Six Degrees of Separation

We open with a re-cap of Baltar’s relationship with “Six”, in which he states she is a figment of his own mind, before we see him interacting with Six when she was corporeal on Caprica. We then have a brief shot of Helo “rescuing” Valerii on Cylon-occupied Caprica.

From this we fade-in to a long shot of the Colonial fleet travelling in deep space, and the camera rapidly zooms in – and between the ships, centring on Galactica before we close right up on the warship and pass through her hull, arriving at an extreme close-up of an unblinking brown eye, staring at us, and we hear Baltar state, not a little sarcastically, “I don’t see the hand of God in here.” The picture cuts to micro-organisms as seen through a high-powered microscope as Baltar’s voice continues, “Could I be looking in the wrong place?”

The angle shifts again to show Baltar looking down the barrel of the microscope. “Let me see, proteins? Yes. Haemoglobins? Yes. Divine digits? Ummm…uh,” he looks up from the microscope, “No, sorry.” He then states that if God exists, then surely he should be able to find some sign of God in the samples, “Especially as there are some fraking many of them!”

Across the lab table, “Six” idly thumbs through a magazine. “What is it that drives you to blasphemy, Giaus? The need to tempt fate?”

“Boredom, actually,” he replies, before stating he’s been so bound up in his work, he’s developed his own religion – the Church of the Mystic Cylon Detector. Crossing to him, “Six” asks if he has finished – and suddenly we’re in the bedroom of his home on Caprica, the two of them sitting on the bed as “Six” tries to get Baltar to accept God, to gain the “peace and love” she has. Baltar is more interested in unzipping her dress, but “Six” stops him.

“He has a plan for us,” she informs Baltar. “How do you know it is a ‘he’?” Baltar challenges, angering “Six”, who pushes him down onto the bed, breaking his hold on her as she informs him there is only one true God. She gets off the bed and walks away from it. “Are you, ah, running a glitch in the programme or something?” an annoyed Baltar asks, rising behind her, “Because you keep saying the same thing over and over again….” He pleads with her – that he has accepted her God, that her God is big enough for everyone but – and at this point he is leading her back to the bed – can’t the two of them do something a little more – elevating – than repeating the discussion.

“Six” is adamant Baltar must accept God at a personal level, insisting that he accept’s God’s eternal love. This brings a near-hysterical outburst from Baltar as he gets up from the bed, which ends with him telling her, “What you are doing, darling is boring me to death with your superstitious drivel; your metaphysical nonsense…” As his tirade continues his back towards her, a look of disappointment bordering on hurt crosses “Six’s” face, and she rises from the bed, her hands held in an attitude of surrender, and she walks out of the bedroom.

Still staring out of the window, Baltar continues his attack on her for a beat before turning mid-sentence and realising she has gone. For a moment he is confused, then he catches his argument as he strides confidently to the door, “That Cylons are, in the final analysis little more than toasters,” and he opens the bedroom door expecting to she her on the stairwell outside the room – but it is empty, prompting him to lower his voice as he concludes, almost satisfied, “With great-looking legs.”

Closing the bedroom door, he turns petulant. “It’s my fantasy. See if I care,” he sits on the bed, and decides to conjure up someone else – perhaps a brunette. He is rewarded by knocking at the door. Standing, he reaches for the door handle, “Maybe we can dispense with foreplay. Get right down…”

And we’re back aboard Galactica as Dualla opens the door to Baltar’s lab, angry confusion written on her face. “What did you say?!” she demands, forcing Baltar back into reality and a hasty excuse that he was talking to himself – something Dualla clearly doubts. She informs Baltar that the Commander would like to see him in the CIC.

We cut to CIC as Baltar strolls in, cocky and confident. Adama, Gaeta, Tigh and – Six, now dressed in a part business suit – stand near the plot table. Seeing her, Baltar lowers his tone, “Ah! There you are,” he says to her as he reaches her. “Very nice. Blouse not unbuttoned?” This earns him a very loud and firm, “Excuse me?!” from her. “Just a thought,” he adds, turning away from her, apparently pleased he’s unsettled her as he looks at Adama and continues smoothly, “You wanted to see me, Commnader?”

