Unofficial Battlestar Galactica Blog

Kevin Smith loves BSG

You know Kevin Smith right? The guy who made Clerks and Mallrats and all those other crazy films? He has a big rave on his site about BSG this week:

Without changing much of the original “Galactica” premise, the creators and folks involved with the show have done the equivalent of taking a covered wagon and creating a BMW from the design: it still takes you from place to place, but now it does so while keeping you safe from the elements, getting you there quicker, warming your ass with heated, leather seats, and bathing your ears in audio delights from an iPod-friendly sound-system. With the mini-series alone, these people managed to not simply just teach an old dog new tricks; they taught that bitch to speak, travel to alternate dimensions, fold space, and cure cancer.

How was this accomplished? How did the new “B-Star G” peeps spin straw into gold? How did they make the human beings as interesting (if not more so) than the fucking Cylons? Like all great art, they simply held a mirror up to our culture. “Galactica” V.2 is an allegory for 9/11 and the War on Terror viewed from both sides. It offers a far more complex view of two opposite ideologies in juxtaposition to one another, presenting neither side as particularly evil – just terrifying. Extremely well done Science Fiction has always been most powerfully effective when it lays out humanity naked and shows us ourselves, warts and all. Whether it’s “Planet of the Apes”, “Star Trek”, or almost anything by Phillip K. Dick, the best sci-fi isn’t simply laser-beam driven shoot-‘em-ups between good guys and bad guys; it’s the abyss we look into and see someone awfully, sometimes painfully familiar looking back from. There will always be a place in Science Fiction for the Joseph Campbell-described archetypical hero’s journey of the “Star Wars” saga, but what Sci-Fi does best is allow the author to comment on what it’s like to be a human being – the shame, the miracle, the sacrifice, the desire, the grand heights, and the abject lows. And if an author can accomplish this in stealth mode – be entertaining while not calling attention to his or her loftier goals – so much the better.

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It look like we have ourselves another convert! Woo hoo!

Kevin says on his blog that he does "hours of web-investigation on the subject" so if you happen to stop by, HI KEVIN!

Did Moore finally get his way with BSG?

Some interesting thoughts by Kyle about Ron Moore's drive to innovate the expectations of science fiction writing:

So, being the nerd that I am, I'm painting away in my studio with the special edition of Star Trek Generations playing on Mr. iMac with the commentary on. Generations being written of course by Brannon Braga and Ron D. Moore. Moore went on to write and run the amazing revamp of Battlestar Galactica, while Braga went on to co-create and run the Lost in Space bore-fest Star Trek Voyager.

Two things become very evident with this commentary:

1. Branna Braga was probably the biggest proponet of the Voyager "reset" button, claiming that you can't shake up the status quo on a television show or else the audience will be lost. Moore, who would later make the term "status quo" forbidden on BSG is pretty quiet after this statement, which is probably the most polite thing he could think of doing.

2. The key plot points of BSG were in Moore's head for years, and if he couldn't make them work while Berman and Piller were in charge of TNG, he would get to them eventually.

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The Battlestar Galactica mission statement

I found this link over at the Tahmoh Penikett blog. It is the mission statement that convinced Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell to sign on to the show:

Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonell both said that Battlestar's "mission statement" written by Ron Moore is what convinced them to do the show. It was inadvertently (or, rather, without Moore's knowledge) stapled to their copies of the miniseries script.

I was wondering what the statement said and luckily was able to find a copy thanks to BattlestarGalactica.com.  It wasn't quite what I expected.

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It is interesting to read through this now that we are two seasons in. Do you think the majority of it has held up? There are a few small things that jumped out... no sound in space for instance... They tend to use muffled sounds, but sound nonetheless. That is a small one though. Any big inconsistencies you see with the mission statement?

Thoughts on Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II

So, I just got back from the hospital where they were quickly sewing up MY HEAD FROM A MASSIVE EXPLOSION! (Ok not really)

Honestly, how do you start dissecting this episode? I have been thinking about it all day now and there is so much there to talk about… so many answers… so many questions… I never expected the episode I just witnessed. Is that brilliance or is it craziness? You have to admit, you feel a bit nervous after watching Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II. The show that we all knew (notice: past tense) and loved has fundamentally been changed on almost every single level. How are we supposed to deal with that? I have a feeling that if Ron Moore was in charge of Star Trek: The Next Generation when the Borg took Captain Picard and turned him in to Locutus, Ron Moore wouldn’t have let Riker save Picard. He would have kept Picard Locutus forever while Riker tortured himself over the failed rescue. Then he would have changed the entire series to operate from the Borg’s perspective…Ron Moore is twisted like that... twisted in a good way.

Let’s get the small stuff out of the way
Before diving head long into the epic insanity that is the last half of this episode, I just want to mention a few quick things that I really liked… just to get them out of the way and go on record about some pretty great moments:

• Interesting that it turns out that the whole thing with the Chief is a bit of a Red Herring, only useful to bring PriestCylon into the show. I will say that I really enjoyed the moment with Tyrol and Cally, he apologizing, her forgiving, both of them realizing that maybe there is something there worth keeping.
• Kara’s little three way with Lee and Anders was tense and enjoyably uncomfortable. I honestly thought that Anders had a better head on his shoulders. I expected a little more tact from him when meeting Lee for the first time… maybe he is just a big dumb jock after all. Not that it bothered me, I just expected him to be a different person, maybe filling the hero shoes that Lee left behind with his new responsibilities.
• The little secret meeting between Baltar and Roslin had some great moments. Baltar had one of the best lines in the show: “I saved your life; I won’t save your political career.”
• When the Priest-Cylon is outted, his line “Take me to your leader” was classic.
• When PegasusSix is seducing Baltar, I feel like it has been a really long time since we heard the bell theme. It really jumped out at me.
• That was one HELL of a nuclear explosion! The debris hitting the camera reminded me of the miniseries.

Alright, that is enough of that. I can’t think of any more at the moment. On to the good stuff!

There is no God?
The conversation with the two Brother Cavells in the brig reminded me of that scene at the end of The Matrix: Reloaded where Neo meets the Architect. There is a lot that is said in that scene. Here were my key takeaways:

• Does Cavell speak for them all?
  A part of me is thinking that perhaps the War Hero Cylon’s effect on the others is not as pervasive as Cavell says. It is unrealistic to think that such a gigantic cultural and spiritual shift could take place among the Cylons so quickly. He says the humans get a reprieve, but can we trust that he is speaking for all Cylons? I wouldn’t be surprise if he turns out to be from a whole different faction.
• We can admit our mistakes
  I am not buying that the Cylons gave up Caprica because they can admit their mistakes. From what Anders had said, there were only a few resistance fighters left, enough to shuttle back in a fleet of Raptors. If the Cylons were that close to snuffing them out, why the sudden change in direction?
• New marching orders
  The Cylons no longer want to be the children of humanity? They no longer want to usurp the destiny of the colonialists? Just where the hell are they marching then? Cavell says they want to be the best machines in the universe, have they found another race of machines? Are they going head to head with the Borg? (sorry for all the TNG references.)

