The Son Also Rises

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The Son Also Rises
"The Son Also Rises"
An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No. Season 3, Episode 18
Writer(s) Michael Angeli
Story by
Director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No. 318
Nielsen Rating
US airdate USA 2007-03-11
CAN airdate CAN {{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate UK
DVD release
Population 41,399 survivors (Population decline. 1)
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous Next
Maelstrom The Son Also Rises Crossroads, Part I
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: USA


Overview

With Gaius Baltar's trial merely two weeks away, Lee Adama is tasked with protecting Romo Lampkin, Baltar's second lawyer, which finds himself going up against his own father, who himself is appointed as one of the five judges in Baltar's trial.

Summary

Teaser

Adama happens upon an old, self-made birthday card from Kara Thrace, while reviewing her jacket.
  • William Adama reviews Kara Thrace's jacket, which includes various disciplinary notices, commendations, and citations.
  • Meanwhile, on Colonial One, Laura Roslin precedes over a drawing of ship captains who will comprise of the five judges of Gaius Baltar's tribunal. Tory Foster picks up a folded card from the bowl, handing it to Roslin. It reads: Captain Elias Meeker, Gideon.
  • Adama happens upon more records, including a commendation for bravery regarding her actions in recovering the civilians from Caprica.
  • Foster draws out one last name from the bowl. Opening it, she initially begins to read the card aloud, but stops herself as she reads the name, clearly shocked.
  • As Adama continues to slowly run through the jacket, he happens across a self-made birthday card she made for him. The cover reads: "You were always like a father to me...". Upon opening the card, he sees a picture of Thrace, who is wearing his glasses and has a hand-drawn mushdache. Above the picture are the words: "See the resemblance?"; below: "Happy birthday, young man" signing it with "much love, Kara". This elicits a laugh from Adama, who begins to tear up and sniffle.
  • On the flight deck, a grieving and inebriated Samuel Anders stands on top of a Viper, who is tossing a coined-cubit, calling "heads" correctly for the fourth time in a row. Watching him are Anthony Figurski, Hamish McCall and Margaret Edmondson.
  • In the memorial hallway, Lee Adama stands in front of the section containing Kat's picture. He thumbs with a photo of Thrace, keeping it close to his belly, then pocketing it as he hears the sound of Racetrack's footsteps. Edmondson then gets his attention by calling Adama by his rank.
  • Still standing above the cockpit of the Viper, Anders holds out the cubit, saying that his "girl is too lucky to check out". Adama and Edmondson approach; Adama joins Anders on top of the Viper and attempts to talk him down. Emotionally distraught, he initially sits down, then jumps up, saying he has somewhere to go, but he doesn't complete his words as he slips and falls from the Viper. Adama climbs down from the Viper as some of the spectators begin to cluster near the fallen Anders, who says "I think I fell".
  • As Adama checks Anders over for injuries, Anders asks him: "She's still alive, right?" Adama replies in the negative, which Anders tearfully claims he knows.

Questions

  • Is Lampkin's statement to Roslin and Adama that he is seeking the fame (or infamy) of being Baltar's lawyer true, or is there an ulterior motive?
  • Will Captain Kelly be punished and if yes, how?
  • Besides the attacks caused by Kelly, have there been any other incidents of violence on the scale that Zarek warned Roslin about?
  • Will the death of Thrace bring Lee Adama and Sam Anders closer as friends in future episodes?
  • Would the bomb on the Raptor have gone off if Tyrol hadn't discovered it? Is Kelly telling the truth that he would not have triggered it with Lee Adama inside?
  • Is Cally's hatred of the Cylons truly towards all Cylons or is she afraid of Athena because of her connection to Tyrol's former lover, Boomer?
  • Why does Lampkin wear sunglasses in most of his encounters with people? What was the significance of him taking the sunglasses off when he was "telling" Caprica-Six what Baltar wanted to tell her?
  • What caused the rift between William Adama and his own father?
  • Given Karl Agathon's temporary promotion to CAG, does he have previous flight experience as a Viper pilot? If not, is having Viper flight experience not a requirement, or is there another reason behind Admiral Adama's assignment of Agathon?

