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Flight of the Phoenix

2006-05-06T07:20:05Z

White Knight: /* Notes */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Blackbird_FotP.JPG|300px]]
| Title=Flight of the Phoenix
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=9
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Nankin]]
| Production=2.09
| Rating= 1.9
| US Airdate=September 16 2005
| UK Airdate=March 7 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,853
| Prev=[[Final Cut]]
| Next=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''[[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] throws himself into the task of constructing a new [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] from scratch, despite the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] crew's misgivings and apprehension. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] must deal with the repercussions of his relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] on Caprica. A Cylon computer virus begins to manifest itself in Galactica's computers, putting the ship and the crew in danger.''

== Summary ==
* [[Laura Roslin]]'s illness has reached a critical level. While she is still well enough to walk, Dr. [[Cottle]] gives her approximately one month to live.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] has become ''persona non grata'' to many of the crew who distrust him due to his romance with the Caprica copy of [[Cylon agent]] [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]].
* Many of the crew, even the generally level-headed and reliable Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]], are showing the strain of the apparent futility and fatigue of running from the Cylons.
* Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], with also little else to do with scrapped Vipers, begins a project to craft a new fighter. Initially many crew are very skeptical, but soon many others help Tyrol.
* Helo suggests carbon composite material for the skin in lieu of the rare plate metal for the fighter. Like the American F/A-22 Raptor Air-Dominance Fighter's low visibility to [[Wikipedia:Radar|RADAR]], Tyrol's new ship is nearly invisible to [[DRADIS]].
* [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Lee Adama]] nearly suffocate when the life-support systems on the [[firing range]] malfunction.
* A Cylon [[Logic bomb]] has attacked ship's systems and will fully control ''[[Galactica]]'' once an expected Cylon force arrives to activate it by infiltration. Gaeta and Baltar work together to figure a way to rid the ship of it by erasing the hard drives of all computers. Doing this, however, would leave the ship a sitting duck for an attack while time is needed to restore function and data to the computers.
* Adama, after asking the advice of the President, allows the Caprica Valerii to connect herself to the ship's mainframe and communication systems while Gaeta and Baltar erase the hard drives of all computers.
* A Cylon fighter armada consisting of hundreds of [[Raider]]s and [[Heavy Raider]]s attempts to activate the bomb. However, Valerii responds by transmitting a version of the same bomb to the Cylon fleet, disabling it as the Cylons did the Colonial fleet during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Viper squadrons annihilate the helpless Cylon fleet in a joyous moment of payback.
* Kara Thrace takes the new fighter, dubbed the [[Blackbird]], for a initially ungainly test spin. This fighter was designed for speed, and delivers it. Lee Adama, in a Viper chase plane, is horrified when the Blackbird disappears, but Kara rises above to face his ship quietly, proving the new fighter's stealth ability.
* In a ceremony similar to the one given to Commander Adama in the [[Miniseries]], President Roslin inspects and christens the new fighter. Many sign the ship. Tyrol reveals the name of this first fighter: ''Laura''.
* The mere work on the new fighter renewed the creativity and hope of the crew--a reason why Adama allowed its construction to continue, despite the logic bomb crisis.

== Questions ==
* This episode was rare in that Baltar's [[Number Six]] was completely absent in this episode, despite the Cylon-rich plot. What would she have said about Valerii's aid or the logic bomb?
**According to RDM's podcast Number Six was in this episode in one scene which was in the end deleted for time; in it Baltar gets up from working on the Cylon virus with Gaeta and has a conversation with Six standing in the middle of CIC.
*It is unlikely that the Caprica-Valerii's presence on ''Galactica'' is a secret to her crew since extraordinary measures were made to house her. It is possible that Adama is using a lie-of-omission to cover the existence of the second Valerii to the civilian fleet, since it is very likely that her likeness has been distributed to the rest of the fleet as a warning to keep a watch for other copies, a policy established in a Season 1 episode. While is it improbable that the death of the Galactica-Valerii could be fully contained, it is probable that Adama realizes that rumor and innuendo will disguise the fact that they harbor a second copy for interrogation purposes. In the [[Final Cut|previous episode]], Commander Adama angrily ordered [[D'anna Biers]] not to reveal her existence because it could divide the Fleet. There is likely an order to all under Adama's command not to discuss the existence of the second Valerii outside of military circles, although it would not likely stop them from discussing the matter amongst themselves.
*Is [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] attracted to Apollo (or vice versa)? Dualla seemed to "check out" Apollo's "backside" in "[[Resistance]]", and now she's in close physical contact with him. And Apollo has what almost might be called a jealous look when Billy shows up. Yet in "[[Home, Part I]]" Lee let it slip in conversation that he "loves" Starbuck (he didn't necessarily say it in more than platonic/fraternal way, however).
*Helo got angry at Chief Tyrol for calling Boomer a [[Toaster]]; is this a sign that Helo is thinking more sympathetically towards the Cylons than before? Like the Cylons, does he consider it an "offensive racial epithet"?
* Also with regard to Helo, where did he get the idea to use carbon-composite on the Blackbird? Is that something he thought up himself, or perhaps did Caprica-Valerii 'point' him in that direction?
**There is nothing to indicate that Caprica-Sharon influenced his decision for this.
*Is order on ''Galactica'' starting to break down? In the [[Miniseries]] Starbuck was put in the [[brig]] for striking a superior officer. Now, Starbuck assaulted Racetrack but there were was no visible punishment, and Tyrol got into a fight with Helo (who outranks him), also with no shown punishment. The deck crews aren't bothering to hide the [[Wikipedia:still|still]] they built as much as before, going to far as to have a large "Welcome Back Cally" party with its products in public. Col. Tigh makes a halfhearted verbal chastisement of Tyrol when Tigh finds the still, but doesn't do anything about it and ends up taking a jar of booze for his own use. Also, even Lt. Gaeta is now snapping back at the command officers, shouting and even [[frak|cursing]].
**Noone else appears to be around when Helo and Tyrol fight (quite odd, as they appear to be in the maintenance area). For Tyrol to be punished Helo would have to report the fight. Given the nature of the argument it's quite plausible that he would refrain from doing that. As both Starbuck and Racetrack are officers there is no assault on a superior involved in their fight (though Starbuck probably outranks Racetrack on seniority). Again the fight would have to be brought to attention of Col. Tigh for punishment to take place. It's quite likely that the pilots kept the incident to themselves. This is not an option in the Miniseries as Tigh himself is the superior Starbuck assaults.
*Was the software code Helo showed to Caprica-Boomer only a virus or did it contain instructions outside the scope of destabilizing and controlling ''Galactica's'' systems? Valerii's response to the code seemed to indicate it had affected her on some level. Perhaps was she merely compiling it in her head.
*If the Cylons are so interested and cautious about protecting Caprica-Boomer and her unborn child as stated by [[Aaron Doral]] in "[[Final Cut]]", why then are they willing to launch a massive assault against ''Galactica?''
*To what extent is Cylon knowledge & experiences shared? We know that [[Cylon agent]]s can transfer their consciousness to other copies of themselves ([[Miniseries]]), but are other Cylon models (such as the drones) interconnected? They would have to be on some level for Caprica-Boomer's trick to work. Is there some 'collective consciousness' at work (similar to the 'Borg' in Star Trek)?
**Caprica-Boomer seemed to imply in "[[Home, Part I]]" that she wasn't involuntarily in constant communication with the other Cylons through some sort of wireless communication net. She probably "switched off" her connection when she went on the run for real in "[[Flesh and Bone]]", because two Cylons talking amongst themselves (Six and Doral) said that they didn't know what she was planning (or thinking).

== Analysis ==
* While Cylon agents appear human to the cellular level, Sharon could control a fiber-optic connection inserted into her forearm. This suggests that the biological design of Cylon agents uses light-sensitive cells disguised as regular cells in their forearms as data access nodes, probably involving the cells interacting with her [[Silica Pathways|Silica Relays]] in her brain, the last vestiges of the mechanical nature of Cylon agents. Based on Valerii's extreme discomfort in having to cut herself to interface with the data line in this way, it could be presumed that this is not a typical practice for Cylon agents.
* Continuing from "[[Resistance]]", Dualla is shown being attracted to Apollo.
* Tyrol's comment to Lee Adama on the lack of miracles, and his answer to the problem, may remind some of another [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112502.html great miracle worker] of television science fiction.
* Despite Valerii's belief that she has become a "liability" to the Cylons, the previous episode made it clear that at least some Cylons considered the survival of her baby a paramount concern. The virus, installed before her arrival, was probably oblivious to this, but the massive fleet the Cylons deployed to interdict ''Galactica'' could not have been. Additionally, an earnest attack would almost certainly have included a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. We must therefore assume that the Cylons had a more complicated motive in making such a massive material sacrifice.
** Perhaps they hoped to furnish Valerii with an opportunity to demonstrate her loyalty and strategic value to the fleet, thus enabling her to ensure her future safety.
** Alternatively, perhaps the fleet was sent to ''remove'' the logic bomb from ''Galactica'', now that it was putting Valerii in harm's way. However, why so many, and why did one of the Raiders try to activate the logic bomb?
** Perhaps there are different Cylon factions working at cross purposes.
**The armada contained several Heavy Raiders as well--perhaps the Cylons were planning on boarding Galactica and taking Sharon by force.
**Sharon could have just been "assuming" that she was a liability, and simply be wrong. The virus itself was introduced into the ship in "[[Scattered]]" and that was before Caprica-Boomer arrived on ''Galactica.'' In "[[Final Cut]]" it was established that by that episode the Cylons were surprised that Sharon was still alive (they didn't know): perhaps they didn't know she was on ''Galactica'' up to that point. But by this point, however, the Cylons knew Sharon was on ''Galactica'' when the attack was launched. The virus appears to have just been acting out its function since "[[Scattered]]" (ignorant that its actions would destroy Sharon). However, this doesn't clearly explain why the massive Raider attack was launched.
* Our heroes passed up a major opportunity by destroying the Cylon fleet. Adama revoked Roslin's presidency on the basis of the misappropriation of a SINGLE captured Cylon Raider, yet they eliminated dozens of crippled-but-serviceable assets in the name of retribution. After all that work to create a single new fighter, wouldn't a squadron of superior Raiders be worth maintaining in the unused starboard flight pod?
**A point against the idea of capturing a Raider involves the lucky manner in obtaining the first one. The Raider in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" was brain-dead from a lucky shot. The Raiders here were turned off by a virus, but it may have been too difficult to remove all of their control mechanisms. Since these are in fact organic mechanisms that could still be fighting to survive, they may have their own ability of causing additional harm if captured alive.
**Further, ''Galactica'' had not idea how long it would be until Cylon reinforcements showed up; they probably didn't want to wait for a Basestar to come. Further, the civilian fleet had jumped away from ''Galactica'' in anticipation of the attack, and ''Galactica'' probably didn't want to leave them unattended too long. There wasn't enough time and it was too dangerous.
**At this point, ''Galactica'' could have as many as two Heavy Raiders already—the one that crash-landed into the starboard pod in "[[Scattered]]" and the one Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon returned with in [[Home, Part II]]
***The Heavy Raider that crash landed in "Scattered" may have suffered irreparable damage.
***One of the Heavy Raiders' (most likely the one from "[[The Farm]]") brains was used in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]" as a means of plotting multiple long jumps back to Caprica.
*As noted below, Helo is now a Viper pilot. This isn't unexpected, as the fleet's desperation in training new Viper pilots has led them to recruit otherwise unqualified candidates ([[Act of Contrition]]). Compared to these rapidly trained nuggets, a trained military pilot such as Helo, even if he wasn't qualified and trained as a Viper pilot, would be a great asset. It's likely that he was given some training between "[[Home, Part I]]"/"[[Home, Part II]]" and this episode.
*It was Helo that suggested the use of carbon composites for the Blackbird, and Starbuck says "Good call, Helo" after it is finished – showing that despite everything, Helo's opinions are still respected, perhaps symbolic of his redemption in the eyes of his crewmates.

===Deus Ex Machina Dilemmas in this Episode===
Some viewers may express confusion over the amount of time necessary to build the new fighter as well as the time it took to fight off the logic bomb and the Cylon attack. All in all, the whole episode may seem like a series of ''deus ex machina'' events to close up the episode.

To the episode's credit, it appears that several days' worth of time elapsed in the episode. This might stretch believability in the fighter's construction, but not in the logic bomb crisis. It must be noted that the breakdown in morale has left many of the crew with ''very'' little to do that's worthwhile in their free time. A monumental task such as building a fighter may be easy for a highly motivated, highly skilled and '''highly bored''' group of people. (Note the near-cheerful disposition of the workers when Lee Adama and Tigh visit the fighter.)

Further, the fighter was aided by specialists of particular fields in its construction--something that the Chief hasn't the luxury of having while in combat situations. As such, he had more willing and able resources at his command to create the ship than during any Viper repair. The crew also was not under pressure to build the system rapidly; there were many contributors, and work such of this led to a fast build time. It may also be presumed that the Viper design, of which the Blackbird is derived, may have a simple construction of [[avionics]], crew pressure module, engines, and superstructure. These ships are designed for rapid repair and redeploy, so, aside from the Blackbird's initial framework, much of the ship would likely be similar to a Viper. Also, the Blackbird is likely built with more modern technology than that found in the older and harder-to-service Viper Mk. II fighters--the Blackbird is likely descended more from the advanced Mk. VII Viper, of which Tyrol's crew was trained to understand and maintain, not the ancient Viper Mk. II museum pieces.

It was also established in the episode that there were spare spacecraft parts available to Tyrol—at the beginning of an episode he marks a severely damaged Viper for scrap, and Col. Tigh walks in on his still and informs him of some extra engines and other parts that another ship in the fleet is trying to dispose of. Given the ability to cannibalize already-built parts, the assembly of the Blackbird is not as great a task as building a Viper from scratch might be.

Given that the Blackbird wasn't employed in the main plot to, say, take on the hundreds of Cylon fighters in a desperate attack using last-minute technology, the ship was an interesting development. Some viewers may wonder why the Colonials have never built (or why viewers have never seen) a stealth craft to date, or why the Cylons haven't used them in their attacks. Generally speaking, technology usually appears when there is a need for it, and not merely a desire for it. Since both sides are very dependent on DRADIS for coordination and tactical advantage in a fight, the idea of commanding a squadron of ships you cannot see on your own tactical plot can be a bit challenging. Further, while the Colonials still had a standing force in case the Cylons returned, such sneaky technology may seem out of mind to defense strategists when there's no enemy about to test it--especially an enigmatic one such as the Cylons. The Colonials were more intent (at least, up until Baltar's time) to defend itself by using less sophisticated technology and basic war principles such as armor and superiority of numbers, not in making high-tech, fly-by-wire ships with complex evasive ability. As Starbuck seemed to prove in the Blackbird's maiden flight, no amount of technology will compensate for the power of a good pilot and her [[Mark One Eyeball]].

In his podcast for this episode, [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron D. Moore]] acknowledges the build-time dilemma for the Blackbird, and notes that the vagueness of time elapsed to build the machine was intentional so as to allow it to be built and done with in one episode, instead of drawing out the building into two or three episodes.

== Notes ==

* Population count is 47,853. This is the first time this season that there has been no net change in the count from the previous episode ([[Final Cut]]).
* ''[[Wikipedia:Flight of the Phoenix|Flight of the Phoenix]]'' is the title of a 1964 novel where survivors from a plane crash in the middle of a desert attempt to rebuild the plane from the wreckage. Two movies, one made in 1965 and the other in 2004, were also made following a similar story line inspired by the book.
* The [[Wikipedia:Phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]] is an animal from Egyptian mythology (and those derived) that, at the end of its lifespan, burns into ashes from which another arises.
* The [[Blackbird]], a new stealth fighter craft, has been constructed by Chief Tyrol with help from the crew.
* Helo now wears a Viper patch on his flightsuit. He wasn't visibly identified as piloting one of the Vipers deployed against the Cylons, but he may have been.
* There is a wide shot when apparently ''all'' of ''Galactica's'' Vipers are deployed where it's possible to count how many they have: there are 42 Vipers visible onscreen. Oddly, the current count says that there should be no more than 34, and even with [[Joe Palladino]] (unrealistically) on parole after [[Final Cut]] and Helo in a Viper, ''Galactica'' shouldn't be able to muster more than 25 pilots.
** There are at least 7 Viper Mk. VII's visible in this shot. This agrees well with [[Scattered]].
* This is the first episode without an appearance by [[Number Six]].
* When Chief Tyrol reconciles with Cally (regarding her killing Galactica-Boomer), she reaches into a Viper and fixes something he couldn't reach, and he responds "Nice to be small, huh?". This is reminiscent of the scene at the end of the [[Miniseries]], when they have almost the exact same exchange. In that scene, they were reconciling after ''Cally'' got angry that Tyrol was having a relationship with Galactica-Boomer.
* President Roslin returns the book "[[Dark Day]]" to Commander Adama, which he gave to her back in the second episode, "[[Water]]".
* Chief Tyrol and Galactica-Boomer were planning to leave the military together and get married before the Cylon attack.
* This is the first episode of the Re-Imagined Series that does not involve any characters appearing on a planet. There are only seven such episodes in the entire series, including the Miniseries.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*Apollo: Nobody's expecting a miracle.
:Tyrol: Maybe that's the problem.

*''Discussing Helo's return to ''Galactica'':''
:Duck: So he's the Cylon lover.
:Starbuck: You know what? I don't care who or what he fraks. He saved my ass down there, all right?
:Duck:How could anyone fall in love with a toaster, though?
:Starbuck: Same way I hear everyone was high-fiving our Sharon right before she put two in Adama's chest. The bastards frak with your head.
:Hotdog: Yeah. Just ask the Chief.

*''Card game in the Viper pilot's lockeroom:''
:Racetrack: Been playing with these cards for so long, I know every fold.
:Starbuck: So life's a bitch. What do you want to do, cry about it?
:Racetrack: No, I just want it to end, okay? The bad food, the endless rotations, pretending that a card game is the high point of our day.
:Starbuck: It's not going to last forever, all right? Earth is out there.
:Racetrack: Right. We could all be chasing our tails over some half-assed planetarium show.
:Starbuck: And you guys can all go to hell. I'm going to go find Helo.
:Racetrack: Good idea. Maybe that Cylon whore taught him a few tricks.

''(Starbuck politely turns around, walks over to Racetrack and grabs her by the neck and slams her head into the card table).''

*''Helo is sitting in Sharon's old Raptor when the Chief walks up:''
:Helo: Hey! Look, Chief. I never intended for Sharon and I to-- You know, it just kind of evolved.
:Tyrol: Just a couple lovesick kids, huh?
:Helo: I know how she felt about you, okay? She loves you.
:Tyrol: Did she fill you in on the rest of the plan? She and I were going to muster out at the end of our service. You know, then we would get married. Maybe we would have children. I guess I'm just a big frakkin' idiot, though, huh? Probably that goddamn [[Toaster]]'s plan all along.
:Helo: Don't call her that.
:Tyrol: Sucker some moron into giving her a kid. Hey, you know, but you know what? I should probably be grateful to you. Probably be grateful. You know why? Because that freak in her belly could have been mine! ''(Helo and Tyrol fight)''

*''Lt. Gaeta is starting to lose his composure under constant pressure:''
:Gaeta: Sir, I'm running every diagnostic we've got. Checking each line of code could take days.
:Tigh: I am not interested in excuses. Fix it!
:Gaeta: (''shouting'') It's not an excuse, sir. It's a frakking fact!

*Commander Adama: Months on the run, and what do we have to show for it? Casualties. Deteriorating conditions. This crew needs a rest. It's finally hitting them, that's all. Our old lives are gone. The only thing we have to look forward to is this.

*''Tigh walks into the tool closet on the hanger deck''
:Tigh: What's this, Chief?
:Tyrol: I'm making solvent, sir, to clean machine parts.
:Tigh: Solvent my ass. I know a still when I smell it.

*''Starbuck is taking the [[Blackbird]] on its first test flight while Apollo follows:''
:Apollo: Starbuck, Starbuck, where are you? Starbuck, come in. Starbuck, do you read? Kara, are you okay?
:Starbuck: (''Starbuck turns the lights of the Blackbird on; she's actually got her ship feet away from Apollo's, facing it'') Of course you lost contact. It's a damned stealth ship, remember?

*Roslin: Oh, you're much too modest. After what we've been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, Chief. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we've lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us, together. I promise.

== Official Statements ==

*In an [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/outside_docs/bg_outdoc0050.htm interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005] RDM was asked about the continuity problems noticed with the number of Vipers deployed in this episode:

: "Q: In the battle scene with the Cylons in "Flight of the Phoenix", some think they see more Vipers than pilots, there is the presence of many Mark 7 Vipers, and the Blackbird is in flight before its maiden voyage. Was this effects shot the victim of a script change or something in the editing room? Was the episode originally intended to appear after the Pegasus encounter?

: RDM: To be honest, I don't recall the exact number of Vipers in the shot or where we were in the continuity at that point. I do recall the topic coming up in various VFX and production meetings, and I think there was at least an initial rationale for the number on screen -- but it's entirely possible that we cheated a bit in Post in order to make the shot a little sexier. Sorry. It happens."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as Specialist [[Jammer]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendant "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356501/ Jen Halley] as [[Seelix]]
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0856351/ Christian Tessier] as [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]]
*Don Thompson as [[Anthony Figurski]]

== Statistics ==


* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

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2006-05-06T06:59:36Z

White Knight:

Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Categories

2006-05-06T06:59:06Z

White Knight:

Science in the Re-imagined Series

2006-05-02T12:13:39Z

White Knight: /* What about the flight pods on ''Pegasus''? */

The [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]] thrives on its concentration on its story and the characters that develop it, rather than attempting to awe its audience and drive the story by futuristic technology. Nevertheless, ''Battlestar Galactica'' is still a science-fiction program. Its writers may choose to adhere with Einsteinian, Euclidian and Newtonian principles as we know them here on the real-world Earth when ships, characters, and events require a particular physical result in, say, a space battle, in a medical complication, or when travelling from place to place.

This article summarizes or notes information about scientific objects and events in the [[Miniseries]] and regular series and attempts to draw more information, cite problems or contraditions, or conclusions of the scientiic principles revealed as part of the series' plot. In short, this article analyzes ''Battlestar Galactica's'' "[[technobabble]]" and determines how much of it is accurate, interesting, or just plain made-up.

===Why Gaeta Will Never be "Spock"===

The writers intentionally avoid characters discussing any super-technical particulars in depth in the Regular Series. This is logical in that, if the characters ''know'' that they can or cannot reach a particular location (they can see their own displays), there's no practical reason for the characters to discuss it amongst themselves (and therefore to us); it would be meaningless dialogue in a show that is heavily supported by the personalities of the characters (and is limited in time to tell viewers a story). The iracible Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] would look at Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] as if he grew a third eye in his forehead if Gaeta started to spout off the precise distances and time necessary for ''Galactica'' to travel from place to place. Talking about such minutae in ''BSG'' is just not in character.

Still, the show gives us clues about the solar system of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] to note some interesting facts.

==Distances and Speeds in the Mini-Series==

* '''''Battlestar ''Galactica'' was approximately 335,540,340 miles from one of the Colonies, ostensibly [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], at the start of the [[Miniseries]].'''''

:To reach this number, we needed clues from [[Billy Keikeya]], onboard ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'', enroute to the battlestar for its decommissioning ceremony. In the Miniseries, Keikeya tells [[Laura Roslin]] that he had sent a copy of her ceremony speech to President [[Richard Adar|Adar]] for review, but warns that there is a time delay of 30 minutes between ''Galactica'' and Adar's actual location, which is [[Epiphanies|confirmed]] as Caprica City, the apparent seat of the Colonial [[Government]] {{ref|Jack}}.

:We know that ''Battlestar Galactica's'' universe sticks to the same speed of light constant as real-world Earth (and the universe, of course): 186,282 miles per second. If President Adar sent a [[wireless]] message from Caprica to ''Galactica'' in an attempt to correct Roslin's speech, how long would it take the message to get there? Billy gives this answer: 30 minutes. This gives the answer we need if we use the equation that ''distance=speed x time'':

:::(3 x 10^8 m/s) ''(the speed of light)'' x 1800 s ''(30 minutes * 60 seconds/minute)'' = 5.4 x 10^11 meters ''or'' '''335, 500, 000 miles'''

:Simplfied, the wireless message travels over 335.5 million miles in 30 minutes to ''Galactica.'' This is approximately 3.5 astronomical units, or three times the distance between our Earth and our sun.

* '''''Colonial Heavy 798'' is travelling at a sublight speed of over 61,000,000 miles per hour to get to ''Galactica'' for the decommissioning ceremony.'''''

:Right after Billy Keikeya's conversation to Laura Roslin on her speech, we overhear the captain of ''Colonial Heavy 798'' on the public address intercom of the [[Intersun|starliner]], telling the passengers how long their trip to ''Galactica'' will take: 5.5 hours. Assuming that the starliner has just left the neighboring space of Caprica and has reached its cruising speed, and given that we know ''Galactica's'' distance from Caprica, we can determine ''Colonial Heavy 798's'' cruising speed with the same formula as above, now adjusted to calculate speed:

:::5.4 x 10^11 meters ''(the distance in meters)'' / 19800 ''(5.5 hours x 3600 seconds/hour)'' =
:::2.7 x 10^7 meters/sec, ''or'' '''61, 000, 000 MPH'''

:While ''Colonial Heavy 798'' is making a very serious clip across space at 61, 000, 000 miles per hour on its [[sublight]] engines, this is only approximately 11 percent of the speed of light, so passenger liners do well in getting from place to place, or colony to colony. To give a real-world comparison, ''Colonial Heavy 798'' could fly from our sun to the Earth in about 90 minutes. The light from the sun takes only 8 minutes to arrive on the Earth's surface.

:Given the velocities involved, extremely high accelerations must be used to attain them in reasonable (useable) time frames involved for in-system transportation. Such G forces would kill any humans involved unless some means of dampening them were employed. Given that the technology to perform space-folding FTL jumps is also available, the technology to manipulate gravity would lie in the same area.

* '''''Colonial Heavy 798'' and it's passengers would ''lose'' about 1 minute and 19 seconds during their trip to Caprica (relative to the time observed on Caprica), if they had completed their trip as planned, due to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation Time dilation].'''''
:T = T0 / sqrt(1 - v^2/c^2)
::*T0 = 5.5 hours. (as observed by Colonial Heavy 798)
::*d = 335,540,340 miles.
::*v = d/T (as observed by Caprica)
::*c = 670,616,624.4 mph
::*'''T = 5.52 hours. (1:19 longer observed on Caprica)'''
:Of course, this assumes that Colonial Heavy 798 took the same path to Caprica that it's transmission would take. This isn't likely, for various reasons, so the distance is off ''a little''.

==Artificial Gravity==

''(Much of this topic is derived from information in an article on the subject on [[Wikipedia:Artificial Gravity|Wikipedia]]. Not all of ''Battlestar Wiki's'' contributors are rocket scientists.)''

Of course, it's very practical for humans, who evolved in gravity, to have it aboard their ships. Cinematically, it also makes it much easier to keep production costs down by not having to simulate weightlessness.

That doesn't mean we can let the [[Colonial Fleet]] get away with just having artificial gravity without some explanation, especially given [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron D. Moore]]'s [[Naturalistic science fiction|realistic science fiction]] principles of his show. From a science fiction perspective, this has always been the hardest "technology" to explain away in a show. Most shows don't even bother unless the temporary loss of artificial gravity would make a good plot complication.

From what our scientists have theorized here on the real-world Earth, you can generate gravity from several ideas:

* ''Rotation of the spacecraft'' to generate centrifugal forces within a spacecraft.
:Remember the playground merry-go-rounds of your youth? Same principle. In fact, one of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|Fleet]]'s ships uses this form of artificial gravity when it feels like it: the [[Space Park]]. Viewers can get a good view of this ship in motion when the Fleet leaves [[Ragnar Anchorage]] in the Miniseries.
* ''Keeping the ship at constant acceleration'', with the crew standing in the opposite direction of acceleration.
:Same principle that every astronaut experiences as their rocket launches into space and accelerates. In this principle, you won't take your hands off the throttle, keeping the ship's engines on at all times.
* ''Place something with a lot of mass'' within your ship.
:This isn't artificial gravity, but the real thing. But there is the matter of the energies required to move your ship, the large gravity well that wants to attract other objects into your ship's general direction, and the shape of your ship. Gravity just '''works''', pulling from every direction, so you would need a round ship to keep from strange changes in gravity aboard a ship. Worst of all, the amount of fuel needed to move a ship with a local mass concentration would be really, really high.
* ''Use tidal forces''.
:Stretch a tether with a small mass between a large gravity source and the ship you want. Cheap, fuel-free, and reliable. There's the matter of actually being able to travel somewhere besides planetary orbit without losing gravity, however.
* ''Fake gravity by using another classic force, magnetism''.
:The big term for this is [[Wikipedia:Diamagnetism|diamagnetism]], or, more specificially for this application, ''diamagnetic levitation''. Based on the technologies we've seen in the Re-imagined Series (such as their use of magnetism for landing and launching Vipers){{ref|vipers}}, this principle has the most viability, but it also fraught with huge problems in application.
:''Everything'' has a magnetic attraction, but most objects (a human body included) has so little magnetism that we don't really think about it. This principle could be used to force ''everything'' in a particular direction. But, first off, using magnets together usually makes objects ''float'' between them, not drop, so you have to figure out how to angle things for the proper effect. Scientists here on Earth have actually [http://www.hfml.science.ru.nl/levitate.html levitated a frog at a force of 1''g'' ] (Earth's gravity), but it took a massive amount of cryogenically frozen hardware to do it, and that was using the magnet to push ''away'' from Earth's gravity, not push the object ''down''. Also, high magnetic field concentrations [http://star-www.st-and.ac.uk/~jrs/safety/magnetic.html are probably not very healthy]] in the long term.

If the writers have to dive back into the old fictionalized bag of tricks, you could consider these fanciful notions for keeping your deck crews on the deck:

* ''Use rotational gravity.''
:This variation of centrifugal gravity generation has been done in the movie ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' (the crew compartment inside the ''Discovery'' spun) and the venerable TV show "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" (the cylindrical space station spun on its longitudinal axis).

* ''Simulate gravity with force fields.''
:The central spaceship in the TV show "[[Wikipedia:Andromeda|Andromeda]]" uses "gravity generators". The "Star Trek" saga has a similar idea. This concept seems also to be a slap in the face of realistic SF concepts since it's a completely fanciful concept with no basis in scientific plausibilty at present.

* ''Spacetime manipulation.''
:The ability to do [[FTL|Faster Than Light travel]] indicates the Colonials have the advanced technology to manipulate the fabric of spacetime. This same ability might be harnessed to provide artificial gravitation. However, the connection between the use of ''Galactica's'' FTL drives (which are inactive until "spun up") makes this idea inconsistent with story elements where the FTL drives must be prepped before using. Also, this idea is also fanciful in its basis in known scientific fact or theory.

So, there are no definitive answers to the issue of what comes up and must come down in ''Battlestar'', and the concept of artificial gravity in the show has yet to be explained anytime soon by the writers. Maybe a Raptor will lose their gravity on a mission one day in an episode, and the writers will have to have the characters [[Frak|curse]] about the issue.

===What about the flight pods on ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''?===

Unlike ''Galactica's'', each flight pod on the advanced battlestar ''Pegasus'' are divided along its length into two landing bays. In "[[The Captain's Hand]]," viewers see Vipers inverting (relative to the battlestar) and landing on the bays "upside down." Is artificial gravity to be credited with this?

The answer is more likely magnetism. Vipers are launched with a magnetic catapult, and (as seen in "[[The Hand of God]]") can magnetically mate using their landing skids to a metal surface (in this case, the interior of a freighter). Like gravity, magnetism works in any direction, and takes little to maintain. Confirming this idea is a scene from the [[miniseries]]. As ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' lands in ''Galactica's'' port flight pod to offload passengers for the decommissioning ceremony, we see two spacesuited figures working on the deck. The two crewmembers are floating, suggesting that artificial gravity is ''not'' in use. Reinforcing this are the [[Combat landing|combat landings]] done by Vipers; the fighters bounce very noticeably at high speeds but, unlike a rock skipping across a pond, the Viper bounces less ballistically, suggesting that magnetism, a weaker force than gravity, is at work. How the Vipers get from the up-side-down flight deck to the right-side-up hanger, however has yet to be seen and is another issue in and of itself. One likely explanation is that once combat landings are not required the Vipers manouvere themselves into traditional landings using the [[hands-on approach]], like [[Lee Adama|Captain Lee Adama]] did when he first arrived on the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]].

==Light-speed Travel==

The good news is that, from a theoretical point of view, the Re-imagined Series has this covered well by the use of ''wormhole'' theory, instead of grandiose methods such as in "Star Trek", through the use of fantastic energies. For more detail on how '''Jumps''' work and how the Colonial's manner of apparent faster-than-light travel differs from the more fanciful non-Einsteinian "warp drive" technology in "Star Trek", see the article on [[FTL|Faster Than Light travel.]]

===Why Didn't ''Colonial Heavy 798'' simply Jump to ''Galactica''?===

In the Miniseries, the starliner known as ''Colonial Heavy 798'' casually traveled 5.5 hours at sublight speeds to get to battlestar ''Galactica.'' Why did the starliner take its sweet time? Why didn't they simply Jump to ''Galactica'' to save time?

There are several possibilities.

* '''Discomfort.''' [[FTL]] travel is a very disconcerting sensation to most humans. Even trained military staff such as [[Cally]] hated the sensation caused by wormhole travel. And, if the Colonies are full of lawyers as the real-world Earth is, think of the litigation created by people who aren't prepared for Jumping, and sue the starliners. Starliners would rather not Jump if they can help it, and probably explicitly warn travelers when they book a Jumping flight.
* '''Scheduling.''' ''Galactica's'' decommissioning ceremonies were for a specific time and date. While [[Intersun]] could have created an FTL flight, passengers still need time (mentally or physically) to prepare for their trip. As humans without instantaneous travel ability, we may not realize that such travel may create issues of logistics for passengers (many who are late or procrastinate) who actually ''anticipate'' that they will get 5 hours to plan for their event, or to just sleep.
* '''Flight rules or protocol.''' It may be against Colonial flight protocols for any non-military vessel to Jump to the adjoining space of a Colonial Fleet vessel. This makes the most sense because ships such as battlestars are ''always'' on the lookout for a sudden appearance of any ship that approaches them; they ''are'' a warship, after all. An incident where Vipers are scrambled from a battlestar after a civilian ship Jumps too closely would be like a Lear Jet flying too closely to a United States aircraft carrier. If ''Colonial Heavy 798'' were to Jump straight to the battlestar, all kinds of alarms would go off in [[CIC]] until the battlestar could verify the incoming vessel was friendly. And, given that [[Tom Zarek|terrorism existed]] in the Colonies, even a "friendly" vessel may not be necessarily be a "friendly" (remember the events of September 11, 2001, where passenger airliners were used in the attack).
* '''Expense.''' The ships of the escaping survivors that make up ''Galactica's'' civilian Fleet use FTL travel frequently because they have to. There's little discussion of the economy or frequency of using FTL regularly before the Colonies were attacked.
* '''Distance.''' There may be a minimum distance where using [[FTL]] can be considered practical. As seen in "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]," a (supposedly) damaged Raider is capable of making random Jumps in such close proximity to each other that the [[CAP]] is able to intercept it again in a matter of seconds. The key point is that ships cannot perform many Jumps in rapid succession; they need to take time to calculate a new Jump and power up their FTL drive engines (while vessels on ''Star Trek'' are capable of going to "warp" speed instantly). During this time lag, a ship might be able to close the distance to its required destination simply by using its normal [[Sublight Propulsion|sublight]] engines. For example, during the [[Battle of the Resurrection Ship]], most of the Cylon fleet's Raiders are lured away from their fleet, but they didn't Jump back to defend against the Colonials when the ruse is discovered. A likely explanation is that it would have actually taken ''less'' time to cover this distance at sublight than it would to perform Jump calculations for several minutes, then Jump.

===Why hasn't ''Galactica'' Jumped in over 20 years?===

Before the attack, ''Galactica'' herself hadn't jumped for over 20 years, according to [[Saul Tigh]] in the Miniseries. Aside from the general reasons for not Jumping about (see above), ''Galactica'' may have been a special case:

* ''Galactica'' was among the oldest ships in the Colonial Fleet. In comparison to its modern sister battlestars, ''Galactica's'' unrefitted status may have made it woefully poor for modern battlestar training. Some Colonial Fleet staff may have also felt that ''Galactica's'' age and lack of advanced Colonial technology had deemed it unspaceworthy for regular Jumping (as Saul Tigh appeared to believe, training notwithstanding).

* It's also likely that ''Galactica'' was also an historic vessel that few Colonial government politicians would care to lose to an FTL accident if they were defense spending proponents. Therefore, ''Galactica'' may have been practically "dry-docked" around the vicinity of Caprica, still commissioned and regularly manned, but not considered an effective warship on normal patrol. Presumably, when the costs of running ''Galactica'' as a regular warship became too high, the idea of formally dry-docking the ship in orbit around Caprica is considered. The United States has a counterpart to what ''Galactica'' might have been or was to become: the [http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/ USS ''Constitution''--"Old Ironsides."]

==The Tylium Question==

[[Tylium]] is a curious substance in the universe where the Twelve Colonies resides. Used by both Colonials and their foes, tylium has the properties of a mineral or fossil fuel in as that the substance is mined and refined. Like some fossil fuels, tylium isn't useable until refined. While the ore can't be detonated, its precursor (similar to refined crude oil before its refinement into gasoline and other products) is very explosive. The fuel itself isn't as explosive as precursor, however.

So, is tylium a made-up substance or would it have a counterpart or comparative substance to the elements we know of here on the real-world Earth?

One speculation is that tylium can possibly be similar to Helium-3{{ref|helium3}}. Helium-3 is a primordial component in the Earth's crust, is deposited via solar wind on moons and asteroids. But, while helium-3 has potention as an energy source, the amount of energy needed to ignite it (fusion) would be more than the energy it would expel for use as an energy by-product.

There is a problem with this speculation in that helium-3 is a gas, not a mineral or solid element. A tylium counterpart should be a solid, non-radioactive, and likely non-organic substance. Coal would fit the tylium concept were it not a fossil fuel, which would suggest that life forms existed and died on the celestial bodies where the substance is mined. Perhaps another element from the Periodic Table could be a counterpart of tylium.

==The Cancer Cure of Laura Roslin==

''This section was originally written from a layman's perspective. As such, the information in this section is speculative and with little professional background. Battlestar Wikipedians with more experience and training in biology, medical science, and genetics are strongly encouraged to correct and expand on this section.''

The episode "[[Epiphanies]]" showed dying President [[Laura Roslin]] receiving the fetal blood from [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii's]] and [[Karl Agathon|Helo's]] child, which dramatically annihilated the [[Wikipedia:Cancer|breast cancer]] and its subsequent metastasis (spreading) that almost kills Roslin.

The believability of this event is low given that viewers have seen, from the first moment we meet the character of Laura Roslin, that cancer in the Twelve Colonies is just as dire as it is on the real-world Earth.

Killing cancer cells is not inherently a problem in treatment. But killing cancer growths without damaging healthy tissue is the larger issue. As cancer spreads and grows, it infests itself in healthy tissue where surgery is made impossible (brain cancer is commonly inoperable because of the likelihood of damage to critical areas of the brain). Likewise, chemotherapy is less invasive, but can also leave nasty changes to body chemistry and highly undesireable side effects. Roslin mentions that her mother also had breast cancer that she had treated with [[diloxin]] therapy, which appears to be a form of chemotherapy. Roslin declined this treatment in favor of [[Chamalla]] extract, a treatment that led to [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I|interesting side effects]], but ultimately failed in slowing or stopping her cancer (as Dr. [[Cottle]] predicted).

The cancer cure seen in "Epiphanies" appeared to accomplish the following abilities:

*Destroyed all cancerous and pre-cancerous cells in the bloodstream (to prevent relapsing)
*Destroyed all cancer cells in organ tissue while repairing damage to organs with tumors or other infection
*Differentiated between the host's healthy cells and the cancerous cells
*Be effective with a relatively small dose, since fetal blood volume is low and cannot be taken in large amounts
*Left few or no immediate side-effects

There could be some logic to the use of the Cylon hybrid fetal blood, but this requires some stretching of the imagination and perhaps some genetic work.

*Earth science has confirmed that [[Wikipedia:Stem cells|stem cells]], undifferentiated cells found in fetal tissue that change into any needed organ or body part, can be used to aid in cellular repair. (''According to the podcast for this episode, this was, in fact, ''the'' agent of the cure. However, Moore believed the explanation would be too much [[technobabble]] for audiences and had the explanation truncated.'')
* Moore's use of fetal stem cells appears to support early research, but with a new twist. According to [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5195551 new research], fetal stem cells from the placentas of babies (born or not) leak into the body of a mother and appear to act as specialized "protectors" that can repair or lessen the effects of damaged tissues or disease. The presence of these cells can be for years, and is compounded by the number of pregnancies of the mother.
*Earth science has also confirmed that the human immune system mounts a response to cancer, which can lead to the regression of tumors. People with compromised immunity, such as those infected with HIV, suffer from malignancies that are uncommon in the general population. Some cancer researchers have speculated that improving the immune response could provide a cure for cancer possessing all of the above features.
*Earth science has found that several viruses are capable of rapidly infecting and killing cancerous cells while lacking the same infectivity of healthy cells. Experiments have been conducted in which mice which were deliberately given massive tumors were rapidly cured by direct infections of the tumors by viral agents that did not harm any healthy tissues. In terms of the show, perhaps the cylon-hybrid cells are capable of mimicing these abilities.
*Despite their appearance, [[Cylon agent|humanoid Cylon agents]] are not human, but created. Perhaps in their creation, Cylons designed the humanoid bodies to fight off or identify genetic malfunctions immediately, or may be created without any of the historic genetic abnormalities found in humans that could trigger cancer or other diseases.

==Cylon Genetics==

The exact technical nature of the humanoid Cylon models is unknown. Apparently, they are the result of incredibly advanced bio-mechanical engineering. A great deal of technical insight into the humanoid Cylons, and more specifically, the Cylon-Human Hybrid fetus, was going to be revealed in “[[Epiphanies]]”. However, according to Ron D. Moore’s podcast for this episode, almost all of these were cut, to the point that in the final edit Baltar is left saying that the “blood” of the hybrid is “special”. Many fans thought this explanation was a little too abrupt. RDM explained that he was afraid that viewers would react to a longer, more detailed explanation as [[technobabble]], and edited the material out as a result. This doesn’t mean that this material is ‘’incorrect’’; nothing Baltar says in the aired episode would be contradicted by further elaboration, as Baltar’s comments that the blood is an “amalgam”, etc. are so vague that further information wouldn’t contradict it. These scenes will probably become available in the Season 2.5 DVD box set.

However, several shots of Baltar going through notes on the genetic structure of the Hybrid’s DNA, etc. can be seen in promo commercials for this episode. Although no screencaps exist for this, careful analysis has yielded several new insights. [[image:Uracil.png|thumb|right|Uracil]]

Baltar is seen looking at this base of a nucleotide which belongs to the Cylon-Human Hybrid: The [[Wikipedia:nucleobase|nucleobase]] he examines is recognizable as [[Wikipedia:Uracil|Uracil]] (which is actually used in mRNA, not DNA):

This would seem to support the notion that the humanoid Cylons are indeed carbon-based, as opposed to silicon-based. However, just as the human body contains the metal Calcium but is not calcium-based, the Cylons incorporate silicon (as noted in the vague reference to "[[Silica Pathways|silica pathways]]") into their physiology, but appear to be carbon-based. In fact, since silicon does not share the organic nature that enables carbon to form the building blocks of life (silicon can't make as many molecular bonds as carbon), it would be practically impossible for most of a Cylon's body to be anything ''but'' a carbon-based life form. Else, the pregnancy between [[Helo]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] would be physically impossible, even if "love" was needed to make it happen. Certain kinds of radiation have adverse effects on Cylon technology (as shown on Ragnar Anchorage), but this appears to be based on the tissue-level structure of silica pathways, not their underlying cellular basis.

==The Problems of Colonization==

The harsh conditions in [[New Caprica City]] illustrate the difficulties of establishing a colony on a new planet, let alone one that is as inhospitable as [[New Caprica]]. These difficulties are greatly amplified by the small size of the surviving human population.

A small founding population is prone to the effects of inbreeding, but the historical example on Earth indicates that, with the proper regulation of consanguineous marriages, it should not be a problem for a city larger than a few hundred people{{ref|Birdsell}}. The population on New Caprica was drawn from the full [[Twelve Colonies]] so its initial genetic diversity should be high.

The more serious problem is that the population bottleneck suffered by the humans has also resulted in a knowledge bottleneck. Moreover, the survivors appear not to represent a full cross-section of Colonial society. Military personnel are clearly overrepresented. [[Gaius Baltar]] appears to be the only surviving scientist of any note, and [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]] the only physician. In an advanced country on Earth, a population of 50,000 would have at least 100 doctors and roughly the same number of doctoral scientists and engineers. Although the ''Galactica'' may have digital libraries embodying the knowledge of Colonial society, the population will also need to develop knowledge specific to their new home, and small size of the population does not allow for a high degree of specialization.

These factors are not specific to New Caprica. They will apply wherever the human population settles, assuming it does not find the [[Thirteenth Colony]] with its existing population base or merge with the [[Cylon]] population by surrendering. There is a reason it took ''Homo sapiens'' on Earth over 100,000 years to grow from a population of 50,000 to a global technological civilization: population size is a necessary (though not sufficient) condition for economic development, because it allows for division of labor{{ref|Hodges}}. The Colonials may be able to leapfrog because of their existing knowledge and skills, but judging from the [[History of the Twelve Colonies]], it took the tribes leaving Kobol roughly 2,000 years to develop into an advanced civilization. One can argue that it would take the surviving human population an equivalent length of time to do the same---perhaps longer, given that their exodus was unplanned.

The humans will have to develop agriculture, industry, and infrastructure almost from scratch. In the time it takes them to do so, there will be a slow erosion of knowledge, as the original population with its memories of the Twelve Colonies dies off. It is quite likely that economic development would regress before it improves. Indeed, after less than two years, the humans have already exhausted their supply of medicines and have developed no way to manufacture more.

==Sources==
#{{note|Jack}} President Adar's office on Caprica was confirmed the second-season episode "[[Epiphanies]]". Reinforcing this information, Roslin speaks by [[wireless]] to "Jack", a fellow secretary or government official. Jack tells Laura of the devastation of his location and Adar's speculated whereabouts and actions. Given that wireless transmission ranges in real-time conversation would limit Roslin to be able to speak only with Caprica (the nearest colony), Jack must be on Caprica, likely in Caprica City.
#{{note|vipers}} In the [[Miniseries]], viewers see a preflight checkout and launch of the fighters. For launch, the [[Launch tubes|launch tube]] uses a magnetic catapult ("magcat") to hurl the Viper out. On landing, either magnetism or some blend of artificial gravity pulls Vipers to rest on the deck of the [[Flight pod|flight pod]]. This force appears to be just strong enough; note the bouncing that the fighters do as their landing skids hit the landing deck while they retreat to ''Galactica'' as it prepares to Jump from Ragnar Anchorage at the conclusion of the Miniseries.
#{{note|helium3}} See [[Wikipedia:Helium-3|Wikipedia's article on Helium-3]] and [http://www.asi.org/adb/02/09/he3-intro.html this article] by a private firm on the concept.
#{{note|Birdsell}} See "Biological Dimensions of Small Human Founding Populations" by J.B. Birdsell in ''Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience''. University of California Press, 1985.
#{{note|Hodges}} See "The Division of Labor and Interstellar Migration" by William A. Hodges in ''Interstellar Migration and the Human Experience''. University of California Press, 1985.

==See Also==
*[[Naturalistic science fiction]]
*[[FTL]]
*[[Sublight Propulsion]]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Number Five

2006-04-30T12:00:35Z

White Knight: /* PR Executive Copy */

{{Character Data|
|photo=[[Image:Doral.PNG|200px]]
|age=
|colony= One copy claimed to be from [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]
|birthname=
|callsign=
|death=
|parents=
|siblings=
|children=
|marital status=
|role=Cylon Infiltrator
|rank=
|actor=[[Matthew Bennett]]
|cylon=Y
|name=Aaron Doral
}}

Cylon model '''Number Five''', known to the humans as '''Aaron Doral''', appears to be a man in his mid-thirties. He was initially encountered aboard [[Galactica type battlestar|battlestar]] ''[[Galactica]]'', where he was operating as a public relations executive. Later he was active both within the fleeing Colonial fleet and on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. He seems designed to network, almost to the point of being the sleazy used-car salesman type, but with a sadistic, violent side.

But Doral is a [[Cylon agent]] in reality. The Doral model's purpose is to attempt to sow the seeds of discontent or confusion, particularly during crucial life-threatening situations. Doral models endeavor to undermine authority that threatens his objectives. Doral models are more covert, assuming an ordinary "everyman" appearance that's blended in what may seem to be insignificant behind-the-scenes issues (such as converting ''Galactica'' into a museum). Fives are among the most militant, fanatic and consistent to the Cylon objectives (only the [[Three]]s match them), whether they are dispassionately discussing the fate of humanity with his comrades or attempting to kill or maim Colonials in a suicide bomb attack ([[Litmus]]).

__TOC__
== PR Executive Copy ==

Doral appears to be exactly what he claims when viewers first see him in the [[Miniseries]]: a PR executive. He coordinates the ceremony surrounding ''Galactica's'' decommissioning and transfer to the civilian authorities represented by Secretary of Education [[Laura Roslin]]. During the lead-up to the ceremony, he mocks the Galactica as antiquated and advocates automated defense systems (which would be more vulnerable to Cylon interference).

In the role of PR executive, Doral is efficient, polite and able to carry out his work without ruffling the feathers of those around him, while at the same time marshalling and managing the media. He usually wears an emerald suit and tie.

When Roslin takes charge of Colonial One during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|Cylon attack]], Doral strongly objects her leadership and goes so far as to try and convince [[Lee Adama|Captain Lee Adama]] to remove her from power. Captain Adama, however, supported Roslin and her leadership decisions, and he quickly put Doral in his place.

Following Gaius Baltar's arrival on ''Galactica'', Doral becomes the fall-guy Baltar needs to divert any suspicions he feels may otherwise be directed at him following the Cylon incursion into the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]]. In this, he is partially steered by [[Number Six]] - although the selection of Doral as his fall-guy appears to be Baltar's own choice by educated guess ([[Miniseries]]).

Arrested and thrown into the brig, Doral loudly proclaims his innocence of all charges, citing his background and upbringing: that he was born in [[Oasis]], a hamlet near [[Caprica City]], and grew up on the south side of Caprica City itself before going to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], where he studied public relations at the Kobol Colleges ([[Miniseries]]).

Later, after being left at the [[Ragnar Anchorage]] space station, Doral exhibits all of the symptoms initially shown by the Cylon agent [[Leoben Conoy]], confirming the fact that he is a Cylon agent and that, however "coincidentally," Baltar selected the "right" man.

Given his protestations of innocence, and the palpable level of fear he demonstrates within the brig, it is possible that this Doral copy is a "sleeper" Cylon agent. Like [[Sharon Valerii|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]], this Doral may have been programmed to think he genuinely ''is'' human, until the radiation around Ragnar affects his [[Silica Pathways|silica pathways]], causing his Cylon identity to come to the fore. He is rescued and debriefed by a group of his fellow Cylon agents, including another Number Five.

== Suicide Bomber Copy ==
[[Image:Litmus_Doral.jpg|thumb|left|300px|[[Aaron Doral]] in his suicide bomber role aboard ''[[Galactica]]''. (Credit: Sci-Fi Channel)]]
A copy of Doral also turns up on ''Galactica'' as a suicide bomber ([[Litmus]]), using explosives he steals from a small-arms locker to create a primitive bomb he detonates in a corridor of the ship after being challenged by [[William Adama]].

At the time of the explosion, [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] suggests that Doral's intended target was [[Gaius Baltar]]. There is little direct evidence to back-up Starbuck's claim. Sergeant [[Hadrian]]'s investigation into the matter establishes that the small arms locker used by Doral is located relatively close to the flight pod (where Doral would have come aboard). Therefore, the fact that the locker and Baltar's lab resided on the same deck may have been coincidental.

Doral appears to spend some time wandering through the ship before detonating his bomb, which suggests he may have been looking for a target of opportunity, such as a command staff member or sensitive area such as [[CIC]].

== Caprican Overseer Copy ==
[[Image:CyDorFiv.jpg|thumb|Five in his overseer role. (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)]]
On Caprica, Number Five performs the role of a Cylon overseer, working with [[Number Six]] to ensure their experiment involving the stranded [[Karl Agathon]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]] either reaches its desired conclusion, or is suitably terminated ([[Litmus]], [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]). He wears a red suit, more ulitarian than that of his PR executive counterpart.

In this, Five shows a harder attitude towards humans than Six. When she expresses regret that the destruction of humanity was necessary in order for the Cylons to achieve their ends, he is not so forgiving:

*Six: "This all makes me so sad."
*Five: (matter-of-fact) "They would have destroyed themselves anyway. They deserve what they got."
*Six: "We're the children of humanity. That makes them our parents in a sense."
*Five: "True - but parents have to die. It's the only way children come into their own."

([[Bastille Day]])

Later, however, when Six is disdainful of Valerii's apparent feelings for Agathon when the Caprican experiment goes awry, Five is more sympathetic, wondering what it must be like to be driven by passion that marks Agathon's action: "Even in his anguish he seemed....so alive" ([[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]).

==Other Copies==

In "[[Final Cut]]," a Number Five is one of the Cylons that watches [[D'anna Biers]]' broadcast. He comments that the life of Sharon and Helo's hybrid child must be protected at all costs.

Several copies of Number Five are seen on Cylon-occupied Caprica throughout "[[Downloaded]]", the episode where it was revealed that he is the fifth in the sequence of twelve Cylon models. A Five is one of the four 'rebirth nurses' that welcome first [[Caprica-Six]] and (much) later [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]], the "Heroes of the Cylon" back to life after their respective downloads into new bodies. He tells Boomer that the Cylons are proud of her. Another copy is serving coffee at the cafe which is bombed by [[Samuel Anders]]' resistance group, while yet another rescues "Caprica" and Sharon from the ruins of a garage later the same day.

A Five is part of the leading group during the invasion of [[New Caprica]] in the episode "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]", along with the aforementioned "Heroes of the Cylon."

{{Characters}}

[[Category:A to Z|Number Five]]
[[Category:Characters|Number Five]]
[[Category:Cylons|Number Five]]
[[Category:RDM|Number Five]]
[[Category:People from Caprica|Doral, Aaron]]

[[es:Número Cinco]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-04-28T09:02:59Z

White Knight: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]] and [[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=1.9
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= [[Occupation]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut. [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Tory_Foster|Tory]] mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [[Wikipedia:Table (verb)|tabling]] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Laura Roslin|Roslin]], fearing that she has indeed lost the presidential race, confronts [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] on whether he was with Six on Caprica before the Cylon attack. Baltar avoids answering the question & states that he may have saved her life, but he will not save her political life.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavil confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, who declares a "[[Code blue]]," claiming Cavil is a Cylon. Both Cavil and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavil (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Caprica-Cavil then talks about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have convinced their kind about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. Caprica-Cavil's mission was to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Starbuck and Anders are getting extremely drunk when Apollo comes in to welcome them back. Starbuck makes a snide remark about Apollo and Dualla and goes back to drunkenly making out with Anders. Apollo, clearly upset with Starbuck, leaves without saying much.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying that Tigh has confessed to rigging the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. Initially he vows to have a full investigation on the vote count, but after Adama suggests that Baltar take his victory and leave matters be, Baltar relents and informs Adama that he can be quite generous in victory. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*Baltar and Gina finally consummate their relationship after Gina informs Baltar that she would not be part of the colonization.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast with Gina on board; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least three other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===
[[image:burdens2.jpg|Kara and Cottle on New Caprica.|thumb]]
*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good [[Combat Air Patrol]]. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, has pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is unable to treat Anders because there are no antibiotics available. He can only advise Kara to make sure Anders gets enough rest and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, with a very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*A [[Leoben Conoy]]-model [[Cylon agent]] shows up at Thrace and Anders' tent, where he asks an ailing Anders about where to find Thrace.

*Kara calls Lee aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla, now an officer and most likely Lee's XO, notices something on the [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrives in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas discuss what to do in response, with Lee initially advocating that the fleet jump away, and Admiral Adama initially resisting the suggestion. However, Lee apparently brings the Admiral around to his way of thinking (or Admiral Adama comes to the conclusion on his own) when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps the alert fighters in and jumps the fleet ships remaining in orbit around [[New Caprica]] to an unknown location, vowing that he will return.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Numbers [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar, after learning that the Cylons discovered New Caprica because of the nuke explosion set off by Gina, declares surrender on behalf of the colonists. As Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?

*Is Gaeta Baltar's assistant or his vice President?

*What happened to Zarek?

{{spoiltext|According to RDM's blog, Tom Zarek was initially the Vice President but he had a falling out with Baltar over the regime.}}

*Has Gaeta's view of Baltar changed since Baltar's ascension to the presidency? If so, is Gaeta planning to do anything about it?

*What "number" is Cavil?

*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
{{spoiltext|A copy of Cavil appears in a detention center on New Caprica during the Cylon Occupation. Whether this is one of the two Cavils seen in this episode is not yet clear.}}

*Where did the defense fleet jump to?

*Where is Caprica-Sharon?

*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
{{spoiltext|According to some Q&A that RDM gave at a recent convention to people from the website 'The Pegasus Galaxy', Starbuck's missing ovary has been "under Leoben's pillow". Could the Cylons have made a hybrid child from her eggs and Leoben's sperm?
Also, there is the possibility that this particular Conoy is the ressurection of the model that Thrace tortured in [[Flesh and Bone]], and he is seeking payback.}}

*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.

*What were the workers being asked to do which was so "odious", "so sick[ening] at heart" that Tyrol was willing to call a general strike, and so important to Baltar that he was willing to use illegal imprisonment to break it?

*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]? (see [[#Analysis:Analysis]])

*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].

*Why didn't the nuclear device trigger the radiological alarms on either Battlestar?

*How many people died in the ''Cloud 9'' explosion? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Were the Quorum of Twelve killed on the ''Cloud 9''?

*Was anyone from [[Demand Peace]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*Were [[Shevon]] and [[Paya]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Did Baltar's internal Six disappear at any point during the New Caprica year? If so, when and why? If so, did the events of her disappearance contribute to Baltar's regression?

*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?

*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?

*Why have the Cylons returned after suggesting that they were willing to go their "separate ways"?

*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?

*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?

*How many people are left in the Fleet? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Have the remaining ships in the defense fleet been armed during the past year?

*Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?

*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

*Has it become public knowledge that Baltar killed [[Crashdown]] on [[Kobol]]? Now that Chief and Cally are Baltar's open adversaries they could attempt to use this information against him.

*When Adama informs Baltar that the nuke used to blow up [[Cloud Nine]] was probably stolen form Gaius' lab, why is he not suspicious about the fact that Baltar never reported that it was missing? Had it really been stolen from his lab, he would surely notice.
**One could argue that a man doesn't have much time to spot missing objects when he's running for President.

*Are the Cylons that appear at the end representative of the whole Cylon race, or are they a faction that broke off after the two "Cylon Hereos" began to speak out against the war on the humans?

*If it is true that the Cylons now believe the attack on humanity was a mistake, is the occupation on New Caprica viewed by the Cylons as an act of mercy and kindness vs. oppression from the human perspective? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Could it be the intent of the Cylons to actually help the colonization of New Caprica, helping with the construction of infrastructure, new homes, etc, in order to make up for the holocaust? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])
**If the Cylons intend to help, that would be consistent with Cavil's comment that the Cylon path to enlightenment is to be "the best machines the universe has ever seen". The purpose of a machine is arguably to assist human beings. On the other hand, the Cylons, if they are here to help, are presumably intending to do so in a highly authoritarian fashion.
***Could the Cylons be wanting to maintain control over the colonials so that in some future the colonials would not be able to return and exact revenge on the Cylons?
**Could the Cylons be fortifying New Caprica to protect the humans from hostile Cylons? There should still be some, that Number Three in Downloaded was pretty fanatical, and if the political winds have changed as they so often do...
***Could there be a Cylon civil war going on?
****Could the occupation of New Caprica be a compromise between pro-human and anti-human factions, with war breaking out between them after it fails?

== Analysis ==
*According to Ron Moore's podcast, the events of "One Year Later" are real and were meant to solidify to the audience that the show is taking a path that cannot be reversed. In order to make the colonization of New Caprica real, Moore felt that the show would need to jump ahead in a span of year to show that indeed Baltar has followed through with his political promise.

*The events of the Cylon invasion of New Caprica parallel the Nazi invasion of France, with the fleet's escape a parallel to the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk and Baltar's surrender a parallel to Petain's surrender. If the parallel continues, Baltar will establish a puppet regime under Cylon rule akin to Vichy France while Colonials still loyal to humanity will establish a resistance movement. Ron Moore has actually said in the podcast for this episode that it is inspired by Vichy France.

*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica; he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a more elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.

*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.

*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
**Who says he didn't build a bar for them? However, despite building a bar, he would still command the Pegasus.

*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.

*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count during her time on Caprica at the beginning of Season 2. When she and Helo returned to the fleet in "[[Home, Part I]]", the count only rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
***There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

*The year gap for the Cylons to find the fleet at first seems odd. However, it was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out. In addition, the radiation from the nuclear explosion aboard the ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' would, of course, only be traveling at the speed of light. Even a less catastrophic attempt to communicate the Colonial's new location would be limited to the speed of light. Of course, once the location was pinpointed, an FTL jump by the Cylons to pounce would be instantaneous.
**Even though the Cylons were able to find New Caprica from the detected nuclear blast that occurred a year prior, the initial detection would have only pointed them in the right general direction. The planet would have moved from the location the inital blast occurred as it orbits around its sun. So the Cylons would only have been able to pinpoint the planet's last location a year prior. They could have used astronomical surveying to detect the planet or send their fleets to other positions using FTL ahead of the blast radiation to triangulate the nuclear blast. Then send recon elements to scout for the planet, which could have been the initial blips picked up by DRADIS by Lt. Dualla of recon Raiders. As soon as the planet was found the main Cylon Fleet would jump in from their staging areas.
***It is also clear that Gina truly did die in the nuclear explosion on Cloud 9 as she would have been able to inform the Cylons of the whereabouts of the Fleet. This indicates that no new Resurrection Ship had been constructed and that Gina's suicidal thoughts finally prevailed. This may explain why she was willing to consummate her relationship with Baltar as it would be the last time she could be with him.

*The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of ''Cloud 9'' and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**The figure is not 10,000 missing — it is 10,000 not part of New Caprica City's population. The figure of 10,000 is spread amongst those remaining up in orbit with the fleet's remaining ships, out in independent, peripheral, or small settlements not part of New Caprica City proper, and casaulties.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***This would demonstrate prudence uncharacteristic of Baltar.

**Any "industrial" vessels — such as the mining ships, tanker ships, repair ships, agro-world ship — would have landed on the planet and been debarked, dismantled, or converted to form the foundation for industrial / production efforts. Some of the vessels in the fleet that left Ragnar Anchorage weren't designed for prolonged interstellar journeys, and were basically running on a hope and a prayer, and would have been rendered promptly upon finding a more permanent home. The nineteen-or-so ships seen are, more than likely, the last spaceworthy vessels in the fleet that are not needed planetside.
***After a year, people are still living in tents and using landed ships as buildings, so it doesn't look like much has been dismantled or converted into raw production. Other than the miners, who are apparently extremely unhappy at how things have been run, we see little evidence of industry or production over the year.

*Apparently, Kara's comments about Lee and Dualla have taken their toll on their relationship with each other. Whether the comments escalulated is unknown, but, from Dualla's expression of annoyance when she hands the receiver to Lee when Kara calls, it is clear that the three never reconciled with each other.

*The Six and Eight that are part of the Cylon delegation that greets Baltar's cabinet are almost certainly [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]. This is implied from Six's reaction upon seeing Baltar and her intimation that she knew who Gaius was. The two are also wearing the exact same clothes as in "[[Downloaded]]."

*In the Season 3 trailer that followed the end of the episode, Six narrates, saying that humanity has finally surrendered and the war is over. According to Six, the Cylons can finally fulfill their "''true destiny''" and take care of humanity. They desire to show humanity the "''glory of peace''," mercy; like God, their mercy can only be matched by their power and complete control. So apparently, the war heroes have indeed changed the Cylons' prejudices toward humans, but unfortunately this also means that the Cylons believe that the only way to care for humanity is to control it.

**This narrative sounds more like Baltar's internal Six (superior, controlling, zealous) than Caprica-Six (more of a people person).

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version. This may not be the case in the UK however as Skyone (the channel that broadcasts the show in that country) previously showed the full 90 minute version of Stargate SG1 episode 'Threads' and may well do the same for this episode.

* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

*Admiral Adama watches Pyramid games and is a fan of the Picon Panthers.

*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish

*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.

*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.

*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.

*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.

*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.

*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Well, this is an awkward moment…. Yes, he's right, I'm a Cylon. And I have a message. So…take me to your leader."
*:—The Caprica copy of '''Brother Cavil''' on being uncovered as a Cylon

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—The Galactica copy of '''Brother Cavil'''

*"Gods help us."
*:-'''Admiral Adama''' over the objection of [[Edward James Olmos]] (podcast)

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*"We're leaving. But we'll be back."
*:—'''Admiral Adama''' ordering the fleet to evacuate New Caprica

*''On Caprica:''
::'''Anders:''' You got any great ideas in that military brain of yours?
::'''Starbuck:''' Do the same thing we always do; fight 'em 'till we can't.
:''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
::'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
::'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

=== From RDM's blog ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/03/#a000409 March 28, 2006]) ===

* '''"The plot twist [of the finale] seems to share allot (sic) in common with the DeSanto Galactica continuation story, where the humans think they are safe from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and revolt against the military by deciding to give up on [[Earth]] and to colonize another place called [[New Caprica]]. Were you at least partially inspired by this earlier concept? "'''

: No. I can honestly say that the idea for our finale was entirely home-grown. I had lunch with [[Tom DeSanto]] a few weeks back and we talked about the struggles we both went through trying to get our respective versions of the show off the ground. As he talked about [[Battlestar Galactica (SDS)|his pilot concept]], I shared many of the plot details from our finale and we both remarked on how some notions and ideas are simply either "in the ether" or have a certain inevitability to them. It's reminiscent of the "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" vs. "[[Wikipedia:Star Trek:Deep Space 9|[Star Trek]: Deep Space 9]]" questions I used to get. I was there when DS9 was being created and I knew for a fact that neither [[Wikipedia:Michael Piller|Michael Piller]] nor [[Wikipedia:Rick Berman|Rick Berman]] had any knowledge of the B-5 material, but when you're doing a series set on a space station, there were bound to be certain paths that writers found attractive (like having a female second officer, for instance). In terms of ''Galactica'', the idea that the people of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] might one day come across a planet and decide to settle down permanently, is an idea that would probably occur to anyone approaching the material, and it's really a question of how you execute that idea which is key.

* '''"I understand according to the podcast that you guys were way over budget on ep 2.20, but the [[New Caprica|tent city]] really threw me off. I try not to be one of those fans that nitpicks everything to death, but this bothered me so much that I had to register and post. If they've been on planet for over a year now and they intend to make it their home, why are they still living in tents? If I had my choice between a tent and something more permanent and weatherproof, I'd be moving heaven and earth to construct the latter."'''

