Battlestar Wiki - User contributions [en]

Exodus, Part II

2006-10-25T09:10:55Z

Skyejamie: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data
| title= Exodus, Part II
| image=TighAdamaReunion.jpg
| season= 3
| episode= 4
| guests= [[Lucy Lawless]] as [[Number Three]]
| writer= [[Bradley Thompson]] <br/> [[David Weddle]]
| story=
| director= [[Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
| production= 304
| rating=
| US airdate= 2006-10-20
| UK airdate=
| dvd=
| population=
| prev= [[Exodus, Part I]]
| next= [[Collaborators]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Commander [[Lee Adama]] of the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)| Pegasus]]'' has serious doubts about the success of the [[New Caprica]] rescue mission by ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]''. On New Caprica, [[Saul Tigh]] decides the consequences for his [[Ellen Tigh |wife's]] betrayal of [[The Resistance | the Resistance]]. Aboard ''Galactica'', Admiral [[William Adama]] executes a dramatic rescue plan.''

== Summary ==

*On ''Pegasus'', [[Lee Adama]] and [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] talk of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' mission. Adama worries heavily that Admiral Adama's mission will fail and of what future responsibilities he may have as the leader of the rest of mankind. His wife tells him to not give up hope.
*On New Caprica, [[Samuel Anders]] confronts [[Saul Tigh]] about [[Ellen Tigh|his wife Ellen's]] betrayal and tells him that either Tigh "takes care" of Ellen, or someone else less sympathetic will do so.
*Ellen Tigh explains her recent actions, that she would do absolutely anything to save Saul, including betraying the resistance. Tigh consoles her and provides her a drink when she asks. She falls unconscious, her drink having been poisoned by her husband. He says that he loves her, rests his head on her corpse, and weeps.
*On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Gaius Baltar]] tells the Cylons that they have failed in their experiment and suggests the Cylons simply leave. A [[Number Three|Three]] voices the concern that one day the descendants of mankind might exact vengeance upon the Cylons, should they be left to their own devices.
[[Image:Saulellen.jpg|Saul handing Ellen her poisoned drink.|thumb]]

*Suddenly, dozens of explosions can be felt and seen. The [[Battle of New Caprica]] has begun.
*Anders and the resistance team has set a series of explosions that mimic a Colonial attack and causes chaos. [[Tory Foster]] commands a team of section leaders in the evacuation and orders [[Maya]] to head for her ship with [[Hera|Isis]].
*Anders and a large group of resistance fighters retrieve weapons from beneath the [[Pyramid (RDM)|Pyramid]] court to rescue the detainees in the [[New Caprica Detention Center|detention center]].
*In space above New Caprica, ''Galactica'' deploys a squadron of Raptors and Vipers. The Raptors launch [[swallow]]s to mimic the EM signature of two Colonial battlestars. The Cylons pick them up and fall for the ruse, moving two basestars with their Raiders away from the planet.
*When [[Leoben Conoy]] leaves the residence inside the Detention Center to aid with the fighting, he keeps [[Kara Thrace]] inside. She assaults him and tries to escape, but he knocks her unconscious.
*[[Tom Zarek]] tasks [[James Lyman|Jammer]] to protect [[Laura Roslin]] as she makes her way to ''Colonial One''.
*At the entrance to the shipyard, where the Cylons keep the grounded Colonial vessels, a team under Tigh and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pinned down by [[Cylon Centurion]]s.
*The Cylons detect the decoy drones, but ''Galactica'' jumps into the planet's upper atmosphere and plunges rapidly towards the planet. Mid-descent, ''Galactica'' launches its Vipers. Before colliding with the ground, the ship jumps back into space. The Vipers begin to attack targets on the ground and clear the way.
*As others are freed from the Detention Center, Anders finds his unconscious wife and carries her away, but when Thrace awakens, she goes back to retrieve [[Kacey]].
*The battle is turning against ''Galactica''. Her FTL drives are down, weapons are offline and there is heavy structural damage from the atmospheric entry. Four Cylon basestars are closing in and the battlestar is soon bombarded from all sides with no hope of survival. At that moment ''Pegasus'' joins the battle, Lee Adama having disobeyed his father's orders. He opens fire with the forward batteries and destroys one basestar in the opening salvo.
*The Cylons realize that they have lost and decide to evacuate the planet. [[Number Three]] volunteers to stay behind and set off the nuclear weapon that was left in the city for such a contingency. She offers Baltar a place with the Cylons and leaves.
*The Colonial ships initiate intra-atmosphere [[FTL|jumps]] from New Caprica as soon as they become airborne.
*''Pegasus'' is heavily bombarded by missiles, having left all of her Vipers back with the rest of the civilian Fleet. Admiral Adama realizes that his son has planned a one-way mission for ''Pegasus'', and orders recall of ''Galactica's'' fighters.
*On ''Colonial One'', [[Felix Gaeta]] accuses Baltar at gunpoint of having betrayed everyone. Gaeta admits his guilt in idealistically believing in Baltar's initial vision, but realized in the end that Baltar was only thinking about himself. Baltar admits his own guilt and begs Gaeta to shoot him. However, Gaeta relents, giving Baltar a final chance to redeem himself: stop Three from setting off the nuclear bomb.
*With ''Pegasus'' dying, Lee Adama orders everyone to abandon ship. He sets the ship [[CBDR]] with a basestar as the last of the crew leaves in Raptors. ''Pegasus’'' collision destroys another basestar. The remains of ''Pegasus’'' starboard [[flight pod]] collides with and destroy another basestar.
*Kara Thrace retrieves Kacey, but Conoy has returned and confronts her. She appears to give in to his demands, says "I love you," and kisses him. However, Thrace uses the diversion to stab him. She picks up Kacey and leaves with Anders.
*Three searches [[Dodona Selloi]]'s tent, but the [[oracle]] has left. Outside, [[Caprica-Six]] and Baltar find Hera next to [[Maya]]'s body, still alive. Three arrives, asks to hold the child, and leaves with her. [[Caprica-Six]] says Three no longer intends to detonate the nuke, then leaves the planet with Baltar.
*Laura Roslin and a group of resistance fighters enter the now abandoned ''Colonial One'' and are the last ship to leave the planet.
*On ''Galactica'', many people are reunited as Tyrol immediately takes charge of ushering the incoming refugees. When Thrace shows Kacey to Tyrol, another woman walks by and recognizes the girl as her daughter, whom the Cylons had taken away. The mother thanks Thrace for rescuing Kacey. Thrace is shocked by the relevation that Kacey is not her daughter after all, but gives her up.
*Admiral Adama welcomes Tigh back aboard, and tells him he brought everyone back. Tigh quietly replies, "[[Ellen Tigh|Not all of them]]." The colonists in ''Galactica's'' [[hangar deck]] begin chanting "A-dam-a, A-dam-a..." and carry the admiral on their shoulders. Adama turns to see Tigh wandering off, numbed with grief.
*Tory Foster tells Roslin that neither Maya nor Hera can be found, and it seems likely neither made it off the planet. Foster apologizes, but Roslin muses that this was part of something bigger than them.
*Admiral Adama shaves off his mustache and returns to a fully staffed [[CIC]], aboard the now very loud, bustling corridors of ''Galactica''.