Perhaps Cavell’s biggest statement is that there is no God, or Gods… Atheism rocking the Cylon ranks is it? I find it strange that at the very end of the show when the three Cylons go in to Baltar’s chamber to accept his surrender; there is only a Six, a Five and an Eight. Where is the strong Number Three (Lucy Lawless)? Maybe the Cylons have their own little rebellion going on and the new marching orders that Cavell was talking about is a circling of the wagons to protect their own empire. We might soon find out that the humans are but small pawns caught in an intergalactic battle between the Cylon factions.

The choice for Democracy
This isn’t a very happy episode for the wisdom of crowds. I have never personally been trapped inside a spacecraft for months, so I really can’t relate to the appeal of settling on a barely hospitable rock deep within a nebula. To put it in perspective I am trying to imagine myself stranded on a Boeing 737 for a few months… yes… that would be hell… I would probably take my chances in Antarctica if it meant breathing real air and stretching my legs.

The most fascinating part of the great election was the conversation with Adama and Roslin after she confessed to knowing of the fix. There looked like a moment where Adama was actually going to go along with it, but then he said exactly what needed to be said. She would die inside. This isn’t her. She will lose the battle, but not the war. Both McDonnell and Olmos were fantastic in these scenes. It really felt like the culmination of a friendship that had been building the entire series. Roslin simply says “That’s it” and gives a great exhale ventilating herself of all the pressures and moral compromises she has had to make this season. While I never would have predicted back in episode 2.01 that Laura wouldn’t be President, I have to say I am surprised how the writers have made me come to accept this as a very natural event.

Holy crap one year later
I have a hypothesis: My DVR mysteriously died on Friday night. I got this strange error message that the disk drive had unrecoverable errors and that everything has been lost. I was forced to call customer support and learn that the only thing they can do is send me a new unit. My DVR is totally fried. Coincidentally enough, it died very near the end of the airing of this episode. Just as my own head exploded, I believe Ron Moore to be single handedly responsibly for frying my DVR with this pure craziness. How do we know a year passed?

• Adama is alone on his ship and looking scraggly
• Lee is alone and looking… older…
• Dualla is looking fine, but is now on Pegasus
• Helo is doing Gaeta’s job
• Gaeta is doing Billy’s job
• Kara is a happy homemaker
• Tyrol is a union president
• Cally is pregnant!
• Baltar has a whole Emperor Caligula thing going on
• Tigh and his wife seem to like each other
• Kara seems to like Tigh
• Laura Roslin is a teacher
• Sharon and Helo’s baby is huge (notice the white crib!!)
• There is a FREAKIN CITY on the planet

Ok let’s just stop right there for a second. Did ANYONE see this coming? This is about as far from anything I ever expected this show to possibly be. I kept expecting Baltar to lift his head off the desk, have it all be a funny little hallucination brought on by the stress of a nuclear detonation in the fleet… At this point, that isn’t possible. This is the real deal folks. There are no worm holes or alternate timelines. We are in it for the long haul. Season three is going to look like one hell of a different show.

Final thoughts
I can honestly say I was more blown away by the end of Lay Down Your Burdens than I was with Adama getting shot in the closing moments of season one. At least when Adama was shot, you knew he was going to pull through. When Picard was turned in to Locutus, you knew they would get him back! Resolutions to such situations are always in the back of your mind. It provides a comfortable cliff hanger. At the end of BSG season two, I have no planned resolution, therefore I am uncomfortable. There isn’t a single ounce of me that knows where this story is going next. That is perhaps the best gift we could have been given at the end of this complicated season.

Ron Moore wanted Battlestar Galactica to continually defy people’s expectations. He did it when Number Six snapped that baby’s neck in the miniseries. He did it when Tigh left that little girl behind singing on a bench while a missile slammed into her ship. He did it when Roslin pushed Leobon out of the airlock, when Lee committed treason, when Adama was shot, when Baltar kills Crashdown, when he keeps the Pegasus around, when Billy gets killed, when Lee becomes commander, Baltar becomes President and now this! The list of surprises goes on and on. 

In the end are we watching Battlestar Galactica because it is science fiction? Are we watching it because it is just good TV? Are we watching it because, like the show 24 we just want to see what crazy frakked up situation everyone is going to find themselves in next week? I guess it is a little bit of everything.

So I guess we wait until October… where we will see everyone fight ‘em until they can’t.

Principal MVP of the episode goes to James Callis as Giaus Baltar. He had far too many single-tear-rolling-down-the-cheek scenes to go unnoticed. It is tough to hand out the award to one person after such a complicated set of episodes, but his performance was pivotal in tying everything together.

Secondary MVP of the episode goes to Dean Stockwell as Cavell, if only for the almost hilarious banter in the brig. I think it was a great casting job and I look forward to seeing more of Dean on the show. He did a great job… in fact I think he is my favorite Cylon so far.

Additional Resources

• Official episode synopsis
• Official podcast commentary for episode 2.20
• Battlestar Wiki page for episode 2.20

Thoughts on Lay Down Your Burdens, Part I

As I write this, I am 30,000 feet above the ground on my way to a conference in San Diego. I am trying hard to think back to the scenes I witnessed on Friday, but that seems like so long ago, even if it was only two days back, a few feet closer to the ground.

Like all two part season finales, Lay Down your Burdens Part I is a setup for things to come. It is difficult to judge it on its own, separate from part II. If you remember back to my thoughts on Pegasus, I had some similar comments. How can you really say whether this episode stacks up to the likes of other shows from season two, when the primary plot threads have yet to reveal themselves?

If I had to pick one word to describe this episode, it would be methodical. The camera is very deliberate, hanging with each scene, uncovering every moment, exploring each character in a full and complete way.

Tyrol
It is only natural that some people within the fleet would start to second guess their humanity. I am a little surprised that the writers chose Tyrol for this job. After his gallant displays earlier in the season, you would think he has enough talent to keep him from second guessing his own abilities. Sharon on the other hand was specifically involved in incidents where she was stealing ordnance and turning up with amnesia. The Chief has to realize he is far from that situation. Sure, he smacked Cally around, but anyone stressed to the point he is, woken suddenly from a nightmare might do the same. He might be a little mentally unstable at this point, but that is far from being a Cylon.