: There are some permanent buildings in the settlement, but it seemed plausible that to start an entire city from scratch would be a massive undertaking to say the least. It also seemed that without a strong leader like [[Laura Roslin]] to helm this kind of effort, that the organizational problems would add up and that the project could easily get stalled or delayed. Now, add to that various unknowns like disease and unfamiliar weather patterns as well as the difficulties in exploiting the natural resources in a completely new environment, it didn't seem implausible that there'd still be a lot of people living in tents.

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discussess his thoughts on the story post-"[[Sacrifice]]":'''

:'''MB/TSFW:''' So what do you think about the story after you left, and the trouble [[Mary McDonnell|Mary]]’s [[Laura Roslin|character]] got herself into? After your [[Tory Foster|replacement]] came in she kind of had a fall there. Do you think that would have happened if you were still there to watch her back?

: '''Paul:''' You know, I don’t know if they could have. [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] had so much integrity, that under his watch, I don’t think that would have happened. And maybe he would have had to step down, and Mary would have gone about that route with someone else. But I don’t think if he would have been in the picture, that would have gone down. Because that’s some shady crap, and I don’t think it would have cut it. We obviously butted heads on a few things like that in the past. In particular when I ended up leaving her at the ship. As it turned out, I had another pilot to go shoot. As it turned out, it was more my schedule that didn’t work out, but it worked in the writing. But no, I don’t think that would have flown had I been in the picture. So I don’t know what they would have done. I’m sure that was the story line from the begging, but how they would have worked me into it, I don’t really know. [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-04-28T08:09:44Z

White Knight: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]] and [[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=1.9
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= [[Occupation]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut. [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Tory_Foster|Tory]] mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [[Wikipedia:Table (verb)|tabling]] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Laura Roslin|Roslin]], fearing that she has indeed lost the presidential race, confronts [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] on whether he was with Six on Caprica before the Cylon attack. Baltar avoids answering the question & states that he may have saved her life, but he will not save her political life.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavil confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, who declares a "[[Code blue]]," claiming Cavil is a Cylon. Both Cavil and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavil (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Caprica-Cavil then talks about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have convinced their kind about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. Caprica-Cavil's mission was to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Starbuck and Anders are getting extremely drunk when Apollo comes in to welcome them back. Starbuck makes a snide remark about Apollo and Dualla and goes back to drunkenly making out with Anders. Apollo, clearly upset with Starbuck, leaves without saying much.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying that Tigh has confessed to rigging the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. Initially he vows to have a full investigation on the vote count, but after Adama suggests that Baltar take his victory and leave matters be, Baltar relents and informs Adama that he can be quite generous in victory. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*Baltar and Gina finally consummate their relationship after Gina informs Baltar that she would not be part of the colonization.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast with Gina on board; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least three other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===
[[image:burdens2.jpg|Kara and Cottle on New Caprica.|thumb]]
*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good [[Combat Air Patrol]]. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, has pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is unable to treat Anders because there are no antibiotics available. He can only advise Kara to make sure Anders gets enough rest and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, with a very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*A [[Leoben Conoy]]-model [[Cylon agent]] shows up at Thrace and Anders' tent, where he asks an ailing Anders about where to find Thrace. Anders doesn't recognise Conoy as a Cylon.

*Kara calls Lee aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla, now an officer and most likely Lee's XO, notices something on the [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrives in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas discuss what to do in response, with Lee initially advocating that the fleet jump away, and Admiral Adama initially resisting the suggestion. However, Lee apparently brings the Admiral around to his way of thinking (or Admiral Adama comes to the conclusion on his own) when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps the alert fighters in and jumps the fleet ships remaining in orbit around [[New Caprica]] to an unknown location, vowing that he will return.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Numbers [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar, after learning that the Cylons discovered New Caprica because of the nuke explosion set off by Gina, declares surrender on behalf of the colonists. As Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?

*Is Gaeta Baltar's assistant or his vice President?

*What happened to Zarek?

{{spoiltext|According to RDM's blog, Tom Zarek was initially the Vice President but he had a falling out with Baltar over the regime.}}

*Has Gaeta's view of Baltar changed since Baltar's ascension to the presidency? If so, is Gaeta planning to do anything about it?

*What "number" is Cavil?

*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
{{spoiltext|A copy of Cavil appears in a detention center on New Caprica during the Cylon Occupation. Whether this is one of the two Cavils seen in this episode is not yet clear.}}

*Where did the defense fleet jump to?

*Where is Caprica-Sharon?

*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
{{spoiltext|According to some Q&A that RDM gave at a recent convention to people from the website 'The Pegasus Galaxy', Starbuck's missing ovary has been "under Leoben's pillow". Could the Cylons have made a hybrid child from her eggs and Leoben's sperm?
Also, there is the possibility that this particular Conoy is the ressurection of the model that Thrace tortured in [[Flesh and Bone]], and he is seeking payback.}}

*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.

*What were the workers being asked to do which was so "odious", "so sick[ening] at heart" that Tyrol was willing to call a general strike, and so important to Baltar that he was willing to use illegal imprisonment to break it?

*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]? (see [[#Analysis:Analysis]])

*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].

*Why didn't the nuclear device trigger the radiological alarms on either Battlestar?

*How many people died in the ''Cloud 9'' explosion? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Were the Quorum of Twelve killed on the ''Cloud 9''?

*Was anyone from [[Demand Peace]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*Were [[Shevon]] and [[Paya]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Did Baltar's internal Six disappear at any point during the New Caprica year? If so, when and why? If so, did the events of her disappearance contribute to Baltar's regression?

*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?

*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?

*Why have the Cylons returned after suggesting that they were willing to go their "separate ways"?

*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?

*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?

*How many people are left in the Fleet? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Have the remaining ships in the defense fleet been armed during the past year?

*Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?

*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

*Has it become public knowledge that Baltar killed [[Crashdown]] on [[Kobol]]? Now that Chief and Cally are Baltar's open adversaries they could attempt to use this information against him.

*When Adama informs Baltar that the nuke used to blow up [[Cloud Nine]] was probably stolen form Gaius' lab, why is he not suspicious about the fact that Baltar never reported that it was missing? Had it really been stolen from his lab, he would surely notice.

*Are the Cylons that appear at the end representative of the whole Cylon race, or are they a faction that broke off after the two "Cylon Hereos" began to speak out against the war on the humans?

*If it is true that the Cylons now believe the attack on humanity was a mistake, is the occupation on New Caprica viewed by the Cylons as an act of mercy and kindness vs. oppression from the human perspective? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Could it be the intent of the Cylons to actually help the colonization of New Caprica, helping with the construction of infrastructure, new homes, etc, in order to make up for the holocaust? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])
**If the Cylons intend to help, that would be consistent with Cavil's comment that the Cylon path to enlightenment is to be "the best machines the universe has ever seen". The purpose of a machine is arguably to assist human beings. On the other hand, the Cylons, if they are here to help, are presumably intending to do so in a highly authoritarian fashion.
***Could the Cylons be wanting to maintain control over the colonials so that in some future the colonials would not be able to return and exact revenge on the Cylons?
**Could the Cylons be fortifying New Caprica to protect the humans from hostile Cylons? There should still be some, that Number Three in Downloaded was pretty fanatical, and if the political winds have changed as they so often do...
***Could there be a Cylon civil war going on?
****Could the occupation of New Caprica be a compromise between pro-human and anti-human factions, with war breaking out between them after it fails?

== Analysis ==
*According to Ron Moore's podcast, the events of "One Year Later" are real and were meant to solidify to the audience that the show is taking a path that cannot be reversed. In order to make the colonization of New Caprica real, Moore felt that the show would need to jump ahead in a span of year to show that indeed Baltar has followed through with his political promise.

*The events of the Cylon invasion of New Caprica parallel the Nazi invasion of France, with the fleet's escape a parallel to the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk and Baltar's surrender a parallel to Petain's surrender. If the parallel continues, Baltar will establish a puppet regime under Cylon rule akin to Vichy France while Colonials still loyal to humanity will establish a resistance movement. Ron Moore has actually said in the podcast for this episode that it is inspired by Vichy France.

*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica; he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a more elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.

*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.

*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
**Who says he didn't build a bar for them? However, despite building a bar, he would still command the Pegasus.

*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.

*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count during her time on Caprica at the beginning of Season 2. When she and Helo returned to the fleet in "[[Home, Part I]]", the count only rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
***There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

*The year gap for the Cylons to find the fleet at first seems odd. However, it was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out. In addition, the radiation from the nuclear explosion aboard the ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' would, of course, only be traveling at the speed of light. Even a less catastrophic attempt to communicate the Colonial's new location would be limited to the speed of light. Of course, once the location was pinpointed, an FTL jump by the Cylons to pounce would be instantaneous.
**Even though the Cylons were able to find New Caprica from the detected nuclear blast that occurred a year prior, the initial detection would have only pointed them in the right general direction. The planet would have moved from the location the inital blast occurred as it orbits around its sun. So the Cylons would only have been able to pinpoint the planet's last location a year prior. They could have used astronomical surveying to detect the planet or send their fleets to other positions using FTL ahead of the blast radiation to triangulate the nuclear blast. Then send recon elements to scout for the planet, which could have been the initial blips picked up by DRADIS by Lt. Dualla of recon Raiders. As soon as the planet was found the main Cylon Fleet would jump in from their staging areas.
***It is also clear that Gina truly did die in the nuclear explosion on Cloud 9 as she would have been able to inform the Cylons of the whereabouts of the Fleet. This indicates that no new Resurrection Ship had been constructed and that Gina's suicidal thoughts finally prevailed. This may explain why she was willing to consummate her relationship with Baltar as it would be the last time she could be with him.

*The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of ''Cloud 9'' and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**The figure is not 10,000 missing — it is 10,000 not part of New Caprica City's population. The figure of 10,000 is spread amongst those remaining up in orbit with the fleet's remaining ships, out in independent, peripheral, or small settlements not part of New Caprica City proper, and casaulties.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***This would demonstrate prudence uncharacteristic of Baltar.

**Any "industrial" vessels — such as the mining ships, tanker ships, repair ships, agro-world ship — would have landed on the planet and been debarked, dismantled, or converted to form the foundation for industrial / production efforts. Some of the vessels in the fleet that left Ragnar Anchorage weren't designed for prolonged interstellar journeys, and were basically running on a hope and a prayer, and would have been rendered promptly upon finding a more permanent home. The nineteen-or-so ships seen are, more than likely, the last spaceworthy vessels in the fleet that are not needed planetside.
***After a year, people are still living in tents and using landed ships as buildings, so it doesn't look like much has been dismantled or converted into raw production. Other than the miners, who are apparently extremely unhappy at how things have been run, we see little evidence of industry or production over the year.

*Apparently, Kara's comments about Lee and Dualla have taken their toll on their relationship with each other. Whether the comments escalulated is unknown, but, from Dualla's expression of annoyance when she hands the receiver to Lee when Kara calls, it is clear that the three never reconciled with each other.

*The Six and Eight that are part of the Cylon delegation that greets Baltar's cabinet are almost certainly [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]. This is implied from Six's reaction upon seeing Baltar and her intimation that she knew who Gaius was. The two are also wearing the exact same clothes as in "[[Downloaded]]."

*In the Season 3 trailer that followed the end of the episode, Six narrates, saying that humanity has finally surrendered and the war is over. According to Six, the Cylons can finally fulfill their "''true destiny''" and take care of humanity. They desire to show humanity the "''glory of peace''," mercy; like God, their mercy can only be matched by their power and complete control. So apparently, the war heroes have indeed changed the Cylons' prejudices toward humans, but unfortunately this also means that the Cylons believe that the only way to care for humanity is to control it.

**This narrative sounds more like Baltar's internal Six (superior, controlling, zealous) than Caprica-Six (more of a people person).

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version. This may not be the case in the UK however as Skyone (the channel that broadcasts the show in that country) previously showed the full 90 minute version of Stargate SG1 episode 'Threads' and may well do the same for this episode.

* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

*Admiral Adama watches Pyramid games and is a fan of the Picon Panthers.

*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish

*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.

*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.

*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.

*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.

*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.

*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Well, this is an awkward moment…. Yes, he's right, I'm a Cylon. And I have a message. So…take me to your leader."
*:—The Caprica copy of '''Brother Cavil''' on being uncovered as a Cylon

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—The Galactica copy of '''Brother Cavil'''

*"Gods help us."
*:-'''Admiral Adama''' over the objection of [[Edward James Olmos]] (podcast)

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*"We're leaving. But we'll be back."
*:—'''Admiral Adama''' ordering the fleet to evacuate New Caprica

*''On Caprica:''
::'''Anders:''' You got any great ideas in that military brain of yours?
::'''Starbuck:''' Do the same thing we always do; fight 'em 'till we can't.
:''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
::'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
::'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

=== From RDM's blog ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/03/#a000409 March 28, 2006]) ===

* '''"The plot twist [of the finale] seems to share allot (sic) in common with the DeSanto Galactica continuation story, where the humans think they are safe from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and revolt against the military by deciding to give up on [[Earth]] and to colonize another place called [[New Caprica]]. Were you at least partially inspired by this earlier concept? "'''

: No. I can honestly say that the idea for our finale was entirely home-grown. I had lunch with [[Tom DeSanto]] a few weeks back and we talked about the struggles we both went through trying to get our respective versions of the show off the ground. As he talked about [[Battlestar Galactica (SDS)|his pilot concept]], I shared many of the plot details from our finale and we both remarked on how some notions and ideas are simply either "in the ether" or have a certain inevitability to them. It's reminiscent of the "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" vs. "[[Wikipedia:Star Trek:Deep Space 9|[Star Trek]: Deep Space 9]]" questions I used to get. I was there when DS9 was being created and I knew for a fact that neither [[Wikipedia:Michael Piller|Michael Piller]] nor [[Wikipedia:Rick Berman|Rick Berman]] had any knowledge of the B-5 material, but when you're doing a series set on a space station, there were bound to be certain paths that writers found attractive (like having a female second officer, for instance). In terms of ''Galactica'', the idea that the people of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] might one day come across a planet and decide to settle down permanently, is an idea that would probably occur to anyone approaching the material, and it's really a question of how you execute that idea which is key.

* '''"I understand according to the podcast that you guys were way over budget on ep 2.20, but the [[New Caprica|tent city]] really threw me off. I try not to be one of those fans that nitpicks everything to death, but this bothered me so much that I had to register and post. If they've been on planet for over a year now and they intend to make it their home, why are they still living in tents? If I had my choice between a tent and something more permanent and weatherproof, I'd be moving heaven and earth to construct the latter."'''

: There are some permanent buildings in the settlement, but it seemed plausible that to start an entire city from scratch would be a massive undertaking to say the least. It also seemed that without a strong leader like [[Laura Roslin]] to helm this kind of effort, that the organizational problems would add up and that the project could easily get stalled or delayed. Now, add to that various unknowns like disease and unfamiliar weather patterns as well as the difficulties in exploiting the natural resources in a completely new environment, it didn't seem implausible that there'd still be a lot of people living in tents.

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discussess his thoughts on the story post-"[[Sacrifice]]":'''

:'''MB/TSFW:''' So what do you think about the story after you left, and the trouble [[Mary McDonnell|Mary]]’s [[Laura Roslin|character]] got herself into? After your [[Tory Foster|replacement]] came in she kind of had a fall there. Do you think that would have happened if you were still there to watch her back?

: '''Paul:''' You know, I don’t know if they could have. [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] had so much integrity, that under his watch, I don’t think that would have happened. And maybe he would have had to step down, and Mary would have gone about that route with someone else. But I don’t think if he would have been in the picture, that would have gone down. Because that’s some shady crap, and I don’t think it would have cut it. We obviously butted heads on a few things like that in the past. In particular when I ended up leaving her at the ship. As it turned out, I had another pilot to go shoot. As it turned out, it was more my schedule that didn’t work out, but it worked in the writing. But no, I don’t think that would have flown had I been in the picture. So I don’t know what they would have done. I’m sure that was the story line from the begging, but how they would have worked me into it, I don’t really know. [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-04-28T08:05:19Z

White Knight: /* One Year Later */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]] and [[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=1.9
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= [[Occupation]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut. [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Tory_Foster|Tory]] mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [[Wikipedia:Table (verb)|tabling]] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Laura Roslin|Roslin]], fearing that she has indeed lost the presidential race, confronts [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] on whether he was with Six on Caprica before the Cylon attack. Baltar avoids answering the question & states that he may have saved her life, but he will not save her political life.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavil confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, who declares a "[[Code blue]]," claiming Cavil is a Cylon. Both Cavil and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavil (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Caprica-Cavil then talks about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have convinced their kind about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. Caprica-Cavil's mission was to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Starbuck and Anders are getting extremely drunk when Apollo comes in to welcome them back. Starbuck makes a snide remark about Apollo and Dualla and goes back to drunkenly making out with Anders. Apollo, clearly upset with Starbuck, leaves without saying much.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying that Tigh has confessed to rigging the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. Initially he vows to have a full investigation on the vote count, but after Adama suggests that Baltar take his victory and leave matters be, Baltar relents and informs Adama that he can be quite generous in victory. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*Baltar and Gina finally consummate their relationship after Gina informs Baltar that she would not be part of the colonization.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast with Gina on board; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least three other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===
[[image:burdens2.jpg|Kara and Cottle on New Caprica.|thumb]]
*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good [[Combat Air Patrol]]. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, has pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is unable to treat Anders because there are no antibiotics available. He can only advise Kara to make sure Anders gets enough rest and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, with a very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*A [[Leoben Conoy]]-model [[Cylon agent]] shows up at Thrace and Anders' tent, where he asks an ailing Anders about where to find Thrace. Anders doesn't recognise Conoy as a Cylon.

*Kara calls Lee aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla, now an officer and most likely Lee's XO, notices something on the [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrives in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas discuss what to do in response, with Lee initially advocating that the fleet jump away, and Admiral Adama initially resisting the suggestion. However, Lee apparently brings the Admiral around to his way of thinking (or Admiral Adama comes to the conclusion on his own) when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps the alert fighters in and jumps the fleet ships remaining in orbit around [[New Caprica]] to an unknown location, vowing that he will return.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Numbers [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar, after learning that the Cylons discovered New Caprica because of the nuke explosion set off by Gina, declares surrender on behalf of the colonists. As Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?

*Is Gaeta Baltar's assistant or his vice President?

*What happened to Zarek?

{{spoiltext|According to RDM's blog, Tom Zarek was initially the Vice President but he had a falling out with Baltar over the regime.}}

*Has Gaeta's view of Baltar changed since Baltar's ascension to the presidency? If so, is Gaeta planning to do anything about it?

*What "number" is Cavil?

*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
{{spoiltext|A copy of Cavil appears in a detention center on New Caprica during the Cylon Occupation. Whether this is one of the two Cavils seen in this episode is not yet clear.}}

*Where did the defense fleet jump to?

*Where is Caprica-Sharon?

*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
{{spoiltext|According to some Q&A that RDM gave at a recent convention to people from the website 'The Pegasus Galaxy', Starbuck's missing ovary has been "under Leoben's pillow". Could the Cylons have made a hybrid child from her eggs and Leoben's sperm?}}

*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.

*What were the workers being asked to do which was so "odious", "so sick[ening] at heart" that Tyrol was willing to call a general strike, and so important to Baltar that he was willing to use illegal imprisonment to break it?

*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]? (see [[#Analysis:Analysis]])

*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].

*Why didn't the nuclear device trigger the radiological alarms on either Battlestar?

*How many people died in the ''Cloud 9'' explosion? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Were the Quorum of Twelve killed on the ''Cloud 9''?

*Was anyone from [[Demand Peace]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*Were [[Shevon]] and [[Paya]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Did Baltar's internal Six disappear at any point during the New Caprica year? If so, when and why? If so, did the events of her disappearance contribute to Baltar's regression?

*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?

*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?

*Why have the Cylons returned after suggesting that they were willing to go their "separate ways"?

*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?

*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?

*How many people are left in the Fleet? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Have the remaining ships in the defense fleet been armed during the past year?

*Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?

*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

*Has it become public knowledge that Baltar killed [[Crashdown]] on [[Kobol]]? Now that Chief and Cally are Baltar's open adversaries they could attempt to use this information against him.

*When Adama informs Baltar that the nuke used to blow up [[Cloud Nine]] was probably stolen form Gaius' lab, why is he not suspicious about the fact that Baltar never reported that it was missing? Had it really been stolen from his lab, he would surely notice.

*Are the Cylons that appear at the end representative of the whole Cylon race, or are they a faction that broke off after the two "Cylon Hereos" began to speak out against the war on the humans?

*If it is true that the Cylons now believe the attack on humanity was a mistake, is the occupation on New Caprica viewed by the Cylons as an act of mercy and kindness vs. oppression from the human perspective? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Could it be the intent of the Cylons to actually help the colonization of New Caprica, helping with the construction of infrastructure, new homes, etc, in order to make up for the holocaust? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])
**If the Cylons intend to help, that would be consistent with Cavil's comment that the Cylon path to enlightenment is to be "the best machines the universe has ever seen". The purpose of a machine is arguably to assist human beings. On the other hand, the Cylons, if they are here to help, are presumably intending to do so in a highly authoritarian fashion.
***Could the Cylons be wanting to maintain control over the colonials so that in some future the colonials would not be able to return and exact revenge on the Cylons?
**Could the Cylons be fortifying New Caprica to protect the humans from hostile Cylons? There should still be some, that Number Three in Downloaded was pretty fanatical, and if the political winds have changed as they so often do...
***Could there be a Cylon civil war going on?
****Could the occupation of New Caprica be a compromise between pro-human and anti-human factions, with war breaking out between them after it fails?

== Analysis ==
*According to Ron Moore's podcast, the events of "One Year Later" are real and were meant to solidify to the audience that the show is taking a path that cannot be reversed. In order to make the colonization of New Caprica real, Moore felt that the show would need to jump ahead in a span of year to show that indeed Baltar has followed through with his political promise.

*The events of the Cylon invasion of New Caprica parallel the Nazi invasion of France, with the fleet's escape a parallel to the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk and Baltar's surrender a parallel to Petain's surrender. If the parallel continues, Baltar will establish a puppet regime under Cylon rule akin to Vichy France while Colonials still loyal to humanity will establish a resistance movement. Ron Moore has actually said in the podcast for this episode that it is inspired by Vichy France.

*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica; he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a more elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.

*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.

*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
**Who says he didn't build a bar for them? However, despite building a bar, he would still command the Pegasus.

*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.

*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count during her time on Caprica at the beginning of Season 2. When she and Helo returned to the fleet in "[[Home, Part I]]", the count only rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
***There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

*The year gap for the Cylons to find the fleet at first seems odd. However, it was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out. In addition, the radiation from the nuclear explosion aboard the ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' would, of course, only be traveling at the speed of light. Even a less catastrophic attempt to communicate the Colonial's new location would be limited to the speed of light. Of course, once the location was pinpointed, an FTL jump by the Cylons to pounce would be instantaneous.
**Even though the Cylons were able to find New Caprica from the detected nuclear blast that occurred a year prior, the initial detection would have only pointed them in the right general direction. The planet would have moved from the location the inital blast occurred as it orbits around its sun. So the Cylons would only have been able to pinpoint the planet's last location a year prior. They could have used astronomical surveying to detect the planet or send their fleets to other positions using FTL ahead of the blast radiation to triangulate the nuclear blast. Then send recon elements to scout for the planet, which could have been the initial blips picked up by DRADIS by Lt. Dualla of recon Raiders. As soon as the planet was found the main Cylon Fleet would jump in from their staging areas.
***It is also clear that Gina truly did die in the nuclear explosion on Cloud 9 as she would have been able to inform the Cylons of the whereabouts of the Fleet. This indicates that no new Resurrection Ship had been constructed and that Gina's suicidal thoughts finally prevailed. This may explain why she was willing to consummate her relationship with Baltar as it would be the last time she could be with him.

*The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of ''Cloud 9'' and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**The figure is not 10,000 missing — it is 10,000 not part of New Caprica City's population. The figure of 10,000 is spread amongst those remaining up in orbit with the fleet's remaining ships, out in independent, peripheral, or small settlements not part of New Caprica City proper, and casaulties.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***This would demonstrate prudence uncharacteristic of Baltar.

**Any "industrial" vessels — such as the mining ships, tanker ships, repair ships, agro-world ship — would have landed on the planet and been debarked, dismantled, or converted to form the foundation for industrial / production efforts. Some of the vessels in the fleet that left Ragnar Anchorage weren't designed for prolonged interstellar journeys, and were basically running on a hope and a prayer, and would have been rendered promptly upon finding a more permanent home. The nineteen-or-so ships seen are, more than likely, the last spaceworthy vessels in the fleet that are not needed planetside.
***After a year, people are still living in tents and using landed ships as buildings, so it doesn't look like much has been dismantled or converted into raw production. Other than the miners, who are apparently extremely unhappy at how things have been run, we see little evidence of industry or production over the year.

*Apparently, Kara's comments about Lee and Dualla have taken their toll on their relationship with each other. Whether the comments escalulated is unknown, but, from Dualla's expression of annoyance when she hands the receiver to Lee when Kara calls, it is clear that the three never reconciled with each other.

*The Six and Eight that are part of the Cylon delegation that greets Baltar's cabinet are almost certainly [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]. This is implied from Six's reaction upon seeing Baltar and her intimation that she knew who Gaius was. The two are also wearing the exact same clothes as in "[[Downloaded]]."

*In the Season 3 trailer that followed the end of the episode, Six narrates, saying that humanity has finally surrendered and the war is over. According to Six, the Cylons can finally fulfill their "''true destiny''" and take care of humanity. They desire to show humanity the "''glory of peace''," mercy; like God, their mercy can only be matched by their power and complete control. So apparently, the war heroes have indeed changed the Cylons' prejudices toward humans, but unfortunately this also means that the Cylons believe that the only way to care for humanity is to control it.

**This narrative sounds more like Baltar's internal Six (superior, controlling, zealous) than Caprica-Six (more of a people person).

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version. This may not be the case in the UK however as Skyone (the channel that broadcasts the show in that country) previously showed the full 90 minute version of Stargate SG1 episode 'Threads' and may well do the same for this episode.

* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

*Admiral Adama watches Pyramid games and is a fan of the Picon Panthers.

*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish

*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.

*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.

*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.

*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.

*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.

*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Well, this is an awkward moment…. Yes, he's right, I'm a Cylon. And I have a message. So…take me to your leader."
*:—The Caprica copy of '''Brother Cavil''' on being uncovered as a Cylon

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—The Galactica copy of '''Brother Cavil'''

*"Gods help us."
*:-'''Admiral Adama''' over the objection of [[Edward James Olmos]] (podcast)

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*"We're leaving. But we'll be back."
*:—'''Admiral Adama''' ordering the fleet to evacuate New Caprica

*''On Caprica:''
::'''Anders:''' You got any great ideas in that military brain of yours?
::'''Starbuck:''' Do the same thing we always do; fight 'em 'till we can't.
:''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
::'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
::'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

=== From RDM's blog ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/03/#a000409 March 28, 2006]) ===

* '''"The plot twist [of the finale] seems to share allot (sic) in common with the DeSanto Galactica continuation story, where the humans think they are safe from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and revolt against the military by deciding to give up on [[Earth]] and to colonize another place called [[New Caprica]]. Were you at least partially inspired by this earlier concept? "'''

: No. I can honestly say that the idea for our finale was entirely home-grown. I had lunch with [[Tom DeSanto]] a few weeks back and we talked about the struggles we both went through trying to get our respective versions of the show off the ground. As he talked about [[Battlestar Galactica (SDS)|his pilot concept]], I shared many of the plot details from our finale and we both remarked on how some notions and ideas are simply either "in the ether" or have a certain inevitability to them. It's reminiscent of the "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" vs. "[[Wikipedia:Star Trek:Deep Space 9|[Star Trek]: Deep Space 9]]" questions I used to get. I was there when DS9 was being created and I knew for a fact that neither [[Wikipedia:Michael Piller|Michael Piller]] nor [[Wikipedia:Rick Berman|Rick Berman]] had any knowledge of the B-5 material, but when you're doing a series set on a space station, there were bound to be certain paths that writers found attractive (like having a female second officer, for instance). In terms of ''Galactica'', the idea that the people of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] might one day come across a planet and decide to settle down permanently, is an idea that would probably occur to anyone approaching the material, and it's really a question of how you execute that idea which is key.

* '''"I understand according to the podcast that you guys were way over budget on ep 2.20, but the [[New Caprica|tent city]] really threw me off. I try not to be one of those fans that nitpicks everything to death, but this bothered me so much that I had to register and post. If they've been on planet for over a year now and they intend to make it their home, why are they still living in tents? If I had my choice between a tent and something more permanent and weatherproof, I'd be moving heaven and earth to construct the latter."'''

: There are some permanent buildings in the settlement, but it seemed plausible that to start an entire city from scratch would be a massive undertaking to say the least. It also seemed that without a strong leader like [[Laura Roslin]] to helm this kind of effort, that the organizational problems would add up and that the project could easily get stalled or delayed. Now, add to that various unknowns like disease and unfamiliar weather patterns as well as the difficulties in exploiting the natural resources in a completely new environment, it didn't seem implausible that there'd still be a lot of people living in tents.

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discussess his thoughts on the story post-"[[Sacrifice]]":'''

:'''MB/TSFW:''' So what do you think about the story after you left, and the trouble [[Mary McDonnell|Mary]]’s [[Laura Roslin|character]] got herself into? After your [[Tory Foster|replacement]] came in she kind of had a fall there. Do you think that would have happened if you were still there to watch her back?

: '''Paul:''' You know, I don’t know if they could have. [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] had so much integrity, that under his watch, I don’t think that would have happened. And maybe he would have had to step down, and Mary would have gone about that route with someone else. But I don’t think if he would have been in the picture, that would have gone down. Because that’s some shady crap, and I don’t think it would have cut it. We obviously butted heads on a few things like that in the past. In particular when I ended up leaving her at the ship. As it turned out, I had another pilot to go shoot. As it turned out, it was more my schedule that didn’t work out, but it worked in the writing. But no, I don’t think that would have flown had I been in the picture. So I don’t know what they would have done. I’m sure that was the story line from the begging, but how they would have worked me into it, I don’t really know. [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-04-28T07:48:42Z

White Knight: /* One Year Later */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]] and [[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=1.9
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= [[Occupation]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut. [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Tory_Foster|Tory]] mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [[Wikipedia:Table (verb)|tabling]] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Laura Roslin|Roslin]], fearing that she has indeed lost the presidential race, confronts [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] on whether he was with Six on Caprica before the Cylon attack. Baltar avoids answering the question & states that he may have saved her life, but he will not save her political life.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavil confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, who declares a "[[Code blue]]," claiming Cavil is a Cylon. Both Cavil and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavil (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Caprica-Cavil then talks about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have convinced their kind about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. Caprica-Cavil's mission was to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Starbuck and Anders are getting extremely drunk when Apollo comes in to welcome them back. Starbuck makes a snide remark about Apollo and Dualla and goes back to drunkenly making out with Anders. Apollo, clearly upset with Starbuck, leaves without saying much.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying that Tigh has confessed to rigging the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. Initially he vows to have a full investigation on the vote count, but after Adama suggests that Baltar take his victory and leave matters be, Baltar relents and informs Adama that he can be quite generous in victory. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*Baltar and Gina finally consummate their relationship after Gina informs Baltar that she would not be part of the colonization.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast with Gina on board; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least three other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===
[[image:burdens2.jpg|Kara and Cottle on New Caprica.|thumb]]
*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good [[Combat Air Patrol]]. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, has pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is unable to treat Anders because there are no antibiotics available. He can only advise Kara to make sure Anders gets enough rest and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, with a very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*A [[Leoben Conoy]]-model [[Cylon agent]] shows up at Anders and Thrace's tent, looking for Thrace.

*Kara calls Lee aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla, now an officer and most likely Lee's XO, notices something on the [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrives in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas discuss what to do in response, with Lee initially advocating that the fleet jump away, and Admiral Adama initially resisting the suggestion. However, Lee apparently brings the Admiral around to his way of thinking (or Admiral Adama comes to the conclusion on his own) when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps the alert fighters in and jumps the fleet ships remaining in orbit around [[New Caprica]] to an unknown location, vowing that he will return.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Numbers [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar, after learning that the Cylons discovered New Caprica because of the nuke explosion set off by Gina, declares surrender on behalf of the colonists. As Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?

*Is Gaeta Baltar's assistant or his vice President?

*What happened to Zarek?

{{spoiltext|According to RDM's blog, Tom Zarek was initially the Vice President but he had a falling out with Baltar over the regime.}}

*Has Gaeta's view of Baltar changed since Baltar's ascension to the presidency? If so, is Gaeta planning to do anything about it?

*What "number" is Cavil?

*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
{{spoiltext|A copy of Cavil appears in a detention center on New Caprica during the Cylon Occupation. Whether this is one of the two Cavils seen in this episode is not yet clear.}}

*Where did the defense fleet jump to?

*Where is Caprica-Sharon?

*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
{{spoiltext|According to some Q&A that RDM gave at a recent convention to people from the website 'The Pegasus Galaxy', Starbuck's missing ovary has been "under Leoben's pillow". Could the Cylons have made a hybrid child from her eggs and Leoben's sperm?}}

*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.

*What were the workers being asked to do which was so "odious", "so sick[ening] at heart" that Tyrol was willing to call a general strike, and so important to Baltar that he was willing to use illegal imprisonment to break it?

*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]? (see [[#Analysis:Analysis]])

*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].

*Why didn't the nuclear device trigger the radiological alarms on either Battlestar?

*How many people died in the ''Cloud 9'' explosion? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Were the Quorum of Twelve killed on the ''Cloud 9''?

*Was anyone from [[Demand Peace]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*Were [[Shevon]] and [[Paya]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Did Baltar's internal Six disappear at any point during the New Caprica year? If so, when and why? If so, did the events of her disappearance contribute to Baltar's regression?

*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?

*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?

*Why have the Cylons returned after suggesting that they were willing to go their "separate ways"?

*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?

*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?

*How many people are left in the Fleet? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Have the remaining ships in the defense fleet been armed during the past year?

*Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?

*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

*Has it become public knowledge that Baltar killed [[Crashdown]] on [[Kobol]]? Now that Chief and Cally are Baltar's open adversaries they could attempt to use this information against him.

*When Adama informs Baltar that the nuke used to blow up [[Cloud Nine]] was probably stolen form Gaius' lab, why is he not suspicious about the fact that Baltar never reported that it was missing? Had it really been stolen from his lab, he would surely notice.

*Are the Cylons that appear at the end representative of the whole Cylon race, or are they a faction that broke off after the two "Cylon Hereos" began to speak out against the war on the humans?

*If it is true that the Cylons now believe the attack on humanity was a mistake, is the occupation on New Caprica viewed by the Cylons as an act of mercy and kindness vs. oppression from the human perspective? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Could it be the intent of the Cylons to actually help the colonization of New Caprica, helping with the construction of infrastructure, new homes, etc, in order to make up for the holocaust? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])
**If the Cylons intend to help, that would be consistent with Cavil's comment that the Cylon path to enlightenment is to be "the best machines the universe has ever seen". The purpose of a machine is arguably to assist human beings. On the other hand, the Cylons, if they are here to help, are presumably intending to do so in a highly authoritarian fashion.
***Could the Cylons be wanting to maintain control over the colonials so that in some future the colonials would not be able to return and exact revenge on the Cylons?
**Could the Cylons be fortifying New Caprica to protect the humans from hostile Cylons? There should still be some, that Number Three in Downloaded was pretty fanatical, and if the political winds have changed as they so often do...
***Could there be a Cylon civil war going on?
****Could the occupation of New Caprica be a compromise between pro-human and anti-human factions, with war breaking out between them after it fails?

== Analysis ==
*According to Ron Moore's podcast, the events of "One Year Later" are real and were meant to solidify to the audience that the show is taking a path that cannot be reversed. In order to make the colonization of New Caprica real, Moore felt that the show would need to jump ahead in a span of year to show that indeed Baltar has followed through with his political promise.

*The events of the Cylon invasion of New Caprica parallel the Nazi invasion of France, with the fleet's escape a parallel to the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk and Baltar's surrender a parallel to Petain's surrender. If the parallel continues, Baltar will establish a puppet regime under Cylon rule akin to Vichy France while Colonials still loyal to humanity will establish a resistance movement. Ron Moore has actually said in the podcast for this episode that it is inspired by Vichy France.

*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica; he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a more elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.

*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.

*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
**Who says he didn't build a bar for them? However, despite building a bar, he would still command the Pegasus.

*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.

*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count during her time on Caprica at the beginning of Season 2. When she and Helo returned to the fleet in "[[Home, Part I]]", the count only rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
***There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

*The year gap for the Cylons to find the fleet at first seems odd. However, it was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out. In addition, the radiation from the nuclear explosion aboard the ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' would, of course, only be traveling at the speed of light. Even a less catastrophic attempt to communicate the Colonial's new location would be limited to the speed of light. Of course, once the location was pinpointed, an FTL jump by the Cylons to pounce would be instantaneous.
**Even though the Cylons were able to find New Caprica from the detected nuclear blast that occurred a year prior, the initial detection would have only pointed them in the right general direction. The planet would have moved from the location the inital blast occurred as it orbits around its sun. So the Cylons would only have been able to pinpoint the planet's last location a year prior. They could have used astronomical surveying to detect the planet or send their fleets to other positions using FTL ahead of the blast radiation to triangulate the nuclear blast. Then send recon elements to scout for the planet, which could have been the initial blips picked up by DRADIS by Lt. Dualla of recon Raiders. As soon as the planet was found the main Cylon Fleet would jump in from their staging areas.
***It is also clear that Gina truly did die in the nuclear explosion on Cloud 9 as she would have been able to inform the Cylons of the whereabouts of the Fleet. This indicates that no new Resurrection Ship had been constructed and that Gina's suicidal thoughts finally prevailed. This may explain why she was willing to consummate her relationship with Baltar as it would be the last time she could be with him.

*The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of ''Cloud 9'' and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**The figure is not 10,000 missing — it is 10,000 not part of New Caprica City's population. The figure of 10,000 is spread amongst those remaining up in orbit with the fleet's remaining ships, out in independent, peripheral, or small settlements not part of New Caprica City proper, and casaulties.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***This would demonstrate prudence uncharacteristic of Baltar.

**Any "industrial" vessels — such as the mining ships, tanker ships, repair ships, agro-world ship — would have landed on the planet and been debarked, dismantled, or converted to form the foundation for industrial / production efforts. Some of the vessels in the fleet that left Ragnar Anchorage weren't designed for prolonged interstellar journeys, and were basically running on a hope and a prayer, and would have been rendered promptly upon finding a more permanent home. The nineteen-or-so ships seen are, more than likely, the last spaceworthy vessels in the fleet that are not needed planetside.
***After a year, people are still living in tents and using landed ships as buildings, so it doesn't look like much has been dismantled or converted into raw production. Other than the miners, who are apparently extremely unhappy at how things have been run, we see little evidence of industry or production over the year.

*Apparently, Kara's comments about Lee and Dualla have taken their toll on their relationship with each other. Whether the comments escalulated is unknown, but, from Dualla's expression of annoyance when she hands the receiver to Lee when Kara calls, it is clear that the three never reconciled with each other.

*The Six and Eight that are part of the Cylon delegation that greets Baltar's cabinet are almost certainly [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]. This is implied from Six's reaction upon seeing Baltar and her intimation that she knew who Gaius was. The two are also wearing the exact same clothes as in "[[Downloaded]]."

*In the Season 3 trailer that followed the end of the episode, Six narrates, saying that humanity has finally surrendered and the war is over. According to Six, the Cylons can finally fulfill their "''true destiny''" and take care of humanity. They desire to show humanity the "''glory of peace''," mercy; like God, their mercy can only be matched by their power and complete control. So apparently, the war heroes have indeed changed the Cylons' prejudices toward humans, but unfortunately this also means that the Cylons believe that the only way to care for humanity is to control it.

**This narrative sounds more like Baltar's internal Six (superior, controlling, zealous) than Caprica-Six (more of a people person).

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version. This may not be the case in the UK however as Skyone (the channel that broadcasts the show in that country) previously showed the full 90 minute version of Stargate SG1 episode 'Threads' and may well do the same for this episode.

* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

*Admiral Adama watches Pyramid games and is a fan of the Picon Panthers.

*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish

*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.

*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.

*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.

*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.

*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.

*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Well, this is an awkward moment…. Yes, he's right, I'm a Cylon. And I have a message. So…take me to your leader."
*:—The Caprica copy of '''Brother Cavil''' on being uncovered as a Cylon

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—The Galactica copy of '''Brother Cavil'''

*"Gods help us."
*:-'''Admiral Adama''' over the objection of [[Edward James Olmos]] (podcast)

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*"We're leaving. But we'll be back."
*:—'''Admiral Adama''' ordering the fleet to evacuate New Caprica

*''On Caprica:''
::'''Anders:''' You got any great ideas in that military brain of yours?
::'''Starbuck:''' Do the same thing we always do; fight 'em 'till we can't.
:''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
::'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
::'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

=== From RDM's blog ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/03/#a000409 March 28, 2006]) ===

* '''"The plot twist [of the finale] seems to share allot (sic) in common with the DeSanto Galactica continuation story, where the humans think they are safe from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and revolt against the military by deciding to give up on [[Earth]] and to colonize another place called [[New Caprica]]. Were you at least partially inspired by this earlier concept? "'''

: No. I can honestly say that the idea for our finale was entirely home-grown. I had lunch with [[Tom DeSanto]] a few weeks back and we talked about the struggles we both went through trying to get our respective versions of the show off the ground. As he talked about [[Battlestar Galactica (SDS)|his pilot concept]], I shared many of the plot details from our finale and we both remarked on how some notions and ideas are simply either "in the ether" or have a certain inevitability to them. It's reminiscent of the "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" vs. "[[Wikipedia:Star Trek:Deep Space 9|[Star Trek]: Deep Space 9]]" questions I used to get. I was there when DS9 was being created and I knew for a fact that neither [[Wikipedia:Michael Piller|Michael Piller]] nor [[Wikipedia:Rick Berman|Rick Berman]] had any knowledge of the B-5 material, but when you're doing a series set on a space station, there were bound to be certain paths that writers found attractive (like having a female second officer, for instance). In terms of ''Galactica'', the idea that the people of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] might one day come across a planet and decide to settle down permanently, is an idea that would probably occur to anyone approaching the material, and it's really a question of how you execute that idea which is key.

* '''"I understand according to the podcast that you guys were way over budget on ep 2.20, but the [[New Caprica|tent city]] really threw me off. I try not to be one of those fans that nitpicks everything to death, but this bothered me so much that I had to register and post. If they've been on planet for over a year now and they intend to make it their home, why are they still living in tents? If I had my choice between a tent and something more permanent and weatherproof, I'd be moving heaven and earth to construct the latter."'''

: There are some permanent buildings in the settlement, but it seemed plausible that to start an entire city from scratch would be a massive undertaking to say the least. It also seemed that without a strong leader like [[Laura Roslin]] to helm this kind of effort, that the organizational problems would add up and that the project could easily get stalled or delayed. Now, add to that various unknowns like disease and unfamiliar weather patterns as well as the difficulties in exploiting the natural resources in a completely new environment, it didn't seem implausible that there'd still be a lot of people living in tents.

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discussess his thoughts on the story post-"[[Sacrifice]]":'''

:'''MB/TSFW:''' So what do you think about the story after you left, and the trouble [[Mary McDonnell|Mary]]’s [[Laura Roslin|character]] got herself into? After your [[Tory Foster|replacement]] came in she kind of had a fall there. Do you think that would have happened if you were still there to watch her back?

: '''Paul:''' You know, I don’t know if they could have. [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] had so much integrity, that under his watch, I don’t think that would have happened. And maybe he would have had to step down, and Mary would have gone about that route with someone else. But I don’t think if he would have been in the picture, that would have gone down. Because that’s some shady crap, and I don’t think it would have cut it. We obviously butted heads on a few things like that in the past. In particular when I ended up leaving her at the ship. As it turned out, I had another pilot to go shoot. As it turned out, it was more my schedule that didn’t work out, but it worked in the writing. But no, I don’t think that would have flown had I been in the picture. So I don’t know what they would have done. I’m sure that was the story line from the begging, but how they would have worked me into it, I don’t really know. [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Season 2 Guide

2006-04-28T06:23:00Z

White Knight:

{|
|-
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Episode #
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Title
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Airdate
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Screenshot
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 01
| [[Scattered]] ([[Talk:Scattered|Talk]])
| July 15, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Tighadama.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Chaos is rampant as paramedics try to save Commander Adama's life after he is shot, and the Galactica is separated from the fleet.
'''Quote''' "''Bitch took my ride...''" -- Lt. [[Kara Thrace]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 02
| [[Valley of Darkness]] ([[Talk:Valley of Darkness|Talk]])'''
| July 22, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Valley of Darkness-Starbuck Helo.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.
'''Quote''' "''Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people.''" -- Lt. [[Kara Thrace]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 03
| [[Fragged]] ([[Talk:Fragged|Talk]])
| July 29, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Tigh in Command.JPG|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Colonel Tigh must deal with the Quorum of Twelve and the press over Roslin's removal from the presidency, while Cylon Centurions are preparing to hinder any rescue attempt on Kobol by setting up an anti-aircraft battery.
'''Quote''' "''Get these people off my ship.''" -- Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 04
| [[Resistance]] ([[Talk:Resistance|Talk]])'''
| August 5, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Sharondeath.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Riots break out in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] over Tigh's declaration of martial law, and a group of ''Galactica'' crewmembers led by [[Lee Adama]] smuggle [[Laura Roslin]] out of the brig and into [[Tom Zarek]]'s hands. Meanwhile, [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Karl Agathon]] fall in with a group of humans who have survived on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and started a resistance movement.
'''Quote''' "''Well, Mr. Zarek, it would seem that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.''" -- President [[Laura Roslin]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 05
| [[The Farm]] ([[Talk:The Farm|Talk]])'''
| August 12, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Galacticafarm.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' [[Kara Thrace]] is shot and wakes up in a remote hospital facility on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], and learns that her friendly doctor has his own plans for her future.
'''Quote''' "''There are many copies. You'll see [[Sharon Valerii|her]] again.''" -- Commander [[William Adama]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 06
| [[Home, Part I]] ([[Talk:Home, Part I|Talk]])'''
| August 19, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Home pt1 debate.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' The refugee fleet splits into two factions: one led by [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] and [[Tom Zarek|Zarek]], the other by [[William Adama]]. However, Apollo is less than enthusiastic to be working with Zarek.
'''Quote''' "''You've missed a few catastrophes while you were away.''" -- Cpt. [[Lee Adama]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 07
| [[Home, Part II]] ([[Talk:Home, Part II|Talk]])'''
| August 26, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Tomb_of_athena_lobby.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Adama leads a mission to Kobol to find President Roslin and her team of tomb-hunters, reconcile with his son, and reunite the divided fleet.
'''Quote''' 
:Cmdr. [[William Adama|Adama]]: ''I thought we were already in the [[Tomb of Athena|Tomb]]''.
:Lt. [[Kara Thrace|Thrace]]: ''I think that was just the lobby''.
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 08
| [[Final Cut]] ([[Talk:Final Cut|Talk]])
| September 9, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:S2finalcut.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' In an effort to stem [[The Fleet|the Fleet]]'s growing resentment toward the military, [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] allow an outspoken anti-military journalist complete access to the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and its crew.

'''Quote''' 
: '''[[D'anna Biers]]:''' ''You seem to think that your pilots deserve special consideration''.
: '''[[Lee Adama]]:''' ''Actually, I do. Like everyone else, my pilots have lost their families, their friends, everyone they ever cared about; but on top of that they're asked to put their lives on the line every single day, for a fleet that seems more interested in what they do wrong than in what they do right. They're not asking for your pity, but they damn well deserve your respect''.
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 09
| [[Flight of the Phoenix]] ([[Talk:Flight of the Phoenix|Talk]])
| September 16, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Blackbird FotP.JPG|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] throws himself into the task of constructing a new [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] from scratch, despite the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] crew's misgivings and apprehension. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] must deal with the repercussions of his relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] on Caprica. A Cylon computer virus begins to manifest itself in Galactica's computers, putting the ship and the crew in danger.
'''Quote''' "''Oh, you're much too modest. After what we've been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief]]. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we've lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us, together. I promise.''" -- President [[Laura Roslin]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 10
| [[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]] ([[Talk:Pegasus (episode)|Talk]])
| September 23, 2005
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Caingalact.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] discovers that the [[Mercury-class|Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' survived the destruction of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonies]], only to have [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] take command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and enforce her own hardcore military doctrine on the Fleet.
'''Quote''' "''Welcome back to the [[Colonial Fleet]].''" -- Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 11
| [[Resurrection Ship, Part I]] ([[Talk:Resurrection Ship, Part I|Talk]])
| January 6, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Resurrection Ship pt2-Planning.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' A potential battle between the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] is only averted by [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]]'s return from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylon]] ship.
'''Quote''' "''I don't want things to get better. I want to die.''" -- [[Gina]]
|-
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Episode #
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Title
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Airdate
! style="background-color: #421818; color: #F7FF63;" | Screenshot
<noinclude></noinclude>
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 12
| [[Resurrection Ship, Part II]] ([[Talk:Resurrection Ship, Part II|Talk]])
| January 13, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Gina-Cain.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' The battlestars ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' engage in [[Attack on the Resurrection Ship|an all-out battle]] to destroy the Cylon “Resurrection” ship.
'''Quote''' "It's what you said at the ceremony before the attack, when Galactica was being decommissioned. You gave a speech, it sounded like it wasn't the one you prepared. You said that humanity was a flawed creation, and that people still kill one another for petty jealousy and greed. You said that humanity never asked itself why it deserved to survive. Maybe you don't.
" -- [[Sharon Valerii]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 13
| [[Epiphanies]] ([[Talk:Epiphanies|Talk]])
| January 20, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:2BATejC05.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Admiral [[William Adama]] questions whether or not [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]'s pregnancy should be aborted. Meanwhile Roslin's health declines rapidly as a pro-Cylon peace group attempts to sow violence and discontent within the Fleet.
'''Quote''' "One of the most interesting things about being President is that you don't have to explain yourself. To anyone." -- President [[Richard Adar]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 14
| [[Black Market]] ([[Talk:Black Market|Talk]])
| January 27, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Black Market-Lee.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Captain [[Lee Adama]], battling haunting demons of his own from a spurned love lost on Caprica, investigates the murder of new ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' commander [[Jack Fisk]], and uncovers a black market that strains the resources of the Fleet.
'''Quote''' "You're not gonna shoot." -- [[Phelan]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 15
| [[Scar]] ([[Talk:Scar|Talk]])
| February 3, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Scar-Firing.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' An ace Cylon Raider, nicknamed "[[Scar (Raider)|Scar]]" by the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilots, has been causing problems for the Fleet. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] compete to hunt it down while Starbuck pines for [[Samuel Anders|"a dead guy"]].
'''Quote''' 
:'''[[Lee Adama]]''': ''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.''
:'''[[Kara Thrace]]''': ''I don't even remember their names.''
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 16
| [[Sacrifice]] ([[Talk:Sacrifice|Talk]])
| February 10, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Sacrifice3.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' ''[[Cloud 9]]'s'' lounge is under attack by terrorists who are convinced that [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] is playing the military. The leader of this quartet, [[Sesha Abinell]], demands that the invaluable Valerii be brought to her -- otherwise [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Anastasia Dualla]], [[Lee Adama]], [[Billy Keikeya]] and others will be executed.
'''Quote''' "''I think there's part of you that looks into that thing's eyes and still sees that young girl that reported aboard two years ago as a rook pilot. Well, it's not. It never was. Bill, it's a machine.''" -- Col. [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 17
| [[The Captain's Hand]] ([[Talk:The Captain's Hand|Talk]])
| February 17, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Adamas.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' 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.
'''Quote''' "''In your opinion, off the record, what was Garner's flaw?''" -- Admiral [[William Adama]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 18
| [[Downloaded]] ([[Talk:Downloaded|Talk]])
| February 24, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Cylon resurrection.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] society is revealed when a [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Cylon's consciousness]] is downloaded into a new body following her death. The conquerors of occupied [[Caprica]] hail two "heroes of the Cylon," who both resist their new celebrity status.
'''Quote''' "''Humans don't respect life the way we do.''" -- [[Number Three]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 19
| [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]] ([[Talk:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Talk]])
| March 3, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' As the presidential election looms just weeks away, the accidental discovery of a habitable planet sparks debate in the Fleet: Colonize? Or keep seeking Earth? Meanwhile, Starbuck leads a rescue mission of Raptors back to Caprica to save Anders and his resistance.
'''Quote''' "''Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing.''" -- [[Brother Cavil]]
|- style="background-color: #421818; text-align: center;" |
| height="10" | 20
| [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]] ([[Talk:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Talk]])
| March 10, 2006
| rowspan="2" | [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|200px]]
|- style="background-color: #421818" |
| colspan="3" valign="top" | '''Summary''' Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.
'''Quote''' "''Judgment day.''" -- [[Number Six]]
|}
<div align="center">
{{subpage edit|Season 2 Guide}}
</div>

Flight of the Phoenix

2006-04-28T06:16:27Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Blackbird_FotP.JPG|300px]]
| Title=Flight of the Phoenix
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=9
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Nankin]]
| Production=2.09
| Rating= 1.9
| US Airdate=September 16 2005
| UK Airdate=March 7 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,853
| Prev=[[Final Cut]]
| Next=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''[[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] throws himself into the task of constructing a new [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] from scratch, despite the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] crew's misgivings and apprehension. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] must deal with the repercussions of his relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] on Caprica. A Cylon computer virus begins to manifest itself in Galactica's computers, putting the ship and the crew in danger.''

== Summary ==
* [[Laura Roslin]]'s illness has reached a critical level. While she is still well enough to walk, Dr. [[Cottle]] gives her approximately one month to live.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] has become ''persona non grata'' to many of the crew who distrust him due to his romance with the Caprica copy of [[Cylon agent]] [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]].
* Many of the crew, even the generally level-headed and reliable Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]], are showing the strain of the apparent futility and fatigue of running from the Cylons.
* Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], with also little else to do with scrapped Vipers, begins a project to craft a new fighter. Initially many crew are very skeptical, but soon many others help Tyrol.
* Helo suggests carbon composite material for the skin in lieu of the rare plate metal for the fighter. Like the American F/A-22 Raptor Air-Dominance Fighter's low visibility to [[Wikipedia:Radar|RADAR]], Tyrol's new ship is nearly invisible to [[DRADIS]].
* [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Lee Adama]] nearly suffocate when the life-support systems on the [[firing range]] malfunction.
* A Cylon [[Logic bomb]] has attacked ship's systems and will fully control ''[[Galactica]]'' once an expected Cylon force arrives to activate it by infiltration. Gaeta and Baltar work together to figure a way to rid the ship of it by erasing the hard drives of all computers. Doing this, however, would leave the ship a sitting duck for an attack while time is needed to restore function and data to the computers.
* Adama, after asking the advice of the President, allows the Caprica Valerii to connect herself to the ship's mainframe and communication systems while Gaeta and Baltar erase the hard drives of all computers.
* A Cylon fighter armada consisting of hundreds of [[Raider]]s and [[Heavy Raider]]s attempts to activate the bomb. However, Valerii responds by transmitting a version of the same bomb to the Cylon fleet, disabling it as the Cylons did the Colonial fleet during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Viper squadrons annihilate the helpless Cylon fleet in a joyous moment of payback.
* Kara Thrace takes the new fighter, dubbed the [[Blackbird]], for a initially ungainly test spin. This fighter was designed for speed, and delivers it. Lee Adama, in a Viper chase plane, is horrified when the Blackbird disappears, but Kara rises above to face his ship quietly, proving the new fighter's stealth ability.
* In a ceremony similar to the one given to Commander Adama in the [[Miniseries]], President Roslin inspects and christens the new fighter. Many sign the ship. Tyrol reveals the name of this first fighter: ''Laura''.
* The mere work on the new fighter renewed the creativity and hope of the crew--a reason why Adama allowed its construction to continue, despite the logic bomb crisis.

== Questions ==
* This episode was rare in that Baltar's [[Number Six]] was completely absent in this episode, despite the Cylon-rich plot. What would she have said about Valerii's aid or the logic bomb?
**According to RDM's podcast Number Six was in this episode in one scene which was in the end deleted for time; in it Baltar gets up from working on the Cylon virus with Gaeta and has a conversation with Six standing in the middle of CIC.
*It is unlikely that the Caprica-Valerii's presence on ''Galactica'' is a secret to her crew since extraordinary measures were made to house her. It is possible that Adama is using a lie-of-omission to cover the existence of the second Valerii to the civilian fleet, since it is very likely that her likeness has been distributed to the rest of the fleet as a warning to keep a watch for other copies, a policy established in a Season 1 episode. While is it improbable that the death of the Galactica-Valerii could be fully contained, it is probable that Adama realizes that rumor and innuendo will disguise the fact that they harbor a second copy for interrogation purposes. In the [[Final Cut|previous episode]], Commander Adama angrily ordered [[D'anna Biers]] not to reveal her existence because it could divide the Fleet. There is likely an order to all under Adama's command not to discuss the existence of the second Valerii outside of military circles, although it would not likely stop them from discussing the matter amongst themselves.
*Is [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] attracted to Apollo (or vice versa)? Dualla seemed to "check out" Apollo's "backside" in "[[Resistance]]", and now she's in close physical contact with him. And Apollo has what almost might be called a jealous look when Billy shows up. Yet in "[[Home, Part I]]" Lee let it slip in conversation that he "loves" Starbuck (he didn't necessarily say it in more than platonic/fraternal way, however).
*Helo got angry at Chief Tyrol for calling Boomer a [[Toaster]]; is this a sign that Helo is thinking more sympathetically towards the Cylons than before? Like the Cylons, does he consider it an "offensive racial epithet"?
* Also with regard to Helo, where did he get the idea to use carbon-composite on the Blackbird? Is that something he thought up himself, or perhaps did Caprica-Valerii 'point' him in that direction?
**There is nothing to indicate that Caprica-Sharon influenced his decision for this.
*Is order on ''Galactica'' starting to break down? In the [[Miniseries]] Starbuck was put in the [[brig]] for striking a superior officer. Now, Starbuck assaulted Racetrack but there were was no visible punishment, and Tyrol got into a fight with Helo (who outranks him), also with no shown punishment. The deck crews aren't bothering to hide the [[Wikipedia:still|still]] they built as much as before, going to far as to have a large "Welcome Back Cally" party with its products in public. Col. Tigh makes a halfhearted verbal chastisement of Tyrol when Tigh finds the still, but doesn't do anything about it and ends up taking a jar of booze for his own use. Also, even Lt. Gaeta is now snapping back at the command officers, shouting and even [[frak|cursing]].
**Noone else appears to be around when Helo and Tyrol fight (quite odd, as they appear to be in the maintenance area). For Tyrol to be punished Helo would have to report the fight. Given the nature of the argument it's quite plausible that he would refrain from doing that. As both Starbuck and Racetrack are officers there is no assault on a superior involved in their fight (though Starbuck probably outranks Racetrack on seniority). Again the fight would have to be brought to attention of Col. Tigh for punishment to take place. It's quite likely that the pilots kept the incident to themselves. This is not an option in the Miniseries as Tigh himself is the superior Starbuck assaults.
*Was the software code Helo showed to Caprica-Boomer only a virus or did it contain instructions outside the scope of destabilizing and controlling ''Galactica's'' systems? Valerii's response to the code seemed to indicate it had affected her on some level. Perhaps was she merely compiling it in her head.
*If the Cylons are so interested and cautious about protecting Caprica-Boomer and her unborn child as stated by [[Aaron Doral]] in "[[Final Cut]]", why then are they willing to launch a massive assault against ''Galactica?''
*To what extent is Cylon knowledge & experiences shared? We know that [[Cylon agent]]s can transfer their consciousness to other copies of themselves ([[Miniseries]]), but are other Cylon models (such as the drones) interconnected? They would have to be on some level for Caprica-Boomer's trick to work. Is there some 'collective consciousness' at work (similar to the 'Borg' in Star Trek)?
**Caprica-Boomer seemed to imply in "[[Home, Part I]]" that she wasn't involuntarily in constant communication with the other Cylons through some sort of wireless communication net. She probably "switched off" her connection when she went on the run for real in "[[Flesh and Bone]]", because two Cylons talking amongst themselves (Six and Doral) said that they didn't know what she was planning (or thinking).

== Analysis ==
* While Cylon agents appear human to the cellular level, Sharon could control a fiber-optic connection inserted into her forearm. This suggests that the biological design of Cylon agents uses light-sensitive cells disguised as regular cells in their forearms as data access nodes, probably involving the cells interacting with her [[Silica Pathways|Silica Relays]] in her brain, the last vestiges of the mechanical nature of Cylon agents. Based on Valerii's extreme discomfort in having to cut herself to interface with the data line in this way, it could be presumed that this is not a typical practice for Cylon agents.
* Continuing from "[[Resistance]]", Dualla is shown being attracted to Apollo.
* Tyrol's comment to Lee Adama on the lack of miracles, and his answer to the problem, may remind some of another [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112502.html great miracle worker] of television science fiction.
* Despite Valerii's belief that she has become a "liability" to the Cylons, the previous episode made it clear that at least some Cylons considered the survival of her baby a paramount concern. The virus, installed before her arrival, was probably oblivious to this, but the massive fleet the Cylons deployed to interdict ''Galactica'' could not have been. Additionally, an earnest attack would almost certainly have included a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. We must therefore assume that the Cylons had a more complicated motive in making such a massive material sacrifice.
** Perhaps they hoped to furnish Valerii with an opportunity to demonstrate her loyalty and strategic value to the fleet, thus enabling her to ensure her future safety.
** Alternatively, perhaps the fleet was sent to ''remove'' the logic bomb from ''Galactica'', now that it was putting Valerii in harm's way. However, why so many, and why did one of the Raiders try to activate the logic bomb?
** Perhaps there are different Cylon factions working at cross purposes.
**The armada contained several Heavy Raiders as well--perhaps the Cylons were planning on boarding Galactica and taking Sharon by force.
**Sharon could have just been "assuming" that she was a liability, and simply be wrong. The virus itself was introduced into the ship in "[[Scattered]]" and that was before Caprica-Boomer arrived on ''Galactica.'' In "[[Final Cut]]" it was established that by that episode the Cylons were surprised that Sharon was still alive (they didn't know): perhaps they didn't know she was on ''Galactica'' up to that point. But by this point, however, the Cylons knew Sharon was on ''Galactica'' when the attack was launched. The virus appears to have just been acting out its function since "[[Scattered]]" (ignorant that its actions would destroy Sharon). However, this doesn't clearly explain why the massive Raider attack was launched.
* Our heroes passed up a major opportunity by destroying the Cylon fleet. Adama revoked Roslin's presidency on the basis of the misappropriation of a SINGLE captured Cylon Raider, yet they eliminated dozens of crippled-but-serviceable assets in the name of retribution. After all that work to create a single new fighter, wouldn't a squadron of superior Raiders be worth maintaining in the unused starboard flight pod?
**A point against the idea of capturing a Raider involves the lucky manner in obtaining the first one. The Raider in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" was brain-dead from a lucky shot. The Raiders here were turned off by a virus, but it may have been too difficult to remove all of their control mechanisms. Since these are in fact organic mechanisms that could still be fighting to survive, they may have their own ability of causing additional harm if captured alive.
**Further, ''Galactica'' had not idea how long it would be until Cylon reinforcements showed up; they probably didn't want to wait for a Basestar to come. Further, the civilian fleet had jumped away from ''Galactica'' in anticipation of the attack, and ''Galactica'' probably didn't want to leave them unattended too long. There wasn't enough time and it was too dangerous.
**At this point, ''Galactica'' could have as many as two Heavy Raiders already—the one that crash-landed into the starboard pod in "[[Scattered]]" and the one Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon returned with in [[Home, Part II]]
***The Heavy Raider that crash landed in "Scattered" may have suffered irreparable damage.
***One of the Heavy Raiders' (most likely the one from "[[The Farm]]") brains was used in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]" as a means of plotting multiple long jumps back to Caprica.
*As noted below, Helo is now a Viper pilot. This isn't unexpected, as the fleet's desperation in training new Viper pilots has led them to recruit otherwise unqualified candidates ([[Act of Contrition]]). Compared to these rapidly trained nuggets, a trained military pilot such as Helo, even if he wasn't qualified and trained as a Viper pilot, would be a great asset. It's likely that he was given some training between "[[Home, Part I]]"/"[[Home, Part II]]" and this episode.
*It was Helo that suggested the use of carbon composites for the Blackbird, and Starbuck says "Good call, Helo" after it is finished – showing that despite everything, Helo's opinions are still respected, perhaps symbolic of his redemption in the eyes of his crewmates.

===Deus Ex Machina Dilemmas in this Episode===
Some viewers may express confusion over the amount of time necessary to build the new fighter as well as the time it took to fight off the logic bomb and the Cylon attack. All in all, the whole episode may seem like a series of ''deus ex machina'' events to close up the episode.

To the episode's credit, it appears that several days' worth of time elapsed in the episode. This might stretch believability in the fighter's construction, but not in the logic bomb crisis. It must be noted that the breakdown in morale has left many of the crew with ''very'' little to do that's worthwhile in their free time. A monumental task such as building a fighter may be easy for a highly motivated, highly skilled and '''highly bored''' group of people. (Note the near-cheerful disposition of the workers when Lee Adama and Tigh visit the fighter.)

Further, the fighter was aided by specialists of particular fields in its construction--something that the Chief hasn't the luxury of having while in combat situations. As such, he had more willing and able resources at his command to create the ship than during any Viper repair. The crew also was not under pressure to build the system rapidly; there were many contributors, and work such of this led to a fast build time. It may also be presumed that the Viper design, of which the Blackbird is derived, may have a simple construction of [[avionics]], crew pressure module, engines, and superstructure. These ships are designed for rapid repair and redeploy, so, aside from the Blackbird's initial framework, much of the ship would likely be similar to a Viper. Also, the Blackbird is likely built with more modern technology than that found in the older and harder-to-service Viper Mk. II fighters--the Blackbird is likely descended more from the advanced Mk. VII Viper, of which Tyrol's crew was trained to understand and maintain, not the ancient Viper Mk. II museum pieces.

It was also established in the episode that there were spare spacecraft parts available to Tyrol—at the beginning of an episode he marks a severely damaged Viper for scrap, and Col. Tigh walks in on his still and informs him of some extra engines and other parts that another ship in the fleet is trying to dispose of. Given the ability to cannibalize already-built parts, the assembly of the Blackbird is not as great a task as building a Viper from scratch might be.

Given that the Blackbird wasn't employed in the main plot to, say, take on the hundreds of Cylon fighters in a desperate attack using last-minute technology, the ship was an interesting development. Some viewers may wonder why the Colonials have never built (or why viewers have never seen) a stealth craft to date, or why the Cylons haven't used them in their attacks. Generally speaking, technology usually appears when there is a need for it, and not merely a desire for it. Since both sides are very dependent on DRADIS for coordination and tactical advantage in a fight, the idea of commanding a squadron of ships you cannot see on your own tactical plot can be a bit challenging. Further, while the Colonials still had a standing force in case the Cylons returned, such sneaky technology may seem out of mind to defense strategists when there's no enemy about to test it--especially an enigmatic one such as the Cylons. The Colonials were more intent (at least, up until Baltar's time) to defend itself by using less sophisticated technology and basic war principles such as armor and superiority of numbers, not in making high-tech, fly-by-wire ships with complex evasive ability. As Starbuck seemed to prove in the Blackbird's maiden flight, no amount of technology will compensate for the power of a good pilot and her [[Mark One Eyeball]].