== Questions ==

*With Baltar missing at the conclusion of this episode, who will become the President of the Twelve Colonies?
**[[Tom Zarek]], as Vice President, seems to have the best claim. Since he chose to become a political prisoner rather than collaborate with the Cylons, he has probably retained his good standing in the public eye. If Baltar had him removed from office, he could probably make a good case that such an action was illegal.
**Laura Roslin's decision to evacuate on Colonial One may not have been an expression of her intent to claim the presidency. Colonial One had been her home for the first nine months that the fleet spent on the run. Zarek may have deliberately opted to evacuate aboard the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' for non-political reasons, as he previously served as a leader and representative of that vessel and her passengers.
**However, [[Saul Tigh]] seemed to expect that Roslin would assume the presidency ([[Precipice]]), and when boarding Colonial One, she makes herself at home at Baltar's desk as if she intends to do so.
**The Colonial Government has scheduled elections ([[Bastille Day]]), although it has also called special elections before ([[Colonial Day]]). As of this episode, it has been about a year and five months since the last presidential election, so it is unlikely that another is scheduled in the near future.
*What will be the final disposition of the ''Pegasus'' officers, and the former military personnel who have returned from New Caprica?
**Saul Tigh's injuries may prevent him from resuming his post as XO of ''Galactica''. Additionally, he has been outranked by [[Lee Adama]] since "[[The Captain's Hand]]".
**Lee Adama's command, the ''Pegasus'', has been destroyed. Given Tigh's incapacity, he may begin service as XO of ''Galactica''. He has also expressed dissatisfaction with his military career ([[Final Cut]]) and may wish to retire from fleet service, or resume his earlier duties of military liaison to the civilian government.
**It will be difficult to justify replacing [[Louanne Katraine]] as CAG, given the length of her service since the foundation of New Caprica, and her skill as a pilot, shown to have rivaled or outstripped even that of Kara Thrace by the time of "[[Scar]]".
**[[Kara Thrace]] is separated from Fleet service, and although she will probably return to active duty, it is unlikely that she will resume her former duty position as CAG, ''Galactica'' so long as Katraine is serving competently in that position.
**[[Anastasia Dualla]] is now an officer, and will not be expected to resume NCO-level tasks. [[Hoshi]] held her former position on ''Pegasus'', and is now available to serve on ''Galactica''.
**[[Felix Gaeta]] is separated, and will have to answer for the crimes of Baltar's administration, despite his covert affiliation with the resistance. [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Aaron Kelly]] have both been shown performing Gaeta's duties in CIC on ''Galactica'', and one of them may replace him.
**[[Cally Tyrol]], [[Galen Tyrol]], or both may choose to remain separated (from fleet service) to raise their son, Nicholas. We have not yet seen young children being raised on board ''Galactica'', although there is a [[Boxey (RDM)|precedent]] for keeping a civilian minor onboard.
**We may also see characters assume roles not previously shown onboard ''Galactica''.
*What consequences will Ellen Tigh's death have for her husband?
**Will Saul Tigh again drink to excess?
***An interview with Ron Moore revealed that Tigh will be deep in the bottle for some episodes as he deals with his injuries and the loss of his wife
*What equipment and personnel were left behind on [[New Caprica]]?
**In order to build [[New Caprica City]], the ships were at least partially stripped and supplies were offloaded.
**Medical supplies were running low as of "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", although apparently the colonists were resupplied by the Cylons.
**Are there any people alive remaining on New Caprica after the exodus, due to wounds or infirmity? Were there any detention facilities which the [[New Caprica Resistance]] failed to liberate? Did anyone besides [[Gaius Baltar]] stay behind willingly?
*If the civilian ships only needed to get a few hundred feet off the ground in order to use their FTL drives and escape, why do ''Galcatica'' and ''Pegasus'' need to engage the basestars? Is this just to keep the Raiders, Heavy Raiders, and missiles from being used on the civilian fleet, on the surface below? (Note: it is not in dispute that having ''Galactica'' launch its fighters within the atmosphere is important so they could attack the Centurions and few raiders there.)
**As with the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], the Cylons could destroy the city with a single nuclear bomb in orbit. The plan appears to force the Cylons to be too distracted by the battlestar's offenses (Raptors at first, then the battlestar itself) to worry about the actions on the planet. ''Galactica'' jumps intra-atmosphere to minimize detection by the basestars.
**As part of Adama's strategy, after the intra-atmospheric jump, he probably wanted to jump the Galactica to the lowest possible orbit such that when the planetary rescue effort was complete that he could recover the vipers in the shortest possible time. To jump the Galactica to an extremely high orbit could add hours to viper recovery and allowing far too much time for Basestars and Raiders alike to close into their position.
*Will Gaeta be the target of persecution or assassination as a collaborator? Or will people believe in him when he is found out to be the secret informant?
