Colonial Day

Overview

It is Colonial Day

Summary

On Caprica:

Helo and Valerii have reached Delphi
Helo considers the humano-Cylons to be human "replicants", created by the Cylons using human DNA.
Valerii uses this idea as a means of testing his possible feelings towards her, should she reveal her true identity
Later, as they try to enter the Cylon base at Delphi, Helo first off witnesses two more copies of Six in conversation. After they part, another copy of Valerii comes into view - and sees him
As the "new" Valerii goes for her gun, Helo's Valerii shoot her, and suddenly the pieces fall into place for Helo and he takes off at the run, flashbacks of everything that has happened during his time on Caprica flashing through his mind - Valerii rescuing him; asking her why she never gets tired when running; his comments about the two of them never enountering other humans...
Valerii chases him, calling for him to stop, but he ignores her, and she seems to give up the chase.

Review

THE CYLONS WERE CREATED BY MAN. THEY REBELLED. THEY EVOLVED. THEY LOOK AND FEEL HUMAN. SOME OF THEM ARE PROGRAMMED TO THINK THEY ARE HUMAN. THERE ARE MANY COPIES.

AND THEY HAVE A PLAN

Re-cap

Galactica – as Roslin hears her cancer is too advanced and asking if Doctor Cottle has ever heard of Kamala extract (Act of Contrition)

Starbuck confronting Lee Adama telling him he is not everyone’s friend – he is the CAG (33)

Tigh visiting Starbuck as she nurses her broken leg in sickbay & telling her sarcastically that she should take all the rest she needs (Six Degrees of Separation), segueing into Adama asking Starbuck to train new pilots (Act of Contrition).

Doral and Six on Caprica as Doral reveals Helo and Valerii have slipped through the Cylon cordon (Secrets and Lies), together with a shot of Helo and Valerii running through the sewers of the city, with Six stating that Valerii now thinks she loves Helo and can’t live without him. “That bothers you, doesn’t it?” Doral states. “We’ll get them in the end,” Six responds, a pained look on her face, and we see the flashlights bouncing as Helo and Valerii continue down the sewers.

Teaser

Roslin holding a press briefing, at which she tries to reassure everyone that the fleet’s fuel shortage is “everyone’s number one priority”, and that the Galactica has ships out scouring the nearby star systems for tylium deposits. As the press conference on board Colonial One continues, we learn that the fleet has now been in space for 36 days (putting this episode some 9 days after the events shown in Secrets and Lies), and is down to 5% of its tylium fuel stocks. When asked about exactly how much fuel is left to the fleet, Roslin tries to avoid revealing this latter point when asked, by stating that it depends on how well they conserve able stocks. However, she is immediately challenged on this when a reporter states that there is only enough fuel for the entire fleet to make two more jumps, forcing Roslin to concede the point.

This prompts a follow-on question: what happens if the fleet can’t find tylium? Before she replies, Roslin looks down at her podium to find a snake coiled about the microphones. The sight discomfits her – but since no-one else is reacting, she is clearly the only one seeing the snake. She answers the question hesitantly, stating that if no tylium is found, the fleet would use the last of its fuel to jump to the nearest star system – and she is interrupted again by the reporter who challenged her over the remaining fuel levels. Looking down at the podium again, Roslin now sees two snakes as more questions are asked. Her answers become disjointed as the number of snakes she is seeing grows – from two to a dozen.

Aware that she is acting oddly in front of the fleet’s media, she curtails the briefing, slowly withdrawing her hand from the mass of snakes “on” the podium, and then returning to her private quarters on the ship, a confused Billy following her, leaving a stunned press corps behind...

Meanwhile, Boomer and Crashdown are surveying an asteroid field in a local star system, looking for tylium. Things are a little tense, Boomer teasing Crashdown about his growing romance with an ensign on the Galactica. Crashdown, bored by the flight and not appreciating the teasing, takes it out on his console, convinced that the scanners will take “a hundred years” to locate tylium. As he hits the console, the display flickers, changes and comes up trumps: tylium! The asteroid directly in front of the Raptor is a mass of tylium deposits. “We’re heroes!” Boomer announces. “We’re heroes?” Crashdown counters, “Never fails. Great, Boomer! The second I score, the bus driver jumps in and takes the credit!”