In his podcast for this episode, [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron D. Moore]] acknowledges the build-time dilemma for the Blackbird, and notes that the vagueness of time elapsed to build the machine was intentional so as to allow it to be built and done with in one episode, instead of drawing out the building into two or three episodes.

== Notes ==

* Population count is 47,853. This is the first time this season that there has been no net change in the count from the previous episode ([[Final Cut]]).
* ''[[Wikipedia:Flight of the Phoenix|Flight of the Phoenix]]'' is the title of a 1964 novel where survivors from a plane crash in the middle of a desert attempt to rebuild the plane from the wreckage. Two movies, one made in 1965 and the other in 2004, were also made following a similar story line inspired by the book.
* The [[Wikipedia:Phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]] is an animal from Egyptian mythology (and those derived) that, at the end of its lifespan, burns into ashes from which another arises.
* The [[Blackbird]], a new stealth fighter craft, has been constructed by Chief Tyrol with help from the crew.
* Helo now wears a Viper patch on his flightsuit. He wasn't visibly identified as piloting one of the Vipers deployed against the Cylons, but he may have been.
* There is a wide shot when apparently ''all'' of ''Galactica's'' Vipers are deployed where it's possible to count how many they have: there are 42 Vipers visible onscreen. Oddly, the current count says that there should be no more than 34, and even with [[Joe Palladino]] (unrealistically) on parole after [[Final Cut]] and Helo in a Viper, ''Galactica'' shouldn't be able to muster more than 25 pilots.
** There are at least 7 Viper Mk. VII's visible in this shot. This agrees well with [[Scattered]].
* This is the first episode without an appearance by [[Number Six]].
* When Chief Tyrol reconciles with Cally (regarding her killing Galactica-Boomer), she reaches into a Viper and fixes something he couldn't reach, and he responds "Nice to be small, huh?". This is reminiscent of the scene at the end of the [[Miniseries]], when they have almost the exact same exchange. In that scene, they were reconciling after ''Cally'' got angry that Tyrol was having a relationship with Galactica-Boomer.
* President Roslin returns the book "[[Dark Day]]" to Commander Adama, which he gave to her back in the second episode, "[[Water]]".
* Chief Tyrol and Galactica-Boomer were planning to leave the military together and get married before the Cylon attack.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*Apollo: Nobody's expecting a miracle.
:Tyrol: Maybe that's the problem.

*''Discussing Helo's return to ''Galactica'':''
:Duck: So he's the Cylon lover.
:Starbuck: You know what? I don't care who or what he fraks. He saved my ass down there, all right?
:Duck:How could anyone fall in love with a toaster, though?
:Starbuck: Same way I hear everyone was high-fiving our Sharon right before she put two in Adama's chest. The bastards frak with your head.
:Hotdog: Yeah. Just ask the Chief.

*''Card game in the Viper pilot's lockeroom:''
:Racetrack: Been playing with these cards for so long, I know every fold.
:Starbuck: So life's a bitch. What do you want to do, cry about it?
:Racetrack: No, I just want it to end, okay? The bad food, the endless rotations, pretending that a card game is the high point of our day.
:Starbuck: It's not going to last forever, all right? Earth is out there.
:Racetrack: Right. We could all be chasing our tails over some half-assed planetarium show.
:Starbuck: And you guys can all go to hell. I'm going to go find Helo.
:Racetrack: Good idea. Maybe that Cylon whore taught him a few tricks.

''(Starbuck politely turns around, walks over to Racetrack and grabs her by the neck and slams her head into the card table).''

*''Helo is sitting in Sharon's old Raptor when the Chief walks up:''
:Helo: Hey! Look, Chief. I never intended for Sharon and I to-- You know, it just kind of evolved.
:Tyrol: Just a couple lovesick kids, huh?
:Helo: I know how she felt about you, okay? She loves you.
:Tyrol: Did she fill you in on the rest of the plan? She and I were going to muster out at the end of our service. You know, then we would get married. Maybe we would have children. I guess I'm just a big frakkin' idiot, though, huh? Probably that goddamn [[Toaster]]'s plan all along.
:Helo: Don't call her that.
:Tyrol: Sucker some moron into giving her a kid. Hey, you know, but you know what? I should probably be grateful to you. Probably be grateful. You know why? Because that freak in her belly could have been mine! ''(Helo and Tyrol fight)''

*''Lt. Gaeta is starting to lose his composure under constant pressure:''
:Gaeta: Sir, I'm running every diagnostic we've got. Checking each line of code could take days.
:Tigh: I am not interested in excuses. Fix it!
:Gaeta: (''shouting'') It's not an excuse, sir. It's a frakking fact!

*Commander Adama: Months on the run, and what do we have to show for it? Casualties. Deteriorating conditions. This crew needs a rest. It's finally hitting them, that's all. Our old lives are gone. The only thing we have to look forward to is this.

*''Tigh walks into the tool closet on the hanger deck''
:Tigh: What's this, Chief?
:Tyrol: I'm making solvent, sir, to clean machine parts.
:Tigh: Solvent my ass. I know a still when I smell it.

*''Starbuck is taking the [[Blackbird]] on its first test flight while Apollo follows:''
:Apollo: Starbuck, Starbuck, where are you? Starbuck, come in. Starbuck, do you read? Kara, are you okay?
:Starbuck: (''Starbuck turns the lights of the Blackbird on; she's actually got her ship feet away from Apollo's, facing it'') Of course you lost contact. It's a damned stealth ship, remember?

*Roslin: Oh, you're much too modest. After what we've been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, Chief. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we've lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us, together. I promise.

== Official Statements ==

*In an [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/outside_docs/bg_outdoc0050.htm interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005] RDM was asked about the continuity problems noticed with the number of Vipers deployed in this episode:

: "Q: In the battle scene with the Cylons in "Flight of the Phoenix", some think they see more Vipers than pilots, there is the presence of many Mark 7 Vipers, and the Blackbird is in flight before its maiden voyage. Was this effects shot the victim of a script change or something in the editing room? Was the episode originally intended to appear after the Pegasus encounter?

: RDM: To be honest, I don't recall the exact number of Vipers in the shot or where we were in the continuity at that point. I do recall the topic coming up in various VFX and production meetings, and I think there was at least an initial rationale for the number on screen -- but it's entirely possible that we cheated a bit in Post in order to make the shot a little sexier. Sorry. It happens."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as Specialist [[Jammer]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendant "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356501/ Jen Halley] as [[Seelix]]
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0856351/ Christian Tessier] as [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]]
*Don Thompson as [[Anthony Figurski]]

== Statistics ==


* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Nankin]]

Resurrection Ship, Part I

2006-04-28T06:13:19Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Resurrection_Ship_pt2-Planning.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=2
| Episode=11
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Story=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.11 '''(Season 2.5 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.1
| US Airdate=January 6, 2006
| UK Airdate=March 21 2006
| DVD=
| Population=49,604
| Prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''A potential battle between the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] is only averted by [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]]'s return from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylon]] ship.''

== Summary ==

*Continuing from the previous episode, the [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] from [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] move into weapons range of each other, but neither [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] nor [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] are willing to fire the first shot and the Vipers are reduced to playing chicken with one another.
*Cain orders that [[Lee Adama|Lieutenant Lee "Apollo" Adama]], who is co-pioting the Raptor about to leave on the recon mission, be relieved of duty and arrested. The Raptor pilot draws his sidearm on Lee and orders him into the rear of the Raptor.
*Flying the [[Blackbird]] and undetected by the Cylons, [[Kara Thrace]] flies right into the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Before the Cylons can detect her she Jumps away.
*Confined to the rear of the Raptor, Lee sends an encrypted text message to Thrace.
*Leading the ''Galactica'' Viper squadron, [[Louanne Katrine|Louanne "Kat" Katrine]] continually requests clearence from Adama to fire on the ''Pegasus'' Vipers, but Adama refuses.
*Thrace arrives in the Blackbird and, after getting over her initial confusion at the chicken-fight, recieves Lee's message and transmits her own back.
*Both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' pick up the Blackbird on [[DRADIS]], but its lack of transponder codes leads Cain and Adama to assume that the new contact is a Raider. The ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'' Vipers break off their chicken-fight and move to engage the enemy, only standing down when Thrace starts broadcasting her ID over the wireless.
*Just when Cain looks likely to resume the conlfict with Adama, Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship to ''Pegasus''' CIC. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Cylon agent]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]".
*After being grilled for their near-disastrous action on ''[[Colonial One]]'' by President [[Laura Roslin]], Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existence. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Cylon agent|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The ship is known as the Resurrection Ship. Its function is to allow Cylon agents a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to Jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why doesn't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life?
** Adama had similar ideas in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked him out of it.
*What was the fate of the other civilians aboard ''Pegasus'''s civilian fleet, the ones who weren't brought aboard the'' Pegasus'' as useful assets or executed after the civilian ships were stripped?
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons?
**Adama could have just had Roslin strip her of her rank because she's Commander-in-Chief; it doesn't matter: Cain's hold over Pegasus is so tight it would be fluffed off. Also, Cain is not clinically insane. It's not just "insane" humans who do evil things in wartime. Cain does bad things, and she doesn't have the excuse of not being in command of her mental faculties.
* Has Roslin's illness has brought her to terminally important attitudes on life and death? Unlike the option to kill the prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' ([[Miniseries]]), Roslin does not hesitate to suggest to Adama to kill Cain.
**These two issues are not morally equivalent. The prisoners on ''Astral Queen'' were not posing an immediate threat to the safety of the Fleet, as Cain and ''Pegasus'' were.
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
**Maybe Laird was so scared/broken in by Cain that he would be unwilling to say anything against Cain out of fear; thus Tigh had to ask Fisk.
**Were Laird's wife and possibly children executed on the ''[[Scylla]]'' because he was one of the two who resisted the ''Pegasus'' marine team?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)?
**An answer to the Valerii consciousness viewers knew as "Boomer" may be answered in the episode, "[[Downloaded]]."
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some pretty close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Cylon agent]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
**Although logically possible, from a story writing standpoint they were probably not lucky enough for that.
*Since Lee Adama was ultimately to be included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
**Since Starbuck is the ''Pegasus'' CAG, Adama has an excuse to ask her to stay. If he'd asked for her ''and'' Lee, it likely would have raised suspicions.
*Baltar said that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Will Fisk carry out his order to have ''Pegasus'' marines execute ''Galactica's'' entire command staff? He seems to have found a friend in Col. Tigh, someone who he is more than willing to share otherwise privileged information with. He does seem to be Cain's voice of reason.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons?
**On the one hand, she may be playing on Starbuck's desire to rescue the [[Resistance (movement)|Caprican Resistance]] led by [[Samuel Anders]] in order to lure Starbuck over to her allegiance (Cain was impressed by Starbuck's brazen recon mision, and now views her as a valuable asset).
**On the other hand, this is consistent with Admiral Cain's behavior so far: while ''Galactica's'' crew realizes they had no hope of taking back the Colonies and left to try to find Earth, ''Pegasus'' has actually been engaging Cylon forces on the outskirts of the occupied Twelve Colonies for months. Cain does truly seem to want to "take the fight to the Cylons", as it were, and fight to reclaim the Twelve Colonies.
***Even if she is being honest about that, her comment to Starbuck that Anders' resistance "deserves to be saved" seems almost definitely just to be Cain manipulating Starbuck: As evidenced by Cain's treatment of her own [[Scylla|small civilian fleet]], she has completely prioritized the military assets of ''Pegasus'' over the well-being of any other small group of people.
***Even if Admiral Cain were able to lead the Fleet in successfully forcing the Cylons out of the Twelve Colonies, doesn't she realize that they've ''already'' been nuked and are currently inhospitably irradiated? The few people left on the Colonies need anti-radiation medication to survive there, there's only a finite supply of these and it's doubtful that they have any production facilities they could use.

== Analysis ==
This episode fails to skip a beat from the mid-season closer. With ''Galactica's'' and ''Pegasus''' Vipers in a scary game of chicken, the level of tension borders on the "fish in a blender" scenario.

Admiral Cain is clearly showing signs of stress indicative of some kind of sociopathic disorder; her orders and desire to follow the military way overshadow any compassion or understanding of the reality of her situation. She fails to understand that killing Helo and Tyrol worsens the Fleet, as she cannot simply find a suitable replacement.

The star of this show, albeit briefly appearing, is Mary McDonnell's Roslin. Like her namesake Blackbird itself, Roslin shows her toughness in staring down Cain ''and'' Adama, who actually looks ''ashamed'' in his actions while Roslin reads both "the riot act." Were not for the situation, Roslin's second talk with Adama, maybe the first time that Roslin does not appear with Adama in regular clothing, very casual, and obviously ill, seemed more like two old friends. Adama does something viewers have rarely seen with Roslin--his face relaxes and shows humor, sympathy, perhaps even sadness at Roslin's illness and her strength in looking her illness in the face and denying it anyway. He offers his hand and she accepts with a squeeze before she leaves. It seems in this moment that Roslin and Adama exchanged more romantic chemistry than the writer's attempts to do the same with Adama's son and Kara Thrace.

Baltar was generally neutral in this episode, playing both sides, Adama and Cain, Colonial and Cylon, to the advantage of all. His motives in saving Gina are still in doubt, and viewers are likely to see more development here.

Viewers are likely more interested not in the upcoming battle, now a more evenly matched fight between Colonial and Cylon (all things considered--[[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] generate Raiders like rabbits generate offspring), but in the battle for control of the Fleet, with both Adama and Cain performing similar strategies to kill the other.

*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Specifically, the beginning of "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" took place 30 days after "[[Resistance]]", when the crashed Raptor team returned from Kobol, which took place less than a week after "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", which explicitly stated to take place 51 days after [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] was stranded on Caprica in the [[Miniseries]]. In "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was told that her cancer had advanced aggressively, and she had a month to live "at the outside". The idea that the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (the previous episode) took place ''three months'' after "Flight of the Phoenix" thus seems entirely impossible. This line should probably be regarded as exaggeration, or just a goof.

*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently got her groove back from "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.
**In choosing Birch Commander Adama decided to value loyalty way above everything else, Col. Tighs was quite suprised at that. With Adama rebalancing his requirements it's no suprise a better pilot got the position.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in CIC) are exactly the same as the one used by Galactica-Boomer in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II.

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alistair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
* During the closing R&D production company animation, in which David Eick is sliced in two by a bolt of lightning, House Resolution 2995 of the 109th Congress is mentioned in a news ticker. The resolution, introduced June 27, 2005, involves the creation of a "Weather Modification Operations and Research Board." Source: [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-2995 GovTrack]
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of anti-radiation meds left.
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another of <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.

*'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with Galactica or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.

*''Discussing Admiral Cain:''
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*''First thing Gina speaks:''
'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely:''
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (''Laughs'')

*''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assassinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assassinate Adama'':
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "execute Case Orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (''Starbuck is shocked'')

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.1 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

2006-04-28T03:41:31Z

White Knight: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Baltarlaydownburdensii.jpg|300px]]
| Title= Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II
| Series= [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|The Re-imagined Series]]
| Season= [[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode= 20
| Guests= [[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]] [[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]] [[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]] and [[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=
| Rating=1.9
| US Airdate= March 10, 2006
| UK Airdate=
| DVD=
| Population= 49,550
| Prev= [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]
| Next= [[Occupation]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''Everything turns on its head as the survivors vote for a new president -- and vote for their fate.''

== Summary ==

===On Caprica===

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]], the marines, and the [[resistance (movement)|resistance]] continue to take fire from Cylon centurions and artillery. They make their way up a hill, and hold their position.
*The Cylons hold fire, and Sharon remarks that the Cylons will attempt to capture them with non-lethal weapons, such as gas.
*Eighteen hours later, they emerge to find that the Cylons have disappeared. [[Cavil]] -- who suddenly appears behind them -- announces that the Cylons have left the Twelve Colonies and that humanity was spared.

===In the Fleet===

*[[Cally]] is cleared back to work by [[Cottle|Dr. Cottle]], despite having her jaw wired shut. [[Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] visits her, apologizing for the attack. Cally forgives him, saying that she's always cared for him.

*[[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] continues to gain in the polls. On ''[[Colonial One]]'', [[Tory_Foster|Tory]] mentions there's always a victory plan. [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] later calls a private meeting with Dr. Baltar, asking to deliver a joint statement of [[Wikipedia:Table (verb)|tabling]] the issue of colonization until after the election, which Baltar rejects.

*[[Laura Roslin|Roslin]], fearing that she has indeed lost the presidential race, confronts [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] on whether he was with Six on Caprica before the Cylon attack. Baltar avoids answering the question & states that he may have saved her life, but he will not save her political life.

*[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] returns to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'', with the resistance fighters, much to the delight of Admiral Adama. She mentions the fact that the Cylons have left Caprica, and a man appearing to be Brother Cavil confirms it. He also says he has a message, but is attacked by Chief Tyrol, who declares a "[[Code blue]]," claiming Cavil is a Cylon. Both Cavil and Caprica-Sharon are escorted to the brig under marine guard.

*The other Cavil (from last episode) is also taken to the brig, claiming he's not a Cylon, but changes his tune upon seeing his "brother", as he calls him. Caprica-Cavil then talks about the fact that the “war heroes” (Caprica Six & ''Galactica''-Sharon) have convinced their kind about how the attack of the colonies and the pursuit of the fleet were mistakes. Caprica-Cavil's mission was to relay the message that man and Cylon will go their separate ways. Both Roslin and Admiral Adama are less than trusting regarding the message.

*In the brig, Caprica-Sharon is completely disillusioned and nihilistic, declaring that since her child's death, nothing - not Adama's trust, not even Helo - matters to her. A frustrated Helo insists that he's not giving up on her, but she seems disinclined to listen.

*Starbuck and Anders are getting extremely drunk when Apollo comes in to welcome them back. Starbuck makes a snide remark about Apollo and Dualla and goes back to drunkenly making out with Anders. Apollo, clearly upset with Starbuck, leaves without saying much.

*Election Day has arrived and Baltar has an apparent five thousand-vote lead over Roslin with only a few ships left. On ''Colonial One'', Tory makes a call to ''Galactica'', putting a plan into action.

*Amazingly, Roslin initially appears to have retained the presidency. While most are celebrating, Lt. Gaeta makes a startling discovery regarding the votes, and informs the Admiral that Col. Tigh may be involved in a conspiracy to throw the election.

*Admiral Adama confronts Roslin regarding the conspiracy, saying that Tigh has confessed to rigging the vote. Roslin admits her involvement and Adama is disappointed.

*Baltar is informed of his election as President. Initially he vows to have a full investigation on the vote count, but after Adama suggests that Baltar take his victory and leave matters be, Baltar relents and informs Adama that he can be quite generous in victory. President-elect Baltar then orders a course for “New Caprica”.

*Baltar and Gina finally consummate their relationship after Gina informs Baltar that she would not be part of the colonization.

*[[Gaius Baltar]] is sworn in as the new President of the Twelve Colonies, and orders the immediate colonization of New Caprica.

*''[[Cloud 9]]'' is destroyed by a nuclear blast with Gina on board; in addition to the ''Cloud 9'', at least three other ships are destroyed in the blast. Admiral Adama reports to the president that this may be a Cylon attack, but Baltar ignores him and presses forward with colonization.

===One Year Later===
[[image:burdens2.jpg|Kara and Cottle on New Caprica.|thumb]]
*[[Felix Gaeta|Mr. Gaeta]] is reporting to the President regarding a Union issue aboard Colonial One, now down on the planet. Baltar is upset, saying there have been no Cylon attacks but the people still complain. He has regressed, turning to alcohol, medication, and womanizing.

*Admiral Adama, now sporting a mustache, is walking around the near-empty Galactica, which is quickly falling into disarray. Over half of the crew have moved down onto the planet, and they are running on such a skeleton crew that they barely have enough pilots to fly training missions, much less a good [[Combat Air Patrol]]. Adama has a discussion with Tigh about going down to the planet, which Tigh reluctantly agrees to do.

*[[Samuel Anders|Anders]], now Kara’s husband, has pneumonia. Dr. Cottle is unable to treat Anders because there are no antibiotics available. He can only advise Kara to make sure Anders gets enough rest and with a little luck he "should" pull through.

*Kara runs into the Tighs as [[Tyrol]], now a union boss, is making a speech to begin a strike, with a very pregnant Cally by his side. Saul mentions that ''Pegasus'' keeps the backup medical supplies and that Apollo would spring some for Starbuck. Starbuck disagrees, which prompts Tigh to state that Apollo should be "over that by now".

*Roslin is doing what she does best, teaching the settlement's children, and manages to find enjoyment in her new position. [[Maya]] is with her, as is the now one year old [[Hera]], whom Maya has named "Isis".

*Kara calls Lee aboard ''Pegasus'', requesting the antibiotics. Dualla, now an officer and most likely Lee's XO, notices something on the [[DRADIS]].

*A fleet of [[Cylon]] [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s arrives in orbit around New Caprica. The Adamas discuss what to do in response, with Lee initially advocating that the fleet jump away, and Admiral Adama initially resisting the suggestion. However, Lee apparently brings the Admiral around to his way of thinking (or Admiral Adama comes to the conclusion on his own) when [[Helo]] asks if alert fighters should be launched. Admiral Adama keeps the alert fighters in and jumps the fleet ships remaining in orbit around [[New Caprica]] to an unknown location, vowing that he will return.

*Mr. Gaeta informs the President of the Cylon approach. Later, before his assembled staff, copies of Numbers [[Number Five|5]], [[Number Eight|8]], and [[Number Six|6]] approach the President. The Cylons declare that as long as there’s no resistance, no harm will come. President Baltar, after learning that the Cylons discovered New Caprica because of the nuke explosion set off by Gina, declares surrender on behalf of the colonists. As Cylon armies occupy the planet, Kara vows to resist.

== Questions ==

*Who is Baltar's vice president?

*Is Gaeta Baltar's assistant or his vice President?

*What happened to Zarek?

{{spoiltext|According to RDM's blog, Tom Zarek was initially the Vice President but he had a falling out with Baltar over the regime.}}

*Has Gaeta's view of Baltar changed since Baltar's ascension to the presidency? If so, is Gaeta planning to do anything about it?

*What "number" is Cavil?

*Was Roslin's threat to put the two Cavils into space actually carried out?
{{spoiltext|A copy of Cavil appears in a detention center on New Caprica during the Cylon Occupation. Whether this is one of the two Cavils seen in this episode is not yet clear.}}

*Where did the defense fleet jump to?

*Where is Caprica-Sharon?

*Why is Leoben looking for Starbuck, specifically?
{{spoiltext|According to some Q&A that RDM gave at a recent convention to people from the website 'The Pegasus Galaxy', Starbuck's missing ovary has been "under Leoben's pillow". Could the Cylons have made a hybrid child from her eggs and Leoben's sperm?}}

*Why has the population (until Tyrol's recent union speech) accepted Baltar's imperious rule? People were hardly so passive under Roslin. Indeed, Adama executed a military coup over a rather less important issue than giving a nuclear weapon to a Cylon agent.

*What were the workers being asked to do which was so "odious", "so sick[ening] at heart" that Tyrol was willing to call a general strike, and so important to Baltar that he was willing to use illegal imprisonment to break it?

*Are the Six and Eight that Baltar surrendered to [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]? (see [[#Analysis:Analysis]])

*Where did the Cylon fleets go, after they left the Twelve Colonies? Cavil was deliberately vague when asked if they simply returned to the [[Cylon homeworld]].

*Why didn't the nuclear device trigger the radiological alarms on either Battlestar?

*How many people died in the ''Cloud 9'' explosion? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Were the Quorum of Twelve killed on the ''Cloud 9''?

*Was anyone from [[Demand Peace]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*Were [[Shevon]] and [[Paya]] killed on ''Cloud 9''?

*When Gina-Six was instantly vaporized due to being only two feet from a nuclear detonation, did she still transmit her consciousness? Was she even capable of transmitting considering that any internal hardware responsible for this task would have been instantly destroyed? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Given Roslin's memories of Baltar with Six, why didn't Admiral Adama suspect Baltar of handing over the nuke to the cylons? If he did suspect him, why not act on it? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Did Baltar's internal Six disappear at any point during the New Caprica year? If so, when and why? If so, did the events of her disappearance contribute to Baltar's regression?

*Why was it so easy for Adama to hide the collusion of the rigged election from the press, and why were there no consequences?

*If the Cylons really left the Twelve Colonies, leaving behind a nuked-out wasteland, what happened to all of the human captives in the [[Farms]]?

*Why have the Cylons returned after suggesting that they were willing to go their "separate ways"?

*Did the Cavils lie about the pursuit of humanity being a mistake? Or were they telling the truth?

*Will the Cylons resume their pursuit of the Fleet?

*How many people are left in the Fleet? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Have the remaining ships in the defense fleet been armed during the past year?

*Will the Adamas resort to Cain's tactic of conscripting civilians to fill the gaps?

*What happened between Apollo and Starbuck? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*What led to Starbuck's reconciliation with Col. Tigh? The two had been in conflict since the [[Miniseries]], what led them to bury the hatchet and become the close friends they now appear to be?

*Has it become public knowledge that Baltar killed [[Crashdown]] on [[Kobol]]? Now that Chief and Cally are Baltar's open adversaries they could attempt to use this information against him.

*When Adama informs Baltar that the nuke used to blow up [[Cloud Nine]] was probably stolen form Gaius' lab, why is he not suspicious about the fact that Baltar never reported that it was missing? Had it really been stolen from his lab, he would surely notice.

*Are the Cylons that appear at the end representative of the whole Cylon race, or are they a faction that broke off after the two "Cylon Hereos" began to speak out against the war on the humans?

*If it is true that the Cylons now believe the attack on humanity was a mistake, is the occupation on New Caprica viewed by the Cylons as an act of mercy and kindness vs. oppression from the human perspective? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])

*Could it be the intent of the Cylons to actually help the colonization of New Caprica, helping with the construction of infrastructure, new homes, etc, in order to make up for the holocaust? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]])
**If the Cylons intend to help, that would be consistent with Cavil's comment that the Cylon path to enlightenment is to be "the best machines the universe has ever seen". The purpose of a machine is arguably to assist human beings. On the other hand, the Cylons, if they are here to help, are presumably intending to do so in a highly authoritarian fashion.
***Could the Cylons be wanting to maintain control over the colonials so that in some future the colonials would not be able to return and exact revenge on the Cylons?
**Could the Cylons be fortifying New Caprica to protect the humans from hostile Cylons? There should still be some, that Number Three in Downloaded was pretty fanatical, and if the political winds have changed as they so often do...
***Could there be a Cylon civil war going on?
****Could the occupation of New Caprica be a compromise between pro-human and anti-human factions, with war breaking out between them after it fails?

== Analysis ==
*According to Ron Moore's podcast, the events of "One Year Later" are real and were meant to solidify to the audience that the show is taking a path that cannot be reversed. In order to make the colonization of New Caprica real, Moore felt that the show would need to jump ahead in a span of year to show that indeed Baltar has followed through with his political promise.

*The events of the Cylon invasion of New Caprica parallel the Nazi invasion of France, with the fleet's escape a parallel to the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk and Baltar's surrender a parallel to Petain's surrender. If the parallel continues, Baltar will establish a puppet regime under Cylon rule akin to Vichy France while Colonials still loyal to humanity will establish a resistance movement. Ron Moore has actually said in the podcast for this episode that it is inspired by Vichy France.

*Baltar's arrogance seems to have led to corrupt rule during his year on New Caprica; he replaces Roslin's modest desk with a more elaborate one, replaces the population count whiteboard with a portrait of himself, and keeps a harem aboard the landed Colonial One.

*After a whole year, everyone is still living in tents. There is a vital shortage of medicine, the military is of no use, and labor conditions are apparently intolerable. Baltar's administration is apparently as incompetent as Roslin feared.
**It is not clear whether these conditions are the result of admimistrative incompetence or the inherent difficulties of colonizing a marginally habitable planet.
***Of course, it was Baltar's idea to settle on a marginally habitable planet in the first place.

*It's ironic that the obligations of duty keep Lee Adama aboard Pegasus while everyone else goes planetside—he is a reserve officer, and promised to build his pilots a bar as soon as they found a habitable planet.
**Who says he didn't build a bar for them? However, despite building a bar, he would still command the Pegasus.

*Ron Moore has once again decided to play with viewer's expectations; in the podcast for "[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]" Moore commented on how everyone assumed that ''Pegasus'' would be destroyed by the end of the episode, and thus he thought it would be a good twist to keep ''Pegasus'' alive as another ship in the Fleet. Here, many viewers assumed that the nuke that Baltar gave to Gina in "[[Epiphanies]]" would be used to destroy ''Pegasus'' this time, but it wasn't.

*29 people died between this episode and the preceding one? One or two Raptors were lost, and some Marines died on Caprica, but that doesn't seem high enough.
**Is it possible they took out all of the people who left in the raptors because they were not apart of the fleet at the end of the previous episode?
***They didn't remove Starbuck from the count during her time on Caprica at the beginning of Season 2. When she and Helo returned to the fleet in "[[Home, Part I]]", the count only rose by one.
**Maybe more people died during the attack on Caprica than was shown.
***Yet another possibility is the inclusion of the Caprica survivors in the count to offset many of the losses that had incurred in the rescue mission.
***Although they didn't actually talk about the losses, there was a shot of a wounded person being taken away on a stretcher after the Raptors returned from the [[Caprica]] [[SAR]] mission.
***There may have been a series of election-related riots or murders.

*The year gap for the Cylons to find the fleet at first seems odd. However, it was stated in the previous episode that the interference from the gas cloud surrounding it would hide the planet fairly well. The Cylons were slightly over a light year away, according to the Number Five. Searching something as large as the gas cloud likely is for a planet or fleet is, given the sensor range limitations, quite impressive to accomplish in months, even with general directional information from a light-year out. In addition, the radiation from the nuclear explosion aboard the ''[[Cloud Nine]]'' would, of course, only be traveling at the speed of light. Even a less catastrophic attempt to communicate the Colonial's new location would be limited to the speed of light. Of course, once the location was pinpointed, an FTL jump by the Cylons to pounce would be instantaneous.
**Even though the Cylons were able to find New Caprica from the detected nuclear blast that occurred a year prior, the initial detection would have only pointed them in the right general direction. The planet would have moved from the location the inital blast occurred as it orbits around its sun. So the Cylons would only have been able to pinpoint the planet's last location a year prior. They could have used astronomical surveying to detect the planet or send their fleets to other positions using FTL ahead of the blast radiation to triangulate the nuclear blast. Then send recon elements to scout for the planet, which could have been the initial blips picked up by DRADIS by Lt. Dualla of recon Raiders. As soon as the planet was found the main Cylon Fleet would jump in from their staging areas.
***It is also clear that Gina truly did die in the nuclear explosion on Cloud 9 as she would have been able to inform the Cylons of the whereabouts of the Fleet. This indicates that no new Resurrection Ship had been constructed and that Gina's suicidal thoughts finally prevailed. This may explain why she was willing to consummate her relationship with Baltar as it would be the last time she could be with him.

*The population of New Caprica City is given as 39,192. There were just under 50,000 people in the Fleet before establishing the settlement, so that gives a figure of roughly 10,000 missing. It is uncertain how many were killed in the destruction of ''Cloud 9'' and surrounding Fleet ships but this loss along with any births and deaths that have taken place during the year since the election, leaves very few military personnel in the Orbital Defense. This almost certainly means that both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' will be extremely short on crew, as many military personnel will have been left on the planet. There was clearly no time to retrieve even selected members of the crews before the Fleet jumped.
**The figure is not 10,000 missing — it is 10,000 not part of New Caprica City's population. The figure of 10,000 is spread amongst those remaining up in orbit with the fleet's remaining ships, out in independent, peripheral, or small settlements not part of New Caprica City proper, and casaulties.
**Watching the Fleet jump in slow-motion, you can count approximately 19 ships, which also gives a rough impression of the reduced size of the fleet. Other ships, including Colonial One and some Raptors, are landed on New Caprica and have presumably fallen into the hands of the Cylons.
**It is not explicitly said that all members of the New Caprica colony reside in New Caprica City. There may be outlying settlements, though none are named. One reason for this would simply be as a safeguard to keep a single nuclear strike from wiping out all of the fleet survivors.
***This would demonstrate prudence uncharacteristic of Baltar.

**Any "industrial" vessels — such as the mining ships, tanker ships, repair ships, agro-world ship — would have landed on the planet and been debarked, dismantled, or converted to form the foundation for industrial / production efforts. Some of the vessels in the fleet that left Ragnar Anchorage weren't designed for prolonged interstellar journeys, and were basically running on a hope and a prayer, and would have been rendered promptly upon finding a more permanent home. The nineteen-or-so ships seen are, more than likely, the last spaceworthy vessels in the fleet that are not needed planetside.
***After a year, people are still living in tents and using landed ships as buildings, so it doesn't look like much has been dismantled or converted into raw production. Other than the miners, who are apparently extremely unhappy at how things have been run, we see little evidence of industry or production over the year.

*Apparently, Kara's comments about Lee and Dualla have taken their toll on their relationship with each other. Whether the comments escalulated is unknown, but, from Dualla's expression of annoyance when she hands the receiver to Lee when Kara calls, it is clear that the three never reconciled with each other.

*The Six and Eight that are part of the Cylon delegation that greets Baltar's cabinet are almost certainly [[Caprica-Six]] and [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|''Galactica''-Sharon]]. This is implied from Six's reaction upon seeing Baltar and her intimation that she knew who Gaius was. The two are also wearing the exact same clothes as in "[[Downloaded]]."

*In the Season 3 trailer that followed the end of the episode, Six narrates, saying that humanity has finally surrendered and the war is over. According to Six, the Cylons can finally fulfill their "''true destiny''" and take care of humanity. They desire to show humanity the "''glory of peace''," mercy; like God, their mercy can only be matched by their power and complete control. So apparently, the war heroes have indeed changed the Cylons' prejudices toward humans, but unfortunately this also means that the Cylons believe that the only way to care for humanity is to control it.

**This narrative sounds more like Baltar's internal Six (superior, controlling, zealous) than Caprica-Six (more of a people person).

== Notes ==
* '''According to Ron Moore's podcast, although Scifi Channel was willing to air this episode as a 90-minute special, it had to be heavily edited down for international distribution; outside of the United States, viewers will only see a 1 hour version of the episode, which Moore regards as "almost incomprehensible".''' Many plot threads, such as the entire Cally/Tyrol subplot, were completely removed from the one hour version. This may not be the case in the UK however as Skyone (the channel that broadcasts the show in that country) previously showed the full 90 minute version of Stargate SG1 episode 'Threads' and may well do the same for this episode.

* Ron Moore's podcast for episode 13, [[Epiphanies]], states that the Nuke given to Gina will come back in this episode, to the benefit of the Cylons.

*Admiral Adama watches Pyramid games and is a fan of the Picon Panthers.

*In RDM's podcast for the previous episode, he said that in early drafts of this special 90 minute long episode, the writers actually tried to make it a 2 hour special, but this was soon dropped (these times are including commercials).
*The election board appears to have a definitive list of the names of all of the ships in [[The Fleet (RDM)]]. Not all of them are clearly visible, but this would seem to indicate that the writers do have an actual list that they get new ship names from. Ship names visible on the chart are: Demetrius, Diomedes, Embla Brokk, Enkidu, Epheme, Galactica, Gideon, Gemenon Traveller, Greenleaf, Monarch, Odysseus, Pegasus, Persephone, Prometheus, Swordfish

*The framed photo of President Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] was still on her desk during the election.

*When Roslin "won" the rigged election results, Roslin received 24,265 votes, while Baltar recieved 22,266. This means that the elligible voters in the Fleet number 46,531. In the podcast, RDM explains that he quickly came up with these numbers, to try to reflect roughly how many survivors are below the voting age.

*Toward the end of the episode, President Baltar refers to a government body called the "People's Council". This may be the proportionally elected lower house mentioned by RDM in his [http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/01/index.html#a000016 blog post] on January 30, 2005.

*[[Hera]] is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar had a vision of her being in in "[[Scattered]]", etc. According to RDM's podcast it's actually the exact same cradle.

*Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964. According to Ron Moore and David Eick in the podcast, they even got permission from Savio's widow to use it (even though, due to the way copyright laws work from back then, they could have just used it without permission, they felt they should get it). As a result, it's even listed in the credits: "Mario Savio speech excerpted courtesy of: Lynne Hollander Savio". Actor Aaron Douglas (Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]) actually studied film of Savio, so all of the hand gestures Tyrol makes when he gives the speech are gestures that Savio actually used.

*Baltar's portrait of himself does not have the 'cut corners' as seen in most (all?) other papers and photos in the show.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*''Dr. Cottle decides Cally is ready to return to duty:''
:'''Cottle:''' You're done here. I'm kickin' you out of here and sending you back to work.
:'''Cally:''' (muffled, because her jaw is immobilized) Work??? Like this?
:'''Cottle:''' You gotta love a woman who can complain even with her jaw wired shut.

*"Well, this is an awkward moment…. Yes, he's right, I'm a Cylon. And I have a message. So…take me to your leader."
*:—The Caprica copy of '''Brother Cavil''' on being uncovered as a Cylon

*"Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not…(''sees the other Cavil in the cell'')…oh. Well, okay then."
*:—The Galactica copy of '''Brother Cavil'''

*"Gods help us."
*:-'''Admiral Adama''' over the objection of [[Edward James Olmos]] (podcast)

*''Trying to bring order to a Union meeting:''
:'''Tyrol:''' Everyone, please be quiet. (''crowd ignores him'')
:'''Cally:''' Hey! Shut the frak up! (''crowd quiets down'')

*"We're leaving. But we'll be back."
*:—'''Admiral Adama''' ordering the fleet to evacuate New Caprica

*''On Caprica:''
::'''Anders:''' You got any great ideas in that military brain of yours?
::'''Starbuck:''' Do the same thing we always do; fight 'em 'till we can't.
:''The Cylons occupy New Caprica:''
::'''Tyrol:''' "What do you want to do now, Captain?"
::'''Starbuck:''' "The same thing we always do. Fight them until we can't."

== Official Statements ==

From the official site (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/):
When Baltar wins the vote, Roslin considers stealing the election because she believes he is a Cylon collaborator.

=== From RDM's blog ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/03/#a000409 March 28, 2006]) ===

* '''"The plot twist [of the finale] seems to share allot (sic) in common with the DeSanto Galactica continuation story, where the humans think they are safe from the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] and revolt against the military by deciding to give up on [[Earth]] and to colonize another place called [[New Caprica]]. Were you at least partially inspired by this earlier concept? "'''

: No. I can honestly say that the idea for our finale was entirely home-grown. I had lunch with [[Tom DeSanto]] a few weeks back and we talked about the struggles we both went through trying to get our respective versions of the show off the ground. As he talked about [[Battlestar Galactica (SDS)|his pilot concept]], I shared many of the plot details from our finale and we both remarked on how some notions and ideas are simply either "in the ether" or have a certain inevitability to them. It's reminiscent of the "[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]" vs. "[[Wikipedia:Star Trek:Deep Space 9|[Star Trek]: Deep Space 9]]" questions I used to get. I was there when DS9 was being created and I knew for a fact that neither [[Wikipedia:Michael Piller|Michael Piller]] nor [[Wikipedia:Rick Berman|Rick Berman]] had any knowledge of the B-5 material, but when you're doing a series set on a space station, there were bound to be certain paths that writers found attractive (like having a female second officer, for instance). In terms of ''Galactica'', the idea that the people of the [[The Fleet (RDM)|rag-tag fleet]] might one day come across a planet and decide to settle down permanently, is an idea that would probably occur to anyone approaching the material, and it's really a question of how you execute that idea which is key.

* '''"I understand according to the podcast that you guys were way over budget on ep 2.20, but the [[New Caprica|tent city]] really threw me off. I try not to be one of those fans that nitpicks everything to death, but this bothered me so much that I had to register and post. If they've been on planet for over a year now and they intend to make it their home, why are they still living in tents? If I had my choice between a tent and something more permanent and weatherproof, I'd be moving heaven and earth to construct the latter."'''

: There are some permanent buildings in the settlement, but it seemed plausible that to start an entire city from scratch would be a massive undertaking to say the least. It also seemed that without a strong leader like [[Laura Roslin]] to helm this kind of effort, that the organizational problems would add up and that the project could easily get stalled or delayed. Now, add to that various unknowns like disease and unfamiliar weather patterns as well as the difficulties in exploiting the natural resources in a completely new environment, it didn't seem implausible that there'd still be a lot of people living in tents.

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Paul Campbell]] discussess his thoughts on the story post-"[[Sacrifice]]":'''

:'''MB/TSFW:''' So what do you think about the story after you left, and the trouble [[Mary McDonnell|Mary]]’s [[Laura Roslin|character]] got herself into? After your [[Tory Foster|replacement]] came in she kind of had a fall there. Do you think that would have happened if you were still there to watch her back?

: '''Paul:''' You know, I don’t know if they could have. [[Billy Keikeya|Billy]] had so much integrity, that under his watch, I don’t think that would have happened. And maybe he would have had to step down, and Mary would have gone about that route with someone else. But I don’t think if he would have been in the picture, that would have gone down. Because that’s some shady crap, and I don’t think it would have cut it. We obviously butted heads on a few things like that in the past. In particular when I ended up leaving her at the ship. As it turned out, I had another pilot to go shoot. As it turned out, it was more my schedule that didn’t work out, but it worked in the writing. But no, I don’t think that would have flown had I been in the picture. So I don’t know what they would have done. I’m sure that was the story line from the begging, but how they would have worked me into it, I don’t really know. [http://mediablvd.com/magazine/index.php?option=com_magazine&func=show_article&id=84]

== Guest Stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Dean Stockwell]] as [[Cavil|Brother Cavil]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Callum Keith Rennie]] as [[Leoben Conoy]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Rekha Sharma]] as [[Tory Foster]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0443286/ David Kaye] as [[James McManus]]
*Alisen Down as Jean Barclay
*Winston Rekert as Priest

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: RDM]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Resurrection Ship, Part I

2006-04-28T02:56:33Z

White Knight: /* Summary */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Resurrection_Ship_pt2-Planning.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=2
| Episode=11
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Story=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.11 '''(Season 2.5 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.1
| US Airdate=January 6, 2006
| UK Airdate=March 21 2006
| DVD=
| Population=49,604
| Prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''A potential battle between the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] is only averted when [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]] returns from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylon]] ship.''

== Summary ==

*Continuing from the previous episode, the [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] from [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] move into weapons range of each other, but neither [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] nor [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] are willing to fire the first shot and the Vipers are reduced to playing chicken with one another.
*Cain orders that [[Lee Adama|Lieutenant Lee "Apollo" Adama]], who is co-pioting the Raptor about to leave on the recon mission, be relieved of duty and arrested. The Raptor pilot draws his sidearm on Lee and orders him into the rear of the Raptor.
*Flying the [[Blackbird]] and undetected by the Cylons, [[Kara Thrace]] flies right into the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Before the Cylons can detect her she Jumps away.
*Confined to the rear of the Raptor, Lee sends an encrypted text message to Thrace.
*Leading the ''Galactica'' Viper squadron, [[Louanne Katrine|Louanne "Kat" Katrine]] continually requests clearence from Adama to fire on the ''Pegasus'' Vipers, but Adama refuses.
*Thrace arrives in the Blackbird and, after getting over her initial confusion at the chicken-fight, recieves Lee's message and transmits her own back.
*Both ''Galactica'' and ''Pegasus'' pick up the Blackbird on [[DRADIS]], but its lack of transponder codes leads Cain and Adama to assume that the new contact is a Raider. The ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica'' Vipers break off their chicken-fight and move to engage the enemy, only standing down when Thrace starts broadcasting her ID over the wireless.
*Just when Cain looks likely to resume the conlfict with Adama, Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship to ''Pegasus''' CIC. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Cylon agent]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]".
*After being grilled for their near-disastrous action on ''[[Colonial One]]'' by President [[Laura Roslin]], Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existence. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Cylon agent|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The ship is known as the Resurrection Ship. Its function is to allow Cylon agents a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to Jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why doesn't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life?
** Adama had similar ideas in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked him out of it.
*What was the fate of the other civilians aboard ''Pegasus'''s civilian fleet, the ones who weren't brought aboard the'' Pegasus'' as useful assets or executed after the civilian ships were stripped?
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons?
**Adama could have just had Roslin strip her of her rank because she's Commander-in-Chief; it doesn't matter: Cain's hold over Pegasus is so tight it would be fluffed off. Also, Cain is not clinically insane. It's not just "insane" humans who do evil things in wartime. Cain does bad things, and she doesn't have the excuse of not being in command of her mental faculties.
* Has Roslin's illness has brought her to terminally important attitudes on life and death? Unlike the option to kill the prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' ([[Miniseries]]), Roslin does not hesitate to suggest to Adama to kill Cain.
**These two issues are not morally equivalent. The prisoners on ''Astral Queen'' were not posing an immediate threat to the safety of the Fleet, as Cain and ''Pegasus'' were.
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
**Maybe Laird was so scared/broken in by Cain that he would be unwilling to say anything against Cain out of fear; thus Tigh had to ask Fisk.
**Were Laird's wife and possibly children executed on the ''[[Scylla]]'' because he was one of the two who resisted the ''Pegasus'' marine team?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)?
**An answer to the Valerii consciousness viewers knew as "Boomer" may be answered in the episode, "[[Downloaded]]."
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some pretty close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Cylon agent]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
**Although logically possible, from a story writing standpoint they were probably not lucky enough for that.
*Since Lee Adama was ultimately to be included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
**Since Starbuck is the ''Pegasus'' CAG, Adama has an excuse to ask her to stay. If he'd asked for her ''and'' Lee, it likely would have raised suspicions.
*Baltar said that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Will Fisk carry out his order to have ''Pegasus'' marines execute ''Galactica's'' entire command staff? He seems to have found a friend in Col. Tigh, someone who he is more than willing to share otherwise privileged information with. He does seem to be Cain's voice of reason.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons?
**On the one hand, she may be playing on Starbuck's desire to rescue the [[Resistance (movement)|Caprican Resistance]] led by [[Samuel Anders]] in order to lure Starbuck over to her allegiance (Cain was impressed by Starbuck's brazen recon mision, and now views her as a valuable asset).
**On the other hand, this is consistent with Admiral Cain's behavior so far: while ''Galactica's'' crew realizes they had no hope of taking back the Colonies and left to try to find Earth, ''Pegasus'' has actually been engaging Cylon forces on the outskirts of the occupied Twelve Colonies for months. Cain does truly seem to want to "take the fight to the Cylons", as it were, and fight to reclaim the Twelve Colonies.
***Even if she is being honest about that, her comment to Starbuck that Anders' resistance "deserves to be saved" seems almost definitely just to be Cain manipulating Starbuck: As evidenced by Cain's treatment of her own [[Scylla|small civilian fleet]], she has completely prioritized the military assets of ''Pegasus'' over the well-being of any other small group of people.
***Even if Admiral Cain were able to lead the Fleet in successfully forcing the Cylons out of the Twelve Colonies, doesn't she realize that they've ''already'' been nuked and are currently inhospitably irradiated? The few people left on the Colonies need anti-radiation medication to survive there, there's only a finite supply of these and it's doubtful that they have any production facilities they could use.

== Analysis ==
This episode fails to skip a beat from the mid-season closer. With ''Galactica's'' and ''Pegasus''' Vipers in a scary game of chicken, the level of tension borders on the "fish in a blender" scenario.

Admiral Cain is clearly showing signs of stress indicative of some kind of sociopathic disorder; her orders and desire to follow the military way overshadow any compassion or understanding of the reality of her situation. She fails to understand that killing Helo and Tyrol worsens the Fleet, as she cannot simply find a suitable replacement.

The star of this show, albeit briefly appearing, is Mary McDonnell's Roslin. Like her namesake Blackbird itself, Roslin shows her toughness in staring down Cain ''and'' Adama, who actually looks ''ashamed'' in his actions while Roslin reads both "the riot act." Were not for the situation, Roslin's second talk with Adama, maybe the first time that Roslin does not appear with Adama in regular clothing, very casual, and obviously ill, seemed more like two old friends. Adama does something viewers have rarely seen with Roslin--his face relaxes and shows humor, sympathy, perhaps even sadness at Roslin's illness and her strength in looking her illness in the face and denying it anyway. He offers his hand and she accepts with a squeeze before she leaves. It seems in this moment that Roslin and Adama exchanged more romantic chemistry than the writer's attempts to do the same with Adama's son and Kara Thrace.

Baltar was generally neutral in this episode, playing both sides, Adama and Cain, Colonial and Cylon, to the advantage of all. His motives in saving Gina are still in doubt, and viewers are likely to see more development here.

Viewers are likely more interested not in the upcoming battle, now a more evenly matched fight between Colonial and Cylon (all things considered--[[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] generate Raiders like rabbits generate offspring), but in the battle for control of the Fleet, with both Adama and Cain performing similar strategies to kill the other.

*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Specifically, the beginning of "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" took place 30 days after "[[Resistance]]", when the crashed Raptor team returned from Kobol, which took place less than a week after "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", which explicitly stated to take place 51 days after [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] was stranded on Caprica in the [[Miniseries]]. In "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was told that her cancer had advanced aggressively, and she had a month to live "at the outside". The idea that the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (the previous episode) took place ''three months'' after "Flight of the Phoenix" thus seems entirely impossible. This line should probably be regarded as exaggeration, or just a goof.

*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently got her groove back from "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.
**In choosing Birch Commander Adama decided to value loyalty way above everything else, Col. Tighs was quite suprised at that. With Adama rebalancing his requirements it's no suprise a better pilot got the position.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in CIC) are exactly the same as the one used by Galactica-Boomer in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II.

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alistair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
* During the closing R&D production company animation, in which David Eick is sliced in two by a bolt of lightning, House Resolution 2995 of the 109th Congress is mentioned in a news ticker. The resolution, introduced June 27, 2005, involves the creation of a "Weather Modification Operations and Research Board." Source: [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-2995 GovTrack]
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of anti-radiation meds left.
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another of <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.

*'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with Galactica or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.

*''Discussing Admiral Cain:''
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*''First thing Gina speaks:''
'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely:''
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (''Laughs'')

*''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assassinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assassinate Adama'':
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "execute Case Orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (''Starbuck is shocked'')

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.1 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Resurrection Ship, Part I

2006-04-28T02:18:26Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Resurrection_Ship_pt2-Planning.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=2
| Episode=11
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Story=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.11 '''(Season 2.5 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.1
| US Airdate=January 6, 2006
| UK Airdate=March 21 2006
| DVD=
| Population=49,604
| Prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''A potential battle between the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] is only averted when [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]] returns from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylon]] ship.''

== Summary ==
*[[Kara Thrace]] flies in behind the Cylon fleet following ''Galactica.'' The stealth features of the [[Blackbird]] allow her to fly to and within the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Just before leaving the superstructure, she [[FTL|Jumps]] away to safety and [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]].
*Thrace returns from her unsanctioned reconnaissance of the Cylon fleet in the middle of Adama and Cain's standoff, with recon images of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]]. Her return appears on [[DRADIS]] as a [[Raider]] and causes Viper squadrons from both ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' to stop a deadly game of "chicken", with neither side firing unless fired upon.
*Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Cylon agent]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]".
*After being grilled for their near-disastrous action on ''[[Colonial One]]'' by President [[Laura Roslin]], Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existence. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Cylon agent|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The ship is known as the Resurrection Ship. Its function is to allow Cylon agents a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to Jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why doesn't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life?
** Adama had similar ideas in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked him out of it.
*What was the fate of the other civilians aboard ''Pegasus'''s civilian fleet, the ones who weren't brought aboard the'' Pegasus'' as useful assets or executed after the civilian ships were stripped?
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons?
**Adama could have just had Roslin strip her of her rank because she's Commander-in-Chief; it doesn't matter: Cain's hold over Pegasus is so tight it would be fluffed off. Also, Cain is not clinically insane. It's not just "insane" humans who do evil things in wartime. Cain does bad things, and she doesn't have the excuse of not being in command of her mental faculties.
* Has Roslin's illness has brought her to terminally important attitudes on life and death? Unlike the option to kill the prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' ([[Miniseries]]), Roslin does not hesitate to suggest to Adama to kill Cain.
**These two issues are not morally equivalent. The prisoners on ''Astral Queen'' were not posing an immediate threat to the safety of the Fleet, as Cain and ''Pegasus'' were.
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
**Maybe Laird was so scared/broken in by Cain that he would be unwilling to say anything against Cain out of fear; thus Tigh had to ask Fisk.
**Were Laird's wife and possibly children executed on the ''[[Scylla]]'' because he was one of the two who resisted the ''Pegasus'' marine team?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)?
**An answer to the Valerii consciousness viewers knew as "Boomer" may be answered in the episode, "[[Downloaded]]."
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some pretty close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Cylon agent]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
**Although logically possible, from a story writing standpoint they were probably not lucky enough for that.
*Since Lee Adama was ultimately to be included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
**Since Starbuck is the ''Pegasus'' CAG, Adama has an excuse to ask her to stay. If he'd asked for her ''and'' Lee, it likely would have raised suspicions.
*Baltar said that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Will Fisk carry out his order to have ''Pegasus'' marines execute ''Galactica's'' entire command staff? He seems to have found a friend in Col. Tigh, someone who he is more than willing to share otherwise privileged information with. He does seem to be Cain's voice of reason.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons?
**On the one hand, she may be playing on Starbuck's desire to rescue the [[Resistance (movement)|Caprican Resistance]] led by [[Samuel Anders]] in order to lure Starbuck over to her allegiance (Cain was impressed by Starbuck's brazen recon mision, and now views her as a valuable asset).
**On the other hand, this is consistent with Admiral Cain's behavior so far: while ''Galactica's'' crew realizes they had no hope of taking back the Colonies and left to try to find Earth, ''Pegasus'' has actually been engaging Cylon forces on the outskirts of the occupied Twelve Colonies for months. Cain does truly seem to want to "take the fight to the Cylons", as it were, and fight to reclaim the Twelve Colonies.
***Even if she is being honest about that, her comment to Starbuck that Anders' resistance "deserves to be saved" seems almost definitely just to be Cain manipulating Starbuck: As evidenced by Cain's treatment of her own [[Scylla|small civilian fleet]], she has completely prioritized the military assets of ''Pegasus'' over the well-being of any other small group of people.
***Even if Admiral Cain were able to lead the Fleet in successfully forcing the Cylons out of the Twelve Colonies, doesn't she realize that they've ''already'' been nuked and are currently inhospitably irradiated? The few people left on the Colonies need anti-radiation medication to survive there, there's only a finite supply of these and it's doubtful that they have any production facilities they could use.

== Analysis ==
This episode fails to skip a beat from the mid-season closer. With ''Galactica's'' and ''Pegasus''' Vipers in a scary game of chicken, the level of tension borders on the "fish in a blender" scenario.

Admiral Cain is clearly showing signs of stress indicative of some kind of sociopathic disorder; her orders and desire to follow the military way overshadow any compassion or understanding of the reality of her situation. She fails to understand that killing Helo and Tyrol worsens the Fleet, as she cannot simply find a suitable replacement.

The star of this show, albeit briefly appearing, is Mary McDonnell's Roslin. Like her namesake Blackbird itself, Roslin shows her toughness in staring down Cain ''and'' Adama, who actually looks ''ashamed'' in his actions while Roslin reads both "the riot act." Were not for the situation, Roslin's second talk with Adama, maybe the first time that Roslin does not appear with Adama in regular clothing, very casual, and obviously ill, seemed more like two old friends. Adama does something viewers have rarely seen with Roslin--his face relaxes and shows humor, sympathy, perhaps even sadness at Roslin's illness and her strength in looking her illness in the face and denying it anyway. He offers his hand and she accepts with a squeeze before she leaves. It seems in this moment that Roslin and Adama exchanged more romantic chemistry than the writer's attempts to do the same with Adama's son and Kara Thrace.

Baltar was generally neutral in this episode, playing both sides, Adama and Cain, Colonial and Cylon, to the advantage of all. His motives in saving Gina are still in doubt, and viewers are likely to see more development here.

Viewers are likely more interested not in the upcoming battle, now a more evenly matched fight between Colonial and Cylon (all things considered--[[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] generate Raiders like rabbits generate offspring), but in the battle for control of the Fleet, with both Adama and Cain performing similar strategies to kill the other.

*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Specifically, the beginning of "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" took place 30 days after "[[Resistance]]", when the crashed Raptor team returned from Kobol, which took place less than a week after "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", which explicitly stated to take place 51 days after [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] was stranded on Caprica in the [[Miniseries]]. In "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was told that her cancer had advanced aggressively, and she had a month to live "at the outside". The idea that the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (the previous episode) took place ''three months'' after "Flight of the Phoenix" thus seems entirely impossible. This line should probably be regarded as exaggeration, or just a goof.

*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently got her groove back from "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.
**In choosing Birch Commander Adama decided to value loyalty way above everything else, Col. Tighs was quite suprised at that. With Adama rebalancing his requirements it's no suprise a better pilot got the position.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in CIC) are exactly the same as the one used by Galactica-Boomer in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II.

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alistair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
* During the closing R&D production company animation, in which David Eick is sliced in two by a bolt of lightning, House Resolution 2995 of the 109th Congress is mentioned in a news ticker. The resolution, introduced June 27, 2005, involves the creation of a "Weather Modification Operations and Research Board." Source: [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-2995 GovTrack]
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of anti-radiation meds left.
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another of <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.

*'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with Galactica or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.

*''Discussing Admiral Cain:''
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*''First thing Gina speaks:''
'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely:''
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (''Laughs'')

*''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assassinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assassinate Adama'':
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "execute Case Orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (''Starbuck is shocked'')

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.1 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Resurrection Ship, Part I

2006-04-28T02:14:48Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Resurrection_Ship_pt2-Planning.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resurrection Ship, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=2
| Episode=11
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Story=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.11 '''(Season 2.5 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.1
| US Airdate=January 6, 2006
| UK Airdate=March 21 2006
| DVD=
| Population=49,604
| Prev=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''A potential battle between the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] is only averted when [[Kara Thrace|Lt. Thrace]] returns from her recon mission with important tactical information on the unknown [[Cylon (RDM)|Cylon]] ship.''

== Summary ==
*[[Kara Thrace]] flies in behind the Cylon fleet following ''Galactica.'' The stealth features of the [[Blackbird]] allow her to fly to and within the superstructure of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]], taking pictures along the way. Just before leaving the superstructure, she [[FTL|Jumps]] away to safety and [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]].
*Thrace returns from her unsanctioned reconnaissance of the Cylon fleet in the middle of Adama and Cain's standoff, with recon images of the [[Unknown Cylon Ship]]. Her return appears on [[DRADIS]] as a [[Raider]] and causes Viper squadrons from both ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' to stop a deadly game of "chicken", with neither side firing unless fired upon.
*Thrace uploads her incredibly detailed pictures of the Unknown Cylon Ship. A closeup shows Cylon bodies, including several inactive copies of [[Number Six|the blonde Cylon agent]] known to the Colonials as "[[Shelly Godfrey]]" and "[[Gina]]".
*After being grilled for their near-disastrous action on ''[[Colonial One]]'' by President [[Laura Roslin]], Adama and Cain agree to a truce while they prepare a joint attack on the Cylon fleet.
*Roslin warns Adama that Cain is a loose cannon, who must be killed in order to save the Fleet from annihilation. Adama is surprised at Roslin's candor, and is reluctant to consider the idea.
*Adama learns that ''Pegasus'' was also shepherding a civilian fleet, which it abandoned months ago, but not before stripping it of anything useful, including FTL drives, spare parts, and people. Cain ordered the execution of the families of individuals she selected who would not leave with ''Pegasus.''
*[[Gaius Baltar]] speaks more with [[Gina]], who wants Baltar to kill her so she can free herself from her torturous existence. He tells her that she cannot die as her consciousness would only download into another [[Cylon agent|Cylon body]]. Seeing the copies of reconnaissance photos Baltar is carrying, Gina says she would die if his Fleet destroys the Unknown ship.
*Baltar briefs Adama and Cain: The ship is known as the Resurrection Ship. Its function is to allow Cylon agents a place where their consciousness can download, as an agent in the Fleet would be too far from the Cylon homeworld for their consciousness to return. Cain quickly surmises that, without the Resurrection Ship, the few agents remaining would be permanently gone, perhaps more reluctant to complete their respective missions.
*Laura Roslin's illness is now more visibly apparent. William Adama visits her, and the two have a most unusual, even sentimental talk, with humor about getting a fresh, young Cylon body replacement for Roslin. Adama smiles and says that he couldn't think of her as a blonde, but Roslin smiles and says he'd be surprised.
*Cain finds Thrace's initiative laudable, and promotes her to Captain and [[CAG]] ''Pegasus'' over [[Cole Taylor]]. She initially pulls [[Lee Adama]]'s flight status, but restores it at Thrace's behest and assigns him to her team. Thrace begins plans on an attack on the Resurrection Ship.
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] are pleasantly surprised not to be dead. Lee Adama visits the two and catches them up on events, noting that his father pulled out the stops to ensure Helo's and Tyrol's survival.
*[[Kara_Thrace|Starbuck]] and [[Lee_Adama|Apollo]] brief the battlestar commanders and XO's regarding the plan to disable and destroy the [[Resurrection Ship]]. The plan will involve both battlestars and all available fighters. Both [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] and [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] approve of the plan, Adama being the more hesitant of the two.
*Colonel Tigh asks if the [[Blackbird]] could be used to sneak up behind the Resurrection Ship with a nuclear missile to destroy the Resurrection Ship outright. Thrace indicates that computer simulations show that the Cylons would pick up the [[Radiological Alarm|radiological signature]] of the bomb (which cannot be hidden by the Blackbird's stealth ability). Such detection would destroy their element of surprise and likely warn the Resurrection Ship to Jump away.
*After the briefing, Adama consults with Thrace privately, asking her to shoot Cain in the head after the attack. Likewise, Cain transfers [[Jack Fisk]] and a squad of Marines loyal to her to ''Galactica'' and instructs Fisk to kill Adama ''and'' his command staff after the attack.

== Questions ==
* Why doesn't Cain and her crew grasp the concept that survival of the human race supersedes the military way of life?
** Adama had similar ideas in the [[Miniseries]] until Roslin talked him out of it.
*What was the fate of the other civilians aboard ''Pegasus'''s civilian fleet, the ones who weren't brought aboard the'' Pegasus'' as useful assets or executed after the civilian ships were stripped?
* If Dr. [[Cottle]] were to perform a psychological examination on Cain, could Adama strip her of command for medical reasons?
**Adama could have just had Roslin strip her of her rank because she's Commander-in-Chief; it doesn't matter: Cain's hold over Pegasus is so tight it would be fluffed off. Also, Cain is not clinically insane. It's not just "insane" humans who do evil things in wartime. Cain does bad things, and she doesn't have the excuse of not being in command of her mental faculties.
* Has Roslin's illness has brought her to terminally important attitudes on life and death? Unlike the option to kill the prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' ([[Miniseries]]), Roslin does not hesitate to suggest to Adama to kill Cain.
**These two issues are not morally equivalent. The prisoners on ''Astral Queen'' were not posing an immediate threat to the safety of the Fleet, as Cain and ''Pegasus'' were.
*Why does Commander Adama rely on gossip from Cally and Tigh, rather than debriefing [[Peter Laird|Laird]] personally?
**Maybe Laird was so scared/broken in by Cain that he would be unwilling to say anything against Cain out of fear; thus Tigh had to ask Fisk.
**Were Laird's wife and possibly children executed on the ''[[Scylla]]'' because he was one of the two who resisted the ''Pegasus'' marine team?
*When did the Resurrection Ship begin following the Fleet? Was it able to rescue [[Aaron Doral#Suicide Bomber Copy|Aaron Doral (Suicide Bomber Copy)]] (killed day 17), [[Shelly Godfrey]] (disappeared day 24), [[Leoben Conoy#Gemenon Traveler Copy|Leoben Conoy (Gemenon Traveler Copy)]] (killed day 25), or [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)]] (killed c. day 54)?
**An answer to the Valerii consciousness viewers knew as "Boomer" may be answered in the episode, "[[Downloaded]]."
* [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] got some pretty close shots of the [[Resurrection Ship]], so much so that [[Helena_Cain|Admiral Cain]] was able to ID the [[Cylon agent]] she knew as [[Gina]]. Could any of the other [[Cylon agent]] models be identified, including the ones that the Fleet aren't aware of yet?
**Although logically possible, from a story writing standpoint they were probably not lucky enough for that.
*Since Lee Adama was ultimately to be included in the mission to assassinate Cain anyway, why didn't his father deign to brief him at the same time as Kara Thrace? Having Thrace fill him in later doubles the chance of their plans being overheard.
**Since Starbuck is the ''Pegasus'' CAG, Adama has an excuse to ask her to stay. If he'd asked for her ''and'' Lee, it likely would have raised suspicions.
*Baltar said that he's tired of the fantasy-world in his head that he retreats into; not of Number Six herself, but of his bachelor pad on Caprica. Is this a further sign that Baltar is shifting closer into the Cylon camp? It could mean that he no longer misses his old life on Caprica and has stopped clinging to it.
*To what extent is the chain of command still in effect? Adama fully intends to have Cain killed, but still stops short of demanding Agathon and Tyrol's return, and Cain believes he will still accept Fisk's transfer to ''Galactica'' as a spy.
*Will Fisk carry out his order to have ''Pegasus'' marines execute ''Galactica's'' entire command staff? He seems to have found a friend in Col. Tigh, someone who he is more than willing to share otherwise privileged information with. He does seem to be Cain's voice of reason.
*Is Admiral Cain telling the truth when she says to Starbuck that their "ultimate goal" is to return to the [[Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]] and liberate them from the Cylons?
**On the one hand, she may be playing on Starbuck's desire to rescue the [[Resistance (movement)|Caprican Resistance]] led by [[Samuel Anders]] in order to lure Starbuck over to her allegiance (Cain was impressed by Starbuck's brazen recon mision, and now views her as a valuable asset).
**On the other hand, this is consistent with Admiral Cain's behavior so far: while ''Galactica's'' crew realizes they had no hope of taking back the Colonies and left to try to find Earth, ''Pegasus'' has actually been engaging Cylon forces on the outskirts of the occupied Twelve Colonies for months. Cain does truly seem to want to "take the fight to the Cylons", as it were, and fight to reclaim the Twelve Colonies.
***Even if she is being honest about that, her comment to Starbuck that Anders' resistance "deserves to be saved" seems almost definitely just to be Cain manipulating Starbuck: As evidenced by Cain's treatment of her own [[Scylla|small civilian fleet]], she has completely prioritized the military assets of ''Pegasus'' over the well-being of any other small group of people.
***Even if Admiral Cain were able to lead the Fleet in successfully forcing the Cylons out of the Twelve Colonies, doesn't she realize that they've ''already'' been nuked and are currently inhospitably irradiated? The few people left on the Colonies need anti-radiation medication to survive there, there's only a finite supply of these and it's doubtful that they have any production facilities they could use.

== Analysis ==
This episode fails to skip a beat from the mid-season closer. With ''Galactica's'' and ''Pegasus''' Vipers in a scary game of chicken, the level of tension borders on the "fish in a blender" scenario.

Admiral Cain is clearly showing signs of stress indicative of some kind of sociopathic disorder; her orders and desire to follow the military way overshadow any compassion or understanding of the reality of her situation. She fails to understand that killing Helo and Tyrol worsens the Fleet, as she cannot simply find a suitable replacement.