*Will [[Cally Tyrol]] identify Jammer as the NCP officer who released her, based on his voice?
*''Galactica's'' escape seems questionable. Most or all of ''Galactica's'' Vipers were launched during the atmospheric maneuver. Later, after the four basestars start pummelling ''Galactica'', its situation is dire, facing explosive decompressions and with its FTL disabled. Adama says, "Then that's it. It's been an honor." ''Pegasus'' immediately appears and uses its superior weaponry to engage the basestars, destroying one in the first volley, so Adama orders the FTL to be fixed. Soon, Helo reports that most of the civilian ships have jumped, that FTL is back online, and that ''Pegasus'' is taking "a hell of a pounding." Adama orders his Vipers to land so that ''Galactica'' can leave. The next shot is Vipers landing, but weren't they all at the surface? How long does it take a Viper to climb into orbit? Real-world atmospheric escapes take several minutes, at least. How much damage were the basestars and battlestars doing to each other in this time?
**We aren't seeing events in real-time. Several minutes can lie between scenes that appear to happen right after another. Sometimes it is simply necessary to compress things in order to fit them into one episode.
**There may be several key differences at play between an escape from New Caprica's atmosphere and a real-world atmospheric departure, such as a lower [[Wikipedia:Karman line|atmospheric boundary]], more powerful thrusters on the Vipers, etc.
***In a real-world example, the [[Wikipedia:Space Shuttle|Space Shuttle]] takes approximately 10 minutes to attain escape velocity. The length of this time is partly due to the fact that the Space Shuttle's engines are occassionally throttled back to keep acceleration below 3 G to reduce discomfort to the crew. Additionally, typically it takes several hours for the Space Shuttle to attain the same orbit as the [[Wikipedia:International Space Station|ISS]]. For convenience of fiction, from the time of escape velocity of the vipers to attaining the same orbit of the Galactica could be said to be several minutes. Therefore, the entire sequence probably took in real-time 1/2 hour from the time the order was given by Adama to retrieve the Vipers to the time that all Vipers were aboard the Galactica. This is not taking into account that all craft can't land simultaneously on a carrier. The Pegasus probably took a pounding from 1/2 to 1 hour from the 3 remaining Basestars before it reached its final demise, a process that was beyond the timeframe of the show.
*Why did Kara Thrace wait so long to stab Leoben? She could have done it before even kissing him.
**Possibly, Thrace intended to insult to injury by her quick betrayal, but also, she needed to ensure that the Cylon agent was completely off his guard.
**It's also possible she is not as strong as we think, and truly felt something for Leoben in those few moments.
*What about the Cylons, such as Leoben, who were killed during the insurection? If they were dependant on a resurrection facility on New Caprica, is said facility still operational? If not, is there a resurrection ship in range?
*What, besides ''Galactica'' and her crew, was gained by the sacrifice of ''Pegasus''? Most of the civilian ships had already jumped to safety, and ''Pegasus'' did not bring any Vipers along to escort the remainder, opting instead to leave them to defend the small civilian fleet it had been protecting. If nothing was gained besides the survival of ''Galactica'', the sacrifice was a costly and foolish mistake - the fleet has lost the more advanced of its two battlestars, and along with it, its ability to manufacture new Vipers ([[Scar]]).
**From a purely military mission perspective that is correct. ''Pegasus''' intervention seems to have been made solely because of the personal feelings of its commander. For the Cylons, the destruction of Pegasus and the retrieval of Hera compensate to an extent for the loss of three base stars and 39,000 human prisoners.
** Actually the mission was to rescue the 39,000 humans, the bulk of the survivors of the human race. The military perspective would be the sacrifice was worth the loss (though it would have been better, perhaps, if ''Galactica'' would have done the suicide run). It seems, though, that ''Pegasus'' would have jumped out if it could do so, but the ship lost its FTL drive during the pounding. This seems to happen relatively frequently for heavily defended warships designed to engage in brutal combat -- both Battlestars lost FTL during this battle. Also, ''Galactica's'' facilities to manufacture Vipers may have been greatly improved during the year at New Caprica.
** From a tactical point of view, the survival of Admiral Adama, the best tactician in the rag-tag fleet, was more important that the survival of the superior battlestar.

== Analysis ==

*There is a major plot hole concerning the continuity of the story from Exodus, Part I. In Part I, D'Anna sees Caprica-Sharon in the detention center and is shot by her. Yet in Part II, D'Anna is in Colonial One, apparently unharmed, and has not alerted the Cylons to Sharon's presence.
**That is a different D'Anna. You'll note the D'Anna in Colonial One before the attack is wearing all black, whereas the D'Anna that encountered Sharon typically wears lighter colors. The two D'Annas are seen together in The Occupation.

*Either the scenes aren't in order or Baltar is not aware of what is going on. In the Gaeta-Baltar scene, Baltar says, "The Cylons have a nuke in this complex. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is getting off this planet alive unless I stop D'Anna." But this is after most of the civilian ships have already jumped.

