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[[Image:bsg-1-09.jpg|thumb|"Secrets and Lies" (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)]]
{{disline|This episode is also known under its draft title, "Secrets and Lies."  Its official title is "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down."}}
{{Episode Data
| image =bsg-1-09.jpg
| title=Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
| series=
| season=1
| episode=9
| guests=
| writer=[[Jeff Vlaming]]
| story=
| director=[[Edward James Olmos]]
| production=109
| rating= 2.1
| US airdate=2005-03-04
| CAN airdate=2005-03-12
| UK airdate=2004-12-13
| dvd= {{Season 1 NTSC DVD release date}} '''US'''<br/>{{Season 1 PAL DVD release date}} '''UK'''
| population= 47905
| oldpopulation= 47954
| syfyname = tigh_me_up_tigh_me_down
| prev=[[Flesh and Bone]]
| next=[[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]
| podcast=Y
| itunes=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=VWbyALbmqZY&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewTVSeason%253Fi%253D102232205%2526id%253D102796450%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30
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| amazon=y
|deleted=y|archives=y}}
: ''[[Saul Tigh|Colonel Tigh's]] world is turned upside down when [[Ellen Tigh|his wife]] arrives on ''{{RDM|Galactica}}''&mdash;but is she all she claims to be?''


== Overview ==
== Summary ==  
* [[Laura Roslin]] comes aboard ''{{RDM|Galactica}}'' as [[William Adama|Adama]] receives a report that [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar’s]] [[Cylon detector]] is operational.
* Unable to shake off [[Leoben Conoy|Conoy’s]] words to her {{TRS|Flesh and Bone}}, she wants Adama to take the test first; he reluctantly agrees.
* When a lone [[Cylon Raider (RDM)|Cylon Raider]] shows up, [[Lee Adama]] is ordered to intercept, and [[Saul Tigh|Tigh]] is stunned to learn Adama is off-ship.
* The Raider is crippled, and a [[Raptor]] is dispatched to gather intel on it, particularly how its [[FTL]] drive operates.
* Adama returns to ''Galactica'' on a [[Raptor]] with a further shock for Tigh: his wife, [[Ellen Tigh|Ellen]].
* Roslin calls Baltar to check on the progress of Adama’s Cylon test – only to find Adama has cancelled so that a woman called “Ellen” can be tested. Roslin orders Baltar to restart Adama’s test immediately.
* Roslin summons Tigh to ''[[Colonial One]]'', reveals her suspicions regarding Adama, and challenges a defensive Tigh over Adama’s behavior in leaving ''Galactica'' unannounced.
* Tigh takes the wind out of Roslin’s sails when he states Adama was off-ship so he could collect Tigh’s missing wife.
* After Tigh has left her office, Roslin calls Baltar and orders him to stop Adama’s test and resume Ellen’s.
* Later, at a dinner in Adama’s quarters, Ellen behaves with a mixture of her old self – trying to play footsie with Lee Adama under the table, and trying to flirt with him over the table – and a strange curiosity concerning [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]].
* Adama deflects her probing by asking how it could be that she got aboard a ship, the ''[[Rising Star (RDM)|Rising Star]]'', without anyone having any knowledge of her or of treating her during her alleged 3 weeks of being unconscious.
* Ellen simply shrugs off the questions in her apparently drunken state and breaks up the party with her “drunken” playing.
* As she and her husband return to their quarters, they encounter Baltar, with whom she openly flirts, both annoying Tigh and raising [[Number Six|Six]]’s curiosity.
* After Baltar has departed, Ellen deflects her husband’s anger at her behavior by claiming Adama wants her, then dragging Tigh after Baltar.
* In Baltar’s lab, a row is brewing over the various tests that should have been carried out; things become more complicated when Tigh and his wife arrive, and the disagreements and suspicions become a three-way argument, which is broken up when Adama, Lee and Tigh are summoned to [[CIC]].
* The Cylon Raider has stopped behaving oddly, and is on a collision course for ''Galactica''. [[Alert Fighters]] are dispatched at Tigh’s order, and the Raider is destroyed.
* Later, back in Baltar’s lab, Ellen’s test results come through and are apparently green. Baltar, however, simply states to Six that having everything turn up green makes life a lot easier.
 
=== On Caprica ===
*{{callsign|Helo}} and [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Valerii]] are trying to avoid the Cylons by running through the storm drains under a city.
*Valerii has a plan&mdash;she claims to have overheard the Cylons discussing a huge base at [[Delphi]], she believes they can steal a ship from there and get off the planet.
*[[Aaron Doral|Doral]] and [[Number Six|Six]] are definitely affected by the fact that even though Valerii has run off, she is experiencing emotions they have never had&mdash;as is Helo.
 
