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A Measure of Salvation

2006-11-16T05:00:16Z

Shemnon: /* Analysis */

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

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

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

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

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

== Questions ==

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

== Analysis ==

*The Cylons could have cured themselves of this plague relatively quickly, if ''Galactica'' had succeeded in infecting them. It was quickly noted in the episode that Sharon was immune herself because fetal cells from [[Hera]] created effective antibodies against the virus. Hera is immune to the virus because she is a hybrid Human-Cylon. Now that she is in custody of the Cylons, Baltar could have utilized her immunity, as he previously did on Roslin, as capital to further his self-preservation amongst them.
**It can be assumed that executing the captured Cylons will send them back to the Resurrection ship, thus infecting the Cylon network.
**For the Cylons to study the plague they would have become infected themeselves, therefore, there was no way they could've tried to find a cure without potentially perishing
*The wider implications of such an event could have been religiously meaningful to the Cylons. Cylons have time and again shown religious deference by sometimes overlooking rational explanations. By saving the Cylon race Hera could have been elevated to messiah status, if her very creation has not already ordained her as one to the Cylons because their God proclaimed her creation.
**The presence of Hera is profound enough to the Cylons, which could be preventing them from seeing that Hera could be used as a tool.
*There is a fundamental flaw in the plan [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] develops: Even if the virus successfully infects the [[Resurrection Ship]], the other Cylons would isolate that individual ship, thus preventing a widespread epidemic. The resulting impact on the Cylon fleet would be no greater than previous destruction of the Resurrection Ship in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]".
**Apollo's plan is based on an account of the Cylon analysis of the threat; he could simply assume they are correct and that the virus can spread like wildfire from one Resurrection Ship to another.
**Also, by infecting a greater mass of ships, Galactica could board the ships, take much needed resources and more infected Cylons for further use as biological weapons.
*The science of the virus is somewhat questionable. While the biological aspect is sound, the existence of a "bioelectrical feedback component" appears to be technobabble. It would be impossible for a biological virus (i.e. a physical pathogen) to be transmitted by download to the Resurrection Ship. Such a feedback - scrambling the brainwave patterns - could disrupt the download process, but it is unclear how it could spread the virus itself on the other side. It simply may be a case of cylon superstition, which is known to happen from time to time.
**From Dr. Cottle's dialogue, it would appear that the problem lies with how the Cylons' immune systems reacts with the virus, more than the virus itself. If this is the case, it is likely that the immune system's reaction would carry though the download and possibly be passed to other Cylons througout the network.
**Conceptually, there is actually very little difference between a physical and a computer virus. Both usurp cell function. Moreover, if the virus is a retrovirus, its genome (be it physical or digital) will be transcribed into the cellular DNA, which might be downloaded to the Resurrection Ship.
*Dr. Cottle explains that Cylons carry antibodies that break down the RNA of his proposed vaccine. However antibodies have no degradative functionality, and only prime recognised pathogens for phagocytosis, though he may have simplified the explination. But as vaccines are developed from the pathonogenic organism (or a close relative) it would be impossible for the Cylons to carry antibodies specific for the vaccine RNA (or for the products it encodes) or otherwise they would be immune to the pathonogenic virus itself.
: Antibodies certainly do have disrupting and degrading capabilities, though this particular explanation for vaccine failure is a bit of a stretch. Vaccines are composed of antigens which stimulate an immunological response. Antigens are the item the immune system reacts to, antibodies are produced by the immune system (by B-Lymphocytes – Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell) and are specific to a single antigen. (T-Lymphocytes are also involved, but along a different pathway.) There are several classes of antibodies and each is slightly different in its action, but generally they attack a cell by attaching to the corresponding antigen on the cell exterior and cause the cell to rupture, prevent it from replicating, or stimulate other mechanisms to attack the targeted cell. Phagocytosis by the macrophages (a different white cell) is a cleanup mechanism which may include some pathogens, but is generally directed at the cellular debris remaining after the antibodies have done their work. Most vaccines are composed of either dead or weakened cells or cellular surface components from the target pathogen. These antigenic cellular components are generally protein, lipoprotein (proteins with a fatty component) or lipids (fats) which are unique to the target’s exterior (cell membrane, cell wall, or cell coating depending on the class of organism.) While any type of foreign nucleic acid could potentially produce a substantial immunological response, it is unlikely that any RNA that might have been included in the vaccine (such as in a killed cell) would have had any bearing on the vaccine functionality.
::Antibodies also locally generate ozone as a degradative function.
:::To clarify, antibodies don't have degradative functionality, though they do indirectly cause degradation. They do this, as discussed, by priming target cells or pathogens with [[wikipedia:Antibody|antibodies]] that detect antigens presented by the target pathogen. After priming, an array of leukocytes (white blood cells like T-cells and [[wikipedia:Phagocyte|phagocytes]]) recognise the bound antibodies and confer actions upon the pathogens (e.g. phagocytes engulf the pathogen [usually whole I might add] by binding the antibodies and closing their cell membranes around it, and then they proceed to breaking down the engulfed cells or viral components through the action of intracellular lysozymes). In the case of a virus, antibodies usually directly bind to the virus and block it from attaching to it's target or preferred cell, thus preventing it infecting cells with its RNA. To conclude, antibodies principally do one thing...bind to an antigen. The degradative and digestuve functions are completed by white blood cells that recognise the bound antibodies.
*Adama's reaction to the premature death of the prisoners is yet another example of what are simultaneously his greatest virtues and most glaring flaws - his dedication to those under his command, and his need to keep his conscience clear.
*In this episode, [[Raptors]] are shown loaded to the teeth with weapons systems. In the past ([[Miniseries]], [[The Hand of God]]), Raptors have rarely been depicted in actual combat, preferring instead to hang back while coordinating battlefield logistics. They have been shown armed in a few prior episodes ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]], [[Fragged]]), but this is by far their most prominent combat role to date. The Raptors are using the external missile pods and cannons introduced in "Exodus, Part [[Exodus, Part I|I]] & [[Exodus, Part II|II]]" and engage in the same maneuver used to launch the decoy drones during the Battle of New Caprica.
*The genetic pool the Cylons were created from predates the human immunity to the plague from just a couple hundred years ago, yet the Cylons, even as a class of machines, are only 40 to 60 years old. This indicates another, non-Colonial, source for the DNA.
**The genetic pool need not be so old. Because humans had been completely immune to this virus for hundreds of years, the Cylons may have simply overlooked it while creating their biological models.
** (speculation) Or the humano-Cylons are derivitive of the Twelve Lords of Kobol (Bro Cavils statement in Lay Down your Burdens "somehow we got it in our heads that we were the children of humanity" and the season one finale of Caprica where smugglers find Kobol and take tech back to the Greystones to make the first autonomous Cylons, Lords of Kobol hear my prayers)
*It seems this virus could also be a fairly reliable (although not conclusive) litmus test to for Cylons in the Colonial Fleet.
*It seems reasonable to assume that if Baltar is not infected with the virus, he is not a Cylon, likewise for all members of the ''Galactica'' crew who boarded the baseship.
**Baltar was in an isolation suit the entire time he was on the basestar. Using standard biohazard procedures, he would have remained in the suit which would have been disinfected from the outside before he took it off.

