Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance

This page covers the webisode series titled "The Resistance," which follows the exploits of the New Caprica Resistance. For other meanings, see "Resistance".

"Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Special Episode
Writer(s)	Bradley Thompson David Weddle
Story by
Director	Wayne Rose
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	2006-09-05 through 2006-10-05
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate	Not yet available in the UK
DVD release
Population	survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance	Occupation
Related Information
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: [{{{itunes}}} USA]

Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance is an online series that aims to fill in the gaps between seasons two and three of the Re-imagined Series. The webisodes can be viewed through the official web portal at SciFi.com. An official FAQ deals with availability and technical issues.

The webisode series was written by Battlestar Galactica veterans Bradley Thompson and David Weddle, and directed by Wayne Rose. The entire series is 25 minutes long in total, divided into 10 episodes.

While the Webisodes are scheduled to be included in the Season 3 (Region 1 DVD) Boxset, they were not included in the Season 3 (Region 2 DVD) version.

Summary

Episode 1

• Running time: ~3:19
• Release date: September 5, 2006
• Starts on the 67^th day after Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

Tyrol and Tigh organize the budding resistance movement on Cylon-occupied New Caprica, but they find recruiting new soldiers is becoming dangerous and difficult. The Cylons have instituted a curfew. Violators go to jail, which is the first thing the Cylons built on New Caprica. New Capricans are shot on the spot if weapons are found in their tents. A stash of weapons belonging to Longo was confiscated by the Cylons, but the resistance was able to retrieve some of them which were hidden underneath his latrine. The Cylons are also setting up a human police force to take over for the Cylon Centurions, who are doing most of the police work.

Episode 2

• Running time: ~1:54
• Release date: September 7, 2006

Duck has refused to work with the resistance, on the grounds of his relationship and intended child with Nora. Tyrol is highly displeased at this, particularly his reasons, as they parallel Tyrol's own situation; Jammer suggests respecting Duck's decision.

A ritual for protection of the crops from blight is said in the temple. As Sister Tivenan leaves, Jean Barolay abruptly shifts the conversation to the movement of the weapons stash into the temple; Jammer strongly objects, but he is overruled by Tigh.

Episode 3

• Running time: ~2:42
• Release date: September 12, 2006

In the evening, Nora prays to Aphrodite to bless she and Duck with a child. He tells her his decision about joining the resistance. She is pleased that he refused Tyrol.

During the night, Tigh, Tyrol, Jammer, and Barolay move the weapons into the temple disguising them.

The next morning, Nora wakes Duck saying he will be late to work. She tries to convince him to go to temple after work with her. He refuses, saying he talks to the gods in his own way.

Episode 4

• Running time: ~1:57
• Release date: September 14, 2006

Cally and Nora visit the temple. Nora is holding Cally's baby while Cally is performing a ceremony. At that moment Cylon Centurions can be heard outside, and a Number Five announces that they will enter the temple. Several men try to block them, but the Cylons force their way in and gunfire can be seen and heard. While trying to run away Cally falls to the ground protecting her baby, but Nora is shot and killed when she tries to retrieve her bag.

Episode 5

• Running time: ~1:56
• Release date: September 19, 2006

Tyrol, Cally and Jammer return Nora's bag to Duck, and inform him about the death of Nora. Duck is physically sickened by the news. He becomes angry and demands to know if there were weapons in the temple. Tyrol tries to avoid the question, but Duck doesn't relent until Tyrol admits the truth. At that point, Duck orders them out of his tent.

Episode 6

• Running time: ~1:37
• Release date: September 21, 2006

Three days after the attack on the temple, Tigh, Barolay, and Jammer discuss the results of the attack, which has brought about positive effects for the resistance. The general population has started to side with the resistance and 1,000 people protested outside Colonial One over the attack on the temple. Since the attack, recruitment has become easier with 150 Colonials signing up. Tigh thinks that this was a good deal because the loss of a few weapons was worth the propaganda victory. However, Jammer is upset that the loss of 10 lives was not worth it. Tigh comes down hard on Jammer, stating that people die in war, nice people, and the resistance has no room for crybabies.

