Battlestar Galactica #13: The Oath/2009/Season 4 Finale

[Truth Seeker]

The Oath

Writers:Mark Verheiden

Director:John Dahl

Stars:Tricia Helfer (Caprica Six)
Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace)
Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin)
Edward James Olmos (William Adama)
Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama)
James Callis (Gaius Baltar)
Grace Park (Sharon Agathon/Number Eight)

Recurring Role:Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta)
Jennifer Halley (Diana "Hardball" Seelix)
Alexandra Thomas (Hera Agathon)
Tahmoh Penikett (Karl "Helo" Agathon)
Aaron Douglas (Galen Tyrol)
Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders)
Mike Dopud (Gage)
Vincent Gale (Chief Peter Laird)
Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh)
Brad Dryborough (Lt. Hoshi)
Ryan Robbins (Charlie Connor)

Adama continues with his plan to use Cylon drive technology on Colonial ships. The closer ties between the rebel Cylons and the humans sets off a violent uprising in the fleet
​

 

[Ahnehnois]

I think every guest star and bit player from the entire series appeared in this episode. I like it.

 

[stonegod]

I think every guest star and bit player from the entire series appeared in this episode. I like it.

The live ones, anyway.

The wife really doesn't want

Spoiler

Tigh

to bite it, and really loathes how everyone blames him (and the other Final Cylons) for what happened to the Colonies. Especially those that should know better.

 

[Wycen]

Didn't look like they threw that grenade inside very far.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Oh Frak! This was unbelieveable. (in a good way)

 

[Steel_Wind]

I loved this episode!

Best of all - in what was a very strong episode all around - was Starbuck. Ron Moore has made it very clear in some of his past podcasts that Kara Thrace is really not very good at "peace". In those times, she's revealed as a tremendously flawed human being who is not able to cope.

But in times of stress and battle? She shines. War is her thing; it's what she does better than anyone else.

Her lack of hesitation on the flight deck was just awesome to behold. I literally cheered out loud during that scene. So often, these stand-off tension moments on TV and in the movies does not end with the gun holder just shooting, damn it. I keep wanting the hero to shoot, and they almost never do. Ahhh. FINALLY!

Later, Adama's own lack of hesitation in the firefight was Ron Moore nudging us on to draw the similarity between the two: these are the best officers in the fleet, because under pressure, they do not hesitate and do not flinch from the task - they pull the trigger.

Looking further down the road, I don't see how Gaeta survives this. Armed mutiny and the death of dozens at least - hundreds more probably - is going to end with his death. He got his extra screen time in his special webisode episode that essentially was "Gaeta's" personal episdoe of BSG in a way that no other character on BSG has ever had their own episode. The webisode special was his reward for his "early exit" in episode #14, I suspect.

Ron Moore and Company are taking-no-prisoners here.

 

[Mallus]

I loved it... I loved it... I loved it!

Ahem... and now, a little criticism. While this a great television, there's an air of necessity about the plotting, we can see where this is going. Laura retaking Galatica from the Cylon basestar, fully committed to their alliance while the Cylon protagonists --we can't forgot them now, can we? While they may not get the screen time the Colonials do, they're surely co-protagonists by now-- will come to some kind of crisis over whether they can trust the Colonials now that they're ripping themselves apart.

In the end, things will explode, more people will go out the airlock, and eventually they'll all come together as one. I wonder if they'll meet God/the Ship of Light and get transported back in time to Kobol and found their parent civilization? I think the writers can earn that ending...

 

[Ahnehnois]

I thought it was very interesting to see all the established characters involved in the mutiny. Obviously the series won't end with Gaeta in charge of Galactica and Zarek running the government, but I kind of agree with them. I never liked the whole arc of humanizing the Cylons. I can see why the alliance is a bad idea, and why the ship captains should be within their rights to refuse Cylons on board. Of course the mutineers aren't perfect either, and the situation does seem to call for desperation. It's very well presented as a two-sided issue.

All the other aspects of the show are clicking as well. Season 4.0 quickly being forgotten.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Somehow I don't think they're going to kill every one of the mutineers, as the whole discussion about why they shouldn't send marines to every ship that refuses might be foreshadowing this point.

I predict that some of the mutineers might get amnesty, but ringleaders might be executed.

 

[Mark]

They really kept the tension level high and set up a very nice episode cliffhanger. Well done all around, IMO.