The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I

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Opening shot from "The Night the Cylons Landed"

Overview

After a renegade Cylon fighter crash-lands on Earth, Troy and Dillon must stop the surviving Cylons from using radio equipment to contact the rest of the Cylon fleet.

Storyline

Recon Delta, which consists of a two-man viper crewed by Captain Kanon and Lieutenant Britton, is on patrol when it picks up readings of an advanced Cylon fighter. Suddenly, a previously unseen Cylon Raider appears and fires at them. The warbook brings back a readout of the occupants: the Raider crew appear to be human! Kanon decides on a desperate strategy and rams the ship, damaging both craft. The huge Cylon fihter tumbles towards Earth, and Britton is injured.

Aboard the Cylon 'A-B' craft we meet the crew. Humanoid Cylon Andromus is in command, with another humanoid named Andromidus as his second, with three centurions rounding out the crew. Having lost their communications, and can't call for help, but Andromus soon realizes the planet they are plummeting toward is the mythic human colony of Earth.

Meanwhile, Captain Troy and Dillon have taken the Superscouts to watch a movie. Troy's communicator chirps with a message from Adama. The Galactica has lost contact with its Recon Patrol and believed to be headed to Earth. Troy and Dillon are ordered to meet the stricken Viper at the point it's likely to come down, which is predicted to be in the area of New York City. As the United States Air Force has been detecting Vipers lately, Troy and Dillon elect to take a plane to New York. The kids are ferried to Griffith Observatory and left in the charge of Jamie.

Once aboard the plane, and in flight to New York, Tory and Dillon are surprised that a terrorist attempts to take control and orders the pilot to divert to Cuba. Troy and Dillon drop him with a joint round of stun gun fire. Later, after activating their invisibility screens in the toilets Tory and Dillon and hustle off the plane as soon as it lands at JFK.

Troy and Dillon are already on a cab and on their way 'north', Dillon having brandished a big wad of bills at the driver as an incentive. By now it becomes clear that their mission is of greater concern, as Recon Patrol Delta has managed to make its way back to the Galactica. A noticeably injured Kanon, speaking from the Life Center has delivered the footage of the A-B craft's occupants to Dr Zee. The expected landing zone of the Cylon gunship is narrowed down to 'sixty miles north of New York City', and the Air Force, now under the command of Colonel Briggs is also aware. Thus it's a race to the spot between Troy and Dillon and a number of blue-and-whites and ambulances. The A-B craft comes down, but it's a bad landing. Four of the six crew are destroyed and the ship is blown to pieces.

Andromus, and a single centurion known as Centuri, survive the crash of the A-B craft. The centurion frees Andromus from the wreckage and leaves the area, having activated a self-destruct mechanism on the ship. Andromus surmises that they can find a transmitter in nearby New York City and the twosome begin their search to find a place from which they can signal a Cylon baseship.

Reaching a nearby highway, the two Cylons are mistaken for hitchhikers by a couple dressed for Hallowe'en. Getting into the car, the Cylons meet Norman and Shirleywho are on their way to a party where Wolfman Jack, the radio personality, will be present. Andromus realizes that Wolfman may be able to help him find a transmitter, and agrees to attend the party. Gazing a Centuri in the back seat, Shirley compliments him on having such a great costume.

Continued in Part Two

Notes

• This episode marks the introduction of human-Cylon hybrids, a point that would be re-visited in the 2003 re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica.

Template:Episode1980

Galactica 1980 definition:  Dillon is called both a terrorist and a chauvinist by Jamie Hamilton during their phone call from the police station; he asks Troy "what's a terrorist chauvinist?" (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I")

These are terms directly relating to Galactica 1980, some of which are based from the Original Series. For terms from that series, please refer to List of terms (TOS).

Galactica 1980 definition:  When two hijackers first make their demands aboard Flight 2, Dillon looks up this place, but Troy replies they don't have time to go there (1980: "The Night the Cylons Landed, Part I")