One thing that hasn’t been touched on is how Tyrol was affected by the loss of Sharon’s child. He was with Helo on the Raptor when the fake-baby ashes were set adrift in space, but it was never specifically address how Tyrol is coping with the reality that one of the single forces tying Sharon and Helo together is now gone. There has to be a part of him that hasn’t let go of her yet and maybe his subconscious is drawing him back to her once more… maybe he feels this and is rejecting it by manifesting fears of being a Cylon.

To be honest, it is far too obvious to make Tyrol a Cylon at this point. It is far more obvious to me that the priest who is helping him with his problems is part of the club. That line that went something like “I know you’re not a Cylon because maybe I am and I haven’t seen you at any of the meetings” was a great one. It is just sarcastic enough to imply that perhaps the priest really is.

Starbuck and Apollo
Finally her dreams of returning to Caprica have become a reality. I was also happy to see that the Heavy Raider was not forgotten! As always, Starbuck was at her best when she was in the same room as Lee. Her brief scene with him showed that there is an ever widening gulf in their relationship. She is still a pilot… going out… risking her life to save the others. Lee on the other hand resides in the massive Pegasus Captain’s cabin, dining on Asian noodles, a far cry from the mess hall and the shared bunks. You can only imagine the tension that such a divide between two good friends would create. At the same time, I think they both respect each other. Apollo was searching for his purpose and essentially found it. Kara discovered her reason to live (Anders) and now has an opportunity to return to him.

The biggest question in my mind is one of intention. Why is Kara going back to Caprica? Is she truly going back to rescue the resistance party or is she going back purely for Anders? I don’t think it is made specifically clear. If she is going back for herself, risking the lives of all those soldiers, than it causes us to view her actions in a much less heroic light. I have a feeling that by the end of the arc, very few people are going to survive her mission. Will the cost have been worth it? For her maybe, but for everyone else? It could have a profound impact on her reputation amongst the crew. Her head-strong plan to help the hostages in Sacrifice lead to the death of marines and Lee getting shot. What is the price this time?

Baltar and Zarek
The relationship between Tom and Giaus was not one I saw coming. I guess it is natural that the man of rationalism and science, secretly courted by the Cylon God would team up with the fleet’s ultimate pragmatic terrorist. Interestingly enough, both of them would also become the party of “peace” and “hope”. I have to say, the dynamic developing in the campaign is beyond interesting. The political issues within the fleet are by far one of my favorite aspects lately. I have been mildly disappointed that we haven’t gone back to the realities of civilian governments in tense situations since season one.

So the big question is: can Baltar win? My gut tells me he will. It is far more interesting to have him and Zarek prevail than to have them defeated. It would mean so much more for the characters if they all underwent such a drastic change. Baltar elevated to President, Roslin stripped of her power, Zarek able to rule from the shadows… it would be too much fun to pass up!

Laura Roslin
Is it just me or does she get to be more and more of a hard ass every episode? It almost feels to me like her time is up. Not that she will be killed off, but that her role is going to change. That is the biggest reason I feel like she is going to lose this election. All of her policies are getting so hard core… her relationship with many of the main characters is getting estranged. She is ripe for a massive character upheaval that will send her in an entirely new direction.

My prediction is that she will be voted out of the presidency, but that she is some how put in to some other leadership role… maybe the vice president position or some other situation where she is allowed to interact with the new political players. Mary McDonnell is a powerhouse in the show, so she can’t possible disappear, but I can’t help but feel her role is changing. 

Sharon and Helo
It is obvious that Sharon is second guessing the role she has been playing. If Adama and the others aren’t careful, they are going to lose her. It almost seems like the writers are hinting at possible deception or treachery. Will she find out about her child? If she does, that will most definitely turn her against Roslin and the leadership of the fleet.

I am starting to think any choice Sharon makes is going to impact Helo as well. He has shown that he is willing to stick by her no matter what, even going so far as to stand against Adama. If Sharon turns her back on the fleet will Helo? He is a gallant person, full of duty and honor, yet he is also extremely loyal. If Sharon finds out Roslin, Adama and Cottle lied about the death of their child that will no doubt undermine Helo’s loyalty to the human fleet as well. We could see both of them back on the run shortly.

Conclusion
Ok my laptop battery is already running out. Something is up. I thought I charged this sucker before I left. Does anyone else have a laptop with crappy battery life?

I was definitely into this episode so much that when it ended, I really thought there was about 20 minutes left to go. In the meantime, I am happy just sitting back and waiting for Part II to arrive. I hesitate to pass too much judgment on the story arcs and character motivations without knowing how it all ends up. In the end, Lay Down your Burdens, Part I does exactly what it needs to do. It introduces some great story developments, shows us new aspects of characters we thought we knew and leaves us ready to be blown away with a finale to end all season finales. I am ready Mr. Moore… do your worst.

No MVPs this episode… I am holding off until we can see what everyone is really made of in part II.

Additional Resources

• Official episode 2.19 synopsis
• Official podcast commentary for episode 2.19
• Episode 2.19 Battlestar wiki page

Ron Moore dislikes spoilers

Ron Moore posted a little note in his blog about the prevalence of spoilers. I have stated repeatedly that I steer clear of spoilers on this blog. Ron, if you are reading, I hope you appreciate that! ;)

Surfed through the official boards and saw a LOT of spoiler photos from the finale. I'm not trying to be snarky, or ruin anyone's fun or trample anyone's speech, but I gotta say, I'm pretty disappointed that so much material is getting posted. There's a lot of people who work really, really hard on the show who are waiting to see the finale and have the pleasure of surprising the audience and it's a bummer when it's ruined this close to the final airdate. Obviously, people can do what they want, it's a free country but I'd really appreciate it if the photos posted so far were confined to that thread and if people resisted the temptation to post any more shots or any more plot details.

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That being said, I personally don't have a problem with other people posting spoilers... some people just want to know... that is fine... But I agree with Mr. Moore that solid efforts need to be taken to project those that are trying to stay clean from spoilers. I think The Great Link has one of the best systems in place for spoilers. You are greeted with a healthy warning and you have to click a button to proceed. It doesn't get much more preventative than that.

There is a very real problem with international audiences who are behind the US in episode count. I guess for anyone outside my country this entire blog could be viewed as "Spoilerish"... and I recognize that. However we have to realize that no matter what, posting something will always be a spoiler for someone... I have friends in the US who only watch TV shows on DVD and therefore consider every Monday morning BSG lunch conversation potentially spoilerish.

