The Hub

This article discusses the Re-imagined Series episode. For the eponymous resurrection facility, see: Resurrection Hub.

"The Hub" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 4, Episode 9
Writer(s)	Jane Espenson
Story by
Director	Paul Edwards
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	411
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	06 June 2008
CAN airdate	06 June 2008
UK airdate	10 June 2008
DVD release
Population	39,673 survivors ( 1)
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Sine Qua Non	The Hub	Revelations
Related Information
Official Summary
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Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
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Overview

Pursuing the Resurrection Hub at the whim of the Hybrid, a team of Viper pilots and Cylon rebels become uneasy collaborators as they formulate a battle plan to unbox the Threes and destroy Cylon resurrection forever. Meanwhile, Roslin and Baltar try desperately to communicate with the panicking Hybrid and Helo discovers a disturbing characteristic within one of the Eights.

Summary

The episode takes place concurrently with "Sine Qua Non"

Teaser

• Starting off from the last events of "Guess What's Coming To Dinner?", Laura Roslin, Karl Agathon and Gaius Baltar are brought before the rebel Cylon basestar's Hybrid. After a Number Eight reconnects the Hybrid, she unexpectedly jumps the ship.
• During the jump, Roslin finds herself in empty corridors of Galactica's. As she looks around, Elosha appears behind her. After they hug, the vision stops and Roslin finds herself back in the Hybrid's room. Roslin inquires after the Hybrid's abilities as the Eight tries to get information from the data-font, however the Hybrid jumps the ship again, and Roslin finds herself back with Elosha in Galactica's empty corridors. Roslin makes this observation, to which Elosha replies that it makes the ship feel bigger; Roslin further points out that the experience is strange, to which Elosha replies "many things are strange".
• The two end up in sickbay, where the only occupied (and lit) bed is occupied by Roslin herself, who is dying.

Act 1

• An Eight determines that the Hybrid is panicking due to Natalie's injury. Gaius Baltar attempts to calm her, initially appearing to be successful, but the Hybrid jumps again. Roslin's vision continues, and she sees Kara Thrace, Dr. Cottle and the Adamas standing over her bed. Elosha speaks to the dying Roslin, chastising her for her lack of empathy.
• The Eight tells Karl Agathon that the Hybrid is following the Resurrection Hub and discusses an attack strategy with him.
• When the Eight massages Agathon's back, he comments that his wife learned to do so only after meeting him, and the Eight reveals that she accessed Athena's memories from her last download.
• Agathon speaks to Roslin in the Raptor. The president tells him that he is to bring Number Three directly to her and not to the Cylons.
• On the Resurrection Hub, a D'Anna Biers is awakened by Cavil and Boomer, who tell her about the Cylon Civil War that was caused by her actions. Three makes a disparaging remark about the Eights' fickleness.

Act 2

Roslin and Baltar attempting to talk to the Hybrid about the Opera House vision.

• In the basestar hangar, Agathon and an Eight give a mission briefing to a number of Sixes, Eights and Colonial pilots. Several pilots, notably Paolo "Redwing" McKay and Eammon "Gonzo" Pike, express concerns about their safety and the reliability of the Cylon pilots. A Six rebuts that the rebel pilots are just as well trained as the humans, and the Eight reminds them that they learned to trust Athena, so they can also trust their rebel allies.
• Baltar and Roslin attempt to question the Hybrid with little success. They bicker and Baltar walks off, and then the Hybrid declares that a Three has been unboxed and jumps again.
• Continuing the vision, Elosha and Roslin walk through the hallways of Galactica. Roslin speculates that Elosha and the visions are a manifestation of her subconscious. Roslin and Elosha see William Adama reading Searider Falcon to the dying Roslin.
• After the jump, Baltar begins talking to a Centurion about hierarchy and religion, asserting that the Centurion is loved by God as well.
• Speaking to Roslin, Agathon is disappointed that she wants to betray the alliance between humans and Cylons, and thinks that they can trust the Eights. Roslin tells him that he shouldn't let the experiences with his wife cloud his judgment and orders him to carry out her request.

