112

NOTE: This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page.

This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. If an article link referred you here, you might want to go back and fix it to point directly to the intended page. Also, if you wanted to search for the term "112", click here.

 

"Fire in Space" An episode of the Original Series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 12
Writer(s)	Jim Carlson Terrence McDonnell
Story by	Michael Sloan
Director	Christian I. Nyby II
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	50917
Nielsen Rating
US airdate	1978-12-17
CAN airdate	{{{CAN airdate}}}
UK airdate
DVD release	2004-12-28
Population	survivors
Additional Info
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
The Living Legend, Part II	Fire in Space	War of the Gods, Part I
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
Photo Gallery			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: [{{{itunes}}} USA]

After Cylon Raiders ram Galactica on destructive suicide missions, the crew scrambles to fight a raging fire threatening to incinerate the ship.

Summary

• Lieutenant Boomer enters Galactica's rejuvenation center to relax and unwind with Athena and Boxey, who are playing compartment bulyarks (a shuffleboard-type game) that Boxey is winning; Boomer is on furlon from duty for the next 24 centars.
• Boxey tells Boomer that he has trained Muffit to "sniff" out mushies.
• Suddenly, a loud siren begins to blare, and red alarm lights flash throughout the ship. On the bridge, Colonel Tigh informs Commander Adama of incoming Cylon forces, possibly from a basestar they encountered 10 centars ago. Blue Squadron is launched.
• As Tigh and Adama study the scanner, they come to realize that they face a major attack rather than a mere combat probe. All squadrons are launched, and Galactica's compartments are sealed to protect against hull breaches.
• The Vipers engage a huge number of Cylon Raiders, which are not fighting back. The Vipers are destroying Raiders at will in numerous quantities, but two Raiders slip through the rain of Viper fire.
• One Raider heads toward Galactica's bridge, which closes its protective shield in defense. Apollo and Sheba close in and appear to destroy the Raider with laser fire. However, the destruction of the Raider occurs too close to the bridge, which suffers heavy damage, suffering explosions, fallen girders, and shattered glass.
• Adama, nearly unconscious, lies motionless on the floor of the bridge. Tigh finds him and orders Omega to bring Dr. Salik immediately.

Maren Jensen during the filming of Fire In Space.

• Starbuck tries but fails to destroy the other suicidal Raider. It successfully rams Galactica's port landing bay, causing massive explosions and damage throughout the ship, including the rejuvenation center.
• Boomer extinguishes a small fire and then attempts to restore communications, while Athena and Boxey tend to the wounded.
• Tigh believes the Cylon fighters were packed with solonite or a similar explosive. Boroton is used to extinguish the fire on the bridge, but they have lost "deep scan" and internal communications. They decide to use the Viper pilots as their "scanners," so they begin rotating squadrons to maintain a constant patrol.
• The damage report is grim: not only was energizer #1 destroyed, but so was the boroton mist control center (the main firefighting system aboard Galactica). Also, fires rage out of control on numerous decks throughout their crippled vessel.
• Smoke begins pouring into the rejuvenation center from the damaged doorway, but the lifemasks were destroyed in the initial impact. The stranded occupants move to the "safe" side of the room, while Boomer begins trying to hotwire the door to the storage compartment.
• Apollo visits a gravely injured Adama, who needs an emergency medical procedure that is quite risky, given Galactica's fragile state.
• After several attempts, Boomer finally succeeds in opening the door. The trapped crew members crowd safely through the door to (temporary) safety. Boomer dives through the hatchway just as the outer door succumbs to the raging fire outside.
• Apollo studies Galactica's schematics to find a way to reach his stranded sister and son. A small duct (part of the ship's intricate ventilation system) connects the bridge to the rest of the ship, including the rejuvenation center, but the accessway is too small for a person to negotiate.
• Tigh's first and foremost priority is putting out the fire threatening the ship. Apollo suggests firing boroton into the launch bay from a modified version of a Viper laser turret, while the fireleader thinks of a new way to use the megapressure pumps in conjunction with the firefighting equipment.
• Boomer, who has found their end of the small access way, affixes a help note to Muffit. Boxey order the mechanized daggit into the tunnel to seek help.
• As they activate the megapressure pump connected to the boroton firefighting system, Apollo, Starbuck, and finally Sheba fire their boroton loads into the landing bay, extinguishing the flames. However, the megapressure pump blows a seal and fails, reigniting the flames in the landing bay.
• As the inferno nears energizer #2, causing a momentary loss of power in sickbay, Adama is prepped for emergency surgery. He suggests Tigh put out the fire by blowing portions of the hull, employing the vacuum of space.
• Apollo and Starbuck don EVA suits and begin spacewalking (with tether lines), planting explosive devices at various points along the hull. Apollo remembers Boxey's "mushies" trick, and suggests to Tigh to put mushies near the open duct, which he does.
• As the temperature climbs to critical in the energizer and solium compartments, Muffit emerges unexpectedly onto the bridge from the ventilation duct. They attach lifemasks and a note from Tigh onto his collar and send him back to their stranded crewmates, who are sharing scant few lifemasks amid deteriorating conditions.
• A handhold on the hull used by Starbuck breaks away, but Apollo reacts quickly to catch him.
• Dr. Salik undertakes the critical procedure on Adama, as the energizer temperature exceeds critical.
• While making the hazardous journey back to the storage compartment, Muffit sees a fallen firefighter in the corridor below. However, he continues with his mission, delivering the lifemasks and Tigh's note.
• As Boomer and Athena prepare for the hull to be blown, Muffit dashes back into the duct, disappearing down the tunnel. Boxey dives in after him but is retrieved by Boomer.
• Apollo loses his grip and floats, adrift in space. Starbuck leaps toward him, the momentum carrying them to safety as the hull charges detonate, extinguishing the blaze once and for all.
• Adama, after a successful surgery, is awake and recovering in sickbay. Muffit, presumed dead, is suddenly brought in on a stretcher, badly burnt but still functional. The daggit had returned to save the life of the fallen firefighter. They promise Boxey that Dr. Wilker will fix up Muffit to be as good as new.