Thoughts on Downloaded

While BSG was recording on my DVR, I happened to turn the TV on during the first few moments. I was doing something else so I really couldn't hear what was happening, but I could sort of see what was going on from across the room. When they showed Baltar appear at Six's side after her "rebirth" I about lost it. I couldn't believe that they had shown his being a Cylon! From across the room with no sound, that is exactly what it looked like.

So, I spent all day yesterday completely thinking that Baltar was another Cylon model. I was therefore surprised (and a little relieved) that he is still human.

I think Anders said it best when he proclaimed "What kind of people are you?" at the end of the episode. I find myself asking that about everyone on the show at this point.

The Cylons
There are some fairly major issues that I have with the portrayal of the Cylons this week. I like to keep my thoughts on the episode positive, but I would like to address two main things:

1. Where are the other Cylon models?
   You can't tell me that if there is an entire planet like Caprica being resettled that we wouldn't see all 12 models involved in the process. If you really wanted to tell this story right, they should have been included, even if it involved strange references to models we haven't met and creative editing to obscure their faces. If that was actually happening, I didn't pick up on it. Maybe it was too early to tell this story then? Maybe they should have waited for some distant season when all the models were revealed? I would have been happy with some sort of explanation as to why the other models weren't involved. As it stands, it seems a bit too convenient.
   
2. Number Six has no remorse… remember?
   They made a big deal of playing up the compassion of Number Six and her guilt over causing the destruction of the colonies which lead to what she thought was the death of her lover Baltar, yet make no mention of the infanticide she committed to that little baby in the miniseries. I would have liked to hear some sort of recognition of her past sins, many of them extremely heinous, and learned how she is reconciling those with her new found realization that "a sin is a sin" no matter who tells you to commit it. Her killing that child is such a strong mental image that it causes me to discredit and therefore not fully buy her quick ascension to a moral high ground beyond that of her society.

Other than these two issues, this definitely feels like a turning point for the entire Cylon civilization. On the one hand you have the peace activist colonialists siding with the Cylons against the military/political mechanisms of the fleet. On Caprica you now have peace activist Cylons siding with the terrorist humans against the theological/fundamentalist mechanisms of the Cylons. I can fully imagine both of these dynamics coming into play during the season 2 finale just around the corner.

There has been a conscious attempt to make the Cylons appear more and more human. I guess I would ask why? Why do the Cylons need a coffee shop? Are they driven to leisure just like humans are? Where is the boundary? Is the whole point that there is no difference between Cylon or human except that one is made with biological reproduction and the other with genetically manipulated/digitally augmented cloning? To this end, Doctor Cottle's line about "not bothering to upgrade the plumbing" pushes this even further… if a Cylon can have a detached placenta, what the hell kind of being are we dealing with? The numbers of questions that this episode opens up are too many to fathom. I find myself a bit shell-shocked… forced to simply sit back and wait for the answers. 

The Colonialists
It feels like Laura, Adama, and everyone else "running" the fleet are creating an "Old Boys" network. It is funny that in the media we often find ourselves largely critical of secret societies and back room deals, yet here we see just such an instance played out in a science fiction drama. Are we as critical of this decision as we are when we find out similar such decisions are made without our knowledge? We live in a society of information, yet one of the reasons our society runs so smoothly is that there are people whose sole job it is to make hard decisions that we do not want to know about. A large part of success in any environment of control, be it at the government level or the corporate level in your own job is properly controlling the amount of information people receive and when they receive it. We end up relying on this ignorance so that we can go about our lives happily, filtering what we care about and what we do not wish to concern ourselves with. After all, civilization is powered by specialization, even when it comes to what you know, and what you choose not to. There is someone out there chopping the head off of a cow so that I can eat hamburgers, even though if I had to kill that cow, I would probably be a vegetarian. There are people making "morally objectionable" decision that probably results in saving lives, and while I am all for saving lives, would I personally be able to make the same decision devoid of emotional constraints knowing the sacrifices that would be required?

Adama is actually someone who has a pretty difficult time separating emotion from his choices. He risked the entire fleet to save Kara when she was stranded on that planet. It is actually Laura who is rising up as someone who really has the guts to make the tough calls. She is a person of great conviction, but also critical pragmatism. I don't think the fleet would have survived nearly as long as it has without her heavy hand in many of the decisions. It will be interesting to see how the choices she has made come back to haunt her in the upcoming presidential election.

The Mind
As I said in the beginning of this write-up, I almost lost it when Baltar appeared in the room with the Cylons. Again, the line between human and Cylon is blurring as we now find out that even machines can internalize their own remorse through the creation of imaginary friends!

The use of this device was amazingly effective in letting us see how Number Six was grappling with the choices she has made. Just like Baltar's imaginary six, the imaginary Baltar is confident, brutally honest, and a perfect manifestation of inner suspicions, subconscious observations and instinct.

A part of me wonders if using mental projections of people isn't some broader commentary about everyone. It is possible that all of us do something similar in our own minds? For instance, when we go to make a choice, who is it that we have the conversation with? It could be a projection of our parents… it could be our friends… but there is probably someone who we talk to. We think we are talking to ourselves but we are actually projecting the image of someone we can talk with, someone we trust.

We have been thinking this entire show that Number Six is a chip in Baltar's head and now we know that is definitely not the case. Maybe we all have a Number Six in our hear, someone who holds us to task for stupid decisions and gives us the insight we need or the push that we need in those times when we are begging for support. Some people talk to Jesus. Some people talk to their father or their mother or their best friend, or a dead relative. Baltar talks to Number Six. Number Six talks to Baltar. 

The Rebel Fighters
Off topic: How come every time I use the word rebel I think of Star Wars?

I am glad to see Anders back in the mix. He is a strong character and offers a lot, bringing a human face to the morally gray actions of terrorism. This show is definitely asking some tough questions… last week abortion… now bombing coffee shops. 

I just love this show in how such a simple few lines can really cause you to think about an issue in an entirely different way. It is proof that there is no right answer. I don't think there is anyone out there that would have an objection to Anders blowing up all those Cylons. It is only that way because we are all on the rebel's side. If some great enemy were to suddenly enslave our own country (ala the US Revolutionary War), the Minute Men would be back… striking fast at the vulnerabilities of an established power and fading into the country side… hitting and running… terrorizing.

I was curious as to how Anders and everyone stumbled across the knowledge of resurrection. It is quite obvious that the Cylons are clones, but it seems like fairly specific knowledge that they are downloaded with their memories maintained. It is realistic to think they captured a Cylon and interrogated him… maybe I am forgetting a conversation that gave the rebels that knowledge.