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

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''On Colonial One'':
:'''Karl Agathon''': Genocide? So that's what we're about now?
:'''Lee Adama''': They're not human! They were built, not born. No fathers, no mothers, no sons, no daughters--
:'''Karl Agathon''': I ''had'' a daughter. I held her in my arms.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==

* [[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Captain [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
* [[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
* [[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
* [[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Doctor [[Cottle]]
* [[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
* [[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
* [[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmondson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson]]
* [[imdb:nm0669826|Eileen Pedde]] as Sgt. [[Mathias]]
* [[imdb:nm0461101|Tiffany Lyndall-Knight]] as [[Hybrid]] (credited)

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

{{Episode list (RDM season 3)}}

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

Talk:Fragged/Archive 1

2005-08-01T20:01:00Z

Shemnon:

== Information for episodes (used prior to airing on 29 July 2005) ==

This might be interesting to look at (involves Fragged, Resistance, Farm), but I'm too tired to write up any of this:

http://mboard.scifi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=887342&an=0&page=0&gonew=1#UNREAD

[[User:Kuralyov|Kuralyov]] 17:01, 9 May 2005 (EDT)

== "Apollo can fly a Raptor" comment ==

Quote: "Apollo can fly a Raptor"

Look again. He's sitting on the right, while it's well-established (see eg. Kobol's last gleaming pt. 1) that the pilot's seat is on the left (both as seen from the front).