The star of this show, albeit briefly appearing, is Mary McDonnell's Roslin. Like her namesake Blackbird itself, Roslin shows her toughness in staring down Cain ''and'' Adama, who actually looks ''ashamed'' in his actions while Roslin reads both "the riot act." Were not for the situation, Roslin's second talk with Adama, maybe the first time that Roslin does not appear with Adama in regular clothing, very casual, and obviously ill, seemed more like two old friends. Adama does something viewers have rarely seen with Roslin--his face relaxes and shows humor, sympathy, perhaps even sadness at Roslin's illness and her strength in looking her illness in the face and denying it anyway. He offers his hand and she accepts with a squeeze before she leaves. It seems in this moment that Roslin and Adama exchanged more romantic chemistry than the writer's attempts to do the same with Adama's son and Kara Thrace.

Baltar was generally neutral in this episode, playing both sides, Adama and Cain, Colonial and Cylon, to the advantage of all. His motives in saving Gina are still in doubt, and viewers are likely to see more development here.

Viewers are likely more interested not in the upcoming battle, now a more evenly matched fight between Colonial and Cylon (all things considered--[[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] generate Raiders like rabbits generate offspring), but in the battle for control of the Fleet, with both Adama and Cain performing similar strategies to kill the other.

*Cain wonders if debating morality is what Roslin and Adama have been doing "for the past six months"; however, as explained in the article [[Timeline (RDM)]], this episode only takes place a little over ''three'' months after the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. Specifically, the beginning of "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]" took place 30 days after "[[Resistance]]", when the crashed Raptor team returned from Kobol, which took place less than a week after "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", which explicitly stated to take place 51 days after [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] was stranded on Caprica in the [[Miniseries]]. In "Flight of the Phoenix", Roslin was told that her cancer had advanced aggressively, and she had a month to live "at the outside". The idea that the episode "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (the previous episode) took place ''three months'' after "Flight of the Phoenix" thus seems entirely impossible. This line should probably be regarded as exaggeration, or just a goof.

*Pilot [[Louanne Katraine]] has apparently got her groove back from "[[Final Cut]]", and has become the lead pilot on ''Galactica'' following the transfer of Lee Adama and Kara Thrace to ''Pegasus''. Given that the ungifted [[George Birch]] was apparently the best to be found within ''Galactica's'' regular chain of command ([[Home, Part I]]), it's unsurprising that a talented nugget has risen to the top.
**In hindsight, her abuse of stims is actually in line with the single-minded zeal she approaches her job with. She has apparently learned to channel her perfectionism into a more constructive outlet.
**In choosing Birch Commander Adama decided to value loyalty way above everything else, Col. Tighs was quite suprised at that. With Adama rebalancing his requirements it's no suprise a better pilot got the position.

*Both Adama and Cain's assassination plans (taking advantage of a victory celebration in CIC) are exactly the same as the one used by Galactica-Boomer in Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II.

== Notes ==

*Fleet population is down to 49,604 to account for the death of [[Alistair Thorne]], Cylon Interrogator.
* Admiral Cain promotes Kara Thrace to the rank of captain. She replaces Stinger as ''Pegasus's'' CAG.
* The Cylon fleet containing the [[Resurrection Ship]] has been following [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. It was speculated that the Resurrection Ship was a safety net for any Cylons who died in the Fleet.
* During the closing R&D production company animation, in which David Eick is sliced in two by a bolt of lightning, House Resolution 2995 of the 109th Congress is mentioned in a news ticker. The resolution, introduced June 27, 2005, involves the creation of a "Weather Modification Operations and Research Board." Source: [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-2995 GovTrack]
*In case there was any doubt, by this point the ''Galactica'' crew definitely knows that the blonde woman they first met as "Shelley Godfrey" is a humanoid Cylon, to the point that Roslin cracks a joke that she wouldn't mind waking up inside a gorgeous ''blonde''-haired body.
*Number Six likes [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]]. She went to live games often while she was on Caprica. She said it was because she loved the rush of raw emotions that would sweep over the crowd.
*Thrace still intends to recover Anders' [[Resistance (movement)|Resistance]] fighters from Caprica. Timeline wise, they have a little over a month of anti-radiation meds left.
*Tigh and Fisk have continued their status as drinking buddies.
*Roslin has developed a bad cough, perhaps evidence that her cancer has spread to her lungs, or that she has begun to suffer from opportunistic infections.
*Although Commander Adama does a good job of trying to "hide" it, when Adama leaves the sick Roslin he quickly wipes away a tear.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*'''Starbuck''': Starbuck to all vipers-- do not fire... repeat, do not fire! I am a friendly, okay? We're all friendlies. So, let's just...be friendly.

*'''Col. Tigh''': Ahh, another of <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s] crazy ass stunts... thank the Gods!
:'''Commander Adama''': You can say that again!

*'''President Roslin''': The spirit of the law requires something more here than summary executions.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Is this what the two of you have been doing for the past six months? Debating the finer points of Colonial law? Well, guess what, we're at war! And we don't have the luxury of academic debate over these issues.

*'''President Roslin''': You have ''Pegasus'', he has ''Galactica''. Two heavily armed, very powerful warships. Now, I am sure that ''Pegasus'' would prevail in any fight--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I wouldn't count on that--
:'''President Roslin''': --But certainly, there'd be heavy damage and you'd take significant casualties. So you can go out there and fight it out with Galactica or you can compromise. And those are the only two options on the table, period.
:'''Admiral Cain''': ...How the two of you have survived this long, I will never know.

*''Discussing Admiral Cain:''
:'''President Roslin''': I afraid this can only end one way. You've got to kill her.
:'''Commander Adama''': What the hell are you talking about?
:'''President Roslin''': Like she said, let's cut through it. The two of you were willing to go to war today. Do you think she's going to step down from that? She's going to bide her time and hit you the first chance she gets. That's a given. I hate to lay this on you Bill, but she is dangerous and the only thing that you can do is to hit her before she hits you.
:'''Commander Adama''': I'm not an assassin.

*''First thing Gina speaks:''
'''Gina''': I want to die. Will you help me do that? Will you kill me, please?

*'''Baltar''': Were you aware of your true nature as a Cylon when you boarded the ship? Or would you describe you as a sleeper agent?
:'''Gina''': I knew what I was. I was a soldier. I-I had a mission, I carried it out. I thought that when it was done I was going to die. That you would kill me. Then I-- then I would download into a new body...be reborn. But you didn't kill me. The things you did to me.
:'''Baltar''': What they did to you was evil. But I'm not one of them. You have to believe me. Things are going to get better for you. From this moment on. I promise.
:'''Gina''': I don't want things to get better. I want to die.

*''President Roslin is bedridden, dying of cancer, and coughing profusely:''
:'''Commander Adama''': What can I get you?
:'''President Roslin''': A new body. Perhaps, one of those young Cylon models from the Resurrection Ship.
:'''Commander Adama''': I can't see you as a blonde.
:'''President Roslin''': You'd be surprised. (''Laughs'')

*''Scene intercuts between Commander Adama telling Starbuck to assassinate Admiral Cain, while at the same time Cain is ordering Col. Jack Fisk to assassinate Adama'':
:'''Admiral Cain''': Jack, I want to transfer a detachment of marines to Galactica. And I want you to handpick them. Completely reliable. Completely loyal. Razors.
:'''Commander Adama''': I have a mission for you, Kara.
:'''Starbuck''': Anything for you, you know that.
:'''Commander Adama''': Don't accept too quickly. You won't like this one. I don't like it. But I've decided that it has to be done.
:'''Admiral Cain''': I'm transferring you to Galactica, as well. I'll tell Adama that you're there to be my eyes and ears. He'll hate it. He'll think you're my spy and try to freeze you out of decision-making. But he'll accept it. Now I want you to stay in throughout the attack. Stay with Adama.
:'''Commander Adama''': After the attack is completed and you've accounted for your pilots I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus to report directly to CIC. You'll take Lee with you. He'll watch your back.
:'''Admiral Cain''': Position marines in key positions throughout the ship and keep a squad posted just outside CIC--
:'''Commander Adama''': --There'll the normal chaos emotional high after the attack--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --They'll be slapping each other on the back, celebrating the victory--
:'''Commander Adama''': --They'll keep their guard down--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --Security will be lax--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I will ask for you over the wireless--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --I will call you directly, and when I have you on the line and you hear me give the command, "execute Case Orange"--
:'''Commander Adama''': --When you hear me say "Downfall"--
:'''Admiral Cain''': --You are to signal the marines to terminate Adama's command...''starting'' with Adama--
:'''Commander Adama''': --I want you to pull out your weapon...and shoot Admiral Cain in the head. (''Starbuck is shocked'')

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.1 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Michael Rymer]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Pegasus (episode)

2006-04-28T02:09:24Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

: ''For information related the [[Mercury-class Battlestar|battlestar]] ''Pegasus'' itself, see ''[[Pegasus (RDM)]]''.''
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[image:caingalact.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Pegasus
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=10
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.10 '''(Season 2.0 Cliffhanger)'''
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=September 23 2005
| UK Airdate=March 14 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=49,605
| Prev=[[Flight of the Phoenix]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''[[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] discovers that the [[Mercury-class|Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' survived the destruction of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonies]], only to have [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] take command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and enforce her own hardcore military doctrine on the Fleet.''

== Summary ==
*''Pegasus'', a [[Mercury-class]] [[battlestar]], has joined the Fleet. She survived the attack by [[blind-jump]]ing as the [[Cylon]]s attacked the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]].
* A Cylon fleet, comprised of two [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s, about a dozen support ships and an [[Unknown Cylon Ship]] have been trailing the Fleet -- and detected by Cain and ''Pegasus''.
*''Pegasus'' discovered this Cylon Fleet and has been carrying out hit-and-run attacks against the Cylons. At first the Cylon fleet's course seemed to be random, until Cain realized they were going to systems with natural resources. Cain then tried to predict which system the Cylons were going to [[FTL|Jump]] next, and stumbles upon ''Galactica.''
* After looking over ''Galactica's'' logs, Cain surmises that the Cylon fleet was following ''Galactica'' (which itself was Jumping to systems with natural resources for the Fleet).
* Upon assuming command of the fleet, Cain begins moving crew members around, citing discipline concerns, transferring [[Lee Adama]] and [[Kara Thrace]] to ''Pegasus''.
* President [[Laura Roslin]] has concerns about why Cain ignores her requests to talk and, more importantly, why ''Pegasus'' is only resupplying ''Galactica's'' military stores and ignoring the Fleet's needs.
* Tyrol welcomes his counterpart from ''Pegasus''. [[Peter Laird]] is a civilian aeronautical engineer-turned Deck Chief who designed the [[DDG-62|old engines]] in the [[Blackbird]]. Laird is both appalled and impressed by Tyrol's new stealth fighter.
* Lee is essentially busted down to [[Raptor]] pilot in a recon mission to the Cylon fleet. But he shows his defiant side by asking Thrace to commandeer the Blackbird to take some better recon photos of the Cylon fleet without being noticed by Colonial ''or'' Cylon forces.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] discover that [[Gina]], the Cylon prisoner aboard the ''Pegasus'', was raped by the crew as a form of torture. They rush to ''Galactica'''s brig, where a ''Pegasus'' lieutenant, [[Alistair Thorne]], is about to rape the Caprica copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. Tyrol throws Thorne against a bulkhead, unintentionally killing him. The pair are arrested and taken to ''Pegasus''. [[image:pegasus02.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''.]]
*Commander Adama is angered to hear that Admiral Cain is going to hold the court-martial on ''Pegasus'', not ''Galactica'' where the offense occurred. Admiral Cain refuses to return the prisoners and balks at the thought of an independent tribunal to settle the dispute. Using Adama's logs against him once more, she notes that the [[Litmus|last time Galactica held one]], Commander Adama dissolved the tribunal when he "didn't like the verdict."
*Admiral Cain, however, does not give the pair a court martial hearing or trial by jury, instead rapidly deciding the verdict by herself and ordering Helo and Tyrol to be executed.
*Upon discovering what Admiral Cain has done, Commander Adama orders a Raptor to fly out with an armed Marine boarding party, and launches ''Galactica's'' Vipers against ''Pegasus'', demanding that Admiral Cain release [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]].
*Admiral Cain launches ''Pegasus''' Vipers against the incoming Vipers from ''Galactica''. They close in on each other as the episode ends.

== Questions ==

*Will Starbuck and her [[Blackbird]] stealth fighter play a role in the armed standoff between ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''?
**Although we won't know until [[Resurrection Ship|next episode]], that seems initially unlikely, as the Blackbird is being used for the Recon mission against the Cylon "Unknown". The episode seemed to suggest that both were occurring at the same time.
*Where did the ''Pegasus'' crew get fresh fruit?
**Dualla explains in "[[Final Cut]]" that their ships have very effective refrigeration units to keep food fresh for long duration duty tours, etc.
*In the absence of Apollo and Starbuck, who is leading ''Galactica's'' fighters against ''Pegasus''? [[George Birch]]? [[Simes]]?
**Answer: [[Louanne Katraine]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
*As for the unknown ship in the Cylon fleet, what ''is'' its function? Is it, as Adama speculates, a Raider factory? Or a command-and-control vessel? Could it be a [[Cylon]] creation facility? The next episode's title, "Resurrection Ship," could foreshadow that possibility, as when [[Cylon agent]]s "die" they are downloaded into new bodies. Where would these new bodies be stockpiled?
*Could the new "Cylon mothership" be a command ship that contains the Re-Imagined Series' equivalent of the [[Imperious Leader]]?
*Roslin is commander-in-chief of the Colonial fleet. Could she be the one to order Cain to stand down by citing regulations to Roslin's benefit in the same way that Cain has done against Adama? Roslin could also order another member of ''Pegasus'' to assume command to enforce this. At the same time, Roslin's never been the type to use force, and may use other means to keep this event from turning into a bloodbath.
**Further, Cain doesn't seem to think of Roslin as the "real" president, just "Secretary of Education". Even if Roslin does order Cain to obey Adama, would Cain even consider them legitimate orders?
*Does the Blackbird have FTL? It's a bit smaller than the Raptor and, if it's based on the Viper design, wouldn't have one. At the same time, how is Starbuck supposed to go on the recon mission without one?
**Based on the information provided for the [[Raptor]] and [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], both ships are similar in size. A possibility could be in the amount of energy generated by both fighters. Seeing as the Raptor is equipped with more surveillance & communication equipment, it may have additional generators to power a [[FTL]] drive. Refer to talk page for additional discussion regarding Blackbird FTL capability.
***Answer: Yes. We see the Blackbird jump in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]".
** Are the Vipers going on the recon mission? If not, why is it a blow to Apollo's honor for him to be piloting a Raptor? And how are the Vipers supposed to get there if they have to jump to the moon?
* How did Cain and her crew discover the existence of humanoid Cylon models?
** Their biggest hint was probably when Gina killed several crew members.

== Analysis ==
*[[Cally]]'s charged reaction to the drunken Pegasus crewmen ''bragging'' about raping Number Six/Gina repeatedly is probably due to herself being the survivor of an attempted rape, in "[[Bastille Day]]". This disgust with the ''Pegasus'' crew's gang-rape of Gina is interesting in light of the fact that Cally had no compunctions about killing the ''Galactica'' copy of Valerii. Evidently she now acknowledges the Cylons' humanity in at least some measure. Perhaps she's felt a connection between this and her own assault on board ''[[Astral Queen]]'' by [[Mason]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
**It's also possible that, since her fellow female deck crew also look disgusted and follow her out, women just don't appreciate talk about rape in general. RDM says something to this effect [[Podcast:Pegasus#Act 3|in the podcast]].
*It is also interesting on a dramatic level how the portrayal of Cally's killing Galactica-Valerii in "[[Resistance]]" contrasts with the portrayal of the brutalized Gina and the attempted rape of Caprica-Valerii. It was less shocking to many to watch Boomer being shot to death than it was to watch Caprica-Valerii being pinned down over her bunk and almost raped—possibly because, while killing a Valerii copy is an understandable act of revenge, raping one would be a senseless act of cruelty.
*Talking amongst themselves on Cylon-occupied Caprica, the Cylons mentioned in passing that there was a main Cylon fleet in "[[Final Cut]]".
*In the miniseries, Adama first proposes that ''Galactica'' will go about independent of the rest of the fleet and fight the Cylons. Roslin persuades him to instead protect and lead the fleet on their escape from the colonies. The ''Pegasus'', in contrast, ''did'' travel about independently attacking the Cylons. The condition of the ''Pegasus'''s crew may be an indication of what would have happened to ''Galactica'' if she stood and fought.
*In contrast to ''Galactica'''s nearly evenly gender-divided crew, the crew of the ''Pegasus'' seems predominantly male to a very high degree. Admiral Cain was the only female aboard ''Pegasus'' with a speaking role, with only a couple other females visible in the hallways or in the ''Pegasus'' ready room. This stands in notable contrast to Ron Moore's egalitarian vision of gender issues in the military, and appears to have been an intentional decision made during production. In addition, the dialogue of the drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmen suggests they've perhaps forgotten how to act around women— they either ignore or fail to understand Cally and Selix's disgust with their talk about gang-raping Gina. This may be a contributing factor to the behavior of the ''Pegasus'' crew—the relative paucity of women aboard ''Pegasus'' and the resulting sexual frustration could have led to the overly regimented, authoritarian, and brutal culture the crew developed, culminating in the senseless, repeated gang rape of the Cylon prisoner [[Gina]].
*Not simply relying on her rank, Admiral Cain asserts her dominance in more subtle ways as soon as she sets foot on ''Galactica''. Despite the fact that she's bringing one ship to join dozens, she welcomes ''Galactica'' back to the Colonial Fleet, thus defining the Fleet as wherever she is. Later she tells Roslin 'You look like I just shot your dog' when she asserts her authority over Adama. Both of these acts give some show of being welcoming or friendly, but also claim her spot at the top of the food chain.
**Although ''Pegasus'' is only one ship, it's only one of two battlestars in the fleet. Being a [[Mercury class battlestar]], it is also more advanced than ''Galactica'', which was scheduled to be decommissioned. As such, the older battlestar hasn't the resources that ''Pegasus'' does. Although Cain's statement obviously shows her enlarged ego, it rings true purely from the standpoint of military prowess.
**Cain is also the higher ranking officer—with the rest of Colonial Fleet destroyed, command naturally fell to her, not Adama, despite her absence from the remainder of the fleet. So by military regulation her statement also rings true.
*[[Peter Laird|Laird]], ''Pegasus' '' deck chief, refers to events since "the war happened". Admiral Cain and her ''Pegasus'' crew seem to still consider fighting against the Cylons to be a war, while in the [[Miniseries]] Commander Adama admitted that "the war is over, we lost".
**Laird is still on ''Galactica'' during the period immediately leading up to the assault on Caprica-Valerii. As the deck chief of the ''Pegasus'' wouldn't his presence be required on his own ship or has he, like Apollo and Starbuck, been reassigned?
***According to [[Podcast:Pegasus#Act 3|the podcast]] in a scene deleted for time, Laird is reassigned as deck chief of ''Galactica'' over Tyrol. Of course, that raises the question of who is now performing deck chief duty on Pegasus.
*Thrace's criticism of Taylor's reconaissance plan - that the Cylons would never leave such an obvious blind spot unaccounted for - is the same criticism she made of Tigh's initial assault plan in [[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]].

== Notes ==
* This episode has been nominated for the [[Awards and Honors|2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]]
*Population count is 49,605, a dramatic increase of 1,752 since the 47,853 count in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", undoubtedly to account for the addition of Battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' and her crew to the Colonial fleet.
**Cain notes that Pegasus lost 700 crew in the opening attack. Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne|Thorne]] also tells [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] that Gina killed 7 of his men. Also, Colonel [[Jack Fisk]] tells Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] that Cain executed the previous XO for failure to attack a Cylon staging area. Thus we may speculate that at the time of the attack her crew totaled to 2,460, give or take a few.
***This number does not take into account any casualties that may have occurred because of the attack on the Cylon staging area, or any subsequent encounters with the Cylons.
***Given the relative ease that Cain had with removing disloyal officers -- according to Colonel Fisk, her XO had served with her for many years prior to his execution by Cain -- there may be additional officers she had swiftly court martialed (ref: Tyrol and Agathon) and executed as well. Given Cain's megalomaniac streak, it is also possible that some of the civilians she'd rescued from the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards may have met unfortunate "mishaps" as well.
**This is substantially smaller than ''[[Galactica]]'''s crew, possibly explained by many of Cain's crew being on leave at the time of the attack. ''Galactica'', although soon to be decommissioned, was still fully operational. Also, Pegasus's systems are newer, and may be more automated.
**Also, as [[Peter Laird|Laird]] indicates, many civilians were pressed into service. So the actual number of actual pre-Holocaust ''Pegasus'' crew members may be far less than indicated above.
*[[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] flies wingman to [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] in the opening sequence of this episode, as the [[CAP]] scouts ''Pegasus''. Evidently she's been judged fit to resume flight status after negligently damaging a Viper due to overuse of [[Stims]] in "[[Final Cut]]".
* As the episode ends, it's interesting to see that the bulk of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' Viper fleet consist of the Mark II's, while ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had the Mark VII's. A classic picture of "old vs. new".
**While ''Pegasus'' seems to have entirely Viper Mk. VII's, they would presumably have had to removed most of the automated systems from them (to prevent Cylon virus infiltration). Doing this makes them more difficult to fly (''Galactica's'' few Mk. VII's are only used by the most capable pilots now). ''Pegasus' '' pilots might have more advanced fighters but they aren't as reliable now as the tried-and-true Mk. II's.
* [[Helena Cain]] is the female version of [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]], who was portrayed by the late [[Lloyd Bridges]] in the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978)|Battlestar Galactica]]''.
* This episode is inspired by the two part episode, "[[The Living Legend, Part I (TOS)|The Living Legend]]".
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] also wrote another episode called [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Pegasus The Pegasus], in the seventh season of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''.
* Visual effects gaffe: When we cut to ''Galactica's'' exterior as Adama makes his way to the bridge, it is behind and slightly above and to the left of ''Pegasus''. When we see it again a few minutes later as it launches Vipers towards ''Galactica'', it's quite a distance away from the fleet, above it and facing its left side.
* During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, when the episode came back from commercial at the start of Act 3 a "Viewer Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted, warning of "mature subject matter" and content. The following final act of the episode shows drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmen bragging about raping the Cylon agent known as Gina, then the scene where Lt.Thorne attempts to rape Caprica-Sharon and Tyrol and Agathon intervene and fight the marine guards appears.
* ''Pegasus'' crew wear a silver version of the colonial patch on their uniforms instead of the gold version used by ''Galactica'' and the colonial government.
**Apollo and Starbuck do not switch to this version after their transfer to ''Pegasus'', in this or subsequent episodes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*'''Baltar''' (to Gina): The food is yours. It's not a trick. I'm not going to take it away at the last second. You know, I...um...I'm just gonna talk right now. I don't expect you to say anything. Back on Caprica, before the attack—and sometimes I forget there was a world before the attack—I knew someone…a woman, unlike any other woman I'd ever known. She was unique. Beautiful, clever, intensely sensual. When she wasn't in my bed, she was in my thoughts. She was a Cylon. And she changed my life in a very real, very fundamental way in that I have quite literally never stopped thinking about her, because I love her. To this very day, I love her. And she looks exactly like you. My name is Gaius Baltar, and I'm here to help you.

* ''Cain and Adama are discussing Helo and Tyrol's court-martial over [[wireless]]''
:'''Adama''': You told me they'd get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could they have possibly had?
:'''Cain''': I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision, Commander, but I dare say it was a fair one.
:'''Adama''': They have the right to have their case heard by a jury.
:'''Cain''': I am a flag officer on detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter.
:'''Adama''' (to Tigh): Launch the fighters. (to Cain): You can quote me whatever regulation you'd like. I'm not going to let you execute my men.
:'''Cain''': I highly suggest you reconsider that statement, Commander.
:'''Fisk''': Admiral, ''Galactica'' is launching Vipers and a Raptor.
:'''Cain''': Commander, why are you launching Vipers?
:'''Adama''': Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my marines as soon as they arrive.
:'''Cain''': I don't take orders from you!
:'''Adama''': Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men.
:'''Cain''': You are making such a mistake.
:'''Adama''': I'm getting my men.

== Official Statements ==
*Ron D. Moore stated in his podcast that there were a number of scenes filmed for this episode that had to be deleted for time, but that he expects to be edited back into the episode for the DVD release. According to Moore, although most episode rough cuts run a little overtime and one or two scenes have to be edited out, "Pegasus" had more than a full extra Act worth of material left over. The full episode would have been an hour and 15 minutes long. Moore tried to put in more scenes to push it to 90 minutes, in which case Scifi Channel would air it as a 90 minute special (as they had done in the past for "Stargate Sg-1" on occasion), but ultimately not enough material could be included in "Pegasus" to make it 90 minutes long without detracting from story quality; they were left with an episode that was too short to be a 90 minute special, but also too long to include all filmed scenes in a one hour episode. Deleted scenes, which Moore says will be restored in the DVD release, include:
**A scene when Adama, Tigh, and Roslin are heading to the flight deck to meet Admiral Cain when she first arrives on the ship, and while they're walking Adama and Tigh give Roslin a brief biography of Cain; who she is, that she was an up and coming officer promoted to Admiral over several other possible choices, etc.
**An extension to Admiral Cain's meeting with Adama and Roslin in Adama's quarters, in which she explains that ''Pegasus'' survived Cylon computer virus infiltration through the [[Command Navigation Program]] because ''Pegasus'' was being overhauled at the shipyards, and most of her computers were disconnected.
**An extension to the scene in Cain's quarters on ''Pegasus'' where Adama and Cain discuss how Pegasus is a [[Mercury-class]] battlestar, and the differences between this newer model and ''Galactica''. Cain also explains that she intentionally doesn't have any chairs there so her meetings with her staff will run faster.
**A scene where Admiral Cain asks about ''Galactica's'' Cylon-prisoner, Caprica-Sharon, and goes to the brig to observe her.
***According to an interview with James Callis (Baltar) in issue #197 of TV Zone, "There’s another cut scene where Cain is interviewing Sharon. She hardly says anything but she’s obviously furious that this Cylon has been treated so well. It sickens her, and that’s when Baltar realizes he’s dealing with a psycho."
**According to an interview with James Callis (Baltar) in issue #197 of TV Zone, "In one of [the deleted scenes], Six actually says to Baltar, ‘God, [Cain]’s a real tough nut, isn’t she, Gaius? She’s just your type. You like hard women, don’t you?’ Baltar says, ‘Yeah, I do.’"
*According to RDM's podcast, there was entire subplot alluded to in the episode which was in the original script, but which was excised before it was ever filmed due to time constraints. The fragment that remains is when Roslin complains to Adama that ''Pegasus'' is focusing on re-supplying the Fleet's military assets (re-arming ''Galactica'' and re-supplying ''Pegasus'' from stores in the civililan fleet) while ignoring the needs of the civilian fleet. The subplot would show how Roslin wanted ''Pegasus'' to provide machine parts for repairs to the civilian Fleet, and that after these are repeatedly ignored the civilian fleet ultimately goes "on strike" by refusing to give ''Pegasus'' more [[tylium]] fuel. It would also expand on Cain's refusal to acknowledge Roslin as the President (and therefore her superior as Commander-in-Chief).
*Moore also stated in the podcast that an alternate version of the attempted rape scene with Boomer was also filmed in which the rape was actually underway when Tyrol and Helo intervened. Ultimately, the decision was made to use the version seen where Thorne is stopped just in time, before he is able to rape Boomer. This is an ''alternate'' scene and thus doesn't "really" happen and will ''not'' be re-edited into the Director's Cut.

*Unfortunately, it has been [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4712 confirmed] that the "Season 2.0" DVD box set of Battlestar Galactica (containing the first ten episodes of season two) will '''not''' contain the Director's Cut of "Pegasus". Universal Home Video said that they could not ready the extended version of the episode in time for the DVD release. However, it ''will'' now be the first episode in the boxed set of "Season 2.5" (containing episodes 11 through 20 of season 2). So the next DVD set will have 11 episodes in it. The practical application of all of this is that fans have the opportunity to buy ''both'' versions (in his podcast, Moore said he liked the extended cut better because of the great character moments and drama, but that some might feel that the tight, rapid pace of the cut-down episode kept it more thrilling). This was not the case with Universal's previous release of a 90 minute "Stargate SG-1" episode, in which only one version was put into the DVD set.

*In an [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/outside_docs/bg_outdoc0050.htm interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005] RDM was asked about controversy surrounding this episode:

:"Q: Walt Kelly's Pogo used the phrase "the enemy is us" as part of a 1970's anti-litter campaign, and recently David Eick has cited it as a theme in the longer Pegasus arc of the second season. Some of the show's vocal critics charge that this notion promotes a "Blame America" attitude or is a sort of stealth anti-Americanism. What is this concept supposed to convey as we head into the bottom half of the second season?

:RDM: The reference is to the fact that human beings are often their own worst enemy. In the context of the show, it means that the real challenges to who and what these people are often comes not from bullets, but from within. I continue to be amazed at how easily one gets tagged with the moniker of "anti-American" these days by those on the right. It's almost... well, anti-American."

* From [http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/aaron_douglas_01.htm TheSciFiWorld.net's inverview] with [[Aaron Douglas]]:

: '''Gilles Nuytens:''' I read some critics about the "rape" scene shown in the last episode aired, as you played in this scene, what's your opinion on it?
: '''Aaron Douglas:''' BSG is a reflection of real life and these types of events go on everyday. Many people were upset by it but to me they need to realize that this is the world we live in. Does that mean they have or want to watch? Absolutely not but do not discount it as sensationalism. What we shot was so much more graphic than what was aired and I understand why they did not use it. In what aired the rape had not totally begun. It was suggestive. I thought it was a good scene and on point with the story and not added to draw in viewers. That suggestion is absurd. I know Ron Moore very well and he is not the kind of person or writer to add scenes purely for sensationalistic or ratings purposes. They have to be on point, truthfully reflect the situation and today's world and be relevant to the story or they are not there. It also amazes me that people have no problem with beatings, shootings, bombings, stabbings etc. but show a breast, a bottom, or a grope and they fly off the wall to condemn it.

: This happens in all areas of film, television and theatre and it is ridiculous.

* From [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2674 Hollywood North Report: Battlestar Galactica Set Visit, Part II], article on filming the [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|series finale]] and an interview with [[Mary McDonnell]]:

: '''Robert Falconer:''' Speaking of bleak, you had some pretty strong feelings about how people reacted to that rape scene at the end of Pegasus, and the overall problem of how violence against women tends to be portrayed on television.

: '''[[Mary McDonnell]]''': I have strong feelings about this as a woman; it’s a huge button for me, the issue of violence against women on television and how much of this stuff we’re going to pump out there before it becomes an accepted point of view that that’s what happens to women, and no-one takes responsibility and there’s no consequences.

:But there’s a big difference between crystallizing it inside a genre that doesn’t do it very often; making it part of one story one week, and the mainstream, non-sci-fi television where we become used to seeing women being raped and killed and mutilated—and other horrible things. ''That’s'' the sad thing.

:So for me, the fact that it was so upsetting to people when presented on ''Battlestar Galactica'' is a very good thing. It ''should'' be upsetting. It ''needs'' to be very, very upsetting. One ''should'' watch it and think, “I don’t want to see that!” We shouldn’t be using the fragility or vulnerability of the female body as a “technique” around which to build entertainment.

:I believe if ''Galactica'' were doing that sort of thing all the time, then the show would have a problem. But the way it was portrayed enables people to dialogue and talk about these sorts of things. Fires should be lit. And we should hear. Then you know if you’re in the ballpark of something that is really relevant, or if you’re being exploitive. And I have a lot of respect for the people who got upset as well as the people who wrote it.

* From [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2363 Hollywood North Report: Battlestar Galactica Set Visit, Part I], which includes an interview with [[Edward James Olmos]]:

: '''Robert Falconer''': By the end of “Pegasus,” Adama makes a decision with potentially sweeping consequences, but one that logically follows from everything that has happened to him up to that point. Is this a decision he will be able to live with as a military leader?

: '''Edward James Olmos''': I think Adama’s decision to attack the ''Pegasus'' could be interpreted as strictly military in nature. You don’t leave anybody behind, and protecting your men is a fundamental tenet of any military leader. In fact, you could argue that he has no consideration for anyone OTHER than his military guys aboard the Pegasus—he’s not thinking about the fleet at that moment, he’s not even thinking about the future of either of those two battlestars, because they’re going to blast each other to bits, since he’s not going to give into Cain’s craziness.

: '''Robert''': The rape scene toward the end of “Pegasus” has stirred up a lot of controversy in certain quarters. Ironically, there seems to be something of a disconnect here; people seem more willing to accept this in contemporary mainstream drama than they do in television science fiction, almost as if they’ve become conditioned to science fiction presenting a sanitized view of the future. Any thoughts on that?

: '''Edward James Olmos''': Well for those who were particularly upset by the scene to which you refer, I pray to god they don’t watch because it’s only going to get worse. They should be warned right now: please turn off your television sets and do not watch this show because it’s only going to provide more insight into the complexities of what happens to human beings. I would say that the minority of people who were freaked out by the rape scene are likely to be jarred into unconsciousness. So I say to them: do not watch this program, it could be hazardous to your health.

: For everyone else, hang on, ‘cause it’s gonna be a helluva ride…

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*Fulvio Cecere as Lt. [[Alistair Thorne]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*Derek Delost as Specialist [[Vireem]]
*Mike Dopud Specialist [[Gage]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*Michael Jonsson Pegasus Guard #2

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Pegasus (episode)

2006-04-28T02:08:20Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

: ''For information related the [[Mercury-class Battlestar|battlestar]] ''Pegasus'' itself, see ''[[Pegasus (RDM)]]''.''
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[image:caingalact.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Pegasus
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=10
| Guests=[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain|Cain]]
| Writer=[[Anne Cofell Saunders]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.10 '''(Season 2.0 Cliffhanger)'''
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=September 23 2005
| UK Airdate=March 14 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=49,605
| Prev=[[Flight of the Phoenix]]
| Next=[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''[[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] discovers that the [[Mercury-class battlestar|Battlestar]] [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] survived the destruction of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonies]], only to have [[Helena Cain|Admiral Cain]] take command of ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' and enforce her own hardcore military doctrine on the Fleet.''

== Summary ==
*''Pegasus'', a [[Mercury-class]] [[battlestar]], has joined the Fleet. She survived the attack by [[blind-jump]]ing as the [[Cylon]]s attacked the [[Scorpion Fleet Shipyards]].
* A Cylon fleet, comprised of two [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]s, about a dozen support ships and an [[Unknown Cylon Ship]] have been trailing the Fleet -- and detected by Cain and ''Pegasus''.
*''Pegasus'' discovered this Cylon Fleet and has been carrying out hit-and-run attacks against the Cylons. At first the Cylon fleet's course seemed to be random, until Cain realized they were going to systems with natural resources. Cain then tried to predict which system the Cylons were going to [[FTL|Jump]] next, and stumbles upon ''Galactica.''
* After looking over ''Galactica's'' logs, Cain surmises that the Cylon fleet was following ''Galactica'' (which itself was Jumping to systems with natural resources for the Fleet).
* Upon assuming command of the fleet, Cain begins moving crew members around, citing discipline concerns, transferring [[Lee Adama]] and [[Kara Thrace]] to ''Pegasus''.
* President [[Laura Roslin]] has concerns about why Cain ignores her requests to talk and, more importantly, why ''Pegasus'' is only resupplying ''Galactica's'' military stores and ignoring the Fleet's needs.
* Tyrol welcomes his counterpart from ''Pegasus''. [[Peter Laird]] is a civilian aeronautical engineer-turned Deck Chief who designed the [[DDG-62|old engines]] in the [[Blackbird]]. Laird is both appalled and impressed by Tyrol's new stealth fighter.
* Lee is essentially busted down to [[Raptor]] pilot in a recon mission to the Cylon fleet. But he shows his defiant side by asking Thrace to commandeer the Blackbird to take some better recon photos of the Cylon fleet without being noticed by Colonial ''or'' Cylon forces.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] discover that [[Gina]], the Cylon prisoner aboard the ''Pegasus'', was raped by the crew as a form of torture. They rush to ''Galactica'''s brig, where a ''Pegasus'' lieutenant, [[Alistair Thorne]], is about to rape the Caprica copy of [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]]. Tyrol throws Thorne against a bulkhead, unintentionally killing him. The pair are arrested and taken to ''Pegasus''. [[image:pegasus02.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Battlestar]] ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''.]]
*Commander Adama is angered to hear that Admiral Cain is going to hold the court-martial on ''Pegasus'', not ''Galactica'' where the offense occurred. Admiral Cain refuses to return the prisoners and balks at the thought of an independent tribunal to settle the dispute. Using Adama's logs against him once more, she notes that the [[Litmus|last time Galactica held one]], Commander Adama dissolved the tribunal when he "didn't like the verdict."
*Admiral Cain, however, does not give the pair a court martial hearing or trial by jury, instead rapidly deciding the verdict by herself and ordering Helo and Tyrol to be executed.
*Upon discovering what Admiral Cain has done, Commander Adama orders a Raptor to fly out with an armed Marine boarding party, and launches ''Galactica's'' Vipers against ''Pegasus'', demanding that Admiral Cain release [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Galen Tyrol]].
*Admiral Cain launches ''Pegasus''' Vipers against the incoming Vipers from ''Galactica''. They close in on each other as the episode ends.

== Questions ==

*Will Starbuck and her [[Blackbird]] stealth fighter play a role in the armed standoff between ''Pegasus'' and ''Galactica''?
**Although we won't know until [[Resurrection Ship|next episode]], that seems initially unlikely, as the Blackbird is being used for the Recon mission against the Cylon "Unknown". The episode seemed to suggest that both were occurring at the same time.
*Where did the ''Pegasus'' crew get fresh fruit?
**Dualla explains in "[[Final Cut]]" that their ships have very effective refrigeration units to keep food fresh for long duration duty tours, etc.
*In the absence of Apollo and Starbuck, who is leading ''Galactica's'' fighters against ''Pegasus''? [[George Birch]]? [[Simes]]?
**Answer: [[Louanne Katraine]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]).
*As for the unknown ship in the Cylon fleet, what ''is'' its function? Is it, as Adama speculates, a Raider factory? Or a command-and-control vessel? Could it be a [[Cylon]] creation facility? The next episode's title, "Resurrection Ship," could foreshadow that possibility, as when [[Cylon agent]]s "die" they are downloaded into new bodies. Where would these new bodies be stockpiled?
*Could the new "Cylon mothership" be a command ship that contains the Re-Imagined Series' equivalent of the [[Imperious Leader]]?
*Roslin is commander-in-chief of the Colonial fleet. Could she be the one to order Cain to stand down by citing regulations to Roslin's benefit in the same way that Cain has done against Adama? Roslin could also order another member of ''Pegasus'' to assume command to enforce this. At the same time, Roslin's never been the type to use force, and may use other means to keep this event from turning into a bloodbath.
**Further, Cain doesn't seem to think of Roslin as the "real" president, just "Secretary of Education". Even if Roslin does order Cain to obey Adama, would Cain even consider them legitimate orders?
*Does the Blackbird have FTL? It's a bit smaller than the Raptor and, if it's based on the Viper design, wouldn't have one. At the same time, how is Starbuck supposed to go on the recon mission without one?
**Based on the information provided for the [[Raptor]] and [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]], both ships are similar in size. A possibility could be in the amount of energy generated by both fighters. Seeing as the Raptor is equipped with more surveillance & communication equipment, it may have additional generators to power a [[FTL]] drive. Refer to talk page for additional discussion regarding Blackbird FTL capability.
***Answer: Yes. We see the Blackbird jump in "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]".
** Are the Vipers going on the recon mission? If not, why is it a blow to Apollo's honor for him to be piloting a Raptor? And how are the Vipers supposed to get there if they have to jump to the moon?
* How did Cain and her crew discover the existence of humanoid Cylon models?
** Their biggest hint was probably when Gina killed several crew members.

== Analysis ==
*[[Cally]]'s charged reaction to the drunken Pegasus crewmen ''bragging'' about raping Number Six/Gina repeatedly is probably due to herself being the survivor of an attempted rape, in "[[Bastille Day]]". This disgust with the ''Pegasus'' crew's gang-rape of Gina is interesting in light of the fact that Cally had no compunctions about killing the ''Galactica'' copy of Valerii. Evidently she now acknowledges the Cylons' humanity in at least some measure. Perhaps she's felt a connection between this and her own assault on board ''[[Astral Queen]]'' by [[Mason]] in "[[Bastille Day]]".
**It's also possible that, since her fellow female deck crew also look disgusted and follow her out, women just don't appreciate talk about rape in general. RDM says something to this effect [[Podcast:Pegasus#Act 3|in the podcast]].
*It is also interesting on a dramatic level how the portrayal of Cally's killing Galactica-Valerii in "[[Resistance]]" contrasts with the portrayal of the brutalized Gina and the attempted rape of Caprica-Valerii. It was less shocking to many to watch Boomer being shot to death than it was to watch Caprica-Valerii being pinned down over her bunk and almost raped—possibly because, while killing a Valerii copy is an understandable act of revenge, raping one would be a senseless act of cruelty.
*Talking amongst themselves on Cylon-occupied Caprica, the Cylons mentioned in passing that there was a main Cylon fleet in "[[Final Cut]]".
*In the miniseries, Adama first proposes that ''Galactica'' will go about independent of the rest of the fleet and fight the Cylons. Roslin persuades him to instead protect and lead the fleet on their escape from the colonies. The ''Pegasus'', in contrast, ''did'' travel about independently attacking the Cylons. The condition of the ''Pegasus'''s crew may be an indication of what would have happened to ''Galactica'' if she stood and fought.
*In contrast to ''Galactica'''s nearly evenly gender-divided crew, the crew of the ''Pegasus'' seems predominantly male to a very high degree. Admiral Cain was the only female aboard ''Pegasus'' with a speaking role, with only a couple other females visible in the hallways or in the ''Pegasus'' ready room. This stands in notable contrast to Ron Moore's egalitarian vision of gender issues in the military, and appears to have been an intentional decision made during production. In addition, the dialogue of the drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmen suggests they've perhaps forgotten how to act around women— they either ignore or fail to understand Cally and Selix's disgust with their talk about gang-raping Gina. This may be a contributing factor to the behavior of the ''Pegasus'' crew—the relative paucity of women aboard ''Pegasus'' and the resulting sexual frustration could have led to the overly regimented, authoritarian, and brutal culture the crew developed, culminating in the senseless, repeated gang rape of the Cylon prisoner [[Gina]].
*Not simply relying on her rank, Admiral Cain asserts her dominance in more subtle ways as soon as she sets foot on ''Galactica''. Despite the fact that she's bringing one ship to join dozens, she welcomes ''Galactica'' back to the Colonial Fleet, thus defining the Fleet as wherever she is. Later she tells Roslin 'You look like I just shot your dog' when she asserts her authority over Adama. Both of these acts give some show of being welcoming or friendly, but also claim her spot at the top of the food chain.
**Although ''Pegasus'' is only one ship, it's only one of two battlestars in the fleet. Being a [[Mercury class battlestar]], it is also more advanced than ''Galactica'', which was scheduled to be decommissioned. As such, the older battlestar hasn't the resources that ''Pegasus'' does. Although Cain's statement obviously shows her enlarged ego, it rings true purely from the standpoint of military prowess.
**Cain is also the higher ranking officer—with the rest of Colonial Fleet destroyed, command naturally fell to her, not Adama, despite her absence from the remainder of the fleet. So by military regulation her statement also rings true.
*[[Peter Laird|Laird]], ''Pegasus' '' deck chief, refers to events since "the war happened". Admiral Cain and her ''Pegasus'' crew seem to still consider fighting against the Cylons to be a war, while in the [[Miniseries]] Commander Adama admitted that "the war is over, we lost".
**Laird is still on ''Galactica'' during the period immediately leading up to the assault on Caprica-Valerii. As the deck chief of the ''Pegasus'' wouldn't his presence be required on his own ship or has he, like Apollo and Starbuck, been reassigned?
***According to [[Podcast:Pegasus#Act 3|the podcast]] in a scene deleted for time, Laird is reassigned as deck chief of ''Galactica'' over Tyrol. Of course, that raises the question of who is now performing deck chief duty on Pegasus.
*Thrace's criticism of Taylor's reconaissance plan - that the Cylons would never leave such an obvious blind spot unaccounted for - is the same criticism she made of Tigh's initial assault plan in [[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]].

== Notes ==
* This episode has been nominated for the [[Awards and Honors|2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form]]
*Population count is 49,605, a dramatic increase of 1,752 since the 47,853 count in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]", undoubtedly to account for the addition of Battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' and her crew to the Colonial fleet.
**Cain notes that Pegasus lost 700 crew in the opening attack. Lieutenant [[Alistair Thorne|Thorne]] also tells [[Gaius Baltar|Dr. Baltar]] that Gina killed 7 of his men. Also, Colonel [[Jack Fisk]] tells Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] that Cain executed the previous XO for failure to attack a Cylon staging area. Thus we may speculate that at the time of the attack her crew totaled to 2,460, give or take a few.
***This number does not take into account any casualties that may have occurred because of the attack on the Cylon staging area, or any subsequent encounters with the Cylons.
***Given the relative ease that Cain had with removing disloyal officers -- according to Colonel Fisk, her XO had served with her for many years prior to his execution by Cain -- there may be additional officers she had swiftly court martialed (ref: Tyrol and Agathon) and executed as well. Given Cain's megalomaniac streak, it is also possible that some of the civilians she'd rescued from the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards may have met unfortunate "mishaps" as well.
**This is substantially smaller than ''[[Galactica]]'''s crew, possibly explained by many of Cain's crew being on leave at the time of the attack. ''Galactica'', although soon to be decommissioned, was still fully operational. Also, Pegasus's systems are newer, and may be more automated.
**Also, as [[Peter Laird|Laird]] indicates, many civilians were pressed into service. So the actual number of actual pre-Holocaust ''Pegasus'' crew members may be far less than indicated above.
*[[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] flies wingman to [[Lee Adama|Apollo]] in the opening sequence of this episode, as the [[CAP]] scouts ''Pegasus''. Evidently she's been judged fit to resume flight status after negligently damaging a Viper due to overuse of [[Stims]] in "[[Final Cut]]".
* As the episode ends, it's interesting to see that the bulk of ''[[Galactica]]'s'' Viper fleet consist of the Mark II's, while ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' had the Mark VII's. A classic picture of "old vs. new".
**While ''Pegasus'' seems to have entirely Viper Mk. VII's, they would presumably have had to removed most of the automated systems from them (to prevent Cylon virus infiltration). Doing this makes them more difficult to fly (''Galactica's'' few Mk. VII's are only used by the most capable pilots now). ''Pegasus' '' pilots might have more advanced fighters but they aren't as reliable now as the tried-and-true Mk. II's.
* [[Helena Cain]] is the female version of [[Cain (TOS)|Cain]], who was portrayed by the late [[Lloyd Bridges]] in the original ''[[Battlestar Galactica (1978)|Battlestar Galactica]]''.
* This episode is inspired by the two part episode, "[[The Living Legend, Part I (TOS)|The Living Legend]]".
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] also wrote another episode called [http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Pegasus The Pegasus], in the seventh season of ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''.
* Visual effects gaffe: When we cut to ''Galactica's'' exterior as Adama makes his way to the bridge, it is behind and slightly above and to the left of ''Pegasus''. When we see it again a few minutes later as it launches Vipers towards ''Galactica'', it's quite a distance away from the fleet, above it and facing its left side.
* During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, when the episode came back from commercial at the start of Act 3 a "Viewer Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted, warning of "mature subject matter" and content. The following final act of the episode shows drunken ''Pegasus'' crewmen bragging about raping the Cylon agent known as Gina, then the scene where Lt.Thorne attempts to rape Caprica-Sharon and Tyrol and Agathon intervene and fight the marine guards appears.
* ''Pegasus'' crew wear a silver version of the colonial patch on their uniforms instead of the gold version used by ''Galactica'' and the colonial government.
**Apollo and Starbuck do not switch to this version after their transfer to ''Pegasus'', in this or subsequent episodes.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
*'''Baltar''' (to Gina): The food is yours. It's not a trick. I'm not going to take it away at the last second. You know, I...um...I'm just gonna talk right now. I don't expect you to say anything. Back on Caprica, before the attack—and sometimes I forget there was a world before the attack—I knew someone…a woman, unlike any other woman I'd ever known. She was unique. Beautiful, clever, intensely sensual. When she wasn't in my bed, she was in my thoughts. She was a Cylon. And she changed my life in a very real, very fundamental way in that I have quite literally never stopped thinking about her, because I love her. To this very day, I love her. And she looks exactly like you. My name is Gaius Baltar, and I'm here to help you.

* ''Cain and Adama are discussing Helo and Tyrol's court-martial over [[wireless]]''
:'''Adama''': You told me they'd get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could they have possibly had?
:'''Cain''': I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision, Commander, but I dare say it was a fair one.
:'''Adama''': They have the right to have their case heard by a jury.
:'''Cain''': I am a flag officer on detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter.
:'''Adama''' (to Tigh): Launch the fighters. (to Cain): You can quote me whatever regulation you'd like. I'm not going to let you execute my men.
:'''Cain''': I highly suggest you reconsider that statement, Commander.
:'''Fisk''': Admiral, ''Galactica'' is launching Vipers and a Raptor.
:'''Cain''': Commander, why are you launching Vipers?
:'''Adama''': Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my marines as soon as they arrive.
:'''Cain''': I don't take orders from you!
:'''Adama''': Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men.
:'''Cain''': You are making such a mistake.
:'''Adama''': I'm getting my men.

== Official Statements ==
*Ron D. Moore stated in his podcast that there were a number of scenes filmed for this episode that had to be deleted for time, but that he expects to be edited back into the episode for the DVD release. According to Moore, although most episode rough cuts run a little overtime and one or two scenes have to be edited out, "Pegasus" had more than a full extra Act worth of material left over. The full episode would have been an hour and 15 minutes long. Moore tried to put in more scenes to push it to 90 minutes, in which case Scifi Channel would air it as a 90 minute special (as they had done in the past for "Stargate Sg-1" on occasion), but ultimately not enough material could be included in "Pegasus" to make it 90 minutes long without detracting from story quality; they were left with an episode that was too short to be a 90 minute special, but also too long to include all filmed scenes in a one hour episode. Deleted scenes, which Moore says will be restored in the DVD release, include:
**A scene when Adama, Tigh, and Roslin are heading to the flight deck to meet Admiral Cain when she first arrives on the ship, and while they're walking Adama and Tigh give Roslin a brief biography of Cain; who she is, that she was an up and coming officer promoted to Admiral over several other possible choices, etc.
**An extension to Admiral Cain's meeting with Adama and Roslin in Adama's quarters, in which she explains that ''Pegasus'' survived Cylon computer virus infiltration through the [[Command Navigation Program]] because ''Pegasus'' was being overhauled at the shipyards, and most of her computers were disconnected.
**An extension to the scene in Cain's quarters on ''Pegasus'' where Adama and Cain discuss how Pegasus is a [[Mercury-class]] battlestar, and the differences between this newer model and ''Galactica''. Cain also explains that she intentionally doesn't have any chairs there so her meetings with her staff will run faster.
**A scene where Admiral Cain asks about ''Galactica's'' Cylon-prisoner, Caprica-Sharon, and goes to the brig to observe her.
***According to an interview with James Callis (Baltar) in issue #197 of TV Zone, "There’s another cut scene where Cain is interviewing Sharon. She hardly says anything but she’s obviously furious that this Cylon has been treated so well. It sickens her, and that’s when Baltar realizes he’s dealing with a psycho."
**According to an interview with James Callis (Baltar) in issue #197 of TV Zone, "In one of [the deleted scenes], Six actually says to Baltar, ‘God, [Cain]’s a real tough nut, isn’t she, Gaius? She’s just your type. You like hard women, don’t you?’ Baltar says, ‘Yeah, I do.’"
*According to RDM's podcast, there was entire subplot alluded to in the episode which was in the original script, but which was excised before it was ever filmed due to time constraints. The fragment that remains is when Roslin complains to Adama that ''Pegasus'' is focusing on re-supplying the Fleet's military assets (re-arming ''Galactica'' and re-supplying ''Pegasus'' from stores in the civililan fleet) while ignoring the needs of the civilian fleet. The subplot would show how Roslin wanted ''Pegasus'' to provide machine parts for repairs to the civilian Fleet, and that after these are repeatedly ignored the civilian fleet ultimately goes "on strike" by refusing to give ''Pegasus'' more [[tylium]] fuel. It would also expand on Cain's refusal to acknowledge Roslin as the President (and therefore her superior as Commander-in-Chief).
*Moore also stated in the podcast that an alternate version of the attempted rape scene with Boomer was also filmed in which the rape was actually underway when Tyrol and Helo intervened. Ultimately, the decision was made to use the version seen where Thorne is stopped just in time, before he is able to rape Boomer. This is an ''alternate'' scene and thus doesn't "really" happen and will ''not'' be re-edited into the Director's Cut.

*Unfortunately, it has been [http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4712 confirmed] that the "Season 2.0" DVD box set of Battlestar Galactica (containing the first ten episodes of season two) will '''not''' contain the Director's Cut of "Pegasus". Universal Home Video said that they could not ready the extended version of the episode in time for the DVD release. However, it ''will'' now be the first episode in the boxed set of "Season 2.5" (containing episodes 11 through 20 of season 2). So the next DVD set will have 11 episodes in it. The practical application of all of this is that fans have the opportunity to buy ''both'' versions (in his podcast, Moore said he liked the extended cut better because of the great character moments and drama, but that some might feel that the tight, rapid pace of the cut-down episode kept it more thrilling). This was not the case with Universal's previous release of a 90 minute "Stargate SG-1" episode, in which only one version was put into the DVD set.

*In an [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/outside_docs/bg_outdoc0050.htm interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005] RDM was asked about controversy surrounding this episode:

:"Q: Walt Kelly's Pogo used the phrase "the enemy is us" as part of a 1970's anti-litter campaign, and recently David Eick has cited it as a theme in the longer Pegasus arc of the second season. Some of the show's vocal critics charge that this notion promotes a "Blame America" attitude or is a sort of stealth anti-Americanism. What is this concept supposed to convey as we head into the bottom half of the second season?

:RDM: The reference is to the fact that human beings are often their own worst enemy. In the context of the show, it means that the real challenges to who and what these people are often comes not from bullets, but from within. I continue to be amazed at how easily one gets tagged with the moniker of "anti-American" these days by those on the right. It's almost... well, anti-American."

* From [http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/aaron_douglas_01.htm TheSciFiWorld.net's inverview] with [[Aaron Douglas]]:

: '''Gilles Nuytens:''' I read some critics about the "rape" scene shown in the last episode aired, as you played in this scene, what's your opinion on it?
: '''Aaron Douglas:''' BSG is a reflection of real life and these types of events go on everyday. Many people were upset by it but to me they need to realize that this is the world we live in. Does that mean they have or want to watch? Absolutely not but do not discount it as sensationalism. What we shot was so much more graphic than what was aired and I understand why they did not use it. In what aired the rape had not totally begun. It was suggestive. I thought it was a good scene and on point with the story and not added to draw in viewers. That suggestion is absurd. I know Ron Moore very well and he is not the kind of person or writer to add scenes purely for sensationalistic or ratings purposes. They have to be on point, truthfully reflect the situation and today's world and be relevant to the story or they are not there. It also amazes me that people have no problem with beatings, shootings, bombings, stabbings etc. but show a breast, a bottom, or a grope and they fly off the wall to condemn it.

: This happens in all areas of film, television and theatre and it is ridiculous.

* From [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2674 Hollywood North Report: Battlestar Galactica Set Visit, Part II], article on filming the [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|series finale]] and an interview with [[Mary McDonnell]]:

: '''Robert Falconer:''' Speaking of bleak, you had some pretty strong feelings about how people reacted to that rape scene at the end of Pegasus, and the overall problem of how violence against women tends to be portrayed on television.

: '''[[Mary McDonnell]]''': I have strong feelings about this as a woman; it’s a huge button for me, the issue of violence against women on television and how much of this stuff we’re going to pump out there before it becomes an accepted point of view that that’s what happens to women, and no-one takes responsibility and there’s no consequences.

:But there’s a big difference between crystallizing it inside a genre that doesn’t do it very often; making it part of one story one week, and the mainstream, non-sci-fi television where we become used to seeing women being raped and killed and mutilated—and other horrible things. ''That’s'' the sad thing.

:So for me, the fact that it was so upsetting to people when presented on ''Battlestar Galactica'' is a very good thing. It ''should'' be upsetting. It ''needs'' to be very, very upsetting. One ''should'' watch it and think, “I don’t want to see that!” We shouldn’t be using the fragility or vulnerability of the female body as a “technique” around which to build entertainment.

:I believe if ''Galactica'' were doing that sort of thing all the time, then the show would have a problem. But the way it was portrayed enables people to dialogue and talk about these sorts of things. Fires should be lit. And we should hear. Then you know if you’re in the ballpark of something that is really relevant, or if you’re being exploitive. And I have a lot of respect for the people who got upset as well as the people who wrote it.

* From [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2363 Hollywood North Report: Battlestar Galactica Set Visit, Part I], which includes an interview with [[Edward James Olmos]]:

: '''Robert Falconer''': By the end of “Pegasus,” Adama makes a decision with potentially sweeping consequences, but one that logically follows from everything that has happened to him up to that point. Is this a decision he will be able to live with as a military leader?

: '''Edward James Olmos''': I think Adama’s decision to attack the ''Pegasus'' could be interpreted as strictly military in nature. You don’t leave anybody behind, and protecting your men is a fundamental tenet of any military leader. In fact, you could argue that he has no consideration for anyone OTHER than his military guys aboard the Pegasus—he’s not thinking about the fleet at that moment, he’s not even thinking about the future of either of those two battlestars, because they’re going to blast each other to bits, since he’s not going to give into Cain’s craziness.

: '''Robert''': The rape scene toward the end of “Pegasus” has stirred up a lot of controversy in certain quarters. Ironically, there seems to be something of a disconnect here; people seem more willing to accept this in contemporary mainstream drama than they do in television science fiction, almost as if they’ve become conditioned to science fiction presenting a sanitized view of the future. Any thoughts on that?

: '''Edward James Olmos''': Well for those who were particularly upset by the scene to which you refer, I pray to god they don’t watch because it’s only going to get worse. They should be warned right now: please turn off your television sets and do not watch this show because it’s only going to provide more insight into the complexities of what happens to human beings. I would say that the minority of people who were freaked out by the rape scene are likely to be jarred into unconsciousness. So I say to them: do not watch this program, it could be hazardous to your health.

: For everyone else, hang on, ‘cause it’s gonna be a helluva ride…

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michelle Forbes]] as Admiral [[Helena Cain]]
*Graham Beckel as Colonel [[Jack Fisk]]
*John Pyper-Ferguson as Captain [[Cole Taylor|Cole "Stinger" Taylor]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Sebastian Spence as [[Whiplash]]
*Fulvio Cecere as Lt. [[Alistair Thorne]]
*Vincent Gale as Chief [[Peter Laird]]
*Derek Delost as Specialist [[Vireem]]
*Mike Dopud Specialist [[Gage]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*Michael Jonsson Pegasus Guard #2

==Statistics==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Anne Cofell Saunders]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Flight of the Phoenix

2006-04-28T01:48:36Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:Blackbird_FotP.JPG|300px]]
| Title=Flight of the Phoenix
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=9
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Nankin]]
| Production=2.09
| Rating= 1.9
| US Airdate=September 16 2005
| UK Airdate=March 7 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,853
| Prev=[[Final Cut]]
| Next=[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]
}}

== Overview ==

:''[[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] throws himself into the task of constructing a new [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] from scratch, despite the misgivings and lack of faith of the rest of [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'s crew. [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] must deal with the repercussions of his relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]] on Caprica. A Cylon computer virus begins to manifest itself in Galactica's computers, putting the ship and the crew in danger.''

== Summary ==
* [[Laura Roslin]]'s illness has reached a critical level. While she is still well enough to walk, Dr. [[Cottle]] gives her approximately one month to live.
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] has become ''persona non grata'' to many of the crew who distrust him due to his romance with the Caprica copy of [[Cylon agent]] [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]].
* Many of the crew, even the generally level-headed and reliable Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]], are showing the strain of the apparent futility and fatigue of running from the Cylons.
* Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], with also little else to do with scrapped Vipers, begins a project to craft a new fighter. Initially many crew are very skeptical, but soon many others help Tyrol.
* Helo suggests carbon composite material for the skin in lieu of the rare plate metal for the fighter. Like the American F/A-22 Raptor Air-Dominance Fighter's low visibility to [[Wikipedia:Radar|RADAR]], Tyrol's new ship is nearly invisible to [[DRADIS]].
* [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Lee Adama]] nearly suffocate when the life-support systems on the [[firing range]] malfunction.
* A Cylon [[Logic bomb]] has attacked ship's systems and will fully control ''[[Galactica]]'' once an expected Cylon force arrives to activate it by infiltration. Gaeta and Baltar work together to figure a way to rid the ship of it by erasing the hard drives of all computers. Doing this, however, would leave the ship a sitting duck for an attack while time is needed to restore function and data to the computers.
* Adama, after asking the advice of the President, allows the Caprica Valerii to connect herself to the ship's mainframe and communication systems while Gaeta and Baltar erase the hard drives of all computers.
* A Cylon fighter armada consisting of hundreds of [[Raider]]s and [[Heavy Raider]]s attempts to activate the bomb. However, Valerii responds by transmitting a version of the same bomb to the Cylon fleet, disabling it as the Cylons did the Colonial fleet during the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]]. The Viper squadrons annihilate the helpless Cylon fleet in a joyous moment of payback.
* Kara Thrace takes the new fighter, dubbed the [[Blackbird]], for a initially ungainly test spin. This fighter was designed for speed, and delivers it. Lee Adama, in a Viper chase plane, is horrified when the Blackbird disappears, but Kara rises above to face his ship quietly, proving the new fighter's stealth ability.
* In a ceremony similar to the one given to Commander Adama in the [[Miniseries]], President Roslin inspects and christens the new fighter. Many sign the ship. Tyrol reveals the name of this first fighter: ''Laura''.
* The mere work on the new fighter renewed the creativity and hope of the crew--a reason why Adama allowed its construction to continue, despite the logic bomb crisis.

== Questions ==
* This episode was rare in that Baltar's [[Number Six]] was completely absent in this episode, despite the Cylon-rich plot. What would she have said about Valerii's aid or the logic bomb?
**According to RDM's podcast Number Six was in this episode in one scene which was in the end deleted for time; in it Baltar gets up from working on the Cylon virus with Gaeta and has a conversation with Six standing in the middle of CIC.
*It is unlikely that the Caprica-Valerii's presence on ''Galactica'' is a secret to her crew since extraordinary measures were made to house her. It is possible that Adama is using a lie-of-omission to cover the existence of the second Valerii to the civilian fleet, since it is very likely that her likeness has been distributed to the rest of the fleet as a warning to keep a watch for other copies, a policy established in a Season 1 episode. While is it improbable that the death of the Galactica-Valerii could be fully contained, it is probable that Adama realizes that rumor and innuendo will disguise the fact that they harbor a second copy for interrogation purposes. In the [[Final Cut|previous episode]], Commander Adama angrily ordered [[D'anna Biers]] not to reveal her existence because it could divide the Fleet. There is likely an order to all under Adama's command not to discuss the existence of the second Valerii outside of military circles, although it would not likely stop them from discussing the matter amongst themselves.
*Is [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] attracted to Apollo (or vice versa)? Dualla seemed to "check out" Apollo's "backside" in "[[Resistance]]", and now she's in close physical contact with him. And Apollo has what almost might be called a jealous look when Billy shows up. Yet in "[[Home, Part I]]" Lee let it slip in conversation that he "loves" Starbuck (he didn't necessarily say it in more than platonic/fraternal way, however).
*Helo got angry at Chief Tyrol for calling Boomer a [[Toaster]]; is this a sign that Helo is thinking more sympathetically towards the Cylons than before? Like the Cylons, does he consider it an "offensive racial epithet"?
* Also with regard to Helo, where did he get the idea to use carbon-composite on the Blackbird? Is that something he thought up himself, or perhaps did Caprica-Valerii 'point' him in that direction?
**There is nothing to indicate that Caprica-Sharon influenced his decision for this.
*Is order on ''Galactica'' starting to break down? In the [[Miniseries]] Starbuck was put in the [[brig]] for striking a superior officer. Now, Starbuck assaulted Racetrack but there were was no visible punishment, and Tyrol got into a fight with Helo (who outranks him), also with no shown punishment. The deck crews aren't bothering to hide the [[Wikipedia:still|still]] they built as much as before, going to far as to have a large "Welcome Back Cally" party with its products in public. Col. Tigh makes a halfhearted verbal chastisement of Tyrol when Tigh finds the still, but doesn't do anything about it and ends up taking a jar of booze for his own use. Also, even Lt. Gaeta is now snapping back at the command officers, shouting and even [[frak|cursing]].
**Noone else appears to be around when Helo and Tyrol fight (quite odd, as they appear to be in the maintenance area). For Tyrol to be punished Helo would have to report the fight. Given the nature of the argument it's quite plausible that he would refrain from doing that. As both Starbuck and Racetrack are officers there is no assault on a superior involved in their fight (though Starbuck probably outranks Racetrack on seniority). Again the fight would have to be brought to attention of Col. Tigh for punishment to take place. It's quite likely that the pilots kept the incident to themselves. This is not an option in the Miniseries as Tigh himself is the superior Starbuck assaults.
*Was the software code Helo showed to Caprica-Boomer only a virus or did it contain instructions outside the scope of destabilizing and controlling ''Galactica's'' systems? Valerii's response to the code seemed to indicate it had affected her on some level. Perhaps was she merely compiling it in her head.
*If the Cylons are so interested and cautious about protecting Caprica-Boomer and her unborn child as stated by [[Aaron Doral]] in "[[Final Cut]]", why then are they willing to launch a massive assault against ''Galactica?''
*To what extent is Cylon knowledge & experiences shared? We know that [[Cylon agent]]s can transfer their consciousness to other copies of themselves ([[Miniseries]]), but are other Cylon models (such as the drones) interconnected? They would have to be on some level for Caprica-Boomer's trick to work. Is there some 'collective consciousness' at work (similar to the 'Borg' in Star Trek)?
**Caprica-Boomer seemed to imply in "[[Home, Part I]]" that she wasn't involuntarily in constant communication with the other Cylons through some sort of wireless communication net. She probably "switched off" her connection when she went on the run for real in "[[Flesh and Bone]]", because two Cylons talking amongst themselves (Six and Doral) said that they didn't know what she was planning (or thinking).