Adama informs him that “Miss Godfrey” (God-free – geddit?) his brought some disturbing accusations to his attention, and that Baltar should have the right of answering them in person. Puzzlement replaces Baltar’s cockiness. “Um, ah, thank you,” he replies. He looks back at “Six” and then around CIC, “And she is….?”

“She’s standing right there.” Tigh growls, nodding in “Six’s” direction. “I’m right here,” “Six” adds, her tone laden with disgust. Baltar dismisses her with a look, “Yes, of course you are,” he replies quietly. He looks back at Adama, a questioning expression on his face. “Ummm?”

“Doctor,” Gaeta interrupts, causing Baltar to look at him. “This is Miss Godfrey.” He indicates “Six”. Baltar looks at her, his face a riot of emotions as he also angles glances towards Tigh and Gaeta. He clears his throat. “All of you can see her,” he mumbles as a matter of fact. Then he catches himself and repeats, with a grin and voice laden with bravado. “You can all see her!”

“She’s standing right next to you,” Tigh nods, his voice suggestive that he is ready to certify Baltar, who begins to grasp that not only is all not as it seems, but also that he may well be in deep doo-doo. “Something wrong?” Adama asks, as Baltar bobs his head up and down, trying to come to terms with everything, and we’re treated to a montage flashback: Six throwing Baltar onto the bed in the mini; “Six” from “Litmus” warning Baltar not to make her angry, “Six” from “33” telling him he has a serious problem, and finally a cut from the mini as the shockwave of the nuclear explosion strikes Baltar’s home.

Then we’re back in the present as Baltar recovers himself, stating he is “pleased if slightly puzzled” to make Miss Godrey’s acquaintance. As he says this, he gives her a look which clearly says, “What the frak is going on here?” as he tries to shake her hand. Her reaction is anything but what he expects as she tells him to keep his hands off her, and then accuses him publicly of being the traitor who lead to the holocaust and that she’s on the Galactica to expose him and see that he is sentenced to death – all of which has Baltar physically backing away from her until he bumps into Adama. They exchange a glance and Baltar looks back at “Miss Godrey”, his look one of poison – which is met by a look of superiority and with a final angle on his eyes, we’re into the opening titles.

At the end of the titles, we fade back in to Baltar’s eyes as he stares at “Miss Godrey”, before Adama draws him back, stating she has made some startling accusations. Baltar counters that he has never seen her before in his life. She claims to have been only a lowly analyst at the defence ministry, “an associate of Doctor Ammarak,” (“33”). Tigh goes on to say that she claims Baltar let the Cylons into the defence mainframe and sold-out the entire human race. “Miss Godfrey” claims that Ammarak knew of Baltar’s treachery and was trying to reach the President when he was killed (he was apparently one of the passengers aboard the Olympic Carrier in “33”). Baltar challenges her on this, stating that it is convenient that Ammarak is dead, only leaving her to make her accusations – but he stops short of making any counter-claim (that she is a Cylon). She then produces alleged photographic evidence of Baltar planting a bomb in the defence mainframe – but the image is of someone who looks – from the back – like Baltar. Adama states that while the figure is undoubtedly the same height and build as Baltar, that in itself is insufficient proof. “Godfrey” then points out that the face of the saboteur can be made out – with computer enhancement – as it is reflected in one of the panels on the front of the mainframe. Gaeta states that it will take him around 24 hours to sufficiently clean-up the image and get a good rendition of the face. Adama orders him to report when he has a sharpened image. He then informs Baltar that all work on the Cylon detector is suspended, and that his security clearance is revoked. “Godfrey” then gives Baltar what comes close to a look of satisfaction at his discomfiture.

Down in the hanger bay, Cally is sitting before the Cylon Raider, reading Thrace’s report on how she flew the Raider. “She said the engine power-up sequence began by squeezing something that looked like a red ligament with blue veins on the right side, coming out of a sac of gooey fluid shaped like a dog!”