Notes

Behind The Scenes

From Script-to-Screen

• The original threat during Apollo and Starbuck planting of explosives would be because of a follow-up, second kamikaze attempt by the Cylons. As described by Terrence McDonnell, "One of them is getting through. So on the hull not only are they trying to plant the charges, they're dodging laser fire, they're watching everything go on and one Cylon comes through and is coming right at them. They have to time the explosion and get out of the way, so when this explosion goes off, it completely incinerates the Cylon."
  
  Noted by McDonnell as a "typical example" of ABC's interference, they demanded that this scene be re-written because it was deemed repetitive, given that the episode opened up with a kamikaze attempt that began the entire story. Both he and writing partner Jim Carlson fought to keep the story as is for three weeks, before losing that battle and re-writing the scene so that the major drama is Starbuck losing his grip on a rung outside of Galactica's hull to tumble slowly into space before Apollo launches himself into space to push Starbuck further away from the timed explosion on Galactica's hull.
• An additional re-scene for the last act (or "tag") of the episode was "completely deleted." According to McDonnell, "And then the tag—if you remember the stupid tag—they've got Adama in bed and they've got the singed daggit laying next to him. I burst out laughing in the screening room when I saw that on screen. What happened in our episode was at the very, very end of the episode, before that tag, Apollo doesn't know if Boxey is dead or not. He thinks he's dead, so that tag is this warm reunion for everybody and it brings the whole thing together."
• Following principle photography for the episode, the "wild lines" of dialogue spoken by Galactica's firefighters were written separately by Jim Carlson and Terrence McDonnell, as the scenes depicting the firefighters' efforts were filmed without sound. These "wild lines" were later dubbed over the footage during post-production.

Miscellany

• This episode and the two-part episode "The Living Legend" were edited together for a video release called Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack.
• The explosions inside Galactica were reuses of stock footage from The Guns of Navarone.

The Rejuvenation Center

• In the rejuvenation center, crew members are briefly seen playing a board game resembling a combination of chess and checkers. Instead of being a two-player game, though, there are four players, each sitting at an edge of the playing board.
• Other rejuvenation center games include Colonial variations of billiards (without cue sticks), table tennis and shuffleboard.
• Boomer and Boxey agree to play a game called "compartment bulyarks" but are interrupted by the attack.
• Unlike the Officer's Club, the rejuvenation center is open to everyone aboard Galactica, from flight officers to crewmen; even civilians, children, and daggits appear welcome. Presumably (although not explicitly mentioned), people on vessels other than Galactica may reserve time in the rejuvenation center (after a short shuttle hop to the battlestar).

Miscellany

• The schematics of Galactica were very deficient, devoid of any markings or labeling; the naming schemas used for decks, sections, compartments, etc., appear to be little more than hastily-assembled dialogue sound bites.
• "The Long Patrol" Berkely novelization rehashes elements from "Fire In Space," including a Cylon kamikaze attack on Galactica and civilians trapped in a lounge.

Analysis

• Battlestar Galactica meets classic 1970's-style disaster movie. If all the "action" caused by dealing with the fire mentioned in the title were removed, very little would be left in the way of story or character development. Despite the Cylon attack at the beginning of the episode, the real enemy is the fire. This episode marks a point in the series when the Cylons disappear for the rest of the season, until their appearance in the final episode. Perhaps this is because the Cylons didn't represent a credible threat to the Fleet after the Colonials overcame overwhelming odds so many times, or maybe Glen Larson and company were trying to take the show in a different direction.
• This episode does give a few of the secondary characters a moment to shine. Colonel Tigh gets to take command for the first time since the Battle of Kobol in "Lost Planet of the Gods, Part II". Boomer demonstrates that he picked up some unusual skills in his misspent youth, establishing some basis for the electronics expertise that he demonstrates in "The Hand of God". Muffit gets to save the day, not only through his nose for mushies, but also in saving the firefighter.
• This is something of a standalone episode, in that no subsequent episodes make note of any consequences from the damage to Galactica or Adama. The only element that constrains this episode is the presence of Sheba, which requires this episode to be shown after "The Living Legend, Part II". Otherwise it might have aired in almost any available slot.
• In most disaster situations, when chaos is reigning, initial reports are very terse, with extremely limited and fragmented information. Despite this, Omega seems to have accurate information on the whereabouts of Boxey, Boomer, and Athena.
  • In sickbay, a crewman tells Cassiopeia that he saw Boomer, Athena and Boxey "go in there [the rejuvenation center] right before the attack". But how is this possible, as they didn't enter together at the same time? When Boomer is first seen entering the room, Athena and Boxey are already comfortably camped out playing the shuffleboard game (which Boxey is winning, as they make a point of mentioning). It is possible that the crewman can't remember correctly because his eyes are constantly being diverting down to Cassiopeia's figure; he can't quit glancing down at it, even while being led away.
• Interestingly, the storage room seems to be about half as big as the rejuvenation center itself. It even has its own phone.
• Equipping the Vipers with boraton pumps sounds like a feasible plan in the long run, but it also sounds like something that couldn't be done at the snap of the fingers, given that the equipment comes from two totally separate systems (military attack craft, firefighting equipment).
• The fire is a plot point mirrored in the re-imagined Miniseries. Here the crew of Galactica deal with the fire by decompressing the area where the fire is spreading after a hit with a nuclear warhead. With oxygen depleted, the fire is effectively removed as a threat. In the Original Series however, Adama's comments about having the fire "smothered" by the vacuum of space is a sound approach, however the approach itself is not, as Galactica should be able to open the airlocks to space in the affected sections and killed the fire that way, without blowing a hole in the hull.
• This is Terry Carter's best episode, since Colonel Tigh is thrust into the forefront, taking command of Galactica while Adama is incapacitated. Carter does a tremendous job, and his strong performance helps save this cliched, overused story plot from losing steam.
• Athena gets more screen time here than in most episodes. Unfortunately, like most Galactican women, she is totally helpless and must rely on Boomer to get her and everyone else through the disaster.
• Muffit becomes a hero in this episode. It's quite an improvement; in most of the episodes he appears in, he has absolutely no bearing on the plot and has nothing to do except waddle around and look cute.
• Boomer states he used to steal hovermobiles in his childhood. It seems to be in pretty bad taste to give one of the two main black characters on the series a delinquent past.
• A tremendous amount of damage is done to Galactica (especially the landing bay), yet there is no sign of this in any future episodes nor any explanation of how the repairs went. Considering the abysmal plot, this episode was probably best left forgotten.