== Analysis ==
* While Cylon agents appear human to the cellular level, Sharon could control a fiber-optic connection inserted into her forearm. This suggests that the biological design of Cylon agents uses light-sensitive cells disguised as regular cells in their forearms as data access nodes, probably involving the cells interacting with her [[Silica Pathways|Silica Relays]] in her brain, the last vestiges of the mechanical nature of Cylon agents. Based on Valerii's extreme discomfort in having to cut herself to interface with the data line in this way, it could be presumed that this is not a typical practice for Cylon agents.
* Continuing from "[[Resistance]]", Dualla is shown being attracted to Apollo.
* Tyrol's comment to Lee Adama on the lack of miracles, and his answer to the problem, may remind some of another [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112502.html great miracle worker] of television science fiction.
* Despite Valerii's belief that she has become a "liability" to the Cylons, the previous episode made it clear that at least some Cylons considered the survival of her baby a paramount concern. The virus, installed before her arrival, was probably oblivious to this, but the massive fleet the Cylons deployed to interdict ''Galactica'' could not have been. Additionally, an earnest attack would almost certainly have included a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]]. We must therefore assume that the Cylons had a more complicated motive in making such a massive material sacrifice.
** Perhaps they hoped to furnish Valerii with an opportunity to demonstrate her loyalty and strategic value to the fleet, thus enabling her to ensure her future safety.
** Alternatively, perhaps the fleet was sent to ''remove'' the logic bomb from ''Galactica'', now that it was putting Valerii in harm's way. However, why so many, and why did one of the Raiders try to activate the logic bomb?
** Perhaps there are different Cylon factions working at cross purposes.
**The armada contained several Heavy Raiders as well--perhaps the Cylons were planning on boarding Galactica and taking Sharon by force.
**Sharon could have just been "assuming" that she was a liability, and simply be wrong. The virus itself was introduced into the ship in "[[Scattered]]" and that was before Caprica-Boomer arrived on ''Galactica.'' In "[[Final Cut]]" it was established that by that episode the Cylons were surprised that Sharon was still alive (they didn't know): perhaps they didn't know she was on ''Galactica'' up to that point. But by this point, however, the Cylons knew Sharon was on ''Galactica'' when the attack was launched. The virus appears to have just been acting out its function since "[[Scattered]]" (ignorant that its actions would destroy Sharon). However, this doesn't clearly explain why the massive Raider attack was launched.
* Our heroes passed up a major opportunity by destroying the Cylon fleet. Adama revoked Roslin's presidency on the basis of the misappropriation of a SINGLE captured Cylon Raider, yet they eliminated dozens of crippled-but-serviceable assets in the name of retribution. After all that work to create a single new fighter, wouldn't a squadron of superior Raiders be worth maintaining in the unused starboard flight pod?
**A point against the idea of capturing a Raider involves the lucky manner in obtaining the first one. The Raider in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" was brain-dead from a lucky shot. The Raiders here were turned off by a virus, but it may have been too difficult to remove all of their control mechanisms. Since these are in fact organic mechanisms that could still be fighting to survive, they may have their own ability of causing additional harm if captured alive.
**Further, ''Galactica'' had not idea how long it would be until Cylon reinforcements showed up; they probably didn't want to wait for a Basestar to come. Further, the civilian fleet had jumped away from ''Galactica'' in anticipation of the attack, and ''Galactica'' probably didn't want to leave them unattended too long. There wasn't enough time and it was too dangerous.
**At this point, ''Galactica'' could have as many as two Heavy Raiders already—the one that crash-landed into the starboard pod in "[[Scattered]]" and the one Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon returned with in [[Home, Part II]]
***The Heavy Raider that crash landed in "Scattered" may have suffered irreparable damage.
***One of the Heavy Raiders' (most likely the one from "[[The Farm]]") brains was used in "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I]]" as a means of plotting multiple long jumps back to Caprica.
*As noted below, Helo is now a Viper pilot. This isn't unexpected, as the fleet's desperation in training new Viper pilots has led them to recruit otherwise unqualified candidates ([[Act of Contrition]]). Compared to these rapidly trained nuggets, a trained military pilot such as Helo, even if he wasn't qualified and trained as a Viper pilot, would be a great asset. It's likely that he was given some training between "[[Home, Part I]]"/"[[Home, Part II]]" and this episode.
*It was Helo that suggested the use of carbon composites for the Blackbird, and Starbuck says "Good call, Helo" after it is finished – showing that despite everything, Helo's opinions are still respected, perhaps symbolic of his redemption in the eyes of his crewmates.

===Deus Ex Machina Dilemmas in this Episode===
Some viewers may express confusion over the amount of time necessary to build the new fighter as well as the time it took to fight off the logic bomb and the Cylon attack. All in all, the whole episode may seem like a series of ''deus ex machina'' events to close up the episode.

To the episode's credit, it appears that several days' worth of time elapsed in the episode. This might stretch believability in the fighter's construction, but not in the logic bomb crisis. It must be noted that the breakdown in morale has left many of the crew with ''very'' little to do that's worthwhile in their free time. A monumental task such as building a fighter may be easy for a highly motivated, highly skilled and '''highly bored''' group of people. (Note the near-cheerful disposition of the workers when Lee Adama and Tigh visit the fighter.)

Further, the fighter was aided by specialists of particular fields in its construction--something that the Chief hasn't the luxury of having while in combat situations. As such, he had more willing and able resources at his command to create the ship than during any Viper repair. The crew also was not under pressure to build the system rapidly; there were many contributors, and work such of this led to a fast build time. It may also be presumed that the Viper design, of which the Blackbird is derived, may have a simple construction of [[avionics]], crew pressure module, engines, and superstructure. These ships are designed for rapid repair and redeploy, so, aside from the Blackbird's initial framework, much of the ship would likely be similar to a Viper. Also, the Blackbird is likely built with more modern technology than that found in the older and harder-to-service Viper Mk. II fighters--the Blackbird is likely descended more from the advanced Mk. VII Viper, of which Tyrol's crew was trained to understand and maintain, not the ancient Viper Mk. II museum pieces.

It was also established in the episode that there were spare spacecraft parts available to Tyrol—at the beginning of an episode he marks a severely damaged Viper for scrap, and Col. Tigh walks in on his still and informs him of some extra engines and other parts that another ship in the fleet is trying to dispose of. Given the ability to cannibalize already-built parts, the assembly of the Blackbird is not as great a task as building a Viper from scratch might be.

Given that the Blackbird wasn't employed in the main plot to, say, take on the hundreds of Cylon fighters in a desperate attack using last-minute technology, the ship was an interesting development. Some viewers may wonder why the Colonials have never built (or why viewers have never seen) a stealth craft to date, or why the Cylons haven't used them in their attacks. Generally speaking, technology usually appears when there is a need for it, and not merely a desire for it. Since both sides are very dependent on DRADIS for coordination and tactical advantage in a fight, the idea of commanding a squadron of ships you cannot see on your own tactical plot can be a bit challenging. Further, while the Colonials still had a standing force in case the Cylons returned, such sneaky technology may seem out of mind to defense strategists when there's no enemy about to test it--especially an enigmatic one such as the Cylons. The Colonials were more intent (at least, up until Baltar's time) to defend itself by using less sophisticated technology and basic war principles such as armor and superiority of numbers, not in making high-tech, fly-by-wire ships with complex evasive ability. As Starbuck seemed to prove in the Blackbird's maiden flight, no amount of technology will compensate for the power of a good pilot and her [[Mark One Eyeball]].

In his podcast for this episode, [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron D. Moore]] acknowledges the build-time dilemma for the Blackbird, and notes that the vagueness of time elapsed to build the machine was intentional so as to allow it to be built and done with in one episode, instead of drawing out the building into two or three episodes.

== Notes ==

* Population count is 47,853. This is the first time this season that there has been no net change in the count from the previous episode ([[Final Cut]]).
* ''[[Wikipedia:Flight of the Phoenix|Flight of the Phoenix]]'' is the title of a 1964 novel where survivors from a plane crash in the middle of a desert attempt to rebuild the plane from the wreckage. Two movies, one made in 1965 and the other in 2004, were also made following a similar story line inspired by the book.
* The [[Wikipedia:Phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]] is an animal from Egyptian mythology (and those derived) that, at the end of its lifespan, burns into ashes from which another arises.
* The [[Blackbird]], a new stealth fighter craft, has been constructed by Chief Tyrol with help from the crew.
* Helo now wears a Viper patch on his flightsuit. He wasn't visibly identified as piloting one of the Vipers deployed against the Cylons, but he may have been.
* There is a wide shot when apparently ''all'' of ''Galactica's'' Vipers are deployed where it's possible to count how many they have: there are 42 Vipers visible onscreen. Oddly, the current count says that there should be no more than 34, and even with [[Joe Palladino]] (unrealistically) on parole after [[Final Cut]] and Helo in a Viper, ''Galactica'' shouldn't be able to muster more than 25 pilots.
** There are at least 7 Viper Mk. VII's visible in this shot. This agrees well with [[Scattered]].
* This is the first episode without an appearance by [[Number Six]].
* When Chief Tyrol reconciles with Cally (regarding her killing Galactica-Boomer), she reaches into a Viper and fixes something he couldn't reach, and he responds "Nice to be small, huh?". This is reminiscent of the scene at the end of the [[Miniseries]], when they have almost the exact same exchange. In that scene, they were reconciling after ''Cally'' got angry that Tyrol was having a relationship with Galactica-Boomer.
* President Roslin returns the book "[[Dark Day]]" to Commander Adama, which he gave to her back in the second episode, "[[Water]]".
* Chief Tyrol and Galactica-Boomer were planning to leave the military together and get married before the Cylon attack.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

*Apollo: Nobody's expecting a miracle.
:Tyrol: Maybe that's the problem.

*''Discussing Helo's return to ''Galactica'':''
:Duck: So he's the Cylon lover.
:Starbuck: You know what? I don't care who or what he fraks. He saved my ass down there, all right?
:Duck:How could anyone fall in love with a toaster, though?
:Starbuck: Same way I hear everyone was high-fiving our Sharon right before she put two in Adama's chest. The bastards frak with your head.
:Hotdog: Yeah. Just ask the Chief.

*''Card game in the Viper pilot's lockeroom:''
:Racetrack: Been playing with these cards for so long, I know every fold.
:Starbuck: So life's a bitch. What do you want to do, cry about it?
:Racetrack: No, I just want it to end, okay? The bad food, the endless rotations, pretending that a card game is the high point of our day.
:Starbuck: It's not going to last forever, all right? Earth is out there.
:Racetrack: Right. We could all be chasing our tails over some half-assed planetarium show.
:Starbuck: And you guys can all go to hell. I'm going to go find Helo.
:Racetrack: Good idea. Maybe that Cylon whore taught him a few tricks.

''(Starbuck politely turns around, walks over to Racetrack and grabs her by the neck and slams her head into the card table).''

*''Helo is sitting in Sharon's old Raptor when the Chief walks up:''
:Helo: Hey! Look, Chief. I never intended for Sharon and I to-- You know, it just kind of evolved.
:Tyrol: Just a couple lovesick kids, huh?
:Helo: I know how she felt about you, okay? She loves you.
:Tyrol: Did she fill you in on the rest of the plan? She and I were going to muster out at the end of our service. You know, then we would get married. Maybe we would have children. I guess I'm just a big frakkin' idiot, though, huh? Probably that goddamn [[Toaster]]'s plan all along.
:Helo: Don't call her that.
:Tyrol: Sucker some moron into giving her a kid. Hey, you know, but you know what? I should probably be grateful to you. Probably be grateful. You know why? Because that freak in her belly could have been mine! ''(Helo and Tyrol fight)''

*''Lt. Gaeta is starting to lose his composure under constant pressure:''
:Gaeta: Sir, I'm running every diagnostic we've got. Checking each line of code could take days.
:Tigh: I am not interested in excuses. Fix it!
:Gaeta: (''shouting'') It's not an excuse, sir. It's a frakking fact!

*Commander Adama: Months on the run, and what do we have to show for it? Casualties. Deteriorating conditions. This crew needs a rest. It's finally hitting them, that's all. Our old lives are gone. The only thing we have to look forward to is this.

*''Tigh walks into the tool closet on the hanger deck''
:Tigh: What's this, Chief?
:Tyrol: I'm making solvent, sir, to clean machine parts.
:Tigh: Solvent my ass. I know a still when I smell it.

*''Starbuck is taking the [[Blackbird]] on its first test flight while Apollo follows:''
:Apollo: Starbuck, Starbuck, where are you? Starbuck, come in. Starbuck, do you read? Kara, are you okay?
:Starbuck: (''Starbuck turns the lights of the Blackbird on; she's actually got her ship feet away from Apollo's, facing it'') Of course you lost contact. It's a damned stealth ship, remember?

*Roslin: Oh, you're much too modest. After what we've been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, Chief. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we've lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us, together. I promise.

== Official Statements ==

*In an [http://www.battlestargalactica.com/outside_docs/bg_outdoc0050.htm interview with BattlestarGalactica.com on December 28th, 2005] RDM was asked about the continuity problems noticed with the number of Vipers deployed in this episode:

: "Q: In the battle scene with the Cylons in "Flight of the Phoenix", some think they see more Vipers than pilots, there is the presence of many Mark 7 Vipers, and the Blackbird is in flight before its maiden voyage. Was this effects shot the victim of a script change or something in the editing room? Was the episode originally intended to appear after the Pegasus encounter?

: RDM: To be honest, I don't recall the exact number of Vipers in the shot or where we were in the continuity at that point. I do recall the topic coming up in various VFX and production meetings, and I think there was at least an initial rationale for the number on screen -- but it's entirely possible that we cheated a bit in Post in order to make the shot a little sexier. Sorry. It happens."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as Specialist [[Jammer]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendant "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356501/ Jen Halley] as [[Seelix]]
*[http://imdb.com/name/nm0856351/ Christian Tessier] as [[Tucker Clellan|Duck]]
*Don Thompson as [[Anthony Figurski]]

== Statistics ==


* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Nankin]]

Final Cut

2006-04-28T01:30:00Z

White Knight: /* Summary */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:s2finalcut.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Final Cut
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=8
| Guests=[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[D'anna Biers]]
| Writer=[[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Robert Young]]
| Production=2.08
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=September 9 2005
| UK Airdate=February 28 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,853
| Prev=[[Home, Part II]]
| Next=[[Flight of the Phoenix]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''In an effort to stem [[The Fleet|the Fleet]]'s growing resentment toward the military, [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] allow an outspoken anti-military journalist complete access to the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and its crew.''

== Summary ==
*Reporter [[D'anna Biers]] is preparing a special report on what she's hyped as the "[[Gideon massacre]]", when she is escorted by [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to ''[[Colonial One]]''.
*President [[Laura Roslin]] and Commander [[William Adama]] meet her, and she complains that all of her requests to interview Marines involved with the Gideon incident have been denied. Roslin and Adama tell her that all that is about to change: they want to mend the relationship between the military and the civilian fleet by allowing Biers to shoot a documentary on life on ''Galactica'', with unrestricted access.
*Biers and her cameraman [[Bell]] are flown to ''Galactica'' with Adama in [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]'s Raptor. On ''Galactica'', Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]] is given the task of showing them around, pointing out fairly everyday things like carbon dioxide scrubbers for atmosphere and vegetable refrigeration units--information that Biers writes off as trivial.
*Biers starts filming one-on-one interviews with several crewmen. She asks Dualla why she joined the Fleet, and she says her father didn't approve but she wanted to believe in something.
*Biers and her cameraman are walking through the halls when [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]] chase each other out of the showers wearing towels. Biers follows them into the senior pilot's locker room, where [[Lee Adama|Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama]], (who nearly drops his towel accidentally) tells her to respect their privacy and get out. Kat moons the documentary camera, and gets yelled at by her [[CAG]].
[[Image:Dressing_Room.jpg|thumb|left|Camera crew filming certain awkwardness in the dressing room]]
*[[Ellen Tigh]] calls Colonel [[Saul Tigh]] down to their quarters, where someone has left a threat for Saul by writing a line of Caprican poetry in red paint on their mirror.
*Biers then interviews Lee, and she accuses him of thinking the pilots deserve preferential treatment. He tells her that he does think they deserve such treatment; despite suffering as much loss as everyone else they risk their lives every day for the fleet, and while they don't need pity, they do deserve respect.
*Biers interviews Private [[Scott Kelso]], one of the Marines involved in the ''[[Gideon]]'' shootings. He insists that he and the other Marines were just doing their jobs, and that the "unarmed civilians" were attacking them, and that he has a scar on this head that required ten stitches to prove it. At the same time, Kelso thinks the whole thing was a "command [[frak]]-up"; that the Marines weren't trained for crowd control, and he isn't surprised that someone wants to kill Colonel Tigh.
*Biers then interviews a disheveled Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]], who is smoking a cigarette while displaying a level of frustration and fatigue that he doesn't normally show.
*On the [[Hangar Deck]], Kat yells at [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] when her [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] malfunctions, although it wasn't the Chief's fault. [[Kara Thrace|Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] breaks it up (as Biers follows her) and Kat storms out.
*Biers is then allowed into the [[CIC]], where Commander Adama orders Colonel Tigh to attend a meeting of civilian leaders on ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', which Adama thinks will be a good chance for them to vent their frustration instead of seething at Tigh in private. However, as his [[Raptor]] is about to depart, it malfunctions and smokes until a damage control team can put it out. Tigh gets out and Tyrol tells him it looks like someone sabotoged the Raptor with a hammer, and if they had gotten into space the atmosphere inside would have vented, killing him.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] lights a candle for her lost loved ones in the memorial hallway, and is then interviewed by Biers. She tells Biers that she assumes that she's already as good as dead going out on missions, and she just hopes she can kill as many Cylons as possible before her day comes.
*D'anna also interviews [[Karl Agathon|Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon]], who says that in combat you're supposed to turn off the human part of you because it will get you killed, but that nothing is that easy to do.
*Helo then visits [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Valerii]] in the [[brig]], where she in unresponsive in her bed until pulling a blood-stained hand from under her sheets and sobbing. Helo calls for [[Cottle|Doctor Cottle]] to come right away.
*[[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] gives an interview to Biers which is emotionally unrestrained. She then freaks out while attempting to land her Viper, and despite [[Aaron Kelly|Captain Kelly]] and Thrace trying to talk her down, she misses three passes, then on the final try crashes her Viper into the [[Landing bay]]. Biers follows Thrace and Lee to the flight deck. Getting out of her Viper, Kat is incomprehensible and disoriented. Thrace finds [[Stims]] on Kat's person: Kat had been taking them by the fistful to stay alert, and now she has overdosed. Kat is forcibly strapped down to a gurney while kicking and screaming and taken to [[Sickbay]].
*Biers follows Kat to Sickbay, where she accidentally goes behind a curtain and sees Doctor Cottle arguing with the terrified Sharon Valerii; Cottle is trying to save her baby before Valerii has a miscarriage. Biers is then shoved away, but not before catching Valerii on film.
*Later, Commander Adama arrives in Sickbay and demands that Biers hand over the tape. Biers notes that the woman she saw looked exactly like the deceased [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii]], and that news that ''Galactica'' is harboring a Cylon could turn the Fleet against him. Adama counters that, after the ''Gideon'' incident, this new revelation could devastate morale in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], and whether that even matters to Biers. Reluctantly, Biers gives him the tape and he leaves. When Adama is out of sight, D'anna pulls the ''real'' tape out of her shirt.
*Baltar begins a less than great interview with Biers but is interrupted when an [[Action Stations|action stations alarm]] goes off: two Raiders are on a collision course with ''Galactica''. Biers heads to the CIC to film there while her cameraman covers the flight deck. We only see the fight from the perspective of those on the ship listening over the radio; the Raiders are destroyed.
*Saul Tigh returns to his quarters to find Ellen tied up. It turns out that his would-be murder is [[Joe Palladino]], who is distraught that Tigh's orders resulted in innocent people being killed by men under Palladino's command. He pulls a gun on Tigh, but Tigh presses the gun to his forehead and talks Palladino down. As Biers reviews the tape, she sees Palladino reading a book by [[Kataris]] (which she recognises as containing the poetry line used to threaten Tigh), and alerts the crew. The marines rush to Tigh's quarters, where they see Palladino and take him away.
*Back on ''Colonial One'', Roslin, Adama, and Tigh review Biers' finished documentary. Adama decides that he likes the accurate portrayal that she did, and lets them broadcast it across the entire fleet.
*In the documentary, Biers does an ending voiceover where as the music swells in the background she explains that the story of ''Galactica'' is that they'll never give up. As people watch it on monitor screens throughout the Fleet.....
*...the humanoid Cylons watching the documentary as well in an abandoned movie theater on Cylon-occupied [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. A copy of [[Number Six]] is impressed at the resilience of the humans, and asks about the fate of Caprica-Valerii's baby. A second, Caprica-based copy of D'anna Biers then turns around (Biers is now revealed to have been a [[Cylon agent]] the whole time), and tells her that both Caprica-Valerii and her baby survived her near-miscarriage. [[Aaron Doral]] says that the baby must be protected at all costs, and they must proceed with caution.

== Questions ==
*The Cylons deployed two [[Raider]]s to ''Galactica'' to transmit D'anna's video documentary back to Caprica. Does this mean the Cylons know ''exactly'' where [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] is, and have simply chosen ''not'' to intercept it? Is keeping the Fleet alive part of their "Plan"?
** Possibly, in the "de-briefing" towards the end of the episode, Caprica-D'anna meant the two Raiders transmitted the footage she cut from the documentary (showing Helo's Boomer in the Sickbay). It is likely they meant that they picked up the whole "show" from fleet transmissions and the snippet from the two Raiders.
**Or, are the Cylons ''now'' refraining from sending in a full [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and Raider wing to attack ''Galactica'' because they are worried that a direct attack on ''Galactica'' will result in the death of Caprica-Valerii and her hybrid daughter? That is, they would have attacked it if this Valerii wasn't on board, but was sending two Raiders in now simply a reconnaissance mission? The Cylons did say that they want to proceed cautiously.
**Then again, the two Raiders didn't jump in to the Fleet's vicinity, they flew in normally. Perhaps the Cylons actually ''don't'' know exactly where the Fleet is, and these Raiders may have been searching for days to find them. Seeing as the Cylons on Caprica weren't aware that the Caprica-Valerii was still alive, perhaps they also truly aren't aware of the Fleet's location, and other Cylons in the Fleet cannot transmit messages back to Caprica because they are out of range (though a nearby Cylon ship might be close enough). (''[[Pegasus (episode)|Answer]]'')
**In light of all this, have the Cylons ''not'' been using their entire strength against the Colonials in combat? Have they, in effect, been "toying" with them? This could explain the relative lop-sidedness of the Colonials' military victories since the initial destruction of the Colonies.
*Did Biers discovery of pregnant Caprica-Valerii on ''Galactica'' alter her intended goal with the documentary?
**Would the documentary have presented ''Galactica'' and her crew in a more negative light and thus perform a journalistic hatchet job on how the rest of the fleet perceived Adama and the military?
**Would Adama and Roslin still have allowed the documentary to be broadcast if it had been 'negative?'
*Now that the documentary has aired, with Biers' image visibly throughout the film, has Sharon Valerii seen the film? Or, has the film been banned for her viewing?
**If she had viewed the documentary, would Valerii inform ''Galactica's'' command of Bier's true nature, or the identity of other agents in the Fleet?
***Does Valerii actually "know" what all of the other Cylon models look like? She seems have been on a need-to-know basis when it came to Cylon intelligence ("[[The Farm]]"), and she might not actually know "who" all of the other models are, if this particular copy of Sharon has never met them.

== Analysis ==
At the end of the episode, D'anna says that the Cylons "lost two Raiders relaying the images back to ''the Fleet''" from ''Galactica''. She didn't say "from ''Galactica'' back to ''Caprica''". Does this imply that there is a main Cylon fleet following ''Galactica''? (That is, as opposed to many Basestars spread out across a large region of space in a search pattern). (''[[Pegasus (episode)|Answer]]'').

== Notes ==
*Population count is now 47,853, a loss of two since [[Home, Part II]], to account for the two [[Tom Zarek]] henchmen killed in that episode.
*Onboard ''[[Colonial One]]'', Roslin is no longer surrounded by her [[Presidential Security Service]] agents, but rather by ''Galactica'' Marines - Adama's insurance against any more misbehavior, perhaps?
**Perhaps they were only there to escort Commander Adama while he was off of ''Galactica''.
*D'anna Biers makes the same comment about Baltar that Roslin made in ''[[33]]''.
*We finally learn [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]]'s first name as she is interviewed by [[D'anna Biers]]: ''Anastasia''.
*Gaeta's first name is revealed as ''[[Felix Gaeta|Felix]]''. He also showed a wild side in the form of a tattoo on his chest he got when he was drunk. He's also taken up smoking. Perhaps this isn't so much a sign of a previously unrevealed wild side, but a sign that Gaeta's composure is starting to get frayed from constant stress. ''(This is confirmed in the following episode, "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]".)''
*The [[ECO]] known as Racetrack has a full name: ''[[Margaret Edmonson]]''.
*The music aired at the end of the documentary is the Colonial Fanfare last heard in the [[Mini Series]]: the theme from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original "Battlestar Galactica" TV series]]. In the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|re-imagined Battlestar Galactica]], it is apparently the "national anthem" of the Twelve Colonies.
*Adama uses the phrase "warts and all." This was invented by 17th-Century English dictator ("Lord Protector") [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell Oliver Cromwell].
*Timeline-wise, Col. Tigh says there's been no Cylon contacts for 10 days. Col. Tigh was in command of ''Galactica'' for "over a week" (from "[[Scattered]]" to "[[Resistance]]").
*Colonial video feeds are octagonal, but video screens are (oddly) rectangular.
*Capt. [[Aaron Kelly|Kelly]] appears fulfilling his duties as Landing Signal Officer by coordinating Viper landings. This scene further explains the "where was Kelly between the Mini-Series and Season 2" question: Kelly doesn't work in the [[CIC]], but in the port [[Flight pod|flight pod]] itself.
*Roslin and Adama have not only buried the hatchet by this episode, but are working jointly and appear to have developed a camaraderie.
*This episode contains the first scene on ''Colonial One'' since "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
*Cultural/Linguistic oddity: Apollo refers to Kat and Hot Dog as "tweedledum and tweedledee", a reference to [[Wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]].
*Dualla states that Galactica's carbon dioxide scrubbers run "24 hours a day"; this would seem to establish that the Colonial Fleet operates on a 24-hour day. This could possibly be based on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]'s orbital rotion (where the seat of the [[Government]] was located); still, all 12 Colonies couldn't possible all have the same axial rotation time. This 24 hour day might seem an automatic assumption, but keep in mind that on other scifi series set in space there isn't always a 24 hour say: For example, on [[Wikipedia:Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]], space station Deep Space Nine actually runs on a 26 hour day, because it follows Bajor-time (which has a 26 hour rotation period).

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
* ''After meeting Dr. Gaius Baltar for the first time:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' What a strange little man.

* ''D'anna Biers is filming an interview with Apollo:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' You seem to think that your pilots deserve special consideration.
*: '''Apollo:''' Actually, I do. Like everyone else, my pilots have lost their families, their friends, everyone they ever cared about; but on top of that they're asked to put their lives on the line every single day, for a fleet that seems more interested in what they do wrong than in what they do right. They're not asking for your pity, but they damn well deserve your respect.

* ''D'anna Biers is interviewing Racetrack:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Are you afraid when you go into combat?
*: '''Racetrack:''' First thing they tell you is to assume you're already dead.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Well that sounds ghoulish.
*: '''Racetrack:''' Yeah, maybe. But dead men don't get scared and freeze up under fire. Me, I'm just worried that hell's gonna be a lonely place, and I'm gonna fill it up with every Toaster son of a bitch I find.

* ''D'anna Biers is interviewing Lt. Gaeta. Gaeta is slightly disheveled, and is smoking a cigarette:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Does that help you cope with the stress?
*: '''Lt. Felix Gaeta:''' Not really. Look, um, all that I ever wanted was to be an officer on a Battlestar, okay? I trained my whole life, I trained harder than anyone in my unit. Basically, I put my life on hold until I was assigned to ''Galactica''. Then the Cylons hit and I realized that this is all that I know: tech manuals, commands, and tactics, you know? I'm not saying that I'm unhappy...I'm just wondering if there's something more.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' And what have you discovered?
*: '''Lt. Felix Gaeta:''' ...[takes a long drag, coughs]...I hate cigarettes. Ambrosia's good with a chaser. And, if you have enough Ambrosia...[Gaeta pulls back his shirt to reveal an ugly tatoo of a tiger on his upper right chest]...it don't hurt that much.

* ''The closing voice-over narration to D'anna Biers' documentary on the Battlestar Galactica, which runs over a montage of images from the ship. The Colonial Anthem tinkles in the background and gradually builds to up to a grand swell:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' I came to ''Galactica'' to tell a story. In all honesty I thought I knew what that story was before I ever set foot there: how an arrogant military let their egos get in the way of doing their jobs, safeguarding the lives of the civilian population. But I found out that the truth was more complex than that. These people aren't Cylons. They're not robots blindly following orders and polishing their boots. They're people. Deeply flawed, yes, but deeply human too, and maybe that's saying the same thing. What struck me most is that despite it all - the hardships, the stress, the ever present danger of being killed - despite all that, they never give up. They never lie down in the road and let the truck run them over. They wake up in the morning, put on their uniforms and do their jobs. Every day. No pay, no rest, no hope of ever laying down the burden or letting someone else do the job. There are no relief troops coming, no Colonial Fleet training new recruits every day. The people on ''Galactica'' are ''it''. They are the thin line of blue that separates us from the Cylons. Lt. Gaeta told me a remarkable statistic; not a single member of Galactica's crew has asked to resign, not one. Think about that. If you wore the uniform wouldn't you want to quit? To step aside and say "enough! Let someone else protect the fleet"? I know I would. But then, I don't wear a uniform. Most of us don't, most of us never will. The story of ''Galactica'' isn't that people make bad decisions under pressure, it's that those mistakes are the exception. Most of the time the men and women serving under Commander Adama get it right. The proof is that our fleet ''survives''. And with ''Galactica'' at our side, we '''''will''''' endure. This is D'anna Biers, Fleet News Service.

* ''The camera pulls back to show a movie theater on Cylon-occupied [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], where the humanoid Cylons are watching a copy of the documentary, as D'anna Biers' ending narration finishes:''
*: '''Aaron Doral:''' That was shown across their entire fleet.
*: '''Number Six:''' Their resilience is remarkable.
*: '''Sharon Valerii:''' Play the footage that was cut. [camera footage plays of Helo's Sharon in ''Galactica's'' Sickbay]
*: '''Sharon Valerii:''' I'm still alive?! She's still alive! I told you.
*: '''Number Six:''' That's incredible. And the baby?
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' [speaking without her usual New Zealand accent, but with a general American accent] It was saved. We lost two Raiders relaying the images back to the Fleet, but I think the sacrifice was worth it.
*: '''Aaron Doral:''' We must proceed with caution. The child's life must be protected at all costs.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Yeah. Truly is a miracle of God.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[D'anna Biers]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346885/ Jeremy Guilbaut] as Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe Palladino]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*Aleks Paunovic as Sergeant [[Fischer]]
*Kevan Kase as PFC [[Scott Kelso]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365798/ Patrick "Flick" Harrison] as [[Bell]]
*Yee Jee Tso as Staffer
*Curtis Hicks as Marine Sergeant

== Statistics ==
*The original airdate was to be September 2nd, 2005. However, SciFi Channel ran a Stargate SG-1 Viewers Choice Marathon for the [[Wikipedia:Labor Day|Labor Day]] Weekend.
*[[Wikipedia:Nielsen Rating|Nielsen Rating]]: 2.0 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Robert Young]]

Final Cut

2006-04-28T01:14:00Z

White Knight: /* Overview */

{{Episode Data|
Image = [[Image:s2finalcut.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Final Cut
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=8
| Guests=[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[D'anna Biers]]
| Writer=[[Mark Verheiden]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Robert Young]]
| Production=2.08
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=September 9 2005
| UK Airdate=February 28 2006
| DVD=December 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,853
| Prev=[[Home, Part II]]
| Next=[[Flight of the Phoenix]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''In an effort to stem [[The Fleet|the Fleet]]'s growing resentment toward the military, [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] allow an outspoken anti-military journalist complete access to the [[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]] and its crew.''

== Summary ==
*Reporter [[D'anna Biers]] is preparing a special report on what she's hyped as the "[[Gideon massacre]]", when she is escorted by [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marines]] to ''[[Colonial One]]''.
*President [[Laura Roslin]] and Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] meet her, and she complains that all of her requests to interview Marines involved with the Gideon incident have been denied. Roslin and Adama tell her that all that is about to change: they want to mend the relationship between the military and the civilian fleet by allowing D'anna to shoot a documentary on life on ''Galactica'', with unrestricted access.
*D'anna and her cameraman [[Bell]] are flown to ''Galactica'' with Adama in [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]]'s Raptor. On ''Galactica'', Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]] is given the task of showing them around, pointing out fairly everyday things like carbon dioxide scrubbers for atmosphere and vegetable refrigeration units--information that D'anna ignores as trivial.
*D'anna starts filming one-on-one interviews with several crewmen. She asks Dualla why she joined the Fleet, and she says her father didn't approve but she wanted to believe in something.
*D'anna and her cameraman are walking through the halls when [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]] and [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] chase each other out of the showers wearing towels. D'anna follows them into the senior pilot's locker room, where [[Lee Adama]], (who nearly drops his towel accidentally) tells her to respect their privacy and get out. Kat moons the documentary camera, and gets yelled at by her [[CAG]].
[[Image:Dressing_Room.jpg|thumb|left|Camera crew filming certain awkwardness in the dressing room]]
*[[Ellen Tigh]] calls Col. [[Saul Tigh]] down to their quarters, where someone has left a threat for Col. Tigh by writing a line of Caprican poetry in red paint on their mirror.
*D'anna then interviews Apollo, and she accuses him of thinking the pilots deserve preferential treatment. He tells her that he does think they deserve such treatment; they risk their lives every day for the fleet, and while they don't need pity, they do deserve respect.
*D'anna interviews Pvt. [[Scott Kelso]], one of the Marines that was on the ''[[Gideon]]''. He insists that he and the other Marines were just doing their jobs, and that the "unarmed civilians" were attacking them, and that he has a scar on this head that required ten stitches to prove it. At the same time, Kelso thinks the whole thing was a "command [[frak]]-up"; that the Marines weren't trained for crowd control, and he isn't surprised that someone wants to kill Col. Tigh.
*D'anna then interviews a disheveled Lt. [[Felix Gaeta]], who is smoking a cigarette while displaying a level of frustration and fatigue that he doesn't normally show.
*On the [[Hangar Deck]], Kat yells at Tyrol when her [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] malfunctions, although it wasn't the Chief's fault. [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] breaks it up (as D'anna follows her) and Kat storms out.
*D'anna is then allowed into the [[CIC]], where Commander Adama orders Tigh to go to a big meeting of civilian leaders on ''[[Cloud Nine]]'', which Adama thinks will be a good chance for them to vent their frustration instead of seething at Tigh in private. However, as his [[Raptor]] is about to depart, it malfunctions and smokes until a damage control team can put it out. Tigh gets out and Tyrol tells him it looks like someone sabotoged the Raptor with a hammer, and if they had gotten into space the atmosphere inside would have vented, killing him.
*[[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] lights a candle for her lost loved ones in the memorial hallway, and is then interviewed by D'anna. She tells D'anna that she assumes that she's already as good as dead going out on missions, and she just hopes she can kill as many Cylons as possible before her day comes.
*D'anna also interviews [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], who says that in combat you're supposed to turn off the human part of you because it will get you killed, but that nothing is that easy to do.
*Helo then visits [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica-Valerii]] in the [[brig]], where she in unresponsive in her bed until pulling a blood-stained hand from under her sheets and sobbing. Helo calls for Doctor [[Cottle]] to come right away.
*[[Louanne Katraine|Kat]] gives an interview to D'anna which is emotionally unrestrained. She then freaks out while attempting to land her Viper, and despite Capt. [[Aaron Kelly|Kelly]] and Thrace trying to talk her down, she misses three passes, then on the final try crashes her Viper into the [[Landing bay]]. D'anna follows Starbuck and Apollo to the flight deck. Getting out of her Viper, Kat is incomprehensible and disoriented. Starbuck reaches into her sleeve pocket and finds [[Stims]]: Kat had been taking them by the fistful to stay alert, and now she has overdosed. Kat is forcibly strapped down to a gurney while kicking and screaming and taken to [[Sickbay]].
*D'anna follows Kat to Sickbay, where she accidentally goes behind a curtain and sees Doctor Cottle arguing with the terrified Sharon Valerii; Cottle is trying to save her baby before Valerii has a miscarriage. D'anna is then shoved away, but not before catching Valerii on film.
*Later, Commander Adama arrives in Sickbay and demands that D'anna hand over the tape. D'anna notes that the woman she saw looked exactly like the deceased [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Galactica-Valerii]], and that news that ''Galactica'' is harboring a Cylon aboard could turn the Fleet against him. Adama counters that, after the ''Gideon'' incident, this new revelation could devastate morale in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], and whether that even matters to D'anna. Reluctantly, D'anna gives him the tape and he leaves. When Adama is out of sight, D'anna pulls the ''real'' tape out of her shirt.
*Baltar begins a less than great interview with D'anna but is interrupted when an [[Action Stations|action stations alarm]] goes off. Two Raiders are on a collision course with ''Galactica''. D'anna heads to the CIC to film there while her cameraman covers the flight deck. We only see the fight from the perspective of those on the ship listening over the radio; the Raiders are destroyed.
*Tigh returns to his quarters to find Ellen tied up. It turns out that his would-be murder is [[Joe Palladino]], who is upset that Tigh's orders resulted in innocent people being killed by men under Palladino's command. He pulls a gun on Tigh, but Tigh presses the gun to his forehead and talks Palladino down. As D'anna reviews the tape, she sees Palladino reading a book by [[Kataris]] (which she recognises as containing the poetry line used to threaten Tigh), and alerts the crew. The marines rush to Tigh's quarters, where they see Palladino and take him away.
*Back on ''Colonial One'', Roslin, Adama, and Tigh review D'anna's finished documentary. Adama decides that he likes the accurate portrayal that she did, and lets them broadcast it across the entire fleet.
*In the documentary, D'anna does an ending voiceover where as the music swells in the background she explains that the story of ''Galactica'' is that they'll never give up. We see people watching it on monitor screens throughout the Fleet.....
*We see the humanoid Cylons watching the documentary as well in an abandoned movie theater on Cylon-occupied [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. A copy of [[Number Six]] is impressed at the resilience of the humans, and asks about the fate of Caprica-Valerii's baby. A second, Caprica-based copy of D'anna Biers then turns around (D'anna is now revealed to have been a [[Cylon agent]] the whole time), and tells her that both Caprica-Valerii and her baby survived her near-miscarriage. [[Aaron Doral]] says that the baby must be protected at all costs, and they must proceed with caution.

== Questions ==
*The Cylons deployed two [[Raider]]s to ''Galactica'' to transmit D'anna's video documentary back to Caprica. Does this mean the Cylons know ''exactly'' where [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] is, and have simply chosen ''not'' to intercept it? Is keeping the Fleet alive part of their "Plan"?
** Possibly, in the "de-briefing" towards the end of the episode, Caprica-D'anna meant the two Raiders transmitted the footage she cut from the documentary (showing Helo's Boomer in the Sickbay). It is likely they meant that they picked up the whole "show" from fleet transmissions and the snippet from the two Raiders.
**Or, are the Cylons ''now'' refraining from sending in a full [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]] and Raider wing to attack ''Galactica'' because they are worried that a direct attack on ''Galactica'' will result in the death of Caprica-Valerii and her hybrid daughter? That is, they would have attacked it if this Valerii wasn't on board, but was sending two Raiders in now simply a reconnaissance mission? The Cylons did say that they want to proceed cautiously.
**Then again, the two Raiders didn't jump in to the Fleet's vicinity, they flew in normally. Perhaps the Cylons actually ''don't'' know exactly where the Fleet is, and these Raiders may have been searching for days to find them. Seeing as the Cylons on Caprica weren't aware that the Caprica-Valerii was still alive, perhaps they also truly aren't aware of the Fleet's location, and other Cylons in the Fleet cannot transmit messages back to Caprica because they are out of range (though a nearby Cylon ship might be close enough). (''[[Pegasus (episode)|Answer]]'')
**In light of all this, have the Cylons ''not'' been using their entire strength against the Colonials in combat? Have they, in effect, been "toying" with them? This could explain the relative lop-sidedness of the Colonials' military victories since the initial destruction of the Colonies.
*Did Biers discovery of pregnant Caprica-Valerii on ''Galactica'' alter her intended goal with the documentary?
**Would the documentary have presented ''Galactica'' and her crew in a more negative light and thus perform a journalistic hatchet job on how the rest of the fleet perceived Adama and the military?
**Would Adama and Roslin still have allowed the documentary to be broadcast if it had been 'negative?'
*Now that the documentary has aired, with Biers' image visibly throughout the film, has Sharon Valerii seen the film? Or, has the film been banned for her viewing?
**If she had viewed the documentary, would Valerii inform ''Galactica's'' command of Bier's true nature, or the identity of other agents in the Fleet?
***Does Valerii actually "know" what all of the other Cylon models look like? She seems have been on a need-to-know basis when it came to Cylon intelligence ("[[The Farm]]"), and she might not actually know "who" all of the other models are, if this particular copy of Sharon has never met them.

== Analysis ==
At the end of the episode, D'anna says that the Cylons "lost two Raiders relaying the images back to ''the Fleet''" from ''Galactica''. She didn't say "from ''Galactica'' back to ''Caprica''". Does this imply that there is a main Cylon fleet following ''Galactica''? (That is, as opposed to many Basestars spread out across a large region of space in a search pattern). (''[[Pegasus (episode)|Answer]]'').

== Notes ==
*Population count is now 47,853, a loss of two since [[Home, Part II]], to account for the two [[Tom Zarek]] henchmen killed in that episode.
*Onboard ''[[Colonial One]]'', Roslin is no longer surrounded by her [[Presidential Security Service]] agents, but rather by ''Galactica'' Marines - Adama's insurance against any more misbehavior, perhaps?
**Perhaps they were only there to escort Commander Adama while he was off of ''Galactica''.
*D'anna Biers makes the same comment about Baltar that Roslin made in ''[[33]]''.
*We finally learn [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]]'s first name as she is interviewed by [[D'anna Biers]]: ''Anastasia''.
*Gaeta's first name is revealed as ''[[Felix Gaeta|Felix]]''. He also showed a wild side in the form of a tattoo on his chest he got when he was drunk. He's also taken up smoking. Perhaps this isn't so much a sign of a previously unrevealed wild side, but a sign that Gaeta's composure is starting to get frayed from constant stress. ''(This is confirmed in the following episode, "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]".)''
*The [[ECO]] known as Racetrack has a full name: ''[[Margaret Edmonson]]''.
*The music aired at the end of the documentary is the Colonial Fanfare last heard in the [[Mini Series]]: the theme from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original "Battlestar Galactica" TV series]]. In the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|re-imagined Battlestar Galactica]], it is apparently the "national anthem" of the Twelve Colonies.
*Adama uses the phrase "warts and all." This was invented by 17th-Century English dictator ("Lord Protector") [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Cromwell Oliver Cromwell].
*Timeline-wise, Col. Tigh says there's been no Cylon contacts for 10 days. Col. Tigh was in command of ''Galactica'' for "over a week" (from "[[Scattered]]" to "[[Resistance]]").
*Colonial video feeds are octagonal, but video screens are (oddly) rectangular.
*Capt. [[Aaron Kelly|Kelly]] appears fulfilling his duties as Landing Signal Officer by coordinating Viper landings. This scene further explains the "where was Kelly between the Mini-Series and Season 2" question: Kelly doesn't work in the [[CIC]], but in the port [[Flight pod|flight pod]] itself.
*Roslin and Adama have not only buried the hatchet by this episode, but are working jointly and appear to have developed a camaraderie.
*This episode contains the first scene on ''Colonial One'' since "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]".
*Cultural/Linguistic oddity: Apollo refers to Kat and Hot Dog as "tweedledum and tweedledee", a reference to [[Wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]].
*Dualla states that Galactica's carbon dioxide scrubbers run "24 hours a day"; this would seem to establish that the Colonial Fleet operates on a 24-hour day. This could possibly be based on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]'s orbital rotion (where the seat of the [[Government]] was located); still, all 12 Colonies couldn't possible all have the same axial rotation time. This 24 hour day might seem an automatic assumption, but keep in mind that on other scifi series set in space there isn't always a 24 hour say: For example, on [[Wikipedia:Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]], space station Deep Space Nine actually runs on a 26 hour day, because it follows Bajor-time (which has a 26 hour rotation period).

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
* ''After meeting Dr. Gaius Baltar for the first time:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' What a strange little man.

* ''D'anna Biers is filming an interview with Apollo:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' You seem to think that your pilots deserve special consideration.
*: '''Apollo:''' Actually, I do. Like everyone else, my pilots have lost their families, their friends, everyone they ever cared about; but on top of that they're asked to put their lives on the line every single day, for a fleet that seems more interested in what they do wrong than in what they do right. They're not asking for your pity, but they damn well deserve your respect.

* ''D'anna Biers is interviewing Racetrack:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Are you afraid when you go into combat?
*: '''Racetrack:''' First thing they tell you is to assume you're already dead.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Well that sounds ghoulish.
*: '''Racetrack:''' Yeah, maybe. But dead men don't get scared and freeze up under fire. Me, I'm just worried that hell's gonna be a lonely place, and I'm gonna fill it up with every Toaster son of a bitch I find.

* ''D'anna Biers is interviewing Lt. Gaeta. Gaeta is slightly disheveled, and is smoking a cigarette:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Does that help you cope with the stress?
*: '''Lt. Felix Gaeta:''' Not really. Look, um, all that I ever wanted was to be an officer on a Battlestar, okay? I trained my whole life, I trained harder than anyone in my unit. Basically, I put my life on hold until I was assigned to ''Galactica''. Then the Cylons hit and I realized that this is all that I know: tech manuals, commands, and tactics, you know? I'm not saying that I'm unhappy...I'm just wondering if there's something more.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' And what have you discovered?
*: '''Lt. Felix Gaeta:''' ...[takes a long drag, coughs]...I hate cigarettes. Ambrosia's good with a chaser. And, if you have enough Ambrosia...[Gaeta pulls back his shirt to reveal an ugly tatoo of a tiger on his upper right chest]...it don't hurt that much.

* ''The closing voice-over narration to D'anna Biers' documentary on the Battlestar Galactica, which runs over a montage of images from the ship. The Colonial Anthem tinkles in the background and gradually builds to up to a grand swell:''
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' I came to ''Galactica'' to tell a story. In all honesty I thought I knew what that story was before I ever set foot there: how an arrogant military let their egos get in the way of doing their jobs, safeguarding the lives of the civilian population. But I found out that the truth was more complex than that. These people aren't Cylons. They're not robots blindly following orders and polishing their boots. They're people. Deeply flawed, yes, but deeply human too, and maybe that's saying the same thing. What struck me most is that despite it all - the hardships, the stress, the ever present danger of being killed - despite all that, they never give up. They never lie down in the road and let the truck run them over. They wake up in the morning, put on their uniforms and do their jobs. Every day. No pay, no rest, no hope of ever laying down the burden or letting someone else do the job. There are no relief troops coming, no Colonial Fleet training new recruits every day. The people on ''Galactica'' are ''it''. They are the thin line of blue that separates us from the Cylons. Lt. Gaeta told me a remarkable statistic; not a single member of Galactica's crew has asked to resign, not one. Think about that. If you wore the uniform wouldn't you want to quit? To step aside and say "enough! Let someone else protect the fleet"? I know I would. But then, I don't wear a uniform. Most of us don't, most of us never will. The story of ''Galactica'' isn't that people make bad decisions under pressure, it's that those mistakes are the exception. Most of the time the men and women serving under Commander Adama get it right. The proof is that our fleet ''survives''. And with ''Galactica'' at our side, we '''''will''''' endure. This is D'anna Biers, Fleet News Service.

* ''The camera pulls back to show a movie theater on Cylon-occupied [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]], where the humanoid Cylons are watching a copy of the documentary, as D'anna Biers' ending narration finishes:''
*: '''Aaron Doral:''' That was shown across their entire fleet.
*: '''Number Six:''' Their resilience is remarkable.
*: '''Sharon Valerii:''' Play the footage that was cut. [camera footage plays of Helo's Sharon in ''Galactica's'' Sickbay]
*: '''Sharon Valerii:''' I'm still alive?! She's still alive! I told you.
*: '''Number Six:''' That's incredible. And the baby?
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' [speaking without her usual New Zealand accent, but with a general American accent] It was saved. We lost two Raiders relaying the images back to the Fleet, but I think the sacrifice was worth it.
*: '''Aaron Doral:''' We must proceed with caution. The child's life must be protected at all costs.
*: '''D'anna Biers:''' Yeah. Truly is a miracle of God.

== Official Statements ==

== Guest stars ==
*[[Lucy Lawless]] as [[D'anna Biers]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346885/ Jeremy Guilbaut] as Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe Palladino]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*Aleks Paunovic as Sergeant [[Fischer]]
*Kevan Kase as PFC [[Scott Kelso]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365798/ Patrick "Flick" Harrison] as [[Bell]]
*Yee Jee Tso as Staffer
*Curtis Hicks as Marine Sergeant

== Statistics ==
*The original airdate was to be September 2nd, 2005. However, SciFi Channel ran a Stargate SG-1 Viewers Choice Marathon for the [[Wikipedia:Labor Day|Labor Day]] Weekend.
*[[Wikipedia:Nielsen Rating|Nielsen Rating]]: 2.0 household rating

{{episode list (RDM season 2)}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Mark Verheiden]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Robert Young]]

Resistance (episode)

2006-04-26T12:38:09Z

White Knight: /* On Caprica */

:''This page covers the episode "Resistance." For the Resistance itself, see [[Resistance (movement)]].''
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[image:Sharondeath.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resistance
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=4
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Toni Graphia]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Alan Kroeker]]
| Production=2.04
| Rating= 1.9
| US Airdate=August 5 2005
| UK Airdate=January 31 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,861
| Prev=[[Fragged]]
| Next=[[The Farm]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''Riots break out in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] over Tigh's declaration of martial law, and a group of ''Galactica'' crewmembers led by [[Lee Adama]] smuggle [[Laura Roslin]] out of the brig and into [[Tom Zarek]]'s hands. Meanwhile, [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Karl Agathon]] fall in with a group of humans who have survived on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and started a resistance movement.''

== Summary ==

=== On ''Galactica'' ===

*Having returned to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' (after being rescued from [[Kobol]] in the last episode, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is put in a holding cell and is interrogated by [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], who believes that Tyrol may be a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]. Although Tyrol states that he would never do anything to hurt people on ''Galactica'', Tigh believes that, because of the Chief's relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii (Boomer)]], he can't be trusted. Tyrol is then put into the brig, where he tells Sharon to stay away.
*[[Gaius Baltar]] has also returned to ''Galactica'', and he is questioned by [[Cally]], who wants to know why no one will help Tyrol. Baltar lies, tells her that his [[Cylon detector]] was flawed, and that he will try to prove that Tyrol is innocent. Cally threatens to reveal what he did to [[Crashdown]] if he doesn't help her, but Baltar promises to do whatever he can.
*After arriving in the [[CIC]], Baltar is questioned by Tigh, who wants to know why the Cylon detector didn't work. Baltar tells him that the test on Boomer was a preliminary test, and that he has screened out anomalies that might affect the outcome of the test. Tigh orders Baltar to test Chief Tyrol, and even though Baltar complains that he is the Vice President, Tigh tells him he has no power because of martial law.
*Lt. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] then alerts Tigh to a number of ships in the fleet, that are refusing to supply the Galactica with food, water, and [[tylium]], and in addition, are holding protests against the treatment of [[Laura Roslin]].
*On his way to the brig, [[Lee Adama]] meets [[Anastasia Dualla]] in the hall, who tells him that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] is still sedated, and that there is a lot of protest and dissention within the fleet. Dee also tells Lee that Tigh's alcohol problem is spinning out of control.
*In his quarters, Tigh is trying to figure out a way to get supplies from the ships that are protesting. Although Saul wants to settle things peacefully, [[Ellen Tigh]] tells him that he needs to assert his authority, and puts him on a guilt trip, prompting Tigh to send a stern warning to the other ships, warning them to either resupply ''Galactica'' or face consequences.
*In the brig, Lee tells Roslin that she still has quite an influence on some members of the fleet (as evidenced by her growing relationship with Corporal [[Venner]]), which prompts Roslin to state something bad is going to happen in the fleet.
*After being informed that ships still aren't supplying ''Galactica'', Tigh orders squadrons of Colonial [[Marines]] to board the ships and take the supplies by any means necessary.
*On the transport ship ''[[Gideon]]'', a group of Marines, led by Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe "Hammerhead" Palladino]], attempt to take the food supplies off the ship. While the Marines are transporting the food, the civilians on the ship grow angry, and riot against the troops. A noise that sounds like a gunshot is heard, and the marines, thinking they are being shot at, fire on the crowd, killing 4 civilians.
*After being informed that the supply operation went awry, Tigh realizes that he has made a bigger mess out of the problem then he thought. The riot also prompts Roslin to realize that this action will splinter the fleet, and will make them prime targets for the Cylons. Roslin tells Lee that she needs to leave ''Galactica'' as soon as possible, and Lee tells her he will come along, and that he has also figured out a way to get off the ship.
*Tigh tells his wife that he was not fit for command, and he knows that she was manipulating him into using strong-arm tactics to resupply ''Galactica''. Ellen tells Tigh that if she didn't motivate him, he would never stop drinking, which prompts Ellen and Tigh to start fighting, but instead, they start making love.
*In the brig, Boomer tells Tyrol that she still loves him, but Tyrol tells her that the relationship meant nothing, and that Sharon doesn't even have feelings. Baltar enters the room and states that he is going to test Tyrol to prove he is really human. When injected with a syringe, Tyrol goes into a state of shock from a toxin that Baltar uses. He tells Sharon that he covered up her true nature as a Cylon from the rest of the fleet, and that if she wants to save Tyrol, she must reveal how many Cylons are in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. Sharon tells Baltar that there are eight other Cylons in the Fleet, and Baltar revives Tyrol and proves that the Chief is not a Cylon.
*Lee puts his escape plan into action, closing down a causeway on the ship for maintenance, securing a [[Raptor]] with which to leave the ship, and bringing Roslin from the brig to the shuttle bay, along with [[Elosha]]. When Roslin tells [[Billy Keikeya]] to board the ship, he tells her that he will be staying behind, because he does not want to be part of a civil war.
*On the bridge, Tigh learns that Lee and Roslin have escaped, and realizes that they have left on the Raptor. Although he has the chance to destroy the ship, he doesn't fire on the Raptor, which escapes to ''[[Cloud Nine]]''.
*Upon arriving on ''Cloud Nine'', Roslin learns that Lee has brought [[Tom Zarek]], who will help them hide in the fleet until they can muster enough support to overthrow ''Galactica''.
*As Ellen puts Saul on another guilt trip for not firing on Lee, Commander Adama arrives in the room, having recovered enough to walk and move again, and asks what's happened on the ship. Tigh tells Adama that he messed things up badly, and Adama tells Tigh that they will fix the problem together. Ellen Tigh, in the meanwhile, leaves the room on Adama's request, her hand grasping harshly at the door frame in apparent frustration in the change of events as she leaves.
*Tyrol is released from his cell, and Baltar tells him that Boomer will be sent to another cell for testing. As Sharon is led down the corridor, being heckled and yelled at by crew members, Cally, who has been hiding in the crowd, runs out and shoots Sharon point-blank in the gut. As Cally is taken into custody, the dying Sharon tells Tyrol she loves him, and passes away.
[[Image:Resistance-Anders_Starbuck.jpg|Starbuck and Anders playing a game of pyramid.|thumb]]

=== On Caprica ===

*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] are lost in the wilderness, and are subsequently shot at by a group of humans. It eventually leads to a standoff between the two groups, but Starbuck manages to convince the humans that they are not Cylons. When asked about their identities, Helo recognises the group as members of a [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] team called the [[Caprica Buccaneers]], and that they have been attacking the Cylons and stealing supplies from them for weeks. They escaped the [[Cylon Holocaust]] as they were away for training in the remote mountains at the time.
*The Buccaneers take Helo and Starbuck to an abandoned high school, where they stay for the night, and Starbuck challenges the leader of the group, [[Samuel Anders|Anders]], to a game of pyramid.

== Questions ==
*What will Commander Adama do to resolve the crisis now that he has regained consciousness? ([[Home, Part I|Answer 1]] and [[Home, Part II|Answer 2]].)
*What will happen to President Roslin, now on the run? ([[Home, Part I|Answer 1]] and [[Home, Part II|Answer 2]].)
*What will happen to Cally now that she has killed ''Galactica''-Boomer? ([[The Farm|Answer 1]] and [[Flight of the Phoenix|Answer 2]])
*Could the fact that Cally "Oswalded" ''Galactica''-Boomer mean that Cally is a Cylon?
*Could Boomer return to the show, to be reunited with Chief Tyrol, after having her consciousness transferred to another body? ([[Downloaded|Answer 1]] and [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer 2]])
*Chief Tyrol mentions that he once served aboard the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''; will this be significant when the ''Pegasus'' is discovered by ''Galactica''? (When he gets in trouble, [[Pegasus (episode)|the answer appears to be "no."]])
*When was the survivor count updated to include the deaths of [[Tarn]] and [[Socinus]] on [[Kobol]]? Clearly not after the survivors were returned to ''Galactica'', or the decrement between this episode and the last would be 3, not 1. Did the decrement of 1 between "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" refer to [[Tarn]]'s death, or to [[Flyboy]]'s before the opening credits?
**Since the count must be omniscient in some sense, does it correspond to the whiteboard numbers seen on ''[[Colonial One]]'' throughout the first season, does it include survivors on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', and does it exclude any remaining [[Cylon agent]] infiltrators within the fleet?
***Apparently the survivors on ''Pegasus'' were not included in the survivor count at this point because in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" the survivor count increased by over 1,700 when Pegasus joined the Fleet. This would seem to indicate that survivors on Caprica, et al are not included; just those in the fleet led by ''Galactica''.
*Eight ships in total refuse to resupply ''Galactica''. Tigh orders "a Raptor and an armed marine boarding party for every ship refusing the resupply order." Gaeta explains that they are short on manpower, but says nothing about equipment shortages. A caption then identifies "''Galactica'' Boarding Party Six". Is it possible that ''Galactica'' was able to deploy eight Raptors following the destruction of two in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]", and the scrapping of an additional Raptor in "[[Fragged]]" (which in that episode was necessary to muster even two Raptors)? Were the boarding parties deployed sequentially, not simultaneously? If so, why would manpower shortage be a concern?

== Analysis ==

*Continuing from the events of last episode, "[[Fragged]]", Cally has indeed threatened Dr. Baltar with revealing that he [[Wikipedia:Frag (military)|fragged]] [[Crashdown]] in return for demanding that he help Chief Tyrol.
*Baltar has a working [[Cylon detector]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]) and access to blood samples from every Colonial in the fleet. It could well be that he already knows how many Cylon infiltrators are in the fleet, and was actually testing Boomer to see if she did, too. Before Cally shot her, he was intending to interrogate her further -- perhaps this was a trial run of the method he intended to use to extract vital information from her subconscious?
**However, Baltar told Six that it would take around 60 years to test everyone in the fleet because one person's complete test would take 11 hours; he doesn't know how many are in the fleet.
***It takes him less than two minutes to determine Boomer's true nature in "[[Flesh and Bone]]". Whatever reason Baltar has for giving the 11 hour estimate clearly doesn't preclude him determining unambiguous positives in a more reasonable timeframe.
***It has been (approximately, see timeline issues below) 26 days since "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", during which only one result was produced (for [[Ellen Tigh]]), minus the 3 days Baltar spent attending [[Quorum of Twelve|Quorum]] sessions and 2 days stranded on [[Kobol]]. The remaining 20 day period would only be sufficient to produce an additional 43 results. Tigh's chagrin that "no one's results are definitive" may imply that a substantially greater number have been produced.
**As of "[[Home, Part I]]", this line of inquiry is somewhat moot. Baltar does not know the ''identity'' of the remaining Cylon infiltrators, and regrets not asking Boomer before her death.
*[[Saul Tigh|Tigh]]'s authority on the ship appears to have grown more tenuous. Numerous officers and crew are now willing to actively assist in [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]]'s escape. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], Dr. [[Cottle]] and [[Lee Adama]] are all directly involved. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] assists indirectly by denying knowledge of the unusual transmissions detected prior to the jail break even after asking Dualla about them earlier.

== Notes ==
*As of the opening credits, the fleet population is now 47,861, reflecting the death of [[Crashdown]] in "[[Fragged]]".
** Does (or will) this count discriminate between humans and Cylons? Was Boomer ever removed from this count?
*This episode gave no direct indication of its date. All the first season episodes identified the date during their Caprica segments, and the first three episodes of this season have taken place on the same day as "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". There are a few possible indicators of time elapsed:
**Tyrol is in a holding cell. He apparently hasn't been there for long, and his arm is still in a sling.
**Baltar's numerous facial cuts and scrapes are still somewhat visible.
**Apollo has been gone from the officer's card game long enough to be missed. His last game was on Day 50.
**Apollo asks Dualla how his father is doing "this morning", and Dualla's response implies that this is at least the second time he's asked her. His first opportunity to do so would have been on the morning of Day 52. [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s [[podcast]] says that this conversation has been a "routine happening each day", i.e., more than twice. This puts this episode at Day 54 at least.
**In the episode "[[Final Cut]]", we learn that Tigh was in command for "over a week", which unfortunately tells little - the next episode, where Adama finally resumes command, takes place "the next week" after this one.
* Boomer dies in this episode, shot by [[Cally]]. There is still the Valerii copy on Caprica, which will reappear in the next episode, and in later episodes be taken aboard ''Galactica'' ([[Home, Part II]])
**Boomer dies in a matter that seems to mirror what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald (the assassin who gunned down U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and who was shot at point blank range by another man named Jack Ruby while being transferred to another prison). (see: [[assassination]])
***In addition, the shooting on the ''Gideon'' was inspired by the [[Wikipedia:Kent State shootings|Kent State Shootings]]. Some have also stated that it is somewhat similar to the [[Wikipedia:Boston Massacre|Boston Massacre]], which helped spark the [[Wikipedia:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]]. [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s podcast says that this scene was directly inspired by the Boston Massacre. A group of armed soldiers, not trained or equipped as riot police, are being pelted with objects (albeit non-lethal ones) by a hostile crowd and react with the training and equipment that they have when a threat is perceived.
*If Boomer is to be believed, there are eight more Cylons hiding in the Fleet. It has already been established that there are only 12 Cylons models in existence, and four have already been revealed in the Fleet ([[Shelly Godfrey]], [[Leoben Conoy]], [[Aaron Doral]], and now [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]), so each of the as-yet-unknown models may have a representative copy hiding in the Fleet. (Two new Cylon infiltrators, one found on [[The Farm|Caprica]], and [[D'anna Biers|in the Fleet]] has been identified since this episode.)
**Boomer produced this number under extreme duress. It is possible that she simply fabricated it, or that Baltar was relying on "God" to produce it for her, as he himself did in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
**Baltar asserted during the scene that Boomer had the information in her subconscious, so this may have been a way of producing it from extreme duress.
**Further, it is unclear whether [[Shelly Godfrey]] was ever conclusively identified as a Cylon, as [[Aaron Doral]] and [[Leoben Conoy]] were. If she wasn't, Boomer might have included her in the eight. (Godfrey's identity may have been definitely confirmed by ''Galactica'' when the [[Number Six]] copy known as Gina is found on battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' in the episode of the [[Pegasus (episode)|same name]].)
*Commander Adama has regained consciousness.
*There is a small resistance movement on Caprica comprising roughly 50 people, and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] have joined up with them.
*Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] has been serving on battlestars since he was 18. Other battlestars he has served on include the ''[[Columbia]]'', ''[[Atlantia]]'', and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''.
*First mention of the battlestar ''Pegasus'' in the re-imagined series.
*First time that Chief Tyrol's first name, "Galen", has been spoken on screen. Previously it was only known from an entry in Ron D. Moore's blog.
*Baltar's Six considers the term "[[Toaster]]" to be a "racial epithet".
*Apollo can pilot a Raptor. (He brought a pilot along with in "[[Fragged]]")
*Cadet "[[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]]" Constanza is now leading [[Combat Air Patrol]]s.
*This episode introduces a conspiracy to free Laura Roslin from imprisonment. (see; [[Laura Roslin faction]])
*One of ''Galactica's'' Raptors is now on board ''[[Cloud Nine]]''. It was all ''Galactica'' could do to muster two Raptors in "[[Fragged]]", although they had four in operation earlier that day in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]. Will ''Cloud Nine'' return the vehicle, and if not, will this further hamper ''Galactica's'' ability to deploy marines within the fleet?
*[[Tylium]] is used to fuel the maneuvering thrusters on the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] craft, as well as the FTL engines for the rest of the fleet.
*The background music in the scene where Lee says goodbye to his unconscious father is a faint echo of "Wander my Friends", the victory music from "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*Dualla has indicated that she would prefer him to be in command, as opposed to the frequently inebriated Tigh. She also casts a friendlier-than-usual glance at Apollo's backside as he is escorted to the brig.
*Col. Tigh derided Dr. Baltar of using "[[Technobabble|technobabble]]", which was frequently used on RDM's old "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''Baltar tries to explain the failure of his Cylon detector:''
:Saul Tigh: What the hell's the matter with your Cylon detector, doctor? You gave the assassin a pass.
:Gaius Baltar: Yes, but that was a beta test. A preliminary. Clearly I've perfected my methodology and she slipped through.
:Saul Tigh: So what the hell are you telling me here, that we are back to square one? That no one's results are definitive?
:Gaius Baltar: No, I am-
:Saul Tigh: That we have no way of knowing who are the Cylons among us?
:Gaius Baltar: -not saying that, since Valerii's test- since the assassin's test I've developed a new set of protocols which should eliminate any errors - anomalies - that popped up earlier. Look, if you let me test the chief's blood, I might be able to tell once and for all if-
:Saul Tigh: No "if"! I want a definitive answer, no more of your weaselly technobabble. He's a Cylon or he's not. So get down there and do something right for a change.

* ''In ''Galactica's'' brig, Tyrol is led into a cell with Sharon Valerii:''
:Sharon Valerii: (crying) Chief? I thought you were on Kobol?
:(Tyrol is shoved into the cell, and Sharon tries to hug him)
:Chief Tyrol: Don't you talk to me. Don't come near me. Don't even touch me. If you do, I will kill you.

* ''In one of ''Galactica's'' corridors:''
:Cally: They locked the Chief up with Boomer. Tigh thinks he's a Cylon.
:Gaius Baltar: I know. I'm going to see the Colonel now. If anyone's going to find a way to clear the Chief, or...
:Cally: Or what? Throw him out the airlock like a piece of garbage? If Commander Adama were in charge, this would have never happened.
:Gaius Baltar: Yes, but he's not in charge, is he?

* ''After Lee Adama and President Roslin arrive on ''Cloud Nine'':''
:Lee Adama: Well, we're home free for now.
:Tom Zarek: (standing in the hangar bay) Good to see you, Madam President.
:Laura Roslin: Captain Apollo, what is Mr. Zarek doing here?
:Lee Adama: Once Tigh gets over his initial shock, he'll send troops out to search for us, and if we're going to make it, we have to keep on the move. I figured Mr. Zarek here is the only one in the fleet with enough shady friends around to hide us.
:Tom Zarek: (to Laura) I love the way he puts that.
:Laura Roslin: Well, Mr. Zarek, it would seem that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
:Tom Zarek: Call me Tom.

