Battlestar Galactica 1st Season Episode Guide
The first season of the new SciFi series “Battlestar Galactica” recently ended, but fans can look forward to a brand new season—and the resolution of this season’s cliffhangers—starting mid-summer. Here’s the plot so far, just to remind you of what you’re missing this spring. All dates listed are American debut dates; the show aired earlier in the U.K. WARNING: SPOILERS!
1: “33” (January 14, 2005): Every 33 minutes, the fleet of human survivors experiences an attack by Cylons that must result in a jump to a new location. Pilots are tired, civilians are starting to doubt their new leadership…and now, a passenger ship has failed to make a jump with the rest of the ships. Fearing that it’s been infiltrated by the Cylons, Adama (Edward James Olmos) must decide whether or not to destroy the ship and the 1,300 people on board. Meanwhile, Baltar (James Callis) remains connected to his lovely Cylon companion and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) is back on Caprica, running from the Cylon occupiers.
2. “Water” (January 14, 2005): Boomer (Grace Park) starts to think she’s going crazy when she wakes up with an explosive charge in her bag, and soon after that an explosion destroys 60 percent of the water tanks on the Galactica. Is she the one responsible? Adama now has a bigger problem—the lack of water. They must try to locate a source on the planets they’re passing. All ships get limited rations and Baltar is assigned to create a Cylon detector that will ferret out the bad guys in the fleet. On Caprica, Helo runs into another avatar of crewmate Sharon and they attempt to survive together.
3. “Bastille Day” (January 21, 2005): The fleet has found water—but now it needs to be mined from an icy planet with dangerous conditions. Lee (Jamie Bamber) is sent to a prisoner transport ship to offer its inmates a deal: volunteer for this mission and earn freedom. The inmates stage an uprising instead, holding Lee and his crew hostage. Turns out they’ve united under Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch—the original Apollo), a charismatic freedom fighter who demands immediate elections within the fleet to elect a new leader. Adama tries to organize an assault on the ship, while Lee negotiates. On Caprica, Sharon and Helo are being observed.
4. “Act of Contrition” (January 28, 2005): When an accident on the flight deck kills a group of pilots, Kara (Katee Sackhoff) is assigned to teach a group of civilians and academy washouts the intricacies of flying a viper. She flunks them all their first day, saying that they’re not ready. As it turns out, she’s suffering from guilt—she let Zak, her lover and Adama’s son, slide through when he wasn’t ready, and he died from his inexperience and lack of skill. Lee confronts her and forces her to tell Adama the truth about the death of his son. He orders her to continue the training. Meanwhile, an investigation continues into detonators found in Sharon’s spacecraft, and Roslin consults a doctor about her cancer.
5. “You Can’t Go Home Again” (February 4, 2005): Kara goes missing while on a training mission. Adama and Lee spare no resources in searching for her—possibly at the expense of the rest of the fleet. Roslin questions their motives in light of the fleet’s desperate situation, and Adama reluctantly calls off the search. But Starbuck is resourceful; she finds a downed Cylon fighter on the moon where she’s stranded, and struggles to fly it home.
6. “Litmus” (February 11, 2005): Doral, one of the Cylon copies, sneaks aboard and blows himself and three other people up. This forces Adama and Roslin to publicly reveal the fact that Cylons now look like humans. Adama appoints an independent tribunal to investigate the recent security breaches on Galactica, putting Sgt. Hadrian in charge. The investigation starts to focus on Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and Sharon’s actions, leading Tyrol to take the blame. But Adama thinks the tribunal is getting out of control, and shuts it down first. On Caprica, Helo continues to be observed by Cylons.
7. “Six Degrees of Separation” (February 18, 2005): Baltar’s companion Cylon, Number Six, abandons him after a theological argument and appears aboard the Galactica as a woman called Shelly Godfrey—who insists that she has evidence that Baltar sold the human race out to the Cylons. But she’s a suspicious character from the beginning, and Baltar spends the episode trying to save himself from her accusations. Meanwhile, Kara tries to recover from her injuries as others try to figure out how her Cylon raider works. Sharon is terrified of being exposed as a Cylon, especially after seeing the word written on her locker mirror. On Caprica, Helo and her other avatar continue to run from the Cylons.