Questions

• Since Galactica was on the verge of destruction by the time Starbuck and Apollo were planting charges on the hull, didn't it ever occur to Colonel Tigh to evacuate all non-essential personnel including the Colonial vipers so that, if Galactica was destroyed, the fleet would at least have a fighting chance to survive? And since it was too dangerous to operate on Adama on Galactica, didn't it ever occur to Dr. Salik to shuttle Adama to another ship in the fleet and perform the operation there?
• How long did it take to repair the damage? Wouldn't the damage be noticeable and have a bearing on the events of future episodes?
• If the attack destroyed internal communication, how does Omega know so quickly (within centons) that Boomer, Athena and Boxey are stranded in the rejuvenation center?
• Why is the storage compartment of the rejuvenation center so large and accommodating?
• How do the technical crews so quickly adapt the boroton pressure pumps to the Vipers' laser turrets?
• After activating the device interfacing the megapressure pump system with the boroton firefighting system, why do the engineers walk away from the device, leaving it completely unattended?
• If Tigh ordered Omega to "have some mushies sent up" to the bridge, then why is he seen fetching them himself soon thereafter? Wouldn't it make more sense to have someone from the mess hall bring it to the bridge, rather than have the acting commander of the fleet go to the kitchen to perform a delivery himself?
• Given the length of Galactica and seeing as the rejuvenation center is in the middle of the ship, how is Muffit able to find the mushies at the bridge by smell? Would it have be easier to find a vent opening in an area closest to the rejuvenation center that is not threatened by the fire?
• Why aren't Colonial spacesuits equipped with boots that can be magnetized?
• Why blow the hull? Doesn't Galactica have airlocks?
• Furthermore, in the event of a hull breach, wouldn't the duct system (so aptly used by Muffit) be compromised and thus drain compartments of air this way?
• With Galactica having multiple decks, and with a duct system that may very likely have vertical ducts as well as horizontal ones, how is Muffit able to navigate them?
• Why don't the two Basestars that you see on the scanner attack?
• Where are the other ships in the Fleet during all this? Why don't they send people over to help?

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Starbuck noting that, despite being outnumbered, the Vipers are winning the battle:

Starbuck: They're not fighting back. What are they up to?

• Adama suggests a plan to deal with the loss of the scanners:

Adama: The Vipers will be our eyes.

• Boomer on his past:

Boomer: It doesn't show in my file, Athena, but when I was a kid on Caprica, I hot-linked more hover-mobiles than there are doors on this ship.

• After Boomer jumps through the door into the storage room:

Boomer: Boxey, it looks like I mashed your mushies.

• Tigh tells Apollo how grave the results of the fire could be to Galactica:

Tigh: Apollo, if the fire reaches the energizer or the solium, either one... Galactica is doomed.

• Adama suggests a plan to deal with the fire:

Adama: Let the vacuum of space smother it.

• Tigh giving an order:

Tigh: Omega, order some mushies sent up here.

Deleted Scenes

See: The deleted scenes from this episode.

Official Statements

• Terrence McDonnell discusses his introduction to Lorne Greene on set during filming of this episode:

I remember with Lorne the first time we were introduced to him we were down on the "Fire in Space" set the day they were doing all the stunts and somebody said, "Have you met Lorne?" Jim [Carlson] and I said, "No." So they walked us over to him and he was very nice and tall. So, he looks at us after we're introduced and there was a lull onstage, they were resetting for something, and he says, "You don't have to give me every line, but what I do has to be imporrrrrtant." And it was this long dragged-out "impporrrrrtant." Every time we'd go down on set, which wasn't that often, and we saw Lorne sort of coming our direction, we'd get out of there. Just because we didn't want to get sucked into we're not giving him important lines.

• McDonnell recalls the stunt scenes being filmed for this episode:

I remember all the actors and the crew were in a big semi-circle around the bridge when the big explosions would take place. They'd have stunt guys in costumes over here where the starfield was shown on the screen, and they had little tiny trampolines in place. So at a given moment, when "Action!" was called, the guys would hit those trampolines and go flying over everything and they would drop plastic stuff from the ceiling, so it looked like it was debris from the bridge. Then there would be this big round of applause from everybody, and then they would go do it again. There was also a big map on the other side of the bridge that was all wired in the back and that would shatter as well, so there were all these cool things. When they were out in the hull, that was a projection. They just had a couple of boxes on a huge empty stage and they'd have a projection in the camera of the hull. They had, I think it was Dirk [Benedict] and Richard [Hatch], wired like they'd go flying. I remember they were going out of control and just spinning, because they had to get the hang of all of that.

