Precipice

"Precipice" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 3, Episode 2
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Story by
Director	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)	Lucy Lawless as Number Three
Production No.	302
Nielsen Rating	1.8
US airdate	2006-10-06
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Occupation	Precipice	Exodus, Part I
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
Podcast Transcript – View
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
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Promotional Materials
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Overview

After the suicide bombing, the Cylons institute stricter controls on the human population on New Caprica. Aboard Galactica, plans for the rescue from New Caprica move forward now that communication with the resistance has been established.

Summary

• Gaius Baltar ostensibly has Laura Roslin detained in a cell. He discusses the suicide bombings, after which he releases her.
• After Duck's suicide bombing in an effort to kill Baltar, the Cylons round up random civilians, including Cally Tyrol.
• The Leoben copy that has imprisoned Kara Thrace introduces her to Kacey, supposedly another Cylon-human hybrid fertilized by this Cylon's consciousness and using Thrace's egg from her stolen ovary. Thrace immediately treats it as an "it."
• Felix Gaeta continues to give information to the resistance, although Galen Tyrol is unaware that Gaeta is his source. Tyrol believes Gaeta is a collaborator.
• Tyrol talks to Jammer about the situation with his wife, believing that people such as himself and Jammer will be lauded, while people like Gaeta will be strung up, causing feelings of regret in Jammer for his secret Cylon collaboration as an NCP member.
• Jammer asks Boomer to release Cally Tyrol from prison. Boomer claims bureaucracy prevents her, but later visits Tyrol. Their history only makes matters worse.
• Admiral Adama swears in Sharon Agathon as a Colonial officer and sends her to New Caprica as the resistance liaison. Commander Lee Adama objects to most of the plan, and is generally ignored by the planning team.
• Later, Commander Adama tries to convince his father that risking what's left of mankind to save those on New Caprica wasn't a call the admiral could make. Admiral Adama tells his son that he can stay with the Fleet with Pegasus on guard, but that he and Galactica must try to rescue the New Capricans.
• Saul Tigh, Chief Tyrol, and Samuel Anders decide to meet Agathon at Breeders Canyon.
• Ellen Tigh, threatened with more harm to her husband, tips off the Cylons to the rendezvous.
• Another damaging suicide bombing moves the Cylons to more drastic actions.
• The Cylons force Baltar to sign an execution order, at gunpoint, for 200 civilians, including Cally Tyrol, Roslin and Tom Zarek. Caprica-Six is shot by a Five while protesting against the order. The detainees are transported outside the city.
• Kara Thrace continues to ignore Kacey in the apartment. When Thrace leaves to another room, she returns to find the child motionless in a pool of blood.
• As Kacey awakens in a hospital, Thrace is overjoyed, and takes Conoy's hand.
• After the truck of detainees stops and releases the prisoners to "stretch their legs," a masked Jammer cuts Cally Tyrol's bonds and tells her to run. As as she gets away, Cylon Centurions appear to execute the detainees.
• Zarek pulls Roslin away from the front of the crowd.
• As Cally Tyrol runs through the forest, the sound of automatic gunfire rings out.
• After Sharon Agathon and Anders' teams meet and formulate their plans, they are soon ambushed by Centurions.