Upside the Raider, Tyrol is bellying his way through the Raider’s biomass. “Are you kidding me?!” he calls. “This whole thing is a mess of veins and ligaments and sacs of goo!” He curses Starbuck as Cally continues reading instructions from outside as Tigh approaches. She jumps to attention as she realises the Colonel is there. “The Chief’s inside?” he asks. Gaining an affirmative, he calls out, asking Tyrol how things are going. This shakes Tyrol out of his mantra concerning Thrace, and causes him to lie – badly. “I’m getting there, sir. Haven’t quite figured out all the tricks. But I’m getting there,” he claims, his expression revealing he has less than the foggiest of notions of where “there” might actually be.

In sickbay, Thrace is trying to get back on her feet – not a little reluctantly – with a barely sympathetic Apollo and doctor watching her. Her leg braced, she tries to stand and then tries to uses the crutches Apollo has just teased her with – but quickly retreats to the bed, demanding happy pills. The Doc refuses, leaving her to stew.

Elsewhere, Baltar is on the intercom to Roslin, who expresses her shock at his predicament. He pleads with her to left him back onto Colonial One until the matter is resolved. She refuses – Baltar is now on a list of people barred from intra-fleet travel. As she converses with him, we see Roslin accept a glass of water from Billy, her hand clearly shaking. Baltar continues his pleading, begging to be allowed off the Galactica and “this shitty Godfrey woman.” As he pleads, we enter his head as he searches his home on Caprica, looking for “Six”. He then finally makes his claim that “Godfrey” is a Cylon. When this brokers silence as a response, we cut to Colonial One, to find Billy tending Roslin, who has collapsed across her desk. Without thinking, he uses the squawk box on her desk to call for medical assistance – inadvertently broadcasting the fact that the President has collapsed to the entire fleet. Baltar is left hanging on the line….

We cut to Billy’s first press conference, as he is hammered with questions on Roslin’s condition. He confirms she’s alive, but as the press become more rabid, he’s forced to retreat to the more private section of the ship, claiming she may have a bout of stomach ‘flu. Curtains are drawn across the walkway, ending the conference.

In her private quarters – such as they are – Roslin is admonished by the doctor. She has taken 3 times the required dosage of pills to treat her cancer. “Three times the dosage. Must then work three times as fast, right?” he states. “Everybody wants to be their own doctor. You are lucky you didn’t lapse into a coma. You can’t cure cancer by overdose.”

Billy arrives and apologies for his precipitous action in calling for help before securing the line. Roslin dismisses the error, but makes it clear she must be on her feet and capable of making a statement to the press by the end of the day. The doctor offers to give her a shot – even though she won’t like it. He also points out that there’s going to come a time when Roslin can’t hide what she’s suffering from from as Roslin rolls up her sleeve. Taking the drugs from his bag, the doc stops her, “It’s not that kind of a shot,” he growls, producing a syringe with a very long needle.

In Adama’s quarters, the Commander is interviewing “Miss Godfrey”. As he hands her a drink and sits beside her, he is quite candid. “Baltar’s correct about the convenience of it all. Ammarak just happens to bring you the key piece of evidence just before he dies. Godfrey|Six then tries to convince Adama that Ammarak was paranoid and gave her the disk with the photograph before getting her off of the Olympic Carrier as he was convinced it had been infiltrated by Cylons. Adama presses her about her relationship with Ammarak. She at first claims that they were friends – an explanation Adama doubts. She then admits they were in love, and turns on the water works. When this fails to move Adama, she moves on him in typical Six style, trying to engage his hormones, stating how lonely she is, how lonely he must be, “When the thought of another body next to yours seems like something out of a dream…” and she concludes with a kiss to Adama’s lips – which he doesn’t return.

Anger and something else beyond suspicion light Adama’s eyes as he rises after the kiss, and we cut to a short time later, when he is on the ‘phone to Tigh, instructing him, “Do not, under any circumstances, allow Shelly Godfrey to leave this ship. Put her under surveillance – discretely. I want to know everybody she’d talked to, everywhere she’s been.”

