayer|Richard "Buster" Bayer]]
*[[Amber Rothwell]] as [[Rya Kibby]]
*[[Patricia Idlette]] as [[Sarah Porter]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Brad Dryborough]] as [[Hoshi]]
*[[Aaron Pearl]] as Ensign [[Abel Thornton]]
*[[Christina Schild]] as [[Playa Palacios]]
*[[Tammy Hui]] as ECO [[Lyla Ellway|Lyla "Shark" Ellway]]
*[[James Bell]] as Lt. [[Steve Fleer|Steve "Red Devil" Fleer]]
*[[Kimani Ray Smith]] as ''Pegasus'' Sergeant
*[[Kurt Max Runte]] as Ensign [[Charles Bellamy]]

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Captain's Hand, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Captain's Hand, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Jeff Vlaming]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Mensch und Maschine]]

The Captain's Hand

2007-11-23T04:49:39Z

Real Too: correcting the sentence about Grace Park's non-appearance

{{Episode Data
| image = Adamas.jpg
| title= The Captain's Hand
| season= 2
| episode= 17
| guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
| writer= [[Jeff Vlaming]]
| story=
| director= [[Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
| production=
| rating= [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|1.7]]
| US airdate= 2006-02-17
| UK airdate= 2006-04-25
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 49584
| oldpopulation= 49590
| prev= [[Sacrifice]]
| next= [[Downloaded]]
| podcast= Y
| 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%253D119951242%2526id%253D102808898%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000V20PCU&tag=battlestarwik-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
}}

== Overview ==

:''When two Raptors go missing after a training mission, new ''Pegasus'' commander [[Barry Garner]] challenges Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]]'s orders by sending his battlestar directly into the rescue zone — and a trap.''

== Summary ==
*Two [[Raptor]]s begin a training mission outside ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', which is near a [[Wikipedia:Binary star system|binary star]] that causes [[Dradis|DRADIS]] and communications interference. Shortly after contact with the Raptors is lost.

*On ''[[Galactica]]'', [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] and the deck crew are in the process of unloading containers, Chief Tyrol finds a pregnant teenager inside who asks for [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]].

*[[Lee Adama]], now promoted to Major, arrives as acting [[Executive officer|XO]] on the [[Mercury class battlestar|battlestar]] ''Pegasus'', where he runs into [[Kara Thrace]]. Both report to Commander Garner in ''Pegasus''' [[CIC]]. Garner argues with now-Captain Thrace over the disappearance of the Raptors.

*[[Barry Garner|Commander Garner]] and Major Adama talk in private about the discipline on ''Pegasus''. Garner thinks that [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] is a huge part of the problem and that the virtues learned in his experience as an engineer would do the ship some good.

*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Laura_Roslin|President Roslin]] is hounded by her new aide, [[Tory Foster]], about preparing for the coming election. Elsewhere, [[Tom Zarek]] discusses the idea of presidency. He concedes he's not able to garner support, but is willing to support someone more popular: [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]].

*Back on ''Galactica'', Dr. [[Cottle]] and Admiral Adama discuss the fate of the young woman found in the container, [[Rya Kibby]]. Kibby mentions the fact that she doesn't want to keep the baby, but Admiral Adama (on request from the Gemenese delegate) is intent on sending her back to her family. Dr. Cottle semi-sarcastically suggests that she request asylum aboard ''Galactica'', a suggestion that she takes seriously.

*News of Rya Kibby's asylum request raises a stir throughout the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] discusses the issue with Admiral Adama, Tory Foster, and Delegate [[Sarah_Porter|Sarah Porter]] from [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemonon|Gemenon]]. Delegate Porter states that abortion is an obscenity and demands that the girl be returned to her parents. Afterwards, President Roslin mentions she's not willing to even consider the idea of abortion in general, having fought for a woman's right to control her body for her entire career, but Admiral Adama quotes her own words back to her, reminding her that their population must increase in order to survive.

*While reviewing the last transmissions from the Raptors, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discovers the reason for the missing Raptors may be that they responded to a distress call. She attempts to bring this up with Commander Garner, who flatly rejects the theory and orders Thrace confined to quarters.

*Shortly thereafter additional search parties learn of the distress call that lured the first Raptors away. Commander Garner decides to start preparing the ''Pegasus'' for a jump.

*Over [[wireless]], Commander Garner, Major Adama, and [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] discuss the missing Raptor situation. Commander Garner feels that ''Pegasus'' should [[FTL|jump]] to bring home the missing crews and ships, while the Admiral and Major believe it may be a trap and orders a 5-Raptor recon mission to ascertain the training mission's fate.

*Garner orders a [[Combat Jump|combat jump]] despite Admiral Adama's orders. After discovering this Major Adama confronts Garner and attempts to relieve him of duty, however the Marines take Garner`s side instead and start to escort the Major back to his quarters.

*[[SAR]] Raptors at the rescue site find both Raptors, but the crews are dead. At that moment, three [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] ambush ''Pegasus'' with conventional and nuclear missile barrages seconds after their arrival.

*''Pegasus'''s FTL drive is disabled. Garner attempts to determine the FTL failure's cause from CIC, but the engineering crew are confused from the attack. Commander Garner heads down to Engineering to assess the damage himself, and transfers command of ''Pegasus'' to Major Adama who is briefly in shock over his new responsibility. Adama then orders ''Pegasus'' to a more defensive orientation and to target one of the basestars with its forward batteries, severely damaging the basestar and buying them more time.

*Garner's successful repair of their FTL system allows ''Pegasus'' to escape. Commander Garner, however, dies in the process due to vacuum exposure.

*In Admiral Adama's quarters, the Admiral and Lee Adama review the reports from the incident on ''Pegasus''. After discussing the late ''Pegasus'' commander, the Admiral offers his son the job of commanding ''Pegasus'', along with a promotion to Commander.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] proclaims his candidacy for President of the Colonies in the Presidential election in the midst of a press conference called by [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] regarding abortion in the Fleet.

== Notes ==
*Timeline-wise, Baltar says that he made an initial projection of the Fleet's population "over seven months ago". This would have been before the arrival of ''Pegasus'', since he said he factored in the arrival of her crew subsequently.
*Baltar states that he added the crew of the ''Pegasus'' into his calculations, with the result of the end of the human race within 18 years at current attrition rates.
*It has been "almost a month" since Apollo was shot in "[[Sacrifice]]".
*The recap at the beginning of this episode includes two scenes that did not actually appear in any previous episode, but were constructed by redubbing existing footage.
**The scene where Colonel Tigh and Admiral Adama discuss Garner's promotion is constructed from the scene in "Black Market" when Adama and Tigh are telling Apollo to go to ''Pegasus'' on the hangar deck. The scene has been cleverly redubbed, so that Adama is saying entirely new lines when the camera is pointed at ''Tigh'' (not at Adama's face), and then Tigh says new lines when the camera is pointed at ''Adama''.
**The same technique is used when Baltar is talking to Gina: when the camera is pointed at Baltar, [[Gina]] says "You must betray Roslin and run for President in the upcoming election", but this never occurs in the aired version of "[[Epiphanies]]".
*From the podcast, it seems that the "previously" scene (above) was actually meant for "[[Black Market]]", but the original hangar deck scene had to be heavily edited due to the legal complications surrounding Commander Barry Garner's name. The character was originally named "Barry Trammel", but at the last minute it had to be changed for legal reasons when the production team found that there was a real person with that name.
*Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]] is still on ''Pegasus'', mentioned by Kara Thrace as being in the brig for insubordination. The actor, [[John Pyper-Ferguson]], was unavailable for the episode, and the character was ultimately dropped to due difficulties in booking Ferguson.
*The adjectival form of "Gemenon" is "Gemenese".
*Under Gemenese law, minors are the "property" of their parents.
*[[Mercury class battlestar]]s do not need to retract their flight pods prior to a jump, unlike the [[Galactica type battlestar|Galactica type]].
*The coolant pressure gauges on ''Pegasus'' measure in PSI, presumably [[w:Pound-force per square inch|Pound-force per square inch]]. This is consistent with the use of customary units on the Viper Mk. II's altimeter, seen in "[[Act of Contrition]]".
*This is the fourth episode of the season in which [[Grace Park]] does not appear as [[Sharon Valerii]].
*Writer Jeff Vlaming references [[w:William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s "[[w:The Merchant of Venice|The Merchant of Venice]]" when he has [[Laura Roslin]] tell [[Quorum of Twelve]] delegate [[Sarah Porter]], "you have your pound of flesh".
*Sharon warned Admiral Adama in the previous episode, "[[Sacrifice]]", that the Cylons might try to lay ambushes near some pulsar stars ahead of their position, due to DRADIS interference.
*A promotional images for the episode is from a deleted scene, in which Rya tries to kill herself by overdosing on pills when she is told that she can't have an abortion, and she has to be resuscitated. See ''[[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#The Captain's Hand|List of Deleted Scenes]]'' for the summary.
*This episode had the lowest [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|Nielsen ratings]] figure that an episode of the Re-Imagined Series received up to that point, although the episode was well-received by critics and fans. This is possibly the backlash from what Ron Moore himself feels were the less desirable episodes "Black Market" and "Sacrifice" (Reference: [[Podcast:Sacrifice#Teaser]]).
*Several fans thought that in the final scene with Apollo and Starbuck embracing, Apollo whispers "forever" into Starbuck's ear (after his last line that "we're okay", etc.). However on repeat viewing it's just Starbuck sighing three short times in a row, which vaguely sounds like three syllables. When actor Jamie Bamber was [http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1833539&page=0&fpart=86&vc=1 asked] about this, he confirmed that he did ''not'' whisper "forever".
*Visual effects gaffe: In the shot where the pressure gauge is showing zero the pressure hand is on the wrong side of the zero-stop pin, actually indicating a severe over-pressure instead of vacuum.