Boomer starts to challenge him on this, but breaks off…The asteroid is the home of a major Cylon base. Crashdown checks his scanners. “We are well and truly frakked,” he announces, “The only tylium within twelve light years and we’ve got to kiss it goodbye.” He and Boomer then make a run for it before they are discovered, and we cut to the opening titles.

Acts

After the opening credits, we join Adama, Tigh, Lee Adama and Gaeta clustered around Galactica’s plot table. “It figures the Cylons would be sitting on the only source of fuel within our reach,” Tigh mutters. “Still staking out every water hole in the desert,” Gaeta agrees, in reference to a comment he made when the search for Starbuck was threatened by the possible arrival of Cylon forces (You Can’t Go Home Again).

“Only this time it’s a lake,” Tigh nods. Reviewing the images captured by Crashdown’s sensors, Lee Adama points out that the Cylons are actually mining the tylium themselves. “A refinery this far from their home world?” Gaeta asks. “Why not?” Lee counters, “They need fuel as much as we do.” Gaeta points out that they have indeed got it – and Tigh adds that they have enough firepower to keep it.

Lee suggests that they forgot the asteroid and seek another. Tigh comments that even if they find one, the Cylons will probably be guarding it, so Lee suggests broadening the search. “Send the Raptors out farther – 10, 15 jumps – and find a source they haven’t reached yet…”

“And use up all our fuel doing it?” Tigh argues. “How are we going to get our refinery ship…” he is interrupted by Adama stating they are going to take the tylium from the Cylons. Lee and Gaeta are stunned into silence. “With all respect,” Tigh says, “This is hardly a time to attack a superior force.” Adama disagrees. “This is exactly the time. We know where they are. They don’t know where we are. We can catch them with their pants down.”

“If we fail…” Lee Adama states. “End of game,” Tigh finishes for him. “So we don’t fail,” Adama informs both of them.

In Galactica’s functioning ready room, Starbuck is briefing more of her nuggets on fighter techniques – including Hot Dog, Chuckles and Kat from her first intake. She is interrupted by Adama. When he tells her he has a job for her, she confirms the rumour mill has it he is planning an “op”. He confirms the rumour mill is right “for a change”, and that Lee and Tigh are working on a plan of attack to secure the Tylium, but he needs some serious out-of-the-box thinking. “Out of the box is where I live,” she replies.

On Colonial One, Roslin admits to Elosha that she has been taking Kamala “For a medical condition”. “So what have you seen?” Elosha asks. Roslin reveals she had dreams about Conoy before he was captured and executed (Flesh and Bone). “The images were…” she states. “Prescient?” Elosha finishes for her. “Uncanny,” is all Roslin will admit to. She then explains that she is now hallucinating while awake: “Snakes….there were snakes crawling all over my podium during a press conference.” Elosha appears more intrigued than concerned. “How many?” she asks. “About a dozen,” Roslin replies. Elosha stands and walks a small circle around her chair. “You’re kidding, right?” she asks. “You read Pythia and now you’re having me on.” Roslin remains calm. “Noooo,” she replies. “Who is Pythia?”

Elosha then explains that Pythia was one of the oracles in the sacred scrolls. “3,600 years ago Pythia wrote about the exile and the rebirth of the human race. And the Lords anointed a leader to guide the caravan of the heavens to their new homeland. And unto the leader they gave a vision of serpents, numbering two and ten as a sign of things to come.” Roslin is stunned, “Pythia wrote that?” Elosha adds, “She also wrote that the new leader suffered a wasting disease and would not live to enter the new land. But you’re not dying. Are you?”

In a Situation Room on Galactica, Tigh and Lee reveal their battle plan to Adama and Starbuck. Adama asks her for her opinion. She admits that it is the perfect plan – which is why it won’t work. Tigh is scathing of the view, “Of course. We bow to your vast experience in strategic planning. Refresh my memory; what year was it you graduated from war college?” The comment is aimed to provoke Starbuck, and does so, but Adama intervenes, warning them both to back down. “We’re not going to win this one by the book,” he informs those gathered at the table. “I’ve asked Starbuck in here because she’s not weighed down by conventional thinking. With all due respect, Gentlemen, we’re not as crazy as she is.”

“OK,” Lee acknowledges, looking at Starbuck, “So what would you do differently?”