• McDonnell discusses his reaction to the Viper boraton strafing runs:

It was when they fired the boraton towards the camera from the Vipers I thought the effect was really lame. It looked like a bad... It wasn't even smooth like a cartoon it was like somebody had put two or three slides together relatively quickly. I just thought it was sloppy.

• McDonnell on Starbuck's concern regarding "tumbling the gyros" in a controlled explosion:

Well, first of all, we had to do two things. One of them was that we had to toss up the question the audience might have: "Why don't they just blow up what they have?" We needed to take a little bit more time so we gave that answer. The other thing is—in our heads anyway—if the gyros start tumbling, who knows what that would cause on the ship? If it just goes spinning out of control, do people go flying around? How do they get them to—"calm down" is the wrong word but you know—settle down. We just didn't even want to go into that.

Guest Stars

• George Murdock as Dr. Salik
• William Bryant as Fireleader
• Jeff MacKay as Crewman

External Links

• Fire In Space full summary and review at Sheba's Galaxy

• Deleted scenes from the original script including a second Cylon attack on Galactica

References

"Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I" An episode of the Re-imagined Series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 12
Writer(s)	Ronald D. Moore
Story by	David Eick
Director	Michael Rymer
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	112
Nielsen Rating	2.2
US airdate	2005-03-25
CAN airdate	2005-04-02
UK airdate	2005-01-17
DVD release	20 September 2005 US 28 March 2005 UK
Population	47,897 survivors ( 1)
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Colonial Day	Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I	Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II
Related Information
Official Summary
R&D Skit – View
Podcast Transcript – View
[[IMDB:tt{{{imdb}}}|IMDb entry]]
Listing of props for this episode
Related Media
Photo Gallery			@ BW Media
Promotional Materials
Online Purchasing
Amazon: Standard Definition | High Definition
iTunes: USA | Canada | UK

Galactica discovers Kobol, and a chain of events are set in motion that threatens to change everything.

Summary

• Following the Colonial Day celebrations, Gaius Baltar finally beds Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, but as they make love, she cries out for Lee Adama, shattering Baltar's mood.
• Stricken by her apparent rejection of him in their coupling, Baltar in turn comes close to rejecting Six and finds it impossible to concentrate on anything – including his duties as Vice President.
• Elsewhere on ship, Boomer attempts to take her own life, but breaks down in tears before she can shoot herself. She is called to the Ready Room for a pre-flight briefing.
• Roslin discovers that her cancer treatment is not going well. Her cancer has spread to her lymphatic system, giving her perhaps 6 months to live.
• Baltar verbally fences with Lee Adama and is somewhat insulting to Thrace, tipping Lee off that the doctor has slept with Thrace. Later, still thinking about Thrace, Baltar cracks in front of Roslin.
• Following a recon mission, Boomer and Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo return to Galactica with evidence they have stumbled upon Kobol.
• Determined to have things out with Thrace, Lee confronts her in the Hangar Deck, and the two come to blows. Thrace realizes that her actions with Baltar have hurt Lee Adama.
• Reviewing the evidence returned by Boomer and Crashdown, Roslin has a vision which Elosha confirms to be the City of the Gods on Kobol.
• Roslin has two further visions – the Arrow of Apollo and the Tomb of Athena, and accepts the scriptures as fact.
• Boomer, still confused, attempts to take her own life – “encouraged” by Baltar in defiance of Six.
• When Adama reviews the evidence, he orders an extensive surface survey of the planet, seeing it as an opportunity for them to settle. Warned he should get off Galactica by Six, Baltar assigns himself to the survey.
• Roslin tries to convince Adama that Kobol will point the way to Earth, but they must use the captured Cylon Raider to return to Caprica and retrieve the Arrow of Apollo.
• Three Raptors depart Galactica for Kobol, but on arrival they find themselves in the midst of a Cylon force of Raiders – and a basestar.
• One Raptor is destroyed, and one – carrying Baltar – crash-lands on Kobol. The third escapes back to the Fleet.
• Before a rescue mission can be launched, the basestar must be taken out – and Starbuck hatches a plan to do just this using the captured Raider.
• Hearing this, Roslin meets with Starbuck and convinces her into going to Caprica instead to retrieve the Arrow, by telling her that Adama does not actually know where Earth is.

Adama studies ancient documents on Kobol.

On Caprica

• Helo, alone and on the run, encounters “his” Valerii. He shoots and wounds her. Unable to kill her outright, he takes her with him.
• When Valerii tries to talk to him, Helo cuts her off and insists that she is now just a means for him to get off the planet.

Notes

• Thrace leaves Baltar's quarters at the start of the episode with her blue dress from "Colonial Day". It seems like this episode continues directly on from the previous episode.
• There are now 47,897 survivors in the The Fleet, a net loss of 1 since "Colonial Day," accounting for the death of Valance.
• The Fleet is beginning to run short of supplies.
• Humans departed Kobol for the Twelve Colonies some 2,000 years prior to the setting of the series.
• Kobol is a place where the "gods and man lived together in paradise".
• Some of the "gods" appear to be buried on Kobol, as demonstrated by the Tomb of Athena.
• Socinus has been released from the brig and returned to duty; Socinus' release from the brig by Chief Tyrol was filmed, but ended up on the cutting room floor.
• Ellen Tigh does not appear in this episode, but she is present in deleted scenes.
• The Cylon transponder is an indirect nod to the Original Series, in which Apollo and Starbuck use an IFF-type device to identify their Raider to Colonial forces when they launch an attack on a Cylon basestar (TOS: "The Hand of God").
• When Adama asks Starbuck what she is doing and she replies "Bringing home the cat," she is referring to their first exchange in the Miniseries: "What do you hear?" - "Nothing but the rain."
• The last scene, with Kara Thrace leaving in a Raider to return to Caprica, is scored differently on the US DVDs than either the UK DVDs or the initially broadcast version. In the initial broadcast, the score uses the drum sequence from the opening titles. The US DVD set, however, is scored with a drum cue from the Miniseries. Neither is the version originally scored by Bear McCreary, who went with a middle ground between intense action and subtle drama. (This version can be found on his blog).