== Analysis ==
*The distance between ''Pegasus'' and the lost Raptors is reported in [[SU]]s.
*When Baltar announces his candidacy for the Presidency, Number Six applauds with a slow clap. This action runs in parallel to how then-Commander William Adama led the entire crew in a long, drawn-out slow clap in respect of President Roslin when she was re-instated to her office in "[[Home, Part II]]".
*The survivor count is decremented by six from "[[Sacrifice]]", but seven people died in that episode - terrorists [[Sesha Abinell]], [[Vinson]], [[Page]] and [[Chu]], two unnamed Marines, and civilian [[Billy Keikeya]]. At least one birth must have taken place to offset the population count between the two episodes.
*Based on the ''[[Colonial One]]'' whiteboard seen toward the end of the episode, only five people died as a result of the ambush on ''Pegasus'': [[Richard Bayer|Richard "Buster" Bayer]], [[Lyla Ellway|Lyla "Shark" Ellway]], the unnamed crew of [[Raptor 314]], and Commander [[Barry Garner]].
**This casualty figure is conspicuously low, considering that ''Galactica'' lost 85 crewmen as the result of a hit by a single nuclear missile in the [[Miniseries]], while ''Pegasus'' is hit with no less than three in this episode.
**On the other hand, it is consistent with the also surprisingly low number of casualties incurred in the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], and may indicate that the hull armor on ''Pegasus'' is significantly stronger than on ''Galactica'', which has many conspicuously bare structural ribs.
**A large number of the casualties ''Galactica'' incurred were due to the firefighting crews failure to use breathing gear when Tigh ordered the flight pod vented. However, based on dialogue in this episode, it appears that the ''Pegasus'' firefighting teams did take this precaution.
* It seems clear now that the Cylons are again shadowing the Fleet. They are doing so accurately enough to vector three basestars onto ''Pegasus''. However, as explained in "[[Scar]]", they are afraid to engage the Fleet directly because the Resurrection Ship was destroyed. In the past, one basestar was willing to simply wade into ''Galactica'' and its Vipers, but now they resort to both a sneak attack/trap, and ganging up on a battlestar using superior numbers. The Cylons set up the trap, so they knew where to jump and that's why it was so accurate. In no way does this support a theory that the Cylons want the Fleet to survive, and further, [[Ron Moore]] has repeatedly stated that the Cylons are not doing that and truly want to destroy the Fleet (at least, before the Season 2 finale).
*In the course of this episode, Lee Adama rises from the rank of Captain (CAG of ''Galactica'') to Major (No details are given on that posting except Adama was assigned to ''Pegasus''), to Commander and CO of ''Pegasus'' in the wake of Commander Garner's death saving his ship.
**Major Adama's duty was intended as a temporary stint as ''Pegasus'' acting XO, in order to support Garner and evaluate the performance of the ''Pegasus'' crew. In the opening scene, he tells [[Anastasia Dualla]] that he expects to return to ''Galactica'' "in a couple of weeks".
**The aired episode leaves the nature of Apollo's assignment somewhat open. One could think that he is officially ''Pegasus'''s XO. However, Garner doesn't consider him part of the crew. Moreover, according to a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#The Captain's Hand|deleted scene]], his father sends him there over concerns about Garner and the performance of the crew, while being undecided on whether to make him the ship's XO or not.
*Garner's decision to mount a rescue operation in contravention of his commanding officer's orders is an explicit parallel to "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]", down to the choice of words:
:'''Adama:''' "I'm getting my men."
:'''Garner:''' "I'm going to get our men."
*Kara Thrace's posting is finally clarified in this episode: she is now serving as CAG on ''Galactica''.
**She was transferred to ''Pegasus'' in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" and then promoted to that ship's CAG over [[Cole Taylor]] in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]". In "[[Epiphanies]]", it is made clear that Lee Adama regained his posting as ''Galactica's'' CAG. In the same episode Thrace is piloting one of ''Galactica's'' Mk. II Vipers with Kat; in "[[Scar]]" she is serving on ''Galactica'', and appears to have assumed the majority of Adama's responsibilities as CAG, although she still takes orders from him.
**During this episode it is mentioned that she has only been on ''Pegasus'' for four days before getting thrown in the brig, possibly referring to the time she spent away on ''Galactica'' in "Scar" and in the Fleet on leave in "Sacrifice".
*Although there is no clear evidence of this, it's nice to imagine that when Admiral Adama promotes his son to Commander, he gives Lee his old Commander rank insignia.
**This is actually quite likely. the decision to bump Lee to Commander seems to have been made immediately following Garner's debacle, and given that Billy Keikeya had to search extensively for a jeweler to get Adama his Admiral's insignia, giving Lee his old rank insignia was probably as much practicality as it was sentiment.
*There are several factual errors in the scenes where Garner opens the valves to restore the FTL drive coolant pressure:
**Garner should not be able to open the hatch to gain access to the FTL auxiliary controls since the inside of the compartment is losing pressure and the hatch opened outwards. Assuming the breach had formed during the attack the air pressure outside of the compartment would have made it nearly impossible to open the hatch.
**A rupture of that size would not cause a wind-blown effect; otherwise the entire cabin would have had its atmosphere vacated in a shorter amount of time.
**As the atmosphere escapes the air pressure would decrease slower over time, however in this case it clearly decreases faster over time.
*This is the first time that the ''Pegasus'' [[flight pods]] are closely seen in operation. As indicated before, the lower landing bay is upside down. Vipers also land upside down are likely kept in place by magnetism. To create this effect, Starbuck's cockpit scene was flipped in editing. See [[Gravity in the Re-imagined Series#What about the flight pods on Pegasus?|Gravity in the Re-imagined Series]] for more details.
*Major Adama orders the battlestar "left" instead of "port" or give a more accurate bearing. This was normal on British and US naval ships during World War II - even though the officers commanding would know "port" and "starboard" there was no guarantee that the draftee actually steering would know the difference, or be expect not to get confused in the heat and stress of battle.

== Questions ==
*Why is [[Rya Kibby]] seeking an abortion? Who is the biological father to Rya's unborn child? Is this of any consequence?
*Would Adama allow Dr. Cottle to be arrested, give that he is one of the few remaining Doctors? From the episode, he is of the opinion that he would do what is necessary.
*Is Baltar's report real, or just invented to produce the opportunity to drive his wedge?
*Will Roslin replace Baltar as Vice President? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]])
**Can Roslin actually pick another Vice President, under Colonial law, if Baltar refuses to resign? (One of the reporters at the end actually directly asks if Baltar would remain as Vice President.)
*How will Zarek position himself in the Baltar campaign? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Answer]])
*Will Tigh accept (or even care) that Lee Adama now outranks him and has command of a ship?
*What will happen to Rya now that she has been granted asylum on ''Galactica''?
*Had Garner been serving as XO to ''Pegasus's'' previous commander, the late [[Jack Fisk]]?
*Does the fact that the Cylons have such a large force waiting to ambush ''Pegasus'' indicate that they have a new [[Resurrection Ship]] in place? (See #Analysis)
*Why is abortion legal and established throughout the Colonies despite being against the religious views of at least one planet? Does this indicate a strong central government, that can dictate laws against the wishes of large population groups, instead of a federal system with the planets having more autonomy?
*Now that Lee Adama is commanding ''Pegasus'', who does he have for an XO since it is apparent both battlestars are short field grade officers? ([[Razor|Answer 1]], [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer 2, Post-LDYB, Part I]])
*What kind of equipment is available to fix small breaches such as the one in the ''Pegasus'''s engine room? [[Helo]] uses a hand-held pressure pad to seal a minor breach in the damaged Raptor during the [[Miniseries]] right after he receives his leg wound. Kara Thrace uses her [[flight suit]] to seal a fist-sized hole in her recovered Raider in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]". Considering the importance of gaining access to that compartment why is no attempt made to seal the breach? ([[A Day in the Life|Answer]])

== Official Statements ==

* ''[[Rekha Sharma]] discusses [[Tory Foster]]'s replacing [[Billy Keikeya]] ([[Paul Campbell]]):''
: '''Rekha Sharma:''' Actually, I hadn't seen the show at all until after I had shot the first episode .... but once I got all caught up, I thought - uh oh - people are gonna hate me... (ha ha !) what can I say ? - Billy was pretty sweet and unoffensive, and Tory's gotta whole different thing goin on.... but I'm glad I had no idea in the beginning. I'm always wary of preconceived notions getting in the way of the work.<ref>{{cite_web|url=http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/rekha_sharma_01.htm|title=Rekha Sharma interview by The Scifi World|date=May 16, 2007|accessdate=26 May 2007|last=Nuytens|first=Gilles|format=|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*{{audio|The Captain's Hand - Lee's promotion.mp3|''Following the Cylon ambush of ''Pegasus'' and the death of Commander Garner.''}}
:'''Admiral Adama''': In your opinion, off the record, what was [[Barry Garner|Garner]]'s flaw?
:'''Major Lee Adama''': He was used to working with machines. Command is about people.
:'''Admiral Adama''': Remember that, as you take command of "The Beast" (''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''). Garner was my decision; his failures, my responsibility. Don't let me fail a second time. Congratulations, Commander.