It is obvious by the end of the show, that Anders himself is forced to question his own actions. He learned a lot from CapricaSix and GalacticaSharon that will no doubt force him to re-examine his tactics. Maybe they aren't just machines… maybe they are simply a different kind of people.

Conclusion
While this episode had a few major holes, I had a lot of fun with it. We were able to see things we hadn't seen before, listen to struggles and conversation that ultimately lead to a humanization of an enemy whose motivations we barely understand. The part with Baltar in the beginning was also one of the more exciting bait-and-switch moments of the series. It definitely had my heart beating fast and my mind reeling. There is a distinct feeling that Downloaded marks a huge turning point for the show. It introduced a cover-up to the political ranks of the fleet and introduced a covert moral/religious movement to the Cylons, both of which will most likely play themselves out over the season finale, ending in one hell of a cliff hanger that I am sure will leave us wanting more.

MIA this week: Lee Adama commands the Pagasus?

Principal MVP of the episode is a tie this week, going to the dynamic duo of Tricia Helfer as Number Six and James Callis as Giaus Baltar. I don't think you can honestly credit one performance without recognizing the other. There was that excellent moment when ImaginarySix throws Baltar against the wall promising a reckoning for obstructing God's will, and those tears of sadness and fear rolling down Baltar's cheeks. There was also those superb moments with ImaginaryBaltar calling out all the faults in the Cylons, their lying, their manipulation… and doing it with a smug confidence we haven't seen from his character in quite some time. Simply delightful.

Secondary MVP of the episode goes to Donnelly Rhodes as Dr. Cottle. He is known to be one of Ron Moore's favorite characters and it shows. He is being given a lot more to do and he is making sure that he takes advantage of it. His character can convey so much in a simple look. He continually holds his own against when the heavy-weights are in the room. I feel like he is being set up for a pivotal moment in the episodes to come.

Additional Resources

• Official episode 2.18 synopsis
• Episode 2.18 podcast commentary
• Now Playing Interview with Ron Moore about episode 2.18

Thoughts on The Captain's Hand

The Captain's Hand is one damn fine episode. While I was a little thrown in the “Previously, on Battlestar Galactica” scenes, since they showed scenes I am pretty sure were never actually in the show, it did pretty much everything else right. While the show was primarily about Apollo, we were given a smorgasbord of character interaction that made this one of the more memorable episodes of the season.

Apollo and Dualla
I guess a month has passed since the last episode and a lot sure does happen! I honestly thought they were going to develop the growing relationship between these two over a few more weeks, but I guess there was no time to waste!

I think I said it last week, and I’ll say it again… It is time to start the death watch on Dee. A part of me imagines that they can keep her around season after season, but it is far too enticing for a writer to have such a dramatic device at their finger tips as killing off the lead hero’s girlfriend! Like I said, I will be surprised if she lasts. I really hope she does since she is such a rock solid character.

Interestingly enough, while Dee and Apollo are still in the honeymoon phase of their twiterpation, I found it interesting how the camera seemed to linger on the red-head in the Pegasus flight briefing. The editing seemed to deliberately enforce that she was “eyeing” Apollo when he was reprimanding everyone. She also had a few speaking lines which mean she has her screen actors guild card, so she doesn’t have to stay an extra!

Now that Apollo is a big hot shot on the ship, I can definitely see his relationship with Dee being… complicated, if only because he will be spending all his time on a completely different ship. Maybe she will transfer over? I can’t imagine Adama would let her go, however you never know. 

Apollo and Garner
This episode was definitely helped along by the performance of John Heard. In past shows this season, we have seen how transparent and forgettable single episode characters can be. This time was not such an instance. While only on screen for a single week, there was a reality surrounding Commander Barry Garner. There was something genuine and honest and tragic about him. And when he died, I felt something.

The subtext of Commander Garner’s speech to Apollo was a good one. Every day there are people out there that we rely on. These people help make us who we are yet we will never know there names. There is an entire layer of support, a layer of people that make a civilization possible. We fixate on politicians and military leaders and hot shot pilots, yet there are people who are working hard every day so that nothing breaks, and on a good day you never even know they exist. While this doesn’t mean that the value of every job is equal, it does mean the importance of every job is. It may be harder to find a brain surgeon than a car mechanic, but that doesn’t mean you want your car to stop running.

While I found Garner to be a little brash, I realized he is like a lot of people I know, people who have left the comfort of where they want to be only because they have been instructed (by their friends, culture, parents, own expectations etc.) that they have to keep moving up. What if we don’t want to move up? What if we like our kingdom as big as it is? This has always baffled me about the stock market. In order for your stock to go up, you have to grow… well what if you are running a company and you don’t want to grow? What if you are happy where you are? Well then your stock goes down. You get punished for thinking that way in business. I am just talking growth stocks here, not dividend stocks, which have different rules… But yeah… doesn’t really seem fair to me… but I don’t make the rules. I own stock, therefore I play by them. I guess that makes me part of the problem… part of the “climbers”.

If anything, Garner made Apollo realize he was a climber. Sorry to borrow a Grey’s Anatomy plot line here, but Apollo is a “doer”. He has been hiding from that these last few episodes. We found out he was still carrying a lot of baggage from his mutiny attempt last season. He decided to do something, and like he told Starbuck, he almost lost everything that he had. It has taken a long time to climb back in the saddle, and it appears that Garner was the person who finally convinced him to climb back on.

After Garner left the Pegasus CIC, there was a great moment where Apollo realized he was in command. Instead of it being a moment of terror or nervousness, it was almost like an exhale. Apollo realized he had found his kingdom.

Apollo and Starbuck
I am definitely feeling a little played by the writers. I believe I wrote a few episodes back about how Apollo and Starbuck were slowly switching rolls, she becoming more responsible with something to live for and he slowly self-destructing due to the loss of his moral compass and idealism. While I am sure there is more to come this season, it doesn’t appear that is the case. Starbuck seems to be continuing on her path of recklessness and back-talking, while Apollo has gone above and beyond to embrace his heroic tendencies and reap the just rewards.

Both private moments with Lee and Kara this week were excellent. The first scene where they fight was honest; the second where they make up was tender, familiar and funny. They are back to being brother and sister, even if Starbuck’s eyes, shot by the camera over Lee’s shoulder during their embrace, shows otherwise.

Apollo and Adama
I had chills when they brought in the father/son Gaelic cue from Hand of God. That little ditty does it for me every time. You could see in Adama’s eyes how proud he was of his son. You could see the shock on Lee’s face that his father would trust him enough with this highest reward. When he opened the box and held out his hand, a wave of chills washed over me. I was happy for both of them that they had found that moment.

