Escape Velocity (Battlestar Galactica)
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"Escape Velocity" is the fourth episode in the fourth season of the science fiction television series ''
Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
''. It first aired on April 25, 2008. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,675.


Plot

Chief
Galen Tyrol Galen Tyrol (commonly referred to as The Chief) is a character on the television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard. Battlestar ''Galactica''. After the events of the mi ...
holds a memorial service for his late wife Cally. As it concludes, Tory Foster tries to convey her condolences to him.
Colonel Tigh ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction television series created by Glen A. Larson and starring Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch, and Dirk Benedict. The series follows the surviving humans as they flee in the fictional spacecraft ...
and Tory later meet the Chief in his quarters. There, he confesses that he is still confused by his Cylon identity, but Tory tries to persuade him that he is perfect and that they are superior to humans. She suggests that he "switch off" his guilt, but Tigh vehemently disagrees saying that grief is human. Tory then visits
Gaius Baltar Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series '' Battlestar Galactica'' played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. He is one of the show's primary characters. Personality G ...
in his sect's quarters. As she seduces him while bringing him pain, a group of masked men break in, launch tear gas, deface Baltar's shrine and beat up anyone they can find. They demand Baltar surrender himself, but he hides in his alcove. The intruders flee when security arrives. After the attack, Baltar comforts an older woman who is praying to
Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...
, a god of healing. An investigation is launched and Six tells Baltar that the attackers are known as "The Sons of
Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...
" – a religious sect opposed to Baltar's
monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...
teachings. " Head Six" appears to him and says that it seems "the old gods are fighting back." She encourages Baltar to coordinate a counter-attack. Later, Baltar and his followers break into a
polytheistic Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...
religious ceremony to denounce the old gods. Baltar declares that people are not being told the truth and begins defacing the temple, crushing the items on the alter and denouncing the priestess a witch. Security personnel arrest him before a riot starts. In ''Galacticas
sick bay A sick bay is a compartment in a ship, or a section of another organisation, such as a school or college, used for medical purposes. The sick bay contains the ship's medicine chest, which may be divided into separate cabinets, such as a refrigerat ...
, Adama meets Roslin, bringing a novel to read aloud during her cancer treatment. Down in the
brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...
, Colonel Tigh pays a visit to
Caprica Six Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series '' Battlestar Galactica''. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of ...
and asks how she can cope with her guilt in the deaths of billions of human beings. He then hallucinates, seeing his dead wife
Ellen Tigh Ellen Tigh is a fictional character from the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. She is played by the actress Kate Vernon. Overview Ellen Tigh is the wife of Colonel Saul Tigh. At the beginning of the series, he believes she has been ...
in her place and he fearfully leaves. On ''Colonial One'', the
Quorum A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to ''Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
meets where
Lee Adama Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama (callsign "Apollo") is a fictional character in the television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber, and is one of the main characters in the series. His first appearance was in ''Batt ...
challenges President Roslin's latest emergency decree, in response to the religious attacks, which restricts assemblies to twelve people or fewer. Roslin assures him that the decree is aimed squarely at
Gaius Baltar Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series '' Battlestar Galactica'' played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 '' Battlestar Galactica'' series. He is one of the show's primary characters. Personality G ...
and his monotheistic sect, but the other Quorum members argue that the decree could be applied to many polytheistic believers as well, whose beliefs approximate parts of Baltar's religion. An angry Roslin challenges the Quorum to override her decree, while reminding them of what happened when Baltar was President and warning them of what might happen if he were to obtain significant religious influence. On ''Galactica'', Tyrol returns to work, but remains distracted. He clears Racetrack's
Raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...