*{{audio|The Captain's Hand - Baltar's announcement.mp3|''Responding to President Roslin's decision to criminalize abortion.''}}
:'''Vice-President Baltar''': It is true in the light of recent events, the President may have lost support in some quarters. I would ask the people to understand that if this is an extreme decision, we live in extreme times. The decision has been made with good faith. I, however, cannot with good conscience support it. I am so sorry, Madame President, but the Cylon have no understanding the meaning of the word "freedom". How could they? They're programmed...machines. Every time you take away one of our freedoms, every time we restrict or curtail one of our rights, we become one step closer to being like them. As the Vice-President, I am bound to follow the administration's lead; as President, I should have no such strictures. Given the current situation, I'm afraid that I have no alternative but to announce that I am, as of now, a candidate for the Presidency.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally Tyrol|Cally Henderson]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[John Heard]] as Commander [[Barry Garner]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]]
*[[Stephanie von Pfetten]] as Cpt. [[Marcia Case|Marcia "Showboat" Case]]
*[[Kavan Smith]] as Lt. [[Richard Bayer|Richard "Buster" Bayer]]
*[[Amber Rothwell]] as [[Rya Kibby]]
*[[Patricia Idlette]] as [[Sarah Porter]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Brad Dryborough]] as [[Hoshi]]
*[[Aaron Pearl]] as Ensign [[Abel Thornton]]
*[[Christina Schild]] as [[Playa Palacios]]
*[[Tammy Hui]] as ECO [[Lyla Ellway|Lyla "Shark" Ellway]]
*[[James Bell]] as Lt. [[Steve Fleer|Steve "Red Devil" Fleer]]
*[[Kimani Ray Smith]] as ''Pegasus'' Sergeant
*[[Kurt Max Runte]] as Ensign [[Charles Bellamy]]

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Captain's Hand, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|Captain's Hand, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Jeff Vlaming]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Mensch und Maschine]]

The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II

2007-11-23T01:47:45Z

Real Too: Cadet Bow does not appear in this episode (he died in Part I)

{{Episode Data
| image = Iceplanet1.jpg
| title= The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II
| series= tos
| season=
| episode= 7
| guests=
| writer= [[IMDB:nm0805994|Michael Sloan]] <br/> [[Donald Bellisario]] <br/> [[Glen A. Larson]]
| story= [[IMDB:nm0409844|John Ireland Jr.]]
| director= [[IMDB:nm0505420|Alan Levi]]
| production= 50207
| rating=
| US airdate= 1978-10-29
| UK airdate=
| dvd= 2004-12-28
| population=
| prev= [[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I]]
| next= [[The Magnificent Warriors]]
| 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%253D208477534%2526id%253D205801820%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
}}
== Overview ==

:''Herded into a confined area of space, the fleet must pass within close range of a lethal [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylon]] pulsar cannon—unless an expedition from the ''Galactica'' can assault the ice-bound fortress housing the weapon. [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]], [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]], and [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] lead a team of cut-throat demolitions and cold-weather experts (and the stowaway [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]]). Along they way, they encounter the misguided human scientist who originally built the weapon, as well as his legions of clones.''

== Summary ==

* The last [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] passes by the group, failing to notice them in the crevice below.

* [[Ser 5-9]] returns, reporting that the way is now clear.

* [[Croft]] is relieved that the [[Theta|Thetas]] were not turning them in to the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]]. [[Tenna]] reveals that they hate the Cylons. Apparently the Cylons consider Theta class lifeforms to be subhuman, as they were created to perform slave labor. Ser 5-9 and Tenna (and their enclave) have revolted, and no longer work for the Cylons.

* [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] asks if they will help destroy the [[Ravashol pulsar]], but Ser 5-9 reminds him that they first have to get to the village of the Thetas.

* They enter the underground city via a stairway underneath a covered hatch. They sneak through the passages, apparently unable to move openly.

* Ser 5-9 will take Apollo to [[Ravashol|Dr. Ravashol]], who lives at the base of [[Mount Hekla]]. First, he will take Apollo's people to safety.

* Aboard his [[Basestar (TOS)|basestar]], [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] asks to know if the Colonial landing party has been destroyed. [[Lucifer]] indicates that it was "not exactly" destroyed. Baltar is outraged, and orders [[Cylon Raiders|figthers]] to attack [[Galactica (TOS)|''Galactica'']]. This is a suicide attack, since they will not have enough fuel to return to the basestar. Baltar argues that they need to push ''Galactica'' forward, and that he would give the same orders to humans.

* The Cylons begin searching the Theta village for the humans. They are told to hide amongst the children. Apparently despite the fact that the Cylons had demanded that the Thetas be sterile, they have been breeding and hiding the children.

* Apollo and Ser 5-9 arrive at Dr. Ravashol's lab. Dr. Ravashol admonishes Ser 5-9, saying that only planners are allowed in the lab. He quickly surmises that Ser is a "5 series". Ser replies that he is "Series 5, Culture 9". (Hence the Ser 5-9 designation.)

* When Apollo reveals he is from ''Galactica'' Ravashol says he will have nothing to do with violence. Apollo asks about the Ravashol pulsar, and Dr. Ravashol claims that it is an energy lens system for sending intelligence information across the galaxy. Apollo tells him that he lost two [[Viper (TOS)|Vipers]] to his energy lens system.

* Dr. Ravashol does not believe this, claiming that the pulsar is manned by Series 5 Theta class lifeforms. Ser 5-9 tells him that they are whipped by Cylons if they even approach the pulsar.

* When confronted with the truth that the Cylons are running it, Dr. Ravashol claims that it is a temporary misuse. He claims no responsibility over the use of his creations.

* A Cylon patrol comes to search Dr. Ravashol's laboratory. Apollo is hidden inside a computer tower. When Ser 5-9 is discovered, Dr. Ravashol claims he was needed for heavy lifting. [[Vulpa]] orders the patrol out of the lab, and Ser 5-9 punished (since only planners are supposed to be in the lab).

* The Cylons disrupt things down in the village, and [[Thane]] thinks it is an opportunity to make a break for it. [[Leda]] thinks they'll have a better chance on the mountain. After the Cylons pass Thane grabs one of the Series 5 Thetas from behind.

* Dr. Ravashol rages at Apollo for disrupting the previous orderly situation. Planners to think, and workers to work. Apollo tells him they were forced there by the Cylons, and that things aren't as orderly as he'd like to believe. Apollo reveals that his workers are thinking and breeding.

* Dr. Ravashol is stunned that they are breeding. Apollo asks for Dr. Ravashol's help on behalf of the Thetas, because in a sense they are his children.

* A phalanx of raiders attacks the fleet. [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] scrambles [[Blue Squadron]] to defend against them.

* Baltar orders the fighters to break off their attack, despite lacking enough fuel to return. He thinks that this will cause Adama to believe that the basestars are closer than they actually are.

* Dr. Ravashol shows Apollo a schematic of the Ravashol pulsar. He explains that the only way they might hope to destroy the pulsar would be to jam or reverse the main pump.

* Thane has taken the clothes from the Theta he grabbed, and is trying to make his way through the village.

* [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] and the rest are taken to a hidden chamber with the Thetan children. [[Boomer (TOS)|Boomer]] finally notices Thane's absence. Starbuck speculates that he might have gotten separated, but Croft claims that Thane was looking for an opportunity to make a break for it. Two Tennas leave to go look for him.

* Thane is revealed to have been captured by a Cylon patrol. When questioned, he claims to be alone, and feigns ignorance about ''Galactica''.

* Starbuck heads out to rescue Thane. He hopes that by dressing like a Theta he might be able to pass undetected. Tenna questions whether he wants to save Thane or "the other one". Starbuck admits he is looking for a pilot that he had lost named [[Cree]]. He may have survived the crash. Tenna hopes for Cree's sake that he didn't survive.

* The Cylons appear to have completed Cree's brain probe. Vulpa orders him to be sent to a "[[cold cell]]", promising to examine the results of the probe later.

* Thane continues to evade the questioning of the Cylons, refusing to tell how many combat ships are in the fleet.

* Starbuck and Tenna meet up with Ser 5-9. Ser 5-9 has survived his punishment, being whipped instead of killed thanks to Dr. Ravashol's lie.

* Thane appears to break under questioning, telling the Centurions that everything they want to know is recorded on a tape coder in his inner pocket. Thane indicates a button that should be pressed. When the Centurion presses the button, the hand mine detonates killing Thane and several Centurions.

* Starbuck returns to report that Thane is dead, but that he did not betray them.

* Apollo lays out the plan for destroying the pulsar. There will be a simultaneous attack, one on the garrison station (to be lead by Starbuck), and the other on the gun itself (to be lead by Apollo). They synchronize their timepieces to countdown to 200 [[Centon (TOS)|centons]]. After that, the fleet will have to move forward.

* Outside on the mountain, [[Wolfe]], Leda, and Croft discuss strategy. Wolfe has found out from one of the Thetas that the Cylon fighters are on top of the mountain. He proposes that they steal one and escape. Croft objects, claiming that ''Galactica'' will hunt them down, but Wolfe points out that ''Galactica'' is too busy being hunted by the Cylons. Leda asks if Croft is refusing freedom again (like the original time they were imprisoned). Croft says that he would not fire on a Colonial fighter, but Leda says they thanked him for that by chaining him up. Leda and Wolfe plead for him to commit to their plan, and Croft agrees.