== Notes ==
*The script was originally called "Secrets and Lies". 
*Three days have passed since the events of "[[Flesh and Bone]]".
*There are now 47,905 survivors in the Fleet. A loss of 49 since "Flesh and Bone". Compared to other casualty figures in the first season, this is unusually high for a three-day period.
*Colonel Tigh's drinking problem became drastically worse because of his wife's infidelity and their estrangement.
*Keikeya's relationship with Dualla is picking up, despite his attempts to pump her for information.
*Baltar apparently has no intention of being honest about the results of his Cylon tests.
*''Galactica'' has a forward [[observation deck|observation lounge]] that has become a much sought-after trysting-place, with individuals and couples rotated through it at regular intervals.
*The Cylons have established a major base at [[Delphi]], another major city on Caprica.
*The opera music that Baltar is listening to in his lab while talking to and getting intimate with Number Six is titled "Battlestar Operatica," and was written and composed by [[Bear McCreary]]. It is sung in Italian, and directly relates to Baltar's situation. The lyrics translate: "Woe upon your Cylon heart / There's a toaster in your head/ And it wears high heels / Number Six calls to you / The Cylon Detector beckons / Your girlfriend is a toaster / Woe upon your Cylon heart / Alas, disgrace! Alas, sadness and misery! / The toaster has a pretty dress / Red like its glowing spine / Number Six whispers / By your command" (translation given in the liner notes for the Season 1 soundtrack, reposted [[Soundtrack (Season 1)#Lyrics and Translations|on this page]], with permission).
*[[Edward James Olmos]], who portrays [[William Adama]], also directed this episode. He was originally to direct "[[Flesh and Bone]]" but could not do so due to scheduling conflicts.
*Boomer does not appear in this episode.
 
== Analysis ==
*Continuing from the previous episode, Caprica-Sharon now seems to be honestly trying to lead Helo away from the Cylons and truly escape.
*This is the first mention of the city of [[Delphi]] and Helo's hostile reaction to the news of its being used as a Cylon hub. Plausibly the emotional reaction is due to Delphi being a spiritual center for the Twelve Colonies.
*The test apparently takes 11 hours to generate results (although Boomer’s result in "Flesh and Bone" was obtained in far less time than this – "a couple of minutes," according to Baltar, and about 60 seconds of screen-time).
**Baltar claims in "[[Resistance (episode)|Resistance]]" that he allowed Boomer to believe she was human "for [his] own purposes". Does he have the ability to determine other Cylon infiltrators in a much shorter time frame than he chooses to admit in this episode? Perhaps he was just going through the math in his head - but then why the half-serious jokes about suicide as he contemplates the task?
**Perhaps a "positive" result with a real Cylon takes much less time, but it takes 11 hours to be definitely sure someone isn't a Cylon.
**There was a scene change between Baltar agreeing to Sharon's test and Baltar and Sharon getting the final results. It is possible that Baltar conducted the bulk of the test in the intervening time, and the audience only saw him conduct the final phase of the test after the bulk of the eleven-hour process was completed off-screen.
*Is it possible that the Cylon Raider is there to transmit instructions to other Cylons within the Fleet (as later in "[[Final Cut]]")?
**In a deleted scene, it is mentioned that they noticed a high-frequency burst which could have been a Cylon within the Fleet sending out a signal, but couldn't track which ship it came from.


: <i>[[Tigh, Saul|Colonel Tigh's]] world is turned upside down when [[Tigh, Ellen|his wife]] arrives on the ''[[Galactica]]'' - but is she all she professes?</i>
== Questions ==


== Summary ==  
=== Answered Questions ===
* [[Roslin, Laura|Roslin]] comes aboard the ''[[Galactica]]'' as [[Adama, William|Adama]] receives a report that [[Baltar, Gaius|Baltar’s]] [[Cylon detector]] is operational
 
* Unable to shake [[Conoy, Leoben|Conoy’s]] words to her ([[Flesh and Bone]]), she wants Adama to take the test first; he reluctantly agrees
{{answered questions|season=1|series=RDM|episode=Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down}}
* When a lone [[Cylon Raider]] shows up, [[Adama, Lee|Lee Adama]] is ordered to intercept, and [[Tigh, Saul|Tigh]] is stunned to learn Adama is off-ship
 