Episode 7

• Running time: ~1:58
• Release date: September 26, 2006

Tyrol and Tigh discuss the capture of Jammer by the Cylons. Tyrol insists that Jammer won't reveal the work of the resistance. Jammer is imprisoned in the New Caprica Detention Center and is visited by a Number Five, who frees him of his bonds and says he wants to talk to him about what happened in the temple.

Episode 8

• Running time: ~3:56
• Release date: September 28, 2006

Number Five proposes to Jammer that the massacre at the temple may have actually been planned by the Resistance. Number Five reminds Jammer of the good that has been accomplished by working together in peace. He offers Jammer the chance to stop further bloodshed by informing the Cylons of potentially life-threatening actions by the Resistance. Jammer balks at the idea of becoming a traitor to the Resistance, but accepts a key card which will let him enter the Cylon detention center to report the Resistance's secret plans if he chooses to become an informant.

Episode 9

• Running time: ~3:07
• Release date: October 3, 2006

Jammer is released from the New Caprica Detention Center and is met outside by Tyrol. Tyrol notes that he was informed of Jammer's arrest by Boomer, and then asks him what he told the Cylons. Jammer nervously explains that the Toasters questioned him about the temple massacre. Jammer reassures Tyrol that he did not tell the Cylons anything, but Tyrol appears doubtful.

Meanwhile, Duck returns to his tent and begins to clean up the mess from his earlier outburst. He bursts into tears while gathering up a broken picture frame and an icon of the Lords of Kobol.

Episode 10

• Running time: ~4:34
• Release date: October 5, 2006

After the dedication ceremony for Galen and Cally Tyrol's son, Duck approaches Tyrol in the temple. Duck informs Tyrol that he has joined the New Caprica Police, in hopes of finding out who tipped the Cylons off and is responsible for Nora's death.

Afterwards, Tyrol meets in the backroom with Saul Tigh, Jammer and Jean Barolay to discuss their next move against the Cylons. Tigh suggests hiding explosives in the grain silo, which Jammer points out is across from the hospital. When Tigh shows a lack of concern for the patients' safety, Jammer excuses himself "to patrol the perimeter."

Outside, Duck is smoking and examining his new NCP patch. He puts it away when Jammer comes out, and the two friends share a smoke together. Jammer notices that Duck said he was going to quit, to which Duck says "What's the point?" and leaves. Once alone, Jammer sits quietly, and reaches into his pocket to find the Cylon device Number Five gave him.

Notes

• The original title of the webisode series was "Crossroads".

The Chinese Characters behind Tyrol in Webisode 7

• Three Chinese characters can be seen on a crate behind Tyrol at around 2:10 (in the countdown-style timer used by the SciFi.com Video Player) in the seventh episode. They are "盐", "油" and "姜", meaning "salt", "oil" and "ginger" (all cooking ingredients), respectively.
• Currently, for legal reasons, attempting to view the webisodes from outside of the USA will present you with a frozen video player stating either of two messages:
  • "Your video will begin playing after a brief advertisement." (in the case of the webisode splash page currently on scifi.com)
  • "We're sorry, but the clip selected isn't available from your location. Please select another clip." (if the user opens the video on Sci Fi's Pulse website)

Users outside of America will have to wait until a DVD release, television broadcast, or some other means becomes available to view them.

• In the sixth episode, Tigh states that 20 billion humans were "burned" by the Cylons. He also uses a new slang term for Centurions, "chrome jobs." This is likely inspired by the Caprica Resistance's calling humanoid Cylons "skin jobs".
• Number Five uses Jammer's real name for the first time: James Lyman.
• Other ideas discussed were a day in the life of Doctor Cottle, Gaeta working in Baltar's administration and the domestic life of the Tyrols (Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion Season Three).

Analysis

• Jammer is unsurprised to hear that Tyrol and Boomer have been speaking. Apparently they have resumed some sort of contact since the occupation. How does this sit with other members of the resistance?

Questions

• Who tipped off the Cylons?

Official Statements

When Battlestar Wiki asked Bradley Thompson about the webisode series, he said:

"It's true that David Weddle and I wrote the webisodes. Ron Moore and David Eick assigned them to us during the production of Exodus. The ten short segments combine to tell one story, which takes place during the Cylon Occupation that ended Season 2. The webisodes plant seeds that come to fruition in Season 3. They were all directed by Wayne Rose, the veteran director who's been doing 2nd Unit and 1stAD work for the series. The original title of the story was "Crossroads." The running lengths will vary with what's necessary to tell each segment of the story. The first cut I saw of all ten ran about 25 minutes. The run plan we were told was that they'd put up one a week as a countdown to the season premiere -- but SciFi may have other ideas on that by now."

