Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Flesh and Bone

Flesh and Bone
Season 1, Episode 8
Airdate	• December 6, 2004 (UK) • February 25, 2005 (USA)
Written by	Toni Graphia
Directed by	Brad Turner
Fleet Survivors	47954
← 1x07 Six Degrees of Separation	1x09 → Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season One

Flesh and Bone is the eighth episode of the first season of Battlestar Galactica.

Edward James Olmos (Commander William Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Katee Sackhoff (Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Jamie Bamber (Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Number Six), Grace Park (Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii)

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Kandyse McClure (PO Dualla), Paul Campbell (Billy Keikeya)

Guest Stars: Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben Conoy), Matthew Bennett (Aaron Doral)

Cast: Christina Schild (Playa Kohn), Eric Breker (Gemenon Captain), Biski Gugushe (Hamilton)

Plot Summary

Kara is ordered to interrogate a captured Leoben Conoy Cylon, who claims that he has hidden a bomb somewhere in the fleet, and Baltar finally gets his Cylon detector working but is afraid to use it. On Cylon-occupied Caprica, Sharon apparently turns traitor on the Cylons.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• A copy of Leoben is found. In addition to his ability to play mind games, he also appears to be prophetic and spiritual about the Cylon religion.

• Baltar's Cylon detector is said to operational, but not yet fully implemented.

• After reporting that she slept with Helo, Sharon is told to try to get him to stay with her in a remote cabin. If not, he will be killed. Sharon returns to Helo and in a mad panic, she tells him they need to leave.

• We're first told of the scripture that says, "All this has happened before and all of it will happen again."

• Leoben tells Kara they will find Kobol, "birthplace of us all," and that it will lead them to Earth.

• Kara suspects Leoben maybe too far away from the Cylons to transfer his consciousness into a new body, suggesting there's a limit to how far the download can transmit.

• Leoben whispers in Roslin's ear that Adama is a Cylon.

Characters

• Roslin begins experiencing visions due to the Chamalla extract.

• Kara suffered abuse at the hands of her mother, which explains some of her more self-destructive tendencies.

• Leoben develops a fixation on Kara.

• Boomer goes to Baltar to have herself tested. It comes up positive that she's a Cylon, but out of fear of what will happen, he forges the results and assures her she's not.

• Kara is shown to be religious.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Edward James Olmos was originally set to direct this episode, but had to pass due to scheduling conflicts.

• The scene where Sharon hums to the captured Cylon Raider was ad-libbed by Grace Park.

Allusions and References

• The melody Boomer is humming when touching the Cylon Raider derives from a Korean lullaby.

Goofs

• Roslin mistakenly gives Leoben's name as Conroy, not Conoy.

• The smear of blood that Leoben leaves around Kara's neck changes degrees, appearing fainter at times than others.

Quotes

• Kara: You're a machine.

Leoben: I am more than you could ever imagine. I am God.

Kara: (laughs) I'm sorry. You're God? Wow. Nice to meet you. That's good. That's good. We'll give you a couple of minutes with that.

Leoben: It's funny, isn't it? We're all God, Starbuck. All of us. I see the love that binds all living things together.

Kara: Love? You don't even know what the word means.

Leoben: I know that God loved you more than all other living creatures and you repaid His divine love with sin, with hate, corruption, evil, so then He decided to create the Cylons.

Kara: The Gods had nothing to do with it. We created you. Us. It was a stupid, frakked-up decision, and we have paid for it. You slaughtered my entire civilisation! That is sin. That is evil. And you are evil.

• Leoben: (to Kara) I have a soul. I see patterns. I know you. You're damaged. You were born to a woman who believed that suffering was good for the soul, so you suffered. Your life is a testament to pain. Injuries. Accidents. Some inflicted upon others, others inflicted upon yourself. Surrounds you like a bubble, but it's not real. It's just - that's just something she put into your head. It's something that you wanna believe because it means that you're the problem, not the world that you live in. You wanna believe it because it means that you're bad luck, like a cancer that needs to be removed. Because you hear her voice every day and you want her to be right.

• Leoben: You kneel before idols and ask for guidance, and you can't see that your destiny's already been written. Each of us plays a role. Each time a different role. Maybe the last time I was the interrogator and you were the prisoner. The players change; the story remains the same. And this time - this time - your role is to deliver my soul unto God. Do it for me. It's your destiny. And mine. And I told you I had a surprise for you. Are you ready? You're going to find Kobol, birthplace of us all. Kobol will lead you to Earth. This is my gift to you, Kara.