8. “Flesh and Bone” (February 25, 2005): The Cylon Leobon is discovered on one of the ships in the fleet, and Adama sends Kara to interrogate him. He tells her, during the course of questioning, that he planted a nuclear device on one of the ships. Everyone searches for it while Kara tries to pry more information out of him through theological debates, mind games, threats and torture. Roslin joins the interrogation near its end, and Sharon asks Baltar to use his new Cylon-detecting technology on her. On Caprica, the other Boomer meets up with her Cylon associates.
9. “Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down” (March 4, 2005): Roslin’s fear that Adama is a Cylon, stoked by Leobon, is heightened when she discovers that he’s starting to act secretly and unusually. This suspicion is made worse when a single Cylon raider appears near the ship and begins acting strangely after being damaged in battle. Turns out that Adama has been in contact with Tigh’s lost wife Ellen, who is finally reunited with Tigh after being in a coma. Roslin orders both Adama and the flirtatious Ellen screened by Baltar’s machine. On Caprica, the Cylons think avatar Sharon is being compromised by her relationship with Helo.
10. “The Hand of God” (March 11, 2005): The fleet needs a new supply of tylium ore for fuel—and finds an asteroid full of the stuff, but the Cylons have discovered it first and put up a refining plant. Kara has a bold plan to get the ore that involves quite a bit of skill and daring, and a little luck. Roslin, meanwhile, is starting to hallucinate as a result of the drugs she’s taking to control her cancer. Is she going crazy, or are her visions really fulfilling a prophecy set down thousands of years ago? Back on Caprica, the avatar Sharon discovers she’s pregnant. Note: This episode was adapted from the last episode of the 1978 “Battlestar Galactica” series.
11. “Colonial Day” (March 18, 2005): Tom Zarek makes his triumphant return as the delegate from Sagittaron to the Quorum of the Twelve Colonies. He instantly proposes elections for the Vice Presidency, and of course is nominated himself. Roslin wants her advisor Wallace Gray to run against him—that is, until Baltar proves to be a better, more exciting and eloquent candidate. During the council, the Quorum site is infiltrated by two assassins. Though their plot is foiled, a captured assassin dies mysteriously in custody. Cut to Caprica, where Sharon might have to reveal her identity to Helo to save his life.
12. “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1” (March 25, 2005): While flying a patrol, Sharon and Crashdown spot a planet that can support human life. In fact, this planet could be the legendary home of the gods—Kobol. Roslin starts to believe that this discovery is part of that ancient prophecy. When a Raptor goes down to the planet to investigate, though, it’s shot down and Adam must find a way to neutralize the Cylon basestar that guards Kobol. He sends Kara on a mission against it, but after speaking with Roslin Kara defies orders and jumps to Caprica instead in search of an artifact called the Arrow of Apollo. On a more personal level, Baltar and Kara have a one-night stand that breeds tension. Sharon, now knowing on some level what she is, contemplates suicide with a little help from Baltar. On Caprica, her avatar struggles with Helo. This episode, and the next, was adapted from “The Lost Planet of the Gods” episode from the original series.
13. “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 2” (April 1, 2005): Adama demands the president’s resignation after learning of Kara’s mission, during a confrontation where Lee takes the upper hand and is arrested for his trouble. Kara completes her mission to find the artifact that will lead the fleet to Earth, but not without a big fight with Number Six. She also discovers Helo and Boomer’s avatar on Caprica. Sharon is sent on the mission Kara was to have completed, but while on the basestar trying to deliver a nuclear warhead she is greeted by dozens of her own avatars—all Cylons just like herself. She succeeds in destroying the basestar and returning to the Galactica’s bridge, where Lee is in chains for having defied his father. After accepting Adama’s thanks for a job well done, she surprises everyone by shooting him point-blank in the chest.