Act 3

• On the Resurrection Hub, Boomer comments with alarm on the arrival of the rebel basestar. Cavil tries to convince Number Three to talk to the rebels and defuse the conflict, but she replies curtly and threatens to shout out the names of the Final Five. Boomer reports that the rebel basestar has launched 25 Heavy Raiders.
• Outside the Hub, the Heavy Raiders release the Vipers they have been towing behind them. The Raiders attack defending basestars, while the Vipers head towards the Hub.
• Cavil deduces that the rebels are attempting to destroy the Hub, and comments that doing so would be mass murder, and would make death permanent for Cylons. On hearing this Three breaks Cavil's neck and Boomer flees.
• Missiles destroy a node at the top of the Hub, taking out its FTL drive. Subsequently, Agathon and the Eight head towards the Hub in a Raptor. On the Hub, they encounter the D'Anna Biers and the dead Cavil. Seeing explosions around them, Agathon tells Three to run and grabs her arm.
• Eammon Pike panics as his Raptor is almost disabled and wants to jump back to the Fleet. Diana Seelix urges him not to, telling him that the Fleet is too far way. When Pike is initiating the jump, the Raptor his hit by fire from a Raider, hitting Pike in the chest, who manages to hit the jump button.
• On the Hub, Agathon hesitates upon seeing a number of inert Numer Eight bodies. The Eight tells him they should leave, and drags the objecting Three.
• Baltar continues to evangelize to the Centurion, but as the basestar is hit by a missile salvo, the explosion destroys the Centurion and seriously injures Baltar.
• Two Marines carry Baltar to a bed while Roslin carries in a medkit. Roslin orders them out, bandaging Baltar and injecting him with morpha. In his drug-addled state Baltar talks to Roslin about religion, telling her that he once harbored terrible guilt. Pressed on what that guilt is for he tells Roslin that he unwittingly gave the Cylons the access codes prior to the fall of the Twelve Colonies. He compares the fall to the flood Pythia spoke of, which wiped out most of humanity and rejuvenated them. Shocked by Baltar's confession, Roslin tries to kill Baltar by removing his bandages. As he loses blood he begs her to stop.

Act 4

• Agathon announces that he has D'Anna Biers and orders a nuclear strike on the Hub. The Vipers fire nuclear missiles into the Hub, destroying it and at least one of the two enemy basestars.
• Baltar continues to beg for his life.
• There is another jump. In Roslin's vision, William Adama stands over a dying Roslin, while Roslin and Elosha watch them. Elosha convinces Roslin to show Baltar mercy, saying that humanity cannot be saved on a "case-by-case basis".
• With a sudden change of heart Roslin desperately checks to see if Baltar is still alive, then begins re-bandaging him.
• Aboard the basestar with the Three, Agathon argues with the Eight, saying that his orders are to take Three to the president. The Eight is upset and Three comments cynically that such double-crossing is a very human trait.
• Agathon brings Three to Roslin, who orders him out and tells him to not let anyone else in. Three immediately inspects the injured Baltar and speculates that he is likely to survive. When asked about the Final Five, she jokes Laura Roslin is one of them, but refuses to provide any information until she feels she is safe; the information being the only thing she has now that she is the only Three left in the universe. She says she will tell Roslin who the Final Five are after she is taken back to the human Fleet.
• Sometime later Roslin sits alone listening to the Hybrid. As the Hybrid jumps she has a final encounter with Elosha, whom she sees in the same room this time.
• Waiting in space, William Adama sees the basestar jumping in. In the landing bay, he meets Laura Roslin. He tells her that he missed her and she admits her feelings too, saying that she loves him. The two embrace.

Notes

Story

• The survivor count at the top of the show notes the already established death on Lieutenant Eammon Pike, whose body is discovered in the Raptor that managed to jump to the Fleet. Other human fatalities are impossible to determine as a result of the battle.
• The events of this episode, starting from the Hybrid's jump of the rebel basestar in "Guess What's Coming To Dinner?", and William Adama's mission to stay behind in a Raptor awaiting Laura Roslin's return spans two days. Ergo, the events of "Sine Qua Non" occur over the course of two days.
• Unlike previous episodes, this episode is part of the same overall story occurring concurrently with the episode before it (Sine Qua Non). The episode shows the events from the baseship's perspective, whereas "Sine Qua Non" shows the uncertainty and reactions to said uncertainty from the Fleet's perspective.
• Roslin and Adama have finally admitted their feelings for each other.
• Except for Roslin's visions and recap scenes from "Guess What's Coming to Dinner?", this is the first episode of the series in which nothing takes place on or near Galactica.

Cylons

• Number Two/Leoben Conoy is notably absent from the episode (appearing only in the recap at the beginning), and only Sixes and Eights are among the Cylons fighting in the battle. Since actor Callum Keith Rennie is credited for the episode, it is likely that scenes with him were shot but cut.
• There is only one Number Three in existence, and any possibility of unboxing the others has been lost.
• With the destruction of the Resurrection Hub, the Cylons have permanently lost the ability to download into new bodies.
• As previously shown in "The Farm", Heavy Raiders are piloted by humanoid Cylons unlike the smaller autonomous Raiders.
• This episode contains the first mention of Natalie's name in dialogue.