[[User:WouterCoene|WouterCoene]] 04:07, 31 Jul 2005 (CEST)

: WouterCoene is correct. Lee is sitting in the passenger seat, which is the seat on the port side of the Raptor. (Or the "front", were we to look into the Raptor from its front.) -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 22:57, 30 Jul 2005 (EDT)

:: But look to the mini-series when Sharon leave Helo! Sharon seats on that right seat where Lee is sitting in this episode. Well, then, if pilot seat is the Left one (when looking from the front), how could Sharon leave Caprica in mini-series? or the young boy was flying that raptor? :-) -- Lordhp <lordhp (at) centrum (dot) cz> - 1.7.2005 18:20 GMT+1

::: Actually, having reviewed the footage from both the mini and [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]], the cockpit controls on the port side of the raptor are also pilot controls. (See the part where Crashdown tries to contorl the descent of [[Raptor 1]] in the fourth or fifth act.) However, I believe that the primary controls seem to be seated at the starboard side. (as evidenced throughout the season) -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 16:00, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

== Disassembling what? Large unidentified Cylon craft ==

''After holding a funeral for Socinus and Tarn, the ground crew stranded on Kobol discover that the Cylons are cannibalizing the parts of the downed Raptor craft, and are using the parts to build an anti-aircraft battery.''

That is definitely not a Raptor. You can see on the front right portion a Cylon brain cockpit, in a similar position where it would be on a [[Heavy Raider]]. However I don't remember a Heavy Raider having those pointy pylon things up front. From the relative size of the Centurion walking next to it, this ship could be even bigger than a Heavy Raider. My guess it is those large unidentified Cylon craft seen outside the Basestar in KLG2 when Boomer's Raptor arrives. If you watch it frame by frame, you can vaguely see those pointy protrusions up front. Except for those two pointy things it kind of looks like a flying Washington Monument, with two blue flame engines burning in the back.
--[[User:Laven|Laven]] 02:12, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Then just edit the line. Seriously, you didn't need to make a big fuss over it. It's just a show.--[[User:Crazyrabbits|Crazyrabbits]] 03:17, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

The draidus dish was salvaged from the nose cone of the Rapror, Tyrol speculated as much when he saw the dish. The ship shown need not be the raptor. Clearly the cylons had to get to the planet somehow after the base start exploded (I doubt even a Centurion is resilient enough to do a re-entry). If their ship was only for transport (a light raider or cargo ship) and didn't have ship to ship missiles canabalizing the raptor makes sense. Remember, the raptor also crashed in a relatively open area and the missile stands were in the forest, so the Centurions landed at the downed raptor, riped off the interesting stuff, flew into the forest, and begam assembly. --[[User:Shemnon|Shemnon]] 16:01, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Talk:Timeline (RDM)/Archive5

2005-07-28T22:35:57Z

Shemnon:

Only twelve days between Caprica Boomer's conception and morning sickness? That put's it at the fourth week, which is pretty much before she notices she is late. Sounds like a possible plot hole. Perhaps the caprica segments were not at the same time as the main fleet episodes or Cylon physilology makes them super sensitive to morning sickness. --[[User:Shemnon|Shemnon]] 18:35, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)

Scattered

2005-07-25T04:31:22Z

Shemnon: Add Cpt. Kelly Apperance

[[Image:201 02.jpg|thumb|Col. Tigh with Boomer after her arrest. (Credit: GateWorld.net)]]

== Overview ==

: ''Chaos is rampant as paramedics try to save [[William Adama|Commander Adama]]'s life after he is shot, and the ''[[Galactica]]'' is separated from the fleet.''

: '''Note''': This is part one of a two part episode, part two being "[[Valley of Darkness]]".