Ready for the second season? We can’t wait to see what happens next!
1: “33” (January 14, 2005): Every 33 minutes, the fleet of human survivors experiences an attack by Cylons that must result in a jump to a new location. Pilots are tired, civilians are starting to doubt their new leadership…and now, a passenger ship has failed to make a jump with the rest of the ships. Fearing that it’s been infiltrated by the Cylons, Adama (Edward James Olmos) must decide whether or not to destroy the ship and the 1,300 people on board. Meanwhile, Baltar (James Callis) remains connected to his lovely Cylon companion and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) is back on Caprica, running from the Cylon occupiers.
2. “Water” (January 14, 2005): Boomer (Grace Park) starts to think she’s going crazy when she wakes up with an explosive charge in her bag, and soon after that an explosion destroys 60 percent of the water tanks on the Galactica. Is she the one responsible? Adama now has a bigger problem—the lack of water. They must try to locate a source on the planets they’re passing. All ships get limited rations and Baltar is assigned to create a Cylon detector that will ferret out the bad guys in the fleet. On Caprica, Helo runs into another avatar of crewmate Sharon and they attempt to survive together.
3. “Bastille Day” (January 21, 2005): The fleet has found water—but now it needs to be mined from an icy planet with dangerous conditions. Lee (Jamie Bamber) is sent to a prisoner transport ship to offer its inmates a deal: volunteer for this mission and earn freedom. The inmates stage an uprising instead, holding Lee and his crew hostage. Turns out they’ve united under Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch—the original Apollo), a charismatic freedom fighter who demands immediate elections within the fleet to elect a new leader. Adama tries to organize an assault on the ship, while Lee negotiates. On Caprica, Sharon and Helo are being observed.
4. “Act of Contrition” (January 28, 2005): When an accident on the flight deck kills a group of pilots, Kara (Katee Sackhoff) is assigned to teach a group of civilians and academy washouts the intricacies of flying a viper. She flunks them all their first day, saying that they’re not ready. As it turns out, she’s suffering from guilt—she let Zak, her lover and Adama’s son, slide through when he wasn’t ready, and he died from his inexperience and lack of skill. Lee confronts her and forces her to tell Adama the truth about the death of his son. He orders her to continue the training. Meanwhile, an investigation continues into detonators found in Sharon’s spacecraft, and Roslin consults a doctor about her cancer.
5. “You Can’t Go Home Again” (February 4, 2005): Kara goes missing while on a training mission. Adama and Lee spare no resources in searching for her—possibly at the expense of the rest of the fleet. Roslin questions their motives in light of the fleet’s desperate situation, and Adama reluctantly calls off the search. But Starbuck is resourceful; she finds a downed Cylon fighter on the moon where she’s stranded, and struggles to fly it home.
6. “Litmus” (February 11, 2005): Doral, one of the Cylon copies, sneaks aboard and blows himself and three other people up. This forces Adama and Roslin to publicly reveal the fact that Cylons now look like humans. Adama appoints an independent tribunal to investigate the recent security breaches on Galactica, putting Sgt. Hadrian in charge. The investigation starts to focus on Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and Sharon’s actions, leading Tyrol to take the blame. But Adama thinks the tribunal is getting out of control, and shuts it down first. On Caprica, Helo continues to be observed by Cylons.
7. “Six Degrees of Separation” (February 18, 2005): Baltar’s companion Cylon, Number Six, abandons him after a theological argument and appears aboard the Galactica as a woman called Shelly Godfrey—who insists that she has evidence that Baltar sold the human race out to the Cylons. But she’s a suspicious character from the beginning, and Baltar spends the episode trying to save himself from her accusations. Meanwhile, Kara tries to recover from her injuries as others try to figure out how her Cylon raider works. Sharon is terrified of being exposed as a Cylon, especially after seeing the word written on her locker mirror. On Caprica, Helo and her other avatar continue to run from the Cylons.