Analysis

• Why would Starbuck have sex with Baltar? As Starbuck says, she feels she is a screwup. Based on what viewers have seen and heard of Starbuck throughout the season, and specifically Apollo's comments in this episode, she has a history of recklessly diving into physical relations with no thought whatsoever as to the consequences; Starbuck instinctively starts thinking something must be wrong when things are going right, such as her growing relationship with Apollo, because she's so used to things going wrong. Also, Lee Adama left her dancing with Baltar in the last episode.
• When Sharon shoots herself, she is holding an automatic pistol, but the sound is that of the larger sidearms carried by pilots when flying off-ship missions (only slightly suppressed), rather than the report of a "normal" pistol being fired.
• When Roslin tells Starbuck that she is dying from breast cancer, she says that she only told three people. However, four people (Doctor Cottle, Billy Keikeya, Lee Adama, and Elosha) actually know of Roslin's illness by this time. Whether this is a continuity error or whether Roslin simply misspeaks is unknown.
  • Billy inferred her condition before she told him, (TRS: "Miniseries"), so maybe she is being very particular, since he did not learn of it through her telling him.

Questions

Answered Questions

For answers to the questions in this section, click here.

• Why did the Thirteen Tribes leave Kobol?
• Given the similarities with the Greek pantheon, did the gods decide to follow the 13th tribe to Earth, thus establishing the myths of the Olympian gods?
• Do the Cylons consider Kobol as their spiritual home as well (“The birthplace of us all” – Leoben Conoy, "Flesh and Bone")?

Unanswered Questions

• What happened to the gods who lived on Kobol “with man”?
• Did the gods remain on Kobol after humanity left?
• Did Sharon Valerii's Cylon personality interfere in her attempt at suicide, resulting in her wounding herself, or did her human personality lack the conviction of the act, resulting in the wound? Or was it simply an accident that she missed?

Official Statements

Regarding the lack of definitive information regarding Kobol

From RDM's Sci-Fi Channel Blog

"In the last two episodes it is noted by the priestess that the thirteen tribes left Kobol about "2000 years ago" and the initial estimate of the age of the ruins is the same, but nothing is concrete of course. This is where I have a problem: They were obviously a star faring civilization to leave Kobol to being with. To do so requires information technology. Why is their history of that time so sketchy and lacking of concrete records? Yes it was 2000 years in the past but come on, it's not like they only had papyrus to write on."

I've been presupposing some kind of cataclysm or crisis that occurred soon after mankind settled on the 12 worlds which either wiped out the knowledge base or had it deliberately destroyed for some reason. This doesn't seem that implausible when one considers that a tremendous amount of knowledge from the Greco-Roman tradition was lost after the fall of the Roman Empire and plunged the western world into the so called Dark Ages. Clearly, the Colonials did not fall all the way back to papyrus, and they do in fact, know that they are descendants of refugees from Kobol, hence the term "Colonies." They must have possessed star-faring technology at the time of the exodus, but I don't know how far we'll go into this specific backstory in the series, however.

Regarding Storyline Evolution and Potential Casting

• Early on during the "Daybreak" Blu-Ray/DVD audio commentary track, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick mention that original BSG actor Dirk Benedict was, at one point, considered for the role of "God" in an earlier draft of the script; presumably after the Colonials arrive at Kobol and the Opera House there. This plot-point was discarded not long thereafter, as the final version of the episode's storyline evolved into a different form.

Other Statements

• Jamie Bamber talks about his response to the argument held between Kara Thrace and Lee Adama in this episode:

It's sort of an explosion of jealousy that is a complete surprise to him because I don't think he's ... he's not fully aware of what he feels. There's something quite like a gut reaction that really was exciting to play. It was a surprise to me. [1]

Noteworthy Dialogue

• In the bunk room, when Gaius Baltar interrupts Sharon Valeri’s second attempt at suicide:

Sharon Valerii: [as she pretends to be cleaning her hand gun] What’s going on?

Gaius Baltar: [cautiously] Well, I was going to ask you the same question. Actually, I was looking for Lieutenant Thrace but...sometimes it’s good to...talk these things over.

Head Six: [feigning pity] Deep down she knows she’s a Cylon, but her conscious mind won’t accept it.

Valerii: Sometimes I have these dark thoughts.

Baltar: What kind of dark thoughts?

Six: Her model is weak, always has been. But in the end she’ll carry out her mission.

Valerii: I don’t know, but I’m afraid I’m going to hurt someone. I feel like I ought to be stopped.

Six: [moving to the other side of Valerii] She can’t be stopped. She’s a Cylon. You can’t help her, Gaius...but you could probably sleep with her. That’s what you want, right?

Baltar: [to Valerii] I’m not sure why...sometimes...we must embrace that which opens up for us...

Sharon Valerii: Embrace?

Gaius Baltar: Life can be a curse as well as a blessing. [more intensely] You will believe me when I tell you: there are far worse things than death in this world.

Sharon Valerii: So you’re saying…?

Gaius Baltar: No. No, no, no. What I say...is meaningless. Listen to your heart. Embrace that which you know to be the right decision.