== Official Statements ==

* '''[[Nicki Clyne]] comments on [[Cally]]'s motivations in [[assassination|shooting Boomer]] from [http://scifibrain.ign.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2384&Itemid=0 Scifibrain's March 17, 2006 interview]:'''
*# I think Boomer represented all the things that were wrong for her at that time, including her relationship with [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]. So, I think she just saw Boomer as this symbol of what was wrong for her at the time. She couldn’t see any other way to deal with it.
*# ''On whether or not Cally was guilty for killing [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]:'' That is a tough one, and I think about that a lot, because I don’t think it is right to kill anything. I don’t think it can ever be a positive feeling. At the time, she felt like there was no other way, and that was her only option, but I am sure upon reflection in the brig, or when she got back to work, that she saw how it affected Tyrol. That she, she shows a lot of wondering. There is actually a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)|scene that got cut]] [in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]"], but she finally approaches the Chief, when she is finally sick of him ignoring her, after she has gotten out of jail, she says, "If I had a chance, I would do it all over again."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1756208 Chris Shields] as Corporal [[Venner]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Tamara Lashley]] as [[Sue-Shaun]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346885/ Jeremy Guilbaut] as Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe "Hammerhead" Palladino]]
*Heather Doerksen as "Marine With A Sandwich"
*Curtis Lee Hicks "Marine Sergeant"

== Statistics ==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Toni Graphia]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Alan Kroeker]]

Resistance (episode)

2006-04-26T12:33:26Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'' */

:''This page covers the episode "Resistance." For the Resistance itself, see [[Resistance (movement)]].''
{{Episode Data|
Image = [[image:Sharondeath.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Resistance
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=4
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Toni Graphia]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Alan Kroeker]]
| Production=2.04
| Rating= 1.9
| US Airdate=August 5 2005
| UK Airdate=January 31 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,861
| Prev=[[Fragged]]
| Next=[[The Farm]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''Riots break out in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] over Tigh's declaration of martial law, and a group of ''Galactica'' crewmembers led by [[Lee Adama]] smuggle [[Laura Roslin]] out of the brig and into [[Tom Zarek]]'s hands. Meanwhile, [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Karl Agathon]] fall in with a group of humans who have survived on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and started a resistance movement.''

== Summary ==

=== On ''Galactica'' ===

*Having returned to ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' (after being rescued from [[Kobol]] in the last episode, [[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is put in a holding cell and is interrogated by [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], who believes that Tyrol may be a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]]. Although Tyrol states that he would never do anything to hurt people on ''Galactica'', Tigh believes that, because of the Chief's relationship with [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii (Boomer)]], he can't be trusted. Tyrol is then put into the brig, where he tells Sharon to stay away.
*[[Gaius Baltar]] has also returned to ''Galactica'', and he is questioned by [[Cally]], who wants to know why no one will help Tyrol. Baltar lies, tells her that his [[Cylon detector]] was flawed, and that he will try to prove that Tyrol is innocent. Cally threatens to reveal what he did to [[Crashdown]] if he doesn't help her, but Baltar promises to do whatever he can.
*After arriving in the [[CIC]], Baltar is questioned by Tigh, who wants to know why the Cylon detector didn't work. Baltar tells him that the test on Boomer was a preliminary test, and that he has screened out anomalies that might affect the outcome of the test. Tigh orders Baltar to test Chief Tyrol, and even though Baltar complains that he is the Vice President, Tigh tells him he has no power because of martial law.
*Lt. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] then alerts Tigh to a number of ships in the fleet, that are refusing to supply the Galactica with food, water, and [[tylium]], and in addition, are holding protests against the treatment of [[Laura Roslin]].
*On his way to the brig, [[Lee Adama]] meets [[Anastasia Dualla]] in the hall, who tells him that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] is still sedated, and that there is a lot of protest and dissention within the fleet. Dee also tells Lee that Tigh's alcohol problem is spinning out of control.
*In his quarters, Tigh is trying to figure out a way to get supplies from the ships that are protesting. Although Saul wants to settle things peacefully, [[Ellen Tigh]] tells him that he needs to assert his authority, and puts him on a guilt trip, prompting Tigh to send a stern warning to the other ships, warning them to either resupply ''Galactica'' or face consequences.
*In the brig, Lee tells Roslin that she still has quite an influence on some members of the fleet (as evidenced by her growing relationship with Corporal [[Venner]]), which prompts Roslin to state something bad is going to happen in the fleet.
*After being informed that ships still aren't supplying ''Galactica'', Tigh orders squadrons of Colonial [[Marines]] to board the ships and take the supplies by any means necessary.
*On the transport ship ''[[Gideon]]'', a group of Marines, led by Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe "Hammerhead" Palladino]], attempt to take the food supplies off the ship. While the Marines are transporting the food, the civilians on the ship grow angry, and riot against the troops. A noise that sounds like a gunshot is heard, and the marines, thinking they are being shot at, fire on the crowd, killing 4 civilians.
*After being informed that the supply operation went awry, Tigh realizes that he has made a bigger mess out of the problem then he thought. The riot also prompts Roslin to realize that this action will splinter the fleet, and will make them prime targets for the Cylons. Roslin tells Lee that she needs to leave ''Galactica'' as soon as possible, and Lee tells her he will come along, and that he has also figured out a way to get off the ship.
*Tigh tells his wife that he was not fit for command, and he knows that she was manipulating him into using strong-arm tactics to resupply ''Galactica''. Ellen tells Tigh that if she didn't motivate him, he would never stop drinking, which prompts Ellen and Tigh to start fighting, but instead, they start making love.
*In the brig, Boomer tells Tyrol that she still loves him, but Tyrol tells her that the relationship meant nothing, and that Sharon doesn't even have feelings. Baltar enters the room and states that he is going to test Tyrol to prove he is really human. When injected with a syringe, Tyrol goes into a state of shock from a toxin that Baltar uses. He tells Sharon that he covered up her true nature as a Cylon from the rest of the fleet, and that if she wants to save Tyrol, she must reveal how many Cylons are in [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]]. Sharon tells Baltar that there are eight other Cylons in the Fleet, and Baltar revives Tyrol and proves that the Chief is not a Cylon.
*Lee puts his escape plan into action, closing down a causeway on the ship for maintenance, securing a [[Raptor]] with which to leave the ship, and bringing Roslin from the brig to the shuttle bay, along with [[Elosha]]. When Roslin tells [[Billy Keikeya]] to board the ship, he tells her that he will be staying behind, because he does not want to be part of a civil war.
*On the bridge, Tigh learns that Lee and Roslin have escaped, and realizes that they have left on the Raptor. Although he has the chance to destroy the ship, he doesn't fire on the Raptor, which escapes to ''[[Cloud Nine]]''.
*Upon arriving on ''Cloud Nine'', Roslin learns that Lee has brought [[Tom Zarek]], who will help them hide in the fleet until they can muster enough support to overthrow ''Galactica''.
*As Ellen puts Saul on another guilt trip for not firing on Lee, Commander Adama arrives in the room, having recovered enough to walk and move again, and asks what's happened on the ship. Tigh tells Adama that he messed things up badly, and Adama tells Tigh that they will fix the problem together. Ellen Tigh, in the meanwhile, leaves the room on Adama's request, her hand grasping harshly at the door frame in apparent frustration in the change of events as she leaves.
*Tyrol is released from his cell, and Baltar tells him that Boomer will be sent to another cell for testing. As Sharon is led down the corridor, being heckled and yelled at by crew members, Cally, who has been hiding in the crowd, runs out and shoots Sharon point-blank in the gut. As Cally is taken into custody, the dying Sharon tells Tyrol she loves him, and passes away.
[[Image:Resistance-Anders_Starbuck.jpg|Starbuck and Anders playing a game of pyramid.|thumb]]

=== On Caprica ===

*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] are lost in the wilderness, and are subsequently shot at by a group of humans. It eventually leads to a standoff between the two groups, but Starbuck manages to convince the humans that they are not Cylons. When asked about their identities, the group of humans tell Helo and Starbuck that they are members of a [[pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] team called the [[Caprica Buccaneers]], and that they have been attacking the Cylons and stealing supplies from them for weeks. They escaped the [[Cylon Holocaust]] as they were away for training in the remote mountains at the time.
*The Buccaneers take Helo and Starbuck to an abandoned high school, where they stay for the night, and Starbuck challenges the leader of the group, [[Samuel Anders|Anders]], to a game of pyramid.

== Questions ==
*What will Commander Adama do to resolve the crisis now that he has regained consciousness? ([[Home, Part I|Answer 1]] and [[Home, Part II|Answer 2]].)
*What will happen to President Roslin, now on the run? ([[Home, Part I|Answer 1]] and [[Home, Part II|Answer 2]].)
*What will happen to Cally now that she has killed ''Galactica''-Boomer? ([[The Farm|Answer 1]] and [[Flight of the Phoenix|Answer 2]])
*Could the fact that Cally "Oswalded" ''Galactica''-Boomer mean that Cally is a Cylon?
*Could Boomer return to the show, to be reunited with Chief Tyrol, after having her consciousness transferred to another body? ([[Downloaded|Answer 1]] and [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer 2]])
*Chief Tyrol mentions that he once served aboard the battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''; will this be significant when the ''Pegasus'' is discovered by ''Galactica''? (When he gets in trouble, [[Pegasus (episode)|the answer appears to be "no."]])
*When was the survivor count updated to include the deaths of [[Tarn]] and [[Socinus]] on [[Kobol]]? Clearly not after the survivors were returned to ''Galactica'', or the decrement between this episode and the last would be 3, not 1. Did the decrement of 1 between "[[Scattered]]" and "[[Valley of Darkness]]" refer to [[Tarn]]'s death, or to [[Flyboy]]'s before the opening credits?
**Since the count must be omniscient in some sense, does it correspond to the whiteboard numbers seen on ''[[Colonial One]]'' throughout the first season, does it include survivors on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'', and does it exclude any remaining [[Cylon agent]] infiltrators within the fleet?
***Apparently the survivors on ''Pegasus'' were not included in the survivor count at this point because in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" the survivor count increased by over 1,700 when Pegasus joined the Fleet. This would seem to indicate that survivors on Caprica, et al are not included; just those in the fleet led by ''Galactica''.
*Eight ships in total refuse to resupply ''Galactica''. Tigh orders "a Raptor and an armed marine boarding party for every ship refusing the resupply order." Gaeta explains that they are short on manpower, but says nothing about equipment shortages. A caption then identifies "''Galactica'' Boarding Party Six". Is it possible that ''Galactica'' was able to deploy eight Raptors following the destruction of two in "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]", and the scrapping of an additional Raptor in "[[Fragged]]" (which in that episode was necessary to muster even two Raptors)? Were the boarding parties deployed sequentially, not simultaneously? If so, why would manpower shortage be a concern?

== Analysis ==

*Continuing from the events of last episode, "[[Fragged]]", Cally has indeed threatened Dr. Baltar with revealing that he [[Wikipedia:Frag (military)|fragged]] [[Crashdown]] in return for demanding that he help Chief Tyrol.
*Baltar has a working [[Cylon detector]] ([[Flesh and Bone]]) and access to blood samples from every Colonial in the fleet. It could well be that he already knows how many Cylon infiltrators are in the fleet, and was actually testing Boomer to see if she did, too. Before Cally shot her, he was intending to interrogate her further -- perhaps this was a trial run of the method he intended to use to extract vital information from her subconscious?
**However, Baltar told Six that it would take around 60 years to test everyone in the fleet because one person's complete test would take 11 hours; he doesn't know how many are in the fleet.
***It takes him less than two minutes to determine Boomer's true nature in "[[Flesh and Bone]]". Whatever reason Baltar has for giving the 11 hour estimate clearly doesn't preclude him determining unambiguous positives in a more reasonable timeframe.
***It has been (approximately, see timeline issues below) 26 days since "[[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]", during which only one result was produced (for [[Ellen Tigh]]), minus the 3 days Baltar spent attending [[Quorum of Twelve|Quorum]] sessions and 2 days stranded on [[Kobol]]. The remaining 20 day period would only be sufficient to produce an additional 43 results. Tigh's chagrin that "no one's results are definitive" may imply that a substantially greater number have been produced.
**As of "[[Home, Part I]]", this line of inquiry is somewhat moot. Baltar does not know the ''identity'' of the remaining Cylon infiltrators, and regrets not asking Boomer before her death.
*[[Saul Tigh|Tigh]]'s authority on the ship appears to have grown more tenuous. Numerous officers and crew are now willing to actively assist in [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]]'s escape. [[Anastasia Dualla|Dualla]], Dr. [[Cottle]] and [[Lee Adama]] are all directly involved. [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] assists indirectly by denying knowledge of the unusual transmissions detected prior to the jail break even after asking Dualla about them earlier.

== Notes ==
*As of the opening credits, the fleet population is now 47,861, reflecting the death of [[Crashdown]] in "[[Fragged]]".
** Does (or will) this count discriminate between humans and Cylons? Was Boomer ever removed from this count?
*This episode gave no direct indication of its date. All the first season episodes identified the date during their Caprica segments, and the first three episodes of this season have taken place on the same day as "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]". There are a few possible indicators of time elapsed:
**Tyrol is in a holding cell. He apparently hasn't been there for long, and his arm is still in a sling.
**Baltar's numerous facial cuts and scrapes are still somewhat visible.
**Apollo has been gone from the officer's card game long enough to be missed. His last game was on Day 50.
**Apollo asks Dualla how his father is doing "this morning", and Dualla's response implies that this is at least the second time he's asked her. His first opportunity to do so would have been on the morning of Day 52. [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s [[podcast]] says that this conversation has been a "routine happening each day", i.e., more than twice. This puts this episode at Day 54 at least.
**In the episode "[[Final Cut]]", we learn that Tigh was in command for "over a week", which unfortunately tells little - the next episode, where Adama finally resumes command, takes place "the next week" after this one.
* Boomer dies in this episode, shot by [[Cally]]. There is still the Valerii copy on Caprica, which will reappear in the next episode, and in later episodes be taken aboard ''Galactica'' ([[Home, Part II]])
**Boomer dies in a matter that seems to mirror what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald (the assassin who gunned down U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and who was shot at point blank range by another man named Jack Ruby while being transferred to another prison). (see: [[assassination]])
***In addition, the shooting on the ''Gideon'' was inspired by the [[Wikipedia:Kent State shootings|Kent State Shootings]]. Some have also stated that it is somewhat similar to the [[Wikipedia:Boston Massacre|Boston Massacre]], which helped spark the [[Wikipedia:American Revolutionary War|American Revolutionary War]]. [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s podcast says that this scene was directly inspired by the Boston Massacre. A group of armed soldiers, not trained or equipped as riot police, are being pelted with objects (albeit non-lethal ones) by a hostile crowd and react with the training and equipment that they have when a threat is perceived.
*If Boomer is to be believed, there are eight more Cylons hiding in the Fleet. It has already been established that there are only 12 Cylons models in existence, and four have already been revealed in the Fleet ([[Shelly Godfrey]], [[Leoben Conoy]], [[Aaron Doral]], and now [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]), so each of the as-yet-unknown models may have a representative copy hiding in the Fleet. (Two new Cylon infiltrators, one found on [[The Farm|Caprica]], and [[D'anna Biers|in the Fleet]] has been identified since this episode.)
**Boomer produced this number under extreme duress. It is possible that she simply fabricated it, or that Baltar was relying on "God" to produce it for her, as he himself did in "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
**Baltar asserted during the scene that Boomer had the information in her subconscious, so this may have been a way of producing it from extreme duress.
**Further, it is unclear whether [[Shelly Godfrey]] was ever conclusively identified as a Cylon, as [[Aaron Doral]] and [[Leoben Conoy]] were. If she wasn't, Boomer might have included her in the eight. (Godfrey's identity may have been definitely confirmed by ''Galactica'' when the [[Number Six]] copy known as Gina is found on battlestar ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]'' in the episode of the [[Pegasus (episode)|same name]].)
*Commander Adama has regained consciousness.
*There is a small resistance movement on Caprica comprising roughly 50 people, and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] have joined up with them.
*Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] has been serving on battlestars since he was 18. Other battlestars he has served on include the ''[[Columbia]]'', ''[[Atlantia]]'', and ''[[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]]''.
*First mention of the battlestar ''Pegasus'' in the re-imagined series.
*First time that Chief Tyrol's first name, "Galen", has been spoken on screen. Previously it was only known from an entry in Ron D. Moore's blog.
*Baltar's Six considers the term "[[Toaster]]" to be a "racial epithet".
*Apollo can pilot a Raptor. (He brought a pilot along with in "[[Fragged]]")
*Cadet "[[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]]" Constanza is now leading [[Combat Air Patrol]]s.
*This episode introduces a conspiracy to free Laura Roslin from imprisonment. (see; [[Laura Roslin faction]])
*One of ''Galactica's'' Raptors is now on board ''[[Cloud Nine]]''. It was all ''Galactica'' could do to muster two Raptors in "[[Fragged]]", although they had four in operation earlier that day in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]. Will ''Cloud Nine'' return the vehicle, and if not, will this further hamper ''Galactica's'' ability to deploy marines within the fleet?
*[[Tylium]] is used to fuel the maneuvering thrusters on the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] craft, as well as the FTL engines for the rest of the fleet.
*The background music in the scene where Lee says goodbye to his unconscious father is a faint echo of "Wander my Friends", the victory music from "[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]".
*Dualla has indicated that she would prefer him to be in command, as opposed to the frequently inebriated Tigh. She also casts a friendlier-than-usual glance at Apollo's backside as he is escorted to the brig.
*Col. Tigh derided Dr. Baltar of using "[[Technobabble|technobabble]]", which was frequently used on RDM's old "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''Baltar tries to explain the failure of his Cylon detector:''
:Saul Tigh: What the hell's the matter with your Cylon detector, doctor? You gave the assassin a pass.
:Gaius Baltar: Yes, but that was a beta test. A preliminary. Clearly I've perfected my methodology and she slipped through.
:Saul Tigh: So what the hell are you telling me here, that we are back to square one? That no one's results are definitive?
:Gaius Baltar: No, I am-
:Saul Tigh: That we have no way of knowing who are the Cylons among us?
:Gaius Baltar: -not saying that, since Valerii's test- since the assassin's test I've developed a new set of protocols which should eliminate any errors - anomalies - that popped up earlier. Look, if you let me test the chief's blood, I might be able to tell once and for all if-
:Saul Tigh: No "if"! I want a definitive answer, no more of your weaselly technobabble. He's a Cylon or he's not. So get down there and do something right for a change.

* ''In ''Galactica's'' brig, Tyrol is led into a cell with Sharon Valerii:''
:Sharon Valerii: (crying) Chief? I thought you were on Kobol?
:(Tyrol is shoved into the cell, and Sharon tries to hug him)
:Chief Tyrol: Don't you talk to me. Don't come near me. Don't even touch me. If you do, I will kill you.

* ''In one of ''Galactica's'' corridors:''
:Cally: They locked the Chief up with Boomer. Tigh thinks he's a Cylon.
:Gaius Baltar: I know. I'm going to see the Colonel now. If anyone's going to find a way to clear the Chief, or...
:Cally: Or what? Throw him out the airlock like a piece of garbage? If Commander Adama were in charge, this would have never happened.
:Gaius Baltar: Yes, but he's not in charge, is he?

* ''After Lee Adama and President Roslin arrive on ''Cloud Nine'':''
:Lee Adama: Well, we're home free for now.
:Tom Zarek: (standing in the hangar bay) Good to see you, Madam President.
:Laura Roslin: Captain Apollo, what is Mr. Zarek doing here?
:Lee Adama: Once Tigh gets over his initial shock, he'll send troops out to search for us, and if we're going to make it, we have to keep on the move. I figured Mr. Zarek here is the only one in the fleet with enough shady friends around to hide us.
:Tom Zarek: (to Laura) I love the way he puts that.
:Laura Roslin: Well, Mr. Zarek, it would seem that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
:Tom Zarek: Call me Tom.

== Official Statements ==

* '''[[Nicki Clyne]] comments on [[Cally]]'s motivations in [[assassination|shooting Boomer]] from [http://scifibrain.ign.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2384&Itemid=0 Scifibrain's March 17, 2006 interview]:'''
*# I think Boomer represented all the things that were wrong for her at that time, including her relationship with [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]. So, I think she just saw Boomer as this symbol of what was wrong for her at the time. She couldn’t see any other way to deal with it.
*# ''On whether or not Cally was guilty for killing [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]]:'' That is a tough one, and I think about that a lot, because I don’t think it is right to kill anything. I don’t think it can ever be a positive feeling. At the time, she felt like there was no other way, and that was her only option, but I am sure upon reflection in the brig, or when she got back to work, that she saw how it affected Tyrol. That she, she shows a lot of wondering. There is actually a [[List of Deleted Scenes (RDM)|scene that got cut]] [in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]"], but she finally approaches the Chief, when she is finally sick of him ignoring her, after she has gotten out of jail, she says, "If I had a chance, I would do it all over again."

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[[Michael Trucco]] as [[Samuel Anders]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1756208 Chris Shields] as Corporal [[Venner]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Tamara Lashley]] as [[Sue-Shaun]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346885/ Jeremy Guilbaut] as Lt. [[Joe Palladino|Joe "Hammerhead" Palladino]]
*Heather Doerksen as "Marine With A Sandwich"
*Curtis Lee Hicks "Marine Sergeant"

== Statistics ==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 1.9 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Toni Graphia]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Alan Kroeker]]

Fragged

2006-04-26T10:46:40Z

White Knight: /* On Kobol */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Tigh_in_Command.JPG|300px]]
| Title=Fragged
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=3
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Dawn Prestwich]] & [[Nicole Yorkin]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
| Production=2.03
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 29 2005
| UK Airdate=January 24 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,862
| Prev=[[Valley of Darkness]]
| Next=[[Resistance]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''Colonel Tigh must deal with the Quorum of Twelve and the press over Roslin's removal from the presidency, while Cylon Centurions are preparing to hinder any rescue attempt on Kobol by setting up an anti-aircraft battery.''

== Summary ==

===On ''Galactica''===

*Dr. [[Cottle]] arrives on ''[[Galactica]]'' from the ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', and informs Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] that Commander [[William Adama]] is still bleeding internally, and that he will have to operate to stabilize his condition.
*It becomes apparent that the pressures of the day (coming up on two, without sleep) have gotten to Tigh, as he has begun drinking on duty. He becomes confused, questioning why [[Lee Adama]] is leading a crew to rescue the survivors from [[Kobol]], and causes him to act very rudely to members of the crew.
*After being informed about their arrival on the ''Galactica'', Tigh goes to meet the [[Quorum of Twelve]], who demand that they be given access to the imprisoned [[Laura Roslin]]. Tigh contends that Adama removed Roslin from power, believing she was a threat to the stability of [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], and denies accusations by the Quorum members that he will try to initiate martial law upon the Fleet.
*Meanwhile, Roslin is starting to experience delusions caused by [[Chamalla]] withdrawal while being held in ''Galactica's'' brig, which prompts [[Billy Keikeya]] to ask [[Venner|Corporal Venner]], a devout follower of the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies, to obtain Chamalla extract for Roslin.
*[[Ellen Tigh]] visits Roslin in the brig, and believes Roslin is going crazy. She states that Saul should allow the Quorum members access to the imprisoned President, as it will prove that she was a threat to the stability of the government.
*The Quorum members visit, and, having taken the Chamalla and regained some lucidity, Roslin makes a statement to the members, stating that the military coup has failed, and that she is still retaining the position of President. She then goes on to tell the members that she is dying from terminal breast cancer, and the Quorum members realize that she is the dying leader who will lead the fleet to [[Earth]]. Realizing he has severely underestimated Roslin, Tigh herds the Quorum members out of the brig.
*Tigh then appears before the press, and states that because of the attempted coup against the military, he is declaring martial law over the Fleet, which throws the room into chaos.

===On Kobol===

*After holding a funeral for [[Socinus]] and [[Tarn]], the ground crew stranded on Kobol discover that the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] are cannibalizing parts from their own [[Heavy Raider]] to build an anti-aircraft battery.
*[[Crashdown]] deduces that the [[Cylon Centurion]]s won't look for them, but will instead use the battery to shoot down any aircraft that come looking for the survivors.
*Even though [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and [[Gaius Baltar]] both object, Crashdown decides that they will have to take out the anti-aircraft battery if they want to get rescued, despite more than half the group lacking proficiency in the use of firearms.
*In a hallucination, [[Number Six|Six]] tells Baltar that one of the crew will turn against the others, and that it is Baltar's duty to accept his role as the father of the new race of human-Cylon hybrids.
*When the crew ready their assault on the battery, they discover that more Cylons have reinforced the security around the battery, which leads Tyrol to believe the makeshift [[DRADIS]] dish that the Cylons are using to guide the missiles will be left unprotected. In spite of this, Crashdown tells them he is in charge and that they will proceed with the plan.
*During this time, Lee Adama and a compliment of medical personnel and [[Marines]] have piloted 2 Raptors to the planet's surface.
*When [[Cally]] objects to being a diversion for the attack, Crashdown pulls a gun on her and threatens to shoot her unless she follows her orders. Tyrol pulls his gun on Crashdown, but when it looks like Crashdown will fire, he is shot in the back and killed by Baltar.
*This action reveals their position to the Cylons, who start chasing after them through the forest. The team makes their way to the DRADIS dish, during which time [[Seelix]] is shot in the leg, and Tyrol is shot in the arm, but he manages to use a grenade launcher to take out the dish. Although they are outmanned, Tyrol stands up and bravely opens fire on the advancing Cylons, but the Raptors in the air use their missiles to destroy the Cylons.
*As the rescued crew leaves Kobol, Six tells Baltar that he is fulfilling his role in the prophecy, and that she will act as his conscience.
*Tyrol and Baltar cover for Crashdown's demise, indicating to [[Lee Adama]] that he died while fighting the Cylons.

== Questions ==
*What did [[Number Six]] mean when she said that people that die on [[Kobol]] simply die, and that "God" has abandoned Kobol?
*Will [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], [[Cally]], or [[Seelix]] ever reveal the truth about Crashdown's fate? Or perhaps use the threat of doing so as leverage against Baltar, to force him to perform a favor later? ([[Resistance|Answer]])
*Why was it necessary to cannibalize [[Raptor 305]] for parts? ''Galactica'' had four Raptors in good condition earlier that day during "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", and none were seen to be deployed during the fracas in "[[Scattered]]".
**Is fielding all six for any extended time period beyond the ship's ability? Have ''Galactica's'' Raptors been in chronically poor condition?
**Perhaps Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s powers of command and organization in keeping systems functional was missed by his staff, leaving flight prep more complicated in preparing his rescue.
***If this were the case, why would ''Galactica'' be willing to dispense with him for the sake of a survey mission?
*Could [[Ellen Tigh]]'s attempts to manipulate the downfall of President Roslin be further proof that she's really a Cylon sent to spread chaos in the Fleet? ([[Cylon agent speculation#Ellen Tigh?|Likely answer]])
*Why was the shuttle bearing the Quorum delegates en route from the ''[[Zephyr]]'', rather than [[Cloud 9]]?
*Who was the one who betrayed the others? Cally, for her refusal to carry out orders? Crashdown, for turning his gun on one of his own? Baltar, for killing the group's leader? Or even Tyrol, for his failure to defend Cally by killing Crashdown before the count of "three"? Maybe that's a stretch.
*Baltar appears bloodied and disheveled in his daydream, as he is in reality, instead of nattily well-dressed as he's always been before. Is he losing his mind?
*The Cylons know the location of Kobol ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), and still have forces in the area ([[Scattered]]). If they had wished to intercept the [[SAR]] party or rescue their forces stranded on the planet, they could have done so easily. Instead they left a handful of [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] to improvise an ineffective missile battery. Why?

== Analysis ==

*Baltar appears in his virtual home with Six, but dressed in his fatigues and not at all spiffy as in past visions. Is this an indication that Baltar's mind is becoming more tortured, or is more or less brainwashed by Six than before?
*The somewhat delusional Roslin complains of a ringing sensation when Ellen Tigh appears. Immediately after she leaves and the hatch closes behind her, Roslin no longer hears the ringing and appears visibly relieved. She exclaims, "Oh my gods...Ellen Tigh." Could the Chamalla extract and their visions she sees be giving Roslin herself a way of detecting Cylons with her own senses, or do Ellen's grating personality traits extend into the subsonic range? Given that Roslin has had past visions that have later been logically and correctly identified as factual (to scripture or to current events), this may not be a stretch.
*Another interpretation to Roslin's complaint of ringing may be that Roslin may have barely realized that Ellen was in her presence and, in her delusion, thought she was talking to someone else. In this case, Roslin would have good reason to want to speak with the wife of the acting commanding officer that could set her free.

== Notes ==
*As of the opening credits, the fleet population is now 47,862, reflecting a casualty count of 12 during the Cylon boarding action in the previous episode. This seems barely sufficient to include the bodies seen on screen, let alone the number of casualties implied in [[Valley of Darkness]], but perhaps a number of the casualties haven't had time to expire yet. At the end of the episode, factoring in Crashdown's death, the total stands at 47,861.
*[[Crashdown]] dies in this episode, shot by Baltar because he was about to shoot Cally.
*"Frag" is American military slang for intentionally killing a superior officer of your own force in the field. Popularized during Vietnam, when discipline lagged and a few officers got grenades in their bunkers or caught "friendly fire" during a skirmish.
*[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]] is the most fundamentalist of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], interpreting the [[Sacred Scrolls]] very literally. It appears that many Gemenons believe so strongly in the [[Pythia]]'s prophesy that they will almost automatically side with President Roslin.
*[[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] has revealed to the entire [[Quorum of Twelve]], as well as [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], that she is dying of breast cancer, and presumably it is now fully public knowledge.
*[[Cally]] only joined the Colonial Fleet as a way to pay her way through dental school.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]].
*Second (And to date the last) episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (The first was [[Valley of Darkness]]).
*First episode without scenes on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].
*First episode since the miniseries without an appearance by Helo, even though Tahmoh Penikett is still credited in the opening credits.
*First episode in which Tigh calls ''[[Galactica]]'' "my ship."
*The discussion between Tigh and Billy firmly establishes that Billy was ''not'' arrested.
*Raptors are capable of carrying missiles.
**We also saw this in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]
*Seven Vipers are down for repairs in this Episode, probably damaged offscreen during the sortie in "[[Scattered]]".
*[[Cottle]]'s hurried arrival means that this episode must begin very shortly after the end of "[[Valley of Darkness]]", during which Roslin still seems to be in good health. For her to exhibit the degree of symptoms we see, either [[Chamalla]]'s withdrawal effects are highly acute, or her delirium is the result of the extreme progression of her cancer, no longer masked by the anesthetic properties of the drug.
*The writers for this episode, Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, used to be writers on [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s old show, "The Education of Max Bigford". Ironically, "Fragged" happens to be the first episode of ''Battlestar Galactica'' that Katee Sackhoff does ''not'' appear in.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

{{cleanup}}

* ''In ''Galactica's'' brig:''
*:Laura Roslin: (to the Quorum of Twelve) Thank you all for coming. I have a statement I would like to make. The attempted military coup against the lawful government of the Colonies is illegal, ill-advised, and clearly doomed to failure. I have not resigned the Presidency, and I will fight this action with everything at my command.
*:Colonel Tigh: She's crazy. She's nuts! She thinks she's a prophet or some such nonsense. Go ahead and ask her, she'll tell you. Just listen to her! What was it, the...Arrow Of Apollo will open the Tomb of...Artemis, or some such nonsense.
*:Laura Roslin: Everything I have done is consistent and logical. We have found Kobol, we have found the City of the Gods, and when we retrieve the Arrow, we will open the tomb of Athena, and we will find the road to Earth.

* ''In an announcement to a group of journalists on ''Galactica''
*:Colonel Tigh: The events which took place aboard Colonial One are unfortunate. Laura Roslin's actions in supporting mutiny and sedition among the military could not be tolerated. Therefore, Commander Adama was left with no choice other than to remove her from office. Ms. Roslin is now resting comfortably aboard this ship, where she will remain until such time as the Commander deems otherwise. As it appears obvious that the government cannot function under the current circumstances, I have decided to dissolve the Quorum of Twelve, and as of this moment, I have declared martial law.

* ''In ''Galactica's'' sickbay''
*:Colonel Tigh: (talking about Commander Adama) Is he going to make it?
*:Doctor Cottle: How should I know? I'm not a psychic. Now get the hell out of here.

''(This appears to be a subtle in-joke to [[Ronald D. Moore|RDM's]] ties to ''Star Trek'' and Dr. McCoy's "I'm a doctor, not a..." quips.)''

*''Crashdown has ordered his untrained, outnumbered group to make a suicidal attack the Cylon missile battery:''
*:Baltar: He's crazy. I'm not trained for this kind of thing. I've never fired a gun in my life!
*:Seelix: I haven't fired one since 'basic.
*:Baltar: (''to Cally'') You?
*:Cally: I...just...joined up to pay for dental school!

* ''After Baltar shoots Crashdown on Kobol''
*:Number Six: (to Baltar) Now you're a man.

* ''In a desperate last stand against Cylons''
*:Chief Tyrol: (hiding from Cylon gunfire) Stay there! Stay there!
*:Gaius Baltar: (shooting at Cylons) Chief! Chief!
*:Chief Tyrol: (pulls a gun out of his holster and starts firing wildly at the advancing Cylon forces) Aah! Aah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (Cylons are all blown into pieces, and Tyrol looks at his gun in amazement)

* ''While waiting to assault the Cylon forces on Kobol''
*:Crashdown: Frack orders, frack court-marshal! Our people are up there and we have to save them! We don't have any time! Move!
*:Cally: I can't do it!
*:Crashdown: Cally, move!
*:Cally: No!
*:Crashdown: (pulls a gun on Cally)
*:Gaius Baltar: Chief!
*:Chief Tyrol: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Put it down!
*:Crashdown: You're going, Cally. You're going out there or I'm going to blow your brains out, right here, right now.
*:Chief Tyrol: Hey LT, easy, easy-
*:Crashdown: I'm going to count to three.
*:Selix: This is crazy! This is crazy!
*:Crashdown: One...
*:Chief Tyrol: (pulls gun on Crashdown) Put it down, right now. Listen to me! Drop your weapon!
*:Crashdown: Two...three. (a gunshot is fired, and Crashdown falls dead against a tree, revealing that he has been shot by Baltar)

*''In a hallway on'' Galactica
*:Colonel Tigh: Why aren't you in the brig?
*:Billy: ''(flustered)'' Because.. you haven't put me there?

== Official Statements ==

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Nicki Clyne]] ([[Cally]]) on filming this (and the previous) episodes taking place on [[Kobol]]:''

: I really like watching the stuff that we did on Kobol when we were running through the forest and shooting guns. I am really excited about those episodes for Cally and when she almost got shot by [[Crashdown]] ([[Samuel Witwer]]), I thought that was really cool. It was difficult to film at the time, because it was freezing cold and we were running through the forest, but I think that the end results were great. I think it was really fun. [http://scifibrain.ign.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2384&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1]

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Samuel Witwer]] as [[Crashdown]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Kerry Norton]] as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*Kurt Evans as Paramedic [[Howard Kim]]
*Chris Shields as Corporal [[Venner]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*Patricia Idlette as [[Sarah Porter]]
*Malcom Stewart as [[Marshall Bagot]]
*T-Roy Kdzuki as "Marine"

== Statistics ==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Dawn Prestwich]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Nicole Yorkin]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]

Fragged

2006-04-26T10:20:57Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'' */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Tigh_in_Command.JPG|300px]]
| Title=Fragged
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=3
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Dawn Prestwich]] & [[Nicole Yorkin]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]
| Production=2.03
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 29 2005
| UK Airdate=January 24 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,862
| Prev=[[Valley of Darkness]]
| Next=[[Resistance]]
}}
== Overview ==

:''Colonel Tigh must deal with the Quorum of Twelve and the press over Roslin's removal from the presidency, while Cylon Centurions are preparing to hinder any rescue attempt on Kobol by setting up an anti-aircraft battery.''

== Summary ==

===On ''Galactica''===

*Dr. [[Cottle]] arrives on ''[[Galactica]]'' from the ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', and informs Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] that Commander [[William Adama]] is still bleeding internally, and that he will have to operate to stabilize his condition.
*It becomes apparent that the pressures of the day (coming up on two, without sleep) have gotten to Tigh, as he has begun drinking on duty. He becomes confused, questioning why [[Lee Adama]] is leading a crew to rescue the survivors from [[Kobol]], and causes him to act very rudely to members of the crew.
*After being informed about their arrival on the ''Galactica'', Tigh goes to meet the [[Quorum of Twelve]], who demand that they be given access to the imprisoned [[Laura Roslin]]. Tigh contends that Adama removed Roslin from power, believing she was a threat to the stability of [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], and denies accusations by the Quorum members that he will try to initiate martial law upon the Fleet.
*Meanwhile, Roslin is starting to experience delusions caused by [[Chamalla]] withdrawal while being held in ''Galactica's'' brig, which prompts [[Billy Keikeya]] to ask [[Venner|Corporal Venner]], a devout follower of the [[Pythia|Pythian]] prophecies, to obtain Chamalla extract for Roslin.
*[[Ellen Tigh]] visits Roslin in the brig, and believes Roslin is going crazy. She states that Saul should allow the Quorum members access to the imprisoned President, as it will prove that she was a threat to the stability of the government.
*The Quorum members visit, and, having taken the Chamalla and regained some lucidity, Roslin makes a statement to the members, stating that the military coup has failed, and that she is still retaining the position of President. She then goes on to tell the members that she is dying from terminal breast cancer, and the Quorum members realize that she is the dying leader who will lead the fleet to [[Earth]]. Realizing he has severely underestimated Roslin, Tigh herds the Quorum members out of the brig.
*Tigh then appears before the press, and states that because of the attempted coup against the military, he is declaring martial law over the Fleet, which throws the room into chaos.

===On Kobol===

*After holding a funeral for [[Socinus]] and [[Tarn]], the ground crew stranded on Kobol discover that the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] are cannibalizing parts from their own [[Heavy Raider]] to build an anti-aircraft battery.
*[[Crashdown]] deduces that the [[Cylon Centurion]]s won't look for them, but will instead use the battery to shoot down any aircraft that come looking for the survivors.
*Even though [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] and [[Gaius Baltar]] both object, Crashdown decides that they will have to take out the anti-aircraft battery if they want to get rescued, despite more than half the group lacking proficiency in the use of firearms.
*In a hallucination, [[Number Six|Six]] tells Baltar that one of the crew will turn against the others, and that it is Baltar's duty to accept his role as the father of the new race of human-Cylon hybrids.
*When the crew ready their assault on the battery, they discover that more Cylons have reinforced the security around the battery, which leads Tyrol to believe the makeshift [[DRADIS]] dish that the Cylons are using to guide the missiles will be left unprotected. In spite of this, Crashdown tells them he is in charge and that they will proceed with the plan.
*During this time, Lee Adama and a compliment of medical personnel and [[Marines]] have piloted 2 Raptors to the planet's surface.
*When [[Cally]] objects to being a diversion for the attack, Crashdown pulls a gun on her and threatens to shoot her unless she follows her orders. Tyrol pulls his gun on Crashdown, but when it looks like Crashdown will fire, he is shot in the back and instantly killed by Baltar.
*This action reveals their position to the Cylons, who start chasing after them through the forest. The team makes their way to the DRADIS dish, during which time [[Seelix]] is shot in the leg, and Tyrol is shot in the arm, but he manages to use a grenade launcher to take out the dish. Although they are outmanned, Tyrol stands up and bravely opens fire on the advancing Cylons, but the Raptors in the air use their missiles to destroy the Cylons.
*As the rescued crew leaves Kobol, Six tells Baltar that he is fulfilling his role in the prophecy, and that she will act as his conscience.
*Tyrol and Baltar cover for Crashdown's demise, indicating to [[Lee Adama]] that he died while fighting the Cylons.

== Questions ==
*What did [[Number Six]] mean when she said that people that die on [[Kobol]] simply die, and that "God" has abandoned Kobol?
*Will [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], [[Cally]], or [[Seelix]] ever reveal the truth about Crashdown's fate? Or perhaps use the threat of doing so as leverage against Baltar, to force him to perform a favor later? ([[Resistance|Answer]])
*Why was it necessary to cannibalize [[Raptor 305]] for parts? ''Galactica'' had four Raptors in good condition earlier that day during "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]", and none were seen to be deployed during the fracas in "[[Scattered]]".
**Is fielding all six for any extended time period beyond the ship's ability? Have ''Galactica's'' Raptors been in chronically poor condition?
**Perhaps Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s powers of command and organization in keeping systems functional was missed by his staff, leaving flight prep more complicated in preparing his rescue.
***If this were the case, why would ''Galactica'' be willing to dispense with him for the sake of a survey mission?
*Could [[Ellen Tigh]]'s attempts to manipulate the downfall of President Roslin be further proof that she's really a Cylon sent to spread chaos in the Fleet? ([[Cylon agent speculation#Ellen Tigh?|Likely answer]])
*Why was the shuttle bearing the Quorum delegates en route from the ''[[Zephyr]]'', rather than [[Cloud 9]]?
*Who was the one who betrayed the others? Cally, for her refusal to carry out orders? Crashdown, for turning his gun on one of his own? Baltar, for killing the group's leader? Or even Tyrol, for his failure to defend Cally by killing Crashdown before the count of "three"? Maybe that's a stretch.
*Baltar appears bloodied and disheveled in his daydream, as he is in reality, instead of nattily well-dressed as he's always been before. Is he losing his mind?
*The Cylons know the location of Kobol ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]), and still have forces in the area ([[Scattered]]). If they had wished to intercept the [[SAR]] party or rescue their forces stranded on the planet, they could have done so easily. Instead they left a handful of [[Cylon Centurion|Centurions]] to improvise an ineffective missile battery. Why?

== Analysis ==

*Baltar appears in his virtual home with Six, but dressed in his fatigues and not at all spiffy as in past visions. Is this an indication that Baltar's mind is becoming more tortured, or is more or less brainwashed by Six than before?
*The somewhat delusional Roslin complains of a ringing sensation when Ellen Tigh appears. Immediately after she leaves and the hatch closes behind her, Roslin no longer hears the ringing and appears visibly relieved. She exclaims, "Oh my gods...Ellen Tigh." Could the Chamalla extract and their visions she sees be giving Roslin herself a way of detecting Cylons with her own senses, or do Ellen's grating personality traits extend into the subsonic range? Given that Roslin has had past visions that have later been logically and correctly identified as factual (to scripture or to current events), this may not be a stretch.
*Another interpretation to Roslin's complaint of ringing may be that Roslin may have barely realized that Ellen was in her presence and, in her delusion, thought she was talking to someone else. In this case, Roslin would have good reason to want to speak with the wife of the acting commanding officer that could set her free.

== Notes ==
*As of the opening credits, the fleet population is now 47,862, reflecting a casualty count of 12 during the Cylon boarding action in the previous episode. This seems barely sufficient to include the bodies seen on screen, let alone the number of casualties implied in [[Valley of Darkness]], but perhaps a number of the casualties haven't had time to expire yet. At the end of the episode, factoring in Crashdown's death, the total stands at 47,861.
*[[Crashdown]] dies in this episode, shot by Baltar because he was about to shoot Cally.
*"Frag" is American military slang for intentionally killing a superior officer of your own force in the field. Popularized during Vietnam, when discipline lagged and a few officers got grenades in their bunkers or caught "friendly fire" during a skirmish.
*[[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]] is the most fundamentalist of the [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Twelve Colonies]], interpreting the [[Sacred Scrolls]] very literally. It appears that many Gemenons believe so strongly in the [[Pythia]]'s prophesy that they will almost automatically side with President Roslin.
*[[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]] has revealed to the entire [[Quorum of Twelve]], as well as [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], that she is dying of breast cancer, and presumably it is now fully public knowledge.
*[[Cally]] only joined the Colonial Fleet as a way to pay her way through dental school.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]].
*Second (And to date the last) episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (The first was [[Valley of Darkness]]).
*First episode without scenes on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]].
*First episode since the miniseries without an appearance by Helo, even though Tahmoh Penikett is still credited in the opening credits.
*First episode in which Tigh calls ''[[Galactica]]'' "my ship."
*The discussion between Tigh and Billy firmly establishes that Billy was ''not'' arrested.
*Raptors are capable of carrying missiles.
**We also saw this in [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]
*Seven Vipers are down for repairs in this Episode, probably damaged offscreen during the sortie in "[[Scattered]]".
*[[Cottle]]'s hurried arrival means that this episode must begin very shortly after the end of "[[Valley of Darkness]]", during which Roslin still seems to be in good health. For her to exhibit the degree of symptoms we see, either [[Chamalla]]'s withdrawal effects are highly acute, or her delirium is the result of the extreme progression of her cancer, no longer masked by the anesthetic properties of the drug.
*The writers for this episode, Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, used to be writers on [[Katee Sackhoff]]'s old show, "The Education of Max Bigford". Ironically, "Fragged" happens to be the first episode of ''Battlestar Galactica'' that Katee Sackhoff does ''not'' appear in.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

{{cleanup}}

* ''In ''Galactica's'' brig:''
*:Laura Roslin: (to the Quorum of Twelve) Thank you all for coming. I have a statement I would like to make. The attempted military coup against the lawful government of the Colonies is illegal, ill-advised, and clearly doomed to failure. I have not resigned the Presidency, and I will fight this action with everything at my command.
*:Colonel Tigh: She's crazy. She's nuts! She thinks she's a prophet or some such nonsense. Go ahead and ask her, she'll tell you. Just listen to her! What was it, the...Arrow Of Apollo will open the Tomb of...Artemis, or some such nonsense.
*:Laura Roslin: Everything I have done is consistent and logical. We have found Kobol, we have found the City of the Gods, and when we retrieve the Arrow, we will open the tomb of Athena, and we will find the road to Earth.

* ''In an announcement to a group of journalists on ''Galactica''
*:Colonel Tigh: The events which took place aboard Colonial One are unfortunate. Laura Roslin's actions in supporting mutiny and sedition among the military could not be tolerated. Therefore, Commander Adama was left with no choice other than to remove her from office. Ms. Roslin is now resting comfortably aboard this ship, where she will remain until such time as the Commander deems otherwise. As it appears obvious that the government cannot function under the current circumstances, I have decided to dissolve the Quorum of Twelve, and as of this moment, I have declared martial law.

* ''In ''Galactica's'' sickbay''
*:Colonel Tigh: (talking about Commander Adama) Is he going to make it?
*:Doctor Cottle: How should I know? I'm not a psychic. Now get the hell out of here.

''(This appears to be a subtle in-joke to [[Ronald D. Moore|RDM's]] ties to ''Star Trek'' and Dr. McCoy's "I'm a doctor, not a..." quips.)''

*''Crashdown has ordered his untrained, outnumbered group to make a suicidal attack the Cylon missile battery:''
*:Baltar: He's crazy. I'm not trained for this kind of thing. I've never fired a gun in my life!
*:Seelix: I haven't fired one since 'basic.
*:Baltar: (''to Cally'') You?
*:Cally: I...just...joined up to pay for dental school!

* ''After Baltar shoots Crashdown on Kobol''
*:Number Six: (to Baltar) Now you're a man.

* ''In a desperate last stand against Cylons''
*:Chief Tyrol: (hiding from Cylon gunfire) Stay there! Stay there!
*:Gaius Baltar: (shooting at Cylons) Chief! Chief!
*:Chief Tyrol: (pulls a gun out of his holster and starts firing wildly at the advancing Cylon forces) Aah! Aah! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (Cylons are all blown into pieces, and Tyrol looks at his gun in amazement)

* ''While waiting to assault the Cylon forces on Kobol''
*:Crashdown: Frack orders, frack court-marshal! Our people are up there and we have to save them! We don't have any time! Move!
*:Cally: I can't do it!
*:Crashdown: Cally, move!
*:Cally: No!
*:Crashdown: (pulls a gun on Cally)
*:Gaius Baltar: Chief!
*:Chief Tyrol: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Put it down!
*:Crashdown: You're going, Cally. You're going out there or I'm going to blow your brains out, right here, right now.
*:Chief Tyrol: Hey LT, easy, easy-
*:Crashdown: I'm going to count to three.
*:Selix: This is crazy! This is crazy!
*:Crashdown: One...
*:Chief Tyrol: (pulls gun on Crashdown) Put it down, right now. Listen to me! Drop your weapon!
*:Crashdown: Two...three. (a gunshot is fired, and Crashdown falls dead against a tree, revealing that he has been shot by Baltar)

*''In a hallway on'' Galactica
*:Colonel Tigh: Why aren't you in the brig?
*:Billy: ''(flustered)'' Because.. you haven't put me there?

== Official Statements ==

=== Interviews ===

* '''[[Nicki Clyne]] ([[Cally]]) on filming this (and the previous) episodes taking place on [[Kobol]]:''

: I really like watching the stuff that we did on Kobol when we were running through the forest and shooting guns. I am really excited about those episodes for Cally and when she almost got shot by [[Crashdown]] ([[Samuel Witwer]]), I thought that was really cool. It was difficult to film at the time, because it was freezing cold and we were running through the forest, but I think that the end results were great. I think it was really fun. [http://scifibrain.ign.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2384&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=1]

== Guest stars ==
*[[Richard Hatch]] as [[Tom Zarek]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Samuel Witwer]] as [[Crashdown]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[[Kerry Norton]] as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*Kurt Evans as Paramedic [[Howard Kim]]
*Chris Shields as Corporal [[Venner]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*Patricia Idlette as [[Sarah Porter]]
*Malcom Stewart as [[Marshall Bagot]]
*T-Roy Kdzuki as "Marine"

== Statistics ==

* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Dawn Prestwich]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Nicole Yorkin]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T10:08:38Z

White Knight: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner]] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the [[Aft Damage Control]] section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the [[Aft Damage Control]] console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards [[Aft Damage Control]], but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] and [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Thrace leads them to her old apartment, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows. To Helo's suprise, Thrace's apartment is full of abstract paintings of her own making and tapes of orchestral music composed by her father.
*They later leave driving Thrace's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Did Six just make it up, or could it be the Cylon interpritation of the Scriptures?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and [[Aft Damage Control]].
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In Aft Damage Control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T10:02:48Z

White Knight: /* On Kobol */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner]] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the [[Aft Damage Control]] section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the [[Aft Damage Control]] console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards [[Aft Damage Control]], but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] and [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Thrace leads them to her old apartment, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows. To Helo's suprise, Thrace's apartment is full of abstract paintings of her own making and tapes of orchestral music composed by her father.
*They later leave driving Thrace's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Chief Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Or did Six just make it up?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and [[Aft Damage Control]].
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In Aft Damage Control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T09:59:18Z

White Knight: /* On Caprica */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner]] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the [[Aft Damage Control]] section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the [[Aft Damage Control]] console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards [[Aft Damage Control]], but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]] and [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Thrace leads them to her old apartment, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows. To Helo's suprise, Thrace's apartment is full of abstract paintings of her own making and tapes of orchestral music composed by her father.
*They later leave driving Thrace's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama|Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Or did Six just make it up?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and [[Aft Damage Control]].
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In Aft Damage Control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T08:52:44Z

White Knight: /* On Caprica */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner]] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the [[Aft Damage Control]] section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the [[Aft Damage Control]] console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards [[Aft Damage Control]], but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Thrace]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Thrace leads them to her old apartment, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows. To Helo's suprise, Thrace's apartment is full of abstract paintings of her own making and tapes of orchestral music composed by her father.
*They later leave driving Starbuck's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama|Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Or did Six just make it up?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and [[Aft Damage Control]].
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In Aft Damage Control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T08:42:12Z

White Knight: /* On Galactica */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner]] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the aft damage control section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the aft damage control console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards aft damage control, but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Starbuck leads them to her old house, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows.
*They later leave driving Starbuck's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama|Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Or did Six just make it up?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and Aft Damage Control.
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In aft damage control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Valley of Darkness

2006-04-26T08:40:56Z

White Knight: /* On Galactica */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Valley_of_Darkness-Starbuck_Helo.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Valley of Darkness
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=2
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Bradley Thompson]] & [[David Weddle]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.02
| Rating= 2.0
| US Airdate=July 22 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,874
| Prev=[[Scattered]]
| Next=[[Fragged]]
}}
== Overview ==

: ''After rediscovering [[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]], [[Cylon Centurion]]s board ''[[Galactica]]'' and wreak havoc, and [[Lee Adama]] and a rag-tag group of pilots and marines attempt to thwart the Cylon's methodical plans.''

== Summary ==

===On Galactica===

* After jumping successfully to the Fleet's location, the ''Galactica'''s power systems shut down.
* After landing on ''Galactica'', [[Lee Adama]], [[Louanne Katraine|Kat]], [[Brendan Constanza|Hot Dog]], and [[Flyboy]] are walking through the corridors with flashlights. Flyboy stumbles into a Cylon Centurion -- the Cylon kills him and the rest attempt to flee.
* As Hot Dog and Kat flee up the stair way, Lee attempts to kill the Cylon. A small group of [[marines]] come from behind the Cylon, using an explosive round that is able to take it out. Unfortunately, it was their last one, they'll have to get more as it is the only round that works against this heavily-armored version of Centurion.
* [[Laura Roslin]] convinces Corporal [[Venner] that they need let her out and leave the brig before the Cylons find them. Venner decides that sickbay is the safest place to be until the crisis is over, so he, Roslin and [[Billy Keikeya]] head out.
* Lee's group goes to the storage locker on deck 12. They find [[Jammer]] (a member of [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]]'s repair crew) and, unfortunately, only six explosive rounds.
* [[Felix Gaeta]] states that the [[Cylon Virus]] has infected some of the ship's isolated computers when they were networked; he has teams cleaning them out.
* Roslin's group find the bodies of some of ''Galactica'''s enlisted crew, massacred by the Cylons except for one survivor: a shell-shocked [[Anastasia Dualla]]. As Billy tries to snap Dualla out of her shock, Venner discovers that the Cylons have depressurised the route they had planned to take to sickbay. The group, now with Dualla, heads out along an alternative route that goes past [[Aft Damage Control]].
* Tigh gets reports that some of the Cylons have been taken out by teams throughout the ship. He suspects that the Cylons are heading towards two sections of the ship -- one of which is [[Aft Damage Control]] -- in order to vent the ship. (After the ship is vented and the crew terminated, Tigh states that the Cylons would turn ''Galactica's'' guns on the Fleet.)
* Lee gets into contact with [[CIC]] via a portable phone. Tigh orders him to go to the aft damage control section to stop the Cylons from overriding the safeguards that prevent the ship from being vented.
* Lee, Jammer, Kat, and two marines station themselves near the aft damage control console. As they ready the defense against the advancing Cylons, Roslin's group hide in a nearby passageway to avoid being discovered once they realise that the Cylons are close by. The Cylons run down a hallway towards aft damage control, but are distracted when Billy accidentally fires off a round while running away. This gives Lee enough time to destroy the Cylon attackers.
*Having successfully destroyed the Cylons, Doctor [[Cottle]] is requested to be brought to the ''Galactica''. In the sickbay, Roslin assures Lee Adama that [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] will be fine, and she is taken back to the brig. Tigh tells Lee that he is still shocked that he would side with the President instead of his own father, and that he is unfit to wear a [[Colonial]] uniform. Lee agrees, tells Tigh that he isn't fit to wear the uniform either, and that when Adama wakes up, he will decide what to do with both of them.

===On Caprica===
*[[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]] discuss how the Cylons have a habit of fooling everyone.
*Starbuck leads them to her old house, where she reminisces about how she hated it and how she keeps fighting because it's the only thing she knows.
*They later leave driving Starbuck's old army truck.

===On Kobol===
*[[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] has a dream where [[William Adama|Adama]] drowns Baltar's daughter.
*When he wakes up, he is in [[Number Six]]'s arms, surrounded by human skulls and bones. Six tells Baltar that they were victims of human sacrifice, and that the [[Sacred_Scrolls|Scriptures]] were lies, fabricated to cover up how barbaric life on Kobol really was.
*When he returns to the others, Baltar is harangued by [[Crashdown]].
*[[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]] is feeling responsible for [[Tarn]]'s death, but [[Cally]] snaps him out of it.
*The two return with the medkits, but it is too late to save [[Socinus]]' life. Telling him that he is going home, Tyrol reluctantly kills him with an overdose of [[morpha]].

== Questions ==
*The remains Baltar and Six find cannot be thousands of years old; they would not have survived in the open. Did the [[Thirteenth Colony]] leave Kobol recently? Do humans, at least until recently, still inhabit Kobol? Or were all the remains merely fabricated by Six?
*Why would later humans have felt it necessary to cover up the nature of civilization on Kobol? Is it related to the reason why Kobol was abandoned in the first place? How would the Cylons have found out? Or did Six just make it up?
*How did Tigh know where the Centurions were heading? Did the Cylons use this tactic in the first war?
** '''Note:''' It is stated in the [[series bible]] that during Tigh's enlistment in the first [[Cylon War]], his ship was boarded -- it is likely that he learned of these tactics during this conflict. (see: [[Saul Tigh]])
**'''Note:''' A deleted scene for this episode shows more flashbacks between Tigh and Adama in which they reminisce about old battles in the Cylon War. One particular recount involved the Cylons boarding a vessel and heading for two specific locations; Auxiliary Fire Control and Aft Damage Control.
*Is Helo starting to fall for Starbuck? ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|Answer]]: Most likely no.)
*While pointing out different parts of the ship where Centurions were destroyed, it's mentioned that Sgt. [[Hadrian]] was leading a group of Marines that managed to destroy several Cylons. However, at the end of "[[Litmus]]" Adama had her confined to quarters. Did Adama eventually release her before this episode? Did the Marines release her now because they needed every experienced Marine they could find?
**It is possible that she has to spend her off-duty time in her quarters, but continues to perform her duties the same way Lee Adama did under Colonel Tigh's command. Given the overall shortage of personal and the type and length of punishments Commander Adama hands out for these reasons in past and future episodes it's likely she was released since "Litmus".
*Why does Dee tell Billy they haven't met in person "in two weeks" when they were last seen dancing together on Colonial Day, two days ago at the most? (Kobol's Last Gleaming starts the night after Colonial Day, if Starbuck's wearing the same dress at the beginning)
**Presuming they take place concurrently, the captions for the scenes on Cylon-occupied Caprica indicate that Part I takes place three days after Colonial Day and Part II the day after that. Scattered and this episode almost certainly take place on the same day as Part II, however, so it has still been at most four days since they saw each other.

== Analysis ==

== Notes ==
*The fleet population cited in the opening credits is 47,874. This is one less than the previous episode—prior to the opening credits, a Cylon is seen killing a Galactica crew member.
*First episode without an appearance by [[Sharon Valerii]] (except in opening montage).
*Helo reveals to Starbuck that the Cylons recovered the bodies and brought them to cremation centers, hence the lack of bodies.
*Socinus, initially slated to die in early drafts of "[[Scattered]]", dies in this episode -- euthanised by Tyrol.
*Colonials used internal combustion engines (Starbuck's Humvee). Assuming that it was the Colonists that brought organic life along with them to the Homeworlds (terraforming) (as Kobol's wildlife (birds and trees and such) is identical to Caprica's, this is likely the case), it probably does not burn fossil fuels, though, since the Kobol's refugees arrived on the Colonies only thousands of years rather than the millions of years it takes for fossil fuels to form. However, Kobol's life forms could also simply have replaced or supplemented less evolved or less strong life forms on the colonial planets, as happened several times on Earth where non-ingenious life forms can wreck havoc on a local ecosystem; or the local life forms may have died out through a catastrophic event. Both scenarios leave enough time for original life forms to be turned into fossil fuels.
* [[Kate Vernon]] is listed as a guest star in the opening credits, even though her character, [[Ellen Tigh]], never makes an appearance in this episode.
* The music that we hear in Kara Thrace's apartment and again during the closing act of the episode is ''Metamorphosis One'', composed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Glass Philip Glass]. It is from Glass's 1989 album ''Solo Piano''.
*The fate of the Heavy Raider in the starboard bay is unknown. It's possible that, like Starbuck's captured Raider, they kept it for study. However, the crash may have damaged it beyond repair.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits is a take-off on the plot of "Valley of Darkness", a group of Cylon Centurions walk by the office window and ventilate David Eick with bullets.

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''On the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and Cally are on their way to rendezvous with the rest of the Raptor crash survivors:''
:Cally: (exhausted from walking) What do you say we take five?
:(Chief Tyrol is still in a state of shock [having lost Tarn to a surprise attack by the Cylons in the last episode] and leans against a tree)
:Cally: How much further, do you think?
:(Chief Tyrol ignores her)
:Cally: Tarn getting shot...it wasn't your fault, right Chief?
:(Chief Tyrol is silent)
:Cally: Talk to me, you motherfracker!
:(Chief Tyrol turns around and looks at her strangely)
:Chief Tyrol: (laughing) Motherfracker?
:Cally: Socinus better appreciate this.
:Chief Tyrol: He's probably lying in the sun, staring up at the birds like some Gods' damned emperor. He's an idiot.
:Cally: I hope he's okay...

* ''Regarding [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|"Sharon, the Cylon"]]:''
:'''Starbuck:''' (to Helo, sarcastically) "Your girlfriend’s from a lovely family, good people."

* ''In her apartment on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo have stopped to take a rest:''
:Kara Thrace: (sitting on her couch) You know, I never really liked this place anyway. The air conditioning doesn't work in the summer, the heater doesn't work in the winter, the rent's a crime...(lights a cigarette)...after they attacked, I never pined over any of my old crap. Never missed it. Stupid VO's in the parking lot, broken toilet in the bathroom...you know, everyone I know is fighting to get back what they had. I'm fighting because I don't know how to do anything else.

* '''Lee Adama''': "Let’s go [[toaster]] shopping."

* ''Chief Tyrol and Cally have rejoined the others on Kobol, and they find out that Socinus isn't going to survive much longer:''
:Chief Tyrol: How's he doing?
:Selix: He's not going to make it.
:Chief Tyrol: What? What do you mean? What are you talking about? We got the medkit! Give him a shot! Give him another shot!
:Selix: It's too late.
:Chief Tyrol: What do you mean, it's too late? I got you the medkit! What else do you want? (looking stunned) So we...got the medicine you asked for...Tarn...and for what? For this? Come on! You have to do something. You have to do something!
:Selix: We can't change that he's going to die, Chief. It's going to be slow and painful, and we can spare him that if we give him the morpha from my kit and the one that you brought back.
:Chief Tyrol: What? No. (looks at Crashdown) LT..LT, come on!
:Crashdown: He's your man, Chief.
:Chief Tyrol: Give it to me. (takes morpha from Selix and leans down beside Socinus) Hey buddy. It's the Chief. How you doing?
:Socinus: (wheezing) What's going on?
:Chief Tyrol: Oh, you know...listening to the birds. I got you a little something for the pain. (injects morpha into Socinus) Good news, buddy. The recovery party's here. Raptors just landed. We're going to put you on one and take you back to Galactica, okay?
:Socinus: We're going home?
:Chief Tyrol: Yeah...(tears welling in his eyes)...we're going home.
:(Socinus passes away)

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
:Colonel Tigh: I can't believe you sided with that woman against the old man. I wouldn't do that if you put a gun to my head...and you did! As far as I'm concerned, you're not fit to wear a uniform.
:Lee Adama: Huh. You're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform...and maybe I never was. Then again, neither are you. But this isn't my ship, and it sure as hell isn't yours. (motions at Commander Adama) It's his, and when he wakes up, he'll decide what to do with the both of us. (Lee leaves to go back to the brig)
:Colonel Tigh: Thank the Gods I didn't have kids.

* ''In aft damage control, preparing to fight the Cylons:''
:'''Lee Adama''': Sometimes you got to roll a hard six.
:'''[[Jammer]]''': What does that mean, sir?
:'''Lee Adama''': Uh, I don't know. It's something my [[William Adama|dad]] says.

== Official Statements ==




* "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}}

* ''"[[Lee Adama|Apollo]]'s betrayal of [[William Adama|Adama]]'s decision to arrest the [[Laura Roslin|president]] is detracting from the believability of the show for me. I'm listining to your [[podcast]] of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|ep. 113]] as I write this and you just said Lee is "a more capable, more competent, leader . . ." He's also struck me as a fairly honorable character. If he had doubts about this mission I think he would have at least voiced them and then not gone along with the strike team so he would not have been put in the position he was. I hope you won't use Adama's near death experience at the end of season one/start of season two to "write off" these betrayals, esp. Apollo's. His was much more unforgivable considering his relationship with Adama, his leadership role in the fleet, and the battle between the president and Adama. I find it hard to see Lee continuing as [[CAG]] after this. "''

: You bring up valid points and we are planning to play out the consequences of Lee's decision as it impacts both him and his father over the course of the season. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Dominic Zamprogna]] as [[Jammer]]
*Garvin Cross as [[Collishaw]]
*Brad Loree as [[Bonnington]]
*Lori Stewart as [[Twinam]]

== Statistics ==



* USA [[Wikipedia:Nielsen Ratings|Nielsen Ratings]]: 2.0 household rating

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Scattered

2006-04-26T07:01:39Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'' */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Tighadama.jpg|250px]]
| Title=Scattered
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=1
| Guests=
| Writer=[[David Weddle]] & [[Bradley Thompson]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.01 '''(Season 2.0 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.6; 3,053,000 viewers
| US Airdate=July 15 2005
| UK Airdate=January 10 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,875
| Prev=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]
| Next=[[Valley of Darkness]]
}}

== 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. See the episode, "[[Valley of Darkness]]," for the conclusion.

== Summary ==

===On ''Galactica''===

*Moments after the shooting of [[William Adama|Adama]], a [[Cylon Basestar|basestar]] ambushes the Colonial fleet, prompting [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] to execute an emergency [[FTL]] jump procedure for the fleet to rendezvous at another point. After ''[[Galactica]]'' jumps, it finds itself stranded from the rest of the fleet, in the middle of nowhere.
*After being shot by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], Commander Adama is rushed to the ship's infirmary. As Dr. [[Cottle]] is not onboard, a team of [[Layne Ishay|medics]] work to stabilize Adama's condition.
*Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] devises a plan to find the co-ordinates of the fleet: he networks the [[FTL]] computer to the Navigation, Damage Control, and Fire Control [[computers]] aboard ''Galactica'', so it will only take 10 minutes to compute the fleet's location. However, not only will this involve jumping back to their last position, where they were ambushed by the Cylons, but networking the computers will make ''Galactica'' suseptable to Cylon computer viruses.
[[Image:201 02.jpg|thumb|Tigh brutalizes Valerii during her interrogation.]]
*[[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] visits the incarcerated Valerii, who insists she knows nothing about what's going on. She asks about Adama's condition.
*[[Lee Adama]] agrees to a parole with [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], the conditions of which mean that Lee is allowed to perform his duties as [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot and [[CAG]] but while he is not on duty he must report to the brig. The parole begins immediately, as Lee is required to lead ''Galactica'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] and hold off the Cylons.
*Once ''Galactica'' jumps back to Kobol, the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s manage to hold off the oncoming waves of [[Cylon Raider]]s. A [[Heavy Raider]] makes it way towards ''Galactica''. It is shot down by Lee and crashes into the starboard [[flight pod]], depressuring it.
*The Cylons attempt to hack ''Galactica'''s computers, but Gaeta manages to calculate the fleet location before the Cylons gain any control over ''Galactica'''s systems, and ''Galactica'' jumps to meet them.
*The medics successfully stabilize [[William Adama|Adama]]'s condition, although he remains in serious condition.
*The crashed Heavy Raider seems completely destroyed as it lay on ''[[Galactica]]'s'' starboard flight deck, but multiple sets of red sensors soon light up from inside, and a group of [[Cylon Centurion]]s make their way out of the craft.

===On Caprica===

* In the [[Delphi Museum]], [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace]] meet after she recovers the [[Arrow of Apollo]]. Thrace attempts to shoot the [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]].

* Helo stops Thrace and tells her that Valerii is pregnant. Kara refuses to accept it.
* After Kara's attempt to shoot Valerii, she escapes from the Delphi Museum's grounds in Kara's captured Cylon Raider. (Exclaims Starbuck: "Bitch took my ride.")

===On Kobol===

*On Kobol, the survivors of the Raptor crash escape into the forest to avoid the Cylons.
*With [[Socinus]] dying, Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], [[Cally]], and a crewmember named [[Tarn]] return 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.

== Summary from scifi.com ==

With Commander Adama fighting for his life after being shot by the Cylon infiltrator Sharon, and President Roslin languishing in the ''Galactica's'' brig after losing the power struggle with Adama, Colonel Tigh is thrust into the unfamiliar role of the sole leader in a time of crisis.