With that, we go – to CYLON-OCCUPIED CAPRICA, and day 24 of Karl C. Agathon’s sojourn there. He and Valerii are on the run – literally, as they try to escape two Cylon warriors who appear to be chasing them – but just not very fast.

Back on Galactica, Gaeta is still working on enhancing the image produced by “Shelly Godrey”. Feeling the strain, he takes a break and heads for the Head. Locking himself in a cubicle, he has barely sat down when Baltar enters. There follows one of the best understated comedic elements yet seen in Galactica – a whispered conversation between Baltar and Gaeta, initially conducted with the camera at deck level, peering under the doors of the cubicles, before cutting to shots of them seated in each cubicle, and seen through the narrow gap between the door and door frame as Baltar tries to pump Gaeta on his progress with the image. After several embarrassed starts to the conversation, Baltar asks, “So how is it going over there?” a question that prompts Gaeta’s eyebrows to vanish into his hairline. “In the LAB! I mean in the lab!” Baltar hisses, realising his faux-pas.

Baltar tries to get Gaeta to let him into the lab to help with the work. They argue in hushed tones, but break off as someone else enters – and we see a pair of heeled feet enter, an attaché case in hand. As the new arrival enters another cubicle, Gaeta uses the distraction to maked his escape, fairly dashing from his cubicle, still dressing himself. He is at the door as Baltar bolts from his cubicle. “Wait a minute! Where are you going?” the increasingly desperate Baltar calls after Gaeta’s departing back, “You forgot to wash your hands!”

Left in the Head, Baltar turns his attention to whoever entered, and realises it is Godfrey|Six. He forces open her cubicle door, startling her. While she tries to resist, she doesn’t seem strong enough to prevent him forcing the door open and trapping her in the cubicle as he demands answers. “Are you out of your mind?!” she demands. “It’s funny that. I ask myself that question every day,” he replies. He tells her outright that she’s lying and that she knows full well he didn’t plant any bomb at the defence ministry. She counters that she knows no such thing, and again tries to push him out of the cubicle, but doesn’t seem able to summon the strength. He accuses her of being a Cylon copy – not the woman in his head or Shelly Godfrey. She responds to the accusation by telling him to get out. He steps back as she slams the cubicle door shut. “Struck a nerve have I?” He demands, anger venting. “Which I find rather impossible to believe. You think this is over? This is not over! You have not heard the last! No more Mr. Nice Giaus!” He breaks off from the rant, and it dawns on him he’s not alone: a pilot has entered the head during his tirade and is now standing behind him. Turning, Baltar looks at him nervously. “Women,” he whispers.

Down on the hanger bay, Boomer approaches the Cylon Raider, hesitating as she sees Tyrol sitting under the nose of the craft, grossed in his work. As he swears at the craft, she asks if it is a good time to talk to him – she is carrying what appears to be a folded form of some description. “Guess you’re having problems?” she asks. “I just can’t get this thing to work,” Tyrol states, his back to her.

Boomer turns to the wing of the Raider, and caresses it, “It’s not really a thing you know,” she states flatly, slowly walking along the leading edge of the wing, still caressing it, “It’s probably a Cylon itself.” She crosses to the nose of the craft and starts touching that, running her fingertips over it in much the same manner in which Six is given to feeling things, her tone still reverential, causing Tyrol to give her a spooked look. “More of an animal, maybe, than the human models. Maybe they genetically designed it for a task – to be a fighter,” he tone is now almost seductive. “You can’t treat it like a thing and expect it to…respond. You have to treat it like…a pet…”

A seriously weirded-out Tyrol watches her from under the Cylon as she pulls herself back from the Raider. “At least….that’s my guesss,” she finishes lamely. “Your guess?” Tyrol challenges flatly. “That’s right, my guess,” she replies, not a little self-consciously. Bravado kicks-in. “Something else you want to say?” Tyrol gives a slow shake of the head, still sitting in weird street, “No.” he replies, causing Boomer to turn and walk off, disappointment evident in her retreat. Tyrol watches her go, still looking decidedly spooked, then his eyes rove back and forth across the underside of the Raider, as he no doubt replays her words about it being a creature…

