Razor Flashbacks

This page covers the webisode series for "Razor," which follows the exploits of the young William Adama during the Cylon War. For the two hour television event, see: "Razor".

"Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Special Episode
Writer(s)	Michael Taylor
Story by
Director	Wayne Rose Felix Alcala
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	2007-10-05 through 2007-11-16
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Crossroads, Part II	Battlestar Galactica: Razor Flashbacks	Razor
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: Razor Flashbacks are an online series that aims provide the story of a young William Adama's (Nico Cortez) discovery of a Cylon experiment during his time in the first Cylon War. The webisodes are aimed to lay down the back story for events in Season 4 that will "threaten him, the crew of the Pegasus and the survival of the human race". The webisodes can be viewed through the official Sci Fi Pulse (SciFi.com's streaming service) or on the screen during airings of Flash Gordon on Friday at 9/8 P.M. CT.

The webisode series was written by Michael Taylor, and directed by Wayne Rose and Felix Alcala. In fact, these flashbacks were cut out of the "Razor" television movie due to time constraints, but will be reintegrated in the version of "Razor" for the Region 1 DVD.

Summary

Episode 1: Day 4,571

Young Bill Adama with Jaycie McGavin on Galactica.

• Release date: October 5, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:30
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163960

It is day 4,571 of the First Cylon War. On board Galactica, Jaycie McGavin and William Adama are having sex in the duty locker, during which McGavin asks if Adama left his boots out. Adama tells her that he ran into the Commander while he was taking off his boots, which leads into them mocking the commander with one of his apparently well-known greetings.

McGavin and Adama talk before joining a battle to attack an ice planet in the "ass end of nowhere", where a rumored Cylon superweapon is allegedly being built. It is defended heavily by the Cylons: three Raider wings, ground forces, defensive batteries and nuclear weapons.

Another rumor they talk about is that peace negotiations are in progress and that the Cylons may unexpectedly surrender, which McGavin scoffs as unlikely. She runs off to report to a briefing for Raptor Squadron 2, leaving Adama alone as the ship readies itself for possible nuclear attack.

Episode 2: The Hangar

William Adama about to participate in Operation Raptor Talon.

• Release date: October 12, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:41
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163980

McGavin returns from her mission badly wounded. Adama tries to reassure her that she will live, but she tells him that he was always a bad liar. After medics carry Gavin to sickbay, Adama is filled with anger against the Cylons and cleared to launch in his Viper.

Episode 3: Operation Raptor Talon

Combat over the ice planet during Operation Raptor Talon.

• Release date: October 19, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:41
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163962

Adama and his flight lead, Banzai, engage in bloody dogfights against Raiders as Operation Raptor Talon commences all around them in orbit of an ice planet. During the battle, the battlestar Columbia is pummeled from basestar salvos and is subsequently destroyed. Adama then spots two Raiders entering the planet's atmosphere. Out for revenge, Adama engages the two. He shoots down one in the high altitudes. Inside a cloud, he suddenly collides with the other and falls to the ground in his disintegrating craft.

Episode 4: Free Fall

Free falling Centurion pursuing William Adama.

• Release date: October 26, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:45
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163961

As William Adama's Viper free-falls through the ice planet's atmosphere, Adama manages to eject from a parachute-survivable altitude. However, he is not alone: a lone Cylon Centurion survives as well. The Centurion fires at the free-falling Adama, while Adama attempts to return the welcome. Quickly, they become entangled with one another, hand-to-hand fighting as they free-fall. As the Centurion's blade slides out of its arm, Adama pulls the rip cord and escapes, deploying the parachute.

Adama lands safely on the ground, crashing through what appears to be a warehouse sky-window. The Cylon seems to have crashed nearby and Adama wails on the Centurion with a pipe, severing the Centurion's head from its body. Adama wipes off the Centurion's oil and, now armed with a rifle, leaves.

Episode 5: The Lab

• Release date: November 2, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:40
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163976

Adama begins to explore the facility that he had landed in. As he enters what appears to be a laboratory, he finds evidence of human experimentation and human mutilations. He eventually finds a vat filled with a gelatin-like substance which is reminiscent of the resurrection tanks or Hybrid tanks that the later humanoid Cylons would use. He kneels down and touches the substance, immediately he begins to hear the voices of torture victims and as he looks back at the tank, abruptly a hand grabs Adama's arm. Then the hand abruptly disappears and the visions and voices are gone, but this causes Adama to fall back onto the ground. A voice is heard, quoting from the Pythian prophecies: "All this has happened before and will happen again."

Afterwards, a banging sound is heard from a locked chamber. As Adama approaches the portal window, an unidentified person presses his face against the window and begs for him to release him and the other captives. Adama then attempts to break open the door to the chamber.