Questions

• If Sharon Agathon is killed during her mission on New Caprica, will she be able to download into a new body?
  • While download is likely, Agathon would be immediately kept as an intelligence source.
• Where will Cally Tyrol be able to run to? She was ordered to face execution by the Colonial Government.
  • Returning to the colony is probable, keeping out of sight, probably in the underground bunker where the wireless comm center is located.
• Why did the Cylons abandon their plan for a public execution?
  • A public execution might have made matters worse, while "disappearances" would allow for both an effective threat and plausible deniability.
• If viewers are to assume that the gunfire at the end of the episode is not from the Centurions, then who is firing? (Answer)
• Is Gaeta showing rather unusual behavior? If so, how much will his role as "inside man" be affected?
  • Gaeta is witnessing the oppression of humanity at the highest level from a man he once admired. It is probable that Gaeta's stress level is again affecting his behavior.
• What is the role of the five unseen Cylon models in the occupation? Are they present and simply remaining off-camera for the benefit of the audience? Have they attempted to hide themselves from the Colonials?
  • It's also concievable that the Cylon are divided on the threat Humanity represents and the other 5 models believe they should be wiped out, or have there own seperate agendas like Leoben
• Why do no Leoben Conoy copies attend the meeting on Colonial One regarding the execution order?
  • Conoy's motives on New Caprica appear to be entirely selfish—he is there for Kara Thrace only. No other copies have been witnessed on New Caprica to date.
• Cally Tyrol and Sharon Agathon both took their husbands' names upon marriage, as did Ellen Tigh, Caroline Adama and Sesha Abinell. Are Anastasia Dualla and Kara Thrace now Anastasia Adama, and Kara Anders, respectively?
• What is the relationship between Caprica-Six's shooting and the reappearance of Baltar's Internal Six?
• On the topic of internal manifestations, what happened to Caprica-Six's Internal-Baltar? Will he ever show himself again? Has he disappeared much like his counterpart in Baltar, now that the real-world Baltar is in Caprica-Six's midst?
• Now that the Lt. Sharon Agathon has landed on the surface of New Caprica, how can she be distinguished from other Number Eights there?
  • Other than her flight suit, it remains unclear how Sharon Agathon will be distinguished from other Number Eights. Admiral Adama confirmed that Cylon Centurions are not sentient, and may take instruction from Agathon because of her true nature.
• How will humans identify Sharon Agathon should she ever leave their sight? How, for example, can she safely return to Galactica?
  • In "Exodus, Part I", she did not remove her dogtags when changing out of her flight suit. She may have kept them on as a means of identification.
• How did Jammer identify the particular Eight he talked to as "Boomer?"
  • Initially, Jammer just calls Boomer-Eight the honorific "Sir." Its concievable that Boomer has certain characteristics from her time on Galactica that other Eights don't have, that give her away as Boomer-Eight.
• If the Centurions are incapable of distinguishing between individual copies of a model, why would they fire on Sharon Agathon, who should be just another Eight to them?
  • Agathon's back was turned to the Centurions at the time before the shooting began. They may not have registered her presence in the group. Also, her Colonial-issue flight suit may have given her away. No "legitimate" Eight on New Caprica would need to wear one. Its also possible that the Centurions were given orders to shoot the Eight found with the human resistance at the given location. Keep in mind that, unlike the TOS Centurions, RDM Centurions do not talk. They simply take orders.
• Why didn't Duck tell Tyrol that Jammer had joined the New Caprica Police?
  • He may not have known until the graduation ceremony, since the members of the police force are secretive about their identities. Duck was also under great stress and may not have been thinking clearly.
  • It is also entirely possible that Jammer was in a different graduating class. Standard occupation doctrine involves training individual cadres to ensure that the entire force is not compromised by one individual.
• Did Kacey fall down the stairs or was she pushed?
• As Zarek wanted nothing to do with Baltar's puppet administration, who replaced him as Vice President?
  • Given the potential for further dissidence and/or rebellion, did Baltar do away with the office of the Vice Presidency altogether?
• Given Zarek's imprisonment for four months, what of Zarek's various supporters? Do they still exist on New Caprica or on the Astral Queen? If so, what of them?
• Is Kacey all that Leoben Conoy claims her to be?
  • There is reason to believe that Conoy's claims are not true. As evidenced in the Miniseries and "Flesh and Bone," Conoy is a master manipulator specializing in lies, half-truths, misdirection, omission and any other method he can think of to coerce people to do as he wants. Kacey could be an ordinary human. The farms were filled with male and female humans, so standard in vitro insemination is not improbable.
  • The Cylon farms have had no success in procreation. Even if hybridization succeeded, it is unlikely that such a human/Cylon hybrid would be placed in such an unstable environment as they are highly valuable to the Cylons due to the astonishingly low success rate.
  • Kacey seems significantly older than Hera/Isis, however, according to the Timeline she has to be at least a month younger, if she is really Kara's daughter.
• Since Felix Gaeta is one of the top people in the Baltar administration (indeed, Baltar's staff seems to consist primarily of Felix Gaeta) and was once a Colonial officer, why does Tyrol not consider the possibility that Gaeta may be his inside source?

