Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Fragged

Fragged
Season 2, Episode 3
Airdate	July 29, 2005
Written by	Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin
Directed by	Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Nielsen Rating	2.0
Fleet Survivors	47,862
← 2x02 Valley of Darkness (2)	2x04 → Resistance
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Two

Fragged is the third episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica, and is the sixteenth episode overall.

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

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo) (credit only), Paul Campbell (Billy Keikeya), Nicki Clyne (Cally), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Gaeta), Kandyse McClure (PO Dualla)

Guest Star: Sam Witwer (Crashdown)

Guest Star: Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh)

Guest Star: Donnelly Rhodes (Dr. Cottle)

Special Guest Star: Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek)

Cast: Kerry Norton (Paramedic Layne Ishay), Kurt Evans (Paramedic Howard Kim), Chris Shields (Cpl. Venner), Jennifer Halley (Seelix), Leah Cairns (Racetrack), Patricia Idlette (Sarah Porter), Malcolm Stewart (Marshall Bagot), T-Roy Kazuki (Marine)

Notes

• This week's survivor count reflects a total loss of 12 from the previous week, which seems oddly low considering the carnage visible in Galactica's corridors during the Cylon incursion.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Number Six claims that God turned His back on Kobol and everything that happens there is not a part of His will. As such, anyone who dies on the planet will face only oblivion.

• The remainder of the Raptor crew are rescued.

• The Quorum confronts Tigh over Adama's actions against Roslin. He takes them to see her where she asserts that she is still President. Tigh then holds a press conference in which he declares martial law.

Characters

• Tigh begins heavily drinking.

• Cottle operates on Adama where he finally stabilises, but has yet to wake up.

• Roslin begins suffering withdrawal from the Chamalla extract. Ellen catches sight of this and passes it on to Tigh. He brings the Quorum to see, only to see she's lucid again, having gotten some more Chamalla. She explains her actions are consistent with scrolls of Pythia, revealing she has cancer and is therefore the "dying leader" it speaks of.

• The Raptor crew develop a plan when Centurions begin constructing an anti-aircraft battery. Adamant about the plan he threatens to kill Cally for not obey his orders. Baltar, having been warned about will happen, fatally shoots Crashdown. When Lee asks, Tyrol lies to cover up for Baltar. Number Six tells him she's proud of him.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Ironically, this marks the only script penned by Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin who were also writers and executive producers for The Education of Max Bickford, which starred Katee Sackhoff, who is absent from the episode. The duo left the writing staff simply for creative reasons, not getting into the show's science fiction/militaristic combination.

Quotes

• Tyrol: Doc, let's go. We're moving out. Doc, you hear me? We're moving out.

Baltar: No, I did hear you, Chief. I just don't respond to the title "Doc". A "dock" is a platform for loading and unloading material. My title is Doctor or Mr. Vice President, if you don't mind.

Tyrol: You are loading, are you not?

• Tigh: (about Adama) Is he going to make it?

Cottle: How should I know? I'm not a psychic.

• Tigh: Why aren't you in the brig?

Billy: Um... because no one put me in there.

• Baltar: It's all so pointless. We kill them, and they kill us. So we kill more of them, so they kill more of us. What's the point anymore?

Number Six: You, your race invented murder. Invented killing for sport, greed, envy. It's Man's one true art form.

Baltar: You've done some killing of your own, I think.

Number Six: Yes, well, we're your children. You taught us well.

• Baltar: He's crazy. I'm not trained for this kind of thing. I've never fired a gun in my life.

Seelix: I haven't fired one since Basic.

Baltar: (to Cally) You?

Cally: I just joined to pay for dental school.

• Baltar: One of us will betray the others?

Number Six: Yes.

Baltar: During the attack?

Number Six: Yes.

Baltar: But if the attack fails?

Number Six: You'll die.

Baltar: Not me. I'm God's instrument.

Number Six: God turned His back on Kobol, turned His back on Man and the false gods he worshipped. What happens on Kobol is not His will.

• Cottle: (after operating on Adama) He'll live.

Tigh: When will he wake up?

Cottle: Knowing him, when he damn well wants to, probably.