* The Raider is crippled, and a [[Raptor]] is dispatched to gather intel on it
*Is [[Ellen Tigh]] a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]]?
* Adama returns to the ''Galactica'' with a further shock for Tigh: his wife
*What is [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] hoping to gain from keeping the test results secret?
* Roslin calls Baltar to check on the progress of Adama’s Cylon test – only to find Adama has cancelled so that a woman called “Ellen” can be tested. Roslin orders Baltar to restart Adama’s test immediately
 
* Roslin summons Tigh to Colonial One and reveals her suspicions regarding Adama, and challenging a defensive Tigh over Adama’s behaviour in leaving the Galactica unannounced
=== Unanswered Questions ===
* Tigh takes the wind out of Roslin’s sails when he states Adama was off-ship so he could collect Tigh’s missing wife – [[Tigh, Ellen|Ellen]]
 
* After Tigh has left her office, Roslin calls Baltar and orders him to stop Adama’s test and resume Ellen’s
: ''None yet.''
* Later, at a dinner in Adama’s quarters, Ellen behaves with a mixture of her old self – trying to play footsie with Lee Adama under the table, and trying to flirt with him over the table – and strange curiosity concerning [[Earth]]
 
* Adama deflects her probing by asking how it could be that she got aboard a ship, the Rising Star without anyone having any knowledge or her or of treating her during her alleged 3 weeks of being unconscious
== Official Statements ==
* Ellen simply shrugs off the questions in her apparently drunken state and breaks up the party with her “drunken” playing
 
* As she and her husband return to their quarters, they encounter Baltar, with whome she openly flirts, both annoying Tigh and raising Six’s curiosity
=== Concept and Tone ===
* After Baltar has departed, Ellen deflects her husband’s anger at her behaviour by claiming Adama wants her, then dragging Tigh after Baltar
The producers discuss the transition from the dark themes of "Flesh and Bone" to a lighter, more comedic tone, as well as the episode's title and original "Crimson Tide" inspiration.
* In Baltar’s lab, a row is brewing over the various tests that should have been carried out; things being even more complicated when Tigh and his wife arrive, and the disagreements and suspicions become a three-way argument, which is broken up when Adama, Lee and Tigh are summoned to [[CIC]]
* The Cylon Raider has stopped behaving oddly, and is on an intercept course for ''Galactica''. [[Alert fighters]] are dispatched at Tigh’s order, and the Raider is destroyed
* Later, back in Baltar’s lab, Ellen’s test results come through and are apparently green. Baltar, however simply states to Six that having everything turn up green makes life a lot easier.


=== On Caprica: ===
{{Quote
*[[Agathon, Karl C.|Helo]] and [[Valerii, Sharon#Caprica Valerii|Valerii]] are trying to avoid the Cylons by running through the storm drains under a city
| text = 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' was originally called 'Secrets and Lies', or 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' by Jeff Vlaming. And when I saw those titles on the script, I knew we had to go with 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down'. It was too good. Too good a title to let lie on the cutting room floor.
*Valerii has a plan - she claims to have overheard the Cylons discussing a huge base at [[Delphi]], she believes they can steal a ship from there and get off the planet
| sign = [[Ronald D. Moore]]
*[[Doral, Aarob|Doral]] and [[Number Six|Six]] are definitely affected by the fact that even though Valerii has run off, she is experiencing emotions they have never had - as is Helo.
| source = Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" <ref group="commentary" name="moore_podcast_tigh_title">[[Podcast:Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down|Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"]]</ref>
}}


--[[User:Ernestborg9|Colonial Archivist]] 10:25, 26 Jan 2005 (EST)
{{Quote
| text = 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' began life as a very different episode than it ultimately came out to be. It was originally going to be a riff on 'Crimson Tide'.
| sign = [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| source = Moore on the original concept <ref group="commentary" name="moore_podcast_tigh_original_concept">[[Podcast:Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down|Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"]]</ref>
}}


== Analysis ==
{{Quote
| text = The long and the short of it was that we had just come out of a very heavy, very dark, very [[Flesh and Bone|disturbing episode]]. And the very next episode was supposed to be 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' which was all about a very disturbing, very dark, very ''(''sort of'')'' unhappy episode where our two—two of our lead characters started pointing guns at one another. So there came a point when I just decided, well, let's just punt... Let's try something that's closer to a comedy, or as close to a comedy as ''Galactica'' can withstand.
| sign = [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| source = Moore on the tonal shift <ref group="commentary" name="moore_podcast_tigh_tonal_shift">[[Podcast:Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down|Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"]]</ref>
}}


An episode that cleverly mixes intrigue and humour to conjure a rich tapestry that is somewhat different to earlier episodes – but no less entertaining in the questions it raises.
=== Set Design and the Observation Deck ===
The introduction of the [[Observation Deck]] provided a psychological break for the crew from the metallic confines of the ship.


