- Überblick
- In wenigen Wochen wird der neue Präsident gewählt. Die überraschende Entdeckung eines neuen bewohnbaren Planeten wird zum Wahlkampfthema Nummer 1. Soll man noch weiter nach der Erde suchen? Unterdessen führt Starbuck eine Raptor Flotte nach Caprica, um dort Anders und seine Widerstandskämpfer zu retten.
- Adama stimmt schließlich den Plänen Starbucks für eine Caprica Rettungsmission zu. Auf der Pegasus erläutert sie diesen Plan. Alle verbliebenen 20 Raptoren werden teilnehmen und die organischen Navigationseinheiten von erbeuteten Heavy Raiders nutzen, um die erforderliche Serie von 10 Sprüngen zu berechnen. Um nicht entdeckt zu werden, springt man mit nur 10 Clicks Entfernung riskant nahe an die Oberfläche unterhalb der Reichweite des zylonischen Radars. Das schwierige Verbindungsproblem mit der zylonischen Navigationseinheit löst Caprica-Sharon. Sie wird sich nach Manier der “Blackbird”-Folge über eine Fiberoptik in ihrem Unterarm dort anschließen.
- Die Präsidentschaftswahlen sind in zwei Wochen und Roslin führt in den Umfragen. Das einzig wirksame Argument Baltars gegen sie ist ihre auf den religiösen Schriften basierende Amtsführung, wie zum Beispiel das Verbot der Abtreibung. Während einer Diskussion zwischen ihm und Tom Zarek wird Baltar klar, dass er mehr Argumente gegen Roslin benötigt.
- Im Hangar schläft ein nun vollbärtiger Chief Tyrol auf dem Boden. Von Alpträumen geschüttelt, wälzt er sich hin und her. Cally sucht das Deck nach ihm ab. Als sie ihn findet, ist sie erschüttert über den sich ihr bietenden Anblick und weckt ihn auf. Verwirrt aus dem Alptraum gerissen, schlägt Tyrol wie ein Wilder auf ihr Gesicht ein, bis sie mit gebrochenem Kiefer blutüberströmt und bewusstlos liegen bleibt. Nachdem er bestürzt realisiert, was Sache ist, trägt er Cally verzweifelt auf seinen Armen in die Krankenstation.
- Apollo hat kein gutes Gefühl bei Starbucks Rettungsaktion für Anders, wünscht ihr aber viel Glück.
- Helo und Caprica-Sharon reisen in Starbucks Raptor. Sharon ist immer noch todtraurig wegen des scheinbaren Todes ihrer Tochter Hera. Hero erklärt, dass er sie nicht allleinlassen würde. Sharon entgegnet, dass sie dunkle Zeiten kommen sähe. Dies beträfe jedoch nicht die Caprica Mission.
- Beim ersten der zehn erforderlichen Sprünge, landet Racetracks Raptor bei den falschen Koordinaten in einem Gasnebel. Sie ist stinksauer, dass gerade sie es vermasselt hat. Als sie gerade zurückkehren will, entdeckt ihr Copilot trotz der Interferenzen einen bewohnbaren erdähnlichen Planeten. Mit den Daten dieser neuen Entdeckung geht es zurück zur Galactica.
- Weitere Erkundungsflüge ergeben, dass es auf dem Planeten Pflanzen und Tiere gibt. Besiedeln könne man den ansonsten zu kalten Planeten jedoch nur auf einer 20% breiten Zone um den Äquator.
- Baltar, von Six geleitet, und Zarek kommen zu dem Ergebnis, dass das Eintreten für die Besiedelung des Planeten das bisher fehlende und schlagende Argument zum Gewinn der Präsidentschaftswahl sein könnte.
- Tory analysiert mit Roslin die neuesten Wahlumfragen. Dannach gewinnt Baltar an Boden durch sein neuerliches Eintreten für die Besiedelung des Planeten und ein Ende der Flucht vor den Zylonen. Der Planet ist in den Interferenzen der Gaswolke gut versteckt und viele Leute wollen ein Ende des Flüchtlingslebens auf den im Weltraum herumvagabundierenden Flottenschiffen. Roslin entgegnet, dass die Zylonen den Planeten ebenso leicht wie die Colonisten finden könnten. Tory hingegen stellt klar, dass Baltar den Leuten eine Hoffnung gibt. Das sei es, wovon sich diese bei der Wahlentscheidung leiten ließen. Die bittere Wahrheit aus dem Munde Roslins wollten sie nicht mehr hören.
