Battlestar Galactica (2003)/A Disquiet Follows My Soul

A Disquiet Follows My Soul
Season 4, Episode 12
Airdate	January 23, 2009
Production Number	4A14
Written by	Ronald D. Moore
Directed by	Ronald D. Moore
Fleet Survivors	39,644
← 4x11 Sometimes a Great Notion	4x13 → The Oath (1)
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Four

A Disquiet Follows My Soul is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, and the sixty-fifth episode overall.

Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Number Six), Grace Park (Lieutenant Sharon "Athena" Agathon)

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Felix Gaeta)

Guest Star: Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek)

Guest Star: Donnelly Rhodes (Dr. Cottle)

Co-Starring: Bodie Olmos (Hotdog), Keegan Connor Tracy (Jeanne)

Cast: Kerry Norton (Medic Layne Ishay), Brad Dryborough (Hoshi), Christina Schild (Playa Palacios), Biski Gugushe (Sekou Hamilton), Lara Gilchrist (Paula Schaffer), Finn R. Devitt (Baby Nicky), Donna Soares (Speaking Delegate #1), Andrew McIlroy (Jacob Cantrell), Judith Maxie (Picon Delegate), Marilyn Norry (Reza Chronides), Veena Sood (Quorum Delegate)

Uncredited: Leo Chiang (Tattooed pilot)

Plot Overview

With the proposal of integrating the Cylons into the fleet, including allowing them on civilian ships to upgrade FTL drives, despondency from Earth turns into anger and distrust as Zarek sways the Quorum and other parties to take a stand over the alliance with the Cylons.

Notes

The survivor count went from 39,650 at the end of the previous episode to 39,644 at the start of this episode indicating that The Face of the Enemy webisode series (and it's six murders) took place in between these episodes.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Lee's slip in front of the media indicates that Tigh told of his revelation concerning Ellen.

• The Cylons offer to upgrade the fleet's FTL drives (helping increase the likelihood of finding a habitable planet) in exchange for becoming citizens and representation on the Quorum.

• Morale has continued to slip as even some of the deck crew report in sick.

• Zarek attempts to thwart the presence of Cylons on ships by having the Hitei Kan jump away. Zarek is arrested and put in Galactica's brig.

Characters

• Tigh and Caprica-Six learn they're having a boy.

• Tyrol learns he's not Nicky's father. Cally got pregnant just before they were married and Cottle confirmed it with a paternity test. He reluctantly tells both Tyrol and the real father, Hotdog. After a confrontation that leads Tyrol to beating Hotdog up, Tyrol helps him look after his son.

• Gaeta has become bitter due to recent events and is visibly upset over the alliance with the Cylons. He begins some kind of coordination with Galactica crew before making a deal with Zarek.

• Roslin has stopped taking her medication and her treatment. While still technically president, she's gone largely AWOL. When Adama confronts her, she confesses that she's played her role in what she calls a farce and just wants to live her life.

• Baltar has a crisis of faith that leads him to blasphemy and he begins to look down on his followers.

• Adama and Roslin sleep together.

Referbacks

• Gaeta reminds Kara of him nearly being airlocked in "Collaborators" by what turned out to be a couple of Cylons and one of their wives.

Trivia

The Show

• This episode begins without the textual prologue, going immediately into the recap. Additionally, due to the events of the previous two episodes, the text that ends the title sequence leaves off the words "called Earth" and instead lingers on the word "home".

• The death count from the Fall of the Twelve Colonies is given as 50 billion, though in The Resistance webisodes it's stated to be 20 billion. It is not known whether this is a retcon or simply an overlooked continuity error.

Extended Version

This is one of three episodes that feature an extended version available on the Season 4.5 DVD. Among the notable inclusions:

• Baltar's Six returns for the first time onscreen since "Escape Velocity" (she had returned in deleted scenes for "The Road Less Traveled" and "Sometimes a Great Notion").

• In her first scene, which begins the first act in this version, she tries to strengthen Baltar's faith in God that has been clearly broken after discovering the nuclear wasted Earth, but as demonstrated in the aired version, he is now in doubt.

• In her second appearance during his speech to his followers, she reacts strongly to his rant and again as Tyrol and Hotdog are fighting, her observations about his flock's willingness to follow his every word reveals himself to think lowly of them, a mindset that will play out in subsequent episodes.

• Tigh confronts Gaeta immediately following the meeting in Adama's quarters about his lack of respect, and Gaeta makes a subversive threat towards Tigh.

