TVSquad

I enjoyed this episode. First, a couple of the obligatory nitpics that are so fun: Is dicipline in the air force or army usually this weak? I have noticed a continuing trend of officers disrespecting their superiors, particularly Apollo sassing Tigh a lot. Now this week, Garner downright ignores Adama's command and goes after the rapters on his own. Hmmmm.....seems unmilitary to me. Secondly, the cylons laid out this trap for the Pegasus and prepared well for its execution, hoping one of the battlestars bought it. Sure enough, Pegasus bites and we have no less than three basestars firing nukes and raiders and kitchen sinks, AND knocks out their ftl drive. So what happens? Gardner crawls into a shaft and tightens a valve or something, fixing the ftl(Aha! you bombard us with nukes and I'll just tighten this valve damn you!).One basestar was disabled so what were the other two basestars doing all this time? The cylons had raiders to keep the vipers at bay. Lastly, what is a mechanic doing in charge of a Battlestar anyway. No disrespect to mechanics (talented people) but I think a military man should be in command. It is too bad they could not get someone like....say...Scott Bakula or Jonathan Frakes to play Apollo, the way it is now, Lee's character does not remind me of a leader, more like a class monitor. Great show! I look forward to next week because I think we get to see a lot of Sharon, the walking dreamboat! Tim.

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This was the best episode since Resurrection Ship part 2, which I think was one of the best hours of tv drama ever. I had a strong feeling Lee was going to become Commander of the Pegasus, so when I saw it I loved it! I happen to resonate with his character the most. This sets the stage for a lot of father and son tension in later episodes. I am a Clinical Psychologist by trade, so I find a number of dynamics to be very interesting. (David and Ron, if you're listening, email me so we can chat! I'd love to be a consultant!) I thought Baltar's move was predictable yet well done in its approach. The abortion issue threw me at first. I originally thought, "I can't believe they're going there," but then I saw what they were doing with it, it made sense. Especially since Sharon is about to have her baby. I'm glad to see the plot line move forward. I think someday we'll see Lee kamakasi the Pegasus to save his father and the Galactica... but that will be a few seasons away! Until that day comes... I hope they dump more $ into special effects, because they are amazing. My only critiques are: why is 6 still in Baltars head when she disappeared earlier (presumably replaced by a real body,) and secondly, the special effects are so incredibly, the fight scenes should be much longer... I could watch them all day long. Looking forward to more ingenuity. So say we all.

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Been waiting weeks for this episode. Glad to see BSG back on track!

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This show is great! But I must agree tha the display of poor military discipline is a little over the top at times. The Commander of Pegasus breaking orders was ok though, Commanding officers should obey orders, but are expected to be flexible and autonymous in the heat of the moment. But Starbuck's attitude is getting a little corny. That's my only real complaint.

Side note: The Pegasus is newer, bigger, and I presume better... Shouldn't the eAdmiral take command of that ship and give Galactica to his son?

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Excellent episode this week! I must say I look forward to Friday's more and more as each week goes by. Many of you've commented on the lack of military discipline, but I think that under the crew's present circumstances they are doing the best they can. The majority of these young men and women are hanging on thin psychological threads with the lost of their families, fighting an enemy that outnumbers them 100 to 1 (maybe more) and coping with the fact its less than 50,000 humans left! At least on Galactica, they're military experience before the attack was a joke anyway...the ship was going to become a museum! Well, I will quit my rant now.

Once again great episode, I loved that we saw some good dog fighting, also still digging the Starbuck and Lee interaction. I think the tribulations of their friendship is more entertaining to watch than any romantic entanglement that could possible come about. Glad to see Baltar push himself to the forefront. It should really get interesting now!

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This episode was okay and had a few great gems like Baltar declaring himself for Presidency during the new conference.(It's good to see him again.)
My biggest grip would be Adama's choice in people for promotion. So far, Hotdog the new CAG after Apollo was a wash. The new replacement Commander Garner who was more at home with the engines rather than in command was a major f/u. On this note, Garner essentially abandons his command post to fix the engines, hmm, where have I seen this before? I know (Ship, out of danger...I never took the Kobyashi Maru...I have always been your friend) come on, this was Star Trek II all over again without the emotions. How can we empathize with the loss of someone we hardly knew in a sacrificing moment. His death meant nothing to me and I don't think the crew even knew who we was. With Adama's track record of promotions and Pegasus's commanders dying every freakin' week, why would Lee take this position?
The question I want to pose is about Pegasus vs 3 Cylon starbases. How was this possible that Pegasus survived this onslaught? Is this ship that more capable than Galactica? Sounds like Starship Yamato to me.
The other issue that was weak in the episode was the abortion issue. I'm all for the right for a woman to choose but now for President Roslin to make illegal to terminate a pregnancy by either the doctor or the mother. What happens in the case of rape? Or if the mother's health was in jeapordy, what then? The ruling was to broad and has too many shades of grey. (Not the same shade of grey in STTNG final episode season 2)
Another gripe, the Lee/Dee pairing just makes me sick to see them in bed together. I am still upset by that lack of remorse from Dee over Billy's death. I know people have their own way of handling death but hoping into bed with Lee after only a month from the incident on Cloud 9 is still too early in my opinion. This relationship, too me, came out of nowhere and hate the direction its going. I don't see the connection between these 2 or the reason they are together to justify the relationship.
But after my gripes, I did like the episode simply because of the fact there were no flashback and no 20 minutes ago... scenes. The story was pretty linear which has been missing from the past several weeks.
Next week's story from Sharon's pov being resurrected looks to be a killer.