Starbuck then starts pointing out the weaknesses in the original plan – and the action segues very smoothly into a full mission briefing, clearly some time later, as Roslin is now in attendance on Galactica, as is Gaeta and a number of plotters.

The new plan centres on using three freighters as decoys – ships that will be set-up to look like they have jumped in-system in search of tylium, and have no awareness of the Cylon presence. When the Cylons take that bait, Galactica will jump in and launch an assault on the Cylon base, the intention being to destroy the base and the Raider refuelling facilities, but to capture the tylium mine. The decoy freighter will jump outsystem as soon as the Cylons get close enough to give them trouble.

Roslin wants to know the potential casualty count. Tigh admits it will be high. Roslin then wants to know that even if successful, and the raid defeats the Cylons, what is to stop them coming back with reinforcements. Adama admits there is no guarantee, but that knocking out the base will buy the fleet some time: “If you keep running from the schoolyard bully, he keeps on chasing you. But the moment you stop and you turn around and you punch him really hard in a sensitive spot, he’ll think really hard about coming after you again.”

Roslin then gets to the point, “So it’s either this, or run out of fuel and get annihilated?” She gives the go-ahead for the strike.

As a result of the go-ahead, Baltar is appraised of the Cylon base and the plan to destroy it by Thrace and Tigh. As the resident Cylon expert his advice is being sought as to how they can destroy the Cylon base without destroying the tylium reserves on or within the asteroid. Nukes can’t be used – while they’d take out the Cylons, “the radiation would render the ore inert”. Baltar thinks for a moment, then points out that refined tylium has a huge explosive potential which can be triggered by a conventional warhead. Take out the refined fuel at the base, and the base goes with it. All they need to do is hit the staging tanks for the “refined tylium precursor”. Starbuck asks Baltar where such tanks would be located in the base.

The question prompts Baltar into a “meeting” with his Six in his fantasy home “on” Caprica. As he lays face-up on a massage table, he admits he needs her advice. “Well, I’m flattered, Gaius,” she replies, rubbing his arm, “But I don’t know the first thing about tylium refineries.” Baltar tries to push her: “You must have an inkling of where I should tell them to bomb?” “No,” Six replies, rubbing his chest, “But God does.” “Oh good,” Baltar replies, “Suppose God doesn’t want me to destroy the base because he’s the Cylon God?” Six stops her massage and looks Baltar in the eyes. “God doesn’t take sides. He only wants your love. Open your heart to him and he’ll show you the way.” She moves to start massaging Baltar’s shoulders, standing over his head as he argues that it would be a lot easier if God just came out and told him what he should do. “You must remember to surrender your ego, remain humble,” Six replies. Baltar’s response is not overly co-operative; “Well, if you ask me, God could do with cleaning his ears out! Then he might hear what I have to say.” Still working on his neck, Six instructs him to relax his neck. He asks what she is going to do. “I said relax!” she repeats, her tone edged with anger. “OK but don’t…” is as far as Baltar gets as she twists his neck with enough violence to break it – and there is the sound of bone crunching and snapping….

…And we are back in the situation room, Baltar rubbing his neck. “Where will the staging tanks be, Doctor?” Starbuck presses. A disoriented Baltar continues to check his neck and surroundings, as if surprised to be still alive, prompting Tigh and Starbuck to exchange a look. Realising they are waiting on him, and that he is still none the wiser, Baltar turned back to the wall-projected image of the asteroid base, eyes wandering across it, left right, up, down…he settles on a single part of the image and lifts a hand, pointing to a part of the Cylon base. “There. Right there….hit any one of them and the place will go up like a three kiloton bomb.”

Leaving the briefing room, Baltar heads down a corridor, pausing at a set of stacked storage bins, leaning against them and catching himself. As he does so, Six appears and starts rubbing his shoulders, then turns him to face her. “Well done,” she says with a good deal of warmth, “So forceful. So decisive, delivered with such élan,” her tone is decidedly predatory as she rubs against him. Baltar doesn’t respond – in fact, he seems almost despondent. “He didn’t speak to me. God didn’t speak to me. So I was totally lying. I just picked that spot at random.” Six continues to hold his eyes with her own, her look that of a mother watching a sick child. “He doesn’t always speak in words, Gaius.” This does little to comfort Baltar – in fact it does almost the opposite, deepening his despondency, to Six’s apparent delight, as Baltar realises, “The fate of the entire human race depends upon my wild guess?” Her predatory smile returns, and then we see Baltar standing alone in the ship’s corridor, apparently lost in thought.