Analysis

• Roslin enters a hallucinatory trance state as the basestar jumps about wildly. Roslin has not previously experienced this sensation during the Fleet's jumps, although Kara Thrace underwent something similar in "He That Believeth In Me". Moreover, Cally Henderson exhibited symptoms of vertigo during Galactica's first jump in the Miniseries.
• Over the course of the series, the Eights have been notorious for shifting their alliances. Number Three's comment about the Eight model's tendency to be passionate allies until they see "something shiny" seems to be yet another example of the fickle nature of the Number Eight model. A somewhat more direct observation of this fact is shown in "Faith" when Sharon Agathon denounces a group of Eights after hearing their desire to rebel against Natalie and the other Number Six models.
• The battle in this episode bears a striking resemblance to "Resurrection Ship, Parts I and II". In both episodes, a shaky alliance between Galactica and another force (Pegasus) takes on an ostensibly irreplaceable Cylon resurrection facility by first disabling its FTL capability and then engaging it directly with fighters. Furthermore, both sides plan to double-cross each other after the successful execution of the attack.
• Roslin's suspicions of Baltar, which she has had since "Epiphanies" (and had a vague inkling of in "Six of One") have finally been confirmed.
• There are some questions regarding the sharing of memories that are re-introduced by this episode (having been introduced in "Downloaded"). In this episode, the Number Eight who downloaded Sharon Agathon's memories notes that her memories are accessible by the others. This correlates with the fact that Agathon was killed and downloaded in "Rapture", thereby adding her memories to their repository. However, in some earlier episodes (e.g. "Flesh and Bone", "Home, Part II", "Scar"), Agathon has access to Sharon "Boomer" Valerii's memories, but was never killed or resurrected up to that point. It can be inferred that Cylons can share memories outside of the download and resurrection process; how Valerii was able to do this after leaving Caprica is unknown.
• Given that this episode confirms that downloaded Cylon memories can be shared (though the data must be accessed first, so it is not an involuntary process), it is left unexplained why it is necessary to entirely resurrect D'Anna and attack the Hub when her memories could simply be accessed by another Cylon from a central database. This would be possible if the memory data was shared across basestars as standard operating procedure, though exactly how and how quickly the Cylons share information has never been made clear. The only explanation is that no Cylon accessed her memories after she downloaded from the Temple of Five (Rapture), and boxing that D'Anna's consciousness placed her memories into cold storage on the Resurrection Hub with no external access possible from that point onwards. It is also possible that only Cylons of the same model can access memories of their fellow numbers.
• The basestars appear far less armored than Colonial battlestars. As the Hub is destroyed in a nuclear strike, a nearby basestar disintegrates despite not being directly hit. Galactica in contrast has survived direct nuclear impacts before.
• It is not explained why the Colonial Vipers need to be towed to attack the Hub when the Cylon raiders could simply attack it, as they do not alert the Cavil faction's forces until the Hub is within striking distance anyway. The only advantage to towing the Vipers in is that it allows a larger attack force to get within range quicker rather than wait to launch in stages.
• Despite the Vipers being tasked to take out the Hub's FTL by being towed ahead of the main attack, it is a Raptor that provides the killing blow, although VIper fire is seen damaging the FTL drive earlier. This makes little sense unless the Raptor was towed in too.
• Helo's Raptor is seen being closely escorted by several Vipers flying very close as it boards the Hub. This tactic has not been seen before, and could be a method of masking the Raptor's DRADIS signature from the surrounding Vipers. Certainly the Cylons seem unaware of the Raptor's presence.
• The Hub is unarmed, and appears empty of any guards, although it is possible the Eight with Helo was able to disable any internal defenses– Helo's lack of marine escort is a questionable decision if this was not the case.

Questions

About the Hub

• What role does the Hub play in the proper functioning of other Resurrection Ships? Why are these apparently vital functions centralized?
• Why do the Cylons have only one Resurrection Hub and the implied inability to build another? If the Cylons are capable of building a new Hub, how long would it take them?
• Why is the Hub so poorly defended by Cavil's faction?
• Does Boomer make it off the Hub before it is destroyed?
• Why didn't the Vipers simply magnetically grapple themselves to the underside of the Heavy Raiders, instead of relying on tow cables?

About the Cylons

• How will Cavil's condescending attitude toward Sharon Valerii ("Pet Eight") affect her?
• Where are the Number Twos during all these events?
• Have other Eights have accessed Athena's memories as well?
• How do other living Cylons (presumably of the same model) access and absorb the memories of downloaded Cylons?
• Will Agathon inform his wife that other Eights have been accessing her memories? If so, will this affect their relationship?
• What will happen to the rebel Cylons and their baseship?
• How will the rebel Cylons respond to Roslin's deception regarding Number Three?
• Will the Cylons—especially with Natalie dead—return to their earlier plan of taking hostages in order to gain access to Three? (Answer)
• How will Sharon Agathon and Caprica-Six react to learning of the Hub's destruction?