- Nach der Attacke auf Cally sucht Chief Tyrol religiösen Beistand bei einem Priester namens Bruder Cavil. Er halte als oft betender Sohn eines Priesters nichts von Psychoanalyse. Cavil erklärt ihm nicht ohne Sarkasmus, dass Gebete nicht weiterhelfen und er die Ursache und neue Wege bei sich selbst suchen solle. Tyrol, verunsichert durch solch eine Aussage gerade von einem Preister, gibt erst nach dessen beharrlicher Nachfrage einen immer wiederkehrenden Alptraum zu: Zur dessen Illustration sehen wir, wie der Chief in Zeitlupe zunächst die Gangway über dem Hangar und dann deren Geländer erklimmt, um sich von dort theatralisch in den Tod zu stürzen. Warum er dies träume, will Cavil dann wissen. Und erst, als dieser mit dem Verlassen des Raumes droht, gibt Tyrol zu, dass er befürchtet, ein Zylone zu sein. Er führt Galactica-Sharon als Beispiel an, die ebenfalls von solchen Zweifeln geplagt war. Sarkastisch witzelnd behauptet Cavil, zu wissen, dass Tyrol kein Zylone sei. Er sei vielleicht selbst einer und habe ihn noch nie auf einer Zylonen Party gesehen. Tyrol mag nach den Vorfällen nicht zurück zu seiner Crew auf den Hangar. Cavil erklärt ihm jedoch, dass er nur dort bei seiner ihn liebenden „Familie“ und insbesondere bei Cally seinen Weg zurück finden würde.
- Die barfüßige Roslin bereitet sich mit einem ungewöhnlichen Ritual auf das bevorstehende Rededuell mit Baltar vor. Sie zerreisst nach jedem gesprochenen Satz einen Zettel und wirft ihn weg. Auf einem entsprechenden Vorschlag Adamas hin zerbricht sie stattdessen einen Bleistift. Als Tory sie dann zum Duell abholt, erleidet sie, eingehakt bei Adama, einen nicht enden wollenden Lachanfall.
- Selten erlebt man eine Roslin mit einem derart derben Wortschatz, wie auf dem abschließenden Rededuell zur Präsidentschaftswahl. So droht sie Baltar im Vorfeld, ihn zum Aufwischen des Bodens zu benutzen und gibt ihm hernach die Empfehlung, sich selbst zu f…... Im Rundfunk Rededuell selbst punktet Baltar mit seinem Charisma und der Auffassung, die Flucht vor den Zylonen aufzugeben. Roslins Warnung, der Planet sei nicht sicher und man solle daher weiter nach der Erde suchen, sind weniger gefragt. Baltar scheint diese letzte Redeschlacht gewonnen zu haben.
- Inzwischen macht die Rettungsmission für Caprica ihren letzten Sprung. Raptor 612 springt dabei mitten in einen Berg. Die übrigen Raptoren landen und man macht sich zu Fuß auf den Weg. Einen Klick vom Lager der Widerstandsbewegung entfernt registriert man zunächst Bewegungen und findet dann Anders mit seiner Gruppe. Starbuck ist überglücklich, ihn wieder zu sehen. Aber Anders warnt, die Zylonen seien ihnen auf den Fersen. Sie hätten am Morgen das Lager überfallen und die Hälfte seiner Leute getötet. Tatsächlich gerät man dann auch unter zylonischen Artillerie Beschuss. Sie flüchten zu einer Stelle, wo die Ballistik der Geschosse über sie hinwegführt. Der Weg zu den Raptoren liegt allerdings in deren Trefferbereich und ist somit abgeschnitten. In diesem Hagel von einschlagenden Geschossen endet die Caprica Szene
- …. Fortsetzung folgt ….