There is a part of Apollo that has always seemed to shy away from becoming his father. He never wanted to follow in William Adama’s footsteps because he didn’t think he could match up. The mutiny attempt in season one was a pretty easy way out for Lee. He was able to differentiate his path from his father’s in one draw of his weapon. It didn’t turn out how he thought, but he battled back. He restored the trust that was lost and in the process learned a lot about himself and his father. They are both much closer for it.

Roslin and Baltar
The politics are starting to heat up! Maybe all the people who were watching West Wing can come over to our show! Somehow I don’t think my wife is going to go for that.

If Baltar has any speeches like he gave back in Colonial Day Roslin could be in big trouble. Here is what Baltar said back then:

History is full of examples of leaders who have come from the most humble beginnings, and have risen to meet the challenge posed by cataclysmic events. It's very easy to be sitting there in your armchairs ... criticize Laura Roslin for the tough decisions that she has to make every day - especially if you're someone like Tom Zarek, who's never shouldered any real responsibility in your life. To be fair to Tom, how could he? He's been in prison for the last twenty years. Now that he's had a drastic personality makeover, he's posing like he's the savior to all your ills! I think you all have a short memory, really. ... What I have to say is, we must survive, and we will survive. And we will do so through the values that have made our colonies great: courage, truth, justice, liberty, with a firm and deep resolve to make tomorrow better, not just for ourselves, but for our children. (source)

Interesting that in his announcement to run, Giaus reacted to specific trespasses over values he credited Roslin for during the Vice Presidential election, primarily liberty. Funny he should leave out his lack of courage, truth and selflessness. I am glad to see Baltar make such a bold move, if only because it means we will get to see him a little more in the story!

Zarek is the biggest wildcard in all of this. While he says he supports Baltar, I can’t imagine him liking the situation if he finds out the Cylon-lovers are involved, worse if Gina’s true identity is revealed. A part of me also wonders how such a well connected man like Zarek wouldn’t know about Baltar’s ties to a potential Cylon. I have the opinion that nothing happens in the fleet without him knowing. The fact that Baltar smuggled Gina off Pegasus and into hiding without Zarek’s knowledge seems a stretch. Of course he might know and we don’t know he knows yet because like Rumsfeld says “it’s just not knowable.”

Though all of this, Roslin finds herself in a tough spot. She made a hard-play on Baltar asking him to resign and it obviously didn’t work out. She is also finding that her values are being challenged as the needs of liberty give way to a desire for order and survival. I feel bad for her though. No one would have invented Marshal Law within a free society if there wasn’t a possible situation where you might need to use it.

The writers did a pretty good job with the abortion debate. Science fiction is at its best when it takes our assumptions about specific moral arguments and turns them on their head by introducing very real exception cases that challenges our preconceptions. If you look at anything framed as a “national debate” in the media, it is often the result of a lack of acknowledgement that there exists a middle ground.

Unlike a large portion of the United States these days, the characters in BSG exist in a world of infinite grey. That is why these moral debates work so well. Is there room for pacifism when you are hunted by Cylons? Is there room for abortion when your numbers are falling every day? Is there room for a court martial when there aren’t enough pilots or soldiers to go around? Can you really prevent a black market when money is useless? Do you keep prisoners locked up on a ship even when you need all the help you can get? What if food gets scarce? Might it be time to break out the SoylentGreen? It is easy for us to sit on our couches watching TV thinking when it comes to morality it is our way or the highway. No one is asking us to compromise because we don’t have to. But what if we did? What if there was a logical argument to go the other way? Would it even matter? Would we hear it? Would we acknowledge the logic? Roslin is battling this every show and it is fascinating to watch. We can learn a lot about ourselves and our own choices in the process.

Conclusion
All I can think about it how happy I am for Jamie Bamber that he finally got a really good script for his character. This was an “Apollo” episode and he really grabbed on with both hands. This show was starting to lack a solid hero, someone we could always turn to when the chips were down. There is no doubt that the hero is back and his name is Lee Adama.

I am also happy to see that they are using the Pegasus in some really great ways. Having two ships in the fleet could have gotten complicated, but this episode shows how it can be done right and how it adds an entire dimension to the cast that was never there before. Now with Apollo in charge, things are only going to get better!

MIA this week: Gaeta needs something to do people!

Principal MVP of the week is of course Jamie Bamber. He did some of his best work in this and I am happy to seem him on top of his game. Not only did he get the girl, but he got a Battlestar and the loving respect of his father, all in one episode! Apollo is the man!

Secondary MVP of the week is definitely John Heard as Commander Garner. He was only on screen for a single episode, but he is a character that I will not soon forget.

Additional Resources

• Official episode 2.17 synopsis
• 2.17 podcast commentary
• Battlestar wiki entry for 2.17

Thoughts on Sacrifice

I am going to apologize in advance. I am writing this while watching the Olympics, so if it feels disjointed, it probably is. They only come around once every four years and I get pretty addicted. Thank technology for DVRs… I was able to watch the opening ceremony while recording BSG at the same time!

I wasn’t really prepared to enjoy Sacrifice. After seeing the promo, I figured it was going to be your typical hostage situation-type drama. The biggest thing that works this time around is the fact that the people involved are a good mix of primary characters. This really easily could have been executed with one or two people from the cast. The fact that Ellen, Apollo, Dee, Billy, and Starbuck all become wrapped up in the drama, works out for the best. The fact that it also involved Sharon, Adama, Tigh and Roslin, means that we have a fairly broad number of characters to interact with.

Ellen
It has been a while since we saw Ellen, maybe because she has been hanging out on Cloud Nine! When she was first added to the show, I remember not really liking her… maybe she is just good in small doses. I think I actually like her better when she is interacting with other characters (like Apollo, or Zarek) instead of Tigh.

In the beginning she seemed a bit too calculating. I think now it is quite apparent that she is simply shallow and selfish. She cares about nothing more than herself and having a good time. The ultimate pragmatist and survivalist, it is interesting that she has stayed with Tigh as long as she has. Sure, he is doing ok for himself, and she was definitely there to push him into assuming command while Adama was down for the count, but you would think by now she would shift her alliance to someone a little more power-hungry. I still think it is inevitable that she will hook up with Zarek. That just seems like a done deal to me.

Apollo
I really expected the writers to play his brush with a death a little more blatant than they have been lately. The image of him lying in his bunk, saying that he wished he hadn’t come back was a pretty serious moment. The fact that he is still working hard to save the day says a great deal about his character. I guess I am less sure where he is headed at this point. I was expecting him to continue making somewhat destructive decisions that would lead him down a darker and darker path. This week showed him to still be an extremely motivated and honorable soldier, so I am a bit lost.

