Nina's Known Universe

Original US Air date: March, 11, 2005

***These articles are full of Spoilers from the entire series to date as aired in the USA...Continue At Your Own Risk--Moreover, the format assumes the reader has seen all of the episodes and specials aired through the first half of season 4, up to and including “Revelations”***

^Borrowed material is duly credited^ Thank you in advance to battlestarwiki.org, surfthechannel.com and any other entity directly mentioned in my ramblings...a polite email to ninanintius@gmail.com will add any notations you desire or remove any references/links to your sites as you wish. Thank you again.

Read the Prior Episode Commentaries Here

Re-Watch the Episode Here First

^Time Line^
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^Day 36:^ Boomer and Crashdown discover a Cylon Tylium Refinery on an asteroid.
^Day 37:^ Sharon/Athena experiences morning sickness
^Day 38:^ Galactica engages a Cylon mining base and retrieves needed Tylium fuel

With the Fleet short of fuel, Galactica's air wing, lead by Lee Adama, launches a daring attack on a Cylon base following intel provided by Dr. Baltar who either guessed at the correct target, or truly was guided by the Hand of God.

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Imperial Commentary

Day 36 on the run and the Fleet is down to 5% of their fuel reserves. At a press conference on board Colonial One, President Roslin addresses the fuel shortage, stating it is their number one priority and that Galactica has ships scouring the nearby systems for Tylium, their primary fuel. Even the FTL drives require Tylium, though it is not stated if the Tylium makes the jump possible in the first place or if it is just a power source for the drive.

As pointed out by the reporters, Tylium ore is very rare and even if they conserve, they only have enough fuel left to execute 2 more jumps. Not to mention the search for fuel is burning fuel exponentially. My question is why did they wait so long to start looking for fuel in the first place? The idea that they didn't consider fuel in the search for water seems illogical. So for the sake of not calling Adama a senile old man who let his truck run out of gas because he forgot to get more, I will assume that they have in fact been keeping an eye out for all types of resources, but as the reporter mentioned, Tylium is very rare.

As the reporters continue to ask silly questions, the President sees a vision of snakes crawling all over her podium and her hands. The reporters ask her the plan should the fleet run out of fuel. This sort of thing really annoys me, not the plot itself but that people actually do think this way in real life. And this reporter dude is probably the final cylon because he asks the dumbest questions. Contingency Plans. Does no one get the concept of a survival situation? We have what we have and when its gone thats it, game over.

As if its the President's or the Military's fault that they are on the run rather than just having let the cylons kill them quick. As if anyone could say 'If I am elected I promise to get the cylons to leave us alone so we don't run out of food or water or fuel again.' They act so entitled. Had they been found by Admiral Cain instead of Cmdr Adama, they would have been left to die after she stripped their ships of resources. And yet they are exceedingly ungrateful and oblivious to the gravity of their situation.

If the fleet can not find fuel they will have to use what is left to jump to the nearest solar system and hope they find a habitable planet. Roslin is very disturbed by the snakes which appear to be very real to her, yet no one else can see them. She then confirms with the press that if the fleet is forced to stop due to lack of fuel, they would be like ducks in a Cylon Shooting Gallery. She then ends the press conference, leaves the press just hanging, and goes back to her private room.

A Raptor piloted by Sharon Sleeper Cylon Boomer with Crashdown as her ECO, has been doing sweeps for Tylium ore in an asteroid field with so much interference that they have to get right on top of each rock to read it's make up. It is the 87th sweep of this asteroid field and Crashdown is getting frustrated. Boomer teases him about some ensign back on Galactica that is stalking him. Just then they find an asteroid that appears to be made mostly of Tylium. As they pat themselves on the back for the score Boomer notices movement...the rock is also crawling with cylons.

I think its important to point out things like the banter going on between Boomer and Crashdown. Because you have to remember she has no idea she is a cylon. She was thinking she was, but then Baltar set her mind at ease. Even if it is pure programming...that is pretty fraking impressive programming. In Boomer's case it is a strong enough program to suppress her knowledge of who she really is until the time calls for it, while allowing her to be as human as any human could be.

In Athena's case it is not strong enough to overpower the desire to protect the ones we love. Interesting. Love...love is stronger than the cylons base programming. When the cylon is aware of her program that is. Boomer didn't know she was going to shoot the Old Man until she had already pulled the trigger. When that episode comes, we will address her own shock at what she just did. And also how the fear of doing something similar haunts Tyrol, Saul and Anders. Tory doesn't seem to have the same fear.


So they find the only Tylium remotely within their grasp and the Cylons beat them to it. Worse, its enough Tylium to last them for years...like a big fat carrot the rabbit can't resist. The timing of finding the fuel matches that of the water find. Like the Gods want to be sure the Fleet makes it to Earth. Col Tigh and Gaeta discuss the find in the CIC while Lee Adama looks at the pictures taken by Boomer's Raptor. Gaeta says its like the Cylons are staking out water holes in the dessert. Tigh says 'yeah, only this one is a lake.'

The Cylons didn't just find this asteroid yesterday, they have a full scale refinery built there, which means the Cylons have explored a lot more space than the Colonies. Prompting Gaeta to ask the question 'This far from their home world?' Why does that sound like the Colonies know where the cylons home world was/is? Or did they, like the rest of us, just assume it was just past the outer reaches of the colonies? Did the Armistice give all of outer space to the Cylons? They seemed to have a border fairly close to the Colonies. And yet I wonder if they even tell us.

{These questions and more probably won't get answered until post season 4 in the flashback movie 'The Plan' set from 15 days prior to the Fall of the 12 Colonies in the Miniseries to some point during season 3 or 4 - probably up to the point the Cylons decided to make Earth their home too.}

Lee suggests they just forget about this rock, that it is too heavily guarded. They should just look for another somewhere else. Col Tigh says the Cylons will be guarding that one too...so Lee suggests they send the Raptors farther out...10 to 15 jumps...find something the cylons haven't found yet. And use up all their fuel in the process adds Col Tigh. Adama wants to take this rock from the cylons. Tigh understands the need but is concerned about taking on a force clearly greater than their own. If they fail..end of game.

Down in the Pilot's ready room, Kara is teaching the newest squadron of pilots about out maneuvering cylon fire. This is the same group she nearly died for during Act of Contrition, including Chuckles, Hotdog and Kat. Chuckles is among the casualties in this episode. Cmdr Adama comes in. She says the new pilots are as wobbly as new born colts but getting stronger everyday. The Cmdr tells her they need her out of the box thinking for the op being planned. "Out of the box is where I live," she says.

Roslin meets with Elosha, a Priestess, on Colonial One, and discusses her Chamalla use along with the prescient dreams about LeOben, and the waking dream about the snakes. Elosha asks if the President is putting her on because of the Pythian prophecy regarding snakes numbering 2 and 10. In Elosha's version it was said a leader would be given a vision of the serpents. Later in the episode, Head Six will recite a slightly different wording, about being 'lead by' serpents, to which Baltar interprets to be the vipers that had attacked the Cylon refinery.

As Elosha details the prophecy she goes to on to mention that the leader mentioned in the scrolls was dying from a wasting disease then asks Roslin, 'you aren't dying are you?' Roslin didn't answer but of course we all know that she does have cancer.

Discussing the operation plan in the war room, Lee, Tigh, Cmdr Adama and Kara all stand around the big ops table with all the little models of ships. Lee's plan is textbook from his days in war college which is why it won't work. Kara says the Cylons will see right through it. As Kara details her plan some time passes and now there are more people including the President standing around the table.

Kara wants to use 3 civilian ships as decoys posing as mining survey ships. The President is concerned for the safety of the crews on those 3 ships. Lee informs her that their FTL drives will be spooled and ready to go at the first sign of trouble. There are various other aspects of the plan discussed, most of which rely on the President's OK. They need her permission to use the civilian freighters as decoys and the civilian passengers will have to be relocated off the decoy ships to other ships in the fleet.

Cmdr Adama understands the risk of stirring the bee's nest, being the Cylons, but they don't have a lot of choice. If they keep running eventually they will be dry and sitting ducks. He makes an analogy to school yard bullies and figures that if they stop running, turn around and poke them in a sensitive spot that the bullies might back off some. The President grants them use of the freighters and bids them all good hunting. 48 hrs to game time.

Kara and Tigh meet with Baltar. They must destroy the cylons on the asteroid without nukes which would render the ore inert and unusable. Luckily Tylium is just as devastating when targeted correctly, they just have to hit the storage tanks that hold the unrefined Tylium precursor, being far more volatile than the actual fuel. Unfortunately Baltar has no idea what the tanks look like...though he fails to mention that fact to Col Tigh or Kara.

Baltar retreats into his fantasy for a moment to ask his virtual girlfriend for help. She claims to have no knowledge of Tylium refineries but that God could help him. Baltar doesn't imagine the cylon God would want to help him destroy a Cylon base killing who knows how many cylons. Head Six states that God doesn't take sides, 'he only wants your love', she tells him to open his heart and God will guide him.

Back in reality, Baltar makes a wild guess and points at the aerial image...hit it there he says, and it will be like a 3 kiloton bomb. Out in the hall Baltar is feeling guilty because he never heard God but Head Six assures him that God doesn't always speak with words. Baltar is more than concerned that the fate of humanity rests on his wild guess. Baltar is a coward, but at least he does seem to care a little about his race, if not more than his own skin.

