The Lost Warrior

Overview

After engaging a group of Cylon Raiders, Apollo crash-lands on a planet where a law-deriding thug controls a seemingly indestructible henchman.

This is an "Apollo episode".

Summary

• Apollo, piloting Recon Viper 3 away from a pursuing hoard of Cylon Raiders, desperately pleads for help from Galactica's Blue Squadron. Boomer and Starbuck (members of Blue Squadron) want to scramble their vipers to rescue Apollo, but Adama refuses, disclosing that Apollo expects no help because he is bluffing, purposefully leading the Cylons away from the Fleet.
• Apollo evades the Cylons but runs out of fuel for his turbo engines, crash-landing in the Hatari Sector on the planet Equellus, a low-tech planet similar in motif to the American West circa 1800s.
• Apollo is found by Equellus residents Vella and her son, Puppis, after hearing his Viper flyby and crash; Vella tells Apollo to leave immediately, but since his viper is out of fuel, Vella's second option is to hide the Viper and Apollo.
• With no one having the heart to tell Boxey that his father is missing, Starbuck and Boomer keep him occupied in the Officers Quarters with the pilots, playing pyramid and drinking fruit juice.
• Apollo learns that the town bully, Lacerta, has been taking "tribute" for nearly 10 yahrens, leaving only enough ovines (cattle) for a family to live on; no one has stopped him because of his laser-toting henchman, "Red-Eye". Vella reveals her hatred for guns because her husband was killed by a gun; Apollo sympathizes with her, stating that he lost his wife to gun violence as well.
• Red-Eye — a Cylon Centurion — arrives on horseback and questions Vella and Puppis about the noise (from Apollo's viper), but they feign ignorance and claim to have heard only a howling lupus (a wolf-like creature) in the woods; Puppis kicks Red-Eye in the shin, voicing his disdain for the mechanized thug.
• Bootes (Vella's brother) arrives to check on his sister and inadvertently contradicts Puppis' story by saying that he heard a loud noise too; however, Red-Eye learns nothing more about the noise and departs; Bootes meets Apollo and immediately recognizes him as a Colonial Warrior Captain with a laser pistol.
• Apollo learns that Vella's husband, Martin, was also a Colonial Warrior who had crashed on Equellus over 10 yahren prior; nursed back to health by Vella, they fell in love and were married, producing Puppis. Martin, though, was killed a yahren later by Red-Eye.
• Bootes encourages Apollo to kill Red-Eye; Apollo declines, not wanting to reveal himself, as he believes there may be additional Cylons present; Bootes quickly grows angry at Apollo's inaction.
• Aboard the Galactica, Boxey is winning at pyramid, much to Starbuck's chagrin. Boxey is pulled away from the game by Cassiopeia, though, who chastises the pilots for teaching Boxey how to drink, gamble and smoke. After they leave, Boomer and Starbuck hatch up a plan to find Apollo, with or without the Commander's blessing.
• Wearing native clothing to blend in with the locals, Apollo enters a saloon in town and strikes up a conversation with Red-Eye, who challenges him to a dual; Lacerta interrupts his card game (which he was winning) to intervene, saving Apollo's life from Red-Eye's wrath; Apollo, pretending to be seeking employment, is told to return the following day.
• Having learning little more about either Red-Eye or Lacerta, Apollo returns to Vella's ranch to discover that Puppis has sneaked out a window to pursue a lupus which had attacked their herd. After Puppis kills the lupus with his numo (rifle), Apollo gives Puppis a pep-talk; they return to the house, much to Vella's relief.
• Adama initially refuses to mount a rescue operation to avoid the perception that he is endangering the fleet in favor of his son. However, Tigh convinces him otherwise, and when Adama acquiesces, Tigh orders the immediate launch of a patrol (Boomer and Starbuck), whose Vipers "just happened" to be ready and waiting in the launch tubes.
• Apollo reveals to Vella that Puppis reminds him very much of Boxey. He realizes that he is running out of time (until the fleet is too far out of range) and is eager to discover Lacerta's connection to the Cylon Empire.
• Another towns person, Jason, arrives at Vella's, telling her that Red-Eye took half of Bootes herd as tribute; enraged, Bootes began drinking heavily and was last seen riding into town; Apollo agrees to try to resolve the situation, but refuses to take his laser pistol with him.
• Drunk and defiant, Bootes angrily confronts Lacerta, refusing to pay any more tribute. Bootes engages in a gunfight with Red-Eye; he loses. When Jason and Puppis attempt to shoot Red-Eye, Apollo disarms them to save their lives. Puppis screams that he "hates" Apollo and storms out. Jason expresses his disgust for Apollo; Vella, however, understands and tells him that she is certain he did the right thing.
• Pushing their Vipers to the limit, Boomer and Starbuck decide to chop the power to their engines, so as to drift another 40 or 50 centons in the hopes of finding their lost comrade.
• Macy, a waitress in the saloon who knows that Apollo is "different", informs Apollo that Marco (another of Lacerta's henchmen) want to kill him, in order to regain the favor of Lacerta. He also learns that Red-Eye was discovered in the wreckage of a crashed ship, a Cylon Raider, along with two other destroyed Cylons. When Red-Eye "awoke", he saw Lacerta and said "By your command"; ever since, Red-Eye has obeyed Lacerta.
• Realizing now that Red-Eye is an "independent" and no longer connected with the Cylon Empire, Apollo straps on his laser pistol. Marco challenges Apollo to a duel, but backs down when he sees Apollo's laser. In fear, Lacerta calls for Red-Eye.
• Red-Eye confronts Apollo in a duel; Red-Eye draws first, but is beaten to the trigger by Apollo, who blasts Red-Eye through the swinging doors of the saloon. Red-Eye explodes, his metronomic red eye extinguished forever.
• Back at the ranch, Puppis excitedly recreates the laser duel, much to the dismay of both his mother and Apollo. Apollo grabs the young boy, telling him to settle down; he accidentally calls him Boxey. When Puppis states a desire to grow up to be a "hero" like Apollo, Apollo tells him that there was nothing heroic about his actions; Red-Eye's destruction was something he had to do, and that he was indeed scared.
• Vella volunteers the information on the location of Martin's crash site, which might have the fuel needed by Apollo's stranded Viper. If it weren't for Boxey, Apollo might have chosen to stay on Equellus forever.
• After almost abandoning all hope, Boomer and Starbuck receive Apollo's faint transmissions; they guide the Viper home to Galactica, while on Equellus, Vella and Puppis gaze up into the stars, awaiting Apollo's return....