Analysis

  • A noticeable pattern between the two Adamas can be seen whenever both are going through a stressful or traumatic situation. Whereas the elder Adama has the experience and the desire to focus on the job that he has to do, the younger Adama consistently displays an inability to cope and process his emotions. This difference between the two has often led to sharp divisions, causing another tear in their damaged relationship:
    • When the two Adamas do not agree on the same method of coping with the destruction of the Olympic Carrier in "33". This eventually leads to Lee Adama becoming Roslin's military adviser and eventual co-conspirator during the hunt of Arrow of Apollo.
    • During the planning for the Battle of New Caprica, the two Adamas bunt heads again over strategy and whether it is worth the risk of losing the last remnants of humanity that was with Galactica and Pegasus at the time.
  • Lee Adama has consistently shown a tendency to prove that he is not like his father, even though both are described as stubborn by Dualla and Carolanne Adama. This tendency is evident in the last argument between the two when Apollo accuses Adama of not wanting him to become like his grandfather.
  • William Adama's failure to listen to Carolanne Adama's plead and advise to tell his son how proud he is of him comes back with a vengeance when Apollo repeatedly asks his father if he is giving him an order. The implication being Apollo wanted to know if his father is treating him as a son or as a soldier. Adama's refusal to ask Apollo to obey his orders as his son will probably lead to further dissension between the two.
  • Lampkin, though appears to be lawyer with little courtroom experience, has demonstrated a deep understanding of the human psyche. He takes Roslin's glasses to prevent her from being taken seriously during the trial. His other feats such as raising doubt and bringing out Caprica-Six's feelings for Baltar, and his slow but sure persuasion of Lee Adama into helping with Baltar's case, give hints to a man who obviously has immense experience with the art of manipulation.
  • Lee Adama honors Thrace's request of having her photo posted next to Kat's. His inability to let go of the photo may represent a possible marriage conflict with Dualla if he is unable to truly move on.
  • Cally Tyrol correctly states that the Cylons wouldn't need to even fire one shot because they may find the Fleet had torn itself apart because of humanity's tendency towards self-destruction. However, it is also clear that she has not realized that she and the many workers are just as much a part of the problems when they essentially risked the existence of the Fleet with their work strikes, the refusal of refining tylium, and disobedience toward military orders (Dirty Hands).
  • When Lee Adama mistakenly thinks and calls Racetrack Starbuck, his mental state is reminiscent of "Black Market" when he constantly found himself recollecting on events on Caprica before the genocide.
  • Two weeks had passed since the events of "Maelstrom". During this time, Adama apparently has been recollecting over his memories of Starbuck, including a review of her military record. Amongst the items in the folder, the audience sees a hand made birthday card which Thrace gave Adama for his birthday once. It jokingly shows Thrace with a color pen mustache, glasses, and asks if Adama can see the resemblance. This moment re-enforces the theme that Starbuck was very much a daughter to Adama, even though he stated otherwise in "Torn". It is very clear that he still saw Thrace as a daughter to him.

Notes

  • This episode's title is a pun on the title of the 1926 Hemingway novel "The Sun Also Rises".
  • The population count at the start of this episode is 41,399, accounting for Kara Thrace's death in "Maelstrom". By the end of this episode, and assuming that no on screen deaths or births occurred, the count is 41,398, accounting for the death of Alan Hughes.
  • Karl Agathon is temporarily assigned as CAG, despite not having any previously known experience as a Viper pilot. This might have been done for production reasons. Helo is the highest-ranking established pilot left. In-universe Marcia Case or Ricky Richardson are probably better qualified for the position.
  • The model ship which Adama destroyed in the previous episode is still sitting on a shelf in his quarters.
  • Romo Lampkin exhibits symptoms of kleptomania. Over the course of the episode he steals many objects, including President Roslin's glasses and Baltar's fountain pen. These objects are those whom Lampkin views as important from a psychological perspective, which provides him with knowledge of a person. Among the objects stolen:

Noteworthy Dialogue

Lampkin: I was born for this. That, and the fact I have a pulse.
Lampkin: Cat's belonged to my wife. Don't worry, he doesn't scratch or bite like she did. If it's any comfort, I despise him as much as you do, having to hire me. So, there it is. Shall we get started?
William Adama: What the hell were you doing out there? I gave you an order. To do a job.
Lee Adama: Excuse me, I was doing my job.
Bill: Yeah, being led around by the nose! This bastard yanks your chain and you jump.
Lee: He wanted files from Colonial One–
Bill: It was the middle of the night.
Lee: Well, you assigned me to security.
Bill: Yeah. And there was a bomb on that ship. And you missed it. Security? I gave you explicit orders.
Lee: Athena was piloting.
Bill: You coulda died. Plain and simple. You're a soldier. Live like one. Start acting like one!
Lee: She's been gone two weeks. I didn't realize the clock was running.
Bill: (softly) Stop.
Lee: No, I'm sorry. Maybe because we're just built differently.
Bill: You stop. Don't you dare quantify my loss.
Lee: You have no idea. You have no frakking idea.
Bill: What, you think yours is deeper?
Lee: Well–
Bill: Yours is greater? (Lee doesn't respond) In two weeks, there's going to be a trial. And I was going to do what I was chosen to do, and so are you! You build a frakking nest around this man and you protect his ass!
Kelly: Every day I wave jocks out there. A lot of them are my friends. People I care for and love. It's hard enough watching them die in battle, but rickshawing Baltar's frakking attorney around? Frak that.
Tyrol: I believe that the Cylons want us to destroy ourselves and this is how they're doing it. By planting bombs, making us suspicious of each other. You know what's funny? By the time the Cylons catch up with us, they won't even have to attack. They'll just clean up the mess we made.
  • Baltar muses over adding to his manifesto, before discovering his pen has gone missing:
Baltar: The nature of our life is obsession.
  • Lee Adama discovers Lampkin's kleptomania:
Adama: So what did you take from me?
Lampkin: I was thinkin' the photograph that you carry. The girl. The pilot. The one you carry [in your pocket]. But... you've had enough stolen from you already.
  • Lee Adama confronts Kelly about the bomb:
Kelly: I would have never let Athena airborne with you on the Raptor. I would have stopped it. You know that.
Adama: Yeah, I know that.
Kelly: You better lock me up. And I don't want any trial. I won't stop. I will keep trying. I'll keep at it, I will. I did my job, sir. And I have done my job for two years. Every day I've sent people out to fight. I cleared them all to die. So many people... I just got tired of living with that. You ask that man, if you had to choose between giving up his life for a Cylon or human, what do you think he'd say? I had to do somethin'.
  • Baltar reads a note from Lampkin, after retrieving his pen from the envelope:
Lampkin: There's no greater ally, no force more powerful, no enemy more resolved than the son who chooses to step from his father's shadow.

Official Statements

Guest Stars

References

Battlestar Galactica (Re-imagined) Season 3 (2006-2007) Episode List


Battlestar Galactica (Re-imagined) Webisodes: Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance

< Previous Season Episode | Occupation | Precipice | Exodus, Part I | Exodus, Part II | Collaborators | Torn | A Measure of Salvation | Hero | Unfinished Business | The Passage | The Eye of Jupiter | Rapture | Taking a Break From All Your Worries | The Woman King | A Day in the Life | Dirty Hands | Maelstrom | The Son Also Rises | Crossroads, Part I | Crossroads, Part II | Next Season Episode >

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