The Hand of God (TOS)

Episode 1.21 of The Original Series

Overview

Commander Adama decides to quit running from the Cylons, and launches an all-out attack on a basestar.

Summary

• Receiving a mysterious radio signal possibly from Earth, Adama and the crew are wary of a Cylon trap, and decide to turn the tables by attacking the Cylons with a stolen Cylon Raider. Apollo and Starbuck, in the series finale's last scene, narrowly miss receiving Apollo-11 moon-landing transmissions from Earth.

Questions

• Boomer speculated that the signal they recorded could have been on a harmonic frequency, doubling or quadrupling the original frequency. If it was a harmonic it came from nearby. The planetary system they scouted had a large Jupiter like gas giant, a Venus like planet with a compressed carbon dioxide atmosphere, and a lifeless red Mars like world. It could have been our solar system but wasn't explored further for fear another Cylon basestar might be coming to investigate.
• Baltar was to have been marooned on a planet capable of sustaining life with rations and a short range transmitter. Were the Cylons to have rescued him so he could resume command of a basestar in season two?

• If and when the Galactica had reached Earth (No Galactica 1980) it would be easy to speculate that the Earth would indeed be far enough long tecnologically and politcally to help their brothers from the Colonies since the transmission received came from the Earth time of July 10th, 1969. Enough time would have passed given the theories of time and space that indeed the Earth would have matured. It would have been interesting if Glen Larson was intending his two Sci-Fi series (Galactica and Buck Rogers) to merge together somewhere down the road.

• Some open ended questions were left. What was the true fate of Baltar? Where was Apollo and Sheba's relationship going? Would Starbuck and Cassiopea take the seal? It's really a shame the series was ended at this point as alot of interesting plot developments were beginning.

Notes

• Season (and series) finale of the original series.
• The title was reused for the tenth episode of the re-imagined series. Aside from both Adamas launching an offensive strike against Cylon forces, there is little comparison between the two episodes.
• Galactica intercepts a TV transmission of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, but characters leave the room before the voiceover.
• The basestar core set appears to have been filmed in a Skylab mockup.

• Apollo gives the age of The Galactica as being 500 yahrnes (years old).

Statistics

Writing & Direction

• Written by Don Bellisario
• Story by
• Teleplay by
• Directed by Don Bellisario

Production Notes

• Season 1 (1978/1979)
• Production Number: 1.21
• Airdate Order: 21 (of 21)

First Run Air Dates & Releases

• UK Airdate: Date
• US Airdate: April 29, 1979
• DVD Release: December 28, 2004

Re-imagined Series definition: battlestar landing bay mechanism that arrests a landing Viper, Raptor or other small craft ^{(TRS: "Final Cut")}

Original Series definition: marriage