Litmus

"Litmus" (credit: Sci-Fi Channel)

Overview

When Aaron Doral turns up on the Galactica and detonates a device made from the ship's own munitions, Adama orders a full investigation - and Tyrol's relationship with Boomer becomes the focus of the investigation

Summary

A group of civilians arrives aboard the Galactica. As they make their way through the ship, one of them slips away to make his way through the ship on his own

•* Elsewhere, Chief Tyrol secretly meets with Boomer after their relationship had been banned by Colonel Tigh (You Can’t Go Home Again) – they meet in the inspection space above the refurbished water tanks

The visitor to the Galactica is seen and recognised by Tigh, who calls security. At the same time, he is seen and challenged by Adama
Turning to face them, the visitor turns to reveal himself as Aaron Doral – suspected Cylon (Mini-Series) – who has a bomb strapped to his chest, which he detonates – almost killing Adama and Tigh
With three people killed in the blast, Adama orders an investigation into how Doral got aboard and accessed Galactica’s own munitions store, and places his Master-at-Arms in charge of what becomes a public inquiry
Interviewing hanger bay personnel, including Cally and Socinus, the Master-at-Arms, Sergeant Hadrian – latches on the the fact that she is given three different locations for Tyrol’s whereabouts during the time when Doral came aboard the ship; the time coinciding to the time Tyrol was meeting Boomer
At the same time, Roslin holds a press conference, revealing the truth about humano-Cylons and releasing pictures of Doral and Conoy. The news is greeted with a stunned reaction throughout the fleet
As a result of her investigations, Hadrian brings both Boomer and Tyrol before the board of inquiry for questioning
Boomer is questioned first – specifically about her relationship with Tyrol, which she claims has stopped on the orders of the XO
Hadrian then focuses on Tyrol and his whereabouts at the time of the bombing, and Boomer claims she has no idea
Putting Tyrol on the stand, Hadrian focuses her questions around a hatchway that was left open – a hatchway he should have ensured was closed, and which lead directly to the small arms locker where the explosives had been stolen, and to which he had the access code
In response, Tyrol points out that several people have the access code to the locker – including Hadrian herself, who is also responsible for internal security aboard the ship
Hadrian challenges Tyrol as to whether Boomer may have left the hatch open. Remembering their meeting, in which she stated she had used the hatchway to avoid being seen on her way to him, Tyrol lies and states he has no idea
He is then challenged to explain why his claim to have been in his bunk at the time of the bombing is disputed by three of his own crew, who put him in different places, doing different things at the time Doral was aboard
When Hadrian accuses him of being a Cylon collaborator, Tyrol takes the 23rd Article of Colonisation
Specialist Socinus is next on the stand, and when he realises his original statement has landed Tyrol in trouble, he changes his story: he actually left his post and went to the galley for food, using the companionway and hatch in question to get there
When challenged about the hatch, he admits he was the one who left it open, thus accidentally providing the Cylon with the means to get to the explosives
Hadrian still tries to involve Tyrol, demanding to know if he ordered Socinus to leave the hatch open. Socinus won’t be moved: he left the hatch open
In sickbay, Baltar visits Starbuck, hoping to rekindle the attraction of their first card game (“Water”). She, however, is not in the mood. To get rid of him, she asks him about the bombing and whether he felt the Cylon was after his super secret project, which is located close to where the bomb went off
This scares Baltar to the point where he leaves Starbuck alone, demanding to know from Six as to why the Cylons are trying to kill him when he’s following her orders
Six points out the Cylon were probably after the detector – and that anyway, the Cylons don’t know about her and Baltar
With Socinus apparently the guilty party, Adama discusses the outcome of the inquiry with Roslin – when he is called before the board himself, where Hadrian comes close to building a picture of conspiracy rising all the way to Adama
Realising things are out of hand, Adama calls a halt to things, confining Hadrian to her quarters and disbanding the board of inquiry
Roslin holds a second conference, issuing Socinus’ name and stating he has been removed from duty and placed in the brig for dereliction of duty
Hearing this, Tyrol goes to Adama to try and secure Socinus’ release. Instead, he is confronted by the truth: as a result of his carryings-on with Boomer, he has created a poor example of leadership & can’t actually say where Socinus was or what he was doing. Socinus will remain in the brig
As a result, Tyrol meets with Boomer and ends their relationship. He then asks her if she left the suspect hatchway open the last time they met. She refuses to answer.

On Caprica

Helo sets out to find Valerii
As a result of his decision, Six gives Valerii a vicious beating to set her up for when he “finds” her
Helo later discovers a lone Cylon warrior dragging a bound and apparently unconscious Valerii, whom he rescues

--Colonial Archivist 10:06, 24 Jan 2005 (EST)

Questions

Was Baltar's lab really Doral's intended target? The is no clear evidence of this - only a comment passed by Starbuck & seized upon by Six
If Baltar's lab wasn't the target, where was Doral heading? CIC?
Why did Hadrian fixate on the Tyrol / Boomer relationship? This line of questioning was distinct from her attempts to expose Tyrol as a "Cylon conspirator"
Will the "outing" of Doral and Conoy really make Cylon activities within the fleet that much more difficult? What of Six? Will it mean we'll see other models swing into action?
Why is the concept of love so important to the Cylons?