Questions

• If the Cylons had encountered Colonial resistance in the Hatari Sector before, why had they not swept through the area?
• How did Red-Eye kill Martin and take his laser pistol? Was it with a numo?
• Where exactly did those Cylon Raiders originate from? Was there a basestar or a base nearby?
• How long ago was Equellus settled? (It must have been hundreds of yahren before the Cylon Attack.)
• What exactly did Martin tell Bootes regarding Colonial Warriors? (Apparently, he must have omitted details about the Cylons, otherwise Bootes and the other residents of Equellus would have known all about them.)
• If Vella really wanted Apollo to leave when she first encountered him, why didn't she simply point Apollo to Martin's crash site (with the Viper fuel) immediately?
• Why didn't Apollo take Vella and Puppis with him in his Viper when he finally did leave the planet? (Vipers had extra room for another passenger, such as when Count Iblis rode aboard one; surely, Vella and Puppis could have fit on board?)
• How did Apollo transfer the fuel so quickly from Martin's crashed viper to his own?
• Did Apollo really promise that he would return to Equellus someday? He must have known that he would be traversing the galaxy indefinitely, fleeing the Cylon tyranny in search of Earth. Or was this an open (messy) thread purposefully left hanging by the writers/producers in the hopes that BSG would last several seasons on the air?

Analysis

The issue with this episode is not that this was a character piece; it was a short character piece that went on too long. In essence, it was a Western episode set in the backdrop of the Galactica universe with a plot that could have been easily solved in two acts, if not less.

For example:

1. Apollo crash lands on planet.
2. Apollo discovers the people being terrorized by a lone Cylon.
3. Apollo shoots Cylon; threat eliminated.

Obviously, the episode wouldn't have worked, as there would be other acts to fill.

Despite the performances of all the actors involved, the episode fell flat because of a lack of genuine tension. All the roadblocks set in place by the writer, Don Bellisario, were logical but superficial. Apollo's fear of additional Cylons was ludicrous — and easily dismissed by Bootes (and the audience?).

Bellisario was essentially filling up space between Apollo's landing on Equellus to the final showdown with Red-Eye. The posturing, as listed, is horribly obvious:

• When he first sees Red-Eye, Apollo is hiding safely in a room with a clear shot at the Cylon.
  • Puppis claimed that Apollo didn't shoot for fear of hurting himself or his mother. This is felgercarb spewed from the writer, using Puppis as a mouthpiece.
• Bootes confronted Apollo regarding his inaction. Apollo claims that he doesn't know how many more Cylons are around and he didn't want to reveal his presence on Equellus, for he feared that the Cylons would sweep in and kill every human.
  • Bootes countered this by saying that Martin also had a laser pistol, which Red-Eye took, and that no other Cylons have come. Also, the Cylon clearly follows a human commander, who appears to be more worthless a person than even Baltar.
• Apollo wants to learn about Lacerta's connection to the Cylon Empire.
  • The Cylons, being logical creatures, would not use Lacerta as their mouthpiece; they would have at least found someone else.

Then there is the B-story about Vella's hatred of guns, an overt attempt to add another layer to a structurally deficient story. While Katherine Cannon (Vella) did a wonderful job with the source material she was dealt, the story about Puppis, her hatred of fighting, and his "rite of passage" (in killing a lupus with his numo), are all contrived and offer little storywise.