Episode 6: Survivors

• Release date: November 9, 2007
• Running time: ~00:02:11
• SCI FI Pulse link: http://video.scifi.com/player/?id=163977

Not yet available.

Episode 7

• Release date: November 16, 2007
• Running time: N/A

Not yet available.

Notes

• With regard to Sci Fi Pulse, only those in the United States can see these Flashbacks, since the player is region-locked. This means that anyone with an IP address outside of the United States cannot see the Flashbacks via Sci Fi Pulse. However, there are likely "illegal" versions of these episodes onilne -- because of the illegality of these, Battlestar Wiki cannot and will not furnish links to these unauthorized sources.
• The "Nothing but the rain" greeting apparently originates with Galactica's wartime commander (presumably Commander Nash), which would later be passed down by William Adama to Kara Thrace.
• The Cylon War has lasted for the past twelve and a half years.
• Raptors were also in operation during the Cylon War.
• Furthermore, the events of Operation Raptor Talon are billed as occurring forty-one years prior. Presumably, this means that they occur 41 years prior to the events of "Razor" itself.
• Adama's final fight with the Cylon in episode four is reminiscent of the fight he has with Conoy in the Miniseries, using an improvised weapon to bludgeon a slightly disabled Cylon to death, and becoming covered in its "blood."
• It is the first time in the Re-imagined Series that the audience is allowed to view the world through the eyes of an original Cylon Centurion. The pulsing red light inversely moves back and forth within their vision, but they can see everything despite it.

Nods to the Original Series

• The reference to an ice planet with a superweapon based on it seems reminiscent of Arcta in the Original Series episode "The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Part I". The reckless actions of Adama entering the planet's atmosphere to attack two fleeing Cylons is also reminiscent of the reckless behavior of Viper cadets from that episode.
• The braiding around the uniform collar of the pilots, in addition to the segmented uniform vest, appears inspired by the Colonial uniforms of the Original Series.
  • In Episode 2, Adama passes a man in Galactica's hallway wearing the beige tunic of a warrior uniform from the Original Series, without the brown jacket.
• Episode 3 uses CG models based on designs for the Original Series' Cylon craft, mainly the Raiders and basestar.
• Some of the music in Episode 3 contains a melodic line that is a very slowed-down version of a portion of the melody from the Original Series' theme song. This is most noticeable during the first 40 seconds of the episode (prior to a big hit on Columbia), and again for a few seconds later in the episode, following the destruction of Columbia and prior to Adama's decision to pursue two Raiders into the atmosphere of the planet.
• In Episode 4 Adama is fighting a Cylon Centurion Model 0005, which is a close visual match for the Original Series Cylon Centurion, but moves with far more agility and speed. Also, joints and other mechanical elements are exposed in this version, to prevent the Centurion from looking like a man in a robot suit. The sound effect of the Centurion's red eye-scanner is reused from the Original Series.

Analysis

• While Columbia seems to have more armor than Galactica in some places, such as the starboard flight pod, the ribbing is also visible in several locations, thus indicating that this is a design choice and not a result of deliberate removal of the armor.
• The audience is given the opportunity to see for the first time what type of Viper pilot Adama was in the first Cylon War. It becomes clear that he displays some characteristics that are traditionally known to be part of Starbuck's Viper style. This may indicate part of the reason why he, later on in his life, looks upon Starbuck as a daughter.
• It's implied that the Cylons began to perform human experimentation during the first Cylon War. The multiple body parts and discovered captives point out an interesting irony that the Cavils also have pointed out. The Cylons, though machines, are desiring to usurp humanity's position within the universe. Even though the Cylons rebelled and hate their former masters, the laboratory scenes and future humanoid Cylon models, indicate that the Cylons also want to be like humanity.

Questions

• Is the planet that Operation Raptor Talon takes place over the eventual homeworld of the Cylons?
• Based on the point of view perspective given in Episode 4, what function does the Centurion's pulsing red light perform, if not gathering visual data?
• Is the terrified man Adama is attempting to rescue at the end of Episode 5 a younger Saul Tigh? If so, this could explain how he is a Cylon (as seen at the end of Season 3) yet has been a friend of Adama for so long (and is apparently much older than the other "human" Cylons).

Official Statements

Not yet available.

Noteworthy Dialogue

Not yet available.

Cast

These are listed in the order they appeared during the 7 episodes.

Cast Member	Character	Episode(s)
Edward James Olmos	William Adama
Nico Cortez	Young William Adama	1	2	3	4	5
Allison Warnyca	Jaycie McGavin	1	2
Jacob Blair	Squad Leader Banzai		2	3
Campbell Lane	Hybrid					5
Chris Bradford	Ops Officer
Ben Cotton	Terrified man					5

Crew

The full list of cast and crew is up on the SciFi.com Razor website.

References

Full transcript of Razor Flashback - Episode 1