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Battlestar Galactica Season 2 :Lay Your Burdens Part II
Air Date: 03/10/2006

Written by: Mark Verheiden, Anne Cofell Saunders
Directed by: Michael Rymer

Cast

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

Plot Summary

Conclusion. Laura and Baltar lock horns over the colonization of the newly discovered planet. Elsewhere, a Cylon brings Galactica a message from the Cylon leadership. Brother Cavil: Dean Stockwell.

Episode Recap

As the sun rises on Caprica, Starbuck and Anders discover that the Cylons have vanished. Brother Cavil declares it to be a miracle. But when the rescue team and civilian survivors return to the Galactica, the real reason for their survival become clear: Brother Cavil is a Cylon, his duplicate counseled Tyrol, and he has come here to deliver a message: The "Heroes of the Cylon" (Number Six and Sharon Valerii) have persuaded the Cylon leadership that trying to destroy the humans was an error. From now on the two civilizations will live apart, in peace.

At the same time, voting continues in the Colonial presidential election. President Roslin approaches Baltar and proposes that, whoever wins, colonization of the newly discovered planet should be postponed until further study is done. Baltar spurns her offer, so she confronts him about Number Six, but he remains unfazed by her accusation.

Panicked at the thought of Baltar taking control of humanity's fate, Roslin instructs her aide to take all necessary steps to steal the election. The plot, however, is discovered by Lt. Gaeta, and Laura and Adama must choose between denying the will of the people and letting a man they suspect to be a Cylon collaborator take power. For Laura, the question is difficult, but the answer is never in doubt: she and Adama allow their plot to unravel. Baltar wins.

As President Baltar is sworn in, his Cylon lover, Gina, enacts a final vengeance against the fleet, detonating a nuclear warhead that destroys the Cloud Nine luxury liner. Despite the tragic loss of several ships, colonization of the planet, dubbed "New Caprica," goes ahead over Adama's objections.

Time passes; more and more of the fleet's population relocates to the surface, leaving only skeleton crews aboard the Galactica and the Pegasus. Through it all, Adama remains uneasy; he anticipates the return of the Cylons. And a year later, his fears are borne out, as a Cylon invasion force jumps into the system and lands on New Caprica. Outflanked and overpowered, Adama and his son Lee order their battlestars out of the system, leaving the civilian colony defenseless as a Cylon occupying force arrives to announce the dawn of a new era....

Remarkable Scenes:

- Tyrol confronting Cally. She doesn't hesitate to forgive him and declares that she loves him.
- Cavil showing up on Caprica whilst being visible on Galactica as well; he's a Cylon.
- Roslin confronting Baltar about his campaign strategy and then his prior relationship with Six on Caprica.
- Starbuck revealing that the Cylon occupation is over and Tyrol realizing Cavil is a Cylon. Cavil's "take me to your leader" line is great.
- Cavil: "Would you mind telling me what's going on? I'm not a frakking Cylon, I'm not--" He sees his counterpart. Cavil: "Oh... well... okay then."
- Cavil: "There is no god."
- Roslin: "Throw them both out the airlock. Let them see if there really is a Cylon god."
- Tigh and Dee fixing the election.
- Baltar: "Laura Roslin is many things. But she's not corrupt and she's not dishonest."
- Gaeta discovering that the election was fixed.
- Roslin revealing to Adama that Baltar is working with the Cylons.
- Adama: "Do we steal the results of a democratic election or not?"
- The fleet jumping to New Caprica.
- Baltar's last meeting with Gina. I love how elated he looks. Positively dapper.
- Gina finally giving Baltar what he's desired from her since "Resurrection Ship, Part 2."
- Baltar being inaugurated as president of the twelve colonies.
- Cloud 9 exploding in a nuclear blast.
- The jump ahead one year.
- Adama breaking the filter off his cigarette. There's something charming about that.
- Tyrol's union speech.
- Roslin as a teacher again.
- The Cylons showing up and the fleet abandoning New Caprica.
- The Cylon raiders flying over New Caprica City.
- Leobon showing up, asking for Starbuck.
- A Doral, Boomer, and Six model confronting Baltar in the presidential office.
- The Cylon Centurions marching down New Caprica City.


Additional Notes

- This episode received an Emmy award for Outstanding Costumes For A Series. (2006)

- This episode was granted a special 60 minute runtime, which played out across 90 minutes of television.

- This episode does not feature a teaser prior to the main title.

- Survivors, according to the main title: 49550.

- Tyrol's union speech is an almost word for word quote of Mario Savio's address during the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in 1964.

- Hera is seen on New Caprica in the same white cradle that Baltar saw in his vision in "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 2."

- New Caprica City's population is 39192.

- Boomer's baby has been renamed to Isis.

- James Callis stayed up all night and drank so he could look so hungover and damaged when the Cylons confront him in his office.