== Summary ==

===On the Galactica===

*After the shooting of [[Adama]], a [[Cylon]] basestar ambushes the Colonial fleet, prompting [[Colonel Tigh]] to execute an emergency [[FTL]] jump procedure for the fleet to rendezvous at another point. When the Galactica jumps, it finds itself stranded from the rest of the fleet, and in the middle of nowhere.
*After being shot by [[Boomer]], [[Adama]] is rushed to the ship's infirmary. Due to the fact that [[Doctor Cottle]] is not onboard the ship, a team of medics must work to stabilize [[Adama]]'s condition.
*[[Lt. Gaeta]] devises a plan to find the co-ordinates of where the fleet jumped: he networks all the onboard computers aboard the [[Galactica]], so it will only take 10 minutes to compute where the fleet is. The only problem is that the [[Galactica]] will have to jump all the way back to [[Kobol]], and hold off the [[Cylons]] until the calculations have finished.
*[[Colonel Tigh]] goes to see the incarcerated [[Boomer]], who insists she knows nothing about what's going on.
*[[Apollo]] is given permission to leave the brig on a provisional basis by [[Colonel Tigh]] and helps lead the squadron that will attack the basestar.
*Once the [[Galactica]] has jumped back to [[Kobol]], the [[Viper]]'s manage to hold off the oncoming waves of [[Cylon Raiders]], although a [[Cylon]] troop carrier is shot down and crashes into the [[Galactica]]'s starboard landing pod.
*[[Gaeta]] manages to calculate where the fleet is, and successfully jumps to meet with them.
*The medics successfully stabilize [[Adama]]'s condition, although he is still in pretty rough shape.
*The crashed [[Cylon]] troop carrier seems completely destroyed as it lays on the [[Galactica]]'s flight deck, but multiple sets of red sensors soon light up from inside, and a group of [[Cylon]] soldiers make their way out of the craft.

===On Caprica===

* In the [[Delphi Museum]], [[Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace]] (Starbuck), after Starbuck attempts to shoot [[Sharon Valerii]], talk about her being pregnant; Helo believes her, while Starbuck refuses to accept the fact.
* After Starbuck's attempt to shoot Valerii, she absconds from the Delphi Museum's grounds in the [[Cylon Raider]]. (Exclaims Starbuck: "Bitch took my ride.")

===On Kobol===

*On [[Kobol]], the survivors of the Raptor crash head into the forest to avoid being seen by the [[Cylons]].
*Because [[Socinus]] is dying, [[Chief Tyrol]], [[Cally]], and a crewmember named [[Tarn]] go back to the crash site to retrieve a medkit. On their way back, the trio are ambushed by [[Cylons]], and only [[Tyrol]] and [[Cally]] manage to escape unharmed.

== Questions ==

* Does Tigh recall that [[Gaius Baltar]] first tested his [[Cylon detector]] on Valerii? Or did he know in the first place?
* Regarding the firewall status display: What is not to say that the Cylons programmed the display, or more accurately the GUI interface for it, to show a false reading on their intrusion progress?
* Interesting connundrum: If [[Kelly]] is the ''Galactica'''s third-in-command, then why haven't we seen (or heard) more from him in the past? It seems to be more or less contrived.
** '''Note:''' Captain Kelly is the supervisor on the ''Galactica''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s flight deck (which was mentioned in the [[mini-series]]).
** He was first seen (possibly his only other appearance) in the mini-series when Adama first appeared in the mini-series. Adama was going over his decommissioning speech and Kelly thanked Adama for the opportunity to serve with him.
** He was third in command at the time of this episode but there is no telling how many other officer level people were either lost since the attack or transfered to command positions in other, possibly military, ships in the fleet. Possibly contrived but fully recoverable with sufficient back story.
* Just how many aboard the ''Galactica'' agree with Adama's decision to jail Roslin?
* What is the significance of the number "3"? It is prominently shown on a door that a younger William Adama enters (in Colonel Tigh's flashbacks); when Lieutenant Gaeta arranges 3 bars of soap beside each other after washing his hands in the bathroom, and is also shown during the sequence with the firewall (that Lieutenant Gaeta devises to slow down the infiltration of the Galactica's network by Cylon forces), that has 4 levels of encryption, with 3 sub-encryption codes for each barrier.
*How much time has passed between the point when the Galactica finally jumps back to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet, and when the Cylons make their way out of the crashed troop carrier? And for that matter, why hasn't anyone gone to clean up the wreckage from the flight deck?
** RDM stated in audio commentary (podcast) for this episode that this landing pod - originally set up as a museum - is not in active use.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==