* Lucifer reports that some of the fighters (30%) turned out to have enough fuel to be able to return to the basestar. Baltar orders them to be sent out again to engage ''Galactica''. Baltar claims that it will drive Adama crazy.

* The raiders approach ''Galactica'', and Blue Squadron is launched (again) to intercept them. The Vipers and ''Galactica'''s defenses manage to fight off the raiders, forcing their retreat. The basestars are approaching quickly, however. The fleet is forced to move forward again to stay ahead of them.

* Baltar informs Vulpa that the basestars have arrived, and orders random firing of the Ravashol pulsar to sweep the corridor that the fleet must pass through.

* The firing of the pulsar causes an avalanche, causing Apollo's team to try to take cover against the snow. Apollo covers up Croft, prompting Croft to say that he owes Apollo one. Ser 5-9 has a rock land on his leg, breaking it. Tenna begins to take him back down the mountain while the others continue their assault.

* Wolfe sees an opportunity, and pulls the laser pistol (that he had grabbed from Voight) on Apollo. He reveals their plan to steal a raider and try to escape. The pulsar fires, causing a tremor, and Croft grabs the pistol from Wolfe. Wolfe runs off into the blizzard.

* Leda claims their only hope is to follow Wolfe, but Croft says that they've got a mission to accomplish. Apollo puts Croft in charge, and time is running out.

* The fleet is moving close to the range of the pulsar. On Tigh's suggestion the fleet's ships move to maximum speed (rather than moving at the speed of the slowest ship) and increase their interval spacing.

* Starbuck takes Tenna hoping to quickly find and free Cree. He tells Boomer not to wait for him past 20 centons.

* Apollo's team reaches the intake tube to the cooling system of the pulsar. Leda claims that they don't have enough [[solonite]] to destroy the whole pulsar. Apollo says that Dr. Ravashol said that they only need to knock out the [[energy exchange pump]] and the pulsar will destroy itself.

* Tenna shows Starbuck the emergency escape hatch of the prison where the "cold cells" are located. Starbuck claims he'll have the element of surprise, since nobody ever breaks into prisons. He gets the drop on two Centurion guards, and shoots the lock of Cree's "cold cell". Starbuck helps Cree walk as they escape.

* Tenna reveals that the Thetas will help Starbuck to overthrow the Cylon garrison, but that they will not help destroy the pulsar. She claims they will use whatever means necessary to prevent its destruction.

* Starbuck argues with a 5-series Theta. The Theta wants to keep the pulsar, fearing Cylon retribution after ''Galactica'' is gone. They believe it is their only defense.

* Dr. Ravashol intervenes, claiming that the Thetas are far more human than he realized. Therefore the fleet threatened by the pulsar are the brothers of the Thetas, and must be helped. He promises to protect the Thetas. The Thetas agree to destroy the pulsar.

* Starbuck asks Dr. Ravashol how he will protect them, and Dr. Ravashol reveals that he did not give the Cylons everything that he has developed.

* The attack commences, and both teams go in with guns blazing. Several Centurions are destroyed. Apollo's team manages to place the charges. Vulpa gets a shot off, but Leda sacrifices her self to save Croft. Starbuck kills Vulpa.

* The garrison has been wiped out. The team escapes down the mountain in an elevator. Starbuck retrieves [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] and the other Theta children.

* The explosives detonate, destroying the pulsar in a gigantic explosion. ''Galactica'' detects the explosion, and realizes the team has succeeded. Adama orders a rescue team to retrieve them with a full fighter escort.

* Lucifer reports the bad news to Baltar. Baltar is furious, but Lucifer recommends they come up with a united front that could be presented to the newly installed [[Imperious Leader]]. Baltar promises that he will yet have the last laugh.

* Starbuck says his passionate farewells to three of the Tennas. Apollo says the Theta children seem more human, which pleases Dr. Ravashol. Dr. Ravashol assures Apollo that they will be able to handle the Cylons. Apollo has to force Starbuck away from his "chance of a lifetime."

== Notes ==

* Dan O'Herlihy guest starred on ''[[w:Bonanza|Bonanza]]'' with Lorne Greene in an episode called "The Artist".
* Baltar is walking with a limp in act one of this episode. This is more than likely due to the cave in at the [[Tomb of the Ninth Lord of Kobol|Ninth Lord's Tomb]] on [[Kobol (TOS)|Kobol]], which occured in the previous episode "[[Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II]]". The limp does not reoccur in any other episode of the series, indicating that the limp is temporary.
* The use of [[centon]] in this episode, as with the previous episode, is used both as a measurement of time and of distance.
* Due to the fact that this episode was filmed prior to "[[The Long Patrol]]", there are noted inconsistencies in this episode. Among them, is the fact that the Fleet is still in [[Epsilon Quadrant]] (where [[Kobol (TOS)|Kobol]] is in "[[Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II]]") and that they are clearly in their [[Cyranus galaxy|home galaxy]].

== Analysis ==


== Questions ==

* How was Dr. Ravashol able to construct the pulsar and his base of operations on [[Arcta]]? Did he have assistance? If so, who aided him?
* Does [[Wolfe]] die in the wilderness of Arcta?
* Why did Ravashol leave the Colonies?
* What other inventions does Ravashol have in his possession?
* Furthermore, why does he not share some of his inventions with the Fleet?

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

:'''Baltar:''' Have our [[Raider (TOS)|fighters]] engaged the [[Galactica (TOS)|''Galactica'']]?
:'''Lucifer:''' Yes, but they will not have enough fuel to return.
:'''Baltar:''' Break off the attack.
:'''Lucifer:''' Baltar, I believe my sound sensor mishears you.
:'''Baltar:''' I said break off the attack.

== Guest Stars ==
*[[imdb:nm0858186|Roy Thinnes]] as [[Croft]]
*[[imdb:nm0647921|James Olson]] as [[Thane]]
*[[imdb:nm0067785|Christine Belford]] as [[Leda]]
*[[Richard Lynch]] as [[Wolfe]]
*[[Denny Miller]] as [[Ser 5-9]]
*[[imdb:nm0001180|Britt Ekland]] as [[Tenna]]
*[[imdb:nm0641397|Dan O'Herlihy]] as [[Ravashol|Dr. Ravashol]]
*[[imdb:nm0830711|Alan Stock]] as [[Cree|Cadet Cree]]
*[[Walt Davis]] as [[Vickers]]

{{Episode List (TOS)}}

[[Category:A to Z|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:TOS|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (TOS)|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Sloan|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Donald Bellisario|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Glen A. Larson|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by John Ireland Jr.|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Alan Levi|Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part II, The]]
{{TOS}}

Slayer

2007-11-22T02:30:27Z

Real Too: The banquet held by Adama was in The Long Patrol, not The Lost Warrior.

{{Character Data
| title=Slayer
| photo=slayer.jpg
| age=
| colony=
| birthname=
| callsign=
| nickname=
| seen=The Long Patrol
| pseen=
| death=
| parents=
| siblings=
| children=[[Tanya]]
| marital status=Married to [[Robber]]
| role=
| rank=
| actor=[[Nancy DeCarl]]
| cylon=
| mcylon=
| name=
}}
'''Slayer''' is a former [[Proteus prisoner]] and the wife of [[Robber]].

She bore [[Tanya|his daughter]] sometime during their incarceration. Both are trying to make their way to the [[Twelve Colonies (TOS)|colony]] of [[Aeries]] to escape the hells of [[Proteus]], however if they had made it to Aeries, they would have certainly be terminated as per the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylon]]'s Edict of Extermination.

Slayer is discovered by [[Boomer (TOS)|Lieutenant Boomer]], which in turn causes Robber to surrender in order to protect his family ([[The Long Patrol (TOS)|The Long Patrol]]).

Slayer and her family enter as members of the Fleet, even attending a banquet held by Adama ([[The Long Patrol (TOS)|The Long Patrol]]). Slayer apparently now has some function within the Fleet.

== Notes ==

* A [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/slay slayer] is someone who kills or murders by violence.
* Like Robber, she had no number, or no number that was mentioned during [[The Lost Warrior|the episode]].

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:One-Shot Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:TOS]]

Scar

2007-11-21T05:23:10Z

Real Too:

: ''This article deals with the episode. For information on the ace Cylon Raider, see "[[Scar (Raider)]]"''

{{Episode Data
| image = 2x15_Scar_KatStarbuck.jpg
| title= Scar
| season= 2
| episode= 15
| guests=
| writer= [[David Weddle]] <br/> [[Bradley Thompson]]
| story=
| director= [[Michael Nankin]]
| production=
| rating= [[List of Nielsen ratings (RDM)|1.9]]
| US airdate= 2006-02-03
| UK airdate= 2006-04-11
| dvd= {{Season 2.5 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 2 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 49593
| oldpopulation= 49597
| prev= [[Black Market]]
| next= [[Sacrifice]]
| podcast= Y
| 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%253D119951236%2526id%253D102808898%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30
| unbox=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000V20PZC&tag=battlestarwik-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
}}

== Overview ==

: ''An ace Cylon Raider, nicknamed "[[Scar (Raider)|Scar]]" by the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots, has been causing problems for the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] compete to hunt it down while Starbuck pines for [[Samuel Anders|"a dead guy"]]''.