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Do any of you folks listen to the podcast? Just about every question or gripe is answered by Ron Moore's podcast.

Secondly, things like military discipline, abortion rights, etc... go out the window when the survival of the species is on the line.

And, lastly, scenes with Baltar have me reaching for the Tivo remote.

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This was one great episode! Action and drama from the very first scene to the last! First, there's the whole issue of abortion. In the beginning, I was pissed the writers took this route. Granted, my own political biases were seeping into this, but then I thought about what these people are up against and I can understand why President Roslin made the choice -- so to speak -- even if it was the wrong one. Hats off to Mary McDonnell. She played a wide range of emotions and pulled it off with her usual skill. This show is SO deserving of some Emmy love.

I did find myself annoyed with all the command structure screw-ups. Its understandable that some insubordinate behavior would be tolerated due to the lack of skilled pilots available, but it just seems too unrealistic. Considering what these people are up against, you'd think a stronger code of conduct would be expected. Starbuck is, once again, proving she has no ability as a leader. She may be a great pilot, which everyone acknowledges, but she does a shitty job of being both a teacher and leader. Again, unrealistic.

That gripe notwithstanding, this was a great episode. A far cry better than the load of crap we've been putting up with.

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Actually - there's no podcast for this episode yet - "technical difficulties" which is driving me crazy because this was my favorite episode of season 2.5.

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You people re frackin killing me. If you are gonna watch the show at least watch and listen to the whole thing.
1. Adama pick Garner because he was the only Commander Pegasus had left. Ty even said it was a bad idea but what are you gonna do? As for Adama’s other command choices it was pretty much the same deal picking the best out of a bad lot.

2. One thing you must realize is that there is a big time gap between each episode, so there’s a lot that happens that we don’t get to see. I to don’t like Lee and Dee but there relationship feels force to us because (I’m hoping) it developed off camera.

3. Obviously the battlestars are a whole lot tougher than the basestars or there’s no way the Pegasus would have survived. Go back and look at Resurrection Ship again they took a beating then and also you can see how easy they took out those basestars.

4. Finally the thing to remember is that the Cylons do have a plan. What it is we don’t know so we can only guess why they don’t attack enmasse, why the sleeper agents don’t hold have the feet hostage, why they don’t break Sharon out of jail, or Do they really want to find earth? People this is a great SciFi show but let’s not forget it’s science fiction, sometimes you have to suspend your beliefs and enjoy the ride.

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What a great Episode! After the previous 2 the action has returned the plot moves on. I hope this continues.
I would also agree with some others that there should be some more battle scene special effects, they are very good, i enjoy them alot. I cant wait for Baltar to finally "come out" and reveal his true evil nature, be spurned by the Colonials, and seek asylum with the Cylons. Maybe get to comand a Basestar. One thing does bother me however. When will the Galactica restore the starboard launch/landing bay. With the Pegasus to help with fleet protection the time seems ripe. The Galactica could also be updated with some newer ordinance that the Pegasus may have stripped from other ships. Maybe somthing special that the Pegasus
does not have, after all the Galactica is the star of the show. I really enjoyed last nights episode, I hope others feel the same way.

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Dash: Much of what you say makes sense but I beg to differ on your point about not having much to choose from in appointing a commander for Pegasus. What about Tigh? I know. I know. He is a drunk and did not handle things well during his last command time, but those were different cicumstances. For one, Adama was out and he was overwhelmed with the burden of total command. Tigh may not be cut out to be the #1 commander but I think he would be an excellant #2 guy. His ability to think under pressure was tested and proven in the episode where he had to order part of the Galactica sealed off, sacrificing some people to save the ship. A tough call. He is extremly loyal, an asset Aaama would appreciate. Plus, he would still be subordinate to Adama, relieving the pressure from him. Adama could then place Appolo as his CAG, another loyal man in his circle. