Star: Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Tricia Helfer (Number Six/Caprica Six), Edward James Olmos (William Adama), Jamie Bamber (Lee "Apollo" Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Grace Park (Sharon Valerii/Sharon "Athena" Agathon), James Callis (Gaius Baltar)
Recurring Role: Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders)
The crew members of the Galactica are shocked by the return of Starbuck. During the Cylon attack, Sam Anders has a strange confrontation with a Cylon Raider.
I caught the noon showing online, they played it as a live feed in the browser. I missed the first 10 minutes because I thought I'd just be able to play it, then I missed 10 minutes in the middle when my wireless network went down and I had to plug directly into the router.
What I saw was pretty fantastic. Great BSG drama and action with a cliffhanger.
The 4 revealed cylons from last season mull over their status.
Admiral Adama and Roslin aren't sure if they can trust Kara anymore.
Apollo makes a decision on his status.
Baltar as savior?
Is Kara who she says she is and even if she is, has she been brainwashed?
I liked the episode, but it was not what I expected. However, that is my problem as I realize now I had unrealistically high expectations. The best part for me was the Tigh-Adama scene and Tigh’s reaction to it. I also liked Connor’s attack on Baltar and the space battle was one of the best I’ve seen so far – it looked 3D to me at a couple of points.
However, here are some other thoughts;
• I’m glad they gave Baltar a shave and a hair cut. Now he looks less Jesus/Charles Manson-like.
• I hope the show explains the origins of the Baltar cult.
• On of the minor issues that bother me is that it is so hard to detect a difference between humanoid Cylons and humans. No part of human antimony can bioluminescence, but several parts of Cylon anatomy can – that alone should be detectable.
• I liked the way the show handled all the potential questions of Starbuck’s return by having her character voice a lot of them.
• It is interesting Lee is seeking a job in the civilian government after his conflict with Roslyn during Baltar’s trial.
Here are questions I have;
• What were the Cylons doing at that nebula?
• What caused the power outages?
• Can the Final Five be reborn like the other humanoid Cylons?
• Was Connor killed?
• Is there something up with Baltar’s female body guard?
Here is a rather rambling thought I’m putting in spoiler tags;
•
What if a great deal of what is happening is a put on my aliens? The creation of the genocidal/theological view, “Head Six” and “Head Baltar” and the reappearance of Thrace seem to be out of Cylon hands, so there is some other player. There has been a lot of talk about the Cylon’s manipulating and herding the rag tag fleet. But what if on some level the Cylons are themselves being manipulated by aliens. These hypothetical aliens alter the programming code of the Cylons so they develop there entire genocidal/theological view to set things in motion. These aliens are also responsible for “Head Six” and “Head Baltar.” Then, later, the aliens manipulate Kara Thrace’s reappearance after her “death” into leading everyone to Earth. I’m not certain what the goal would be, except to maybe to manipulate the humans and Cylons into destroying each other with a minimum of risk to the aliens.
Very interesting episode. As so often, it raises more question then it answers.
I can't wait to see the next...
2Grumpy Celt:
I think there is no reason to hide speculation as spoilers. Anyway, spoiler blocks don't cost anything:
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I think there is a 3rd force, but I wouldn't assume that they are aliens. BSG creators seem very adamant against introducing aliens in the show.
There might in fact be gods, or it might just be the "Original Colonists" that are still around and manipulating the events. Or the 3rd faction is a actually an alliance of humans and cylons. (What they are trying to achieve is still unclear. But I guess it is not the Total Annihilation of either species, though they might be willing to cause heavy casualties on both sides, maybe to unify them.)
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Let the DRAMA BEGIN!