== Summary ==

* Several [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots have been killed while guarding the ''[[Majahual]]'', an ore mining ship located on top of a metal ore-rich asteroid. The Fleet's goal is to gather sufficient ore there to create two new squadrons of Vipers.
* With the [[Resurrection Ship]] destroyed as well as most of the nearest Cylon fleet, the Cylons are far less brazen in attacks, sending only a few Raiders to harass the mining operation.
* ''Galactica'' stays behind to guard the mining operation with their [[Combat Air Patrol|CAP]], while ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' stays with the civilian fleet at a remote location.
* There is too much debris in the system to use [[DRADIS]] to quickly sight and kill the Raiders. [[Combat Air Patrol]]s are needed instead, using their [[Mark One Eyeball]] to find the Raiders.
* One particular Raider, known as "[[Scar (Raider)|Scar]]", is the cause of the pilot deaths.
* [[Kat]], now a seasoned and very talented pilot, challenges [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] over the "Top Gun" beer stein (currently held by Thrace) with the downing of Scar.
* Thrace's depression over the inability to convince Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] and President [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] to return to Caprica to rescue [[Samuel Anders]] and his [[Caprica Resistance]] causes her to drink excessively and behave very rashly. To suppress her feelings on the inability to fulfill her promise, Thrace begins to tell herself that Anders is dead.
*Thrace turns to [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii]] for advice regarding Scar. Valerii explains that Raiders can reincarnate as well, and with the [[Resurrection Ship]] destroyed, Scar will do anything to survive.
*Valerii also mentions that "he probably hates you (Thrace) as much as you hate him," as well as asking "how many of us" ''[sic]'' did Scar kill. In an unguarded moment, Valerii and Thrace reminisce over old times, but when Valerii reaches to touch Thrace in friendship, [[Marines]] on guard make it clear that it is not permitted. As a distraught Thrace leaves, Sharon tells her to be careful.
* When a rookie pilot from ''Pegasus'', [[Brent Baxton|BB]], is killed, Kat berates Starbuck for giving him "textbook" advice. Later, Kat berates a hungover Starbuck again for being late to lead her own pilot's briefing as well as assigning [[Snake]] in her place on CAP, which leads to [[Joseph Clark|Jo-Jo's]] death at the hands of Scar.
* Thrace and [[Lee Adama]] talk over drinks, when Thrace propositions Adama for a "quick lay." The two pilots attack each other, clothes flying, but Thrace is too aggressive, which turns Adama's desire almost completely off. She admits that her feelings for Samuel Anders are very confused. When Adama tells her that it's the "living guys" she can't deal with, Thrace is so confused that she slaps Adama, then kisses him for his thoughtfulness in reminding her that he is her friend before she leaves his quarters.
* Starbuck is on patrol with Kat as her wingman when they spot a Raider. Both chase the Raider, but Scar uses that second Raider as a decoy by trying to ambush the Vipers from behind.
* Starbuck's instincts tell her to check their "six" (rear), which successfully locates Scar but leaves her Viper with moderate damage when Scar scores hits on her Viper.
*Starbuck leads Scar into a canyon on an asteroid, flips, and flies at Scar on a collision course. Kat shouts at Starbuck to break off as Scar is a machine and won't break off. Starbuck realizes this; she is making a suicide run, as her mind begins to drift out of focus as she thinks of Anders.
* At the last moment, Starbuck breaks off her [[CBDR]] run, and Scar chases her. Starbuck instructs Kat to ambush him from behind while Starbuck lures him into Kat's killzone, in a similar ambush that Scar attempted on them. The ambush is successful, with Kat winning her challenge over Starbuck.
* Starbuck fills the "Top Gun" beer stein for Kat and congratulates her. Then, Starbuck praises the memory of the many pilots lost to Scar and past battles. Admiral Adama and Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]], both laudable Viper pilots themselves in the [[Cylon War]], attend the celebration. Admiral Adama ends the tribute with "[[So say we all]]."
*Kat places a picture of [[Reilly|Reilly's girlfriend]] in the [[memorial hallway]] in hopes that someone remembers her.
* Training with Helo in the gym, Starbuck says that she could have killed Scar, but she would have killed herself in the process. Helo tells her that backing off and letting her wingman get the kill was the right thing to do. Helo notes that Starbuck didn't make the suicide run, because she has something to live for now in Anders.

== Notes ==
*A classic error made in most sci-fi franchises is made in this episode. It depicts asteroids in an asteroid field being in extremely close proximity with one another. However, asteroids in our and other solar systems are spaced very far apart from one another. <ref name="asteroid">{{cite web
| url = http://www.solarviews.com/eng/asteroid.htm
| title = Asteroid Introduction
| accessdate = 2006-12-07
| author = Calvin J. Hamilton
| authorlinkurl = http://www.solarviews.com/eng/author.htm
}} </ref>
*The survivor count is four less than displayed in "[[Black Market]]", accounting for the deaths of [[Jack Fisk]], [[Phelan]], and Fisk's killer. The survivor count, therefore, commences after "96 hours previously".
*As the episode begins, the mining ship ''[[Majahual]]'' has been conducting operations in a thick asteroid field for 29 days.
*The [[landram]] from [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the Original Series]] makes a cameo appearance as we are first introduced to the ''Majahual''.
*New nuggets are still being trained and added to the Fleet's ranks. Kat's assertion that "no replacements are coming" in "[[Final Cut]]" is no longer relevant with the arrival of ''Pegasus'' and her resources. Also, in "[[Act of Contrition]]", it is mentioned that ''Galactica'' does not have any flight training simulators and thus prefers to train pilots having prior flight experience. With the arrival of ''Pegasus'', the Fleet now has Viper flight simulators and thus potential pilots can now be trained properly, even those with no prior experience.
*More of the friendship between Helo and Starbuck is shown in this episode.
*Nuggets enter the [[Colonial Fleet (RDM)|Colonial Fleet]] at the rank of Ensign after completing flight training.
*Pilot training apparently takes place on ''Pegasus'', with recruits being assigned to ''Galactica'' afterward.
*Kara Thrace, despite serving as a pilot on ''Galactica'' under Lee Adama, is still ''Pegasus'' CAG. She flies under Adama because the two battlestars have combined their resources for the mining operation's defense.
*''Pegasus'' has Viper production facilities, one of her more modern capabilities that ''Galactica'' lacks. During the episode, the ''Pegasus'' production team finishes its first combat-ready Viper.
*Anders appears in flashbacks (re-used footage) in this episode.
*[[Gaius Baltar]], [[Number Six]] and [[Cally Tyrol|Cally]] do not appear in this episode.
*Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] appears very briefly in this episode. Also, Lieutenants [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] and [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] appear in this episode, seen in [[CIC]], but have no speaking lines.
*Starbuck and Kat use the word [[frak|motherfrakker]] in this episode. Its second use since it was introduced in "[[Valley of Darkness]]".
*In the podcast, it is revealed that a scene was cut of the pilots auctioning off [[Beano]]'s possessions, a tradition from the British Navy during the Napoleonic War Era. This auction, Ron Moore explains, was a tribute to the fallen, as well as serving the practical purpose of recycling resources. There would be a shot of Apollo holding up Beano's "skin" magazine and taking bids, etc. This "skin" magazine can be briefly seen when Starbuck is packing it into a box of Reilly's personal effects. (Its name appears to be ''[[Nymph]]''.) During the following scene when they are talking about Scar in the rec room ("88 hours ago"), [[Brendan Costanza|Hot Dog]] is reading it, having won the auction.
*Lee Adama doesn't fly in this episode, and is never seen in a [[flight suit]]. A lot of the day-to-day work of the CAG, such as assigning and briefing pilots, falls to Starbuck, with Adama giving more general orders and directions.
*The little model plane on top of the "Top Gun" mug sported by Starbuck and Kat is actually a U.S. Navy [[wikipedia:F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18 Hornet]].
*This episode bears some similarities to the ''[[w:Space: Above and Beyond|Space: Above and Beyond]]'' episodes "[[w:Never No More|Never No More]]" and "[[w:The Angriest Angel|The Angriest Angel]]", both of which dealt with the introduction of an "ace" alien fighter and its detrimental effect upon the Earth military's morale, and the ensuing efforts of a main character to hunt him down.
*The song that plays in the final scene of this episode is "[[w:Cavatina (song)|Cavatina]]" by [[w:Stanley Myers|Stanley Myers]], well known as the theme from the film ''[[w:The Deer Hunter|The Deer Hunter]]''.
*A [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)#Scar|deleted scene]] for this episode explains that Kat is giving a pilot briefing about Scar at one point (ending with "That's the motherfrakker I'm going to kill") because Starbuck is late for the meeting, so Kat assumes she isn't coming at all and starts without her. In the deleted scene, Starbuck comes into the room right after the original scene ends, argues with Kat for starting without her, and then moves right into the next scene where Starbuck is summarizing the tactical situation for the past month.
*Starbuck uses a bottle of [[Leonis Estates Sparkling Wine]] to pour Kat her first top gun mug and to toast the fallen pilots. This type of alcohol was previously used in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" to christen the [[Blackbird]].

