Battlestar Galactica: You Can’t Go Home Again (2)

February 8th, 2008

Season 1, Episode 5

Starbuck has crashed on a windy, barren desert planet, and Adama is determined to find her. But the crew disagrees as to how much time and resources should be spent to locate one downed pilot. Tigh doesn’t think they should stick around past the estimated depletion of her oxygen supply. Eventually Adama relieves Tigh of duty, choosing Starbuck over his XO.

Roslin tells Adama that the risk of a Cylon attack, damage to Vipers, and waste of precious resources is unacceptable. Adama relents, calls off the rescue operation, and prepares to jump.

Stranded on the planet, Starbuck discovers the crashed raider she was battling, still intact. The craft is solid on the outside but contains organic matter. After crawling into the ship, she finds air coming out of a tentacle-like tube. Using her pilot’s knowledge, she figures out the alien controls, and flies raider off the planet and into deep space.

As the fleet is about to jump, Dualla notices the approaching raider. Lee is sent to intercept, and finds Starbuck has attached put her name beneath the wings of the raider. Starbuck has made it home.

On Caprica, Helo and Athena relax for a moment only to be interrupted by a Cylon patrol. During the melee, Helo loses track of Athena. He is now alone.

Thoughts

There is one particularly heated confrontation between Lee and Tigh, where the XO accuses Lee of confusing personal feelings with duty. Adama also shows a little of his inner feelings by telling Lee that Kara was family and sometimes you have to break the rules.

This seems to be a theme through all the episodes so far: how much of your own, sometimes selfish feelings, would you subvert for the good of the human race as a whole? Or does survival mean to become more insular and protect only the ones you love?

Also cool is that the Galactica is now in possession of some Cylon technology in the form of the raider Starbuck brings aboard.

My one complaint: I found it a bit of a stretch to think Starbuck could learn how to fly the raider in such a short amount of time while running out of oxygen. This lends some evidence to the theory that she is in fact a Cylon.

Next Episode: Litmus
Previous Episode: Act of Contrition (1)