The intrigue is initially driven out of Roslin’s paranoia towards Adama, but quickly re-centres on Ellen Tigh.
{{Quote
| text = It did feel right that, perhaps, there was one place; that perhaps there was one area of the ship, which accepted a window or a port to look out and that it would be a fairly confined space for the crew on these very long, deep space missions... And that there might be a place where they can go to and just stargaze. And in this situation, it seemed like there would be a lot of people lining up to try and look out at the stars, you know, a break from the monotony of staring at metal walls.
| sign = [[Ronald D. Moore]]
| source = Moore on the observation area of the ''[[Galactica (TRS)|Galactica]]'' <ref group="commentary" name="moore_podcast_tigh_observation_deck">[[Podcast:Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down|Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"]]</ref>
}}


Roslin’s paranoia is fed by Leoben Conoy’s last words to her in “Flesh and Bone” – she is genuinely concerned that Adama is a Cylon, and his pre-occupation with Ellen Tigh doesn’t help calm her fears. But even when the mystery surrounding Adama’s actions is resolved, the intrigue doesn’t let up: just who or what is Ellen Tigh? Human or Cylon?
== Noteworthy Dialogue ==


The weight of evidence for her being human is almost overwhelming. She is vindictive, manipulative, calculating (witness her ability to play footsie under the table with Lee Adama after hearing about his brother's death), but human nonetheless. She has clearly been a destructive force in Tigh's life - and most likely the reason for his drinking problem, and despite her claims to want a reconcilliation, it is clear that little has really changed within her: she is man-hungry, and delights in sowing the seeds of mischief.  
{{Dialogue
| context = [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] and [[Laura Roslin]] discuss the deployment of the first [[Cylon detector]] in [[CIC]]:
| lines =
'''Adama''': Madam President, we are the proud owners of the universe's first bona fide Cylon detector.


BUT - and there is always a "but" in BSG, the writers throw in just enough to create doubt:
'''Roslin''': Well, that is great news. So... when do we begin?
*Why is it that - as Adama points out - no-one can remember her either being aboard the Rising Star or being treated for her injuries until the last few days?  


*Why can’t the Captain of the Rising Star remember how she came to be aboard his ship. Her "rescue" from Picon sounds so dramatic, surely someone would remember her coming aboard the ship, whether she was conscious or not?
'''Adama''': Doctor [[Gaius Baltar|Baltar]] would like to start widespread testing as soon as possible, but there are some serious limitations, because he can only do one person at a time and verification takes hours.
*And why is her interest at the dinner table focused singularly on the subject of Earth? Is it really the "talk of the fleet", or is there something behind her persistence?
*She operates in a manner strikingly similar to a cross between Six and Conoy. Like Six, she is not afraid to  use her sexual mores against men; like Conoy, her words seem laced with half-truths and are frequently manipulative and border on the insidious
*Finally, there is her comment on meeting Baltar, “Oh, I know exactly who you are.” On the one hand, it could simply be a result of her recognising Baltar as a leading scientist and (no doubt) playboy, and her predatory nature kicking-in. On the other hand, knowing exactly who someone “is” usually means a person is not fooled: they know intimate secrets about the individual they are meeting, and so the comment is usually taken as a thinly-veiled threat. Does Ellen Tigh know more than she is letting on?


Even the denouement concerning Ellen Thigh’s heritage is open to interpretation: Baltar proclaims her to be human, but then admits to Six he’s decided all results are going to be “green”; as he puts it: “no muss, no fuss”. He won’t even reveal the true result of the test to Six.
'''Roslin''': So, who's going to go first?


Six’s reaction to Ellen Tigh is equally interesting: “Something here, isn’t there?” she states after Ellen’s unconventional introduction to Baltar – and it is doubtful she is referring to the flirting that takes place; rather, her words are a warning, as is her follow-up comment: “You should be watching her.” Six has sensed something in Ellen Tigh, and it is something she doesn’t trust.  
'''Adama''': ''(thinking for a second)'' The test... right. I think people in sensitive positions should go first.


So, could it be that Ellen Tigh is a Cylon? Certainly, it has been established that there are 12 models of Cylon, so again, this leaves room for her to be one. But – again – if she were, that would raise an interesting precedent: it would mean that that Cylons can replicate living (or once-living) humans. Were this to be the case, it would significantly alter the balance of things. For this reason, more than any other, it is unlikely Ellen Tigh is anything more than a human woman with an agenda of her own.  
'''Roslin''': I completely agree. How about you?