Elsewhere, Adama visits Starbuck as she exercises her injured leg. She claims she will be able to fly. Adama uses the weight training system to prove her leg isn’t ready for the strain of flying a Viper in combat. Proving he is right, he gets her to brief Lee – whom she obviously doesn’t believe can pull things off.

Away on CYLON-OCCUPIED CAPRICA – it is day 37 of Karl C. Agathon’s (call sign “Helo”) sojourn behind enemy lines. He and Valerii have found a farm in which to shelter, leading Helo to start musing on things: “Nice thing about being on the run after a nuclear war. Nobody left to complain if we hide-out in their barn or raid their pantry, while you’re on your way to steal a ship and get off the planet. It’s odd, isn’t it…that we haven’t seen a single living human being since the one you shot rescuing me. I mean, we’re still alive; why nobody else?”

Valerii ties to convince them others are probably hiding out in their fallout shelters. Helo climbs up into a hayloft of a barn, Valerii following him. Once there, Valerii suddenly appears ill as she stands behind Helo as he unpacks one of their bags. “Hungry?” he asks. “I dunno. What have we got?” she enquiries in reply, trying to mask her condition. She kneels down beside him as he starts working through the “liberated” foodstuffs – peanut butter, beans, corn – as he offers her the option of “some chilli” she rushes forward and throws up. He asks if she has been taking her anti-radiation medicine. She claims it was the cold beans that they had for breakfast that are making her ill. Giving her a drink of water, he asks if she is OK. She states she is, and they discuss the rest of the journey to Delphi – Valerii estimating they are eight or ten days’ fast travel to the base. “If we start early, we can be there in no time.” Nodding, Helo kisses her forehead and hugs her to his side, but his eyes remain wary; something is bothering him – and it may not be Valerii’s vomiting.

On Galactica Lee Adama is sitting in a bay with a beat-up Mark II Viper when his father joins him, admitting he could never sleep either before a big operation. They share a moment, Adama giving his son a lighter that belonged to his own father. “My mother bought it for him when he was in law school,” he explains, “He was a better father than I was. Dad used to carry that into court cases; claimed he never lost unless he left it behind.”

The comment causes Lee to tap the lighter against his thigh nervously. “So you’re worried too,” he states, irony in the words. “About what?” Adama counters. “Sometimes it feels like the whole ship thinks….Starbuck….would do better,” Lee replies. “I don’t,” Adama states. “How can you be so sure?” Lee asks. “Because you’re my son.” Adama replies, his tone matter-of-fact. The comment drives Lee’s brooding mood from him. They exchange a look before Adama instructs his son to get some rest and then turns to leave. Lee stops him. “Dad. I’ll bring it back,” he states, turning the lighter in his hand. “You’d better,” Adama replies, “Or I’ll kick your ass. It’s a good lighter.” The comment brings an unbidden grin to Apollo’s face.

It’s still raining on Caprica. Helo and Valerii are dozing together, but Valerii wakes Helo as she turns in her sleep, a hand slapping against his face. He is about to put his head down again when we hear the metallic thud of feet. Waking Valerii, he crawls to an open door in the hayloft and looks out using binoculars. What he sees confuses him: Six, in her white rain coat, leading a troop of Cylon warriors down the road towards the farm. “How? You killed her!” he states as Valerii takes the binoculars. She determines they must go – now! Helo remains confused, repeating that he saw Valerii kill “her”. “Let’s go Mister!” Valerii orders, prompting Helo to jump from the loft. She throws down their gear and jumps down after him. They head off at the run, “What the hell is going on?” Helo demands. Valerii claims not to know, but that they’ll “figure it out later” as they run from the farm.

Out in the asteroid field that contains the Cylon base. the Galactica arrives with another precision jump. As anticipated, the Cylons didn’t see a thing, but the Galactica is within strike range of the base. As Gaeta reports this in the situation room, a transmission comes in– the decoy freighters are jumping in-system, and apparently reporting their arrival “back” to the fleet as models are moved on the plot table. “You can bet they heard that,” Adama informs Roslin. “Now they’ll try to locate the decoys….if they take the bait, all hell breaks loose.” Roslin nods. “Until then?” she asks. “We wait,” Adama replies.