*Further, until Hera is discovered by Baltar, Three is still looking to set off the nuke -- even though it is clear that the colonists are all long gone.
**It's possible Three wasn't seeking to set off the nuke, but said she was as a ruse to go seek answers about her premonitions concerning Hera.
*** Any nuke held by the Cylons would likely be stored somewhere inside the guarded Cylon perimeter. It appears that this Three made a beeline to the Oracle, and was upset that she was not there. While going through the tent, knocking things over, she is quoted as saying "frackking liar!".
*In general, the Cylons seem to have left the planet implausibly underguarded. Considering the strategic nature of the site, as well as the well-known fact that two battlestars remained at large, one would have expected the Cylons to have an overwhelming amount of protection for the planet -- perhaps dozens of basestars. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that the Cylons were not keeping closer tabs on the whereabouts of the launch keys.
**It has been established beforehand that the Cylons are overstretched with the occupation. This could account for the lack of protection. At any rate, four basestars against two battlestars is hardly an even match, let alone two half-strength battlestars.
***A Basestar does not seem to be a 1 to 1 match for a Battlestar. They lack offensive and defensive gun batteries, the ability to maneuver quickly, and have a critical design flaw that is easily exploited (central hub holding the six arms together). Basestars depend on missiles and large numbers of Raiders. Adama felt that the Galactica, even barely manned, could hold up to two Cylon Basestars.
****Additionally, RDM has mentioned in his podcasts that the Cylons do have major operations elsewhere hinting at future storylines in the season. It is possible that the Cylon higher command made a strategic decision to guard the planet with what they deemed the minimal required number of basestars to defend against 2 battlestars.
*****One may also be prone to over estimating the number of Basestars the Cylons own. When preparing the attack on the twelve colonies, the cylons knew that they had surprise and the backdoor computer viruse on the their side, as such they may not have produced a very large amount of basestars (Perhaps not even enough to match the numbers of battlestars the twelve colonies had). Furthermore, the knowledge that the colonials ignored where the Cylon homeworld is may have also played a part them having a smaller fleet. If, for some reason, the attack failed, the cylons could simply retreat and bide their time before trying again. After all, when one is sure he can render his enemy defenseless, theres no real need to produce a pointlessly large army.
*****The number of Basestars has been reduced since the original attack as both the Galactica and the Pegasus have destroyed several in combat. Such massive capital ships require considerable resources to build and will not be quickly replaced, if at all.
*With the former crew of ''Pegasus'' onboard ''Galactica'' now, the ship has something close to its standard crew size. (''Galactica's'' crew was deduced to be 2,693 in the episode "[[Water]]", and ''Pegasus's'' was introduced with a crew count of 1,752 in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (see [[Crew tally]]). William Adama notes that over half of the crew has settled on [[New Caprica]] in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]", and Lee confirms that both ships are at half-strength in "[[Occupation]]".) Military operations should be much smoother now, and repairs to the ship in general are more feasible.
**However, many repairs, such as structural, will require shipyard or dockyard facilities equiped with replacement parts and heavy repair machinery required for such repairs, and these facilities are no longer available. The ''Galactica'' may never again be the fighting force that it once was.
*While the combination of the ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'' air groups give the latter battlestar a full-strength fighter wing, the Fleet has suffered the loss of its most advanced and best-armed warship. With it also went the capability to build replacement Vipers, unless one of the civilian ships can be converted for such a purpose. Defensively, the Fleet is pretty much back to the position it was in when it left the Colonies.
**However, the Galactica did take significant structural damage during the conflict, therefore, it currently isn't in the same state of battle readiness as it was at the time it left the Colonies.
*It appears during the whole conflict in atmospheric combat that the Raiders were spending most of their time running from the Vipers. This may be due to the fact that Colonial Vipers have a far superior atmospheric design where Raiders are optimized for space operations. The Viper has a stabilizing vertical wing which aids the pilot in manuevering through the atmosphere just like all real-life combat aircraft. The Raider lacks this stabilizer wing much reducing their effectiveness in aeronautic combat and manuevering thrusters are not as effective in air as in space due to resistance. This made the tactic of depositing the ''Galactica's'' Vipers into a solely air-support role for evacuating ships very effective once the Space-borne Raiders were decoyed away from the planet so that the ''Galactica'' only had to face the Basestars, not the Raiders.
*''Pegasus'' seemed to fulfill its role just like the [[Pegasus (TOS)|original ''Pegasus'']], as it fought to the end to defeat two basetars and allowed ''Galactica'' along with the last of the fleet to escape from the Cylons.

== Notes ==

* There is also a TOS comic named ''[[Exodus!]]''
* Both parts of "Exodus" were originally planned as one episode. However, it was quickly realized that the story was far too large for one episode and it was split in two. This happened before with "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I|Resurrection Ship]]." It also helped save money because the construction of New Caprica, the extensive location shooting, the number of actors, as well as the special effects for "Exodus, Part II" were very expensive and the production was over budget.
* Apparently, the viper Mk.VIIs deployed by Galactica in this episode have a yellow engine-glow instead of their usual blue. This may be a visual-effects-gaffe or the engines may have been effected by the nebular gas or even using a diffrent type of fuel or engine.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*''Discussing the failure of the occupation:''
:'''Number Three''': What would you have us do, Gaius?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Leave. Pack up your centurions, and go. Please. Go.
:'''Number Three''': And then what? What would you do if we really just left you here? You'd live out your lives in peace and never trouble yourselves with thoughts of us again? Or would you raise your children with stories of the Cylon, the mechanical slaves who once did your bidding, only to turn against you? Killers who committed genocide against your race, the occupiers of this city until we just ran away? Would you tell them to tell the story to their children, and to their childrens' children, and nurse a dream of vengeance down through the years so that one day they could just go out into the stars and hunt the Cylon once more?
:'''Gaius Baltar''': Blood for blood ...has to stop one day.

*''Roslin heads to Colonial One''
:'''Roslin''': My ship's up there.
:'''Zarek''': You sure have a sense of the dramatic.