Analysis

Another excellent, character-driven story, which survives a potentially damaging television cliché: the over-zealous prosecuting investigator / officer / lawyer who’s motives either go further than the need to get to the truth, or becomes so bound up with the letter of the law, he or she loses sight of the spirit of the law? As Hadrian pursued her investigation, it seemed "Litmus" was heading in the same direction.

However, While Sergeant Hadrian does turn out to be a somewhat clichéd prosecutor, it’s not down to melodramatics or poor writing. Rather, it is very evident that Messrs Moore and Eick opted to tread this path quite deliberately into order to avoid playing all of their cards at once – as the context of the investigation into Boomer and Tyrol could so easily have done – and instead use the inquiry as window dressing, allowing the deeper truths to be revealed elsewhere and with greater effect - such as the confirmation that “love” is one of the driving forces being the Cylon actions on Caprica.

Like “Act of Contrition” it is the rich layering and interweaving of individual storylines within this episode, coupled with the developing complexities of the dynamics between the various players, that lifts it from the realm of the potentially hum-drum to create some outstanding television drama.

Nowhere else is the interweaving better demonstrated than in the way the two major thrusts of the story – the investigation on Galactica, and Helo’s situation on Caprica – are brought together as a seamless whole: a clever period of testing on so many levels. Hence the title of the episode: "Litmus", as in litmus tests:

Tyrol's loyalty to Boomer as they come before Hadrian's tribunal
Helo's loyalty (possible love) of Valerii (will he go north or south) on Caprica
The loyalties of Tyrol's crew - just how far are they prepared to go to cover for him (all the way to the brig, in Socinus' case)
Tyrol's ability to face up to his responsibilities as a senior NCO.

In the fleet – to use Tigh’s words – the cat is most certainly out of the bag. The people now know Cylons can perfectly imitate humans – but will this help or hinder the Colonials in their struggle to survive? Will it really make moving among the humans that much harder for the Cylons? The manipulation of paranoia is a powerful tool, and while the admission by Roslin may help increase levels of caution and alertness throughout the fleet, it leaves open the door for further, more subtle manipulations on the part of the Cylons. If nothing else, with any remaining Doral and Conoy models now having to go into hiding, will it lead to other models being revealed?

And what of the Cylons themselves? Do they really consider Baltar’s detector a threat? Indeed, was Baltar’s lab really Doral’s intended target. There is absolutely no proof of this within the episode – only Starbuck’s comment. True, it is something Six manipulated – possibly to confuse Baltar further and make him more susceptible to her demands – and it certainly allowed her to reinforce the (possible) lie that she is “unknown” to other Cylons in the fleet. BUT – these facts together do not make the statement that the Cylons were after Batlar’s laboratory a fact. Indeed, given her attitude towards Baltar in recent episodes, one cannot wonder if Starbuck raised the idea simply out of a perverse desire to make mischief, knowing it would rattle the good doctor.

Again, had the Cylons really wished to destroy Baltar’s work, they already had a far more efficient agent aboard the ship, one who could obtain the required explosives and deliver them directly to the lab, prime them to go off remotely and get out again without raising any suspicions: Sharon Valerii. Why resort to Doral? Is Baltar’s lab under that heavy a guard?

Certianly, Doral knows the layout of the ship well enough to reach the lab – but by the same mark, he knows the ship well enough to reach a number of potential targets, including CIC, so his exact goal is never a given.

Turning to Cylon activities on Caprica, once again it seems to be a need to understand – or perhaps experience true love is one of the goals behind their manipulation of Helo. Could it be that, for all their talk of God’s love, etc., “love” as an emotion / motivating force is something the Cylons have never really experienced, and that without it, they feel unable to fully connect with their God? True, they have had at least two affairs with humans – Six with Baltar, and Valerii with Tyrol – but again, both of these appear to be driven by physical desire rather than “true” love.

"Litmus" certainly reveals how "human" Cylons have become in other respects: Six is clearly jealous of Valerii's role in the scheme of things, and she clearly takes great delight in administering Valerii's beating. But was the savageness of the beating purely due to Six's jealousy towards Valerii, or could it also be “payback” for what happened to her “sister” when Valerii “rescued” Helo?

Returning to the Galactica herself, one of the joys of this episode is seeing Aaron Douglas flex his acting muscle. Throughout the episode, Douglas plays his character with the right mix of strength, stubbornness, confusion, concern, respect, parental care and deep affection. In many ways he demonstrates that, after Adama, Tyrol is perhaps the most respected member of the Galactica’s crew.