Tyrol and Cally wait anxiously down on the hanger deck, Tyrol checking the time. In the situation room, time has passed and people are growing tense – Adama checking the time – when Boomer calls in from her Raptor as she shadows the decoy freighters – 90+ Raiders are going for the bait. Adama orders “Strike Force One” launched from Galactica.

On the hanger deck, Vipers are readied and pilots – including Hot Dog – climb aboard. The Vipers are launched and head in towards the Cylon base. As they head in, Starbuck mutters to Adama that she hopes “Lee can….” Adama looks at her. “Lee isn’t the problem,” he tells her. “You should take a good look at yourself…when you’re in the cockpit, you’re in control. It’s hard to give it up,” The comment raises Starbuck’s hackles, “I never wanted this kind of responsibility.” Adama remains uncompromising, “The Cylons never asked us what we wanted. Welcome to the big leagues.”

Seconds pass – then Crashdown reports that 50+ Raiders are inbound. “What does that mean?” A highly-strung Baltar asks. Starbuck informs him it means the Galactica’s strike force has been seen and the Cylons are moving to intercept with more Raiders. “Fifty Raiders,” Baltar repeats, “That means we’re outnumbered now, five to one?” Roslin ignores him, asking Adama calmly, “Weren’t the decoys supposed to take care of that?” Adama replies that the Cylons were too smart.

In CIC Dualla reports to Tigh that the intercept time is two minutes. Out in space, the strike leader reports his squadron has multiple bandits inbound. Seconds later the two sides engage in a dogfight, and the Colonials start taking hits as Vipers are blown apart. “That sounds frakking awful!” a horrified Baltar states as those in Galactica’s situation room listen to the radio broadcasts from the fighters. “They’re getting cut to pieces out there,” Starbuck hisses, glaring at Adama, who crosses to Gaeta. “Abort strike one,” he orders.

In CIC Dualla relays the order over the com channel to the Vipers – instantly giving away Galactica’s position to the Cylons. Immediately, the Raiders give chase – and the 90 Raiders going after the decoy Freighters reverse course and head towards Galactica. Hearing this, Baltar is none too happy. “So when are we going to launch the reserve fighters to defend Galactica?” he asks as the big ship faces two big wings of Raiders coming at her. “There are no reserve Vipers,” Adama replies, “Everything is on the board already. Now we play for all the marbles.” He looks across the table. “Starbuck, it’s your plan.”

Dramatically walking around the table, Starbuck speaks sotto voice to Gaeta, asking him to get Dualla to use the scrambler to inform Apollo that the “back door” is now open. The message is relayed, and out at the Freighters, an external freight cover is blown clear from one of the ships, revealing 12 Vipers, which power-up and detach from the ship and start towards the Cylon base. At the same time, model Vipers go onto the plot table in Galactica’s situation room. Roslin’s response is a calm question laced with anger. “Lieutenant Thrace, why didn’t you tell me there was another strike force on the freighters?”

“It was my decision,” Adama cuts in. “I routinely restrict tactical details to those who need to know.” He looks across the table at Roslin. “Old habits die hard.” As she returns his look, her anger is evident – but so is grudging respect, “So you still might pull this off.” Adama agrees – if Baltar’s assessment of the Cylon base is right. “And whether we get blown to pieces by those Cylon raiders heading towards us right now,” Starbuck adds. “Speaking of which,” Adama agrees, “I’m needed in CIC.” He leaves the situation room without asking Roslin’s permission – if only for protocol reasons – leaving her nodding to herself in understanding as he goes.

Out at the asteroid, Lee Adama is leading his strike force in a low-level run towards the Cylon base. Kat and Chuckles are in his formation. As they pass their IP, Cylon surface guns open up from behind them, launching missiles towards the Vipers, a number of which drop their munitions pods. Approaching the base, the Vipers loose-off missiles of their own, only to see them veer off, a Cylon jamming system intercepting them before they reach the target.

