A Measure of Salvation

"A Measure of Salvation" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 3, Episode 7
Writer(s)	Michael Angeli
Story by
Director	Bill Eagles
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)	Lucy Lawless as Number Three
Production No.	307
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	November 10, 2006
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	41,420 survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Torn	A Measure of Salvation	Hero
Related Information
Official Summary
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Listing of props for this episode
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Overview

Apollo and Athena are dispatched to interrogate the dying Cylons on board the infected baseship, and learns how Baltar is helping their adversaries; the virus inspires Lee to come up with a new strategy.

Summary

On Galactica

• A boarding party comprising of Raptors and vipers investigate the derelict basestar. Among the boarding party are Lee Adama and Athena.
• Aboard the derelict, marines explore the corridors, finding the humano-cylon models dead. Athena attempts to access the derelict basestar's Hybrid, but was unsuccessful.
• Some "skinjobs" around the control center begin to revive, and advise the boarding party of the situation regarding the probe and subsequent infection of the Cylons. One of the infected Cylons, a Number Eight, addresses Athena as "traitor".
• The boarding party and prisoners are en route back to Galactica when the derelict explodes.
• The boarding party and prisoners are quarantined while Major Cottle finds out if the virus affects humans. The human members of the boarding party are cleared while Athena is ordered to stay put, as her blood work hasn't been done. Helo is infuriated, but wants to be notified as soon as her results are available.
• Major Cottle begins investigating the survivors, who advises that the virus can be treated, but not cured for Cylons. President Roslin, Admiral Adama, Apollo, and Helo discuss the idea of taunting the vaccine in exchange for information. A Simon is brought before them, and informs them that the entire baseship was abandoned, because resurrection would infect the others. He also mentions that Baltar provided the information towards Earth.
• Aboard Colonial One, Apollo details a plan of possibly eliminating the entire Cylon race, by executing them in range of a Resurrection Ship. Helo scoffs at the idea, considering it genocide. President Roslin informed the two that she will consider both viewpoints.
• Aboard Galactica, Athena finds she's immune due to carrying Hera. Helo discusses the proposed plan, and Athena understands. At the same time, Admiral Adama discusses the issue with Roslin on Colonial One, saying the attack can't proceed without presidential order. Despite the ethical ramifications, the President authorizes the biological attack.
• Galactica jumps to a Cylon supply line, and launches Vipers and Raptors to draw a basestar and Resurrection Ship. In the midst of this, Helo initiates a plan to thwart the execution, unplugging what looks like a standard power connector from an environmental control box.
• The Cylons jump into the area, with Resurrection Ship in tow. Adama orders the execution of the prisoners.
• Apollo leads a team to execute the prisoners, but finds that all the prisoners have been killed prior to the Resurrection Ship arriving. Adama orders a recall, and Galactica jumps away without sustaining any major damage.
• Helo converses with Athena about what he did. He maintains that what he did was right, regardless of the consequences.
• Aboard Colonial One, Adama reports that the prisoners were suffocated due to a failure in the environmental controls. Roslin is quick to point out one or two might be responsible, but Adama closes the issue. Subsequently, the virus was most likely an accidental exposure, similar to one reported 3000 years ago. Adama points out that they're on the right track to Earth, but Roslin points out so are the Cylons.

On a basestar

• Aboard the bastestar, Baltar is being interrogated by Three and Caprica-Six, knowing about the beacon. Three and Caprica-Six imply that Baltar is connected to the virus and to Galactica. Baltar attempts to reconcile, only to be confronted by Centurions.
• In his "projection", his mental Six tells him to relax. Meanwhile, his body is being subjected to torture; Caprica Six is visibly disturbed by the torture and backs away.
• Baltar's torture continues as Three continues to interrogate Baltar regarding his supposed involvement with the virus. In his mind, he attemps to avert the pain by making love to his mental Six. Despite extreme pain, Baltar endures.