[edit]Questions If Raptor 612 was destroyed by jumping into a mountain, how was their transponder still operational? (see Analysis) Does the fleet have the resources to sustain long term settlements on the newly found planet? Even if Galactica and Pegasus themselves were recycled, would there be enough materials, or would the Battlestars still be necessary for orbital defence? Zarek says the people have been cooped up in metal boxes since the attack. How literally does he mean this—for instance, are people living inside converted cargo holds as they were in the original series? Or did he just meant being stuck inside of cramped ships in general, i.e. even the Galactica crew (who have dedicated crew quarters)? Laura states that Baltar does not have a key issue besides the "religious angle." What about the abortion issue from "The Captain's Hand"? (see Analysis) [edit]Analysis Timeline: According to Six, on the night of the first debate the election is still "two weeks away". At the beginning of the first debate, James McManus states Baltar declared his bid for presidency a month ago. This took place at the end of "The Captain's Hand". Zarek states that the people of the fleet have been "cooped up in metal boxes for nine months", putting this episode not long after "Downloaded" around Day 270. At the conclusion of the second debate, the polls will open in three days. It appears to take the Raptors 10 days to make the trip back to Caprica. Not enough is known yet about the vagaries of Colonial FTL drives and computers to explain why it should take so long. Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson is apparently assigned to Pegasus at present, since Dualla refers to her mission as the "Pegasus survey team". She could have been flying a Pegasus Raptor. Lee Adama is now wearing a wristwatch, perhaps Barry Garner's from "The Captain's Hand". It is safe to emerge from a hyperspace jump inside a planetary atmosphere at 2km, but not within solid rock. For comparative purposes, the density of air at 2km in an earth-like atmosphere is about 1 kg/m3, while the density of silica rock is about 2,600 kg/m3. When Tyrol's counseling with Cavil is coming to an end, Cavil notes to Tyrol that Cally "especially" loves him. Tyrol is apparently oblivious to this obvious fact up to that point. BattlestarWiki has been trying for some time to reconcile on the Timeline the apparent jump from 3 months to 6 months that occured at the beginning of Season 2.5, a part of which was that back in "Bastille Day" it was stated on screen that the presidential elections were due in seven months. However, over 7 months passed by the end of "Scar", and there wasn't even talk of the elections until "The Captain's Hand". In the podcast for this episode, Ron Moore appears to reveal that he has simply forgotten this point. When he refers to the fact that "elections were promised back in "Bastille Day"", Moore says that he remembers that the line in "Bastille Day" was nine months, not seven. This is more than a one-episode goof, because one month after "Bastille Day" in "Colonial Day", it was stated that the elections were six months away. In the podcast it seems that Moore is truly and simply mistaken, and there is no explanation for the descrepancy betwen the "seven months after the attack" figures given in "Bastille Day" and "Colonial Day", and the new "nine months after the attack" figure at the end of season 2.5. It is simply a mistake. In this episode they refer to "the captured Heavy Raider", singular. This would imply that only the one Starbuck brought back from Caprica in "Home, Part I" was still functional at all, and the one that crashed into Galactica in "Scattered" was damaged beyond salvage or repair. The pro-settlement faction seems to assume that Cylon agents still hiding within the Fleet will not be able to contact the Cylon fleet to track the Colonials, in particular in view of the shielding afforded by the gas cloud near New Caprica. When Raptor 612 jumps into the mountain, it jumps into the mountain. RDM confirms in the podcast that by "jumped into the mountain" it doesn't mean "they jumped close to it and thus crashed", it means, exactly like a Star Trek transporter accident, that they materialized from the Jump into solid rock, "half-phased". The "religious" angle that Baltar was using was based on the abortion issue. The banning of abortion by Roslin was two-folded. First, it was to try to force humanity's population to grow, and to not allow anything that would hinder that growth, such as abortion. Secondly, the religious card was used to give further support to her ban on abortion if the population decline wasn't enough to persuade others from rejecting. Baltar, noticeably attacks Roslin in the press conference in which she was using the religious reason for the ban, not in the earlier press conference when it was first just based on wanting to prevent any decline of the population. [edit]Notes The re-cap for this episode includes scenes not actually shown in previous episodes—for instance, Starbuck demanding to the dying Roslin circa "Epiphanies" that they go back and rescue the Caprica resistance. When Baltar sarcastically quips that Zarek (and Six) expect him to just sit around and wait for "The Hand of God" to deliver them something they can use to their advantage against Roslin, he is of course referencing the previous episode titled "The Hand of God". Ironically, Baltar considers himself