*''Adama comes to accept ''Galactica'''s end''
:'''Admiral Adama:''' Then that's it. It's been an honor.

*''After Hearing Pegasus Has Joined Galactica
:'''Admiral William Adama''': Damn You, Lee ...Thank You, Lee.

*''The Pegasus is evacuated before its destruction''
:'''Dualla:''' Alright, people, let's move. Out! Let's go. (To Lee): You too, Commander.
:'''Commander Lee Adama:''' Yes, sir. (Begins to leave, then stops and looks around at Pegasus): Thank you.

*''As the two Adamas reunite after the battle:''
:'''Admiral William Adama''': I guess you didn't understand my orders.
:'''Commander Lee Adama''': I never could read your handwriting.

*''Adama welcomes Col. Tigh back to ''Galactica''
:'''Adama:''' You did it, Saul. You brought them back.
:'''Tigh:''' Not all of them.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as [[Cally Henderson Tyrol|Cally Tyrol]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Rick Worthy]] as [[Simon]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Number Five]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

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

{{episode list (RDM season 3)}}

[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Félix Enríquez Alcalá]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Exodus, Part II]]

Battlestar Galactica (SDS)

2006-10-24T13:27:23Z

Skyejamie: /* The Storyline */

{{separate continuity|tos=y}}
[[Image:DeSanto Singer Project Cylon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cylons (SDS)|Cylon]] design for the cancelled Battlestar Galactica continuation series]]
An effort to ''relaunch the Battlestar Galactica series'' was formulated through the Sci-Fi Channel's former executive vice president, Bonnie Hammer, in June of 2000.

Director [[Bryan Singer|Bryan <b>S</b>inger]] and producer [[Tom DeSanto|Tom <b>D</b>e<b>S</b>anto]], who met over an air flight while Tom was watching the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] on DVD, began talking as well about a revival of the series around the same time. ("SDS" is ''Battlestar Wiki's'' shortcut designation, using the last initials of the revival leaders.)

By the start of 2001, the rumors increased of the likelihood of a new series. The rumors were confirmed by February of that year, and the holders to the rights for Battlestar Galactica, Studios USA, announced that Bryan Singer and his collaborative team were intent on maintaining the spirit of the original series. To reinforce this notion, the studio also indicated that original series creator Glen Larson had given an endorsement for the project, and had been brought to the development team as a creative counsultant.

Casting, crewing, set design, and a preliminary script were readied, and by April 2001, production was greenlighted by the studios. The Fox television network offered to host the new series pilot.

Despite the enthusiasm of holding true to the nature of the original series, information from various sources indicated that original series cast members were not being considered for the nascent series initially. After what appears to have been a generous amount of negotiation, actors Dirk Benedict and Herb Jefferson, Jr. announced they would be joining the cast. Benedict indicated he would reprise his role as Lieutenant Starbuck, but older.

With sets in place in studios in Canada (where production costs would be less than in America) the pilot was scheduled to begin filming in November 2001. But the events of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 occurred. Morale, as well as impacts and complications to scheduling and travel delayed events by over a month.

The creative lynchpin of the project (at least from the studio's perspective), Bryan Singer, was forced to leave the new BSG project as he was obligated in directing and managing pre-production of the second ''X-Men'' motion picture. With his departure, the studio's confidence in completing the new series unraveled, starting with Fox Network, who withdrew their support in favor of another TV series by ''Buffy, The Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' creator Joss Whedon called [[Wikipedia:Firefly (television series)|''Firefly'']]. An attempt was made to locate another director, but by then support for DeSanto's original concept had faded.

Further driving the remaining nails in the project's coffin was Studio USA and the Sci-Fi Network itself, which began a second revival attempt, this time tapping veteran ''Star Trek'' writer [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron D. Moore]] and producer [[David Eick]] to lead a totally revived, or "re-imagined" version of BSG that paralleled many elements of the Original Series, but contained wholly distinct and diverse casting (including no Original Series cast [[Richard Hatch|initially]]), and a brooding, dire, character driven storyline using [[naturalistic science fiction|very few, if any of the typical SF cliches]]. This project was officially announced in April 2002.

The sets and other physical effects built for the Singer/DeSanto project were destroyed as the project died ''in utero'' while its fraternal twin was born, [[Miniseries|airing on the Sci-Fi Channel]] by year's end, 2003.

==The Storyline==
The continuation, built from the events of the episode, "[[The Hand of God (TOS)|The Hand of God]]," track the [[The Fleet (TOS)|Fleet]] after ''Galactica'' and ''[[Pegasus (TOS)|Pegasus]]'' shake off the Cylon pursuit. The storyline depicts a Colonial classroom where a teacher reviews the history of the Fleet, 23 years prior. ''Pegasus'' is confirmed as lost, and the Cylons themselves pay a high price from the battle.

The quest for [[Earth]] continues, but Commander [[Adama (TOS)|Adama]] had died, and [[Tigh (TOS)|Colonel Tigh]] assumes command. The citizens of the Fleet tire of spacefaring life, and, after a civil uprising, convinces their leaders to settle the Fleet in an asteroid field that is rich in resources.

The new colony, named [[New Caprica (SDS)|New Caprica]], builds new ships, settlements and facilities from the asteroids.

The Cylons themselves reflected on their failures and determined that free will was a serious issue that caused problems in their logically-based civilization. When [[Baltar (TOS)|Baltar]] is found marooned, the Cylons initially held him up as a perfect example of their failures. Baltar convinces the Cylons that some qualities of humanity were useful, and undergoes a cybernetic transformation into a new Cylon model to prove this. More dissent arose among the Cylons as a result, leading into a civil war. Out of the ashes of their war came a new Cylon race that, instead of obliterating the remnants of humanity that it finds, begins instead to assimilate the conquered humans as Cylon cyborgs.