Questions

• Will Caprica-Six continue to stand by and permit Baltar's mistreatment at their hands?
• Where is Caprica-Six's own internal Baltar in all of this?
• Of the Cylons, which type told the basestar to self-destruct: The Hybrid or a Cylon agent? Considering her odd look after the destruction, might it have been Athena?
  • The basestar itself was infected so it's possible no one ordered it to it just went on it's own since so many systems were corrupted that Athena said that she was having a hard time bringing anything up. I doubt that she or anyone else could have set the self-destruct, first of all they made it sound like the Hybrid wasn't really in any condition to do anything (they said that she was infected first followed by the whole ship which meant she was probably either already dead or much farther gone then the few living Cylons that were probably the last ones to be infected) and those remaining Cylon agents didn't look like they were in any condition to get up and go over to a control panel.
• What kind of new start are the Cylons planning for Earth? Just a new home planet, an attempt at human Cylon relations not tainted by the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, or something else?
• Why was the beacon left behind on the basestar?
  • They didn't know that they were immune to the virus and if you were them would you really want to take something home with you that could give you a virus that could kill you like it was doing to the Cylons?
• Why did an entire Cylon fleet (including a Resurrection Ship) jump to the encounter with Galactica? Why was the Resurrection Ship not left behind somewhere else, as it was done in previous battles?
  • Besides being for plot purposes this Resurrection Ship is protected by a much bigger Fleet then before. The last one was destroyed when left with only two basestars guarding it so perhaps they don't want to take any chances and keep that ship with them at all times. Also unless the other one was in very close proximity to the The Fleet the first time, this one seems to have a more limited range since the Cylons were eaisly able to keep it out of the range of the derilict basestar.
• Is D'anna in love with Baltar?
• Why is Gaeta so surprised to hear that Baltar is alive, given the fact that he was actually there when D'Anna offered Baltar to be evacuated from New Caprica?
  • He probably figures Baltar would have been extracted of all useful information and killed by now.
• Why does Simon so quickly claim science can not provide a solution to the infection?
  • Perhaps he believes that there really is no cure since the other Cylons abandoned them to die without hope of returning.
• How can an encephalitis virus be downloaded in a data stream?
  • Simon mentioned that the pathogen contained a bioelectric feedback component which corrupts their brains and immune systems.
• Why is a Presidential order required to use a biological weapon, yet there has been no previous indication one was required to use a nuclear weapon? Or does this rule only apply to nukes used on a planetary surface?
  • Could just be Admiral Adama wanted someone else to order it in order to ease his conscience
• Why wasn't the execution squad in place and waiting with the prisoners so the plan could have been implemented in a timely manner?
• Why were Raptors being used to fire missiles at the Cylon Raiders? Was Galactica kept ready to jump, or has the damage from the Battle of New Caprica not been completely repaired yet?
  • Might have been a new attack tactic since they have been trained to fire like that for the rescue mission to New Caprica.
• Since the plan was to execute the prisoners then jump away, why wasn't the jump drive already spooled up and ready?
  • They probably didn't expect to have to Jump away that quickly so they didn't keep it going.
• The environmental controls seem to have been circumvented by Karl Agathon pulling a single plug. In a combat ship aren't there cascading fail safe systems to protect against such catastrophic failures from simple system malfunctions?
• In his discussion with Laura Roslin at the end of the episode, Admiral Adama is aware that sabotage was involved in the death of the Cylon prisoners, yet he states there will be no investigation. While he might be relieved that the plan wasn't carried out, wouldn't he be seriously concerned and want to aggressively pursue this matter?

Analysis

It should be noted that the Cylons would have quickly cured themselves of this "Plague", if Galactica had succeeded in infecting them. It was quickly noted in the episode that Sharon was immune herself because residual fetal cells from Hera created effective antibodies against the virus. Cylons lack the immunity to effectively counter the encephalitis inducing virus, and any attempt at normal vaccination would not work because the Cylon immune system would create antibodies against the vaccine (this occurance seems to beg the question on Cylon immmunity). Hera is immune to the virus because she is a hybrid Human-Cylon. That she is now in the custody of the Cylons, Baltar would have quickly utlized her immunity, as he previously did on Roslin, as capital to further his self-preservation amongst them. He could quickly devise a serum using Hera's immune cells to innoculate the population due to the similar biology of Hera and the Cylons; this would overcome the obstacle of traditional vaccination.

The wider implications of such an event could have been religiously meaningful to the Cylons. Cylons have time and again shown religious deference by sometimes overlooking rational explinations. By saving the Cylon race Hera could have been elevated to Messiah status, if her very creation has not already ordained her as one to the Cylons because their God proclaimed her creation.

There is a fundamental flaw in the plan Apollo develops: Even if the virus successfully infects the Resurrection Ship, the other Cylons would isolate that individual ship, thus preventing a widespread epidemic. The resulting impact on the Cylon fleet would be no greater than previous destruction of the resurrection ship in "Resurrection Ship, Part II".

Notes

• Fleet population is 41,420. Barring any births, there is an unaccounted loss of at least two since "Torn".
• The story behind the Lion Nebula beacon and the virus may have been inspired by the lunar lander Surveyor 3. Before launching in 1967, its camera was accidentally contaminated by a common bacterium. When the camera was recovered by Apollo 12 astronauts, the microbes returned to life, having survived two and a half years of vacuum, radiation, and temperature extremes.
• Helo has been promoted to the rank of Captain.
• This is the first episode in which Saul Tigh has not appeared. Currently, the only characters to have appeared in every episode are Laura Roslin and William Adama.

Guest Stars

• Kandyse McClure as Anastasia Dualla
• Aaron Douglas as Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol
• Tahmoh Penikett as Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon
• Donnelly Rhodes as Doctor Cottle
• Matthew Bennett as Number Five
• Rick Worthy as Simon
• Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy
• Bodie Olmos as Lt. Brendan "Hot Dog" Constanza
• Leah Cairns as Lt. Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
• Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Hybrid (credited)
• Eileen Pedde as Sgt. Mathias