Air Date: 11/03/2006

Part 1 of two. Starbuck and Tigh create divisions between those who suffered under the Cylon occupation of New Caprica and those who stayed with the fleet. Also: Baltar tries to prove his worth to the Cylons.

Episode Recap

Baltar remains a prisoner within the Cylon fleet, alive only because his captors believe that he can lead them to a new home: Earth. Indeed, hoping to find the mythical planet for himself, Baltar has pinpointed a nebula that might have been a navigation point for the thirteenth tribe on their ancient journey to Earth. The Cylons send a base ship to investigate. Meanwhile, aboard the Galactica, Gaeta deciphers Baltar's abandoned research notes and also locates the nebula. Eager to resume the quest for Earth, Roslin orders Adama to explore it.

As the humans and the Cylons unsuspectingly hurtle toward a rendezvous, the Galactica's crew struggles to resume everyday life after the harrowing events on New Caprica. Helo helps Sharon pick a new callsign: Athena. The Viper pilots, now commanded by Apollo, dogfight against each other for practice. After Starbuck carelessly risks her ship, Apollo grounds her.

Col. Tigh is also at loose ends because Helo has unofficially replaced him as Adama's right-hand man. Tigh and Starbuck — both angry, traumatized survivors of the occupation — soon join forces, deriding everyone who didn't suffer as they did and insinuating that their comrades are too weak-minded to resist the Cylons. They don't suspect how far Adama is willing to go to win them back to his side.

Far away, Caprica Six tells Baltar about her people's power of projection, which enables Cylons to see the universe as they wish. For example, where Baltar sees a bleak Cylon hallway, Caprica sees a beautiful forest. Disenchanted with her former lover, Caprica arrogantly assumes that Baltar can't understand the experience, but Baltar — who still has a vivid relationship with the Six in his mind — understands it all too well. He's struck by a secret, devastating suspicion: if his daydreams of Six are actually caused by projection, then he might be a Cylon.

Having reached the nebula, the Cylon scout ship transmits back a garbled distress call. It has been infected with a virus that kills all Cylon life. Horrified, the Cylons realize that they can't even resurrect their dying comrades, because the virus will then be transmitted to the rest of their fleet. They don't know what to do until Baltar volunteers to investigate. By hunting down the virus's source aboard the dying ship, he'll either prove his worth to the Cylons or die of the infection — proving that he's a Cylon himself.

Remarkable Scenes

- Six: "Take this period as a time to learn all you can about the Cylons. You'll need it in the days ahead." Baltar: "Something special on the horizon?" Six: "Cylon psychology is based on projection." Baltar: "Projection?" Six: "It's how they choose to see the world around them. The only difference is you choose to see me." Baltar: "What are you, really? 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?" Six: "I'm an angel of god sent here to help you. Just as I always have been."
- Baltar waking up on the basestar.
- Baltar: "What do you care about finding Earth?" Six: "Because we're looking for it." Baltar: "You are?" D'Anna: "Yes, we've decided that Earth's going to be our new home."
- The viper training exercise.
- Tigh mistaking a civilian on Galactica for Ellen.
- Apollo to Helo regarding his weight: "Remind me to never let that happen again."
- Gaeta briefing Adama and Roslin about Baltar's research on Earth.
- Baltar and Six walking through the corridors of the Cylon basestar speaking of Earth and Cylon projection.
- Baltar wondering if his ability to see Six in a vivid otherworldly reality is connected to Cylon projection and furthermore wondering if that makes him a Cylon.
- Helo calling out for a callsign for Sharon Agathon.
- Baltar speaking to Six about the remaining five Cylon models. Regarding the final five, Six says: "It's complicated, but we don't talk about them. Ever."
- The Cylons discussing the disease that's afflicted the other basestar in the control room aboard the basestar.
- Baltar encountering the hybrid.
- The hybrid jumping the ship.
- Baltar embarking on his mission.
- Baltar discussing the beacon with the dying Six.
- Baltar killing the frantic, dying Six.
- The Cylons debating whether or not to rescue the surviving Cylons and debating the origin of the disease, then jumping the ship despite the hybrid's objections.
- Adama busting Starbuck's and Tigh's ass for their behavior.
- Starbuck cutting her hair and going to see Kasey.
- Tigh mourning for Ellen.
- Athena and Racetrack stumbling across the dead basestar.
- Athena: "When god's anger awakens, even the mighty shall fall."

Additional Notes

- As of this episode, Sharon Agathon's new callsign is Athena, suggested by Hot Dog. Athena is quoted as the "goddess of wisdom and war, usually accompanied by the goddess of victory." This is possibly in reference to the Tomb of Athena, which she helped the Colonials find, and possibly a reference to the character of Athena, whom was on the original BSG but not in this version.
- The scene depicting Starbuck cutting her hair does not involve a wig. That is actually the actress cutting her real hair.
- The vocalizations that the hybrid uttered (or at least of what I could understand) included: "Two protons expelled at each coupling site creates the mode of force, the embryo becomes a fish though we don't enter until A plate, we're here to experience, evolve the little toe, atrophy, don't ask me how, I'll be dead in a thousand light years, thank you, thank you, genesis turns its source, reduction occurs stepwise though the essence is all one, end of line. FTL system check. Diagnostic functions within parameters repeats the harlequin, the agony exclusive, the colors run the path of ashes--run on the network while 52% of heat exchanger--digital matrix--relay to 0000--end of line. New paragraph." Later the hybrid said when she "disagreed" with the other Cylons: "The mists of dreams drip along the nascent echo and love no more. End of line."
- James Callis read the "Previously on Battlestar Galactica" line at the beginning of this episode.
-Caprica Six explains the process of "Projecting." Cylons can choose to see their environment in any form they wish, whenever they wish.
- As of the beginning of this episode, there are 41,422 survivors.
- This episode reveals that a (human-Cylon) Hybrid appears to act as the central brain of the Cylon baseship.
- Director Jean de Segonzac was listed incorrectly in the opening credits as Jean de Segoznac, with the letters "z" and "n" transposed.