the hand of God in that episode. Further, a "chance serendipitous event" (namely the discovery of an inhabitable planet) does deliver them something they can use against Roslin. Likewise, when Apollo wishes Starbuck "good hunting", there's a tone of concern, and he seems to pause before saying it, as if Apollo meant to say something else but changed his mind. This may be a reference to "33", when Starbuck tells Apollo to say "good hunting" instead of "be careful out there". This episode has many parallels to "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I" and "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part II": the discovery of an inhabitable planet, Gaeta plotting a Raptor jump dangerously close to a planet surface, Starbuck's use of captured Cylon technology to return to Caprica, the intercutting of several plot threads in the teaser, a character contemplating suicide out of fear of being a Cylon, and difficulties between Helo and Sharon. In addition, Tyrol's assault of Cally is something of a parallel to Helo shooting Sharon in "Kobol's Last Gleaming"—in both cases, a man driven to rage physically and emotionally wounds a woman who loves him. When Lt. Gaeta takes his shirt off in the washroom, his tiger tatoo from "Final Cut" can be seen. The combined Colonial fleet had 20 Raptors in this episode, of which 1 was destroyed before the end. Previously, Galactica was confirmed to have at least 5 left (The Farm), with the suggestion that there may be as many as 8 (Resistance). Doubtlessly, Pegasus brought at least an equal number of Raptors with it when it joined the Fleet, but 20 is still a high number for this. Perhaps a disproportionately large number of Raptors escaped to Ragnar Anchorage during the Miniseries. Or perhaps like in real life with American Nimitz class Aircraft Carriers that carry a larger number of fighter aircraft compared to older Forrestal class carriers, the Pegasus, being a larger and more modern Battlestar than Galactica, it has the capability to carry a larger complement of Raptors. Unlike Vipers, Raptors do have FTL drives. We actually saw Boomer and Helo escaping the destruction of their Viper squadron, because Raptors do not engage in frontline combat, and because they have an extenstive ECM suite which Helo was trying to jam the Cylon virus signal with. Indeed, Crashdown was a Raptor ECO, but Boomer stated that he was not from Galactica, but a refugee "from Triton" (A battlestar). Also, more Raptors could have been built with extra materials after the Viper squadrons were manufactured (Scar). The jump error that landed the Raptor in the nebula was attributed to a "firmware error" by the crew. This may be an indication that there was firmware upgrade to deal with the increased FTL jump distances provided by the Cylon computer. When Cavil is consoling Tyrol's fears that he might unknowingly be a Cylon sleeper agent, just like Boomer was, Tyrol asks him how he can know for sure. Cavil sarcastically answers that it's because maybe he's a Cylon, and he hasn't seen Tyrol at any of the meetings: Number Six also sarcastically remarked to Baltar in the Miniseries that Aaron Doral could not be a Cylon, because she hadn't "seen him at any of the good Cylon parties"...but of course, Doral actually was a Cylon, implying that Cavil is truly more than he seems. Tory actually paraphrases the title of this episode aloud, saying that the new planet offers people in the Fleet the hope that they can "lay down their burdens" and stop running. During the premiere airing of this episode on the Sci-Fi Channel, before the Teaser segment a "Parental Discretion Is Advised" black and white message was inserted. At the end of the Teaser, Tyrol beats Cally to a bloody pulp. Lee Adama is now wearing a new uniform as Commander of Pegasus: it is a Commander's uniform, denoted by the new red trim (with gold inner trim), and it has a white "Pegasus BSG-62" patch, replacing his old gold "Galactica BSG-75" patch. Dualla's photo of Adama is the left half of a group shot with Kara Thrace and his brother Zak Adama. The original belongs to Thrace, and she has kept it in her locker on Galactica since the miniseries. Dualla refers to "rivers of milk and honey" on the newly discovered planet. The phrase "land of milk and honey" is a common epithet for the promised land in the Torah, appearing in Exodus 3:8, 3:17, 13:5, 33:3, Leviticus 20:24, Number 13:27, 14:8, 16:13-14, and Deuteronomy 6:3. Commander Lee Adama is seen eating noodles with chopsticks in his quarters, just like his father in "33", etc. In the podcast, RDM states that originally instead of Starbuck, Helo, and Sharon leading the other Raptors in another Raptor, they would have been flying in the captured Heavy Raider itself. However, the 2 part season finale went overbudget and cuts had to be made, and the cost of building the Heavy Raider interior was deemed prohibitively expensive. Thus, they bring the Heavy Raider computer/organ with them in a normal Raptor. Moore said he believed that fans "wouldn't miss" an actual appearance by the Heavy Raider. Col. Tigh appears in this epsiode twice but doesn't speak a single line. This is the first time since the Mini Series that Helo is seen fulfilling his duties as an ECO. Apollo quips that if they find a habitable planet, he'll build the pilots a bar on it. Actor Jamie Bamber has said in interviews that part of Apollo's backstory is that he didn't know what he was going to