Meanwhile, on Caprica things also continue to take an interesting turn. Now fugitives together, Helo and Valerii are finally making an attempt to get off the planet, and Valerii is reaching the point where if she doesn’t admit her status to Helo, he’s going to guess. Above them – literally - we are given further insight into Cylon motivations for what was occurring around Helo, and once again it all seems to boil down to the emotions generated by love: loyalty, need, protectiveness, desire, generosity, anguish, the motivations it creates – all of which appear to be beyond Cylon understanding, even though they are capable of other, baser emotional responses, as witnessed by Six’s tears and Doral’s hurt envy. And there is still that small matter of procreation hanging in the air...
'''Adama''': Excuse me?


Perhaps the one weak link in the episode is the arrival of the Cylon Raider. Despite all the material the production crew have to play with in this episode, this one thread sticks out from the rest and almost screams “Padding!” at the top of its voice.  
'''Roslin''': If you're a Cylon, I'd like to know.


As an attempt to heighten concern about Adama’s real motivations (the Raider turning up while he is out and about in a Raptor), it is nothing short of clumsy. As a means of confirming the fact that the Colonials don’t have FTL systems of a comparable size to those contained in the captured Raider, and are thus keen to find out all they can about a “working” version, it is short on drama. Was the Raider really crippled? Was it playing a game with the Colonials - if so, to what purpose? What caused Starbuck to come to this conclusion? None of the answers to these questions are even hinted at - much less explained, leaving the entire Raider situation something that has a big “So what?” hanging over it.
'''Adama''': If I'm a Cylon, you're really screwed.


But this aside, “Secrets and Lies” serves up another interesting blend of character-driven drama that demonstrates that Battlestar Galactica is also capable of some fine humour.
: ''(Adama and Roslin both start laughing)''


--[[User:Ernestborg9|Colonial Archivist]] 18:50, 27 Jan 2005 (EST)
'''Roslin''': Seriously, I do think you should go first. Show everyone in the fleet that they can trust the people at the top.
 
'''Adama''': Well then, maybe YOU should go first. ''(silence)'' All right... I'll go first.
| source = [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]
}}


== Notes ==
*Also called "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"
*It is 3 days since the events of Flesh and Bone
*There are now 47,905 survivors in the fleet. That’s a loss of some 52 people since the last count
*Billy’s relationship with Dualla is picking up, despite his attempts to pump her for information
*Tigh’s alcoholism was more than likely kicked-off by his wife – either directly or through her infidelity – or possibly both
*Baltar apparently has no intention of being honest about the results of his Cylon tests
*The test themselves apparently take 11 hours to generate results (although Boomer’s result in “Flesh and Bone” was obtained in far less time than this – less than 8 hours, in fact)
*The Galactica has a forward observation lounge that has become a much sought-after trysting-placing, with individuals and couples rotated through it at regular intervals
*The Cylons have established a major base at Delphi, another major city on Caprica


== Noteworthy Dialogue ==
{{Dialogue
| context = [[William Adama]], [[Saul Tigh]], [[Ellen Tigh]], [[Lee Adama]], and [[Laura Roslin]] share a tense dinner:
| lines =  
'''Ellen Tigh''': So Bill, now the question on everyone's mind — ''(and, I do mean everyone)'' — is "Where's Earth?" and "When are we going to get there?"


<i>As Starbuck walks in on Baltar, as he "entertains" himself in his lab:</i>
'''William Adama''': Yeah... that's classified information.


*<b>Baltar</b> (pulling up his pants and turning to face Starbuck): So, um, what can I do for you?
'''Ellen Tigh''': Oh, there's that word again!
*<b>Starbuck</b> (eyeing him with abject disgust): You can zip up your fly!


== Official Statements ==
'''Saul Tigh''': Ellen, leave the man alone.


<!-- Use bullets or standard paragraph form.  Please use links to sources!!! -->
'''Ellen Tigh''': Come on! If there aren't privileges to being an XO's wife, then what's the point? I mean, Bill, we're all family here, so come on!
<!-- If you wish to create the source within the Battlestar Wiki, then do so! -->


== Statistics ==
'''Roslin''': The need for secrecy is paramount, Ellen. Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps you don't know that the Cylons look like us now.


<!-- All the odds and ends items go here. -->
'''Ellen Tigh''': Oh... that. Yes. Yes, I knew that.