== Analysis ==
*The title "Scar" refers to the "ace" Cylon Raider this episode centers around. While all Cylon Raiders appear visually identical, this particular unit has extensive hull damage, whether from asteroid impacts, scoring from near-misses or other debris, giving it a weathered, craggy look - essentially, "battle scars". It can also refer to the characters' emotional scars, particularly Starbuck's.
*Many of the pilots Starbuck toasts are minor and recurring characters who have died in previous episodes. In the order she lists them:
**[[Dwight Saunders|Flat Top]] - killed in deck accident in "[[Act of Contrition]]", along with twelve others.
**[[Perry|Chuckles]] - killed in action during the [[Battle for the Tylium Asteroid]] in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
**[["Jolly" Anders|Jolly]] - killed in action in the [[Miniseries]], along with nineteen others.
**[[Crashdown]] - shot by Dr. Gaius Baltar in "[[Fragged]]".
**[[Flyboy]] - killed in action by a Cylon Centurion in "[[Valley of Darkness]]".
**[[Stepchild]] - killed in action during the Battle for the Tylium Asteroid
**[[Fireball]] - killed in action during the Battle for the Tylium Asteroid
*Among those not mentioned are Major [[Jackson Spencer|Jackson "Ripper" Spencer]], KIA in the Miniseries, and [[Karma]], KIA in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]". As noted in [[Podcast:Scar#Act 4|the podcast]], this is truthfully reflecting Starbuck's earlier comment that she can't remember the names of all of the pilots that have died.
*During the "previously on ''Battlestar Galactica''" intro, a clip of a scene which has never actually aired before in any episode was played. In the scene, Starbuck argues to Adama and Roslin that they must mount a rescue operation to save the Caprica Resistance, but Adama and Roslin are in agreement that it is impossible and tell her they can't. This is the opening of the [[Pegasus (Extended Version)|extended cut]] of "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" that was released later on DVD:
**'''Thrace: '''The Resistance base camp is here (''points at a map'') 300 klicks north of the only Cylon airbase in the area...
**'''Roslin: ''' I respect what you're trying to do here, however...
**'''Thrace: ''' We have a ''duty'' to the people we left behind.
**'''Adama: ''' We understand that.
**'''Thrace: ''' We ''have to'' find a way to Jump back to Caprica, and go get them--
**'''Adama: '''--Kara!
*During the "in this episode" sequence of the credits, there are two images not seen in the episode; one of Starbuck standing at a distance, and one of a gun being placed before the camera. These could have been cut from the training scene.
* This episode is the third of the most recent four episodes to begin ''[[Wikipedia:In medias res|in medias res]]'', after "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" and "[[Black Market]]". In terms of how the flashbacks are structured, going back and forth between past and current events, this episode most resembles "[[Act of Contrition]]". (However, the [[Podcast:Black Market|podcast]] for "[[Black Market]]" indicates that beginning that episode with Lee's confrontation with [[Phelan]] was not part of the original script and was done as an act of "desperation".)
*As discussed in [[Podcast:Scar|the podcast]], writers David Weddle and Bradley Thompson are mostly responsible for expanding the minor pilot characters as the series has progressed. They wrote "[[Act of Contrition]]", in which the nuggets are introduced, then "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]", which is the second time they all appear (and when Chuckles dies). Kat and Hot Dog reappear in "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" which Weddle and Thompson also wrote. The character of Kat receives more development since "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", the writers' most recent entry before this episode.

== Questions ==

*As implied by [[Sharon Agathon|Valerii]], is Scar a reincarnation of the Cylon Raider that Starbuck captures in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]"?
*The Fleet has obtained enough metal ore to eventually construct two new squadrons of Vipers: will they be Mark IIs, or Mark VIIs?
*With Thrace serving on ''Galactica'', who is instructing [[nugget]]s on ''Pegasus''?
*If Raiders reincarnate so that Cylon forces can benefit from their learned experience, why don't Centurions? ([[Cylon Centurion|Answer]])
* Do basestars also have the ability to reincarnate given that they appear to be composed of similar bio-mechanical technology as the Raiders?
*As the [[Resurrection Ship]] recon images (from "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]") only show humanoid bodies awaiting download, how are the consciousnesses of dead Raiders stored and where are they transferred?
* Exactly how many Cylon Raiders were lurking within the asteroid system, including Scar?

== Official Statements ==

*According to an interview on Subject2Discussion.com on January 3rd, 2006, along with "Home" (Parts [[Home, Part I|One]], [[Home, Part II|Two]]), and "[[The Farm]]", this is one of Katee Sackhoff's favorite episodes.

* ''Sackhoff discusses her dislike of the Viper scenes:''

: Scar was really tough. It was all those scenes of technical mumbo jumbo so [[Luciana Carro|Luciana [Carro]]] and I decided to add it all together and do it as one big long scene. We were in and out of the Vipers all day long. It is exhausting.<ref>{{cite_news|first=Cullen|last=Ian M.|url=http://scifipulse.net/battlestarnews/Sackhoff_Vipers.html|title=Sackhoff Admits To Hating The Viper Scenes|publisher=SciFi Pulse|page=|date=30 January 2007|accessdate=9 February 2007|language=}}</ref>

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*{{audio|Scar - one Tigh is enough.mp3|''Kat responds to Starbuck's runaway drinking, after being called a "stim junkie".''}}
:'''Kat''': One Tigh on this ship's enough.

*{{audio|Scar - get what we can.mp3|''Drinking heavily late at night, Apollo and Starbuck commiserate over all of the pilots that have died.}}
:'''Apollo''': You know what gets me? I know that in two weeks, I won't remember his face. I can't remember any of their faces after they're killed. No matter how hard I try, they just fade.
:'''Starbuck''': I don't even remember their names.
:'''Apollo''': Names. Oh, let's see, there was- there was [[Flat Top]]. (Starbuck spits some of her drink on him) Who bought it on his thousandth landing. There was [[Perry|Chuckles]]. (Starbuck spits out some more beer) Stop it, already. Please, not funny. All right. It's not funny.
:'''Starbuck''': It is funny. You know [[Laura Roslin|the President]] says that we're saving humanity for a bright, shiny future. On [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]]. That you and I are never gonna see. We're not. Because we go out over and over again until someday, some [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|metal mother frakker]] is gonna catch us on a bad day and just blow us away.
:'''Apollo''': Bright, shiny futures are overrated anyway.
:'''Starbuck''': That is why we gotta get what we can. Right now.

*{{audio|Scar - Starbuck's toast.mp3|''After Starbuck pours Kat a drink in her new ''Galactica'' Top Gun mug, she raises a toast to nearly every pilot that has died since their flight from the Colonies.''}}
:'''Starbuck:''' To BB, Jo-Jo, Reilly, Beano, Dipper, [[Dwight Saunders|Flat Top]], [[Perry|Chuckles]], [["Jolly" Anders|Jolly]], [[Crashdown]], Sheppard, Dash, [[Flyboy]], [[Stepchild]], Puppet, [[Fireball]]...(stops, crying)
:'''Apollo:''' To all of 'em.
:'''Admiral Adama:''' So say we all.
:'''Crew:''' So say we all.
:'''Starbuck:''' So say we all.

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lieutenant [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lieutenant [[Brendan Costanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza]]
*[[Christopher Jacot]] as Ensign [[Brent Baxton|Brent "BB" Baxton]]
*[[Sean J. Dory]] as Ensign [[Joseph Clark|Joseph "Jo-Jo" Clark]]
*[[Christian Tessier]] as Lieutenant [[Tucker Clellan|Tucker "Duck" Clellan]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Nankin]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Der beste Jäger der Zylonen]]

Red-Eye

2007-11-21T02:24:00Z

Real Too:

{{Character Data
| title="Red-Eye"
| photo=redeye1.jpg
| age=
| colony=
| birthname=
| callsign=
| nickname=
| seen=The Lost Warrior
| pseen=
| death=Destroyed by [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]]
| parents=
| siblings=
| children=
| marital status=
| role=Enforcer for [[Lacerta]]
| rank=
| actor=[[Rex Cutter]]
| cylon=
| mcylon=y
| name=
}}
'''"Red-Eye"''' is the name given to the only surviving [[Centurion (TOS)|Centurion]] that crash-landed on [[Equellus]] in a [[Cylon Raider (TOS)|Raider]].

[[Lacerta]] discovers the damaged Cylon in the wreckage of its ship and uses the Centurion to terrorize the local towns people for nine [[yahren]]. Apparently having suffered some scrambled circuits during the crash, Red-Eye follows Lacerta due to its belief that Lacerta is the [[Imperious Leader]].

Red-Eye obtained a Colonial [[laser pistol]] by murdering a marooned Colonial [[Warrior]] known as [[Martin]], who had arrived some time previously and who attacked the Cylon on sight. Martin was the father of [[Puppis]] and husband of [[Vella]], a local.

Red-Eye's armored exterior was proof against any [[Numo]], the only weapon available to the natives of [[Equellus]]. When [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] encounters it, the Centurion has numerous dents from previous attempts to destroy it, none of which had seriously damaged it. Red-Eye's sensor eye makes a sound distinctly different from that of most Cylon Centurions, perhaps again due to damage it suffered in the original crash.

Under [[Lacerta]], Red-Eye appropriates "tribute" (i.e., livestock, food, valuables) from the townspeople in exchange for their lives. Lacerta's reign of terror ends after [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] is forced to land on the planet. At first, Apollo refuses to act against Red-Eye, believing that more Cylons might be present on the planet. He eventually destroys the Cylon after he hears the story of Red-Eye's origin and realizes it is alone.