In sickbay, Tigh strolls in to Thrace’s ward. “Lieutenant. I heard you were supposed to be up on your feet by now?” What follows is a not entirely friendly exchange in which Thrace accuses him of trying to use reverse psychology on her to get her out of the cot, together with the lure of working on the Raider. Tigh grins at this. “I really don’t care what you think, Lieutenant. All I know is that every day you spend in that bed is another day I have my opinion of you confirmed….As you were.” He strolls back out of sickbay, leaving Thrace stewing, and no doubt caught in the very trap of reverse psychology she thought she could avoid.

In Adama’s cabin, Baltar is revealing his thoughts on “Godfrey”, stating his belief that she is a Cylon and should be locked up. As he speaks, in his mind he continues to search for his “Six” through the various rooms of his sprawling house back on Caprica. He tells Adama that the Cylon detector is almost ready – all that’s needed is a few tweaks. Then all he needs is a sample of “Godfrey’s” tissue and he can prove his claim. Adama refuses, telling Baltar he can’t give him access to his equipment. Baltar suggests letting him instruct Gaeta how to make the adjustments and carry out the test. Adama again refuses: if the image reveals Baltar’s face, every piece of equipment in his lab – including the detector – will be dismantled and quarantined; every person he has met in the fleet questioned and investigated. “The president believes I’m innocent,” Baltar states. “The president hopes you are innocent,” Adama corrects. “And so do I. Because if you’re not, then you’ve made fools of both of us. And I don’t like to be made a fool of.”

“And I don’t like being accused of participating in the genocide of the human race,” Baltar hisses in reply, genuine anger apparent, “Based solely on the word of a woman whom I have already indicated to you may well be a Cylon agent.” In difference to his outer anger, inside, Baltar begs his “Six” for help – stating he’ll do anything. To Adama, he continues, “I did not conspire with the Cylons. I’m an innocent man who is being convicted in the court of public opinion without trial.” With that he leave’s Adama’s cabin, strolling back through Galactica, anger lending itself to his stride, but as he passes crew and becomes more and more aware of their looks, his stride becomes less confident, and his demeanour more nervous.

In the lab, Gaeta is growing increasingly fatigued, but is drawing closer to a completed enhanced image – and image the resolves itself into the face of one Gaius Baltar. In the corridor outside, Baltar strolls by, and we see a fire alarm pull on the bulkhead. In the lab, Gaeta continues to stare at the image on his screen in disbelief as the intercom sounds a fire alert, ordering all crew to their Damage Control stations. Gaeta leaves the lab, and the guards outside run for their assigned DC posts. In CIC the command crew seek to locate the fire on their boards, while back at the lab, Baltar slips in and is horrified to see his face on the screen. Panicking, he tries everything to get rid of the image, using a keyboard to try and erase the image from the disk, before getting increasingly more desperate, pulling powers leads out of boxes, hitting optical drives…

In CIC it is confirmed that there is no fire – but the alarm was tripped from a station near the lab – Adama and Tigh head for it, security in tow, they arrive just as Baltar, all other options expended, is about to smash the screen bearing his image with a chair. He is arrested and led off to the brig, shouting for an attorney.

Back in the hanger bay, Tyrol and Cally have been joined by Apollo as they try to figure out the Raider. They pause as Thrace arrives, crutches and all. “Shut up. All of you,” she instructs. “Not one single word from any of you, okay?” She the proceed to help try to understand the Raider – even though this means crawling back up inside in an attempt to locate the “controls” she used to fly it. She does gain a reaction out of it as she presses a foot on an organ of some description and the Raider comes to life, vibrating and rumbling in its harness. Crouching in front of the ship, Apollo gives a wry order. “Don’t shoot anything…”

In the brig, Baltar is visited by Roslin. He thinks she is there to order his release. She isn’t. “Here’s where we are, Doctor: if anyone can be a Cylon, and its hard to tell us apart, then we only have one thing left to trust: our instincts; our feelings. And the moment they told me it was your face in the photo, I knew I believed it. I believe you were involved in the attack – somehow – I feel it.”