Apollo’s little moment asking Ellen to go with him to the bathroom was pretty hilarious. It is just like her to think that she is enough of a temptress to land a hot shot like Apollo. On the other hand, Dee was definitely making a move. It is one of those pairings that I never could have predicted while watching the first season, so I am happy simply because it is unexpected.

Dualla
My only concern with Dee is that she is only really given things to do on screen as a result of her relationships. We have to remember, she is the ranking communications officer for the ship, something we haven’t seen her doing much of lately. She is a great actress and for her to only be used as a love interest is not something I am happy with.

There was a time when Dualla and Gaeta had a pretty fun working relationship going. I wouldn’t mind seeing the writers go back to that a bit. As I mentioned last week, friendships (like Starbuck and Helo) add so much texture to the Galactica universe. I think it is completely reasonable that Dualla and Gaeta could be close friends. That would also give Gaeta a chance to get back in the story.

Billy
Poor, poor Billy. I might have been hard on him in the past, given the lap-dog nature of his character, but I have to say I am quite sad to see him go. I can’t say it was a surprise since I happened to be on his personal website one day (for some odd reason) and read about him saying he would be unemployed soon… so I was definitely looking for it this episode.

The only problem I have with his death is that it seems to be the easy way out from a writing standpoint. It would have taken guts to make the Dualla and Apollo relationship work while Billy was around. Taking him out of the picture makes it easier for everyone, but much less interesting. A part of me tries to believe they killed him off for a bigger reason. Perhaps his death was some commentary on nice guys finishing last. Or maybe his senseless death is another example of the unfit nature of humanity, people perfectly willing to kill each other for revenge instead of cooperating for the greater good of the fleet. In the end, I can’t help but feel his death was a tad bit convenient.

Starbuck
What another great episode for Starbuck. She dives in, guns blazing and for once it really back-fires on her. The slow motion realization of her mistake… Her shocked and covering posture in the hallway… Her moment on the phone with Adama… All were perfectly played and simply wrenching. I would like to see her reprimanded by someone for her behavior. The plan was obviously rushed and resulted not in only the shooting of Apollo, but the loss of two marines. As a leader, she should never make such a careless sacrifice of lives, especially in a densely populated bar. There should definitely be some ramifications. I guess we will see.

The moment with Starbuck watching Dualla and Lee from the door was remarkably similar to Apollo watching Billy and Dualla in the gym. I don’t know if it was intentional, but it was a nice effect, showing the similar hidden longings that tend to rule those two characters lives. It seems it is Apollo and Starbuck that are the most torn by duty. Everyone else seems to have an easy time separating work from play. I guess it doesn’t help that while you are on R&R you get called up to perform an armed assault.

Sharon, Adama, Tigh, Roslin
There is a very interesting dymanic developing between these four characters. As the other characters have ventured off into the shenanigans of lower rank and file, the leaders of the fleet have started to rely on each other more and more for counsel and conversation. Tigh has found himself alienated from the crew after the problems of his command during Adama’s gun shot wound. Adama has retreated into his own mind and the mind of Sharon after his brush with death. Roslin has revealed a new harshness in her policies, initially driven by her impending death and now seemingly driven by a realization that the quality of life in the fleet is rapidly diminishing. It can’t be easy to sit as president while black markets, Cylon sympathizers and human terrorists rip their small civilization apart. They are balanced on a razors edge, Roslin knows this and she isn’t pulling any punches.

I keep waiting for a big show down between Roslin and Sharon. There is a great episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Captain Picard has decided to use a captured Borg named Hue to carry a virus back to the Borg collective and destroy their civilization. In the end, Picard is convinced to go down and talk with Hue, finding out in the process that he is not just an enemy, but an individual, with his own wants and decisions. I keep waiting for the “Hue” moment between Roslin and Sharon. It is obvious she is a valuable Cylon to have around. Adama is reminded how many times she has saved them. I have a hard time understanding why Tigh and Roslin do not see the same thing. Remember that huge fleet that Sharon single handedly destroyed?

Honestly, there was a part of me that thought Adama might go through with killing Sharon. I don’t know why, but given that the episode was called Sacrifice, I was sort of expecting it, no matter how crazy it might have been. Can you just imagine if the show went in that direction? How dark would that have been? It could have become one of the scariest and amazing moments of this show… that someone like Adama would kill Sharon and her unborn child to save his dying son and the hostages? I think this episode was the first time I ever got goose bumps during a commercial break simply thinking about what was going to happen next. But… it didn’t. They opted for the bait and switch… which was clever. I had totally forgotten about the Sharon body.

Conclusion
This was a well written episode. Sacrifice relies on a standard formula, but works well within that to utilize the characters, establish tension and drive relationships forward. Like so many episodes before it, the real gold of this one will come in how those who were affected deal with the ramifications in the coming weeks.

MIA of the week: Paging Dr. Baltar? Dr. Baltar are you in the building?

Primary MVP of the week is for Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck. This episode didn’t really feature, but she really grabbed hold of the scenes she was given. One of my favorite scenes of the episode was her on the phone talking to Adama. That has to count for something

Secondary MVP of the week goes to Paul Campbell as Billy Keikeya. He may have died, but that is not why he gets it. He gets it for his honest scene proposing to Dualla and for just being an all around nice guy. His debate ring?! That is just classic. It was a perfectly awkward moment. Perfectly awkward and perfectly sad. I wish you luck in your quest for work Mr. Campbell. You will be missed… unless of course you are a Cylon… and you make a surprise appearance later!

Rule to self: Do not do your write-up while watching the Olympics. It takes about four times as long and you don't even know what you are writing from paragraph to paragraph.

Additional Resources

• Official episode 2.16 synopsis
• Episode 2.16 podcast commentary
• Battlestar Wiki page for 2.16

Thoughts on Scar

It is my pleasure to announce that after Epiphanies and Black Market, we are back to a real Battlestar Galacitca episode, one that makes me proud to watch this show. When I was debating with friends about episodes 2.13 and 2.14, I had a hard time really explaining why I didn’t like them. It often came down to, “It just didn’t feel like BSG”. If someone were to ask me to define what does or does not make an episode “BSG” I don’t really think I could explain it… when you see it… you know it. That is how I feel about Scar.

This episode has everything that made season one so strong. It has a crisis of survival (mining problems, Cylon threat), internal character conflicts (Starbuck, Kat), character complexity (Starbuck, Apollo), friendship (Starbuck, Helo), a good villain (Scar), and some great depth and texture (remembering the fallen, the photo gallery on the ship, introducing new nuggets, etc). There wasn’t a single moment that felt rushed, there wasn’t a single moment that screamed “plot device”. The entire story felt natural, the character actions were believable.