The situation worsens quickly. First, Tigh sends Lee to the brig for siding with Roslin against Commander Adama. Then an emergency jump to escape an incoming Cylon force goes wrong, leaving Galactica alone in space, separated from the rest of the fleet — and from the medical help needed to save Adama's life.

As Tigh struggles to come to terms with this crisis, he thinks back on his relationship with Adama, who saved him from oblivion and from his own fierce temper, and tries to tap into some of the wisdom that his old friend offered him.

It soon becomes clear that to reconnect with the fleet, ''Galactica'' must jump back into danger over Kobol and network its computers, a highly risky move that will make the ship vulnerable to attack from both the Cylon fighters and their crippling computer viruses.

Meanwhile, on the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and the rest of the downed Raptor crew fight for their lives against an unseen enemy while Vice President Baltar seeks solace in his visions of Number Six, only to find those visions turn dark and haunting.

Light-years away, on Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara and Helo must find some way to bring the Arrow of Apollo back to the fleet — but first they have to get it back from the avatar of Number Six who has found it in the Delphi Museum. 
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==

* Does Tigh recall that [[Gaius Baltar]] first tested his [[Cylon detector]] on Valerii? Or did he know in the first place? ([[Resistance|Answer]])
* 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? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]] for related topic)
* 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.

== Analysis ==
*'''Visual evidence of the data security breach''': If you look really hard, the instant that Gaeta leans away from the status display to the floor to yank out the cable networking the computers (while he's not looking), the display does show that the last firewall was breached for a split second (probably why the Cylons weren't able to infiltrate a few but not all of Galactica's computers).
[[Image:Virus Scattered.JPG|thumb|The Cylon Virus breaches Gaeta's firewalls in the upper-left corner of picture ([[Scattered]]).]]

*'''Kelly as third-in-command''': In this episode, we discover that [[Aaron Kelly|Captain Aaron Kelly]] is third-in-command, but we haven't really seen that much of him since the [[Miniseries]] (although we see him doing his job as [[Landing Signal Officer]] in "[[Final Cut]]"), which makes this seem contrived. However, in the [[Miniseries]], Kelly gives Tyrol an order to aid the stricken port flight pod rescue after Tigh hesitates to give an order (himself following Adama's command to tend to the matter). Giving such an order with the second-in-command standing there is something only a third-in-command would have the guts or authorization to do. Tigh did countermand him moments later to order the venting of the pod, but did not suggest he was out-of-line for stepping in. This strongly suggests that Kelly already was third-in-command, either at the time of decommissioning or as a direct result of casualties taken in the attack.

*'''Time placement relative to "[[Valley of Darkness]]"''': Considering that Colonel Tigh is still sitting at Commander Adama's bedside as [[Valley of Darkness]] opens, and that the Vipers deployed in this episode have just arrived in the flight deck, and the pilots are getting out of their aircraft, it is plausible to assume that [[Valley of Darkness]] takes place either directly after the events of this episode, or at the most, a couple of hours.

*'''Starboard Flight Pod''': The starboard flight pod is significantly damaged in this episode. However, as RDM reminded us in audio commentary (podcast) for this episode, this landing pod - originally set up as a museum - is not in active use.

*'''The networked-computer vunerability''': Computers simply being networked is not a sufficient condition to allow foreign interference - why would any of the systems [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] linked be connected to [[wireless]] channels? Was the infiltration that he detected most likely originating from within ''[[Galactica]]''?

:No and yes. As with any other Colonial ship, ''Galactica'' receives data all the time from exterior sources. In addition to its mainframe computer, ''Galactica'' primary computers include the FTL, Navigation, Damage Control, and Fire Control systems. The mainframe ostensibly handles wireless communications (Note Caprica-Valerii's request for access to the mainframe with its communications channels in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]"). The mainframe probably ''did'' come under attack by the Cylon virus but was able to avoid infection because a Colonial mainframe may have been what the Colonials believed would be the central lynchpin in stopping any Cylon computer cracking.

:While the Colonial Fleet was lax in their computer defenses since the [[Cylon War]], they probably believed that a networked computer system would be acceptable provided that their battlestar's mainframe computer or a robust avionics package and programming would be able to block or stop any electronic incursion. That fact might have been true--where it not for the [[Command Navigation Program]], which gave the Cylons a backdoor to any Colonial flight computer system. Instead of ramming the main door (mainframe) down, the Cylons used the "window", entering through a lesser computer (or opening a hole in their network) to achieve the same effect. The CNP helped to bypass the defenses of the mainframe, where normal communications were probably screened and electronic attacks thwarted, to enter through another system.

:''Galactica's'' computers may have never been networked in her history before this episode. Her computers may also not be as robust as her sister battlestars. But her computers were designed to be networked or run separately since Gaeta was able to set up a network at all. It was very likely that the mainframe was part of Gaeta's ad hoc network since the other computers would not be able to gather any data from the mainframe's wireless communications. Once the connections were made, the other computers (all of which probably had less resistance or defenses to Cylon viruses) were likely more susceptible to infection than the mainframe as these computers could now "hear" the same things that the mainframe heard normally in its business (such as Cylon electronic attack sequences), but was far more able to thwart. The lesser computers became infected quickly. After a time, even the mainframe in whole or in part would be infected since the Cylon virus is remarkably adaptable and polymorphic, even turning later into a [[Logic bomb]] after learning and probing ''Galactica's'' hardware.

== Notes ==

*The second season introduced the practice of showing the current fleet population in the opening credits. Throughout this episode, that population is 47,875. That represents 12 total casualties since "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II".
* [[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 incapacity 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.
** '''Note:''' Another possibility is that Dr. (Major) Cottle might not even be in "Galactica's Line of Sucession" at all (he is a medical officer, not a combat officer); in the United States military there are times when a lower ranking person will be in "Operational Command" of people who are technically higher in rank. For example, the United States Navy makes a distinction between Line Officers and Staff Officers. Line officers are those officers in general military specialties, and are eligible to command ships and other units. Staff Officers, however, are only permitted to command units within their specialty. Aboard ships, the senior Line Officer is in command, no matter the rank of any embarked Staff Officer.
* 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 [[Felix Gaeta|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.
* This episode introduces the first combat depiction of the Cylon [[Heavy Raider]], previously seen during [[Colonial Day]].
* 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.
*Kerry Norton (Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]) is the wife of Jamie Bamber (Lee `Apollo` Adama)

== Bloopers ==

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

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
*: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. Anne'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 being "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 [[Saul Tigh|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 moments, 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."

=== Interviews===

* ''[[Jamie Bamber]] talks about the challenge of filming the episode's opening act:''

: So far this season I've been given great stuff to do, and [[Lee Adama|as my character]] I've been very careful not to apologize for the decision he made in ''[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|Kobol's Last Gleaming]]''. It's the one thing that Lee can claim as his own act and he's not about to second guess himself. [[Michael Rymer]] [who directed ''Kobol's Last Gleaming'' and ''Scattered''] and I got together early on and decided that would be the case. We could have taken Lee down either path. He could have felt massive guilt in the way in which his father is gunned down seconds after betraying him, and then not having the chance to put that right. It would have been easy to go back and question what he did, but I think the character is far more interesting and stronger for not doing that. Lee is standing on his own two feet and moving forward, which he has to do. {{ref|starburst_71_19-20}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1406239/ Warren Christie] as [[Tarn]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as [[Socinus]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0851898/ Michael Tayles] as [[Flyboy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*Chris Shields as Corporal [[Venner]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Kerry Norton]] as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*Kurt Evans as Paramedic [[Howard Kim]]
*Nicholas Treeshin and Sergeant Watkins
*Aleks Paunovic Sergeant [[Fischer]]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/201/ "Scattered"] at scifi.com

== References ==

* {{note|starburst_71_19-20}} Steven Eramo, "Jamie Bamber: A Man for all Seasons". Starburst, Special 71: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/StarburstScans/BSGscan11.jpg 19]-[http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/StarburstScans/BSGscan12.jpg 20]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

[[es:Dispersos]]

Scattered

2006-04-26T07:00:08Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'' */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Tighadama.jpg|250px]]
| Title=Scattered
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 2 (2005-06)|2]]
| Episode=1
| Guests=
| Writer=[[David Weddle]] & [[Bradley Thompson]]
| Story=
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=2.01 '''(Season 2.0 Premiere)'''
| Rating= 2.6; 3,053,000 viewers
| US Airdate=July 15 2005
| UK Airdate=January 10 2006
| DVD=Dec 20 2005 (US Season 2.0)
| Population=47,875
| Prev=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]
| Next=[[Valley of Darkness]]
}}

== 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. See the episode, "[[Valley of Darkness]]," for the conclusion.

== Summary ==

===On ''Galactica''===

*Moments after the shooting of [[William Adama|Adama]], a [[Cylon Basestar|basestar]] ambushes the Colonial fleet, prompting [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] to execute an emergency [[FTL]] jump procedure for the fleet to rendezvous at another point. After ''[[Galactica]]'' jumps, it finds itself stranded from the rest of the fleet, in the middle of nowhere.
*After being shot by [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], Commander Adama is rushed to the ship's infirmary. As Dr. [[Cottle]] is not onboard, a team of [[Layne Ishay|medics]] work to stabilize Adama's condition.
*Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] devises a plan to find the co-ordinates of the fleet: he networks the [[FTL]] computer to the Navigation, Damage Control, and Fire Control [[computers]] aboard ''Galactica'', so it will only take 10 minutes to compute the fleet's location. However, not only will this involve jumping back to their last position, where they were ambushed by the Cylons, but networking the computers will make them suseptable to Cylon computer viruses.
[[Image:201 02.jpg|thumb|Tigh brutalizes Valerii during her interrogation.]]
*[[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] visits the incarcerated Valerii, who insists she knows nothing about what's going on. She asks about Adama's condition.
*[[Lee Adama]] agrees to a parole with [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]], the conditions of which mean that Lee is allowed to perform his duties as [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] pilot and [[CAG]] but while he is not on duty he must report to the brig. The parole begins immediately, as Lee is required to lead ''Galactica'''s [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] and hold off the Cylons.
*Once ''Galactica'' jumps back to Kobol, the [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]]s manage to hold off the oncoming waves of [[Cylon Raider]]s. A [[Heavy Raider]] makes it way towards ''Galactica''. It is shot down by Lee and crashes into the starboard [[flight pod]], depressuring it.
*The Cylons attempt to hack ''Galactica'''s computers, but Gaeta manages to calculate the fleet location before the Cylons gain any control over ''Galactica'''s systems, and ''Galactica'' jumps to meet them.
*The medics successfully stabilize [[William Adama|Adama]]'s condition, although he remains in serious condition.
*The crashed Heavy Raider seems completely destroyed as it lay on ''[[Galactica]]'s'' starboard flight deck, but multiple sets of red sensors soon light up from inside, and a group of [[Cylon Centurion]]s make their way out of the craft.

===On Caprica===

* In the [[Delphi Museum]], [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] and [[Kara Thrace]] meet after she recovers the [[Arrow of Apollo]]. Thrace attempts to shoot the [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Caprica copy of Sharon Valerii]].

* Helo stops Thrace and tells her that Valerii is pregnant. Kara refuses to accept it.
* After Kara's attempt to shoot Valerii, she escapes from the Delphi Museum's grounds in Kara's captured Cylon Raider. (Exclaims Starbuck: "Bitch took my ride.")

===On Kobol===

*On Kobol, the survivors of the Raptor crash escape into the forest to avoid the Cylons.
*With [[Socinus]] dying, Chief [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol]], [[Cally]], and a crewmember named [[Tarn]] return 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.

== Summary from scifi.com ==

With Commander Adama fighting for his life after being shot by the Cylon infiltrator Sharon, and President Roslin languishing in the ''Galactica's'' brig after losing the power struggle with Adama, Colonel Tigh is thrust into the unfamiliar role of the sole leader in a time of crisis.

The situation worsens quickly. First, Tigh sends Lee to the brig for siding with Roslin against Commander Adama. Then an emergency jump to escape an incoming Cylon force goes wrong, leaving Galactica alone in space, separated from the rest of the fleet — and from the medical help needed to save Adama's life.

As Tigh struggles to come to terms with this crisis, he thinks back on his relationship with Adama, who saved him from oblivion and from his own fierce temper, and tries to tap into some of the wisdom that his old friend offered him.

It soon becomes clear that to reconnect with the fleet, ''Galactica'' must jump back into danger over Kobol and network its computers, a highly risky move that will make the ship vulnerable to attack from both the Cylon fighters and their crippling computer viruses.

Meanwhile, on the surface of Kobol, Chief Tyrol and the rest of the downed Raptor crew fight for their lives against an unseen enemy while Vice President Baltar seeks solace in his visions of Number Six, only to find those visions turn dark and haunting.

Light-years away, on Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara and Helo must find some way to bring the Arrow of Apollo back to the fleet — but first they have to get it back from the avatar of Number Six who has found it in the Delphi Museum. 
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==

* Does Tigh recall that [[Gaius Baltar]] first tested his [[Cylon detector]] on Valerii? Or did he know in the first place? ([[Resistance|Answer]])
* 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? (see [[#Analysis|Analysis]] for related topic)
* 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.

== Analysis ==
*'''Visual evidence of the data security breach''': If you look really hard, the instant that Gaeta leans away from the status display to the floor to yank out the cable networking the computers (while he's not looking), the display does show that the last firewall was breached for a split second (probably why the Cylons weren't able to infiltrate a few but not all of Galactica's computers).
[[Image:Virus Scattered.JPG|thumb|The Cylon Virus breaches Gaeta's firewalls in the upper-left corner of picture ([[Scattered]]).]]

*'''Kelly as third-in-command''': In this episode, we discover that [[Aaron Kelly|Captain Aaron Kelly]] is third-in-command, but we haven't really seen that much of him since the [[Miniseries]] (although we see him doing his job as [[Landing Signal Officer]] in "[[Final Cut]]"), which makes this seem contrived. However, in the [[Miniseries]], Kelly gives Tyrol an order to aid the stricken port flight pod rescue after Tigh hesitates to give an order (himself following Adama's command to tend to the matter). Giving such an order with the second-in-command standing there is something only a third-in-command would have the guts or authorization to do. Tigh did countermand him moments later to order the venting of the pod, but did not suggest he was out-of-line for stepping in. This strongly suggests that Kelly already was third-in-command, either at the time of decommissioning or as a direct result of casualties taken in the attack.

*'''Time placement relative to "[[Valley of Darkness]]"''': Considering that Colonel Tigh is still sitting at Commander Adama's bedside as [[Valley of Darkness]] opens, and that the Vipers deployed in this episode have just arrived in the flight deck, and the pilots are getting out of their aircraft, it is plausible to assume that [[Valley of Darkness]] takes place either directly after the events of this episode, or at the most, a couple of hours.

*'''Starboard Flight Pod''': The starboard flight pod is significantly damaged in this episode. However, as RDM reminded us in audio commentary (podcast) for this episode, this landing pod - originally set up as a museum - is not in active use.

*'''The networked-computer vunerability''': Computers simply being networked is not a sufficient condition to allow foreign interference - why would any of the systems [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]] linked be connected to [[wireless]] channels? Was the infiltration that he detected most likely originating from within ''[[Galactica]]''?

:No and yes. As with any other Colonial ship, ''Galactica'' receives data all the time from exterior sources. In addition to its mainframe computer, ''Galactica'' primary computers include the FTL, Navigation, Damage Control, and Fire Control systems. The mainframe ostensibly handles wireless communications (Note Caprica-Valerii's request for access to the mainframe with its communications channels in "[[Flight of the Phoenix]]"). The mainframe probably ''did'' come under attack by the Cylon virus but was able to avoid infection because a Colonial mainframe may have been what the Colonials believed would be the central lynchpin in stopping any Cylon computer cracking.

:While the Colonial Fleet was lax in their computer defenses since the [[Cylon War]], they probably believed that a networked computer system would be acceptable provided that their battlestar's mainframe computer or a robust avionics package and programming would be able to block or stop any electronic incursion. That fact might have been true--where it not for the [[Command Navigation Program]], which gave the Cylons a backdoor to any Colonial flight computer system. Instead of ramming the main door (mainframe) down, the Cylons used the "window", entering through a lesser computer (or opening a hole in their network) to achieve the same effect. The CNP helped to bypass the defenses of the mainframe, where normal communications were probably screened and electronic attacks thwarted, to enter through another system.

:''Galactica's'' computers may have never been networked in her history before this episode. Her computers may also not be as robust as her sister battlestars. But her computers were designed to be networked or run separately since Gaeta was able to set up a network at all. It was very likely that the mainframe was part of Gaeta's ad hoc network since the other computers would not be able to gather any data from the mainframe's wireless communications. Once the connections were made, the other computers (all of which probably had less resistance or defenses to Cylon viruses) were likely more susceptible to infection than the mainframe as these computers could now "hear" the same things that the mainframe heard normally in its business (such as Cylon electronic attack sequences), but was far more able to thwart. The lesser computers became infected quickly. After a time, even the mainframe in whole or in part would be infected since the Cylon virus is remarkably adaptable and polymorphic, even turning later into a [[Logic bomb]] after learning and probing ''Galactica's'' hardware.

== Notes ==

*The second season introduced the practice of showing the current fleet population in the opening credits. Throughout this episode, that population is 47,875. That represents 12 total casualties since "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II".
* [[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 incapacity 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.
** '''Note:''' Another possibility is that Dr. (Major) Cottle might not even be in "Galactica's Line of Sucession" at all (he is a medical officer, not a combat officer); in the United States military there are times when a lower ranking person will be in "Operational Command" of people who are technically higher in rank. For example, the United States Navy makes a distinction between Line Officers and Staff Officers. Line officers are those officers in general military specialties, and are eligible to command ships and other units. Staff Officers, however, are only permitted to command units within their specialty. Aboard ships, the senior Line Officer is in command, no matter the rank of any embarked Staff Officer.
* 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 [[Felix Gaeta|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.
* This episode introduces the first combat depiction of the Cylon [[Heavy Raider]], previously seen during [[Colonial Day]].
* 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.
*Kerry Norton (Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]) is the wife of Jamie Bamber (Lee `Apollo` Adama)

== Bloopers ==

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

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''In the Galactica's sickbay:''
*: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. Anne'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 being "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 [[Saul Tigh|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 moments, 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."

=== Interviews===

* ''[[Jamie Bamber]] talks about the challenge of filming the episode's opening act:''

: So far this season I've been given great stuff to do, and [[Lee Adama|as my character]] I've been very careful not to apologize for the decision he made in ''[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II|Kobol's Last Gleaming]]''. It's the one thing that Lee can claim as his own act and he's not about to second guess himself. [[Michael Rymer]] [who directed ''Kobol's Last Gleaming'' and ''Scattered''] and I got together early on and decided that would be the case. We could have taken Lee down either path. He could have felt massive guilt in the way in which his father is gunned down seconds after betraying him, and then not having the chance to put that right. It would have been easy to go back and question what he did, but I think the character is far more interesting and stronger for not doing that. Lee is standing on his own two feet and moving forward, which he has to do. {{ref|starburst_71_19-20}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]
*[[Luciana Carro]] as Lt. [[Louanne Katraine|Louanne "Kat" Katraine]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1406239/ Warren Christie] as [[Tarn]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[[Ty Olsson]] as Captain [[Aaron Kelly]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0654640/ Alonso Oyarzun] as [[Socinus]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0851898/ Michael Tayles] as [[Flyboy]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*Chris Shields as Corporal [[Venner]]
*Jennifer Halley as [[Seelix]]
*[[Kerry Norton]] as Paramedic [[Layne Ishay]]
*Kurt Evans as Paramedic [[Howard Kim]]
*Nicholas Treeshin and Sergeant Watkins
*Aleks Paunovic Sergeant [[Fischer]]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/201/ "Scattered"] at scifi.com

== References ==

* {{note|starburst_71_19-20}} Steven Eramo, "Jamie Bamber: A Man for all Seasons". Starburst, Special 71: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/StarburstScans/BSGscan11.jpg 19]-[http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/StarburstScans/BSGscan12.jpg 20]

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]] [[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]] [[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Bradley Thompson]]
[[Category:Episodes written by David Weddle]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

[[es:Dispersos]]

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II

2006-04-26T05:59:15Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'': */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:bsg-klg2-1.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 1 (2004-05)|1]]
| Episode=13
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=[[David Eick]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=1.13 '''(Season 1 Finale)'''
| Rating= 2.5
| US Airdate=April 1, 2005
| UK Airdate=January 24, 2005
| DVD=March 28 2005 (UK) September 20 2005 (US)
| Population=
| Prev=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
| Next=[[Scattered]]
}}
== Overview ==
:''Starbuck has gone to Caprica. Adama insists Roslin must stand down as President. When she refuses, he is forced to deal with that situation while simultaneously adapting the plan to rid themselves of the Cylon baseship over Kobol''

== Summary ==

=== In the Fleet ===

* [[William Adama|Adama]] challenges [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] over [[Kara Thrace]]'s actions with the [[Cylon Raider]] (which occurred in the last episode) and she admits her role in helping [[Kara Thrace]].
* Adama requests her resignation as President. Roslin refuses. He states he is terminating her presidency. When she reveals the press is recording the conversation, he hangs up.
* He isolates ''[[Colonial One]]'' using the [[CAP]] to physically isolate it, and by jamming all communications from it. He then orders [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] and [[Lee Adama]] to set-up a strike force to take ''Colonial One''.
* Visiting [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] in sickbay, Adama asks her to fly a dangerous mission: take a Raptor fitted with a Cylon [[IFF]] transponder, jump to the Cylon [[Baseship|baseship]] orbiting Kobol and drop a nuclear bomb into its landing bay before jumping clear.
* Roslin refuses Adama's final request to yield and her security team ready themselves for an assault.
* The strike team flies to an isolated ''Colonial One'' aboard two Raptors, lead by Tigh and Lee Adama, and they start cutting their way into the ship.
* A confrontation ensues between Colonial forces and Roslin's security. It is broken only when Lee Adama sides with his conscience, and turns on Tigh. Afraid of a bloodbath, Roslin surrenders and Lee Adama is arrested.
* Roslin is returned to the ''Galactica'' after the failed standoff and is placed in the brig, while Lee Adama is in irons in CIC for mutiny.
* [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] and [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] arrive in CIC following the success of the attack on the baseship near [[Kobol]], and as he thanks them, Boomer shoots Adama twice in the chest at point blank range, seriously wounding him.

=== On Kobol ===

*[[Raptor]] 1 has crashed down on [[Kobol]] and is on fire, as the crew struggle to get out and remove the bodies of the dead and injured, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] becomes trapped by fire in the back of the vehicle.
* [[Crashdown]] tries to help him, but Baltar is too terrified to move. [[Number Six|Six]] appears and gives Baltar the strength to escape by giving the impression ''she'' is helping him out of the ship.
* As they get clear, the ship explodes, and Baltar wanders into the long grass before collapsing, as the rest of the crew start checking on their injured.
* Boomer's Raptor makes it through the Cylon perimeter around the baseship situated above Kobol, but the bomb release mechanism fails, forcing them to land inside the basestar and attempt a manual removal of the bomb.
* While there, Boomer encounters a number of her "sisters". While she tries to claim she is human, they inform her she cannot escape destiny.
* After she leaves on the Raptor, her "sisters" make no attempt to disarm or remove the bomb. The baseship is destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion.
* On Kobol, Baltar recognises Six "saved" him, and she takes him to see exactly why he has been chosen by God, and she walks him towards the ruined [[Opera House]].
* Entering it, he is shown the "face of things to come", apparently a baby in a crib, the "first of the new generation of God's children" - and he is to be their protector.

=== On Caprica ===

* [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Valerii]] has taken [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] to hide near the [[Delphi]] Museum of the Colonies.
* She is aware of the importance of the [[Arrow of Apollo]].
* They have discussed the fact that she is a Cylon (rather than a Cylon-created human clone as Helo suggested ([[Colonial Day]])).
* She reveals her relationship with him is important as it brings the Cylons closer to God. She also reveals she is pregnant.
* Starbuck completes her long-range jump and arrives over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. Passing through Cylon lines, she sets down in Delphi and heads for the museum.
* Locating the [[Arrow of Apollo]] she is confronted by [[Number Six|Six]] and a fight ensues in which Starbuck is initially badly beaten, before a last-minute rush sends them both over a landing, killing Six.
* Helo comes to Starbuck's aid, and she panics when she sees Valerii, immediately realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Helo stops Starbuck from shooting her, citing that she's pregnant.

== Summary from scifi.com ==
When Commander Adama learns that Kara disobeyed orders and Jumped to Caprica on orders from President Roslin, he demands the president's resignation, with the implied threat of a military coup. Roslin refuses his demand and sparks a confrontation.

As civil war simmers in the fleet, the conflict on Caprica heats up. Kara completes her mission for Laura: She finds the Arrow of Apollo that, according to prophecy, will lead the fleet to Earth. No sooner does she pick it up, however, than she is thrust into a battle to the death with Number Six.

Meanwhile, Adama sends Sharon and Racetrack in a Raptor equipped with a Cylon transponder, to fire a nuclear warhead that will destroy the basestar. But when the missile release jams, Sharon lands the Raptor deep inside the basestar, to deliver the warhead manually.

Once outside her ship, however, Sharon is greeted by dozens of Sharon avatars, all Cylons like her, welcoming her home. She retreats, but is told that she and her fellow Cylons will meet again. She and Racetrack escape the basestar, which explodes.

Mission accomplished, Sharon returns home to the Galactica. She warmly accepts Commander Adama's thanks and praise for a job well done — then she coldly shoots him, point-blank, in the chest.
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==
* Are Adama's wounds fatal? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
* What will be the public reaction when news of [[Laura Roslin|Roslin's]] arrest finally breaks through the communication's embargo? ([[Home, Part I|Answer]])
* Who will take over as the civil leader with Roslin in the brig and [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] "lost" somewhere on the surface of [[Kobol]]? ([[Fragged|Answer]])
* How will [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] rise to the demands of command?
* What is the baby in the crib? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** The offspring from Valerii and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]?
** The future offspring of Baltar and a corporeal [[Number Six|Six]]? ([[Home, Part II|Answer]])
* If the Cylons understand the significance of the Arrow of Apollo (and by extension, the Tomb of Athena), why don't they use them themselves to find [[Earth]]?
:* Might they possibly also want to open the tomb in order to find and in turn sabotage Earth for the remaining fleet?
:*If they want the humans to find Earth, why try and prevent Starbuck from taking the Arrow in the first place?
* Are the Cylons genuinely interested in Earth, or has it simply been a means to bring them to Kobol?
* Why didn't the sound of Starbuck's Raider landing attract Helo's attention sooner? He's across the road from the museum, and so could hardly fail to see it touch down, or see Starbuck climb the steps to the museum itself.
* How did Six know Starbuck's name so readily? Is this a pointer to her being in communication with her "sister" in Baltar's head? Or having been in communication with Conoy ([[Flesh and Bone]])?
* Did Boomer sabotage the bomb release mechanism, thus forcing herself into landing on the baseship?
* Why didn't [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] raise concerns about [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer's]] ability to survive in a vacuum on their return to the ''[[Galactica]]''? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** For that matter, is there a breathable atmosphere inside Cylon Basestars? [[Flesh and Bone|Previous episodes]] seem to imply that Cylon agents can not actually survive in a vacuum.
**It was established in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" that Cylon bio-mechanical technology requires oxygen, just like humans.
* Did the IFF transponders genuinely work, or did the Cylons simply allow Starbuck's Raider to pass and the Raptor to reach the baseship in order for Starbuck and Boomer to continue along their "paths"?
* How many operational [[Raptor|Raptors]] does the ''Galactica'' have? [[Water]] gives the impression she had five. A total of six are used in Part I and Part II of "Kobol's Last Gleaming". ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Answer, wth qualifier]])
:*Not necessarily. In [[Water]], Tigh only said that there were five ''systems'' within their "Practical Jump Radius". If one raptor each was adequate for survey purposes, there would have been no reason to deploy the sixth.

== Analysis ==
An extraordinary ending to a remarkable first season; not by any means a traditional cliff-hanger episode so frequently used by sci-fi writers, it nevertheless fulfils the same purpose by both bringing several of the on-going arcs of the season together, without actually tying the thread together nor leaving them dangling in the wind. The result is to confirm much of the speculation developed throughout the first season, while simultaneously opening the overall arc of the series by providing both crises and a glimpse of the future.

As with “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”, music plays an important part of the episode – particularly with reference to Baltar’s visions in the ruins of Kobol, where the string orchestration used in the teaser of Part 1 becomes the motif for Baltar’s transition from confused pawn to willing participant in the Cylon’s plan. Similarly, music is used to indicate Boomer’s shifts between her human and Cylon selves. And the counterpoint couldn’t be more interesting: while both utilise strings, the harmony around Baltar’s enlightenment indicates - as Six points out – the rhythm of his life falling into line with God’s will, whereas the discordant working of strings around Boomer’s contact with her “sisters” underscores the final collapse of her human will, opening the door to her Cylon personality to take control of her conscious actions and shoot Adama when the time comes.

And it is with Boomer that some of the arcs of season one draw together: yes, Valerii on Caprica is pregnant; yes love and procreation were the keys to Cylon desire with her and Helo; yes her true nature would be revealed to her crewmates – if not directly through her actions in shooting Adama, then certainly through Starbuck’s return to the Galactica. While Starbuck is liable to be thrown into the brig on her return, that’s no reason for Tigh and others not to believe claims about Boomer in light of what she has seen on Caprica and what has happened in CIC.

Another element that is finally revealed is what the Cylons really want out of Baltar – but this in itself raises questions. Not only about his relationship with Six, but also about the future of the Helo / Valerii storyline, and those questions centre on what he saw in the crib.

That he was seeing into the future is clear: but is the child he sees the product of Helo’s relationship with Valerii, or his own (future) relationship with a corporeal Six? On the one hand, much of what is seen points to the child being born of Valerii: she admits her condition to Helo (and thus opens the door to him remaining on Caprica with her while Starbuck returns to the Galactica with the Arrow) and the Cylons were apparently aiming for her to become pregnant by Helo (or at least, Doral and Six showed no surprised when she reported her lovemaking with him). But – Six’s words to Baltar as she prepares him to see the future are interesting: “You are the guardian and protector of a new generation of God’s children,” – a somewhat neutral explanation that comes before she smiles, catches her breath and adds, “The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius.” This could be a reference to the fact that Valerii is pregnant; however the shift to the possessive “our family” and “with us” could be seen to indicate the child could be Baltar’s own.

And again, how much more of an effective guardian and protector will Baltar be, if he is in fact protecting his own offspring, rather than that of another Cylon / human relationship? And if this is the case, where does that leave the Valerii / Helo relationship?

This episode also reveals some more about Six: if the offspring on the crib she sees with Baltar is that of Valerii and Helo, then it would more or less confirm that she is in contact with corporeal Cylons elsewhere – how else would she know of the developing Valerii / Helo situation otherwise as it started after her “death”? Similarly, it is interesting to note the degree of savagery involved in the beating Six gives Starbuck. In many respects, it mirrors the beating she gave Valerii in “Litmus”; at the time, the viciousness she showed seemed to be linked to the jealousy evident between her and Valerii. We now know that Six has been affected by Baltar’s reaction to sleeping with Starbuck (“Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”); could the physical beating Starbuck receives be a manifestation of the jealousy she feels for what happened on the Galactica, transmitted to her corporeal sister?

But the key question is what will happen to Adama? It is very hard to conceive of the series progressing without his presence. While the ensemble cast is one of the best put together on-screen, and while many of them – Callis in particular – have put in powerful performances, it is fair to say that Olmos is very much the anchor of this series. Without his strength and gravitas, Battlestar Galactica could end up drifting very badly. Therefore, while it will be interesting to see what new dynamics may develop while Adama is out of commission – how will Tigh handle the vagaries of command, who will he nominate as his XO, etc, – it is essential Adama’s presence is felt sooner rather than later in the next season.

While discussing Adama, it may be interesting to note that his shooting almost brings the story full-circle. As he was dying on [[Ragnar Anchorage]], the [[Cylon agent]] [[Leoben Conoy]] warns Adama that, “Sooner or later, the day comes when you can’t hide from the things you’ve done” ([[Miniseries]]). Adama has waged war on the Cylons – both as a young officer during the Cylon War and now in his efforts to protect his people and the fleet. He has just been responsible for the destruction of a Cylon baseship, complete with many copies of Valerii; and now Valerii has shot him.

And how will the fleet react once word of Roslin’s arrest breaks through the communications blackout the Galactica inflicted on Colonial One? What can the civilians do? In many respects Adama holds all the cards – or would do, were he in a fit condition. His ship is the key to the protection of the fleet. She is pretty much unassailable, and without her facilities, 16,000 people in the fleet would very soon be without water (“Water”). Therefore, it is hard to see anyone stepping too far out of line when it comes to making major decisions: where the fleet will go, what it will do, etc. But within the civilian community, it is hard not to see repercussions: Roslin has been arrested; Baltar is missing, possibly dead. Who is available to take the civil reigns? Wallace Gray (“Colonial Day”)? Tom Zarek (“Bastille Day”; “Colonial Day”). Is it a coincidence that not too long before, at the Quorum of Twelve, Zarek himself raised the spectre of a military coup – and that’s more-or-less what they now have on their hands?

All told, this episode generates outstanding drama that demands a successful renewal and second season. It brings what has been an excellent first season to a powerful close, reflecting the almost unbroken run of quality drama evidenced by the show. Indeed the overall quality in terms of production, writing, casting and acting more than demonstrates both Ronald Moore and David Eick are correct in limiting the show to 13-episode runs.

== Notes ==
* This episode takes place directly after those of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
* There are now 47,887 survivors in the fleet, a net loss of 10 since "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".
* Cylon vessels are indeed capable of very long-range jumps
* [[Delphi]] was once a cultural centre on Caprica, and apparently held a lot of historical / religious artifacts
* Cylon basestars appear bio-mechanical, like Raiders
* In [[Water]] it was established that the ''Galactica'' had at least 5 [[Raptor|Raptors]] on board: [[William Adama|Adama]] orders Raptors to survey local star systems for water bearing planets, 5 are dispatched. This episode reveals ''Galactica'' has at least 6: 1 is destroyed over [[Kobol]], one crashes on Kobol; three take part in the raid on ''[[Colonial One]]'', 1 simultaneously carries a nuclear warhead to the Cylon basestar,
*According to RDM's podcast, during the Starbuck/Number Six fight in the Delphi Museum, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer themselves actually perform the entire fight scene, with no stunt doubles.

===Nods===
The use of [[IFF]] transponders by the Cylons is an indirect nod to [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]], in which [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] use an IFF-type device to identify their [[Cylon Raider#Original Series Raider|Raider]] to Colonial forces when they launch an attack on a Cylon Basestar ([[The Hand of God (TOS)]])

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''When Adama congratulates Boomer for destroying the basestar over Kobol:''
*:Commander Adama: Congratulations to both of you. You carried out a very difficult and dangerous mission, and you did it...despite any...personal misgivings you may or may not have had...and for that I'm very proud. Thank you.
*:Racetrack: Thank you, sir.
*:Boomer: Thank you, sir. (pulls out a gun and shoots Adama in the chest)

* ''In the Opera House on Kobol''
*:Gaius Baltar: I don't understand.
*:Number Six: Life has a melody, Gaius. A rhythm of notes that become your existence once played in harmony with God's plan. It's time to do your part and realize your destiny.
*:Gaius Baltar: Which is what, exactly?
*:Number Six: You are the guardian and protector of the new generation of God's children. The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius. It's time to make your choice.
*:Gaius Baltar: But I don't understand what you're talking about. Really, I don't understand-
*:Number Six: Come. See the face of the shape of things to come.

* ''On the Colonial One''
*:Colonel Tigh: Madam President, no one needs to get hurt here.
*:Laura Roslin: Then why don't you get off my ship, Colonel.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm placing you under arrest.
*:Lee Adama: No...no, we're not doing this.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm in command here, Captain.
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, this is wrong!
*:Colonel Tigh: You're relieved! Fall back. Madam President, I would-
*:Lee Adama: (pulls a gun on Tigh) Men, lay down your weapons.
*:Colonel Tigh: Have you lost your frakking mind?
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, tell these Marines to fall back!
*:Colonel Tigh: This is mutiny. You know that.
*:Lee Adama: Yes I do, but you can tell my father that I'm listening to my instincts, and my instincts tell me that we cannot sacrifice our democracy just because the President makes a bad decision.

== Official Statements ==

* ''Regarding [[Lee Adama]] and his development (and setbacks) incurred over the course of [[Season 1 (2004-05)]], as stated by [[Jamie Bamber]]:''

: I think he's his own man. I think he's a natural leader, but I don't think he's realised that yet. We are exploring it.

:At the end of the first season he's on his own again. I mean, he's always been an isolated figure in the first place because he doesn't really belong on the ''[[Galactica]]''. He doesn't even intend to be there but then the end of the world sort of catches him on the hop and that's where he has to make a start. He cuts a role out for himself as the "[[CAG]]," something he perhaps wasn't intending to do.

:And I think he comes into his own gradually. He surprises himself. But then again, at the end of the first season he disobeys an order, so that's basically burned all his bridges that he had with the crew of the ''[[Galactica]]''.

:So he's a lone thinker in many respects, but I think more and more you'll see him start to come out with true leadership qualities. [http://gateworld.net/galactica/articles/bamber01.shtml]

* ''Jamie Bamber on Lee Adama's evolution from this episode into the second season:''

: The difference fundamentally is that one moment in "Kobol's Last Gleaming" when he finally realizes that he's sense (sic) of duty and responsibility can and must extend beyond the [[Colonial Fleet|military hierarchy]] and include his own conscience and the law. The moment he turns his weapon on [[Saul Tigh|his superior]]. And that that is not wrong.

: As a result he finds himself [[brig|behind bars]], in exile, out of uniform and essentially orphaned, but through all this he finds out who he really is and he trusts it. Suddenly, with [[William Adama|his father]] dying, he sees people turn to him for leadership and that brings a realization that he must rise to the occasion and he does so through trusting his own judgment. He is surprised that his mutinous act aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'' has not marginalized him in [[the Fleet (RDM)|the fleet]]; just the opposite—it has actually highlighted him as a man of conscience, capable of impossibly difficult decisions. {{ref|inside_bsg_p50}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alonso+Oyarzun Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jim+Shield Jim Shield] as [[Karma]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Warren+Christie Warren Christie] as "[[Tarn|Ground Crew #1]]"
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jen+Halley Jen Halley] as "[[Seelix|Ground Crew #2]]"
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]

== References ==

* {{note|inside_bsg_p50}} "Inside Battlestar Galactica", Sci-Fi Magazine February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008a1hf.jpg 50]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/113/ "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"] at scifi.com

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
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[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II

2006-04-26T05:54:59Z

White Knight: /* On ''Galactica'': */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:bsg-klg2-1.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 1 (2004-05)|1]]
| Episode=13
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=[[David Eick]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=1.13 '''(Season 1 Finale)'''
| Rating= 2.5
| US Airdate=April 1, 2005
| UK Airdate=January 24, 2005
| DVD=March 28 2005 (UK) September 20 2005 (US)
| Population=
| Prev=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
| Next=[[Scattered]]
}}
== Overview ==
:''Starbuck has gone to Caprica. Adama insists Roslin must stand down as President. When she refuses, he is forced to deal with that situation while simultaneously adapting the plan to rid themselves of the Cylon baseship over Kobol''

== Summary ==

* [[William Adama|Adama]] challenges [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] over [[Kara Thrace]]'s actions with the [[Cylon Raider]] (which occurred in the last episode) and she admits her role in helping [[Kara Thrace]].
* Adama requests her resignation as President. Roslin refuses. He states he is terminating her presidency. When she reveals the press is recording the conversation, he hangs up.
* He isolates ''[[Colonial One]]'' using the [[CAP]] to physically isolate it, and by jamming all communications from it. He then orders [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] and [[Lee Adama]] to set-up a strike force to take ''Colonial One''.
* Visiting [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] in sickbay, Adama asks her to fly a dangerous mission: take a Raptor fitted with a Cylon [[IFF]] transponder, jump to the Cylon [[Baseship|baseship]] orbiting Kobol and drop a nuclear bomb into its landing bay before jumping clear.
* Roslin refuses Adama's final request to yield and her security team ready themselves for an assault.
* The strike team flies to an isolated ''Colonial One'' aboard two Raptors, lead by Tigh and Lee Adama, and they start cutting their way into the ship.
* A confrontation ensues between Colonial forces and Roslin's security. It is broken only when Lee Adama sides with his conscience, and turns on Tigh. Afraid of a bloodbath, Roslin surrenders and Lee Adama is arrested.
* Roslin is returned to the ''Galactica'' after the failed standoff and is placed in the brig, while Lee Adama is in irons in CIC for mutiny.
* [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] and [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] arrive in CIC following the success of the attack on the baseship near [[Kobol]], and as he thanks them, Boomer shoots Adama twice in the chest at point blank range, seriously wounding him.

=== At Kobol ===

*[[Raptor]] 1 has crashed down on [[Kobol]] and is on fire, as the crew struggle to get out and remove the bodies of the dead and injured, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] becomes trapped by fire in the back of the vehicle.
* [[Crashdown]] tries to help him, but Baltar is too terrified to move. [[Number Six|Six]] appears and gives Baltar the strength to escape by giving the impression ''she'' is helping him out of the ship.
* As they get clear, the ship explodes, and Baltar wanders into the long grass before collapsing, as the rest of the crew start checking on their injured.
* Boomer's Raptor makes it through the Cylon perimeter around the baseship situated above Kobol, but the bomb release mechanism fails, forcing them to land inside the basestar and attempt a manual removal of the bomb.
* While there, Boomer encounters a number of her "sisters". While she tries to claim she is human, they inform her she cannot escape destiny.
* After she leaves on the Raptor, her "sisters" make no attempt to disarm or remove the bomb. The baseship is destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion.
* On Kobol, Baltar recognises Six "saved" him, and she takes him to see exactly why he has been chosen by God, and she walks him towards the ruined [[Opera House]].
* Entering it, he is shown the "face of things to come", apparently a baby in a crib, the "first of the new generation of God's children" - and he is to be their protector.

=== On Caprica: ===
* [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Valerii]] has taken [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] to hide near the [[Delphi]] Museum of the Colonies.
* She is aware of the importance of the [[Arrow of Apollo]].
* They have discussed the fact that she is a Cylon (rather than a Cylon-created human clone as Helo suggested ([[Colonial Day]])).
* She reveals her relationship with him is important as it brings the Cylons closer to God. She also reveals she is pregnant.
* Starbuck completes her long-range jump and arrives over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. Passing through Cylon lines, she sets down in Delphi and heads for the museum.
* Locating the [[Arrow of Apollo]] she is confronted by [[Number Six|Six]] and a fight ensues in which Starbuck is initially badly beaten, before a last-minute rush sends them both over a landing, killing Six.
* Helo comes to Starbuck's aid, and she panics when she sees Valerii, immediately realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Helo stops Starbuck from shooting her, citing that she's pregnant.

== Summary from scifi.com ==
When Commander Adama learns that Kara disobeyed orders and Jumped to Caprica on orders from President Roslin, he demands the president's resignation, with the implied threat of a military coup. Roslin refuses his demand and sparks a confrontation.

As civil war simmers in the fleet, the conflict on Caprica heats up. Kara completes her mission for Laura: She finds the Arrow of Apollo that, according to prophecy, will lead the fleet to Earth. No sooner does she pick it up, however, than she is thrust into a battle to the death with Number Six.

Meanwhile, Adama sends Sharon and Racetrack in a Raptor equipped with a Cylon transponder, to fire a nuclear warhead that will destroy the basestar. But when the missile release jams, Sharon lands the Raptor deep inside the basestar, to deliver the warhead manually.

Once outside her ship, however, Sharon is greeted by dozens of Sharon avatars, all Cylons like her, welcoming her home. She retreats, but is told that she and her fellow Cylons will meet again. She and Racetrack escape the basestar, which explodes.

Mission accomplished, Sharon returns home to the Galactica. She warmly accepts Commander Adama's thanks and praise for a job well done — then she coldly shoots him, point-blank, in the chest.
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==
* Are Adama's wounds fatal? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
* What will be the public reaction when news of [[Laura Roslin|Roslin's]] arrest finally breaks through the communication's embargo? ([[Home, Part I|Answer]])
* Who will take over as the civil leader with Roslin in the brig and [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] "lost" somewhere on the surface of [[Kobol]]? ([[Fragged|Answer]])
* How will [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] rise to the demands of command?
* What is the baby in the crib? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** The offspring from Valerii and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]?
** The future offspring of Baltar and a corporeal [[Number Six|Six]]? ([[Home, Part II|Answer]])
* If the Cylons understand the significance of the Arrow of Apollo (and by extension, the Tomb of Athena), why don't they use them themselves to find [[Earth]]?
:* Might they possibly also want to open the tomb in order to find and in turn sabotage Earth for the remaining fleet?
:*If they want the humans to find Earth, why try and prevent Starbuck from taking the Arrow in the first place?
* Are the Cylons genuinely interested in Earth, or has it simply been a means to bring them to Kobol?
* Why didn't the sound of Starbuck's Raider landing attract Helo's attention sooner? He's across the road from the museum, and so could hardly fail to see it touch down, or see Starbuck climb the steps to the museum itself.
* How did Six know Starbuck's name so readily? Is this a pointer to her being in communication with her "sister" in Baltar's head? Or having been in communication with Conoy ([[Flesh and Bone]])?
* Did Boomer sabotage the bomb release mechanism, thus forcing herself into landing on the baseship?
* Why didn't [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] raise concerns about [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer's]] ability to survive in a vacuum on their return to the ''[[Galactica]]''? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** For that matter, is there a breathable atmosphere inside Cylon Basestars? [[Flesh and Bone|Previous episodes]] seem to imply that Cylon agents can not actually survive in a vacuum.
**It was established in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" that Cylon bio-mechanical technology requires oxygen, just like humans.
* Did the IFF transponders genuinely work, or did the Cylons simply allow Starbuck's Raider to pass and the Raptor to reach the baseship in order for Starbuck and Boomer to continue along their "paths"?
* How many operational [[Raptor|Raptors]] does the ''Galactica'' have? [[Water]] gives the impression she had five. A total of six are used in Part I and Part II of "Kobol's Last Gleaming". ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Answer, wth qualifier]])
:*Not necessarily. In [[Water]], Tigh only said that there were five ''systems'' within their "Practical Jump Radius". If one raptor each was adequate for survey purposes, there would have been no reason to deploy the sixth.

== Analysis ==
An extraordinary ending to a remarkable first season; not by any means a traditional cliff-hanger episode so frequently used by sci-fi writers, it nevertheless fulfils the same purpose by both bringing several of the on-going arcs of the season together, without actually tying the thread together nor leaving them dangling in the wind. The result is to confirm much of the speculation developed throughout the first season, while simultaneously opening the overall arc of the series by providing both crises and a glimpse of the future.

As with “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”, music plays an important part of the episode – particularly with reference to Baltar’s visions in the ruins of Kobol, where the string orchestration used in the teaser of Part 1 becomes the motif for Baltar’s transition from confused pawn to willing participant in the Cylon’s plan. Similarly, music is used to indicate Boomer’s shifts between her human and Cylon selves. And the counterpoint couldn’t be more interesting: while both utilise strings, the harmony around Baltar’s enlightenment indicates - as Six points out – the rhythm of his life falling into line with God’s will, whereas the discordant working of strings around Boomer’s contact with her “sisters” underscores the final collapse of her human will, opening the door to her Cylon personality to take control of her conscious actions and shoot Adama when the time comes.

And it is with Boomer that some of the arcs of season one draw together: yes, Valerii on Caprica is pregnant; yes love and procreation were the keys to Cylon desire with her and Helo; yes her true nature would be revealed to her crewmates – if not directly through her actions in shooting Adama, then certainly through Starbuck’s return to the Galactica. While Starbuck is liable to be thrown into the brig on her return, that’s no reason for Tigh and others not to believe claims about Boomer in light of what she has seen on Caprica and what has happened in CIC.

Another element that is finally revealed is what the Cylons really want out of Baltar – but this in itself raises questions. Not only about his relationship with Six, but also about the future of the Helo / Valerii storyline, and those questions centre on what he saw in the crib.

That he was seeing into the future is clear: but is the child he sees the product of Helo’s relationship with Valerii, or his own (future) relationship with a corporeal Six? On the one hand, much of what is seen points to the child being born of Valerii: she admits her condition to Helo (and thus opens the door to him remaining on Caprica with her while Starbuck returns to the Galactica with the Arrow) and the Cylons were apparently aiming for her to become pregnant by Helo (or at least, Doral and Six showed no surprised when she reported her lovemaking with him). But – Six’s words to Baltar as she prepares him to see the future are interesting: “You are the guardian and protector of a new generation of God’s children,” – a somewhat neutral explanation that comes before she smiles, catches her breath and adds, “The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius.” This could be a reference to the fact that Valerii is pregnant; however the shift to the possessive “our family” and “with us” could be seen to indicate the child could be Baltar’s own.

And again, how much more of an effective guardian and protector will Baltar be, if he is in fact protecting his own offspring, rather than that of another Cylon / human relationship? And if this is the case, where does that leave the Valerii / Helo relationship?

This episode also reveals some more about Six: if the offspring on the crib she sees with Baltar is that of Valerii and Helo, then it would more or less confirm that she is in contact with corporeal Cylons elsewhere – how else would she know of the developing Valerii / Helo situation otherwise as it started after her “death”? Similarly, it is interesting to note the degree of savagery involved in the beating Six gives Starbuck. In many respects, it mirrors the beating she gave Valerii in “Litmus”; at the time, the viciousness she showed seemed to be linked to the jealousy evident between her and Valerii. We now know that Six has been affected by Baltar’s reaction to sleeping with Starbuck (“Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”); could the physical beating Starbuck receives be a manifestation of the jealousy she feels for what happened on the Galactica, transmitted to her corporeal sister?

But the key question is what will happen to Adama? It is very hard to conceive of the series progressing without his presence. While the ensemble cast is one of the best put together on-screen, and while many of them – Callis in particular – have put in powerful performances, it is fair to say that Olmos is very much the anchor of this series. Without his strength and gravitas, Battlestar Galactica could end up drifting very badly. Therefore, while it will be interesting to see what new dynamics may develop while Adama is out of commission – how will Tigh handle the vagaries of command, who will he nominate as his XO, etc, – it is essential Adama’s presence is felt sooner rather than later in the next season.

While discussing Adama, it may be interesting to note that his shooting almost brings the story full-circle. As he was dying on [[Ragnar Anchorage]], the [[Cylon agent]] [[Leoben Conoy]] warns Adama that, “Sooner or later, the day comes when you can’t hide from the things you’ve done” ([[Miniseries]]). Adama has waged war on the Cylons – both as a young officer during the Cylon War and now in his efforts to protect his people and the fleet. He has just been responsible for the destruction of a Cylon baseship, complete with many copies of Valerii; and now Valerii has shot him.

And how will the fleet react once word of Roslin’s arrest breaks through the communications blackout the Galactica inflicted on Colonial One? What can the civilians do? In many respects Adama holds all the cards – or would do, were he in a fit condition. His ship is the key to the protection of the fleet. She is pretty much unassailable, and without her facilities, 16,000 people in the fleet would very soon be without water (“Water”). Therefore, it is hard to see anyone stepping too far out of line when it comes to making major decisions: where the fleet will go, what it will do, etc. But within the civilian community, it is hard not to see repercussions: Roslin has been arrested; Baltar is missing, possibly dead. Who is available to take the civil reigns? Wallace Gray (“Colonial Day”)? Tom Zarek (“Bastille Day”; “Colonial Day”). Is it a coincidence that not too long before, at the Quorum of Twelve, Zarek himself raised the spectre of a military coup – and that’s more-or-less what they now have on their hands?

All told, this episode generates outstanding drama that demands a successful renewal and second season. It brings what has been an excellent first season to a powerful close, reflecting the almost unbroken run of quality drama evidenced by the show. Indeed the overall quality in terms of production, writing, casting and acting more than demonstrates both Ronald Moore and David Eick are correct in limiting the show to 13-episode runs.

== Notes ==
* This episode takes place directly after those of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
* There are now 47,887 survivors in the fleet, a net loss of 10 since "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".
* Cylon vessels are indeed capable of very long-range jumps
* [[Delphi]] was once a cultural centre on Caprica, and apparently held a lot of historical / religious artifacts
* Cylon basestars appear bio-mechanical, like Raiders
* In [[Water]] it was established that the ''Galactica'' had at least 5 [[Raptor|Raptors]] on board: [[William Adama|Adama]] orders Raptors to survey local star systems for water bearing planets, 5 are dispatched. This episode reveals ''Galactica'' has at least 6: 1 is destroyed over [[Kobol]], one crashes on Kobol; three take part in the raid on ''[[Colonial One]]'', 1 simultaneously carries a nuclear warhead to the Cylon basestar,
*According to RDM's podcast, during the Starbuck/Number Six fight in the Delphi Museum, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer themselves actually perform the entire fight scene, with no stunt doubles.

===Nods===
The use of [[IFF]] transponders by the Cylons is an indirect nod to [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]], in which [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] use an IFF-type device to identify their [[Cylon Raider#Original Series Raider|Raider]] to Colonial forces when they launch an attack on a Cylon Basestar ([[The Hand of God (TOS)]])

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''When Adama congratulates Boomer for destroying the basestar over Kobol:''
*:Commander Adama: Congratulations to both of you. You carried out a very difficult and dangerous mission, and you did it...despite any...personal misgivings you may or may not have had...and for that I'm very proud. Thank you.
*:Racetrack: Thank you, sir.
*:Boomer: Thank you, sir. (pulls out a gun and shoots Adama in the chest)

* ''In the Opera House on Kobol''
*:Gaius Baltar: I don't understand.
*:Number Six: Life has a melody, Gaius. A rhythm of notes that become your existence once played in harmony with God's plan. It's time to do your part and realize your destiny.
*:Gaius Baltar: Which is what, exactly?
*:Number Six: You are the guardian and protector of the new generation of God's children. The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius. It's time to make your choice.
*:Gaius Baltar: But I don't understand what you're talking about. Really, I don't understand-
*:Number Six: Come. See the face of the shape of things to come.

* ''On the Colonial One''
*:Colonel Tigh: Madam President, no one needs to get hurt here.
*:Laura Roslin: Then why don't you get off my ship, Colonel.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm placing you under arrest.
*:Lee Adama: No...no, we're not doing this.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm in command here, Captain.
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, this is wrong!
*:Colonel Tigh: You're relieved! Fall back. Madam President, I would-
*:Lee Adama: (pulls a gun on Tigh) Men, lay down your weapons.
*:Colonel Tigh: Have you lost your frakking mind?
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, tell these Marines to fall back!
*:Colonel Tigh: This is mutiny. You know that.
*:Lee Adama: Yes I do, but you can tell my father that I'm listening to my instincts, and my instincts tell me that we cannot sacrifice our democracy just because the President makes a bad decision.

== Official Statements ==

* ''Regarding [[Lee Adama]] and his development (and setbacks) incurred over the course of [[Season 1 (2004-05)]], as stated by [[Jamie Bamber]]:''

: I think he's his own man. I think he's a natural leader, but I don't think he's realised that yet. We are exploring it.

:At the end of the first season he's on his own again. I mean, he's always been an isolated figure in the first place because he doesn't really belong on the ''[[Galactica]]''. He doesn't even intend to be there but then the end of the world sort of catches him on the hop and that's where he has to make a start. He cuts a role out for himself as the "[[CAG]]," something he perhaps wasn't intending to do.

:And I think he comes into his own gradually. He surprises himself. But then again, at the end of the first season he disobeys an order, so that's basically burned all his bridges that he had with the crew of the ''[[Galactica]]''.

:So he's a lone thinker in many respects, but I think more and more you'll see him start to come out with true leadership qualities. [http://gateworld.net/galactica/articles/bamber01.shtml]

* ''Jamie Bamber on Lee Adama's evolution from this episode into the second season:''

: The difference fundamentally is that one moment in "Kobol's Last Gleaming" when he finally realizes that he's sense (sic) of duty and responsibility can and must extend beyond the [[Colonial Fleet|military hierarchy]] and include his own conscience and the law. The moment he turns his weapon on [[Saul Tigh|his superior]]. And that that is not wrong.

: As a result he finds himself [[brig|behind bars]], in exile, out of uniform and essentially orphaned, but through all this he finds out who he really is and he trusts it. Suddenly, with [[William Adama|his father]] dying, he sees people turn to him for leadership and that brings a realization that he must rise to the occasion and he does so through trusting his own judgment. He is surprised that his mutinous act aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'' has not marginalized him in [[the Fleet (RDM)|the fleet]]; just the opposite—it has actually highlighted him as a man of conscience, capable of impossibly difficult decisions. {{ref|inside_bsg_p50}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alonso+Oyarzun Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jim+Shield Jim Shield] as [[Karma]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Warren+Christie Warren Christie] as "[[Tarn|Ground Crew #1]]"
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jen+Halley Jen Halley] as "[[Seelix|Ground Crew #2]]"
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]

== References ==

* {{note|inside_bsg_p50}} "Inside Battlestar Galactica", Sci-Fi Magazine February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008a1hf.jpg 50]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/113/ "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"] at scifi.com

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II

2006-04-26T05:54:28Z

White Knight: /* Summary */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:bsg-klg2-1.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 1 (2004-05)|1]]
| Episode=13
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=[[David Eick]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=1.13 '''(Season 1 Finale)'''
| Rating= 2.5
| US Airdate=April 1, 2005
| UK Airdate=January 24, 2005
| DVD=March 28 2005 (UK) September 20 2005 (US)
| Population=
| Prev=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
| Next=[[Scattered]]
}}
== Overview ==
:''Starbuck has gone to Caprica. Adama insists Roslin must stand down as President. When she refuses, he is forced to deal with that situation while simultaneously adapting the plan to rid themselves of the Cylon baseship over Kobol''

== Summary ==

=== On ''Galactica'': ===

* [[William Adama|Adama]] challenges [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] over [[Kara Thrace]]'s actions with the [[Cylon Raider]] (which occurred in the last episode) and she admits her role in helping [[Kara Thrace]].
* Adama requests her resignation as President. Roslin refuses. He states he is terminating her presidency. When she reveals the press is recording the conversation, he hangs up.
* He isolates ''[[Colonial One]]'' using the [[CAP]] to physically isolate it, and by jamming all communications from it. He then orders [[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh]] and [[Lee Adama]] to set-up a strike force to take ''Colonial One''.
* Visiting [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] in sickbay, Adama asks her to fly a dangerous mission: take a Raptor fitted with a Cylon [[IFF]] transponder, jump to the Cylon [[Baseship|baseship]] orbiting Kobol and drop a nuclear bomb into its landing bay before jumping clear.
* Roslin refuses Adama's final request to yield and her security team ready themselves for an assault.
* The strike team flies to an isolated ''Colonial One'' aboard two Raptors, lead by Tigh and Lee Adama, and they start cutting their way into the ship.
* A confrontation ensues between Colonial forces and Roslin's security. It is broken only when Lee Adama sides with his conscience, and turns on Tigh. Afraid of a bloodbath, Roslin surrenders and Lee Adama is arrested.
* Roslin is returned to the ''Galactica'' after the failed standoff and is placed in the brig, while Lee Adama is in irons in CIC for mutiny.
* [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] and [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] arrive in CIC following the success of the attack on the baseship near [[Kobol]], and as he thanks them, Boomer shoots Adama twice in the chest at point blank range, seriously wounding him.

=== At Kobol ===

*[[Raptor]] 1 has crashed down on [[Kobol]] and is on fire, as the crew struggle to get out and remove the bodies of the dead and injured, [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] becomes trapped by fire in the back of the vehicle.
* [[Crashdown]] tries to help him, but Baltar is too terrified to move. [[Number Six|Six]] appears and gives Baltar the strength to escape by giving the impression ''she'' is helping him out of the ship.
* As they get clear, the ship explodes, and Baltar wanders into the long grass before collapsing, as the rest of the crew start checking on their injured.
* Boomer's Raptor makes it through the Cylon perimeter around the baseship situated above Kobol, but the bomb release mechanism fails, forcing them to land inside the basestar and attempt a manual removal of the bomb.
* While there, Boomer encounters a number of her "sisters". While she tries to claim she is human, they inform her she cannot escape destiny.
* After she leaves on the Raptor, her "sisters" make no attempt to disarm or remove the bomb. The baseship is destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion.
* On Kobol, Baltar recognises Six "saved" him, and she takes him to see exactly why he has been chosen by God, and she walks him towards the ruined [[Opera House]].
* Entering it, he is shown the "face of things to come", apparently a baby in a crib, the "first of the new generation of God's children" - and he is to be their protector.

=== On Caprica: ===
* [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Valerii]] has taken [[Karl Agathon|Helo]] to hide near the [[Delphi]] Museum of the Colonies.
* She is aware of the importance of the [[Arrow of Apollo]].
* They have discussed the fact that she is a Cylon (rather than a Cylon-created human clone as Helo suggested ([[Colonial Day]])).
* She reveals her relationship with him is important as it brings the Cylons closer to God. She also reveals she is pregnant.
* Starbuck completes her long-range jump and arrives over [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. Passing through Cylon lines, she sets down in Delphi and heads for the museum.
* Locating the [[Arrow of Apollo]] she is confronted by [[Number Six|Six]] and a fight ensues in which Starbuck is initially badly beaten, before a last-minute rush sends them both over a landing, killing Six.
* Helo comes to Starbuck's aid, and she panics when she sees Valerii, immediately realizing that Valerii is a Cylon. Helo stops Starbuck from shooting her, citing that she's pregnant.

== Summary from scifi.com ==
When Commander Adama learns that Kara disobeyed orders and Jumped to Caprica on orders from President Roslin, he demands the president's resignation, with the implied threat of a military coup. Roslin refuses his demand and sparks a confrontation.

As civil war simmers in the fleet, the conflict on Caprica heats up. Kara completes her mission for Laura: She finds the Arrow of Apollo that, according to prophecy, will lead the fleet to Earth. No sooner does she pick it up, however, than she is thrust into a battle to the death with Number Six.

Meanwhile, Adama sends Sharon and Racetrack in a Raptor equipped with a Cylon transponder, to fire a nuclear warhead that will destroy the basestar. But when the missile release jams, Sharon lands the Raptor deep inside the basestar, to deliver the warhead manually.

Once outside her ship, however, Sharon is greeted by dozens of Sharon avatars, all Cylons like her, welcoming her home. She retreats, but is told that she and her fellow Cylons will meet again. She and Racetrack escape the basestar, which explodes.

Mission accomplished, Sharon returns home to the Galactica. She warmly accepts Commander Adama's thanks and praise for a job well done — then she coldly shoots him, point-blank, in the chest.
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==
* Are Adama's wounds fatal? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
* What will be the public reaction when news of [[Laura Roslin|Roslin's]] arrest finally breaks through the communication's embargo? ([[Home, Part I|Answer]])
* Who will take over as the civil leader with Roslin in the brig and [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] "lost" somewhere on the surface of [[Kobol]]? ([[Fragged|Answer]])
* How will [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] rise to the demands of command?
* What is the baby in the crib? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** The offspring from Valerii and [[Karl Agathon|Helo]]?
** The future offspring of Baltar and a corporeal [[Number Six|Six]]? ([[Home, Part II|Answer]])
* If the Cylons understand the significance of the Arrow of Apollo (and by extension, the Tomb of Athena), why don't they use them themselves to find [[Earth]]?
:* Might they possibly also want to open the tomb in order to find and in turn sabotage Earth for the remaining fleet?
:*If they want the humans to find Earth, why try and prevent Starbuck from taking the Arrow in the first place?
* Are the Cylons genuinely interested in Earth, or has it simply been a means to bring them to Kobol?
* Why didn't the sound of Starbuck's Raider landing attract Helo's attention sooner? He's across the road from the museum, and so could hardly fail to see it touch down, or see Starbuck climb the steps to the museum itself.
* How did Six know Starbuck's name so readily? Is this a pointer to her being in communication with her "sister" in Baltar's head? Or having been in communication with Conoy ([[Flesh and Bone]])?
* Did Boomer sabotage the bomb release mechanism, thus forcing herself into landing on the baseship?
* Why didn't [[Margaret Edmonson|Racetrack]] raise concerns about [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer's]] ability to survive in a vacuum on their return to the ''[[Galactica]]''? ([[Scattered|Answer]])
** For that matter, is there a breathable atmosphere inside Cylon Basestars? [[Flesh and Bone|Previous episodes]] seem to imply that Cylon agents can not actually survive in a vacuum.
**It was established in "[[You Can't Go Home Again]]" that Cylon bio-mechanical technology requires oxygen, just like humans.
* Did the IFF transponders genuinely work, or did the Cylons simply allow Starbuck's Raider to pass and the Raptor to reach the baseship in order for Starbuck and Boomer to continue along their "paths"?
* How many operational [[Raptor|Raptors]] does the ''Galactica'' have? [[Water]] gives the impression she had five. A total of six are used in Part I and Part II of "Kobol's Last Gleaming". ([[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I|Answer, wth qualifier]])
:*Not necessarily. In [[Water]], Tigh only said that there were five ''systems'' within their "Practical Jump Radius". If one raptor each was adequate for survey purposes, there would have been no reason to deploy the sixth.

== Analysis ==
An extraordinary ending to a remarkable first season; not by any means a traditional cliff-hanger episode so frequently used by sci-fi writers, it nevertheless fulfils the same purpose by both bringing several of the on-going arcs of the season together, without actually tying the thread together nor leaving them dangling in the wind. The result is to confirm much of the speculation developed throughout the first season, while simultaneously opening the overall arc of the series by providing both crises and a glimpse of the future.

As with “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”, music plays an important part of the episode – particularly with reference to Baltar’s visions in the ruins of Kobol, where the string orchestration used in the teaser of Part 1 becomes the motif for Baltar’s transition from confused pawn to willing participant in the Cylon’s plan. Similarly, music is used to indicate Boomer’s shifts between her human and Cylon selves. And the counterpoint couldn’t be more interesting: while both utilise strings, the harmony around Baltar’s enlightenment indicates - as Six points out – the rhythm of his life falling into line with God’s will, whereas the discordant working of strings around Boomer’s contact with her “sisters” underscores the final collapse of her human will, opening the door to her Cylon personality to take control of her conscious actions and shoot Adama when the time comes.

And it is with Boomer that some of the arcs of season one draw together: yes, Valerii on Caprica is pregnant; yes love and procreation were the keys to Cylon desire with her and Helo; yes her true nature would be revealed to her crewmates – if not directly through her actions in shooting Adama, then certainly through Starbuck’s return to the Galactica. While Starbuck is liable to be thrown into the brig on her return, that’s no reason for Tigh and others not to believe claims about Boomer in light of what she has seen on Caprica and what has happened in CIC.

Another element that is finally revealed is what the Cylons really want out of Baltar – but this in itself raises questions. Not only about his relationship with Six, but also about the future of the Helo / Valerii storyline, and those questions centre on what he saw in the crib.

That he was seeing into the future is clear: but is the child he sees the product of Helo’s relationship with Valerii, or his own (future) relationship with a corporeal Six? On the one hand, much of what is seen points to the child being born of Valerii: she admits her condition to Helo (and thus opens the door to him remaining on Caprica with her while Starbuck returns to the Galactica with the Arrow) and the Cylons were apparently aiming for her to become pregnant by Helo (or at least, Doral and Six showed no surprised when she reported her lovemaking with him). But – Six’s words to Baltar as she prepares him to see the future are interesting: “You are the guardian and protector of a new generation of God’s children,” – a somewhat neutral explanation that comes before she smiles, catches her breath and adds, “The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius.” This could be a reference to the fact that Valerii is pregnant; however the shift to the possessive “our family” and “with us” could be seen to indicate the child could be Baltar’s own.