Lee orders the remaining Vipers to hold fire and close the range so they can manually-lock missiles and not have to rely on the guidance systems. Seconds later, Chuckles is hit and goes down, and another nugget takes a direct hit. With the Cylon defence systems zeroed on their attack axis, the Vipers are sitting targets, and Apollo orders them to break off the attack. As he orders his Vipers onto the deck, he spot the underground conveyor used to deliver raw tylium from the mining canyon to the refinery.

Out in space, Adama arrives in CIC and gives the order for the remaining Vipers of Strike Force One to turn around and take-on the Cylons hounding them. On the asteroid, Apollo confirms the conveyor tunnel appears clear and, against his better judgement, heads down it, Skywalker-style.

Taking the tunnel at speed, Apollo finds himself confronted by blank end – no direct refinery access, just a very steep “upward” angle leading to the surface. Hitting the main reverse motors on his Viper, he slows his vehicle, and then rides the throttle up to the surface, using his smaller manoeuvring thrusters and landing thrusters to bring his Viper to a standstill in the middle of the Cylon plant. He reports back to Galactica that he is through the tunnel and the Cylons can’t get a firing solution on him. Edging his ship about, he locates the targets picked out by Baltar. Punching power to his main engines, he brings his Viper up from its hiding place, over the Cylon base and neatly deposits his munitions pods right to the target before he goes ballistic.

The pods are clearly set with a delay fuse as seconds pass as he climbs clear of the base, and we get reaction shots from the principal players back on Galactica. Then the pods blow, and the tanks go with them, sparking a chain-reaction throughout the base. “Ah, Galactica, Apollo…” he reports-in, “Mission...accomplished!” His words are greeted with cheering in the situation room and in CIC. Apollo additionally reports that Baltar was right on the money with his selection of target. Gaeta is the one to congratulate a stunned Baltar with a hug. Even Starbuck and Roslin exchange a hug. In CIC Dualla reports that the remaining Cylons are bugging out, and Adama gives the order for the Vipers to go after them.

Tag

Lee returns to Galactica in the middle of huge celebrations. Starbuck is on had with champagne and admission that she couldn’t have done it better herself. She gives Lee a cigar which he lights with his grandfather’s lighter, before tossing the lighter to his father.

Baltar, meanwhile, meets with “his” Six, this time on the veranda of his home. She asks him if he has read the Pythian prophesy. “No since the sixth grade,” he admits. “I can’t say ancient history is my favourite subject.” Six admonishes him that he should play closer attention. ‘“All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again’.” She quotes – echoing Conoy’s sentiment from “Flesh and Bone” in the process. Baltar isn’t convinced. “Everyone knows that verse. What are you getting at?” he asks.

Moving to sit beside him, Six stares at him. “Remember this one? ‘Lead by serpents, two and ten’.” Baltar nods, “The Vipers….they’re the serpents?” Six moves on, “There’s a later verse, Giaus. You should read it. How the outcome favoured the few and lead to a confrontation….at the home of the Gods.” Baltar looks at her, “Are you telling me God guided my finger to that target for some arcane scriptural purpose?” Six doesn’t move, stating simply that, “You are a part of God’s plan, Gaius.” This keep’s Baltar’s cog whirring: “So God wanted me to destroy the Cylon base.” Six is pleased, “You did well. You gave yourself over to him.” Baltar doesn’t know how to take this, but as he considers her words, so the concept takes hold and appeals to him, “There’s really no other logical explanation for it. I was…” he makes to stand up, “Am,” Six corrects, her expression hardening for a moment, as a berobed Baltar rises from his chair and leans on the railings of his veranda, his arms spread Christ-like as if being crucified. “I am an instrument of God,” he states, his tone certain, and he looks upward as the camera angles down on him from above.

--Colonial Archivist 20:41, 6 Jan 2005 (EST)

Analysis

This is the most poorly-conceived and executed episode in BSG's first season. While it does make valid points about the nature and structure of Colonial society within the fleet (or at least Tom Zarek does very briefly), outside of the Helo/Valerii situation on Caprica, the storyline here is ultimately transparent and weak.

Specifically:

There has been no real sight nor sound of the Cloud Nine (admittedly a wonderfully-ironic name) in the fleet until now - and this is being passed off as being because she has been "under repair".

"Wallace Gray" is allegedly the power behind Roslin's throne, setting her agenda and policies, overseeing the distribution of food and medical supplies - essentially performing the role of her Chief of Staff / right-hand-man yet never once has he been previously mentioned or seen!