Analysis

• Apparently a single Cylon agent copy can speak for his or her particular model. Interestingly, Caprica-Six fails to dissuade her "sisters" from voting to execute the dissidents.
  • This consensus within the copies is done invisibly. Similar communication between Cylons of a single model has been witnessed in several prior episodes:
    • In "The Farm", the copy of Simon which Kara Thrace encounters outside the facility shares the memories of the one she has recently killed, although insufficient time has passed for a resurrection of the type witnessed in "Downloaded".
    • In "Home, Part II", Caprica-Valerii reveals to Galen Tyrol that she has some of the Boomer copy's memories.
    • At the start of "Occupation", the Cavil model interrogating with Saul Tigh knows of Ellen's work to free him.
  • This contact is apparently strictly voluntary. According to Caprica-Sharon in "Home, Part I", "I'm not wired in. It doesn't work like that," and her presence on New Caprica is not considered a security hazard.
• As one of the Cavils notes, adherence to the Cylon creed has become increasingly perfunctory. The Cylons seek the President's signature as a mere formality.
• If Leoben Conoy's story is true, Kacey can't be older than 16 months.
• As Ellen Tigh's actions seem as reprehensible as ever, her motivations this time around are rather more laudable. These two episodes seem to indicate that she truly does care for her husband.
• Cavil informs Ellen Tigh that they released Saul Tigh so that he may continue leading the resistance, thereby ensuring attacks against the Cylons, such as the two bombings that followed his release. These bombings and their results reinforce Cavil's argument that instilling fear and exerting total control over the population is the only viable solution.
  • It also might be possible that the release of Tigh might play into the faction of Cylons who continue to hold a strong prejudice towards humans. Caprica-Six and Boomer are clearly shown to be a diminishing voice amongst the Cylon leadership as evidenced when Number Five shot Caprica-Six in the head. This faction of Cylons may very well be attempting to destroy the experiment that Caprica-Six and Boommer convinced the Cylon population to undergo.
• The Cylons' condemnation to suicide bombings is strikingly hypocritical, in light of the fact that a Number Five used the same tactic after boarding Galactica in "Litmus."
• Following the bombing of the power station, the Cylon leadership conducts a meeting with Gaius Baltar on Colonial One. The camera makes a full clockwise sweep, revealing in order:
  • An Eight
  • Boomer
  • A Cavil
  • A Five
  • A Three
  • Caprica-Six
  • Another Cavil
  • Another Three (identifies herself as the one killed by Caprica-Six in "Downloaded")
  • A Simon
  • Another Five
  • Two more Sixes
• Cavil introduces the idea of "stronger measures". Assenting, in order, are the second Three, Simon, the second Five, and the last two Sixes. Caprica-Six dissents. Neither Boomer nor the other Eight are consulted. Not present are any copies of Leoben Conoy nor any of the unrevealed five models.

Notes

• "Occupation/Precipice" was awarded the IGN.com Editor's choice award, following a review in which it recieved a rating of 10/10.
• "Occupation" and "Precipice" were edited as one 2-hr episode with only one introduction. However, in the podcast, Ronald D. Moore indicates the "beginning" of "Precipice" as the scene with Baltar and Roslin in the detention cell.
• In the podcast, Ronald D. Moore states that references to "The Twist" and "The Swirl" are a homage to Seinfeld. The episode in question is "The Fusilli Jerry."
• Felix Gaeta's given name, first revealed in "Final Cut," is spoken out loud for the first time.
• Caprica-Valerii has married Karl Agathon and taken his last name. She continues to be confined to her cell, but it has been decorated and furnished. Ironically enough, she still calls him "Helo."
• Sharon Agathon and William Adama have continued to develop the rapport which they established in "Resurrection Ship, Part II."
• Number Three's claim that Caprica-Six's assault on her was the first case of Cylon-on-Cylon violence in their history is false. Boomer destroyed an entire basestar filled with other Number Eights, and there are several other incidents throughout the series.
• Ironically, a Five shoots Caprica-Six in the head shortly after Three's statement. Cavil indicates, however, that she won't be "boxed," as Caprica feared in "Downloaded."
• The same Number Three consciousness that is killed in "Downloaded" by Caprica-Six is present as well, referencing the incident; it is this same Three who questions Six regarding her love of Baltar.
• The apparent shooting of the captives at the end of the episode is a homage to The Great Escape and Battle of the Bulge; especially the latter as it features a survivor's escaping in a similar manner to Cally Tyrol's.
• Baltar's Internal-Six appears only after Caprica-Six is shot in the head.
• This episode has the second highest number of guest stars. Only the Miniseries had more credited stars.
• Lee Adama stated that there were about 2000 civilians that were on board Fleet ships when they escaped New Caprica, which would mean that after accounting for an unspecified number of military personnel (and an unspecified number of said personnel that were left on New Caprica), at least 5500 people were killed in the destruction of Cloud 9 as well as the other ships destroyed by the nuclear warhead in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II."
• Another four humans are killed in the suicide bombing at the power substation this episode. It is unknown whether or not this figure includes the bomber. Additionally, 23 Cylons are critically wounded; 14 of them are euthanized. Almost half the city is left without power, with repair estimates standing at a minimum of two weeks.
• We finally learn the role of Tom Zarek in the Baltar administration: he was indeed Baltar's running mate, and was elected Vice President in "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II". (This was implied in the last three episodes of season two, but not stated explicitly). He refused to be party to the Cylon occupation and was detained shortly thereafter, until his execution was ordered in this episode.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Discussing suicide bombings:

Galen Tyrol: This is crazy. You know, we need to figure out whose side we're on.

Saul Tigh: Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We are evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

• After being arrested, held without charge and carted to a remote location:

Tom Zarek: Laura.. That election last year. You tried to steal it, didn't you?

Laura Roslin: Yes, Tom. I did.

Tom Zarek: (laughs) Ah... I wish you'd gone through with it.

Laura Roslin: Me too.

• Talking in a cell:

Cally: ...frak you Sharon, you stupid frakked-up toaster. How many times do I have to shoot you anyway?

• After being slapped by Roslin for accussing her of working for the Cylons:

Saul Tigh: You see, little things like that they don't matter anymore. Fact, not too frakking much really matters anymore. I got one job here lady, and one job only. To disrupt the Cylons, make them worry about the ant hill they stirred up down here so they're distracted and out of position when the old man shows up in orbit. The bombings, they got the Cylons' attention, they really got their attention. And I am not giving that up.

Laura Roslin: We are talking about people blowing themselves up.

Tigh: You know, sometimes I think that you've got ice water in those veins. And other times, I just think that you're just a naive little school teacher. I've sent men on suicide missions in two wars now, and let me tell you something. It don't make a godsdamn bit of difference whether they're riding in a Viper or walking out onto a parade ground. In the end they're just as dead. (pauses) So, take your piety, and your moralizing, and your high-minded principles, and stick 'em somewhere safe until you're off the rock and sitting in your nice, cushy chair on Colonial One again. (stands) I've got a war to fight (leaves).

• As the Cylons try to force Baltar to sign the execution order, following Number Five's shooting of Capirca-Six in the head:

Baltar: Oh, God.

Cavil: She'll be back...

Cavil: ... but if he pulls that trigger now, you won't.

Guest Stars

• Michael Hogan as Saul Tigh
• Aaron Douglas as Galen Tyrol
• Tahmoh Penikett as Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon
• Nicki Clyne as Cally Tyrol
• Alessandro Juliani as Felix Gaeta
• Kandyse McClure as Anastasia Dualla
• Michael Trucco as Samuel Anders
• Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek
• Rick Worthy as Simon
• Callum Keith Rennie as Leoben Conoy
• Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh
• Donnelly Rhodes as Dr. Cottle
• Matthew Bennett as Number Five
• Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster
• Dean Stockwell as Cavil
• Erica Cerra as Maya
• Luciana Carro as Lt. Louanne "Kat" Katraine
• Christian Tessier as Tucker "Duck" Clellan
• Brad Dryborough as Lt. Hoshi
• Leah Cairns as Lt. Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
• Madeleine Parker as Kacey
• Dominic Zamprogna as James "Jammer" Lyman
• Mylène Dinh-Robic as Officer #1
• Ryan McDonell as Pilot #3
• Byron Lawson as Pilot #4
• Colin Lawrence as Hamish "Skulls" McCall
• Larissa Stadnichuk as Suicide bomber