Survival
While the mining situation was a small aspect of the show, it was enough to show that there are real resource problems within the fleet. This isn’t something that has been played up too much during season two what with all the external story elements like Kobol, Earth, Pegasus, etc. Black Market tried to get back to this, but ultimately failed under it’s own weight of the story. Here, we learn that Roslin is willing to sacrifice people for metal. No metal, no Vipers, no protection. The perils of survival have been missing lately and it is great to see them making a small return.

Conflict
I was hoping for a good secondary character episode, and this is every bit as enjoyable as I expected it to be. We got to see a good number of people that have been largely absent lately. We see that they have all become more experienced, more battle-hardened. The scenes in the mess-hall were great because they show a comrade and a familiarity. They cheer each other, tease each other, and support each other, all the while knowing that every face in that room has a chance of vanishing forever. The name calling between Kat and Starbuck was excellent. That line “This ship only needs one Tigh” (or something like that) was just awesome.

I think the conflict between Kat and Starbuck was inevitable because they are so much alike. I think Starbuck sees that in Kat. She knows Kat is a good pilot or she wouldn’t still be alive. There are so many great scenes between the two of them, but the final one in the empty briefing room was stellar. Starbucks eyes drill into Kat, fearless and confident. Kat puts up a good show, but you can tell she is frightened, not only because her reluctant mentor is verbally cutting her down to size, but because Kat knows that what Starbuck says is true.

The fact that they climb into the cockpit and work together as a team to kill Scar was an excellent outcome. I was fairly confident that Starbuck would go solo in the end, killing Scar and redeeming herself to Kat or the crew in some manner while ultimately feeling more alone. I have to say, I like the real ending much more. The focus was on a change of mind and heart within Starbuck… she has found something to live for, something that will probably have her in an entirely different place by the end of the season. It is almost the opposite of Lee… Starbuck found something to live for and Apollo has nothing left at all.

Complexity
I feel bad for Apollo. That guy’s head has to be spinning. Not only is he dealing with the aftermath of his brush with death, but he is clinging to the rejection felt during Black Market, the death of his moral values, and the very real ramifications of his attempted mutiny that distanced himself from the crew. Now he has Starbuck to deal with. They use to be brother and sister, they use to be best friends, and now they are nothing, the equivalent of strangers in a bar, barely worthy of a one-night stand.

I am waiting for Lee to find his reason to live. From what we have seen, it will most likely become Dualla. I can’t predict how they are going to spin that, given her relationship with Billy, her role in the CIC, even Dualla’s relationship with Adama as his sounding board adds something that Apollo is going to have to acknowledge. I was sort of hoping for a little more texture surrounding what seems like an inevitable pairing.

As for Apollo and Starbuck, It is really fascinating how they have almost switched roles entirely from season one. Starbuck use to be the hot shot with no reason to live while Apollo had his duty, his honor and his family. It will be interesting to watch how Kara and Lee consul each other through these difficult times. I am betting by the end, they will both be better off for it.

Friendship
I think it is awesome that Helo and Kara have such a strong friendship going. After what they went through on Caprica, I think that is good continuity. I also really enjoyed the scene with Kara and Sharon because it is easy to believe she was there, not simply for intelligence, but because a part of her wants to understand where Helo’s head is at. It is obvious that Helo still cares for Sharon, even knowing the truth, and there is a part of Starbuck that needs to understand why.

There use to be a lot more friendships represented in the crew. Remember the chief and his boys? Remember Billy and Dualla’s screen time? How about those moments with Tigh and Adama? Friendship is a natural outgrowth of any human interactions and the more opportunities the writers can use to show us that Galactica isn’t a ship of strangers is a huge plus in my book.

Villians
It isn’t often we are treated to a good villain. There is always a tangible sense of danger in each episode, but rarely is it focused into a single point like it is with Scar. I never considered that a “Red Baron” episode would work so well. I think this is a great example of showing how the destruction of the Resurrection Ship had some real consequences for both sides. It is fascinating to think back to Kobol’s Last Gleaming Part II when Sharon destroys the base star, and how all the other Sharon’s didn’t even seem to care… probably because they knew the Resurrection ship would save them. I guess that isn’t the case anymore.

Sharon’s explanation of Cylon death added some great depth to an ever expanding mythology of Cylon life and resurrection. I thought it was excellent how Sharon’s words were so logical forcing Starbuck to completely reexamine her preconceived notions of life and death. It is amazing how utilitarian the resurrection ability ends up being and how the realities of dying and all the pain associated with that would be transferred to the new body. I guess it was eluded to that Scar was the same ship that Kara shot down in You Can’t Go Home Again. If that is true, it is another example of some great continuity.

The scenes with Kara dog fighting Scar in the asteroid field were well played. Just like in Pegasus, Part II, the battle was secondary to the characters that were participating. I had chills when Starbuck was going head to head with Scar. Those slow moments looking into her eyes where so much more powerful than twisting spacecraft and scattering tracer rounds. It is moments like those that elevate this show from simple science fiction to world-class drama.

Texture
All of the things that have been missing the past couple of weeks, and largely throughout season two, are restored in this episode. I can’t really point to what specifically those things are, but you feel it watching the episode. You see faces you remember, you have a sense that the ship is not a cavernous empty space, but alive with fears and duty and friendship.

Starbuck calling out the names of the fallen was a great moment in this series. It really elevates my respect for her as a character as I am sure it elevated every person in that room. You could see a tangible look of growing respect on Kat’s face. There was a moment where I half-expected Kat to give Starbuck back the top-gun mug because Kara proved right there that she is no longer just a pilot looking for glory, but a leader remembering those who found it serving the fleet.

Battlestar Galactica is a show about little things. This show succeeds when it takes those little moments and forces you to remember them over the grand spectacles of special effects and space battles. Scar is by far one of the best episodes of season two, and I hope it is a sign of things to come.

Principal MVP of the week is of course Katee Sackhoff as Kara Thrace. It was a powerful performance. I remember reading/hearing somewhere that this was Katee’s favorite episode and it is easy to see why. She really took everything she was given and ran with it.

Secondary MVP of the week is of course Luciana Carro as Kat. She really elevated the importance of her character. She was given the opportunity by the writers and really grabbed on with both hands. Ron Moore in a podcast (if I remember right) said that he really likes the work that Luciana does and wants to give her more to do. That is only a good thing. I am interested in seeing where her and Starbuck’s relationship goes after the team work in this episode.

Missing in action this week: Baltar?...... Bueller?

Additional Resources

• Official episode 2.15 synopsis
• Episode 2.15 podcast commentary
• Battlestar Wiki page for 2.15