for flight, but the ship soon suffers an explosion and is forced into an emergency crash-landing. Although Racetrack and her ECO Skulls escape injury, the Raptor is destroyed. An inspection reveals that Tyrol failed to swap a damaged part for the replacement he was carrying at the time. Racetrack tries to drop the matter saying that nobody was hurt—"It was human error"—but Tyrol becomes furious and challenges any of the witnesses to face him and say that he " frakked" up. Distraught over the incident, Tyrol sits alone in Joe's Bar. Adama arrives and tries to console him over the death of Cally; Tyrol hallucinates and hears Adama call Cally a Cylon-lover who birthed a half-breed abomination, but really he had said that Cally was a good person. Tyrol becomes enraged, insulting Cally and denouncing her as second-best. He says that the one who he really loved was
Boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. The ...
, but she turned out to be a Cylon. Adama insists he heard enough from the Chief and tells him to end his outburst, but Tyrol turns his tirade against Adama himself and the ''Galactica'' and challenges Adama to demote him. Adama dismisses Tyrol from Deck Crew Chief of ''Galactica'' with rank demotion to Specialist, then commands him to appear for a duty reassignment the following morning. He leaves a stressed, despondent Chief behind at the bar. Later, Roslin visits Baltar in the brig where she tells him that she doesn't have long to live and warns that her impending death has left her willing to act outside of the law and conventional morality. She tells Baltar of the effects that her treatment is having on her and threatens him not to disturb the peace. She is tired of indulging him, but to his surprise has him released. Meanwhile, Colonel Tigh visits Caprica Six once again but he continues to see the visage of Ellen in her place. He orders the guards and observation crew away and turns off the surveillance cameras. He then repeats his earlier question of guilt to Six who says that humankind learns from pain and needs pain to achieve clarity, as she has learned from her own pain. She removes Tigh's eye-patch, but after a moment of indulging in "Ellen's" touch, he pushes her away with insults. She responds by savagely beating him down to the floor, then questions if he can sense the clarity; a bloodied Tigh asks for more pain. She admits that it appears that she was wrong about his needs and starts kissing him instead. At the sect's quarters, Baltar and several members are barred from entry to their home by a guard at the door who says he is enforcing Roslin's emergency decree against assembly. Head Six appears to Baltar and tells him he will not be harmed if he continues on. Baltar then attempts to pass but is beaten down by the soldier. Bleeding and kneeling on the floor, Baltar whispers that he cannot continue, but Head Six orders him to his feet. She then forcibly pulls him upright and Gaius appears to be physically lifted by an unseen force. The surprised guard again knocks him to the floor, while his acolytes all the more convinced by his divinity. Lee Adama then arrives and declares that the Quorum has overturned Roslin's decree and that the people are free to assemble as they please. In his quarters, Baltar delivers a lengthy, inspired speech. He declares that his monotheistic followers contain the spark of God inside them and that they must learn to love themselves before they can begin to love each other. As the speech continues, the scene briefly moves to the ''Demetrius,'' where Starbuck has fallen asleep atop her navigation charts. A concerned
Samuel Anders These are lists of characters from the various ''Battlestar Galactica'' incarnations. Original 1978 movie and series People from the ''Galactica'': * Commander Adama - played by Lorne Greene * Commander Cain - played by Lloyd Bridges * Captain ...
enters the room and stares at her. Back on ''Galactica'', Baltar concludes by telling his followers that since God loves them, they must therefore be perfect as they are. The followers, most moved to tears, cheer encouragingly. Tory Foster stands in the rear of the room. Head Six is next to her, observing her. Lee Adama stands further back, listening uneasily at Baltar's rising influence.


Production

In the original draft for the beginning of season four, Tom Zarek was behind the Sons of Ares and encouraged its attack on Baltar's Cult.Podcast: "Escape Velocity", Act 1


Cultural references

* During the quorum discussion, one of the members compares Baltar's cult to "followers of
Mithras Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras is linke ...
", a cult popular in the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
. * A woman in the episode is identified as praying to the Roman god Asclepius, although the symbol on her medallion sis in fact a
Caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; la, cādūceus, from grc-gre, κηρύκειον "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also ...
, associated with the god
Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
, which is often confused with the
Rod of Asclepius In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius (⚕; grc, Ράβδος του Ασκληπιού, , sometimes also spelled Asklepios), also known as the Staff of Aesculapius and as the asklepian, is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god A ...
.


References


External links

* "Escape Velocity" at the Battlestar Wiki
"Escape Velocity"
at
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
* {{Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) episodes 2008 American television episodes Battlestar Galactica (season 4) episodes Television episodes written by Jane Espenson