The character known as [[Boxey (TOS)|Boxey]] has grown up and assumed command of ''Galactica'' under the name of Commander [[Orin]], who faces loss of his command from political pressure to decommission the battlestar as it has become outmoded and difficult to maintain. The political pressure becomes a command. The Colonial president, a female named [[Mara]], visits the battlestar in her shuttlecraft to attend the battlestar's decommissioning ceremonies.

Just as the battlestar's systems are powered down, the Cylons, who have studied New Caprica in secret and devise an elaborate plan for success, strike.

==See Also==
*''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming]]'', a proof-of-concept mock trailer created by [[Richard Hatch]] to boister support with Universal Studios for a series or motion picture revival of [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|a complete original series continuation]].
*The "Battlestar Galactica" [[Video Game]], which was apparently created in anticipation of this series project. The game contains characters and situations derived in whole or in part from the Original Series, with some elements that later appear in the Re-imagined Series. The result of these derivations is a video game with a storyline in neither Original or Re-imagined Series continuity.

==External links==
* [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/newfilms.htm DeSanto/Singer page on BattlestarGalactica.com]
* [http://www.cylon.org/bsg/bsg-desanto-01.html Detailed production art and information on Cylon.org]
* [http://www.cylon.org/bsg/DeSanto-int01.html Interview with Tom DeSanto]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Behind the Scenes]]
[[Category: Revival Efforts]]
[[Category:SDS]]

Gaius Baltar

2006-10-24T09:53:56Z

Skyejamie: /* Character History at a Glance */

:''This page discusses the unwitting betrayer of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol in the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]] character that intentionally betrays the [[The Twelve Colonies (TOS)|Twelve Colonies of Man]], see [[Baltar (TOS)]].''

{{Character Data
|photo= Season 3 Baltar.jpg
|colony= [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname= Gaius Baltar
|seen= Miniseries
|marital status= Single, in a relationship with a [[Cylon-Related_Hallucinations#Baltar.27s_Internal_Six|hallucination of Number Six]]. Previously involved with [[Caprica-Six|the "real" Number Six]] and [[Gina]].
|role= Former President of [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]]
|actor= [[James Callis]]
}}

Dr. '''Gaius Baltar''' is a brilliant scientist. Elegantly dressed and aesthetically handsome, with the affected humility of the truly arrogant, Baltar is a deeply flawed person and almost pathologically narcissistic. Beneath his outstanding abilities lurks a dramatic weakness of character that leads humanity to disaster.

Baltar is no longer president of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. He had succeeded President [[Laura Roslin]] in an election 380 days prior to the Cylons' discovery of [[New Caprica]] ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]). Now viewed as a traitor by the Colonials, he is left behind on [[New Caprica]] in the aftermath of the [[Battle of New Caprica]] ([[Exodus, Part II]]).

__TOC__

== Background ==

* Dr. Baltar was formerly a lead defense systems developer working for the [[Colonial Ministry of Defense]] and came to prominence as a computer technology designer, having won three [[Magnate Prize]]s.
* He networks with others well, and became personal friends with President [[Richard Adar]]. Though Baltar is extremely arrogant at times.
* Baltar becomes responsible for the design of the critical [[Command Navigation Program]] (CNP) used throughout the [[Colonial Fleet]].
* Baltar's scientific prowess seems strongest in the medical and biological fields ([[Epiphanies]]). As a result of his lesser (although still advanced) computer programming skills, he seeks the help (and as a byproduct, the affections of) a [[Caprica Six|young woman]] to aid him with the CNP.
* Baltar's two-year affair with the mysterious woman-- even to the extent of using code she herself wrote to overcome shortfalls in his CNP -- allowed her unrestricted access to some of the most sensitive systems of the Colonial defenses.
*Baltar's involvement with his blonde assistant does not stop him from dalliances with other women during this time, right up to when his assistant confronts Baltar and a lover in bed.

==Character History at a Glance==
* Baltar learns that his "corporate spy" lover is in fact a new type of Cylon -- a [[Cylon agent|Cylon in human form]], able to mimic human beings down to the smallest detail, who altered his CNP with [[backdoor]]s to subvert any CNP-equipped ship.
[[image:Mini-Baltar_Six.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Caprica-Six|Number Six]] kissing in the [[Miniseries]]. (C. SciFi Channel)]]
*Appalled by the fact that his sexual folly has led to the virtual holocaust of humanity, Baltar is nevertheless determined not only to survive but also avoid having his unintended treachery revealed.
* Baltar is rescued from Caprica following the forced-landing of a Colonial [[Raptor]] -- at the cost of [[Karl Agathon|one of the crew staying behind]] ([[Miniseries]])
* Baltar is plagued by visions of Number Six that only he can see and hear. He cannot be sure whether this is a result of his own guilt at his actions or whether -- as she initially claims -- she is part of a chip that has been implanted in his brain<ref name="chip">The idea that Six is an actual chip in Baltar's head was dismissed by Dr. [[Cottle]]'s image scan of Baltar's head. See [[Gaius Baltar#Speculation: The Real Baltar?|the section on alternate reasons for Six's existence]] for more.</ref>.
*Baltar is put to work trying to devise a means of detecting these humanoid Cylons. He luckily exposes [[Aaron Doral]] as a Cylon agent ([[Miniseries]]), using little more than invented [[technobabble]] to convince [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]].
*Baltar eventually develops a genuine detector. This, together with his survival of a foiled attempt to expose him as a traitor ([[Six Degrees of Separation]]), firmly establishes his credentials within the Fleet's hierarchy.
*With this new-found trust, and despite his willingness to deliberately conceal vital information, such as [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|"Boomer" Valerii's]] true status as a [[Cylon agent]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]), Baltar enters the realm of political leadership, first as the Representative for [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] on the [[Quorum of Twelve]], and then as the newly-elected Vice President of the Colonies ([[Colonial Day]]).
* The virtual Six continues to help and hinder Baltar, gradually drawing him to a point of near-open acceptance and participation in Cylon plans and activities ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]). Whether by coincidence or design, Six manipulates Baltar through repeated threats of exposing his involvement with the destruction of the Colonies ("[[33]],", "[[Six Degrees of Separation]]"), while also appearing to aid him by giving information that [[The Hand of God (RDM)|appears insightful or inspired]] to help the Colonials.
[[image:Scattered-Baltar_Six.jpg|thumb|[[Gaius Baltar]] and [[Number Six]] seeing "the shape of things to come" in "[[Scattered]]". (C. Universal Studios)]]
*Baltar is subjected to a final revelation of his role with the Cylons (as virtual Six sees it) when "the future" is revealed to him on [[Kobol]], in the form of the first of "God's new generation of children" ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]).