do with his life; he's in the Colonial Fleet reserves, not a full-career commitment, etc. He said that right before the attack, Apollo was supposed to be considering leaving the service and just openning up a bar somewhere. [edit]Noteworthy Dialogue Laura Roslin is preparing for the presidential debate Laura Roslin: This is what I do, I memorize the talking point, then tear the card…let the pieces fall as they may. It helps. William Adama: Yeah, my father used to break pencils before going into court, and then borrow one from the clerk. "Break preconceptions, work with what you have." Laura Roslin: You know, I like that. Let me see…: Laura breaks a pencil Laura Roslin: That's good…. But what happens if the moderator doesn't have a pencil? William Adama: Then you're pretty screwed. Brother Cavil explains to Chief Tyrol the "value" of prayer: Brother Cavil: Do you know how useless prayer is? Chanting, and singing, and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry? And you know what it gets you? Exactly nothing. Chief Tyrol: Are you sure you're a priest? Chief Tyrol is worried that like Galactica-Sharon, he could just as well be another Cylon sleeper agent: Chief Tyrol: How do you know I'm human? Brother Cavil: Oh, well, maybe because I'm a Cylon and I've never seen you at any of the meetings. Baltar and Zarek discuss campaign strategy Gaius Baltar: I'm not sure if you're aware, Tom, but the mob isn't usually in the habit of electing ungodly apostates who denegrate people of faith. Tom Zarek: Things are gonna turn around. You'll see. Gaius Baltar: What is that, advice? Well, thank you for your keen insight, your astounding political acumen. You know, I'm so assured right now, Tom, I'm just going to sit right back and wait for the hand of God to reach down and change my political fortunes! [edit]Official Statements In an interview in issue #197 of TV Zone, James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar) said: "[T]he arrival of the Pegasus has helped galvanize our characters into who they are and who they’re trying to be. These later episodes [in Season 2] also further drive home the fact that the Galactica’s crew could be exterminated by its own kind, meaning that Humans are potentially far more terrifying an enemy than perhaps the Cylons." [edit]From RDM's blog (March 28, 2006) "Why is the fleet so concerned [about] elections? They are running for their lives, so I would think holding elections would be the least of their problems." I felt right from the beginning that question of who was in charge and how a democratic society would deal with this situation was one of the fundamental questions of the show. If democracy means anything, it means that people get to decide who their leaders are and what kind of life they choose to lead. And the operative word is "choose." Democracies are about choices, some made intelligently and thoughtfully, and some not so much. Adama and the Galactica were faced with an immediate question as to the role of the military in this surviving population: were they still the servants of the people, or were they the overseers? Adama's choice was to preserve the idea of their society, indeed of their entire civilization while still striving to protect them from their enemies both within and without. It was, and continues to be a difficult balancing act, but as he said in "Resurrection Ship": it's not enough to survive, you have to [be] worthy of suriving. If the military simply took choice away from the people of the fleet, if it simply decided that the senior commanders knew best and that was that, then the people out there in those ships become irrelevant. They're cargo. It's a military world and a military society and everything else is secondary. Down that road lies the cautionary tale of Admiral Cain and the battlestar Pegasus. One Adama and Galactica decided not to go down that road, then the entire panoply of democracy was in play -- representation by consent and elections to determine those representatives. [edit]Interviews Nicki Clyne (Cally) talks about Tyrol's maddened assault on Cally: It was difficult for people to watch. Even when we were filming it and it was difficult to do. Not only physically, but I had to make it look real. Actually, Aaron (Douglas–Chief Tyrol) actually punched me in the face! (she chuckled as she continued on) And, it’s really difficult, but the funny part about it is that he and I were trying to be brave, but whenever you get knocked in the face I think the instinct is to start crying. I was laughing at the same time, trying to persuade everyone that I was fine, but there were tears streaming down my face. And, Aaron was all, ‘But it wasn’t me.’ I was like, ‘Ok, ok, I am not blaming you, I know it was an accident, but I don’t think I punched myself in the face.’ He felt terrible about it happening. It was fine. Luckily, I didn’t get a bruise and slow everything up. But it was difficult and I am trying to block the punches and then my own hand was going into the whole scene and realizing what he had done. It was pretty emotional. [1] [edit]Guest Stars Richard Hatch as Tom Zarek Michael Trucco as Samuel Anders Dean Stockwell as Brother Cavil Aaron Douglas as Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol Nicki Clyne as Specialist Cally Leah Cairns as Lt. Margaret "Racetrack" Edmonson Rekha Sharma as Tory Foster Alisen Down as Jean Barclay Colin Lawrence as "Skulls" McCall David Kaye as James McManus