And again, how much more of an effective guardian and protector will Baltar be, if he is in fact protecting his own offspring, rather than that of another Cylon / human relationship? And if this is the case, where does that leave the Valerii / Helo relationship?

This episode also reveals some more about Six: if the offspring on the crib she sees with Baltar is that of Valerii and Helo, then it would more or less confirm that she is in contact with corporeal Cylons elsewhere – how else would she know of the developing Valerii / Helo situation otherwise as it started after her “death”? Similarly, it is interesting to note the degree of savagery involved in the beating Six gives Starbuck. In many respects, it mirrors the beating she gave Valerii in “Litmus”; at the time, the viciousness she showed seemed to be linked to the jealousy evident between her and Valerii. We now know that Six has been affected by Baltar’s reaction to sleeping with Starbuck (“Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1”); could the physical beating Starbuck receives be a manifestation of the jealousy she feels for what happened on the Galactica, transmitted to her corporeal sister?

But the key question is what will happen to Adama? It is very hard to conceive of the series progressing without his presence. While the ensemble cast is one of the best put together on-screen, and while many of them – Callis in particular – have put in powerful performances, it is fair to say that Olmos is very much the anchor of this series. Without his strength and gravitas, Battlestar Galactica could end up drifting very badly. Therefore, while it will be interesting to see what new dynamics may develop while Adama is out of commission – how will Tigh handle the vagaries of command, who will he nominate as his XO, etc, – it is essential Adama’s presence is felt sooner rather than later in the next season.

While discussing Adama, it may be interesting to note that his shooting almost brings the story full-circle. As he was dying on [[Ragnar Anchorage]], the [[Cylon agent]] [[Leoben Conoy]] warns Adama that, “Sooner or later, the day comes when you can’t hide from the things you’ve done” ([[Miniseries]]). Adama has waged war on the Cylons – both as a young officer during the Cylon War and now in his efforts to protect his people and the fleet. He has just been responsible for the destruction of a Cylon baseship, complete with many copies of Valerii; and now Valerii has shot him.

And how will the fleet react once word of Roslin’s arrest breaks through the communications blackout the Galactica inflicted on Colonial One? What can the civilians do? In many respects Adama holds all the cards – or would do, were he in a fit condition. His ship is the key to the protection of the fleet. She is pretty much unassailable, and without her facilities, 16,000 people in the fleet would very soon be without water (“Water”). Therefore, it is hard to see anyone stepping too far out of line when it comes to making major decisions: where the fleet will go, what it will do, etc. But within the civilian community, it is hard not to see repercussions: Roslin has been arrested; Baltar is missing, possibly dead. Who is available to take the civil reigns? Wallace Gray (“Colonial Day”)? Tom Zarek (“Bastille Day”; “Colonial Day”). Is it a coincidence that not too long before, at the Quorum of Twelve, Zarek himself raised the spectre of a military coup – and that’s more-or-less what they now have on their hands?

All told, this episode generates outstanding drama that demands a successful renewal and second season. It brings what has been an excellent first season to a powerful close, reflecting the almost unbroken run of quality drama evidenced by the show. Indeed the overall quality in terms of production, writing, casting and acting more than demonstrates both Ronald Moore and David Eick are correct in limiting the show to 13-episode runs.

== Notes ==
* This episode takes place directly after those of [[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]
* There are now 47,887 survivors in the fleet, a net loss of 10 since "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]".
* Cylon vessels are indeed capable of very long-range jumps
* [[Delphi]] was once a cultural centre on Caprica, and apparently held a lot of historical / religious artifacts
* Cylon basestars appear bio-mechanical, like Raiders
* In [[Water]] it was established that the ''Galactica'' had at least 5 [[Raptor|Raptors]] on board: [[William Adama|Adama]] orders Raptors to survey local star systems for water bearing planets, 5 are dispatched. This episode reveals ''Galactica'' has at least 6: 1 is destroyed over [[Kobol]], one crashes on Kobol; three take part in the raid on ''[[Colonial One]]'', 1 simultaneously carries a nuclear warhead to the Cylon basestar,
*According to RDM's podcast, during the Starbuck/Number Six fight in the Delphi Museum, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer themselves actually perform the entire fight scene, with no stunt doubles.

===Nods===
The use of [[IFF]] transponders by the Cylons is an indirect nod to [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]], in which [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] use an IFF-type device to identify their [[Cylon Raider#Original Series Raider|Raider]] to Colonial forces when they launch an attack on a Cylon Basestar ([[The Hand of God (TOS)]])

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==

* ''When Adama congratulates Boomer for destroying the basestar over Kobol:''
*:Commander Adama: Congratulations to both of you. You carried out a very difficult and dangerous mission, and you did it...despite any...personal misgivings you may or may not have had...and for that I'm very proud. Thank you.
*:Racetrack: Thank you, sir.
*:Boomer: Thank you, sir. (pulls out a gun and shoots Adama in the chest)

* ''In the Opera House on Kobol''
*:Gaius Baltar: I don't understand.
*:Number Six: Life has a melody, Gaius. A rhythm of notes that become your existence once played in harmony with God's plan. It's time to do your part and realize your destiny.
*:Gaius Baltar: Which is what, exactly?
*:Number Six: You are the guardian and protector of the new generation of God's children. The first member of our family will be with us soon, Gaius. It's time to make your choice.
*:Gaius Baltar: But I don't understand what you're talking about. Really, I don't understand-
*:Number Six: Come. See the face of the shape of things to come.

* ''On the Colonial One''
*:Colonel Tigh: Madam President, no one needs to get hurt here.
*:Laura Roslin: Then why don't you get off my ship, Colonel.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm placing you under arrest.
*:Lee Adama: No...no, we're not doing this.
*:Colonel Tigh: I'm in command here, Captain.
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, this is wrong!
*:Colonel Tigh: You're relieved! Fall back. Madam President, I would-
*:Lee Adama: (pulls a gun on Tigh) Men, lay down your weapons.
*:Colonel Tigh: Have you lost your frakking mind?
*:Lee Adama: Colonel, tell these Marines to fall back!
*:Colonel Tigh: This is mutiny. You know that.
*:Lee Adama: Yes I do, but you can tell my father that I'm listening to my instincts, and my instincts tell me that we cannot sacrifice our democracy just because the President makes a bad decision.

== Official Statements ==

* ''Regarding [[Lee Adama]] and his development (and setbacks) incurred over the course of [[Season 1 (2004-05)]], as stated by [[Jamie Bamber]]:''

: I think he's his own man. I think he's a natural leader, but I don't think he's realised that yet. We are exploring it.

:At the end of the first season he's on his own again. I mean, he's always been an isolated figure in the first place because he doesn't really belong on the ''[[Galactica]]''. He doesn't even intend to be there but then the end of the world sort of catches him on the hop and that's where he has to make a start. He cuts a role out for himself as the "[[CAG]]," something he perhaps wasn't intending to do.

:And I think he comes into his own gradually. He surprises himself. But then again, at the end of the first season he disobeys an order, so that's basically burned all his bridges that he had with the crew of the ''[[Galactica]]''.

:So he's a lone thinker in many respects, but I think more and more you'll see him start to come out with true leadership qualities. [http://gateworld.net/galactica/articles/bamber01.shtml]

* ''Jamie Bamber on Lee Adama's evolution from this episode into the second season:''

: The difference fundamentally is that one moment in "Kobol's Last Gleaming" when he finally realizes that he's sense (sic) of duty and responsibility can and must extend beyond the [[Colonial Fleet|military hierarchy]] and include his own conscience and the law. The moment he turns his weapon on [[Saul Tigh|his superior]]. And that that is not wrong.

: As a result he finds himself [[brig|behind bars]], in exile, out of uniform and essentially orphaned, but through all this he finds out who he really is and he trusts it. Suddenly, with [[William Adama|his father]] dying, he sees people turn to him for leadership and that brings a realization that he must rise to the occasion and he does so through trusting his own judgment. He is surprised that his mutinous act aboard ''[[Colonial One]]'' has not marginalized him in [[the Fleet (RDM)|the fleet]]; just the opposite—it has actually highlighted him as a man of conscience, capable of impossibly difficult decisions. {{ref|inside_bsg_p50}}

== Guest stars ==
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alonso+Oyarzun Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jim+Shield Jim Shield] as [[Karma]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Warren+Christie Warren Christie] as "[[Tarn|Ground Crew #1]]"
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jen+Halley Jen Halley] as "[[Seelix|Ground Crew #2]]"
*[[Leah Cairns]] as Lt. [[Margaret Edmonson|Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson]]

== References ==

* {{note|inside_bsg_p50}} "Inside Battlestar Galactica", Sci-Fi Magazine February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008a1hf.jpg 50]

== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/113/ "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"] at scifi.com

{{Episode List}}

[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I

2006-04-26T05:29:49Z

White Knight: /* Questions */

{{Episode Data|
Image =[[Image:Home_pt1-Kobol.jpg|300px]]
| Title=Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
| Series=[[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the Re-imagined Series]]
| Season=[[Season 1 (2004-05)|1]]
| Episode=12
| Guests=
| Writer=[[Ronald D. Moore]]
| Story=[[David Eick]]
| Director=[[Michael Rymer]]
| Production=1.12
| Rating=
| US Airdate=March 25 2005
| UK Airdate=January 17 2005
| DVD=March 28 2005 (UK) September 20 2005 (US)
| Population=
| Prev=[[Colonial Day]]
| Next=[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II]]
}}

== Overview ==
:''Battlestar ''Galactica'' discovers Kobol, and a chain of events are set in motion that threatens to change everything.''

== Summary ==
* Following the [[Colonial Day]] celebrations, [[Gaius Baltar]] finally beds [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]], but as they make love, she cries out for [[Lee Adama]], shattering Baltar's mood.
* Stricken by her apparent rejection of him in their coupling, Baltar in turn comes close to rejecting [[Number Six|Six]] and find it impossible to concentrate on anything – including his duties as Vice President.
* Elsewhere on ship, [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Boomer]] attempts to take her own life, but breaks down in tears before she can shoot herself. She is called to the Ready Room for a pre-flight briefing.
* [[Laura Roslin|Roslin]] discovers that her cancer treatment is not going well. Her cancer has spread to her lymphatic system, giving her perhaps 6 months to live
* Baltar verbally fences with Lee Adama and is somewhat insulting to Thrace, tipping Lee off that the doctor has slept with Thrace. Later, still thinking about Thrace, Baltar cracks in front of Roslin.
* Following a recon mission, Boomer and [[Crashdown]] return to ''[[Galactica]]'' with evidence they have stumbled upon [[Kobol]].
* Determined to have things out with Thrace, Lee confronts her in the [[Hangar Deck]], and the two come to blows. Thrace realizes that her actions with Baltar have hurt Lee Adama.
* Reviewing the evidence returned by Boomer and Crashdown, Roslin has a vision which [[Elosha]] confirms to be the [[City of the Gods]] on Kobol.
* Roslin has two further visions – the [[Arrow of Apollo]] and the [[Tomb of Athena]], and accepts the scriptures as fact.
* Boomer, still confused, attempts to take her own life – “encouraged” by Baltar in defiance of Six.
* When [[William Adama|Adama]] reviews the evidence, he orders an extensive surface survey of the planet, seeing it as an opportunity for them to settle. Warned he should get off ''Galactica'' by Six, Baltar assigns himself to the survey.
* Roslin tries to convince Adama that Kobol will point the way to [[Earth]], but they must use the captured [[Cylon Raider]] to return to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] and retrieve the Arrow of Apollo.
* Three Raptors depart ''Galactica'' for Kobol, but on arrival they find themselves in the midst of a Cylon force of Raiders – and a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]].
* One Raptor is destroyed, and one - carrying Baltar – crash-lands on Kobol.
* Before a rescue mission can be launched, the basestar must be taken out – and Starbuck hatches a plan to do just this using the captured Raider.
* Hearing this, Roslin meets with Starbuck and convinces her into going to Caprica instead to retrieve the Arrow, by telling her that Adama does not actually know where Earth is.
[[Image:bsg-klg1-1.jpg|thumb|right|Adama studies ancient documents on Kobol. (c) Universal]]
===On Caprica===
* [[Karl Agathon|Helo]], alone and on the run, encounters “his” [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Valerii]]. He shoots and wounds her. Unable to kill her outright, he takes her with him.
* When Valerii tries to explain things to him, Helo informs her that all she is to him is a way off the planet.

== Summary from SciFi.com ==
While flying a supply patrol, Crashdown and Sharon Valerii discover a bountiful planet that can support human life. Indeed, it might be Kobol, the legendary "home of the gods." The discovery prompts Commander Adama to send a ground team to investigate; it also gives new life to President Roslin's belief that she is a tool of destiny and that this discovery, like her rapidly spreading cancer, is part of an ancient prophecy.

However, things are not well on the Galactica. Gaius Baltar, the new vice-president, has a one-night stand with Kara Thrace and finds himself at odds with both Lee Adama and a deeply jealous Number Six.

Meanwhile, both Cylon Sharons struggle with their dual natures. On Galactica, she contemplates suicide when she realizes her programming will lead her to betray her comrades; on Caprica, she tries to convince Helo that her love for him is stronger than her loyalty to the Cylons.

After a Raptor carrying Vice-President Baltar is shot down over Kobol, Commander Adama must find a way to destroy the Cylon basestar that guards the planet before he can send a rescue team. He orders Kara to fly a dangerous mission against the basestar, using the captured Cylon Raider — but Kara makes an unauthorized Jump home to Caprica instead, abandoning Adama and the stranded Raptor crew.
--This section ©2005, [http://www.scifi.com SCI FI]. All rights reserved.

== Questions ==
* Why did the Thirteen Tribes leave [[Kobol]]?
**In a deleted scene, Col. Tigh asks [[Elosha]] this same question, and she says that one God decided that he should be raised up above all others, and rebelled, and this triggered the cataclysm that drove humans off of Kobol.
***Could this be a reference to the beginning of the Cylon's religion and their "one true God"?
**In another deleted season from season 2's "[[Fragged]]", Roslin says that the Sacred Scrolls don't say that humanity was exiled from Kobol, but rather "there was some sort of battle amongst the Gods, and when it was over we ''chose'' to leave".
* What happened to the gods who lived on Kobol “with man”?
* Did the gods remain on Kobol after humanity left?
* Given the similarities with the [[Greek Gods|Greek Pantheon]], did the gods decide to follow the 13th tribe to Earth, thus establishing the myths of the Olympian gods?
* Do the Cylons consider Kobol as their spiritual home as well (“The birthplace of us all” – [[Leoben Conoy]], "[[Flesh and Bone]]")?
* Did Boomer's Cylon personality interfere in her attempt at suicide, resulting in her wounding herself, or did her human personality lack the conviction of the act, resulting in the wound?
* Given that [[Cylon Transponder]]s were aboard ''Galactica'', why did the Cylons make such an attempt to destroy ''Galactica'' during their first attack - up to and including deploying nuclear weapons against her? Was the device inactive - if so, why was it in [[CIC]] in the first place ([[Miniseries]])?
**The transponder was probably there so the Cylon Raiders carrying nuclear missiles could target its location in the Mini-Series. Even if ''Galactica'' survived, the transponders would still allow the battlestar to be tracked.

== Analysis ==

The finest episode of "Battlestar Galactica" to air so far; so finely tuned that it barely misses a beat. This is also the first episode where music is used to its most evocative effect, further lifting the story into the realm of outstanding drama.

From the outset the audience knows it is in for something special; the re-cap of previous episodes so tightly defined, it for once deals with a single strand of the story to date: the Cylons, only opening at the end to reveal the motivating thrust to this episode: the finding of Kobol.

This leads into one of the most beautifully-constructed teasers witnessed in television drama. Evocative, moving – and entirely minimalist in terms of dialogue -, it really is proof that frequently, less really is more. Why waste time with words, when actions and expressions speak so much louder, and music can imbue the underlying emotions.

"Battlestar Galactica" has not always fared well where music is concerned. The opening theme is one that is either liked or disliked, with little middle ground; incidental music in previous episodes has been sporadic in its ability to act – as music should – as the aural scenery that helps bring the drama to life. Sometimes it has worked, in others – notably the otherwise brilliant The Hand of God – it has been so out of keeping with the atmosphere of the show, it has detracted from the overall enjoyment of the episode.

Here, however, the music is perfect – and it is interesting to see that in immersing the audience into the subtleties of the teaser, the episode uses a “classical” approach through the use of an orchestral sound, rather than the more tribal beats common to Battlestar Galactica.

And the result is remarkable. Utilising the string section in the foreground – violins and cellos slowly building a theme to which is added further instruments as new revelations are made concerning the moods and responses of the various characters; providing an aural tapestry through which everything is linked; the bringing together and the falling apart of relationships; the expression of needs, and emotions.

The music perfectly underpins one of the main thrusts of the teaser: a demonstration of how alive the humans are; how driven by passion and instinct. It was in “Flesh and Bone” that Doral stated his envy of a human’s ability to experience such extremes. Now we’re cleverly shown everything the Cylon’s aspire to experience themselves: passions unbounded by the need for constraint, given form in both the boxing and in Starbuck’s fantasy view of her coupling with Baltar (“Lee”).

Turning to the boxing, it is evident more is going on here than a simple father-and-son sparring match. Aggression and frustration are being dealt with here – as witnessed by the clear satisfaction Lee gets from striking and hurting his father. When he lands his first big punch, he asks, “Are you OK?” not out of concern, but out of satisfaction; it could have so easily been followed by, “Because there’s plenty more where that came from.” Even so, his frustrations are released guardedly, whereas his father’s response is not. He allows himself to enjoy striking his son, giving his instincts the freedom of expression they need.

Another fascinating element of the teaser is the manner in which Boomer’s situation is offset with Valerii on Caprica. As Boomer takes her handgun and prepares to shoot herself, Valerii finds Helo, and tells him to shoot her. Both of them have reached the same point in their existence, both of them because of their entirely human responses – in Boomer’s case fear and in Valerii’s the anguish of lost love. Fear and love – perhaps the strongest of emotions we can experience; and both have driven these instances of Valerii to despair. In doing so, these emotions reveal both the “flaw” within the Valerii model that makes it “weak” in Six’s eyes while also demonstrating the Cylon experiment has succeeded – perhaps in a way the Cylons could not have conceived.

The rest of the episode is no less rich. Roslin’s acceptance of her role and the reality of the scriptures, though sudden, is entirely in keeping with all that has been shown in recent episodes. The issues arising from this are both immediate and long-term. She has already subverted the strike against the Cylon basestar – putting the entire fleet at risk, as well as the lives of some 8-10 members of the Galactica’s crew stranded on Kobol. Whether Adama be willing to let this go if/when Starbuck returns with the Arrow of Apollo remains to be seen. However, as Billy points out, if she continues to act upon what he sees (and no doubt others will believe) as “drug-induced hallucinations”, then the stability of the entire government within the fleet will be put at risk – possibly well before the scheduled elections.

In a similar way, the flare-up of jealousy and anger between Lee and Kara is entirely in keeping with recent events: their potential attraction has been seen in brief flashes throughout, while their frustrations with one another have been witnessed through the likes of “Act of Contrition” and most recently, “The Hand of God”. Beyond that, they have a history together that bonds them from their time at flight school, where Zak Adama initially brought them together as friends through to Lee’s arrival aboard the Galactica. Thus, Lee’s very evident attraction to her during the Colonial Day party, is fully in keeping with what we have seen: but she ends up bedding Baltar.

While this latter point is somewhat surprising given the degree of open contempt she has shown him of late (“Bastille Day”, “Litmus”, “Secrets and Lies”), given the availability of drinks aboard the “Cloud Nine” their coupling could be put down to the effects of alcohol. Certainly, Baltar has never hidden his lust for Starbuck, and it is hard to see him missing the opportunity to take advantage of his new-found position as Vice President and the fact that Six has given her permission to sleep with whoever he likes.

Why did she do it? Probably because, despite his attraction to her, and her to him (hence her orgasm-induced cry) Kara sees Lee as unobtainable – possibly because of that same history they share. So in her inebriation, she opts for the closest available target – Baltar. Whatever the reason, her actions are more than enough to both become the perfect catalyst for Baltar’s conflicts with Six and his apparent desire to confound her (as evidenced through his conversation with Boomer), and to act as a catalyst to bring Lee’s jealousy to the surface.

Baltar’s time with Boomer is interesting. Taking heed of Six’s warning concerning the danger the Galactica while face and acting in defiance of her mocking comments in the bunkroom itself, he acts in defiance of her, gently bringing Boomer to the point where she can carry out the attempt on her own life. Through it all, Six is obviously confused by his actions. That Boomer’s Cylon persona more than likely stopped her killing herself, the fact that Baltar was willing to act as he does has a major impact on Six – hence her more gentle reminder to him when the survey of Kobol is being planned.

The episode also can’t be faulted for the standard of performance turned in. Across the board all of the ensemble cast put in sterling performances that serve to ratchet-up “Kobol’s Last Gleaming Part 1” so it stands head and shoulders above what has already been a remarkable first season run. Thus, to single any individual member of the cast out at the expense of the others would be somewhat unfair; everyone appearing on-screen – be it for 40 minutes or 4 – makes their character utterly engrossing to watch.

The final elements that round-out this episode are the writing and direction. With this story, Eick and Moore demonstrate they have a clear vision for where the series will hopefully go (allowing for future renewals), the territories it may cover and the ways in which the various threads can be intertwined and then neatly separated again to build a complex picture of humanity and circumstance. Furthermore, in ramping-up the Roslin arc, they are simultaneously bringing some of the threads that have formed the fabric of this first season to an end, while opening new potential avenues for exploration in future seasons.

Having veteran BSG director Rymer (Mini-Series, “33”) helm this episode is also a smart move. In both the mini and “33”, Rymer firmly established the look and feel of the finished Galactica product, and here he demonstrates his finesse with the docu-drama style the production has striven for; using the technique to draw the audience into the drama almost as if they are themselves participants.

== Notes ==
*It is 3 days since the events of [[Colonial Day]].
*There are now 47,897 survivors in the fleet, a net loss of 1 since "Colonial Day".
*[[The Fleet (RDM)|The Fleet]] is beginning to run short of supplies.
*Humans departed Kobol some 2,000 years prior to the setting of the series .
*Kobol is a place where the “gods and man lived together in paradise”.
*Some of the "gods" appear to be buried on Kobol (The [[Tomb of Athena]]).
*[[Socinus]] has been released from the brig and returned to duty.
*The "R&D TV Animation" skit during the credits consists of David Eick transforming Ron Moore into Martha Stewart by shooting lightning from his fingers.

===Blooper Moments===
When Sharon shoots herself, she is holding an automatic pistol, but the sound was that of the larger sidearms carried by pilots when flying off-ship missions (only slightly suppressed), rather than the report of a "normal" pistol being fired.

===Nods===
The [[Cylon Transponder]] is an indirect nod to [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]], in which [[Apollo (TOS)|Apollo]] and [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] use an IFF-type device to identify their [[Cylon Raider#Original Series Raider|Raider]] to Colonial forces when they launch an attack on a Cylon Basestar ([[The Hand of God (TOS)]]).

== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
* ''In the bunk room, when Gaius Baltar interrupts Sharon Valeri’s second attempt at suicide:''
:Sharon Valeri: ''(as she pretends to be cleaning her hand gun)'' What’s going on?
:Gaius Baltar: ''(cautiously)'' Well, I was going to ask you the same question. Actually, I was looking for Lieutenant Thrace but...sometimes it’s good to...talk these things over.
:Number Six: ''(feigning pity)'' Deep down she knows she’s a Cylon, but her conscious mind just won’t accept it.
:Sharon Valeri: Sometimes I have these...dark thoughts.
:Gaius Baltar: What kind of dark thoughts?
:Number Six: Her model is weak, always has been. But in the end she’ll carry out her mission.
:Sharon Valeri: I don’t know, but I’m afraid I’m going to hurt someone. I feel like I ought to be stopped.
:Number Six: ''(moving to the other side of Boomer)'' She can’t be stopped. She’s a Cylon. You can’t help her, Gaius...but you could probably sleep with her. (Baltar reacts with a look of disgust at Six.) That’s what you want, right?
:Gaius Baltar: ''(to Boomer)'' I’m not sure why...sometimes...we must embrace that which opens up for us.
:Sharon Valeri: Embrace?
:Gaius Baltar: Life can be a curse as well as a blessing. (his voice becomes more intense) You will believe me when I tell you: there are far worse things than death in this world...
:Sharon Valeri: So you’re saying…?
:Gaius Baltar: No. No, no, no. What I say...is meaningless. Listen to your heart. Embrace that which you know to be the right decision.
:''(They look at each other as Six regards Baltar with a look of complete incomprehension, then Baltar stands and kisses Boomer on the forehead before walking out of the bunkroom. Seconds later there is the sound of a single gunshot from inside.)''

* ''In ''Galactica's'' landing bay:''
:Lee Adama: Going hunting?
:Kara Thrace: ''(loading ammunition into the Cylon Raider)'' I'm manning the gunnery for the Jump test tomorrow. See if our boy here can shoot anything with our ammo.
:Lee Adama: So it's a boy now.
:Kara Thrace: I changed my mind.
:Lee Adama: You ever wonder why everyone else calls it a "she", but to you, it's a "he"?
:Kara Thrace: That's fascinating, Lee. You should write a paper.
:Lee Adama: Well, that's not really my style. I'm not as smart as...say, Doctor Baltar. How is the Vice President, by the way?
:Kara Thrace: I don't know. Haven't seen him.
:Lee Adama: ''(thinks for a second)'' So...he's a love-them and leave-them kind of guy, I guess.
:Kara Thrace: I guess.
:Lee Adama: Ships just pass in the night...
:Kara Thrace: Yep.
:Lee Adama: Didn't mean a thing.
:Kara Thrace: No.
:Lee Adama: You were just bored, looking for something to do. So frakking the Vice President of the Colonies seemed like a great waste of time!
:Kara Thrace: Do you want something from me?
:Lee Adama: Not a thing-
:Kara Thrace: -because I don't owe you anything.
:Lee Adama: No, you don't owe me anything. because I'm just a CAG, and you're just a pilot. A pilot who can't keep her pants on! Oh, it's just like old times, Kara. Like when you got drunk and you couldn't keep your hands off the Major-
:''(Kara turns around and swings a punch at Lee, but Lee returns the favor by punching Kara in the eye)''
:Lee Adama: Why'd you do it, Kara? Just tell me why.
:Kara Thrace: Because I'm a screwup, Lee. Try to keep that in mind.

* ''As Kara Thrace pilots the Cylon Raider in a weapons test, she contacts Commander Adama:''
:Commander Adama: ''(to Kara)'' Go ahead.
:Kara Thrace: I believed you. Believed in Earth.
:Commander Adama: What are you doing, Starbuck?
:Kara Thrace: Bringing home the cat, sir.
:Commander Adama: We can talk about this.
:Kara Thrace: No, I don't think so.
:Commander Adama: I want you to remember one thing. I do not regret anything that I did. Be sure that whatever you're going to do, you don't regret it later. Do you understand me?
:Kara Thrace: I guess we'll find out. ''(Starbuck uses the FTL computer to Jump to Caprica)''
:Lee Adama: ''Galactica'', Apollo. Starbuck has jumped away. Repeat, Starbuck has jumped away.
:Colonel Tigh: She wasn't scheduled for a Jump test! Where the hell did she go?
:Commander Adama: Home.

== Official Statements ==

=== Regarding Lack of Definitive Information Regarding [[Kobol]] ===
{{from_RDM_blog}}

:"In the last two episodes it is noted by the priestess that the thirteen tribes left [[Kobol]] about "2000 years ago" and the initial estimate of the age of the ruins is the same, but nothing is concrete of course. This is where I have a problem: They were obviously a star faring civilization to leave Kobol to being with. To do so requires information technology. Why is their history of that time so sketchy and lacking of concrete records? Yes it was 2000 years in the past but come on, it's not like they only had [[Wikipedia:papyrus|papyrus]] to write on. "

:I've been presupposing some kind of cataclysm or crisis that occurred soon after mankind settled on the 12 worlds which either wiped out the knowledge base or had it deliberately destroyed for some reason. This doesn't seem that implausible when one considers that a tremendous amount of knowledge from the Greco-Roman tradition was lost after the fall of the [[Wikipedia:Roman Empire|Roman Empire]] and plunged the western world into the so called [[Wikipedia:Dark Ages|Dark Ages]]. Clearly, the Colonials did not fall all the way back to papyrus, and they do in fact, know that they are descendants of refugees from Kobol, hence the term "[[Colonies]]." They must have possessed star-faring technology at the time of the exodus, but I don't know how far we'll go into this specific backstory in the series, however.

=== Other Statements ===

* ''[[Jamie Bamber]] talks about his response to the argument held between [[Kara Thrace]] and [[Lee Adama]] in this episode:''

: It's sort of an explosion of jealousy that is a complete surprise to him because I don't think he's ... he's not fully aware of what he feels. There's something quite like a gut reaction that really was exciting to play. It was a surprise to me. [http://gateworld.net/galactica/articles/bamber01.shtml]

== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lt. [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief Petty Officer [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Nicki Clyne]] as Specialist [[Cally]]
*[[Lorena Gale]] as [[Elosha]]
*[[Donnelly Rhodes]] as Dr. [[Cottle]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Alonso+Oyarzun Alonso Oyarzun] as Specialist [[Socinus]]
*[[Bodie Olmos]] as Lt. [[Brendan Constanza|Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Stephen+Spender Stephen Spender] as Pilot
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+James+Bell James Bell] as [[ECO]]

== Statistics ==


== External Links ==
[http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/112/ "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I"] at scifi.com

{{Episode List}}

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Ronald D. Moore]]
[[Category:Episodes with story by David Eick]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Michael Rymer]]

Battlestar Galactica (TRS)

2006-04-25T05:33:30Z

White Knight: /* Official Statements */

[[Image:Image lg bgcast.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Some of the central cast of the new "Battlestar Galactica" series. (c) Universal]]

==Summary==
Considered a "[[Wikipedia:Reboot (continuity)|re-imagining]]," this series is a version of [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the 1970s ''Battlestar Galactica'']] made [[Naturalistic science fiction|more suitable]] to the sensibilities of the 21st Century. Tackling issues of civil rights, survival, terrorism, and religion, ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an epic following the survivors of the human race—which number under 50,000. The ''[[Galactica]]'' finds herself leading a rag-tag refugee fleet on a lonely (and, quite possibly, fictitious) quest for [[Earth]], with turmoil from within and danger from without.

It's most common abbreviation is "BSG." It is often distinguished from its forebear as "RDM," for the executive producer, [[Ronald D. Moore]] (as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is often referred to as "TNG"). It was also initially disambiguated as "TNS" (for "The New Series"), but this has become rarer over time as it distinguished itself more from the original series.

==Cast==
===Stars===
* [[Edward James Olmos]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Mary McDonnell]] as [[Laura Roslin]]
* [[Katee Sackhoff]] as [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]
* [[Jamie Bamber]] as [[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]
* [[James Callis]] as [[Gaius Baltar]]
* [[Tricia Helfer]] as [[Number Six]]
* [[Grace Park]] as [[Sharon Valerii|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Number Eight]]

===Co-stars===
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
* [[Paul Campbell]] as [[Billy Keikeya]] (2003-2006)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]

==Production Crew==
===Producers===
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] - Developer / Executive Producer / Writer
* [[David Eick]] - Executive Producer
* [[Toni Graphia]] - Co-Executive Producer / Writer
* [[Harvey Frand]] - Producer
* [[Glen A. Larson]] - Consulting Producer

===Directors & Writing Staff===
: ''To view the list of all the directors and staff, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Crew#Directors|Battlestar Galactica Crew Guide]] page.''

==Episodes==
: ''To view the list of episodes, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Episode Guide|Battlestar Galactica Episode Guide]] page.''

== Official Statements ==

* ''"Apart from the fleet, is there any chance that there are other survivors? Clearly ''[[Colonial One]]'' would not have gotten to every ship that was in transit and those that had [[FTL]] could have escaped as well."''

:We are talking about shows that deal with other survivors right now. Don't ask about the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] -- I [still] haven't made up my mind yet.

* ''"Will we see any of the [[:Category:Cast (TOS)|original cast]] [sic] apart from [[Richard Hatch]]? "''

: It's possible, but not yet on the board. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Why [[frak|"frack"]] [sic]? Where did the idea come from to make this the new F-word? Not that I don't like it, I find it amusing."''

: It's straight out of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I dropped many other terms from the old show like "[[centon]]" (a unit of measurement) and "[[yahren]]" (year) because I felt they distracted from the mood I was trying to create and they sounded a bit silly to my ear. There was something elegantly lovely about "[[frak]]," however. There's nothing like being able to say my favorite four letter word on TV over and over again and I salute [[Glen Larson]] for giving the joys of frakking up, frakking off, not giving a frak, and frakking-A to the masses. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Why does the doctor smoke?"''

:Because smoking is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different, kid.

:Seriously, we're showing people doing what people really do and not all of their choices are smart ones. We smoke, we drink, we have sex with the wrong partners -- we make lots of bad choices and some of them we do knowingly and in full cognizance of the risks and consequences. Dr. [[Cottle]] obviously knows the risks associated with smoking and he elects to do it anyway -- that's his choice.

:I'm also frankly tired of all the anti-smoking p.c. crap that we're bombarded with these days and I decided that this was a world without all that. Call it my one sop to the idea of an idealized society, the notion that adults can make informed choices and not be nagged to death or run out of public spaces for making choices that others may not like or agree with. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"What is the rank structure? It doesn't seem consistent with the Navy."''

:The rank structure is derived from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I didn't want to change Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] to Captain Adama or Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to Commander Tigh, so I elected to simply embrace the co-mingled nature of the original rank structure. For our internal purposes, we've decided that the ranks are indeed a mixture of naval and army nomenclature and are basically as follows:

:'''Officers''' --
:Admiral
:Commander
:Colonel
:Major
:Captain
:Lieutenant
:Lieutenant (junior grade)
:Ensign

:'''Enlisted''' --
:Master Chief Petty Officer
:Chief Petty Officer
:Petty Officer (1st, 2nd Class)
:Specialist
:Deck Hand
:Recruit

:Just to complicate matters further, there are also [[Marines]] aboard ''[[Galactica]]'' which conform more closely to the traditional enlisted Marine ranks, with Sergeants, Sergeant-Majors, etc. Unresolved is the question of whether the Marine officers would also adhere to the mixed rank structure (which sounds odd) or if they are strictly army equivalents (which makes no sense given that the "Navy" ranks seem oblivious to there being any such distinction). Aren't you glad you asked? -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Will we see the mess hall and other parts of the ship such as the main Kitchen where all the meals are prepared?"''

:I'd like to. It's a question of budget; there has to be a story point or scene so cool that we just have to build this set. The Head (bathroom to you lubbers) was built in the [[33|pilot]] specifically so we'd have it around during the series. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Was this the first show to ever show a bathroom on a space ship?"''

:It's ground-breaking TV, baby. Talk about reinventing the genre. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:'''Note:''' While we are uncertain as to what show was the "first" to show a bathroom on a space ship, we know that this series was not the first to do so. One of the few shows prior to ''Battlestar'' to show a bathroom was, in fact, a second season episode of ''[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]'', not to mention the fold-out toilets in ''[[Wikipedia:Firefly (television series)|Firefly]]''.

* ''"Minor question: was [[Galactica]] ever re-commissioned? As I recall, the ship was decommissioned right before the [[Cylon attack]]. It'd be nice to show the ceremony if they ever get a free moment."''

:It's an interesting point. Might be something to play at some point, but more really as an "Oh, I haven't thought about it, but..." kind of thing. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"The question I would really like to see addressed is how to reconcile the underlying quest of ''Battlestar Galactica'' with actual scientific plausibility. The quest of Battlestar Galactica is to find [[Earth]], the 13th Colony. However, it is a basic and well-substantiated tenet of science that human life here on Earth evolved slowly from a primate ancestor. Attempts to deny evolution based on the notion that human kind deserves a far more worthy origin than what evolution details are a disservice to the pursuit of scientific truth and endeavors in our own world. There was always that reactionary sense to the original series, which drove it away from a secure standing as *science* fiction. How will the new series avoid this pitfall?"''

:I don't have a direct answer for this question yet. There are a couple of notions rolling around in my head as to how we reconcile the very real fact of evolution with the ''Galactica'' mythos, but I haven't decided which approach to take. However, it was a fundamental element of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original (sic) ''Galactica'']] mythos that "Life here began out there..." and I decided early on that it was crucial to maintain it. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"How did you come to decide upon [[Edward James Olmos]] and [[Mary McDonnell]] for their roles? This kind of project seems somewhat out of their typical genre - did either have second thoughts about taking on the project?"''

:Eddie and Mary were actually the archetypes for the characters when we were developing the series. [[David Eick]] and I used to sit around and talk about what kind of actors would play [[William Adama|Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin|Laura]] and we always talked about these two Oscar level actors as our dream duo for the series, but we never really thought we'd get them. They've told the story themselves of why they decided to do the project, but in essence, they really responded to the [[Miniseries|pilot script]] and saw a lot of potential in the characters so they went for it, to our everlasting gratitude. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* "Are you using military advisors and if so, from what branch?"

:We don't have a full time military advisor on staff. However, we did have [[Ron Blecker|an advisor]] on set during the miniseries, who also put the principal actors through a "boot camp" before shooting. I can't honestly remember his name or service branch (sorry if you're reading this!) As far as the scripts go, [[Bradley Thompson]], [[David Weddle]], and I provide a lot of the military technical details based on our own knowledge base. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"I'll second the question - why is it that the paper in the Galactica universe has the corners cut off, even the tractor fed printer sheets! I just want to know."''

:This is a closely guarded secret of the show and certainly not a wacky design element that someone came up with during the [[Miniseries|miniseries]]. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:'''Note:''' It has been admitted by some of the production staff that this is, more or less, a joke that went overboard -- namely one derived from the fact that corners had to be cut in order to keep within the budget for the mini. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"You mentioned that the reason that the ''[[Galactica]]'' was so low-tech was that it was designed to fight the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], who could possibly infiltrate it's systems, and that this was one of the reasons it survived. If that is so, then who were the other ships designed to fight? The 120 ships alluded to are a big force just for border patrol. Are there aliens we should know about? "''

:The first [[Cylon War]] came very close to wiping out the [[Colonies]], and so when the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] was declared, the government maintained a large standing military force for quite some time, just in case. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"Mythos. Every science fiction show that stands the test of time needs to develop its own Mythos. By this I mean, its own unique cultural identity. For instance ''Star Wars'' has its Jedi, its Force; ''Star Trek'' has its Prime directive, beaming, and warps (sic) speed. As a writer you are aware of this and having worked in the ''Star Trek'' franchise are rather qualified in it. What will are your thoughts and insights into the development of Mythos in this new BSG child that you are tending to and caring for? Especially, since there seems to be heavy pressure to incorporate the original mythos themes of the show, will this be a guiding blueprint for thought, or just a framework to create? "''

:The mythology of the new ''Galactica'' is heavily influenced by that established in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original]]. I've always approached this project with an eye toward taking the original material and making it work in a new context. I still try to do this whenever possible. Does it make sense that there would be a star system with [[Twelve Colonies|12 inhabitable planets]]? Not really, but that was in the original and at some point I decided to run with that as another nod to the old show. The mythology of the old show centered around [[Kobol]] and the thirteen "tribes of man," so I've kept it as the centerpiece of ours. Not every single element is the same and not every element is even intact, but the roots are there. The point was to make another version of ''Battlestar Galactica'', not just use the name. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"I was watching ''Wing Commander'' last night with my wife and she made a comment that the Kilrathi fighter looked pretty similar to the Cylon Raider. I know that some of the production staff from Wing Commander went on to begin production on the [[Tom DeSanto|DeSanto]] continuation, but is there in fact any sort of link here? I mean I first thought Droid Fighter from ''Star Wars: Episode One'', but that seems to be some kind of common design going on. "''

:"Wing Commander" is frequently mentioned to me as a possible influence on the show, but I've never actually seen it. While it's possible that other members of the production team were influenced by it, it wasn't something that figured into my thinking. My own design influences were things like "Das Boot", "Blade Runner", "Alien/Aliens" and a stack of documentaries on the modern and history US and Royal Navies.

*''"My questions: Can the show explain a little more about their technology, for example how fast are the [[FTL]] jumps. It seems the fleet barely moves when not jumping, if the jumps are only light speed and not multiples of, some of the sublight ships could conceivably catch up (the ones not destroyed by Cylons)"''

:An [[FTL]] Jump is nearly instantaneous, essentially moving a ship from point A to point B without traveling through the normal space-time continuum, presumably by bending space around the ship in some way. The analogy I used during production was to imagine three dimensional space as a flat piece of two dimensional paper. To get from one side to the other, you can travel in a straight line across the page, or you can gently bend the sheet in half and cross from edge to edge virtually instantly. How this is accomplished and what is the basis of this technology outstrips my technical brainpower.

:In fact, I feel faint just coming up with that explanation... -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Did the [[Twelve Colonies|colonies]] have outposts, bases, or trade partners outside of the 12 colonies. Did they even explore other systems. The colonies could have had observatories, listening posts, or even scientific research teams exploring other planets beyond the colonial system(s). They could encounter any of these which could lead to supplies, raw materials, food, fuel etc. "''

:I think that's probably true, but part of our premise is that the fleet has Jumped far out into unexplored space in an effort to elude the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], so we won't be encountered any other outposts or colonies. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"Are there any similarities between your reconception of the BG universe and where you might have gone if you'd been given the reigns of ''Voyager''?"''

:There are similarities in the premise of the two shows, so yes, there are things I'm applying here that I would've like to have done in [Star Trek:] ''Voyager'', i.e., lack of resources, the development of unique cultural and civil institutions, and internal strife among people trapped aboard ship(s) without any reasonable hope of finding sanctuary anytime soon. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"I have a friend who has a son and they both enjoy watching the new ''Battlestar Galactica''. But it is a very frustrating thing when he cannot allow his son watch the show when there are sex scenes and constant sexual innuendo scattered throughout the episodes.

:"The standard of the stories are superb and I would have to say it is one of the finest sci-fi series I have seen in a long time. BUT IT DOESNT NEED SEX TO GET THE VIEWERS. Call me a little old fashioned but I nor others that I know really appreciate having to endure sex scenes that really do not further the story in any significant way. In fact I think they are rather pointless."''

:First of all, I'm sorry your friend can't watch the show with his son, but I always intended this series to be for adults. I have two small children, and I wouldn't dream of letting them watch the show -- mostly because of the violent content. Second of all, I disagree that the sexuality is intended to be exploitative or that it's somehow not integral to the story. We're presenting adult human beings as adults, and their sexuality is a key part of their lives. [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] sexual weaknesses, [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon]] and [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol's]] forbidden love affair, and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck's]] promiscuity are part of who and what they are. I think the only reason this gets the kind of attention is does is that we're not used to seeing sex treated maturely in science fiction -- nine times out of ten, any sex is either something to snigger at or to make fun of. Somehow it's okay to fetishize sex by putting women in S&M leather "space" outfits or have Carrie Fisher run around in harem clothes (not that there's anything wrong with that), but to portray two mature adults simply having sex is somehow controversial in sci-fi circles.

:I'd also point out, as I have many times before, the strange standards of American audiences, who can become red-faced with indignation over nudity, but find no problem with slasher films or chains-saw massacres. I mean, ''Galactica'''s premised on a massive genocide, and [[Miniseries|the pilot]] deals with violent, shocking deaths over and over again, but people get upset about the sex? Weird.... -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* Regarding the financial cost per episode of ''Battlestar'': "I can tell you that it’s well over one-and-a-half million dollars US per episode. It’s a substantial budget, especially when you convert it into Canadian dollars—and what we’re able to get up there—it’s a lot of money." [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* ''Regarding a typical day as an executive producer on ''Battlestar'':''

: The job changes as the year goes on. Right now, before we start shooting, my time is spent almost exclusively here with the writing staff. I’m writing an episode at the moment. I wrote the first episode and I’m writing the second one. The writers meet by themselves…they break some stories…I come in and give notes…and we talk about directions for other episodes. Then, as time goes on, they’ll start generating scripts and stories, and I give notes on those. I’m also taking notes from the network and the studio on previous existing material.

: There’ll also be more of me going back and forth between LA and Vancouver. And as we get closer to production, then there’ll be more looking at production designs, dealing with budgetary issues, having meetings with directors and actors, looking at casting tapes for guest-star roles. Once we get into production and start generating film, there’s dailies to watch…post moves forward and there’s cuts of episodes to watch…and there’s visual effects sequences to give notes on.

: There’s not really a typical day, per say. You have to be nimble and on your feet and able to keep changing direction. You have to cover all these different bases, and sometimes you can’t run to first. Sometimes you have to run to third, and then run back home, and then run to second. It’s never a complete pattern.

: I believe very much in delegating authority to the department heads, in empowering people and having them take responsibility for the work. My principal job is to maintain the overall vision of the piece. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* From the "Fashioning Verisimilitude" article / interview on [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com Hollywood North Report (HNR)]:

: '''Robert Falconer:''' And I guess the whole concept of the show, by definition, is that of a bottle show.

: '''Ron Moore:''' Yeah. And it was designed that way from the get-go. When [[David Eick]] and I went in and pitched it initially—knowing how expensive space opera can be—we designed it to be affordable on what we could get on a SCI-FI Channel budget. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* ''Regarding the use of bullets versus lasers on the [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]], as explained by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]:''

: [The bullets] are some sort of caseless ammunition. We had long technical discussions about some of this. What mattered to us was that they weren’t laser blasts. We just felt that had been done to death, it wasn’t as interesting, and it wasn’t realistic. From our research we discovered that such weapons would take huge amounts of energy, and that fighters would probably be better served by using actual bullets. But presumably they’re more advanced than what we’re using today, although we haven’t actually sat down and defined them as such. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm]

* ''Regarding the reconciliation between [[William Adama]] and his son [[Lee Adama]] at the end of the [[Miniseries]], as explained by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]:''

: I think it will go up and it will go down, like any father-son dynamic does. I think they bridged a gap in the miniseries that certainly had held them apart for a couple of years. I don’t think that issue has been completely resolved, but they’ve moved past it to a certain point. Now they’re in a new relationship and a new dynamic…they’re father and son and they’re also serving on the same ship, and the stresses and pressures of that will affect the relationship. I think it’s interesting that Lee Adama has a strong relationship with [[Laura Roslin|Laura]], and that he in some respects is a bridge between her and his father. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm]

* '''Edward James Olmos''': The stories are just, really, stunning. I have wept reading this thing, I have been left amazed and I've been left totally in awe. {{ref|BSG_2.0_DVD}}

* ''[[Grace Park]] on the differences between [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]] and the re-imagined series:''

: The original is so different from what we've done, but I think it's really of the time. I know in the '70s it was a popular show, but TV is so different now -- cutting edge visual effects, with computer and CGI that have to be top-of-the-line, because everyone is looking to see if it's CGI or not. There has to be so much put in to it on that level.

: But I also think the audiences then were much more innocent and accepting. I don't think we could get away with copying just the same thing. Instead, our version has much more emphasis on having the good guys with flaws, and the villains with good parts. It's meant to challenge the audience that's used to black and white. [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter1.htm]

* ''Ron D. Moore discusses the story arc:''

: The broad story arc is only vaguely sketched in at the moment. I've thought over a variety of endings for the series, and each time I've gone down those roads, I've been dissatisfied with the answers, so I've opted to put it off for now. I know there's a school of thought advocating working out everything in advance, but I prefer to let the show and the characters evolve more naturally and discover their stories along the way. {{ref|inside_bsg_p50}}

== See Also ==

*[[Naturalistic science fiction]]

== References ==

* {{note|BSG_2.0_DVD}} [[Season 2.0 DVD|Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0]], the Region 1 DVD
* {{note|inside_bsg_p50}} "Inside Battlestar Galactica", Sci-Fi Magazine February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008a1hf.jpg 50]

==Related Topics==
* [[List of Season 1 Guest Actors (RDM)]]
* [[List of Season 2 Guest Actors (RDM)]]
* [[List of Recurring Characters (RDM)]]
* [[List of Recurring Character Appearances (RDM)]]
* [[List of Emmy Nominations and Wins]]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Behind the Scenes]]
[[Category:RDM]]

Battlestar Galactica (TRS)

2006-04-25T05:32:09Z

White Knight: /* Official Statements */

[[Image:Image lg bgcast.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Some of the central cast of the new "Battlestar Galactica" series. (c) Universal]]

==Summary==
Considered a "[[Wikipedia:Reboot (continuity)|re-imagining]]," this series is a version of [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the 1970s ''Battlestar Galactica'']] made [[Naturalistic science fiction|more suitable]] to the sensibilities of the 21st Century. Tackling issues of civil rights, survival, terrorism, and religion, ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an epic following the survivors of the human race—which number under 50,000. The ''[[Galactica]]'' finds herself leading a rag-tag refugee fleet on a lonely (and, quite possibly, fictitious) quest for [[Earth]], with turmoil from within and danger from without.

It's most common abbreviation is "BSG." It is often distinguished from its forebear as "RDM," for the executive producer, [[Ronald D. Moore]] (as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is often referred to as "TNG"). It was also initially disambiguated as "TNS" (for "The New Series"), but this has become rarer over time as it distinguished itself more from the original series.

==Cast==
===Stars===
* [[Edward James Olmos]] as [[William Adama]]
* [[Mary McDonnell]] as [[Laura Roslin]]
* [[Katee Sackhoff]] as [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]]
* [[Jamie Bamber]] as [[Lee Adama|Lee "Apollo" Adama]]
* [[James Callis]] as [[Gaius Baltar]]
* [[Tricia Helfer]] as [[Number Six]]
* [[Grace Park]] as [[Sharon Valerii|Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Number Eight]]

===Co-stars===
* [[Michael Hogan]] as [[Saul Tigh]]
* [[Aaron Douglas]] as [[Galen Tyrol]]
* [[Tahmoh Penikett]] as [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
* [[Kandyse McClure]] as [[Anastasia Dualla]]
* [[Paul Campbell]] as [[Billy Keikeya]] (2003-2006)
* [[Alessandro Juliani]] as [[Felix Gaeta]]

==Production Crew==
===Producers===
* [[Ronald D. Moore]] - Developer / Executive Producer / Writer
* [[David Eick]] - Executive Producer
* [[Toni Graphia]] - Co-Executive Producer / Writer
* [[Harvey Frand]] - Producer
* [[Glen A. Larson]] - Consulting Producer

===Directors & Writing Staff===
: ''To view the list of all the directors and staff, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Crew#Directors|Battlestar Galactica Crew Guide]] page.''

==Episodes==
: ''To view the list of episodes, go to the [[Portal:Battlestar Galactica (RDM)/Episode Guide|Battlestar Galactica Episode Guide]] page.''

== Official Statements ==

* ''"Apart from the fleet, is there any chance that there are other survivors? Clearly ''[[Colonial One]]'' would not have gotten to every ship that was in transit and those that had [[FTL]] could have escaped as well."''

:We are talking about shows that deal with other survivors right now. Don't ask about the [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] -- I [still] haven't made up my mind yet.

* ''"Will we see any of the [[:Category:Cast (TOS)|original cast]] [sic] apart from [[Richard Hatch]]? "''

: It's possible, but not yet on the board. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Why [[frak|"frack"]] [sic]? Where did the idea come from to make this the new F-word? Not that I don't like it, I find it amusing."''

: It's straight out of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I dropped many other terms from the old show like "[[centon]]" (a unit of measurement) and "[[yahren]]" (year) because I felt they distracted from the mood I was trying to create and they sounded a bit silly to my ear. There was something elegantly lovely about "[[frak]]," however. There's nothing like being able to say my favorite four letter word on TV over and over again and I salute [[Glen Larson]] for giving the joys of frakking up, frakking off, not giving a frak, and frakking-A to the masses. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Why does the doctor smoke?"''

:Because smoking is cool. Don't let anyone tell you different, kid.

:Seriously, we're showing people doing what people really do and not all of their choices are smart ones. We smoke, we drink, we have sex with the wrong partners -- we make lots of bad choices and some of them we do knowingly and in full cognizance of the risks and consequences. Dr. [[Cottle]] obviously knows the risks associated with smoking and he elects to do it anyway -- that's his choice.

:I'm also frankly tired of all the anti-smoking p.c. crap that we're bombarded with these days and I decided that this was a world without all that. Call it my one sop to the idea of an idealized society, the notion that adults can make informed choices and not be nagged to death or run out of public spaces for making choices that others may not like or agree with. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"What is the rank structure? It doesn't seem consistent with the Navy."''

:The rank structure is derived from the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original series]]. I didn't want to change Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] to Captain Adama or Colonel [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] to Commander Tigh, so I elected to simply embrace the co-mingled nature of the original rank structure. For our internal purposes, we've decided that the ranks are indeed a mixture of naval and army nomenclature and are basically as follows:

:'''Officers''' --
:Admiral
:Commander
:Colonel
:Major
:Captain
:Lieutenant
:Lieutenant (junior grade)
:Ensign

:'''Enlisted''' --
:Master Chief Petty Officer
:Chief Petty Officer
:Petty Officer (1st, 2nd Class)
:Specialist
:Deck Hand
:Recruit

:Just to complicate matters further, there are also [[Marines]] aboard ''[[Galactica]]'' which conform more closely to the traditional enlisted Marine ranks, with Sergeants, Sergeant-Majors, etc. Unresolved is the question of whether the Marine officers would also adhere to the mixed rank structure (which sounds odd) or if they are strictly army equivalents (which makes no sense given that the "Navy" ranks seem oblivious to there being any such distinction). Aren't you glad you asked? -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Will we see the mess hall and other parts of the ship such as the main Kitchen where all the meals are prepared?"''

:I'd like to. It's a question of budget; there has to be a story point or scene so cool that we just have to build this set. The Head (bathroom to you lubbers) was built in the [[33|pilot]] specifically so we'd have it around during the series. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Was this the first show to ever show a bathroom on a space ship?"''

:It's ground-breaking TV, baby. Talk about reinventing the genre. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:'''Note:''' While we are uncertain as to what show was the "first" to show a bathroom on a space ship, we know that this series was not the first to do so. One of the few shows prior to ''Battlestar'' to show a bathroom was, in fact, a second season episode of ''[[Wikipedia:Babylon 5|Babylon 5]]'', not to mention the fold-out toilets in ''[[Wikipedia:Firefly (television series|Firefly]]''.

* ''"Minor question: was [[Galactica]] ever re-commissioned? As I recall, the ship was decommissioned right before the [[Cylon attack]]. It'd be nice to show the ceremony if they ever get a free moment."''

:It's an interesting point. Might be something to play at some point, but more really as an "Oh, I haven't thought about it, but..." kind of thing. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"The question I would really like to see addressed is how to reconcile the underlying quest of ''Battlestar Galactica'' with actual scientific plausibility. The quest of Battlestar Galactica is to find [[Earth]], the 13th Colony. However, it is a basic and well-substantiated tenet of science that human life here on Earth evolved slowly from a primate ancestor. Attempts to deny evolution based on the notion that human kind deserves a far more worthy origin than what evolution details are a disservice to the pursuit of scientific truth and endeavors in our own world. There was always that reactionary sense to the original series, which drove it away from a secure standing as *science* fiction. How will the new series avoid this pitfall?"''

:I don't have a direct answer for this question yet. There are a couple of notions rolling around in my head as to how we reconcile the very real fact of evolution with the ''Galactica'' mythos, but I haven't decided which approach to take. However, it was a fundamental element of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original (sic) ''Galactica'']] mythos that "Life here began out there..." and I decided early on that it was crucial to maintain it. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"How did you come to decide upon [[Edward James Olmos]] and [[Mary McDonnell]] for their roles? This kind of project seems somewhat out of their typical genre - did either have second thoughts about taking on the project?"''

:Eddie and Mary were actually the archetypes for the characters when we were developing the series. [[David Eick]] and I used to sit around and talk about what kind of actors would play [[William Adama|Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin|Laura]] and we always talked about these two Oscar level actors as our dream duo for the series, but we never really thought we'd get them. They've told the story themselves of why they decided to do the project, but in essence, they really responded to the [[Miniseries|pilot script]] and saw a lot of potential in the characters so they went for it, to our everlasting gratitude. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* "Are you using military advisors and if so, from what branch?"

:We don't have a full time military advisor on staff. However, we did have [[Ron Blecker|an advisor]] on set during the miniseries, who also put the principal actors through a "boot camp" before shooting. I can't honestly remember his name or service branch (sorry if you're reading this!) As far as the scripts go, [[Bradley Thompson]], [[David Weddle]], and I provide a lot of the military technical details based on our own knowledge base. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"I'll second the question - why is it that the paper in the Galactica universe has the corners cut off, even the tractor fed printer sheets! I just want to know."''

:This is a closely guarded secret of the show and certainly not a wacky design element that someone came up with during the [[Miniseries|miniseries]]. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

:'''Note:''' It has been admitted by some of the production staff that this is, more or less, a joke that went overboard -- namely one derived from the fact that corners had to be cut in order to keep within the budget for the mini. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"You mentioned that the reason that the ''[[Galactica]]'' was so low-tech was that it was designed to fight the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], who could possibly infiltrate it's systems, and that this was one of the reasons it survived. If that is so, then who were the other ships designed to fight? The 120 ships alluded to are a big force just for border patrol. Are there aliens we should know about? "''

:The first [[Cylon War]] came very close to wiping out the [[Colonies]], and so when the [[Cimtar Peace Accord|Armistice]] was declared, the government maintained a large standing military force for quite some time, just in case. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"Mythos. Every science fiction show that stands the test of time needs to develop its own Mythos. By this I mean, its own unique cultural identity. For instance ''Star Wars'' has its Jedi, its Force; ''Star Trek'' has its Prime directive, beaming, and warps (sic) speed. As a writer you are aware of this and having worked in the ''Star Trek'' franchise are rather qualified in it. What will are your thoughts and insights into the development of Mythos in this new BSG child that you are tending to and caring for? Especially, since there seems to be heavy pressure to incorporate the original mythos themes of the show, will this be a guiding blueprint for thought, or just a framework to create? "''

:The mythology of the new ''Galactica'' is heavily influenced by that established in the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|original]]. I've always approached this project with an eye toward taking the original material and making it work in a new context. I still try to do this whenever possible. Does it make sense that there would be a star system with [[Twelve Colonies|12 inhabitable planets]]? Not really, but that was in the original and at some point I decided to run with that as another nod to the old show. The mythology of the old show centered around [[Kobol]] and the thirteen "tribes of man," so I've kept it as the centerpiece of ours. Not every single element is the same and not every element is even intact, but the roots are there. The point was to make another version of ''Battlestar Galactica'', not just use the name. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"I was watching ''Wing Commander'' last night with my wife and she made a comment that the Kilrathi fighter looked pretty similar to the Cylon Raider. I know that some of the production staff from Wing Commander went on to begin production on the [[Tom DeSanto|DeSanto]] continuation, but is there in fact any sort of link here? I mean I first thought Droid Fighter from ''Star Wars: Episode One'', but that seems to be some kind of common design going on. "''

:"Wing Commander" is frequently mentioned to me as a possible influence on the show, but I've never actually seen it. While it's possible that other members of the production team were influenced by it, it wasn't something that figured into my thinking. My own design influences were things like "Das Boot", "Blade Runner", "Alien/Aliens" and a stack of documentaries on the modern and history US and Royal Navies.

*''"My questions: Can the show explain a little more about their technology, for example how fast are the [[FTL]] jumps. It seems the fleet barely moves when not jumping, if the jumps are only light speed and not multiples of, some of the sublight ships could conceivably catch up (the ones not destroyed by Cylons)"''

:An [[FTL]] Jump is nearly instantaneous, essentially moving a ship from point A to point B without traveling through the normal space-time continuum, presumably by bending space around the ship in some way. The analogy I used during production was to imagine three dimensional space as a flat piece of two dimensional paper. To get from one side to the other, you can travel in a straight line across the page, or you can gently bend the sheet in half and cross from edge to edge virtually instantly. How this is accomplished and what is the basis of this technology outstrips my technical brainpower.

:In fact, I feel faint just coming up with that explanation... -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* ''"Did the [[Twelve Colonies|colonies]] have outposts, bases, or trade partners outside of the 12 colonies. Did they even explore other systems. The colonies could have had observatories, listening posts, or even scientific research teams exploring other planets beyond the colonial system(s). They could encounter any of these which could lead to supplies, raw materials, food, fuel etc. "''

:I think that's probably true, but part of our premise is that the fleet has Jumped far out into unexplored space in an effort to elude the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]], so we won't be encountered any other outposts or colonies. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"Are there any similarities between your reconception of the BG universe and where you might have gone if you'd been given the reigns of ''Voyager''?"''

:There are similarities in the premise of the two shows, so yes, there are things I'm applying here that I would've like to have done in [Star Trek:] ''Voyager'', i.e., lack of resources, the development of unique cultural and civil institutions, and internal strife among people trapped aboard ship(s) without any reasonable hope of finding sanctuary anytime soon. -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

*''"I have a friend who has a son and they both enjoy watching the new ''Battlestar Galactica''. But it is a very frustrating thing when he cannot allow his son watch the show when there are sex scenes and constant sexual innuendo scattered throughout the episodes.

:"The standard of the stories are superb and I would have to say it is one of the finest sci-fi series I have seen in a long time. BUT IT DOESNT NEED SEX TO GET THE VIEWERS. Call me a little old fashioned but I nor others that I know really appreciate having to endure sex scenes that really do not further the story in any significant way. In fact I think they are rather pointless."''

:First of all, I'm sorry your friend can't watch the show with his son, but I always intended this series to be for adults. I have two small children, and I wouldn't dream of letting them watch the show -- mostly because of the violent content. Second of all, I disagree that the sexuality is intended to be exploitative or that it's somehow not integral to the story. We're presenting adult human beings as adults, and their sexuality is a key part of their lives. [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar's]] sexual weaknesses, [[Sharon Valerii (Galactica copy)|Sharon]] and [[Galen Tyrol|Tyrol's]] forbidden love affair, and [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck's]] promiscuity are part of who and what they are. I think the only reason this gets the kind of attention is does is that we're not used to seeing sex treated maturely in science fiction -- nine times out of ten, any sex is either something to snigger at or to make fun of. Somehow it's okay to fetishize sex by putting women in S&M leather "space" outfits or have Carrie Fisher run around in harem clothes (not that there's anything wrong with that), but to portray two mature adults simply having sex is somehow controversial in sci-fi circles.

:I'd also point out, as I have many times before, the strange standards of American audiences, who can become red-faced with indignation over nudity, but find no problem with slasher films or chains-saw massacres. I mean, ''Galactica'''s premised on a massive genocide, and [[Miniseries|the pilot]] deals with violent, shocking deaths over and over again, but people get upset about the sex? Weird.... -- {{from_RDM_blog}}

* Regarding the financial cost per episode of ''Battlestar'': "I can tell you that it’s well over one-and-a-half million dollars US per episode. It’s a substantial budget, especially when you convert it into Canadian dollars—and what we’re able to get up there—it’s a lot of money." [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* ''Regarding a typical day as an executive producer on ''Battlestar'':''

: The job changes as the year goes on. Right now, before we start shooting, my time is spent almost exclusively here with the writing staff. I’m writing an episode at the moment. I wrote the first episode and I’m writing the second one. The writers meet by themselves…they break some stories…I come in and give notes…and we talk about directions for other episodes. Then, as time goes on, they’ll start generating scripts and stories, and I give notes on those. I’m also taking notes from the network and the studio on previous existing material.

: There’ll also be more of me going back and forth between LA and Vancouver. And as we get closer to production, then there’ll be more looking at production designs, dealing with budgetary issues, having meetings with directors and actors, looking at casting tapes for guest-star roles. Once we get into production and start generating film, there’s dailies to watch…post moves forward and there’s cuts of episodes to watch…and there’s visual effects sequences to give notes on.

: There’s not really a typical day, per say. You have to be nimble and on your feet and able to keep changing direction. You have to cover all these different bases, and sometimes you can’t run to first. Sometimes you have to run to third, and then run back home, and then run to second. It’s never a complete pattern.

: I believe very much in delegating authority to the department heads, in empowering people and having them take responsibility for the work. My principal job is to maintain the overall vision of the piece. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* From the "Fashioning Verisimilitude" article / interview on [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com Hollywood North Report (HNR)]:

: '''Robert Falconer:''' And I guess the whole concept of the show, by definition, is that of a bottle show.

: '''Ron Moore:''' Yeah. And it was designed that way from the get-go. When [[David Eick]] and I went in and pitched it initially—knowing how expensive space opera can be—we designed it to be affordable on what we could get on a SCI-FI Channel budget. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude3.htm]

* ''Regarding the use of bullets versus lasers on the [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]], as explained by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]:''

: [The bullets] are some sort of caseless ammunition. We had long technical discussions about some of this. What mattered to us was that they weren’t laser blasts. We just felt that had been done to death, it wasn’t as interesting, and it wasn’t realistic. From our research we discovered that such weapons would take huge amounts of energy, and that fighters would probably be better served by using actual bullets. But presumably they’re more advanced than what we’re using today, although we haven’t actually sat down and defined them as such. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm]

* ''Regarding the reconciliation between [[William Adama]] and his son [[Lee Adama]] at the end of the [[Miniseries]], as explained by [[Ronald D. Moore|Ron Moore]]:''

: I think it will go up and it will go down, like any father-son dynamic does. I think they bridged a gap in the miniseries that certainly had held them apart for a couple of years. I don’t think that issue has been completely resolved, but they’ve moved past it to a certain point. Now they’re in a new relationship and a new dynamic…they’re father and son and they’re also serving on the same ship, and the stresses and pressures of that will affect the relationship. I think it’s interesting that Lee Adama has a strong relationship with [[Laura Roslin|Laura]], and that he in some respects is a bridge between her and his father. [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/pages/galactica/fashioningverisimilitude5.htm]

* '''Edward James Olmos''': The stories are just, really, stunning. I have wept reading this thing, I have been left amazed and I've been left totally in awe. {{ref|BSG_2.0_DVD}}

* ''[[Grace Park]] on the differences between [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|the original series]] and the re-imagined series:''

: The original is so different from what we've done, but I think it's really of the time. I know in the '70s it was a popular show, but TV is so different now -- cutting edge visual effects, with computer and CGI that have to be top-of-the-line, because everyone is looking to see if it's CGI or not. There has to be so much put in to it on that level.

: But I also think the audiences then were much more innocent and accepting. I don't think we could get away with copying just the same thing. Instead, our version has much more emphasis on having the good guys with flaws, and the villains with good parts. It's meant to challenge the audience that's used to black and white. [http://scifi.about.com/od/bgsonscifi/a/parkinter1.htm]

* ''Ron D. Moore discusses the story arc:''

: The broad story arc is only vaguely sketched in at the moment. I've thought over a variety of endings for the series, and each time I've gone down those roads, I've been dissatisfied with the answers, so I've opted to put it off for now. I know there's a school of thought advocating working out everything in advance, but I prefer to let the show and the characters evolve more naturally and discover their stories along the way. {{ref|inside_bsg_p50}}

== See Also ==

*[[Naturalistic science fiction]]

== References ==

* {{note|BSG_2.0_DVD}} [[Season 2.0 DVD|Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0]], the Region 1 DVD
* {{note|inside_bsg_p50}} "Inside Battlestar Galactica", Sci-Fi Magazine February 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10017/0008a1hf.jpg 50]

==Related Topics==
* [[List of Season 1 Guest Actors (RDM)]]
* [[List of Season 2 Guest Actors (RDM)]]
* [[List of Recurring Characters (RDM)]]
* [[List of Recurring Character Appearances (RDM)]]
* [[List of Emmy Nominations and Wins]]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Behind the Scenes]]
[[Category:RDM]]