In total, 10 people die at Red-Eye's hand, including [[Bootes]], [[Puppis]]' uncle ([[The Lost Warrior]]).

== Notes ==

* It is unknown what weapon, if any, was used by "Red-Eye" to kill Martin.
* Red-Eye rode a horse during the episode "[[The Lost Warrior]]", which is an unusual mode of transportation for a Cylon.
* Rex Cutter also portrayed [[Cyrus|Cy]] in the ''[[Galactica 1980]]'' episode "[[The Return of Starbuck]]."

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:One-Shot Characters (TOS)]]
[[Category:Cylons]]
[[Category:Cylons (TOS)]]
[[Category:TOS]]

{{TOS}}

Battle of Molecay

2007-11-17T13:30:32Z

Real Too:

{{Battle Data
| name= Battle of Molecay
| image= Pegasus (TOS).jpg
| description= ''Pegasus'', the sole survivor of the Fifth Fleet
| conflict=[[Thousand-Yahren War]]
| date=
| place=Molecay
| result=Cylon victory
| combatant1=[[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|The Twelve Colonies]]
| combatant2=[[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]]
| co1=[[Cain (TOS)|Commander Cain]]
| co2=Unknown
| strength1=The [[Fifth Fleet]]
| strength2=Unknown
| shiploss1=The Fifth Fleet lost (except for [[Battlestar (TOS)|battlestar]] [[Pegasus (TOS)|''Pegasus'']])
| shiploss2=Unknown
| casualties1=Unknown, heavy
| casualties2=Unknown
| prev=[[Battle of Cosmora Archipelago]]
| next=[[Battle of Cimtar]]
}}
The '''Battle of Molecay''' was a major engagement between Cylon forces and the [[Fifth Fleet]] (including the [[Battlestar (TOS)|battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]]''), approximately two [[yahren]]s prior to its miraculous discovery by ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]]'' and her civilian Fleet after the [[Battle of Cimtar|destruction of the Colonies]].

This fleet, under the command of Commander [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]], was apparently destroyed ([[The Living Legend, Part I]]).

Cain and ''Pegasus'' survive the encounter, and later meet up with the [[The Fleet (TOS)|rag-tag Fleet]] being led by ''[[Galactica (TOS)|Galactica]]'', where Cain works to incite [[Battle of Gamoray|an attack]] on Cylon forces at [[Gamoray (TOS)|Gamoray]] ([[The Living Legend, Part I]]).

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial]]
[[Category:Colonial Battles]]
[[Category:Colonial Battles (TOS)]]
[[Category:Events of the Thousand Yahren War]]
[[Category:TOS]]
{{TOS}}

User talk:Real Too

2007-11-05T20:19:43Z

Real Too:

== Welcome to Battlestar Wiki! ==
Welcome to the Wiki, Real. Tell us about yourself on [[User:Real|your user page]]. We have a [[Template:User Data|template]] that lets you put some information about yourself in a nice-looking box.

Battlestar Wiki is an encyclopedia on '''officially-licensed stories, aired episodes, and other products of the ''Battlestar'' universes.''' Make sure that your contributions fit [[Battlestar Wiki:What is Battlestar Wiki|Battlestar Wiki's purpose]], avoiding [[BW:NOT|what we aren't]].

Our [[BW:SAC|editing standards and conventions policies]] may differ from other wikis, especially in verb tense and voice, capitalization and the like. '''Please read this policy.''' We have [[BW:TUT|an editing tutorial]] and [[BW:MARK|wiki markup codes]] to help you.

Our policies on [[w:Original research|original research]] differ from places such as Wikipedia. We allow [[BW:CJ#Derived Content|some research based on aired episode content]], but don't allow [[BW:FANW|speculation that isn't supported from episode events]]. Battlestar Wiki does <u>'''not'''</u> allow [[fan fiction]] articles.

Battlestar Wiki's [[Battlestar Wiki:Project List|many projects]] help improve our content. Are you an [[Original Series]] fan? Help out in the [[Battlestar Wiki:Original Series Article Development Project|Original Series Article Project]]. [[Battlestar Wiki:Translation Project|Non-English versions of Battlestar Wiki]] also need contributors, and helpers for our [[BW:POD|podcast transcriptions]] are also welcome. New projects should be brought to our [[BW:TANK|Think Tank]], where we hash out large-scale ideas before implementing them.

Any questions about an article can be entered on the article's talk page. General questions about the wiki can be brought to [[Battlestar Wiki:Wikipedian Quorum|the Quorum]] or [[Battlestar Wiki:Chiefs' noticeboard|the chiefs' noticeboard]]. Please sign your posts on any talk page by simply entering four tildes (~~~~), which will be automatically replaced with your name and a time stamp.

Remember that talk pages are for questions about the article connected to that talk page, and [[BW:FORUM|aren't for long discussions about the show.]] To chat as much as you'd like about the show (or other topics), why not set up a free account on the [http://www.battlestarforum.com Battlestar Forum] bulletin board?

We look forward to your contributions to the Battlestar Wiki community!
--[[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [http://www.sanctuarywiki.org Sanctuary Wiki — ''New'']</sup> 18:21, 1 November 2007 (CDT)

== Name "Real" ==

It's a nice name to have, but can we add some number etc. It's to close to some of the policy pages that we have and I don't people to see "User:Real" and think this is a article on "Real" user's. Thanks in advance. Just reply here to what you want your name to be. [[User:Shane|Shane]] <sup>([[User_Talk:Shane|T]] - [[Special:Contributions/Shane|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/Shane|E]])</sup> 23:34, 1 November 2007 (CDT)

Personally I don't see where the confusion would occur. [[User:OTW|OTW]] 12:25, 2 November 2007 (CDT)

:I don't there is much if any confusion either. The real template says "this article is written from the real point of view". Does this really make anyone think that a user is meant? --[[User:Serenity|Serenity]] 12:44, 2 November 2007 (CDT)

:I don't see the confusion either. Shane told me about this last night before I went to bed, and so I didn't look into it. I'll rescind the warning. -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [http://www.sanctuarywiki.org Sanctuary Wiki — ''New'']</sup> 12:53, 2 November 2007 (CDT)

:It might be Real, anyway. (Real Madrid, Montreal, etc.) Or not... just throwing in the i18n angle. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 16:33, 2 November 2007 (CDT)

:Thanks for the feedback. If it would be better, I could change the name to "Real Too". Just tell me how to do that. --[[User:Real|Real]] 11:46, 5 November 2007 (CST)

:: Sure, if that's what you want. I can do that for you in a jiffy. Just reaffirm that you want to do it and I can make it happen. ;-) -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [http://www.sanctuarywiki.org Sanctuary Wiki — ''New'']</sup> 11:53, 5 November 2007 (CST)

:Do it. --[[User:Real|Real]] 11:58, 5 November 2007 (CST)

:: It is done, by your command. You'll probably have to log out and log back in under the new username, using the password for the old username (since that password wasn't changed). -- [[User:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|Joe Beaudoin]] <sup>[[User talk:Joe Beaudoin Jr.|So say we all]] - [[Battlestar Wiki:Site support|Donate]] - [http://www.sanctuarywiki.org Sanctuary Wiki — ''New'']</sup> 12:11, 5 November 2007 (CST)

:Thanks, Joe; appreciate the help. And it was sure fun to sound like Adama or Roslin there for a minute . . . ! --[[User:Real Too|Real Too]] 14:19, 5 November 2007 (CST)

User talk:Real Too

2007-11-05T17:58:34Z

Real Too:

User:Real Too

2007-11-05T17:55:41Z

Real Too:

{{User Data
| name=Bill
| photo=
| gender=
| location=
| countrycode=US
| timezone=
| callsign=
| rank=
| favepi=
| showEC=
| away=
| awayid=
}}

User talk:Real Too

2007-11-05T17:46:47Z

Real Too:

Razor Flashbacks

2007-11-05T17:42:57Z

Real Too: music from original theme song in Episode 3

:''This page covers the webisode series for "Razor," which follows the exploits of the young [[William Adama]] during the [[Cylon War]]. For the two hour television event, see: "[[Razor]]".''
{{Episode Data
| image=Cylon Facility - Razor Flashbacks.jpg
| title=Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks
| series=
| special= Y
| season=
| episode=
| guests=
| writer=[[Michael Taylor]]
| story=
| director=[[Wayne Rose]]<br/>[[Felix Alcala]]
| production=
| rating=
| US airdate= 2007-10-05 through 2007-11-16
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Crossroads, Part II]]
| next= [[Razor]]
}}

'''''Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks''''' are an online series that aims provide the story of a young [[William Adama]]'s ([[Nico Cortez]]) discovery of a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] experiment during his time in the first [[Cylon War]]. The webisodes are aimed to lay down the back story for events in [[Season 4 (2008)|Season 4]] that will "threaten him, the crew of the ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' and the survival of the human race". The webisodes can be viewed through the official [http://www.scifi.com/pulse Sci Fi Pulse] (SciFi.com's streaming service) or on the screen during airings of ''[[FlashGordonWiki:Flash Gordon (Sci Fi Channel)|Flash Gordon]]'' on Friday at 9/8 P.M. CT.

The webisode series was written by [[Michael Taylor]], and directed by [[Wayne Rose]] and [[Felix Alcala]]. In fact, these flashbacks were cut out of the "[[Razor]]" television movie due to time constraints, but will be reintegrated in the version of "Razor" for the [[Razor (Region 1 DVD)|Region 1 DVD]].