• The call Adama gets is actually concerning ten Vipers in need of work and several crewmen calling in sick. He thoroughly chews Figurski out before he spots Roslin jogging by on the catwalk and confronts her in the hallway as he does in the aired version.

• Other bits include Cottle telling Tigh and Caprica-Six that they're having a boy, more questions from the press conference, the teaser ending with Zarek revealing a gun in his desk drawer, the Quorum scene begins before Zarek makes his passionate speech, Adama gets looks from the crew over his authorisation of deadly force to arrest Zarek, more exchanges between Tyrol and Hotdog in sickbay, and Adama telling Zarek that he's going to put the folder in "a safe place."

Behind the Scenes

• This episode marks Ron Moore's directorial debut and his only directing effort for the series.

Quotes

• Ishay: That's a lot of smoking around a pregnant lady.

Cottle: She'll live.

• Gaeta: I mean, Earth's a cinder; Dee's dead; suicides are up; fleet's a mess; the President's missing in action, but, hey, gotta make sure the Cylons are taken care of.

• Zarek: Permanent alliance between this government and the Cylons - any Cylons - is out of the question. I hope you both know that.

Lee: Yeah? Well, it's not your call.

Zarek: Is it yours? Are you the President again? Sorry, I get confused what your job is on any given day.

• Zarek: If you try to shove an alliance with the Cylons down our throats, they'll be consequences, Admiral. I promise you.

Adama: Thank you, Mr Zarek. Makes it a little bit easier to know who to hold responsible if there's an unfortunate incident.

Zarek: I'm not hard to find, Admiral. I'm right here. Running the government.

Adama: For now.

• Tyrol: Their technology - our technology is way ahead of ours... yours.

Tigh: Maybe you'd like a chart to keep it all straight.

• Gaeta: You tried to throw me out an airlock once.

Kara: Still crying about that?

Gaeta: The charges at the time were collaborating with an enemy in a time of war.

Kara: Waiting for the punch line.

Gaeta: Turns out the jury that convicted me was made of two Cylons... and a woman married to a Cylon.

Kara: Rimshot! Big laugh, applause, applause, applause! Are we done? Oh, no. Wait. I'm sorry, I forgot. We haven't gotten to the leg yet. 50 billion people are dead and I'm supposed to give a frak about your leg?

Gaeta: Who killed those 50 billion people, Kara?

Kara: It wasn't me.

Gaeta: No, it was your husband.

Kara: Are you enjoying yourself? Is this how you get your kicks these days? Oh, wait, I'm sorry. I meant half-kicks.

Gaeta: What was Sam doing on Caprica before he so conveniently met you? You ever wonder? You think maybe he... nuked a few cities? Executed a few thousand prisoners? I'm just wondering. Well, then again, maybe you're a Cylon, too.

Kara: At least I'm not a gimp.

• Gaeta: One day, one day soon, there's gonna be a reckoning, Kara. And once again, people are going to have to answer for what they've done.

Kara: Is that a threat?

Gaeta: You're godsdamn right that's a threat.

Kara: Well, you know where to find me, Felix. And in case you're wondering, I will definitely hit a cripple. (to the others in the rec room) Or anyone else.

Gaeta: (as Kara walks away) So I guess a pity frak's out of the question then?

• Baltar: What have you done? What have you done to deserve this punishment? What sins have you committed? What dark thoughts have you harboured, that condemn you - condemn you, to wander through the universe without hope, without light? So you have to ask yourself, what kind of a father abandons his own children to despair and loneliness? Perhaps we are not the ones in need of forgiveness. Perhaps we're not. Perhaps we have been wronged. Perhaps it is God who should come down here and beg for our forgiveness!

• Number Six: Feel better?

Baltar: They'll do anything I tell them to, won't they?

Number Six: They're your flock. They'll follow you even into blasphemy.

Baltar: A flock. That's appropriate for sheep, isn't it?

Number Six: A father's contempt for his children - isn't that what you were just preaching against?

Baltar: Well, if I'm their father, these people are in for more trouble than they know.

• Helo: She jumped. Hitei Kan has jumped away, sir.

Tigh: Taking all our fuel with them.

Adama: You know, there are days that I really hate this job.

• Zarek: You really think the fleet is going to sit still for a long and politically motivated trial while you make an alliance with the Cylons?

Adama: I think without the tylium ship we're not going anywhere. We're gonna sit here for a long time. At least we won't be bored.