[[Image:Baltarixvalleydarkness.jpg|Number Six showing Baltar the clearing filled with human bones, telling him they were from human sacrifices.|thumb]]
* While stranded on Kobol after a crash landing, Baltar's virtual Six warns him that the Colonial religion is a falsehood to cover up atrocities of their nature.
*On Kobol, Baltar shoots [[Crashdown]] in the back, killing him instantly, to save [[Cally]] from a practically suicidal and unnecessary attack on a Cylon missile battery.<ref>The act of killing Crashdown appears to have led to a dramatic change in Baltar's attitude toward hurting anyone directly. When Cally tries to blackmail him after they return from Kobol, Baltar is somewhat rough with her. When he visits Tyrol and Boomer in the brig, he does not hesitate to inject Tyrol with fatal drugs to blackmail Boomer into giving Cylon secrets. Baltar's humanitarian acts to the Six copy known as Gina also suggests Baltar's attitude in the care of Cylons is further changing. More and more, Baltar appears to prefer direct intervention and is less cowardly in his attitude.</ref>. The group are eventually rescued by the Raptors. Baltar tells the [[SAR]] team that Crashdown died a hero in the fight, and Chief Tyrol reluctantly corroborates his story ([[Fragged]]).
*Back on ''Galactica'', Cally blackmails Baltar into making it a priority to prove that Chief Tyrol is not a Cylon, as Col. Tigh suspects, or Cally would reveal the truth of Crashdown's death.
* Incensed at this ingratitude, Baltar gambles that the [[brig|jailed]] Boomer knows of the number of Cylons in the Fleet, and blackmails her into doing so, using Tyrol's life.
[[image:brainscan.jpg|Baltar recieves his brain scan from Dr. Cottle, as Six watches on in amusement.|thumb]]
*Questioning his own sanity after his virtual Six claims that he was generally crazy, Baltar has a brain scan performed in [[sickbay]] by Dr. [[Cottle]] which confirms no "foreign objects" are present in his head.
*Baltar is ready to believe that he is truly insane until he hears [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Sharon]] discuss Valerii's pregnancy with a Cylon/Human hybrid child from his observation room. Six tells Baltar earlier that "their child" would be born in that cell, and this leads Baltar to realize that Six ''must'' be real because his subconscious couldn't have known that ([[Home, Part II]]).
*When [[D'anna Biers]] films a documentary about life aboard ''Galactica'', Six urges Baltar to give an interview to try to win people over to thinking that he should be running the Fleet. Baltar performs badly as he begins his interview but, fortunately, his interview is interrupted by a Cylon attack that Biers chooses to film instead ([[Final Cut]]).
*Baltar aids in trying to overcome the Cylon [[logic bomb]] which devastates ''Galactica's'' [[computers]]. Tigh's dislike of Baltar's involvement in this problem makes the scientist edgy enough to retort, "I'm sorry. Do you want to survive this one or not, Colonel?" ([[Flight of the Phoenix]])
[[image:baltargina.jpg|Baltar with Gina, the Cylon prisoner from ''Pegasus''.|thumb]]

*[[Helena Cain|Admiral Helena Cain]] requests that Baltar examine ''Pegasus' '' own Cylon prisoner to see what information he could glean from it. Baltar is horrified to discover the Cylon was a terribly abused and tortured copy of Number Six named "[[Gina]]". Baltar vows to help her and begins by having her restraints removed and bringing food to her ([[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]).
*Over the course of his examination of Gina, he uncovers both her wish to die and the secret of the Cylon [[Resurrection Ship]]. He passes this information to Adama and Admiral Cain, who develop an [[Attack on the Resurrection Ship|operation to destroy it]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
*Baltar continues to spend time with Gina, eventually helping her escape from the brig. He tells Gina that he can hide her, and also that he loves her. Gina goes on to kill Cain and escapes from ''Pegasus'' through unexplained means([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]).