In the gym Cmdr Adama visits Starbuck doing leg presses with her bad knee. She wants in on this operation, he tells her Doc Cottle doesn't think her knee will take it. She tries to argue so he adds more weight to her machine detailing what she would be doing in the viper with each stack. She extends her leg and then he adds more. She has to hold it for at least 10 seconds to simulate a high speed turn pulling 6 G's. She can't hold it and has to drop the stack. Then Adama says it wasn't even as much as 6 Gs, it was more like 3. He grounds her advising that Lee will be leading this run.

A bit later Kara and Lee are looking at the aerial image again, she is going over the plan details and giving Lee a 'pep' talk. He is trying to be confident - but states everyone including himself would feel better if she was coming along and that even though he may not pull off some wild stunt like she would that this is his job and he will get it done. She reminds him how important the mission is and that he shouldn't frak it up by over thinking. Then she walks off. Their relationship in this show is a far cry from the Breck Twins in the original series. Thanks the Gods. LOL

The next day back on Caprica, Helo and Sharon are walking through a horse stable. Helo quips that the great thing about being the last survivors is that no one is around to complain when they crash in their barns or raid their pantries. He then asks if she finds it strange that they haven't seen a single living human since the one {a Six} Sharon shot in the woods....Helo still doesn't know the Cylons can look human.

Sharon has this look of remorse or guilt or just that she knows the woman was not human and that any humans left alive either ran for the hills or ended up in the farms. She tells him that they are probably just hold up in their fall out shelters some where. They both climb up into the loft of the barn. He offers her a snack and she runs off to puke. He asks if she is taking her meds for radiation. She blames the beans they had for lunch. The rest of us know she is pregnant. That's right, a cylon skin job got pregnant by a human man. No, there is no higher power at work here...nope...not at all. LOL

In Galactica's hanger, Lee and Adama share a quiet chat about having insomnia the night before a mission. Bill says he has something for Lee and takes out his father's lighter, inscribed with the name Joseph Adama. Bill states that his mother, Lee's grandmother, bought it for Joe when he was in law school. Bill goes on to say that his dad was a better father than he has been. Lee doesn't answer, Bill then adds that Joe Adama claimed to never have lost a case unless he left his lighter behind.

Bill gives the lighter to Lee for luck. Lee figures his dad is worried about his ability to complete the mission. Lee feels that everyone thinks Starbuck would do the mission better. They share a touching moment when Cmdr Adama is certain that Lee will be fine...because he is his son. Then Bill tells Lee to get some rest. As Bill departs, Lee promises to return the lighter to which Bill says 'You'd better, or I'll kick your ass...its a good lighter.'

While the relationship between Lee and Bill continues to be strained, it is obvious that the emotions are there, but like most people who have had issues in the past, these 2 find it difficult to get past some of their hang ups. The Bill/Lee relationship will continue to have its ups and downs, even up to the point we are at at the middle of Season 4. Just when you think they are good to go, one of them chooses an opposing path and the cycle begins again.

The next morning on Caprica, Helo is awakened by Sharon accidentally swatting his face in her sleep. He then hears a cylon patrol coming down the road in the rain. Helo looks through binoculars and sees another copy of a 6. 'But you killed her' he says to Sharon. Sharon takes the binoculars next seeing the patrol of Centurions. Then she tells Helo they have to go now. He is still going on about the dead blonde not being dead. She prods him to get moving. They bail from the loft and start running.

Galactica jumps into the asteroid field with the Dradis interference covering their signature. The 3 civilian vessels jump into a different location and use an open channel to announce their presence. The President is with Cmdr Adama, Baltar and Gaeta in the War Room. They must wait for the cylons to take the bait. The Raptors on station report that 90 plus raiders are in bound to the decoys. Kara walks in just as the first strike force of vipers is launched from Galactica on the tail of the raiders bound for the decoys.

50 more raiders are then added by the cylons to go after the attack force that launched from Galactica. The vipers engage at 5 to 1 odds. Splash at least 1 viper. Strike Team one is not doing so well and is aborted to return to base. They are pursued by the entire raider compliment, 50 + 90 raiders come after the Galactica having overheard the recall on an open channel thus abandoning the decoys altogether.

A few more moments pass with The President and Baltar looking defeated, when Adama tells Kara it's her plan and with The President and Baltar looking a bit confused, Kara advises Gaeta to advise Dee in CIC to send a scrambled message to Apollo that 'The back door is open'.

Seconds later in a scene reminiscent of the Trojan War, a cargo bay cover on one of the decoy freighters detaches, slowly revealing a full squadron of vipers, including Apollo, that release their magnetic locks and launch from the freighter.