"Nora is played by Emily Holmes. Longo is spelled the way you have it." -- contents of September 5, 2006 message from Bradley Thompson

"When they initially came to us we could have done just vignettes, and in fact the the staff thought of that approach to the webisodes. But when Brad and I got the assignment we thought, 'Let's just tell one story.' Network wanted it to play into the third season, so that gave us the inspiration to chronicle events that would pay off in the third season... [I remember Ron Moore saying] 'SciFi's ready to do it; they're ready to pay for them. You guys are doing it. Unless you don't want to. Have a story the day after tomorrow.' In a day or two Brad and I came up with the concept and a day after that we pitched them to SciFi. We wrote them in four days or something like that, and shot them the next week... The massacre in the temple has temp tracks we were going to loop and fix and make a lot better, but because we were forbidden to work on them anymore they went out as is. Of course people complained when they watched them and it just made us cringe because we very much wanted to correct that." -- David Weddle in a October 2, 2006 interview with CHUD.com.

"We said that we wanted a story that goes about a half hour -- we wanted ten three minute things. Then it was like where does it naturally feel like we're going to get something exciting you're going to want to see more of in future webisode... They told us was that we could have anybody that was in Canada. All of our Canadian actors... Duck and Jammer perform actions in those episodes. Ron, when he wrote those, hinted at what put the characters in place to do those things and we thought, 'There's the story.'" -- Bradley Thompson in a October 2, 2006 interview with CHUD.com.

"We came up with the idea of telling one story over the couse of ten webisodes that will fill in the motivations of some peripheral characters who nevertheless play pivotal roles in the opening episodes of Season 3. We wanted to tell the story of Duck and Jammer, who had become close friends while on New Caprica, and show how a single tragic event -- the temple massacre -- propels them on divergent paths toward actions that will affect the outcome of the battle to liberate the human race." -- David Weddle in a October 5, 2006 interview with SyFy Portal.

Contract Disputes and Production Delays

According to Bradley Thompson, the webisodes were originally meant to be aired once a week, for the 10 weeks preceding the Season 3 premiere on October 6th. This would have resulted in the webisodes premiering in mid-August. However, their release was delayed due to a labor dispute between the Writer's Guild of America and NBC/Universal regarding extra pay for the writers doing the webisodes.

In August 2006, news began to leak out that the release of the webisodes would be delayed, though they were essentially finished at the time. NBC-Universal did not want to pay the writing team for webisodes content, holding that they were not actually covered under Guild contract, and were technically just promotional material. The Battlestar Galactica writing team embraced the new story opportunity, but other NBC-Universal series such as The Office felt that webisodes were nothing but extra filler they were being forced to crank out. According to Thompson, the writing team was given extra pay for vaguely described "extra work", but no long-term resolution was ever reached. The WGA is concerned about the long-term implications of online content: writers are not specifically compensated for their work on them, and NBC/Uni might argue that they have no claim on redistribution profits if they try to classify it as "promotional" material. In any event, by August 2006 the negotiations between the WGA and NBC/Uni broke down, and the WGA ordered all series producing webisodes (such as Battlestar Galactica and The Office) to refuse to physically deliver the webisodes to NBC/Uni for distribution online. NBC/Universal, who produces both shows, has filed a complaint with National Labor Relations Board, claiming that this writing is included in the current WGA contract and urging the NLRB to make the series release the material.

However, several weeks later the finished webisodes were handed over to NBC/Uni. The first of ten webisodes were released on Tuesday, September 5, 2006, and subsequent installments were released every Tuesday and Thursday until the Season 3 premiere on October 6, 2006.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• From Episode One, Tigh and Tyrol discuss the remains of Longo's weapons cache:

Saul Tigh: This is all that's left? This is frakkin' pathetic. This keeps up, we'll have nothing but rocks left to throw at the bastards.

Galen Tyrol: Yeah, and nobody to throw them.

