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Air Date: 10/05/2006
Written by: Ronald D. Moore
Directed by: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
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
Adama plans to return to New Caprica and drop off a surprising person to act as a liaison between Galactica and the Resistance. Tigh's insistence on the use of suicide bombers and ever escalating violence stuns even the fellow leaders of the Resistance. Eventually, the suicide bombings cause the Cylon occupiers to crackdown on their human subjects.
Episode Recap
The Cylon leaders are frustrated by Duck's horrific suicide bombing, which they perceive as a setback to their noble experiment of living peacefully with humans. As a result, they order the human police to arrest hundreds of suspected insurgents in a major crackdown. Though the insurgency's leaders — Tyrol, Anders and Tigh — miss the round-up because they're radioing the Galactica from their hidden headquarters, Tyrol returns home to the agonizing sight of his baby, abandoned and crying. His wife, Cally, has disappeared into a Cylon prison. Laura Roslin urges Tigh to stop the suicide bombings. He refuses, and soon another insurgent blows herself up at a power substation. In retaliation, the Cylon leaders force President Baltar to sign a death warrant for two hundred suspected insurgents, including Cally, Tom Zarek and Roslin. At this, both Gaeta and Jammer, former Galactica officers who have collaborated with the Cylons, develop serious second thoughts about their new allegiances. But second thoughts won't be enough to save their fellow humans from the firing squad. Elsewhere on New Caprica, Leoben brings a special guest to visit Kara Thrace: a little girl named Kacey. He insists that Kacey is his and Kara's biological daughter, a product of Cylon fertility experiments. Kara resolutely ignores Kacey until the toddler is accidentally injured. Then, as Kacey hovers near death, Leoben is glad to see that Kara's maternal concern awaken. Meanwhile, on the Galactica, Adama dispatches a small team to meet up with Tigh's resistance fighters on New Caprica. Lee objects to such a risky mission, especially because Sharon Agathon, a Cylon, is to lead it. Adama concedes that Lee and the Pegasus must lead the remainder of the civilian fleet deeper into space for their safety, while he and the Galactica will attempt to rescue those on New Caprica. Adama reinstates Sharon as a lieutenant in the Colonial Fleet, and she departs. Back on New Caprica, Ellen Tigh has another tryst with Cavil. He threatens that Tigh will be arrested and tortured again unless Ellen provides the Cylons with significant information about the insurgency. Terrified, Ellen tells the Cylons about the planned rendezvous between Anders and the reinforcements arriving from the Galactica. With their Centurions about to execute two hundred prisoners and an ambush set to gun down Anders and Sharon, the Cylon leaders are poised to cut out the insurgency's heart.
Remarkable Scenes:
- Baltar's meeting with Roslin. - Tigh: "Which side are we on? We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that." - Cavil: "You won't have to wear those much longer. Eventually your people will see you as heroes." Jammer: "Not tonight." - Tyrol regarding Gaeta: "He's a frakkin' collaborator. You know what? One day, when it's all over, guys like Gaeta are gonna get strung up. Guys like you and me, we're gonna be there. Tyin' the knots. Makin'em tight." - Leoben introducing Starbuck to Kasey. - Adama regarding Sharon: "The Centurions can't distinguish her from the other humanoid models. Did you know that? They were deliberately programmed that way. The Cylons didn't want them becoming self aware and suddenly resisting orders. They didn't want their own robotic rebellion on their hands. You can appreciate the irony." - Adama declaring to Lee that he's going to attempt to rescue the New Capricans despite his poor chances because he feels duty and honor bound to them. Tigh: "You see, little things like that, they don't matter anymore. In fact, not too frakkin' much really matters anymore. I got one job here lady and one job only. To disrupt the Cylons, make them worry about the ant hill they stirred up down here so they're distracted and out of position when the old man show up in orbit. The bombings, they got the Cylons' attention, they really got their attention. And I am not giving that up." Roslin: "We are talking about people blowing themselves up." Tigh: "You know, sometimes I think that you've got ice water in those veins. And other times, I just think you're just a naive little school teacher. I've sent men on suicide missions in two wars now, and let me tell you something. It don't make a gods damn bit of difference whether they're riding in a Viper or walking out onto a parade ground; in the end they're just as dead. So, take your piety, and your moralizing, and your high-minded principles, and stick 'em someplace safe until you're off the rock and you're sitting in your nice, cushy chair on Colonial One again. I've got a war to fight." - Boomer: "Hi Cally, it's me, Boomer." Cally: "I wish I had a gun." - The Cylons deliberating on what to do about the suicide bombings with Baltar watching helplessly just before being confronted with having to sign the order authorizing summary executions. - Baltar refusing the sign the order. - Doral shooting Caprica Six. - Baltar struggling with his morals as he's visited by the Six in his head counseling him. - Adama commissioning Sharon Agathon as an officer in the Colonial Fleet. - Gaeta confronting Baltar about having signed the death warrants. - Boomer's raptors arriving. - Zarek: "Tell me something, Laura. Last year, you tried to steal an election, didn't you?" Roslin, smiling: "Yes, I did, Tom." Zarek: "I wish you'd gone through with it." Roslin: "Me too." Additional Notes
- A parental advisory was displayed prior to this episode airing on the Sci Fi channel. - As aired, this episode neither had a teaser nor an opening sequence. - This episode and the previous one were collectively awarded the IGN.com Editor's choice award and a quite favorable review in which they both scored a 10 out of 10 points. - This episode establishes that it each Cylon model is for the most part a different incarnation of the same person, in that one model can speak for the rest of the same model usually, except in the case of special models like Galactica Boomer and Caprica Six. - Cavil's references to a "twist" and a "swirl" during sex were an homage to the sitcom Seinfeld, of which Ronald Moore is a fan. - This episode establishes that Tom Zarek was President Baltar's Vice President. - According to RDM, the cliffhanger at the end of this episode is deliberately reminiscent of the film The Great Escape. -Ronald Moore was nominated for a 2007 Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Writing For a Drama Series" for the script of this episode. The nomination treated "Occupation" and "Precipice" as one double-length episode.-This episode establishes that Karl "Helo" Agathon and Sharon Valerii are now married. At the swearing-in ceremony, Adama says "Sharon Agathon."- This episode premiered on Space in Canada on October 7th, 2006, one day after it was shown in the U.S.- The young girl, Kacey, is named after series producer/writer David Weddle's niece, also a young blonde girl.- Ronald D. Moore has referred to "Precipice" as Episode 1.5.