== Summary ==
===Episode 1: Day 4,571===

[[Image:Razor Flashback 1.jpg|thumb|Young [[William Adama|Bill Adama]] with [[Jaycie McGavin]] on ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''.]]

* Release date: October 5, 2007
* Running time: ~00:02:30
* SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163960

It is day 4,571 of the First [[Cylon War]]. On board ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', [[Jaycie McGavin]] and [[William Adama]] are having sex in the [[duty locker]], during which McGavin asks if Adama left his boots out. Adama tells her that he ran into the Commander while he was taking off his boots, which leads into them mocking the commander with one of his apparently [[Nothing but the rain|well-known greetings]].

McGavin and Adama talk before joining a battle to attack an ice planet in the "ass end of nowhere", where a rumored [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] superweapon is allegedly being built. It is defended heavily by the Cylons: three [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Raider]] wings, ground forces, defensive batteries and nuclear weapons.

Another rumor they talk about is that peace negotiations are in progress and that the Cylons may unexpectedly surrender, which McGavin scoffs as unlikely. She runs off to report to a briefing for [[Raptor Squadron 2]], leaving Adama alone as the ship readies itself for possible nuclear attack.

===Episode 2: The Hangar===

[[Image:Razor Flashback 3.jpg|thumb|[[William Adama]] about to participate in [[Operation Raptor Talon]].]]

* Release date: October 12, 2007
* Running time: ~00:02:41
* SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163980

McGavin returns from her mission badly wounded. Adama tries to reassure her that she will live, but she tells him that he was always a bad liar. After medics carry Gavin to [[sickbay]], Adama is filled with anger against the Cylons and cleared to launch in his [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]].

===Episode 3: Operation Raptor Talon===

[[Image:Operation Raptor Talon.jpg|thumb|Combat over the [[ice planet]] during [[Operation Raptor Talon]].]]

* Release date: October 19, 2007
* Running time: ~00:02:41
* SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163962

Adama and his flight lead, [[Banzai]], engage in bloody dogfights against Raiders as [[Operation Raptor Talon]] commences all around them in orbit of an [[ice planet]]. During the battle, the [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'' is pummeled from [[basestar (RDM)|basestar]] salvos and is subsequently destroyed. Adama then spots two Raiders entering the planet's atmosphere. Out for revenge, Adama engages the two. He shoots down one in the high altitudes. Inside a cloud, he suddenly collides with the other and falls to the ground in his disintegrating craft.

===Episode 4: Free Fall===

[[Image:Razor Flashback 4.jpg|thumb|Free falling [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] pursuing [[William Adama]].]]

* Release date: October 26, 2007
* Running time: ~00:02:45
* SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163961

As [[William Adama]]'s [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] free-falls through the [[ice planet]]'s atmosphere, Adama manages to eject from a parachute-survivable altitude. However, he is not alone: a lone [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurion]] survives as well. The Centurion fires at the free-falling Adama, while Adama attempts to return the welcome. Quickly, they become entangled with one another, hand-to-hand fighting as they free-fall. As the Centurion's blade slides out of its arm, Adama pulls the rip cord and escapes, deploying the parachute.

Adama lands safely on the ground, crashing through what appears to be a warehouse sky-window. The Cylon seems to have crashed nearby and Adama wails on the Centurion with a pipe, severing the Centurion's head from its body. Adama wipes off the Centurion's oil and, now armed with a rifle, leaves.

===Episode 5: The Lab===
* Release date: November 2, 2007
* Running time: ~00:02:40
* SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163976

Adama begins to explore the facility that he had landed in. As he enters what appears to be a laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the [[resurrection tank]]s or [[Hybrid]] tanks that the latter [[humanoid Cylon]]s would use. He kneels down and touches the substance, immediately he begins to hear the voices of torture victims and as he looks back at the tank, abruptly a hand grabs Adama's arm. Then the hand abruptly disappears and the visions and voices are gone, but this causes Adama to fall back onto the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the [[Pythia]]n prophecies: "All of this has happened before and will happen again."

Afterwards, a banging sound is heard from a locked chamber. As Adama approaches the portal window, an unidentified person presses his face against the window and begs for him to release him and the other captives. Adama then attempts to break open the door to the chamber.

===Episode 6===
* Release date: November 9, 2007
*Running time: N/A

Not yet available.

===Episode 7===
* Release date: November 16, 2007
*Running time: N/A

Not yet available.

== Notes ==

* With regard to Sci Fi Pulse, only those in the United States can see these Flashbacks, since the player is region-locked. This means that anyone with an [[w:IP address|IP address]] outside of the United States cannot see the Flashbacks via Sci Fi Pulse. However, there are likely "illegal" versions of these episodes onilne -- because of the illegality of these, Battlestar Wiki cannot and will not furnish links to these unauthorized sources.
* The "[[Nothing but the rain]]" greeting apparently originates with ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'s'' wartime commander, which would later be passed down by [[William Adama]] to [[Kara Thrace]].
* The [[Cylon War]] has lasted for the past twelve and a half years.
* Raptors were also in operation during the Cylon War.
* Furthermore, the events of [[Operation Raptor Talon]] are billed as occurring forty-one years prior. Presumably, this means that they occur 41 years prior to the events of "[[Razor]]" itself.
* Adama's final fight with the Cylon in episode four is reminiscent of the fight he has with Conoy in the [[Miniseries]], using an improvised weapon to bludgeon a slightly disabled Cylon to death, and becoming covered in its "blood."
* It is the first time in the Re-imagined Series that the audience is allowed to view the world through the eyes of an [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|original Cylon Centurion]]. The pulsing red light inversely moves back and forth within their vision, but they can see everything despite it.

=== Nods to the Original Series ===

* The reference to an ice planet with a superweapon based on it seems reminiscent of [[Arcta]] in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] episode "[[The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I]]". The reckless actions of Adama entering the planet's atmosphere to attack two fleeing Cylons is also reminiscent of the reckless behavior of Viper cadets from that episode.
* The braiding around the uniform collar of the pilots, in addition to the segmented uniform vest, appears inspired by the [[Uniforms (TOS)|Colonial uniforms]] of the Original Series.
** In Episode 2, Adama passes a man in ''Galactica'''s hallway wearing the beige tunic of a [[Uniforms (TOS)#Warrior uniforms|warrior uniform]] from the Original Series, without the brown jacket.
* Episode 3 uses CG models based on designs for the Original Series' Cylon craft, mainly the [[Raider (TOS)|Raider]]s and [[Basestar (TOS)|basestar]].
* Some of the music in Episode 3 contains a melodic line that is a very slowed-down version of a portion of the melody from the Original Series' theme song. This is most noticeable during the first 40 seconds of the episode (prior to a bit hit on the ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Battlestar Columbia]]''), and again for a few seconds later in the episode, following the destruction of the ''Columbia'' and prior to William Adama's decision to pursue two raiders into the atmosphere of the planet.
* In Episode 4 William Adama is fighting a [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005]], which is a close visual match for the Original Series, but moves with far more agility and speed.

== Analysis ==
* While ''[[Columbia (RDM)|Columbia]]'' seems to have more armor than ''Galactica'' in some places, such as the starboard flight pod, the ribbing is also visible in several locations, thus indicating that this is a design choice and not a result of deliberate removal of the armor.
* The audience is given the opportunity to see for the first time what type of Viper pilot Adama was in the first Cylon War. It becomes clear that he displays some characteristics that are traditionally known to be part of Starbuck's Viper style. This may indicate part of the reason why he, later on in his life, looks upon Starbuck as a daughter.
* It's implied that the Cylons began to perform human experimentation during the 1st Cylon War. The multiple body parts and discovered captives point out an interesting irony that the Cylon Cavils had pointed out before. The Cylons, though machines, were desiring to usurp humanity's position within the universe. Even though the Cylons rebelled and hated their former masters, the laboratory scenes and future humanoid Cylon models, indicated that the Cylons also wanted to be like humanity.

== Questions ==
* Is the planet that Operation Raptor Talon takes place the eventual homeworld of the Cylons?
* Based on the POV perspective given in episode 4, what function of the pulsing red light perform if it is not for gathering visual data?

== Official Statements ==

Not yet available.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

Not yet available.

== Cast ==
These are listed in the order they appeared during the 7 episodes.

{| class="messagebox" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2"
! class="infoboxheader" | '''Cast Member'''
! class="infoboxheader" | '''Character'''
! class="infoboxheader" colspan="7" | '''Episode(s)'''
|-
| [[Edward James Olmos]]
| [[William Adama]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Nico Cortez]]
| Young [[William Adama]]
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
|
|
|-
| [[Allison Warnyca]]
| [[Jaycie McGavin]]
| 1
| 2
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Jacob Blair]]
| Squad Leader [[Banzai]]
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Campbell Lane]]
| [[Hybrid]]
|
|
|
|
| 5
|
|
|-
| [[Chris Bradford]]
| Ops Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Ben Cotton]]
| [[Terrified man]]
|
|
|
|
| 5
|
|
|}

== Crew ==

The full list of cast and crew is up on [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/razor/credits/ the SciFi.com Razor website].

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

[http://frakked.blogspot.com/2007/10/razor-flashback-1.html Full transcript of Razor Flashback - Episode 1]

{{episode list (RDM season 4)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Behind the Scenes]]
[[Category:Episode Guide]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)|*]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Taylor]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Wayne Rose]]
[[Category:RDM]]