[They look at each other as Six regards Baltar with a look of complete incomprehension, then Baltar stands and kisses Boomer on the forehead before walking out of the bunkroom. Seconds later there is the sound of a single gunshot from inside.]

• On the hangar deck:

Lee Adama: Going hunting?

Kara Thrace: [loading ammunition into the Cylon Raider] I'm manning the gunnery for the jump test tomorrow. See if our boy here can shoot anything with our ammo.

Adama: So it's a boy now.

Thrace: I changed my mind.

Adama: You ever wonder why everyone else calls it a "she," but to you, it's a "he"?

Thrace: That's fascinating, Lee. You should write a paper.

Adama: Well, that's not really my style. I'm not as smart as...say, Doctor Baltar. How is the Vice President, by the way?

Thrace: I don't know. Haven't seen him.

Adama: [thinks for a second] So...he's a love-them and leave-them kind of guy, I guess.

Thrace: I guess.

Adama: Ships just pass in the night...

Thrace: Yep.

Adama: Didn't mean a thing.

Thrace: No.

Adama: You were just bored, looking for something to do. So frakking the Vice President of the Colonies seemed like a great waste of time!

Thrace: Do you want something from me?

Adama: Not a thing—

Thrace: —because I don't owe you anything.

Adama: No, you don't owe me anything. Because I'm just a CAG, and you're just a pilot. A pilot who can't keep her pants on! Oh, it's just like old times, Kara. Like when you got drunk and you couldn't keep your hands off the major—

[Thrace turns around and swings a punch at Adama, but Adama returns the favor by punching Thrace in the eye.]

Adama: Why'd you do it, Kara? Just tell me why.

Thrace: Because I'm a screw-up, Lee. Try to keep that in mind.

• As Kara Thrace pilots the Cylon Raider in a weapons test, she contacts Commander Adama:

William Adama: [to Thrace] Go ahead.

Kara Thrace: I believed you. Believed in Earth.

Adama: What are you doing, Starbuck?

Thrace: Bringing home the cat, sir.

Adama: We can talk about this.

Thrace: No, I don't think so.

Adama: I want you to remember one thing. I do not regret anything that I did. Be sure that whatever you're going to do, you don't regret it later. Do you understand me?

Thrace: I guess we'll find out. [Thrace uses the FTL computer to jump to Caprica.]

Lee Adama: Galactica, Apollo. Starbuck has jumped away. Repeat, Starbuck has jumped away.

Saul Tigh: She wasn't scheduled for a jump test! Where the hell did she go?

Adama: Home.

Guest stars

• Michael Hogan as Colonel Saul Tigh
• Aaron Douglas as Chief Galen Tyrol
• Tahmoh Penikett as Lieutenant Karl "Helo" Agathon
• Kandyse McClure as Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla
• Paul Campbell as Billy Keikeya
• Alessandro Juliani as Lieutenant Felix Gaeta
• Samuel Witwer as Lieutenant Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo
• Lorena Gale as Elosha
• Donnelly Rhodes as Doctor Sherman Cottle
• Alonso Oyarzun as Specialist Socinus
• Bodie Olmos as Lieutenant Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza
• Stephen Spender as Raptor 3's Pilot
• James Bell as Raptor 3's ECO

References

"Things We Lock Away" An episode of the Caprica Series
Episode No.	Season 1, Episode 12
Writer(s)	Drew Z. Greenberg
Story by
Director	Tim Hunter
Assistant Director
Special guest(s)
Production No.	112
Nielsen Rating	0.3
US airdate	October 19, 2010
CAN airdate	October 19, 2010
UK airdate
DVD release
Population	{{{population}}} survivors
Additional Info
Full Credits
Episode Chronology
Previous		Next
Retribution	Things We Lock Away	False Labor
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]

Zoe-A finds Tamara-A, and is forced to confront the legacy created by the public for the original Zoe Graystone. Daniel Graystone learns that ousting Tomas Vergis will not be enough to satisfy his Ha'la'tha partners. Lacy Rand is imprisoned by Clarice Willow, who is herself being spied upon by Amanda Graystone.

Summary

Teaser

• Inside the New Cap City game, the crowd at Atlas Arena roars for blood: the grassy playing field of the real-world arena is replaced with sand and stark spotlights, and contestants fight to the death with swords. As one battle ends, Zoe-A walks into the arena and demands to see the other "Deadwalker." Two more combatants enter and raise their swords in challenge. Zoe confidently lifts her own blade against them when a single gunshot rings out and strikes her in the abdomen. Lying on the ground, Zoe looks up to see the Tamara Adama avatar standing over her with a rifle. Tamara gloats over Zoe's pain, tells Zoe that her search is over, and shoots her again.

Act 1

• Nestor Willow alternates between berating and comforting a drugged Lacy Rand. Rand's mind eventually clears and she realizes she is locked inside the attic of the Willow family house. She manages to pry a wooden plank from a window and scream for help, only to be silenced and drugged seconds later by Olaf Willow. Downstairs, Mar-Beth Willow's worries about keeping a teenaged girl captive in their home are all but ignored by their wife, Clarice Willow, who simply calls it "God's will" before leaving.
• Amanda Graystone rummages through Clarice's forest cabin outside Caprica City. She sends a text message to Global Defense Department agent Jordan Duram that she has found nothing incriminating. Duram instructs Amanda to work her way into Clarice's home.
• In an executive meeting room of the Graystone Industries building, Tomas Vergis is stunned to learn that chairman Jon Parker has summoned the board of directors for a vote to remove Vergis from the CEO position and to reinstate Daniel Graystone. Parker and the others ignore Vergis' demands for an explanation. Cyrus Xander calls Daniel at home with the result of the vote: fourteen to zero. Daniel thanks him for the news but shows no joy.
• Zoe recovers enough to stand and plead with Tamara. One of Tamara's followers hands Zoe a newspaper clipping with an article on the maglev bombing months earlier, indicating that "original Zoe," the template and creator of Zoe-A, was the bomber.