* [[Socinus]]'s lungs are filling with fluid.
* Captain Kelly is now the third in the chain of command, after Tigh.
** '''Note:''' It is possible that Kelly is only third in command because of the malefactions of Apollo, and that, typically as fourth it is not a surprise that we have not seen him before. The sudden incapcity of two superiors has bumped him up the ladder. It is also worth noting that Doc Cottle holds the rank of Major, as stated in "[[Bastille Day", which would make him third in command, were it not for his absence from Galactica when Adama was shot.
* Adama and Tigh served on a merchant freighter together after leaving the military; Adama was responsible for bringing Tigh back into the military when he reentered.
* This episode marks the first (known) attempt at networking ''Galactica'''s computer systems, at least under William Adama's command.
* Tigh's distrust of Baltar seems evident in this episode, particularly in the reply he made to [[Gaeta]] regarding the trust he had in the Lieutenant's programming abilities over Baltar's.
* Tigh's wife has taken residence in Tigh's quarters.
* Starbuck seems to incorrectly assume that there is a "real" Sharon and that the Sharon on Caprica is just a copy of her.
* The Cylons have unveiled a new craft in this episode: an armed troop carrier.
* This episode showed the first change in the intro sequence, including subtitles, a lack of the "episode clip" sequence, and the use of the theme music previously used only in the UK showings of the first season.

== Bloopers ==

* During the scene on Caprica, Helo exclaims "for God Sakes" instead of the more Colonial "for Gods' Sakes".

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* '''Colonel Tigh:''' (to Commander Adama) You never should have brought me back into the service. If you had just let me be, I'd have died back there on Caprica along with everyone else, and been happier for it. I don't want a command. I never did. Don't you dare die on me now.

* ''During a flashback sequence:''
*:Saul Tigh: So, how'd you do it? How'd you get off this frakking freighter?
*:William Adama: Connections. Fran's father has a friend in the Defensive Committee.
*:Saul Tigh: So the new wife comes through for you. I wish I had in-laws with pull.
*:William Adama: Give me a couple years, and I'll have some pull. You watch me. I'll have my own Battlestar someday.

* ''In the Galactica's brig:''
*:President Laura Roslin: (to Tigh) Colonel, once we find the fleet, I'd like to have a word with you.
*:Colonel Tigh: There's nothing to talk about. You went up against the old man and you lost.

* ''Tigh's pep talk to the CIC crew:''
*: '''Tigh''': This is his command. His orders are still the word of the Gods on board this ship. Just so we're clear. This will be Adama's command until the day he dies. And we are not going to let him die. So say we all.

* ''On Caprica Sharon beng "right":''
*: '''Starbuck''': She's right, huh? Sharon the Cylon is right. Let's all just listen to Sharon the Cylon. Do whatever she says. Because that's a good idea.
*: '''Helo''': Hey, Kara, she helped me get this far.
*: '''Starbuck''': OK. I get it. I get it, Helo. You and I go way back, so I get it. All right? I remember how you felt about her, but she is not the real Sharon. That is some cheap, knock-off copy.

* ''After Starbuck shoots at Caprica Sharon:''
*: '''Helo''': I'm not going to let you kill her. She's carrying my child.
*: '''Starbuck''': My Gods, men are so painfully stupid sometimes! How do you know that?
*: '''Helo''': I know, all right? She's not lying.
*: '''Starbuck''': They lie about ''everything'', Helo. Their entire existence is a ''lie''. They're not human, Helo, they're machines. You can't have a baby with a ''machine''.
*: '''Helo''': I don't know what to tell you, OK? But I believe her. It's hard to describe, we've been together for a long time. I mean, I know what she is, but she's not like the others! Look at me, she is not.

* ''Lee gives his word to Tigh regarding his parole:''
*: '''Lee''': All right, you have my parole. When I'm on duty, I will make no attempt to free her or sow insurrection among the crew. When I'm not on duty, I'll report back to this cell.
*: '''Tigh''': (matter-of-factly) Pre-flight brief is underway in the ready room.
*: '''Lee''': Right.

* ''Starbuck, upon the realization that Caprica Boomer has just stolen her Cylon Raider:''
*: '''Starbuck''': Bitch took my ride...