In response, Baltar again shows his strength of will as he replies, equally levelly, “You’ll forgive me, Madame President, if I don’t wish to be executed based solely on your….gut feeling.”

Back on Caprica, Helo and Valerii are getting ready for the night. Helo is going to take the first watch despite Valerii’s protests. He admits that he couldn’t stand to see anything happen to her. Confessions follow, and despite a looming thunderstorm, his confession leads her into a small, hidden smile of victory before she kisses him – and he returns it. As they make love in the storm on Caprica, Boomer on Galactica returns to her crib and opens her locker to find the word “CYLON” written across the door-mounted mirror, and the frenzy with which she tries to clean it is matched by the frenzy of Valerii’s coupling with Helo.

In the brig, Baltar’s resolve fades after Roslin leaves, and he finally collapses, kneeling in prayer at the side of his cot, begging for God’s intervention, and promising to follow God’s divine will and dedicate his life to that purpose. The prayer is repeated several times, Baltar caught between resolve and tears before “Six” appears beside him, hushing his tears. “I’m here now. All will be well,” she informs him. “It will be as God wants it to be.”

At the moment, Gaeta enters and Baltar is convined he is about to be executed, and demands that he is at least tried. But Gaeta has arrived with the news that Baltar is free. The image was a fake – but the markers showing it had been manipulated weren’t revealed until the image was fully enhanced. Fortunately, Gaeta re-ran the security checks. “I just knew that you could never have anything to do with that attack…you’re not that kind of man.” As they leave the brig, he adds, referring to the photo-manipulation, “Once the photos were fully resolved, it was almost too easy. Like she wanted to be found out.”

Elsewhere, Adama is not so happy: “Shelly Godfrey” has vanished. He berates Tigh, who had been ordered to keep her under surveillance. “I had two marines tailing her,” Tigh replies, not giving ground. “They say they went around a corner and she was gone.” They enter CIC and Dualla reports that all ships have be contacted and there is no sign of Shelly Godfrey. “That’s unacceptable,” Adama counters. “She was here. She was right here. This woman existed. She didn’t just vanish. Have them check again….every ship – including this one.” As he gives the order, he picks up the glasses “Shelly Godfrey” had been wearing, apparently discarded on the plot table. “She didn’t just vanish,” he states flatly.

On Colonial One, Roslin holds a press conference exonerating Baltar from all accusations made against and giving her public support from, welcoming him back as a “scientist, a leader and a friend.” The comment is followed by a handshake and professional smile – which Baltar hardly returns, his expression firm. As he turns to face the ovation from the press, and his ego rises in response. In his head, back on Caprica, “Six” points out, “You’re a hero. You’re even more popular and powerful than ever before. You’ve had your trial by fire, so now they truly believe in you. Hard for anyone to accuse you of treason again.” She turns and climbs the stairs towards the bedroom. “Was that the plan all along?” Baltar asks. “Build me up in the public mind by first tearing me down?” “Six” responds by beckoning him to follow her. “Right,” he replies. “Who am I to question the plans of almighty God?” He follows her up the stairs as she starts to strip. As he starts up the stairs behind her, he can’t help himself. “Just one small practical question: Shelly. Shelly Godfrey. Was there ever really a woman called Shelly Godfrey? Did she ever actually exist? Was she ever really….here?”

Rather than reply, “Six” drops her dress and continues up to the door of the bedroom. Watching her, lust in his eyes, Baltar rushes up the remaining stairs, unzipping his flies, “God’s will be done!” he whispers, and we get a last look at “Six” as she enters the bedroom, looking over her shoulder, a knowing look in her eye.

And we zoom back out from Galactica, passing back out through the fleet and into space before fading to the credits.