*To many, Dr. Baltar appears to exhibit more odd behavior than what may be considered the expected eccentricity of a genius. Crewmembers on ''Galactica'' find him mumbling with himself or discovering him in places they do not expect, such as aboard battlestar ''Pegasus'' to see its new commander, [[Jack Fisk]].
*Torn between the "flesh and blood" copy of the [[Number Six]] copy, Gina, the demands of his internal Number Six, and his continuing attempt to cover his own multiple duplicities, Baltar becomes more aggressive and confrontational. With President Roslin's advice to abort the Cylon-hybrid fetus of the incarcerated [[Sharon Valerii]], Baltar reacts to defend it as if it were his own child. Admiral [[William Adama|Adama]] admonishes Baltar, telling him that, on Roslin's death, he will become President and that he needs to behave like one.
*Desperate to save Valerii's fetus, Baltar reviews Dr. [[Cottle]]'s medical tests and performs experiments of his own, learning a striking revelation: the blood of the fetus can destroy cancer and repair its damage to human tissue.<ref name="stemcells">According to the writer's original planning, this was due to the presence of Cylon [[Wikipedia:stem cells|stem cells]] in the fetus's blood. This explanation was absent in the final shooting script.</ref> With Admiral Adama's permission, he injects the dying President Roslin with some of the fetal blood, which works miraculously, saving both Roslin and Valerii's child by circumstance.
*After saving Roslin's life, Baltar reads the letter given to him in the event of her death, in which she says he lacks compassion and asks him to open his heart if he becomes president. Furious, and goaded on by Six who tells him that Roslin doesn't trust him, Baltar delivers the nuclear warhead used for the Cylon detector to Gina and her militant [[Demand Peace]] movement. ([[Epiphanies]]).
*Baltar keeps his [[fumarello]] supply fresh by trading in the [[black market (organization)|black market]] through new ''Pegasus'' Commander [[Jack Fisk]]. Not realizing that Fisk had been murdered, the scientist visits Fisk's quarters, only to meet Captain [[Lee Adama]], who has starten an investigation on the black market and Fisk's murder. Baltar truthfully tells Adama that he knows nothing of Fisk's murder, but Adama correctly deduces Baltar's association with Fisk and the black market since the "Caprica Imperials" fumarellos are a known favorite of Baltar's.
*Baltar is also unaware that his involvement in the destruction of the Colonies is partially revealed. In ''Galactica's'' sickbay, Laura Roslin recalled those final days on Caprica, and remembered Baltar in the company of a woman on Caprica who she knows now is a [[Number Six|Cylon agent]].
*Baltar is summoned to ''[[Colonial One]]'', where Roslin offers him, without explanation, the chance to resign from the Vice Presidency to return to his studies. Baltar becomes immediately suspicious (and frightened) in Roslin's succinct and direct vote of no-confidence in her vice president. Realizing that the Vice Presidency now has greater importance (if nothing other than to save his own hide), Baltar turns down what Roslin calls a "one-time offer" to save himself as he saved Roslin on her deathbed ([[Black Market]]).

[[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|Gaius Baltar as President, from ''Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II''.|thumb]]
*Dr. Baltar decides (with no small influence from Six and [[Tom Zarek]]) to run for President in the coming Colonial Elections ([[The Captain's Hand]]).

*Roslin is declared the winner of the elections, but is caught by Adama for manipulating the tally. Baltar is declared president. While Baltar demands an investigation initially, he backs down under Adama's glare.
*President Baltar orders the Fleet to return to the marginally habitable planet [[New Caprica]] seconds after his inauguration. Baltar shows incompetency as president a few days later, when he orders the colonization of the planet rather than further investigation into the destruction of ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' and two other ships (he correctly guesses that the conflagration was started by [[Gina]]).
*During his first year in office, Baltar indulges in women, wallows in the incompentence of his administration, and is callously unsympathetic to the supply and resource problems plaguing the new colony, whose inhabitants continue to live in tents. The public, including the labor union lead by [[Galen Tyrol]], is notably displeased with his administration.
*380 days after Baltar's ascention to the presidency, a Cylon armada finds the planet after discovering the radiation cloud left by the destruction of ''[[Cloud 9]]''. This event heralds the return of the dormant virtual Number Six noting to him that "judgement day" has come at last. Copies of a [[Number Five|Five]], [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] meet with Baltar and his cabinet, recommending surrender; it is here that he is reunited with the Six he fell in love with on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]).
*After four months of Cylon occupation, the citizens of New Caprica despise their president. Baltar fears for his life and turns down public appearances, such as the [[New Caprica Police]] Academy graduation, to avoid assassination attempts ([[Occupation]]). It is even commented by the Cylon occupiers while discussing the notion of public executions to discourage uprising that publicly executing Baltar would be counterproductive, since the populace would cheer his death.
*Baltar is finally deposed after Admiral Adama [[Battle of New Caprica|organizes and executes a daring rescue mission]] of New Caprica's occupied inhabitants. During the exodus of those willing to leave New Caprica, Baltar happens across the dead body of [[Maya]] and the Cylon hybrid [[Hera]], and apparently stays behind with the Cylons ([[Exodus, Part II]]).

==Notes==
*There is speculation that Gaius Baltar could be a Cylon agent himself. See the [[Baltar as Cylon speculation]] article for the pros and cons of this theory.
*[[Ron Moore]] has stated in several episode commentaries that when the role of "Gaius Baltar" was originally written in the script, the writing team never intended Baltar to have a "funny" aspect, but James Callis himself decided to play up that aspect of the frantic predicaments Baltar finds himself in during the [[Miniseries]] (which although the writers never anticipated, they enjoyed, and started writing him with that in mind).
*According to "[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]", [[Edward James Olmos]] and [[Mary McDonnell]] were hand-picked for their roles, while the rest of the characters were cast by audition: among the actors in the running for the role of "Gaius Baltar" was ''Two and a Half Men''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Wikipedia:Jon Cryer|Jon Cryer]], though the role ultimately went to [[James Callis]]. Callis was suggested by Angela Mancuso, who ran the studio at the time, who knew him from the ''Helen of Troy'' miniseries, in which he played Menelaus.

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

{{start box}}
{{succession box|before=''(unknown)''|title=Caprican delegate to the [[Quorum of Twelve]]|after=''(unknown)''}}
{{succession box|before=''(unknown)''|title=[[Government|Vice-President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]|after=[[Tom Zarek]]|}}
{{succession box|before=[[Laura Roslin]]|title=[[Government|President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol]]|after=''(unknown)''}}
{{end box}}

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:Characters|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:Characters (RDM)|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Baltar, Gaius]]
[[Category:RDM|Baltar, Gaius]]

{{featured article}}