=== Guest Stars ===
'''Roslin''': It's recent news. Most people just found out a few days ago.
<!-- Please use this format when listing actor/characters. -->
<!-- Also don't forget to link characters through the Wiki by using the brackets: [[ ]] -->
*[[Vernon, Kate|Kate Vernon]] as [[Tigh, Ellen|Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Bennett,Matthew|Matthew Bennett]] as [[Doral, Aaron|Doral]]
*[http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Slex+Green Alex Green] as Deckhand


<!-- Please link people to the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB). -->
'''Ellen Tigh''': ''(thinking)'' A thing like that would travel fast.
<!-- Example of Link [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Edward+James+Olomos Edward James Olmos] -->


=== Writing & Direction ===
'''William Adama''': Any one of us could be a Cylon.


*Written by [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Jeff+Vlaming Jeff Vlaming]
: ''(The entire table goes silent)''
*Directed by [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Edward+James+Olmos Edward James Olmos]


<!-- Please link people to the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB). -->
'''Ellen Tigh''': BOO!
<!-- Example of Link [http://us.imdb.com/M/person-exact?+Edward+James+Olmos Edward James Olomos] -->


=== Production Notes ===
: ''(Everyone jumps in their seats, while Ellen and Saul start laughing)''
*Series 1 (2004 / 2005)
| source = [[Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down]]
*Production Number: 1.09
}}
*Airdate Order: 9 (of 13)


=== First Run Air Dates & Releases ===
== Guest stars ==
*[[Michael Hogan]] as Colonel [[Saul Tigh]]
*[[Aaron Douglas]] as Chief [[Galen Tyrol]]
*[[Tahmoh Penikett]] as Lieutenant [[Karl Agathon|Karl "Helo" Agathon]]
*[[Kandyse McClure]] as Petty Officer [[Anastasia Dualla]]
*[[Paul Campbell]] as [[Billy Keikeya]]
*[[Alessandro Juliani]] as Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]]
*[[Kate Vernon]] as [[Ellen Tigh]]
*[[Matthew Bennett]] as [[Aaron Doral]]
*[[Alex Green]] as Deckhand


*UK Airdate: 13 December 2004 (Sky One)
== References ==
*US Airdate:  4 march 2005 (Sci-Fi Channel)
{{Reflist|group=commentary}}{{episode list (RDM season 1)}}
*DVD Release: 28 March 2005 (UK)


[[Category: A to Z]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Jeff Vlaming]]
[[Category: Episode Guide (RDM)]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Edward James Olmos]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[Category:RDM]]
[[de:Ellen]]
[[fr:Épisode:Le Retour d'Ellen]]

Latest revision as of 23:39, 23 December 2025

Battlestar Wiki Story Arc Logo
This episode is also known under its draft title, "Secrets and Lies." Its official title is "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down."
 Battlestar Wiki Story Arc Logo
Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
"Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"
An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No. Season 1, Episode 9
Writer(s) Jeff Vlaming
Story by
Director Edward James Olmos
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 109
Nielsen Rating 2.1
US airdate USA 2005-03-04
CAN airdate CAN 2005-03-12
UK airdate UK 2004-12-13
DVD release 20 September 2005 US
28 March 2005 UK
Population 47,905 survivors (Population decline. 49)
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
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Flesh and Bone Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down The Hand of God
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
Podcast Transcript – View
Deleted Scenes
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
Photo Gallery @ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
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Colonel Tigh's world is turned upside down when his wife arrives on Galactica—but is she all she claims to be?

Summary

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  • Laura Roslin comes aboard Galactica as Adama receives a report that Baltar’s Cylon detector is operational.
  • Unable to shake off Conoy’s words to her (TRS: "Flesh and Bone"), she wants Adama to take the test first; he reluctantly agrees.
  • When a lone Cylon Raider shows up, Lee Adama is ordered to intercept, and Tigh is stunned to learn Adama is off-ship.
  • The Raider is crippled, and a Raptor is dispatched to gather intel on it, particularly how its FTL drive operates.
  • Adama returns to Galactica on a Raptor with a further shock for Tigh: his wife, Ellen.
  • Roslin calls Baltar to check on the progress of Adama’s Cylon test – only to find Adama has cancelled so that a woman called “Ellen” can be tested. Roslin orders Baltar to restart Adama’s test immediately.
  • Roslin summons Tigh to Colonial One, reveals her suspicions regarding Adama, and challenges a defensive Tigh over Adama’s behavior in leaving Galactica unannounced.
  • Tigh takes the wind out of Roslin’s sails when he states Adama was off-ship so he could collect Tigh’s missing wife.
  • After Tigh has left her office, Roslin calls Baltar and orders him to stop Adama’s test and resume Ellen’s.
  • Later, at a dinner in Adama’s quarters, Ellen behaves with a mixture of her old self – trying to play footsie with Lee Adama under the table, and trying to flirt with him over the table – and a strange curiosity concerning Earth.
  • Adama deflects her probing by asking how it could be that she got aboard a ship, the Rising Star, without anyone having any knowledge of her or of treating her during her alleged 3 weeks of being unconscious.
  • Ellen simply shrugs off the questions in her apparently drunken state and breaks up the party with her “drunken” playing.
  • As she and her husband return to their quarters, they encounter Baltar, with whom she openly flirts, both annoying Tigh and raising Six’s curiosity.
  • After Baltar has departed, Ellen deflects her husband’s anger at her behavior by claiming Adama wants her, then dragging Tigh after Baltar.
  • In Baltar’s lab, a row is brewing over the various tests that should have been carried out; things become more complicated when Tigh and his wife arrive, and the disagreements and suspicions become a three-way argument, which is broken up when Adama, Lee and Tigh are summoned to CIC.
  • The Cylon Raider has stopped behaving oddly, and is on a collision course for Galactica. Alert Fighters are dispatched at Tigh’s order, and the Raider is destroyed.
  • Later, back in Baltar’s lab, Ellen’s test results come through and are apparently green. Baltar, however, simply states to Six that having everything turn up green makes life a lot easier.

