Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Torn (1)

Torn (1)
Season 3, Episode 6
Airdate	November 3, 2006
Written by	Anne Cofell Saunders
Directed by	Jean de Segoznac
Fleet Survivors	41,422
← 3x05 Collaborators	3x07 → A Measure of Salvation (2)
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Three

Torn (1) is the sixth episode of the third season of Battlestar Galactica, and the thirty-ninth episode overall. It is the first part of a two-part episode, including A Measure of Salvation (2).

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

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

Special Guest Star: Lucy Lawless (D'Anna Biers)

Guest Star: Rick Worthy (Simon)

Guest Star: Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben Conoy)

Guest Star: Matthew Bennett (Aaron Doral)

Cast: Lucianna Carro (Kat), Bodie Olmos (Hotdog), Leah Cairns (Racetrack), Madeline Parker (Kacey), Sebastian Spence (Narcho), Emilie Ullerup (Julia), Tiffany Lyndall-Knight (Hybrid), Rachel Hayward (Blonde Woman)

Uncredited: Leo Chiang (Tattooed pilot), Dean Stockwell (Cavil) (archive footage)

Plot Overview

In an effort to continue the search for Earth, Roslin and Adama consult Baltar's own research to find the next signpost. Unbeknownst to them, the disgraced former President has given his same findings to the Cylons in an effort to keep himself in their good graces, only for them to discover something that has infected a basestar with a strange contagion.

Meanwhile, marred by their experiences on New Caprica, Tigh and Kara stir up discontent from the mess hall between the refugees and their rescuers.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The refugees have been settled on a part of the hangar deck that's been dubbed Camp Oil Slick.

• Galactica resume the search for Earth. Utilising Baltar's research, a passage in the Scrolls of Pythia points them towards a nebula with a pair of pulsars. A Raptor is sent out and confirms a nebula in the shape of a lion's head with what appears to be a blinking eye.

• The Cylons want to find Earth as they've decided they're going to live there.

• It's revealed Cylons can project - an ability to imagine their surroundings as they wish, which they can share with others.

• The basestars are controlled by a Hybrid, a humanoid female who is connected to the ship. Caprica-Six asserts she is the ship in a real sense. She speaks in nonsensical non sequiturs. Most Cylons believe her utterances are mad ramblings, but the Leoben model believe they mean something and that God is speaking through her.

• A baseship is sent to where Baltar's research points in the direction of Earth. There, they find a beacon and everyone on board becomes sick. While not knowing the source, the others believe it to be too dangerous to board and if the infected die within resurrection range, it could spread and they jump away.

• While it's not clear how, it's implied the Centurions could become infected, which suggests they may also be bio-mechanical, although there's been nothing to suggest this from the destroyed Centurions seen so far.

• Baltar notices only seven Cylons, the same seven he had seen throughout the occupation of New Caprica. When he asks Caprica-Six about what he refers to as the "final five," she says they don't talk about them.

Characters

• Sharon begins hanging out with the other pilots and has begun to be considered an equal. After not wanting to be referred to as Boomer, pilots suggests call signs, eventually taking the name Athena.

• Lee is seen resuming the rank of Major. He's also apparently lost all the weight he had gained.

• Tyrol and Cally have resumed working as the deck crew.

• Kara and Tigh are still bitter over what happened on New Caprica.

• After learning about projection, Baltar realises how similar it is to what he experiences with Number Six, leading him to question if he's a Cylon.

• Kara is confronted by Adama disavows she being like a daughter to him. After he tells her to behave like a human being again or get off his ship, she cuts her hair and reconciles with Kacey who she had earlier spurred.

• Adama has Tigh go to his quarters and not come out until he's the man he's known for 30 years. Tigh declares that man doesn't exist anymore and vows he won't be seeing him again.

• Baltar hides the discovery of the beacon from the Cylons. However, Caprica-Six finds an image of it in the photos he took.

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Teaser scene with Baltar and Number Six had to be redubbed, hence why the sunlight reflection covers their mouths, as this was meant to cover it up.

Allusions and References

• Athena was the name of Adama's daughter in the original series.

Goofs

• Despite the attempt to hide their mouths, there can be seen when Six's mouth moves out of sync with what she's saying.

• Director Jean de Segonzac has his last name incorrectly spelled in the credits as Segoznac.

• Luciana Carro's first name is mistakenly spelled as "Lucianna" in the credits.

• During the exercise run, the plate on Kat's Viper can be seen backwards.

Quotes

• Baltar: I thought you'd abandon me to your Cylon comrades.

Number Six: Would I do that?

Baltar: You've always been more... unpredictable than your flesh and blood counterparts.

Number Six: A man that loves women as much as you should've learned that a long time ago.

Baltar: I'm a slow learner.

• Baltar: You're either connected to the woman I knew on Caprica or you're a damaged part of my subconscious struggling for self expression, so which one is it?

Number Six: I'm an angel of God sent here to help you. Just as I always have been.

• Baltar: What do you care about finding Earth?

Caprica-Six: Because we're looking for it.

Baltar: You are?

Number Three: Yes, we've decided that Earth's going to be our new home.