• From Episode 1, Tigh tells Lyman to be more forceful in recruiting Clellan:

James Lyman: Duck hates the toasters, no doubt about that.

Saul Tigh: He's also an ex-Viper jock with 40 kills. Talk to him. Make him understand that we need him. Throw in some poetic crap about the struggle for liberty against the Cylon oppressors—whatever it takes! (Lyman exchanges looks with Tyrol) We need more people or this resistance movement is gonna die in its crib.

• From Episode Six:

Jammer: What about the ten innocent people? Why don't you tell Duck what a bargain you got for Nora's life?

Saul Tigh: You got that ass-backwards, sonny. We didn't shoot those people, the chrome jobs did...

Jammer: Because we hid weapons there!

Tigh: Hey! We're not playing pattycake here. These bastards burned up twenty billion of us, you gonna say that's our fault, too? Instead of bawlin' like a little girl, you should focus on getting some payback.

Jammer: Is that all this is about to you? Blood for blood?

Tigh: We're at war! War is messy! People get killed—good people, nice people. Get that through your head, or get out! We don't need any cry-babies in this outfit.

Cast

These are listed in the order they appeared during the 10 episodes.

Cast Member	Character	Episode(s)
Nicki Clyne	Cally Tyrol	1			4	5					10
Aaron Douglas	Galen Tyrol	1	2	3		5		7		9	10
Christian Tessier	Tucker "Duck" Clellan	1	2	3		5				9	10
Dominic Zamprogna	Jammer	1	2	3		5	6	7	8	9	10
Michael Hogan	Saul Tigh	1	2	3			6	7			10
Emily Holmes	Nora	1		3	4
Alisen Down	Jean Barolay		2	3			6				10
Carmen Moore	Sister Tivenan		2								10
Matthew Bennett	Number Five							7	8

Crew

In his September 6^th 2006 official blog post, Ronald D. Moore recognized all the crew involved in the production of the webisodes.

Director: Wayne Rose. Writers: Bradley Thompson & David Weddle. Executive Producers: Ron D. Moore and David Eick. Producer: Harvey Frand. Co-Producers: Bradley Thompson & David Weddle. Producer, Post Production work: Paul Leonard. Director of Photography: John Drake. Editors: Michael O'Halloran, Tim Kinzy, Ian Kezbaum, and Harry Jierjian. Music: Bear McCreary.

Visual Effects Supervisor: Gary Hutzel. Unit Production Manager: Boris Ivanov. First Assistant Directors: Shirley-Anne Parsons and Alexia Droz. Second Assistant Director: Mindy Heslin. Set Costumes Supervisor: Keith Parent. Make-up Artist: Ankara Eden. Second Assistant, Make-up: Liz Raman Nair. First Assistant, Hair Stylist: Jamie McKay. Prop Assistants: Glenn Hilworth, Gerry Thompson, and Robert Stecky. Sound Mixer: Mark Noda.

Boom Operators: Keith Henderson and Tony Wyman. First Assistant Camera: Shannon Abbott. Digital Imaging Technician: Tracy Sim. Gaffer: Guy Patterson. Best Boy, Electric: Paul Bougie. Genny Operator: Murray Chysyk. Lamp Operator: Blair McDonald. Key Grip: Mark Leiterman. Best Boy Grips: Dave McKinlay and Ron Baran. Script Supervisor: Carol Green-Lundy. Medic and Craft Services: Tim Gunderson.

Battlestar Galactica Main Title Theme by Richard Gibbs.

Scoring and Orchestral Engineer: Steve Kaplan. Music Editor: Michael Baber. Special Effects Coordinators: Al Collis and Kevin Andruschak.

Studio Executive: Richard Rothstein. Studio Executive in Charge of Production: Todd Sharp. Network Executives: Mark Stern and Erik Storey.

Dedication

Ron D. Moore added a special dedication to the credits:

All of the above people worked above and beyond the call of duty to deliver these Webisodes to you and they did it while also working to deliver the regular episodes of the third season. They did it without any template of how these things were to be done and they did it in defiance of a limited budget and a extraordinarily truncated shooting schedule.

I'm proud of them and proud of their work. I hope you'll agree.

References

Sources for this page may be located at: Sources:One Million Streams

Sources for this page may be located at: Sources:Audio Analysis of Episode 9