8. “Flesh and Bone” (February 25, 2005): The Cylon Leobon is discovered on one of the ships in the fleet, and Adama sends Kara to interrogate him. He tells her, during the course of questioning, that he planted a nuclear device on one of the ships. Everyone searches for it while Kara tries to pry more information out of him through theological debates, mind games, threats and torture. Roslin joins the interrogation near its end, and Sharon asks Baltar to use his new Cylon-detecting technology on her. On Caprica, the other Boomer meets up with her Cylon associates.
9. “Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down” (March 4, 2005): Roslin’s fear that Adama is a Cylon, stoked by Leobon, is heightened when she discovers that he’s starting to act secretly and unusually. This suspicion is made worse when a single Cylon raider appears near the ship and begins acting strangely after being damaged in battle. Turns out that Adama has been in contact with Tigh’s lost wife Ellen, who is finally reunited with Tigh after being in a coma. Roslin orders both Adama and the flirtatious Ellen screened by Baltar’s machine. On Caprica, the Cylons think avatar Sharon is being compromised by her relationship with Helo.
10. “The Hand of God” (March 11, 2005): The fleet needs a new supply of tylium ore for fuel—and finds an asteroid full of the stuff, but the Cylons have discovered it first and put up a refining plant. Kara has a bold plan to get the ore that involves quite a bit of skill and daring, and a little luck. Roslin, meanwhile, is starting to hallucinate as a result of the drugs she’s taking to control her cancer. Is she going crazy, or are her visions really fulfilling a prophecy set down thousands of years ago? Back on Caprica, the avatar Sharon discovers she’s pregnant. Note: This episode was adapted from the last episode of the 1978 “Battlestar Galactica” series.
11. “Colonial Day” (March 18, 2005): Tom Zarek makes his triumphant return as the delegate from Sagittaron to the Quorum of the Twelve Colonies. He instantly proposes elections for the Vice Presidency, and of course is nominated himself. Roslin wants her advisor Wallace Gray to run against him—that is, until Baltar proves to be a better, more exciting and eloquent candidate. During the council, the Quorum site is infiltrated by two assassins. Though their plot is foiled, a captured assassin dies mysteriously in custody. Cut to Caprica, where Sharon might have to reveal her identity to Helo to save his life.
12. “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 1” (March 25, 2005): While flying a patrol, Sharon and Crashdown spot a planet that can support human life. In fact, this planet could be the legendary home of the gods—Kobol. Roslin starts to believe that this discovery is part of that ancient prophecy. When a Raptor goes down to the planet to investigate, though, it’s shot down and Adam must find a way to neutralize the Cylon basestar that guards Kobol. He sends Kara on a mission against it, but after speaking with Roslin Kara defies orders and jumps to Caprica instead in search of an artifact called the Arrow of Apollo. On a more personal level, Baltar and Kara have a one-night stand that breeds tension. Sharon, now knowing on some level what she is, contemplates suicide with a little help from Baltar. On Caprica, her avatar struggles with Helo. This episode, and the next, was adapted from “The Lost Planet of the Gods” episode from the original series.
13. “Kobol’s Last Gleaming, Part 2” (April 1, 2005): Adama demands the president’s resignation after learning of Kara’s mission, during a confrontation where Lee takes the upper hand and is arrested for his trouble. Kara completes her mission to find the artifact that will lead the fleet to Earth, but not without a big fight with Number Six. She also discovers Helo and Boomer’s avatar on Caprica. Sharon is sent on the mission Kara was to have completed, but while on the basestar trying to deliver a nuclear warhead she is greeted by dozens of her own avatars—all Cylons just like herself. She succeeds in destroying the basestar and returning to the Galactica’s bridge, where Lee is in chains for having defied his father. After accepting Adama’s thanks for a job well done, she surprises everyone by shooting him point-blank in the chest.
Ready for the second season? We can’t wait to see what happens next!
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