• (Starbuck has just disobeyed a direct order during a training exercise resulting in her Viper and another Viper colliding)

Tyrol: (looking over the damage) Compressor blew, looks like it threw a blade, severed the fuel line. Cally, check the tank? Gods, this is ugly.

Cally: The tank's bone dry. There's not even fumes in here.

Tyrol: Cap'n, how'd you land this thing?

Kara: Pointed it towards the deck and stopped when I got here?

Hotdog: (to Kat) Bone dry, she says. Landed the bird without a drop of fuel.

(Kat rolls her eyes)

Lee: (stalks up, furious) If you wanna die, I will open up an airlock for you, but you are not taking one of my Vipers with you.

Kara: The bird's on the deck. I'm on the deck. I don't know what you're bitching about.

Lee:I don't give a frak what you do, Starbuck, but you're done flying.

• Kara: You seem like a really nice person so I'm gonna be honest with you. The last thing I need is a two-year-old friend and Kacey sure as hell does not need me in her life so do us both a favour and do not bring her around here again, okay?

• Gaeta: I've been trying to reassemble President Bal— Doctor Baltar's work on piecing together the Thirteenth Tribe's path to Earth.

Roslin: I'm curious, Mister Gaeta. What is it that you trust about Dr. Baltar's research? How do you know it's not another one of his lies?

Gaeta: If there was one thing I learned about Baltar, it was his extraordinary capacity for self-preservation. I think he wanted to find Earth because he wanted to get there.

• (looking at some of Baltar's research on the Scroll of Pythia, reading from the scroll)

Gaeta: If I can draw your attention to this passage. "And the caravan of the heavens was watched over by a great lion with a mighty blinking eye—"

Adama: "Red and blue."

Gaeta: Exactly.

Adama: Exactly what? We're looking for a lion's head?

Roslin: With a mighty blinking eye!

Adama: Blinking.

• Baltar: I think I understand projection, but it's a bit of a coincidence, isn't it? That I could see such a vivid reality that I've created and the Cylon projection experience seems to be so similar.

Number Six: Is it a coincidence?

Baltar: Well, what are you saying? There's a connection? What, because of my experiences with you? Am I a Cylon?

Caprica-Six: What was that?

• Helo: Hey, we all made sacrifices.

Tigh: That so?

Helo: Yes, that's right.

Tigh: While you were pinning wings on your Cylon girlfriend, our people were strapping homemade bombs to their chests. Doing whatever they could to take the bastards out so forgive me if I don't get all misty over your sacrifices.

• Baltar: There are only twelve Cylon models, but in the entire occupation of New Caprica, I only saw seven. Now, here again, the same seven. Who are the Final Five?

Caprica-Six: I can't talk about that.

Baltar: Come on.

Caprica-Six: I can't. It's complicated, but we don't talk about them, ever.

Baltar: But you'd know one of them, wouldn't you? If you saw them, one of the Final Five, if they were to walk past here, right?

• Number Six: Say you'll go aboard the infected baseship and investigate what happened. You sent them to that nebula, remember?

Baltar: Are you mad?

• Number Three: We have to leave them. We have to jump and leave them to their fate. There is no other way.

(everyone stops as the Hybrid screams)

Hybrid: Mists of dreams drip along the nascent echo and love no more. End of Line.

Doral: The hybrid objects.

Number Three: She doesn't get a vote.

• Tigh: Have a drink.

Adama: Give me your sidearm.

Kara: What?

Adama: Your sidearm.

(Kara draws her sidearm and places it on the table, Adama picks it up and racks a round into the chamber, then throws it back down)

Tigh: Hey! There's a live round in that!

Adama: I want one of you, and I don't care who, pick that weapon up and shoot me.

Kara: Admiral, I don't know—

Adama: I didn't say to talk. You've done enough of that already. I said to pick up that weapon and shoot. (both confused) What's the matter? No guts? You don't got a pair? You're both frakking cowards.

Tigh: You watch your mouth—

Adama: Or what? You're gonna turn the rest of my pilots against each other? Poison the crew? You've already done that, Saul. Both of you.

Kara: Yeah, well, if you're looking for an apology it isn't gonna happen.

(Adama shoves Kara's chair over backwards, she ends up flat on her back on the floor)

Adama: You were like a daughter to me once. No more. You're malcontent and a cancer and I won't have you on my ship. So you have a choice, you can figure out how to be a human being and an officer, or you can find another place to live, off of this ship. You're dismissed.

(Kara kicks the chair away, stands up and stalks out)

Tigh: Are you gonna kick me out of my chair too?

Adama: Listen, I know you've been through a lot—

Tigh: Don't patronise me. Say what you came here to say.

Adama: You're full of bile, hatred. And I know that it has something to do with Ellen, and I'm sorry for that. And if you need time, Saul, you take all the time that you want. But I gotta run a ship, and the last thing I need is a one-eyed drunk sitting down here sowing discontent and disobedience. So I'll tell you once again, Saul, you can pick up that weapon and kill me, or you can get your ass back into your quarters and not leave until you're ready to act like the man that I've known for the last 30 years.

(Tigh picks up the gun, turns on Adama, then drops the magazine and racks the round out of the chamber)

Tigh: That man doesn't exist anymore, Bill. And you won't be seeing me again. (sets the gun down and leaves)