Act 2

• Before leaving the cabin, Amanda asks Clarice if she can stay at her home for a while, but Clarice gently turns her down. Amanda returns to the Graystone Estate and is welcomed to an empty house by Serge.
• Rand wakes up and finds that the window boards have been reinforced. She pauses to take a long drink from a water bottle, and realizes that the water has been spiked with drugs before lapsing into delirium again. As her consciousness returns, Nestor tries encouraging her to eat. Rand refuses the food until Clarice comes to talk with her.
• Daniel visits Joseph Adama's home in Little Tauron, where Adama informs him that Vergis has to be killed. Daniel cannot accept this, especially after having gone through a blackmail campaign against the Graystone Industries board and a formal board vote to depose Vergis. Adama explains that Vergis is Tauron, and he will seek retribution unless he is permanently eliminated. Daniel argues that he can speak with Vergis, and asks for time.
• In the arena, Zoe desperately tries to tell Tamara that the two of them are not the same people as the flesh and blood Zoe Graystone and Tamara Adama who were killed in the bombing. Tamara is not convinced; she has all the memories of the original and she does not feel like a mere copy. She suspects that the same is true for Zoe, and that an avatar will suffice. At that moment, family and friends of bombing victims enter the arena and surround Zoe, armed with blades and clubs.

Act 3

• A young man tentatively steps forward and runs Zoe through with a sword. Soon the rest of the mob descends upon her, taking turns cutting and bashing. They eventually step away from Zoe, leaving her soaked in blood and barely conscious. Tamara walks over and begins to taunt her, but Zoe's attention is drawn instead toward a calm and comforting young woman only she can see. The woman looks exactly like her--and exactly like the woman who first appeared to original Zoe in her childhood, saving her from a house fire. This Messenger asks Zoe if she truly believes that guilt for the bombing should rest on her shoulders.

  

  A teenage Zoe Graystone discovers that her father, Daniel Graystone, has drawn inspiration for the design of the U-87 Cyber Combat Unit Cylon from her childhood drawings.

• Zoe-A's mind goes back to memories given to her by original Zoe. While talking with Daniel in his Graystone Estate workshop, the teenager spots his schematics for a prototype robot, the U-87. Original Zoe notes that the robot looks very much like crayon drawings she had done years earlier, but the possibility of having appropriated his daughter's ideas does not phase him. The Messenger appears and encourages Zoe to beat him by designing something even greater: life. Sometime later in V-world, Zoe meets her finished creation, Zoe-A. She tells the avatar that she is a distinct person, endowed with original Zoe's memories and very similar to her at the moment, but who will become increasingly different as time goes by.
• In the present, the Messenger encourages Zoe-A to defend herself. She stands, picks up an abandoned sword, and readies herself to fight Tamara.

Act 4

• With Rand devouring a plate of food, Clarice asks her about the possible location of original Zoe's V-world avatar program. Rand puts aside the feeling that she is betraying her friend and confesses that the avatar had been downloaded into the U-87 prototype, which was eventually destroyed. Clarice insists that something so important would have had a backup. On reflection, Rand speculates that a pin in the shape of an infinity symbol might also be a storage medium for the program. Satisfied with Rand's answers, Clarice decides that sending her to a training camp for STO recruits would save Rand's life and enable her to be "properly focused." Olaf bundles her into a car for a flight to Gemenon.
• Clarice visits Amanda at the Graystone estate. She asks about original Zoe's belongings as a way of keeping her memory alive. As they continue to talk, Clarice spontaneously asks Amanda if her bags are still packed. She brings Amanda to the Willow house and announces that she will be staying with them. Clarice's spouses and children uniformly receive the news in cold silence.
• Zoe gains the upper hand with Tamara. She pins Tamara to the ground and tells her that the crowd cheering on their combat does not care about her. Tamara begins to yield. Zoe assures her that both of them have a much greater purpose ahead of them, something more meaningful than entertainment for the mob. Zoe helps Tamara to her feet and the two stand together hand in hand. In the midst of the booing crowd, the Messenger smiles down at them.

Act 5

• Daniel shares a drink with Vergis at the estate and promises him a generous severance for his time at Graystone Industries, as a way of acknowledging that Vergis had expertly maneuvered Daniel out of his own company. Vergis impatiently steers the conversation to the fact that the Ha'la'tha will eventually come for him, regardless of what Daniel says or does. Unwilling to allow them to determine his fate for him, Vergis produces a dagger and tries to goad Daniel into killing him. Daniel refuses, but makes a counterproposal. He describes the Ha'la'tha as "small-minded, vicious thugs" with limited power, and suggests that he and Vergis combine their vast corporate and personal resources to marginalizing or even eliminating them. Vergis appears to embrace the idea. He encourages Daniel to place his hand on the dagger and make an oath. As Daniel moves toward the blade, Vergis clamps Daniel's hand onto the grip and plunges it into his own chest. Daniel tries to free himself but he cannot, and he can only watch as Vergis dies before him.
• Daniel calls Adama for help. A pair of Ha'la'tha men come to the estate, bag and carry away the body, and clean every last physical trace of Vergis.