About the Humans

• Is Roslin's vision of Elosha related to other characters' internal manifestations, such as Baltar's virtual Six or simply a manifestation of Roslin's subconsciousness, as Roslin believes? Or is it the Hybrid speaking to her as Elosha between the jumps, or the spirit of the real Elosha?
• What will happen to Baltar now that his guilt regarding the attack on the Colonies has been revealed?
• Is Baltar's evangelizing of the Centurion genuine or an attempt to obtain a useful ally? Does the Centurion fully understand Baltar's intentions?
• Could Baltar's actions have any adverse effects on the thoughts of the other Centurions in some way?
• Will Lee Adama relinquish the presidency back to Laura Roslin?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• D'Anna Biers has just been unboxed and resurrected and is in the tank. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii and Cavil are present. After being told that the Eights are on the opposite side of the Ones (Cavils) in the Cylon Civil War, Three inquires as to why Boomer is there:

Biers [looks at Boomer directly]: Boomer's an Eight. Shouldn't she be on the other side? [Boomer looks sternly at Three]

Cavil: Boomer is my "Pet Eight". She has seen the light of reason. An Eight can make a passionate ally.

Biers [contemptuously]: Oh, until she sees something shiny! [Boomer's expression is stern]

• Laura Roslin and Karl Agathon are discussing the possibility that a Three has been unboxed. Agathon disagrees with her plan to keep Three from the Cylons and doesn't think that the Cylons would betray them like that.

Karl Agathon [shaking his head]: No, no, I don't think so. Not the Sharons, the Eights.

Laura Roslin [patiently but firmly]: Captain, you are not married to the entire production line. I cannot afford to be sentimental right now. I cannot afford you to be sentimental either. If you can't do this job, find me someone who can.

• Aboard Karl Agathon's Raptor after the destruction of the Resurrection Hub:

D'anna Biers: And with a whimper, every Cylon in the universe begins to die.

Number Eight: Yes, that's right, and it's a good thing, D'Anna, because now there's no difference. We can all start trusting each other.

• In Roslin's vision, as Roslin and Elosha watch Adama stand over a dying Roslin:

Elosha: I'm not saying Baltar's done more good than harm in the universe; he hasn't. The thing is, the harder it is to recognize someone's right to draw a breath, the more crucial it is. If humanity is going to prove itself worthy of surviving, it can't do it on a case by case basis. A bad man feels his death just as keenly as a good man.

Laura Roslin: What do you want from me here?

[Adama appears at dying Roslin's bedside]

William Adama: Laura.

Elosha: Just love someone.

Laura Roslin: Love." Huh!'

[Life monitor flatlines]

William Adama: You go. You go. You go to your rest now. [Sobs] I'm not gonna be selfish anymore. You go. Rest.

• Roslin and Adama tenderly greeting each other on the basestar's hangar deck:

Adama: Missed you.

Roslin: Me too.

Roslin [Embracing Adama]: I love you.

Adama [Breaking the embrace; looks into her eyes]: About time.

• Gaius Baltar reveals to Roslin his guilt over the original attacks on the Colonies:

"Pythia talks about a flood that wiped out most of humanity. Nobody blames the flood. The flood is a force of nature. Through the flood, mankind is rejuvenated -- born again. I was not a flood, you see. I blamed myself... I blamed myself. But God had made the man who made that choice. God made us all perfect. And in that thought, all my guilt flies away -- flies away like a bird."

• Number Three answering Laura Roslin's question:

D'Anna Biers: Suppose you've got some questions for me.

Roslin: Yes I do. I'd like to talk about the five Cylons in my fleet.

Biers: So you know about the Final Five?

Roslin: I know they're supposed to know the way to Earth.

Biers: But you don't know that you're one of them.

[Roslin freezes shocked]

Biers: [Bursting out laughing] Please your face! [Roslin looks relieved and smirks] Oh, it's ridiculous. No. Look, I'm not giving you any names. Not until I feel like I'm safe. 'Cause information is all I got, sweetie.

Guest Stars

• Tahmoh Penikett as Captain Karl Agathon
• Lucy Lawless as Number Three / D'Anna Biers
• Callum Keith Rennie as Number Two / Leoben Conoy (credited only)
• Donnelly Rhodes as Doctor Cottle
• Lorena Gale as Elosha
• Dean Stockwell as Number One / Cavil
• Jennifer Halley as Ensign Diana "Hardball" Seelix
• Tiffany Lyndall-Knight as Hybrid
• Bodie Olmos as Lieutenant Brendan "Hotdog" Costanza
• Ryan McDonell as Lieutenant Eammon "Gonzo" Pike
• Lee Jefferies as Lieutenant Paolo "Redwing" McKay
• Leo Li Chiang as Tattooed pilot (uncredited)

External Links

• Composer Bear McCreary on the episode's score: [1]