== Official Statements ==




* "We shot a scene where I’m in the brig, and [[Tigh]] is trying to get in my face, and I’m all, 'Just shoot me now, you pussy.' It was great." -- [[Grace Park]], [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter2_2.htm]

* We've almost completed shooting the opening of Season Two, with [[Michael Rymer]] back at the helm filming a two-parter written by [[David Weddle]] & [[Bradley Thompson]] called 'Scattered' and '[[Valley of Darkness]].' Things have been going well so far, with a good mood on the set and a feeling of satisfaction and pride running through the whole team at their accomplishments in year one and anticipation for year two." -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

=== From [[Podcast]] ===

* ''Regarding the bar room scenes (i.e. how [[Saul Tigh]] and [[William Adama]] met) that were filmed, but weren't fully utilized:''
*: "We were going to open this show, with just that scene, to show how the two men met. And then come into this scene we're watching now, where Tigh takes command of ''Galactica'', and Adama's been shot, and there's all this chaos. And the episode was going to continue to sort of flashback onto their relationship. On the early days of Tigh and Adama. [...] And we shot those sequences. And edited it together, and we looked at them, but ultimately we didn't like them. We just didn't feel -- they weren't quite the show. [...] You can't really put your finger on any particular person, except maybe me, because it is my concept. [...] I don't know if I created, or had the writers of this episode, [[Bradley Thompson]] and [[David Weddle]], I don't know if I really gave them a rich enough environment to tell that backstory. "
* ''On splitting the original "Scattered" into "Scattered" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]".''
*: "We've always struggled with the length of our scripts, the length of our episodes. If you look at it, there's only 40 minutes in change of actual program content. And our scripts tend to run, in the early drafts, in the 50s or low 50s. [...] 60 page scripts are not unheard of. An ideal page script for us, going into shooting, is usually around 46-47 pages. Sometimes we make that, sometimes we don't. [...] And I think we did on 'Scattered', I think in the final draft it was around 47-48 pages. The shows are still too huge. They're still too long. The style of storytelling -- I might have talked about this before -- just requires spending more time on character, creating momenets, really, sort of, taking your time as you go through the show. [...] So we essentially divided it into two and created another action storyline for part two."

== Statistics ==



=== Guest Stars ===
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1489668/ Leah Cairns] ([[Racetrack]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1382781/ Luciana Carro] ([[Kat]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1406239/ Warren Christie] ([[Tarn]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0647453/ Bodie Olmos] ([[Hot Dog]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0648153/ Ty Olsson] ([[Kelly|Captain Kelly]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] ([[Socinus]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0851898/ Michael Tayles] ([[Flyboy]])
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0894690/ Kate Vernon] ([[Ellen Tigh]])

=== Writing & Direction ===

*Written by [[David Weddle]] & [[Bradley Thompson]]
*Directed by [[Michael Rymer]]

=== Production Notes ===

*Series: 2 (2005 / 2006)
*Production Number: 2.01
*Airdate Order: 1 (of 20)

=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===

*UK Airdate: September 2005
*US Airdate: July 15 2005
*DVD Release: (UK)

=== Ratings ===

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 3,053,000 viewers; 2.6 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]

Talk:Valley of Darkness/Archive 1

2005-07-23T16:21:09Z

Shemnon:

As I was working on this page, I realized that I forgot the name of the deckhand that Lee's group found in the small arms locker on deck 12... He's the one in the yellow uniform and he also had a small role in "[[Litmus]]"... -- [[User:Joe.Beaudoin|Joe Beaudoin]] 00:22, 23 Jul 2005 (EDT)
::It started with a "J" and at one point, when Lee said it, I thought he was calling him "Tarn" so it must be similar to that. Other than that, I'm stumped - although I taped the episode for a friend, I'll remember to keep my ears open when I re-watch it. [[User:Kuralyov|Kuralyov]] 01:09, 23 Jul 2005 (EDT)

::He was called Jammer. At least...that sounds right. -- [[user:yenguyen|YeNguyen]] 23 July 2005 (EST)

Regarding the relativly recent skulls found on Kobol, perhaps there are humans or humano-cylons living there, after the exodous. While Tyrol ''said'' that they were attacked by Cylons has there been any visual proof of that? There is also the possiblity it was an automated defense system since Tyrol and Cali were not pursued and it appears that the bullets were all hitting the same general area w/o much movenment. -- [[user:shemnon|Danno Ferrin]] 10:19 MST, 23 July 2003