Further, Wallace Gray is so clearly a plot tool - and a badly-handled one at that: first he doesn't want the VP nomination, but accepts because Roslin needs him; then when asked to step down, he comes off in an embittered huff (presumably never to be seen again).

Zarek's challenge for the position of Veep is an obvious construction to lay the path for Gaius Baltar to become the Vice President.

It is surprising that, after her somewhat vicious words to him in Six Degrees of Separation, Roslin can face off with Baltar without so much as an apology for past actions - it has already been established (Secrets and Lies) that since that event she has barely spoken to him - and it hardly seems likely she'd use their time together in the Galactica'sSituation Room to make her apologies / overtures of friendship (The Hand of God).

It is equally surprising that Baltar's ego doesn't offer greater resistance. True, she is to a degree panderin to his desire to be back in the limelight - but given his nature, such an open "forgive and forget" doesn't entirely sit with his nature.

Baltar's ascendency to the position of Vice President is badly telegraphed almost as soon as Starbuck visits Baltar in has lab at the top of the show (following the opening titles) to inform him he has been selected as Caprica's representative in the Quorum.

The intrigue around Valance and his gun, etc., is heavy-handed and comes across ostensibly as padding for a storyline otherwise short on action.

There is still some excellent acting in the episode - especially where Baltar is concerned (his interview with the press and particularly his "Exclusive Interview") in the toilets), but this still doesn't compensate for the rest of the time spent on Cloud Nine.

Not even the supposed "intrigue" surrounding Valance's death - and Ellen Tigh's possible role in it - fails to fire on all cylinders.

Opposing this is the Helo/Caprica storyline which beautifully encapsulates all we need to know and feel:

Valerii's attempt to probe Helo about his feelings, using his "replicant" theory
Valerii is showing more symptoms of being pregnant
They reach Delphi and the chance of a ship off the planet
Helo is suddenly - and quite unexpectedly - confronted with Valerii's true nature.

This is excellent stuff, but amount to less than 10 minutes of screen time, and again, isn't enough to lift this episode.

Still, every show tends to misfire once or twice through the course of a season - some managing to do so a lot more frequently. We're fortunate that this is the first - and hopefully only - hiccup in what has otherwise been a highly-successful first season.

Notes

Nine days have passed since the events of Secrets and Lies
Tylium ore is use to power FTL systems, but probably not through any fissionable reaction
Cylon technology is clearly a Colonial off-shoot, as one would expect: from the use of tylium down to the shape of doorways
William Adama’s father was Joseph Adama
Sharon Valerii on Capica may well be pregnant
There is an ancient text some 3,600 years old foretelling humanity’s flight – and apparently, Roslin’s leadership
Mark II Vipers can carry both missiles and munitions pods (bombs)
The Mark VII Vipers all appear to be out of commission - even Apollo is now regularly flying a Mk II
The religious overtones to the human / Cylon struggle are becoming more pronounced, with a now-promised confrontation due at the “home of the Gods”
The Colonial fleet has a tylium refinery ship among its number
With the capture of the tylium mining facilities on the asteroid, the Colonials should be able to gather enough tylium to keep them going for about 2 years – assuming they can shift that much tylium to their refinery ship before the Cylons return

Noteworthy Dialogue

Lee Adama sits with a battered Viper before the mission. He is joined by his father, who after a short conversation, Adama hands lee a lighter

Adama: It belonged to you grandfather. My mom bought it for him when he was in law school. See the engraving on it? Lee: (reading the name "Joseph Adama") Yes I, um, can barely make it out... Adama: He was a better father than I was. Dad used to carry that into court cases; claimed he never lost unless he left it behind. Lee So you’re worried too.” Adama: “About what?” Lee: Sometimes it feels like the whole ship thinks...Starbuck...would do better. Adama: I don’t. Lee: How can you be so sure? Adama: Because you’re my son.

Official Statements

Statistics

Guest Stars

Writing & Direction

Written by Carla Robinson
Directed by Joans Pate

Production Notes

Series 1 (2004 / 2005)
Production Number: 1.11
Airdate Order: 11 (of 13)

First Run Air Dates & Releases

UK Airdate: 10 January 2005 (Sky One)
US Airdate: (Sci-Fi Channel)
DVD Release: N/A