Season 1, Episodes 3 & 4

Episode 3: Bastille Day

Highlights/Moments of Revelation

• Loved the scene with Gaius telling the Commander what he needed to make a Cylon detector. I’m just really enjoying any scene with Number Six appearing in Gaius’ mind and the way he (somewhat shakily, and in a way that makes him seem quite mad) manages to have two conversations at once – with her in his head and whoever is actually standing in front of him
• I appreciated and smiled at Tom Zarek’s little speech about Captain Adama’s callsign being Apollo, and then referring to Commander Adama as Zeus
• How messed up is that boy (that Boomer rescued from Caprica) who hangs around with Starbuck going to be?!
• Tigh telling Starbuck that “the difference is, my flaws are personal, yours are professional” sets us up nicely for the next episode

Question

• Despite watching the episode twice, I didn’t understand Tom Zarek’s character and motivations. He was ready to die (so he said to Captain Adama, at least), but when Lee pulled him out of Starbuck’s line of fire, he seemed genuinely grateful and started crying. Did he really believe in democracy so strongly that his only aim was for the government to call elections, or was there more?

Episode 4: Act of Contrition

Highlights/Moments of Revelation

• Why show clips before each act of Starbuck’s descent in to that planet’s atmosphere before it happens? Again, like the series of flashes of scenes from the episode just after the credits, I don’t see what is added by putting this in before it happens. It’s not like she’s having a premonition.
• The doctor who examines the President smokes and recommends she consider prayer! Ha!
• I really enjoyed how we saw both the beginning (in flashback) and the end (in the present) of Commander Adama and Starbuck’s relationship. Perhaps enjoy is the wrong word, however, because I actually found it quite emotionally hard to watch. It was certainly good story telling though.

Quote

Starbuck: “Pilots call me Starbuck; you may refer to me as God.”