Occupation

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"Occupation" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 3, Episode 1
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Story by
Director	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)	Amanda Plummer as Oracle Selloi
Production No.
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	2006-10-06
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release	{{{dvd}}}
Population	? survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II	Occupation	Precipice
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
[[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]

Overview

The Cylons have occupied the human settlement of New Caprica, and it's been three months since Galactica, Pegasus, and a handful of ships escaped into deep space. But the fight is not over. On New Caprica, a resistance has begun — and despite having only a handful of untested pilots at his command, Admiral Adama is committed to risking everything on a daring attack to rescue the people he left behind.

Summary

• The episode begins with a series of cut scenes. Light flashes over Saul Tigh's face. He is in a prison cell and has scratched notches into a calendar on the wall. His wife, Ellen Tigh, is having sex with one of the Cavils. Laura Roslin lights a candle and prays to the gods. Galen Tyrol and Samuel Anders are planting a bomb using G-4 and an A-type detonator within a building space.
• Kara Thrace is inside a neatly decorated room, setting a table.
• Admiral William Adama tries to strategize a rescue plan with a series of various models of fighters, support vehicles and other civilian ships in the Situation Room's plot table, but becomes frustrated and hurls a model across the table.
• A Cavil walks into Tigh's cell and taunts him as he attempts to hide the calendar that he has scratched in the wall. A copy of Leoben Conoy walks into the room where Thrace sits at table, carrying her dinner. He sits and prays to "The Heavenly Father."
• Thrace coyly asks the Conoy copy for a knife for her steak, but Conoy takes his knife and cuts her steak himself.
• Tyrol and Anders scatter away as a Heavy Raider lands near their bomb.
• After Ellen Tigh's liaison with her Cavil copy, she asks when will she gets what she asked for, suggesting a previous deal. The Cylon informs her that it should be happening right at that moment. At same time, the Cavil in the cell with Colonel Tigh releases him from prison in a very taunting way. Tigh exits the prison and his wife meets him at the gate.
• A group of 'skinjobs' including at least 3 Eights, 3 Sixes, and 2 Fives approach the Heavy Raider as several 'chromejobs' exit it. Tyrol and Anders set off the bomb. A great explosion ensues that is witnessed by the Conoy copy with Thrace from their apartment. He returns to the table, pushes his knife away from Thrace.
• As he comments on how beautiful she is, Thrace stabs him in the neck with metal chopsticks. As he dies (while Thrace repeatedly stabs his chest for good measure), he tells Thrace that he will see her soon. She tells him to take his time. Then, after wiping her hand on the carpet, she returns to the table and calmly resumes eating dinner.

This is the end of the "FirstLook" sneak peak video provided on the official website of Scifi.com.

Questions

• How did Anders manage to recover from his pneumonia without the medical supplies Thrace was seeking in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II"?
  • It is possible his own bodily defenses fought it off or he received medical supplies from a Cylon.

Analysis

• Given the dialogue during the scene and the marks on Ellen Tigh's face, it appears that Cavil has a penchant for "rough sex," adding to the sacrifice being made by Ellen to free Saul Tigh.
• Thrace's behavior, and Conoy's reluctance to give her a knife suggests that Thrace has probably succeeded in killing Conoy several times prior to this airing.

Notes

• In an interview with the Seattle Times, Ron Moore has confirmed that the first episode of season three will not take place immediately after the previous season finale (like "Scattered" did), but skip ahead a few more months to when the Cylon occupation is in full swing, and an insurgency has already developed.

• According to an interview with Ron Moore from May 31st, Amanda Plummer will guest star in the season 3 premiere.

• According to series composer Bear McCreary's official website blog, the first two episodes of season 3 will premiere back-to-back as a two hour TV movie
  • This was further confirmed in Ron Moore's blog on July 27th, 2006:

"As it currently stands, we will be opening Season Three with a two-hour premiere of what were originally two stand-alone episodes, "Occupation" and "Precipice" ("Occuprice," as it were) then resume airing normal one hours with "Exodus, Part I"."

• "Occupation" and "Precipice" are now one "super episode": "Occupation" is "Episode 1", and "Precipice" is "Episode 1.5", followed by "Exodus, Part I", which is considered to be "Episode 2", and so on for all subsequent episodes.

• According to David Eick at the BSG Comic-Con panel, "Occupation" takes place 4 months after the Cylon occupation began at the end of "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II".