On Caprica

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  • Karl "Helo" Agathon and Valerii are trying to avoid the Cylons by running through the storm drains under a city.
  • Valerii has a plan—she claims to have overheard the Cylons discussing a huge base at Delphi, she believes they can steal a ship from there and get off the planet.
  • Doral and Six are definitely affected by the fact that even though Valerii has run off, she is experiencing emotions they have never had—as is Helo.

Notes

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  • The script was originally called "Secrets and Lies".
  • Three days have passed since the events of "Flesh and Bone".
  • There are now 47,905 survivors in the Fleet. A loss of 49 since "Flesh and Bone". Compared to other casualty figures in the first season, this is unusually high for a three-day period.
  • Colonel Tigh's drinking problem became drastically worse because of his wife's infidelity and their estrangement.
  • Keikeya's relationship with Dualla is picking up, despite his attempts to pump her for information.
  • Baltar apparently has no intention of being honest about the results of his Cylon tests.
  • Galactica has a forward observation lounge that has become a much sought-after trysting-place, with individuals and couples rotated through it at regular intervals.
  • The Cylons have established a major base at Delphi, another major city on Caprica.
  • The opera music that Baltar is listening to in his lab while talking to and getting intimate with Number Six is titled "Battlestar Operatica," and was written and composed by Bear McCreary. It is sung in Italian, and directly relates to Baltar's situation. The lyrics translate: "Woe upon your Cylon heart / There's a toaster in your head/ And it wears high heels / Number Six calls to you / The Cylon Detector beckons / Your girlfriend is a toaster / Woe upon your Cylon heart / Alas, disgrace! Alas, sadness and misery! / The toaster has a pretty dress / Red like its glowing spine / Number Six whispers / By your command" (translation given in the liner notes for the Season 1 soundtrack, reposted on this page, with permission).
  • Edward James Olmos, who portrays William Adama, also directed this episode. He was originally to direct "Flesh and Bone" but could not do so due to scheduling conflicts.
  • Boomer does not appear in this episode.

Analysis

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  • Continuing from the previous episode, Caprica-Sharon now seems to be honestly trying to lead Helo away from the Cylons and truly escape.
  • This is the first mention of the city of Delphi and Helo's hostile reaction to the news of its being used as a Cylon hub. Plausibly the emotional reaction is due to Delphi being a spiritual center for the Twelve Colonies.
  • The test apparently takes 11 hours to generate results (although Boomer’s result in "Flesh and Bone" was obtained in far less time than this – "a couple of minutes," according to Baltar, and about 60 seconds of screen-time).
    • Baltar claims in "Resistance" that he allowed Boomer to believe she was human "for [his] own purposes". Does he have the ability to determine other Cylon infiltrators in a much shorter time frame than he chooses to admit in this episode? Perhaps he was just going through the math in his head - but then why the half-serious jokes about suicide as he contemplates the task?
    • Perhaps a "positive" result with a real Cylon takes much less time, but it takes 11 hours to be definitely sure someone isn't a Cylon.
    • There was a scene change between Baltar agreeing to Sharon's test and Baltar and Sharon getting the final results. It is possible that Baltar conducted the bulk of the test in the intervening time, and the audience only saw him conduct the final phase of the test after the bulk of the eleven-hour process was completed off-screen.
  • Is it possible that the Cylon Raider is there to transmit instructions to other Cylons within the Fleet (as later in "Final Cut")?
    • In a deleted scene, it is mentioned that they noticed a high-frequency burst which could have been a Cylon within the Fleet sending out a signal, but couldn't track which ship it came from.