Notes

Analysis

• There is a Messenger Zoe who appeared to original Zoe and now appears to Zoe-A. She appeared in the form of Zoe's teenage self even before Zoe was that old.
• Zoe credits Messenger Zoe with saving her from the fire that burned down the Graystones' old home. This is reminiscent of Messenger Six saving Gaius Baltar from the burning Raptor 1 (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II"). On that occasion, Messenger Six appeared in place of Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo, an ability which Messenger Zoe demonstrates during Zoe-A's fight in New Cap City by appearing in place of the people fighting her.
• This is the first time that a Messenger is shown to be actively promoting the creation of artificial sentience, through encouragement to design the new life that would become Zoe-A. Until this point, Messengers had been seen taking an interest only in guiding and protecting Cylons and humans through problems that arise out of the conflict between them.
• Sister Clarice is correct in believing that Zoe was divinely inspired, or at least inspired by the agent of the closest thing to a god known to exist in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica/Caprica universe.
• Nestor survived the bombing of Clarice's car, as stated by an article in The Caprican months before this episode aired.
• Young Zoe has black hair like teenage Zoe, making it more likely that this is her natural color. A natural brunette would almost never have a blonde and a redhead for parents. Interestingly, Alessandra Torresani is a natural blonde.

Questions

• Will Daniel's involvement in Vergis's death ever be discovered? Is Serge a witness?
• Does Vergis commit suicide because he does not believe that he and Daniel have a good chance of defeating the Ha'la'tha or because he would rather die than join forces with Daniel?
• Will the general populace ever discover the true perpetrator of the Maglev bombing, or at least Zoe's lack of involvement?
• If Lacy does go to Gemenon, what will she do there? (Answer) Will she ever return to Caprica?
• Is Messenger Zoe akin to Messenger Six, Messenger Baltar, and Messenger Leoben? If not, how does she differ?
• Is Messenger Zoe the same individual as one of these Messengers, but in another form?
  • Given that Zoe may have been the basis for the Sixes (see Caprica Season 2) and that Messenger Zoe was only introduced because Tricia Helfer was unavailable to play Messenger Six, is it especially likely that Messenger Zoe is Messenger Six?
• Why is Messenger Zoe encouraging the development of the Cylons?
• How did Messenger Zoe save Zoe from the fire in her old home?
• Did the Messengers involve themselves in the development of artificial sentience at other times in history, on Earth or on Kobol?
• What led to original Zoe's personality change, from the happy optimist she was when she first created Zoe-A to the comparatively dour and hostile young woman whom she and Zoe-A became soon thereafter?
• Did Zoe tell Clarice about Messenger Zoe? If so, is that related to Clarice's belief that Amanda's visions of her brother Darius were significant?
• What will Zoe-A and Tamara-A do? (Answer)

Official Statements

• The original idea was for Tricia Helfer to appear in this episode as Messenger Six, but her shooting schedule disallowed it and Messenger Zoe was shown instead.

Noteworthy Dialogue

• Tomas Vergis translates from Tauron, explaining his reason for wanting Daniel Graystone to kill him:

Vergis: "Control your return to the soil," meaning plan your death. I am Tauron. It is important to me to die at the moment and time of my choosing. I choose here, now, at the hands of my enemy.

• Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama debate the necessity of assassinating Tomas Vergis:

Graystone: Let me try and reason with him. He's a man of business. We speak the same language.

Adama: No. You speak Caprican.

Graystone: Human beings value life. That's one of the main things that makes us slightly more evolved than animals. Understanding the value of life.

Adama: Other things have value.

Graystone: Look, if I don't at least try, I'm no better than . . .

Adama: Me?

Graystone: Him.

Guest Stars

• Scott Porter as Nestor Willow
• John Pyper-Ferguson as Tomas Vergis
• Hiro Kanagawa as Cyrus Xander
• Genevieve Buechner as Tamara Adama
• Anita Torrance as Mar-Beth
• Panou as Olaf
• Jim Thomson as Voice of Serge
• Thomas Saunders as Jon Parker
• Jadyn Wong as Gamester
• Luke Welland as Butcher Knife Player
• Olivia Steele Falconer as Young Zoe

References

For direct navigation sans the tabbed navigational aid above, please select one of the following article links:

• Fire in Space
• Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I
• Things We Lock Away

Original Series definition: a domesticated canine, e.g. dog (see: daggit)

Original Series definition: marriage

Galactica 1980 definition:  a power source (see: energizer); Dillon voices his concern that the energizer feeding power to the invisibility field hiding their Vipers needs to be recharged before the ships are rendered visible (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I")

Original Series definition: a food (see: mushies)

Original Series definition: a type of fuel (see: solium)

Galactica 1980 definition:  Troy attempts to use a phone booth near a gas station prior to their first run-in with Jamie Hamilton (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part I").

Original Series definition: a liquid that extinguishes fires (TOS: "Fire in Space")

Galactica 1980 definition:  a member of the Fleet; Hamilton first uses the term when replying to Stockwell's question regarding Xavier's affiliation (1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth, Part II")

Original Series definition: interchangeable term for a computer monitor and television set (see: scanner)

Re-imagined Series definition: transponder-based system to positively identify friendly spacecraft (TRS: "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II")

Re-imagined Series definition: Battlestar Group (TRS: "Water"). It also doubles as an acronym for the television series itself.

Re-imagined Series definition: the process of using the FTL engines to make an near-instantaneous apparent faster-than-light transport of a ship from one point in space to another

Re-imagined Series definition: all-purpose vulgarism; Colonial version of "fuck" (see: frak)

crew member handling electronic countermeasures of a craft; ECOs are standard crew aboard Raptors (see: ECO)

Re-imagined Series definition: no success in establishing visual contact with the target. Opposite of "tally". Can also mean no success in general (TRS: "The Hand of God""[[|]]", "Maelstrom")[[Category:]]