When the President asks Kara why that detail was kept from her, Cmdr Adama says he routinely keeps tactical information on a need to know basis, out of habit. He apologizes, though Roslin seems to be more relieved that they could actually pull off this stunt than upset for being left out of the loop.

With the raiders en route to the Galactica, and Lee's team headed for the Cylon Base through the back door, Cmdr Adama departs for the CIC. Tigh informs him they have 3 minutes until the first wave of raiders reach Galactica. The advise the first strike team to stop running and blow those frackin' raiders from the sky. The recall of the 1st strike team was all a part of Kara's plan, she seems to know the cylons pretty well. They fell for her little trick hook, line and sinker.

Meanwhile, Lee leads the second strike force down to the surface to destroy the base. The cylons have automated ground defenses that not only cost them 3 vipers and pilots, but also, according to Kat, the Cylons are jamming the missile guidance making it impossible to hit the target using the computers.

As an homage to Star Wars, Lee takes them down to the deck, to get as close as they can so they won't need the guidance, and can hit the target manually. He even takes a trip through a small tunnel, muttering to himself the whole time just like Luke Skywalker did.

Kat and Baltar both question Lee's sanity for entering the tunnel with no guarantee that it goes anywhere. Vipers can stop on a dime apparently as he reaches a dead end and makes a 90 degree turn straight up. Clear of the tunnel at last and back on the surface Apollo demonstrates just how maneuverable those vipers are. He sees the target, hops over the obstacles, drops his bombs, suffers the endless wait to detonation and then...boom Boom BOOM!!

Lee did it!! Mission Accomplished!! Everyone on Galactica is cheering!! Dr. Baltar was right on the money and will now be hailed as a hero!! This moment is the catalyst for his rise in political power as we shall see in the next episodes. Kara hugs the president then apologizes, but Roslin thanks her for such a great plan, which will provide them with enough fuel to last a couple years, then Roslin hugs Kara again.

The Viper teams are given clearance to pursue and destroy the fleeing raiders - one assumes for a bit of payback, but tactically they have to get them all before one jumps away to get help. Lee and his team return to the ship, greeted with champagne and celebrating crew members. Starbuck gives Lee a Fumarello Cigar that he lights with his dads lighter, just as the Cmdr arrives, tossing it to his dad across the deck.

Inside Baltar's dream world, Head six asks him if he ever read the Pythian Prophecies. He says not since the sixth grade and that ancient history was never his favorite. She they tells him he should have paid better attention. She repeats the reference to serpents but states it as 'lead by' serpents which they both see as referring to the vipers not actual snakes. {Is Baltar dying perhaps? He does take medicine for something, and as of season 4 he is a leader.}

Head Six then adds the part about how even though the outcome favored the few it would lead to a confrontation on the Home of the Gods; {Kobol} Just like Leoben predicted in the episode Flesh and Bone. Guias takes that to mean that God wanted Baltar to help the fleet destroy the refinery - Head Six says that he {Guias} did good. This God seems want the humans to have a chance at survival. Perhaps the Cylons were not suppose to destroy humanity? Thus their God would have to intervene to save the future? Or maybe it really is all about Baltar? That would be a kick.

Baltar seems to have a bit of epiphany at that moment, realizing that the only logical answer to his being able to so accurately guess the correct target is that he was moved by God. The episode ends with Baltar staring up at the sky in his imagination stating 'I..am...an instrument of God.'

Personally, I still think he is a Tool. LOL But the fact is clear that Head Six guides Baltar and when he does as she tells him, things work out in his favor. Someone, something, a higher power or more advanced being wants Baltar to be given a position of power. But why. It could be as simple as needing the Fleet to stop at New Caprica to delay reaching the Algae Planet before the Nova. Remember she manipulates him into making the settling of New Caprica his primary campaign platform.

Perhaps God intervened and change Racetracks jump coordinates allowing her to find New Caprica in the first place? Many things happened or were made possible as a direct result of their stay on New Caprica beyond the more obvious occupation, exodus and abduction of Kara by Leoben, including the discovery that Hera lives. However I won't get into those items until we get closer to the end of Season 2.
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Thank you for reading
~99
^Additional^ notes from http://en.BattlestarWiki.org regarding this episode - available here.
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In the next episode, 'Colonial Day' we finally get a dose of the civilian government, and a whole bunch of political posturing as a meeting of the Interim Quorum of 12 turns into a quest to elect a Vice President. Tom Zarek returns as the delegate for Saggitaron, his charisma and popularity forces Roslin to choose for her VP the only person in the Fleet currently more charismatic and well received than Zarek...Guias Baltar.
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Thank you for reading,
~99
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