There are a few token memorable moments, though, which include:

• Boxey's playing pyramid with other pilots;
• Cassiopeia's (uncharacteristic) demonstration of motherlike behavior;
• Starbuck's pledge to not have Boxey lose two parents;
• Adama and Tigh's argument about finding Apollo, and Adama's hesitation because of Apollo being the "Commander's son".

Though these moments, finely executed by the actors involved, are noteworthy and touching, they are not enough to salvage the episode.

As a character piece, the story fails on many fronts; not due to the actors but due to the material. There is no true conflict to test Apollo's morality against Bootes' pro-violence view. The episode is, act by act, a means of filling an episode via posturing and throwaway dialogue. Episodes such as The Hand of God and War of the Gods do more to develop characters and believable conflict.

Besides the flaccid story structure, there is also the underlining questions that should be looked at. In particular, Boomer and Starbuck's willingness to disobey orders to rescue Apollo. Unauthorized missions are a misuse of military property and are court martial offenses, particularly in wartime or a state of emergency. But since the Colonial military no longer exists in its previous form, the Fleet wouldn't be able to afford throwing Boomer and Starbuck in the brig, as they have proven their worth to the fleet. The Fleet is in no position to replace experienced Viper pilots (they had enough trouble with this due to a virus Boomer contracted in Lost Planet of the Gods). So how to punish a Viper pilot that disobeys orders or steals military property, especially if the offenses are repeated?

They possibly could have been arrested and thrown in the brig. Eventually, they would have to earn their keep somehow, and any action taken against them could, potentially, mean damaging the Fleet in other ways: such as a drain on resources and issues of protection from the Cylons, for instance.

Notes

• Equellus was apparently a fringe colony, descended from the Colonies (given their common language and customs), but had lost contact with the Colonies long before their destruction in the Cylon attack.
• Wolves are called "lupus"; "lupi" is apparently the plural form of the word.
• In a deleted scene, Apollo rushes out with his laser pistol poised to kill a lupus, only for the lupus to be shot by Puppis.
• In another deleted scene, Bootes escorts Apollo to the edge of town. Bootes refuses to enter for fear that his anger be his undoing. In that same scene, it is told that Lacerta owns most of the town and that he could be found if one followed the sound of the music.
• The Colonials have detailed maps of the Hatari Sector (which Adama looked over). Clearly, they had knowledge of the system. Why not of the inhabitants?
• The Colonials are still in their known space.
• Starbuck and Boomer are loyal to Apollo, clearly willing to risk their careers to go after him.
• The characters Equellus, Lupus, Lacerta, Bootes, Puppis and Vella are named after star constellations visible from Earth. Jason in mythology commanded the ship Argo Navis, an ancient constellation. While some constellations have mythical origins Lacerta is only 400 years old. Puppis and Vella were created out of the ancient Argo constellation 300 years ago. They are considered Argo's stern and sails.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Adama: "Those transmissions are for Cylon ears."

• Red-Eye: "Humans deceive, not sound waves."

• Red-Eye: "Uh-oh." (Red-Eye's last words, uttered when he saw a laser pistol, instead of a numo, strapped to Apollo's leg)

• Apollo: "What are you guys doing way out here?"
• Boomer: "Oh, we thought we'd just take a little ride; the stars are kinda nice in this galaxy."

• Puppis: "He'll be back, mother.... Someday. He promised he would."
• Vella: "Yes he did. Someday...."

Statistics

Guest Stars

• Larry Manetti as Giles
• Jay Donahue as Jason
• Carol Baxter as Macy
• Mary Kay Mars as Vi
• Katherine Cannon as Vella
• Johnny Timko as Puppis
• Lance LeGault as Bootes
• Rex Cutter as Red-Eye
• Claude Earl Jones as Lacerta
• Red West as Marco

Writing & Direction

• Story by Herman Groves
• Teleplay by Don Bellisario
• Directed by Rod Holcomb

Production Notes

• Season 1 (1978 / 1979)
• Production Number: ?
• Airdate Order: 4 (of 21)

First Run Air Dates & Releases

• UK Airdate: Date
• US Airdate: 8 October 1978
• DVD Release: 28 December 2004

Original Series definition: Warrior slang for their Viper's high-velocity booster engines, e.g. "hit your turbos"

Original Series definition: an all-purpose term for Colonial soldier and Viper pilot (see: Warrior)

Original Series definition: unit of time akin to a "year" (see: Yahren)

Re-imagined Series definition: popular Colonial ball game, see: pyramid

Original Series definition: a card game, similar to poker (see: pyramid)

Original Series definition: a wolf-like animal (see: lupus)

Original Series definition: a typical Cylon response to an order (see: By your command) (TOS: "Saga of a Star World," et al.)

Re-imagined Series definition: Battlestar Group ^{(TRS: "Water")}. It also doubles as an acronym for the television series itself.

Galactica 1980 definition: vulgarism equivalent to "shit" (see: felgercarb); Dillon uses this when discovering that his laser pistol wasn't set to stun ^{(1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II")}

Original Series definition: expletive, similar to "crap" (see: felgercarb)