While the scene with the bootleg still was clearly contrived to further establish Tyrol’s standing in the eyes of his crew, it is played so well it works. Indeed, coupled with his reaction after the fire in the hanger pod during the mini, the “still scene” very much reinforces what we already know about Tyrol, so much so that the flag (“this guy is cool, his people will back him when he’s in trouble”) is only quietly waved in the background.

During his interrogation, Douglas is even more subtle in his approach. Taking a leaf from Olmos’ book, he lets his facial expressions do his talking for him, conveying the depth of Tyrol’s concern, resentment, suspicion (of both Hadrian and Valerii as Hadrian’s questions raise issues in his mind), anger and confusion.

But where Douglas shines the most is in his epilogue scene with Edward James Olmos. Here we have a further reverberation of another of BSG’s motifs: you reap what you sow. Tyrol goes to Adama to plead the case for Socinus, convinced he can persuade Adama – a man with whom he has a long-standing bond – to release the young Specialist. Instead, he’s confronted with the brutal truth: while he may be liked and respected by his crew, Tyrol’s own example of constantly slipping off to rendezvous with Boomer has undermined discipline on his decks. His actions have encouraged those under his command to do very much as he does: slip away when the urge calls. So what if Socinus wasn’t off getting laid by a senior officer? His dereliction of duty resulted – as far as Adama is concerned - in the deaths of four men.

And this is where we see the other edge of the sword: Tyrol knows full well that Boomer used the same accessway as Socinus; she may have been just as responsible for leaving the hatch open as the Specialist. But to admit as much to Adama would do as much harm as good: it may secure Socinus’ release - but it would bring the full weight of Adama’s suspicion down on Valerii. And without further proof, it is evident this is not something Tyrol is willing to risk – for now. But the wheels are turning: as evidenced in his final question to Boomer.

Edward James Olmos also reinforces his stature as the central figure in this series. In closing down Hadrian’s inquisition, Adama again demonstrates his strength of character, that he can command words as effectively as he can the men and women under his authority. It is his physical presence, coupled with the quiet voice of authority that brings the investigation to a close without the need for any overt show of command or position on his part.

The other player that deserves extra special mention in this episode is again James Callis. One cannot help but further admire him in his portrayal of Gaius Baltar – and full marks to the director of this segment for some beautiful use of the camera. Baltar may only be on-screen for around 5 minutes – but what a five minutes! Starting with his obvious attempt at flirting with Starbuck, Callis’ performance as Baltar is stunning. From sexual cockiness through to concern, worry and then panic at the thought the Cylons were after him, Baltar runs his own gamut of emotions – and draws the audience along with him. Full marks too, for the way in which Baltar’s conversation with Six is shown as they progress down the corridor, swapping between the two of them walking hand-in-hand, to shots of Baltar on his own and holding a one-sided conversation with himself!

--Colonial Archivist 18:27, 27 Jan 2005 (EST)

Notes

Some 24 hours have passed since the events of You Can’t Go Home Again
There was at least one additional Doral in the fleet
Underground activities are beginning to take place on Galactica – as shown by the creation of the still
Baltar’s Six claims not to be in contact with other Cylons in the fleet, but it is far from clear as to whether she is speaking the truth
Adama’s father was a civil liberties lawyer on Caprica
Adama has a hobby: constructing large models of sailing vessels
Baltar is now actively working on his Cylon detector
Civilians routinely pass through the Galactica

Noteworthy Dialogue

Adama, to Sergeant Hadrian and her Board of Inquiry:

Adama You’ve lost your way, Sergeant. You’ve lost site of the purpose of the law: to protect its citizens, not persecute them. Whatever we are, whatever’s left of us – we’re better than that. Now these proceedings are closed. You’ll be transported back to your ships and we appreciate you help. Board Chair This is an independent Board. you have no power to close our enquiries. AdamaThis is a witch-hunt. I will not have it aboard my ship.

Adama to Tyrol, after Socinus has been incarcerated:

AdamaWhat I can’t do is I can’t let someone who wears this uniform get up on the witness stand and lie under oath. And that’s what your man did. He either lied the first time or he lied the second time. And it doesn’t matter. He’s guilty, and he’ll pay the price. You? You’ll pay a different price. You’ll have to walk out on that hanger every day knowing that one of your men is in the brig because you couldn’t keep your fly zipped. You are the most experienced non-commissioned officer we have left. You keep my planes flying. I need my planes to fly.

Official Statements

Statistics

Guest Stars

Writing & Direction

Written by Jeff Vlaming
Directed by Rod Hardy

Production Notes

Series 1 (2004 / 2005)
Production Number: 1.06
Airdate Order: 6 (of 13)

First Run Air Dates & Releases

UK Airdate: 22 November 2004 (Sky One)
US Airdate: (Sci-Fi Channel)
DVD Release: 28 March 2005 (UK)