Questions

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Answered Questions

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For answers to the questions in this section, click here.

Unanswered Questions

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None yet.

Official Statements

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Concept and Tone

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The producers discuss the transition from the dark themes of "Flesh and Bone" to a lighter, more comedic tone, as well as the episode's title and original "Crimson Tide" inspiration.

'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' was originally called 'Secrets and Lies', or 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' by Jeff Vlaming. And when I saw those titles on the script, I knew we had to go with 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down'. It was too good. Too good a title to let lie on the cutting room floor.
—Ronald D. Moore, Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down" [commentary 1]
'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' began life as a very different episode than it ultimately came out to be. It was originally going to be a riff on 'Crimson Tide'.
—Ronald D. Moore, Moore on the original concept [commentary 2]
The long and the short of it was that we had just come out of a very heavy, very dark, very disturbing episode. And the very next episode was supposed to be 'Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down' which was all about a very disturbing, very dark, very (sort of) unhappy episode where our two—two of our lead characters started pointing guns at one another. So there came a point when I just decided, well, let's just punt... Let's try something that's closer to a comedy, or as close to a comedy as Galactica can withstand.
—Ronald D. Moore, Moore on the tonal shift [commentary 3]

Set Design and the Observation Deck

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The introduction of the Observation Deck provided a psychological break for the crew from the metallic confines of the ship.

It did feel right that, perhaps, there was one place; that perhaps there was one area of the ship, which accepted a window or a port to look out and that it would be a fairly confined space for the crew on these very long, deep space missions... And that there might be a place where they can go to and just stargaze. And in this situation, it seemed like there would be a lot of people lining up to try and look out at the stars, you know, a break from the monotony of staring at metal walls.
—Ronald D. Moore, Moore on the observation area of the Galactica [commentary 4]

Noteworthy Dialogue

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Commander Adama and Laura Roslin discuss the deployment of the first Cylon detector in CIC:

Adama: Madam President, we are the proud owners of the universe's first bona fide Cylon detector.

Roslin: Well, that is great news. So... when do we begin?

Adama: Doctor Baltar would like to start widespread testing as soon as possible, but there are some serious limitations, because he can only do one person at a time and verification takes hours.

Roslin: So, who's going to go first?

Adama: (thinking for a second) The test... right. I think people in sensitive positions should go first.

Roslin: I completely agree. How about you?

Adama: Excuse me?

Roslin: If you're a Cylon, I'd like to know.

Adama: If I'm a Cylon, you're really screwed.

(Adama and Roslin both start laughing)

Roslin: Seriously, I do think you should go first. Show everyone in the fleet that they can trust the people at the top.

Adama: Well then, maybe YOU should go first. (silence) All right... I'll go first.

—Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down


William Adama, Saul Tigh, Ellen Tigh, Lee Adama, and Laura Roslin share a tense dinner:

Ellen Tigh: So Bill, now the question on everyone's mind — (and, I do mean everyone) — is "Where's Earth?" and "When are we going to get there?"

William Adama: Yeah... that's classified information.

Ellen Tigh: Oh, there's that word again!

Saul Tigh: Ellen, leave the man alone.

Ellen Tigh: Come on! If there aren't privileges to being an XO's wife, then what's the point? I mean, Bill, we're all family here, so come on!

Roslin: The need for secrecy is paramount, Ellen. Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps you don't know that the Cylons look like us now.

Ellen Tigh: Oh... that. Yes. Yes, I knew that.

Roslin: It's recent news. Most people just found out a few days ago.

Ellen Tigh: (thinking) A thing like that would travel fast.

William Adama: Any one of us could be a Cylon.

(The entire table goes silent)

Ellen Tigh: BOO!

(Everyone jumps in their seats, while Ellen and Saul start laughing)
—Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down

Guest stars

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References

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  1. ↑ Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"
  2. ↑ Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"
  3. ↑ Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"
  4. ↑ Podcast for "Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down"


Re-imagined Series Episode List — Miniseries and Season 1


Battlestar Galactica (Re-Imagined) Miniseries (2003): Miniseries, Night 1 | Miniseries, Night 2

Battlestar Galactica (Re-Imagined) Season 1 (2004-2005) Episode List

33 | Water | Bastille Day | Act of Contrition | You Can't Go Home Again | Litmus | Six Degrees of Separation | Flesh and Bone | Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down | The Hand of God | Colonial Day | Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I | Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II | Next Season Episode >

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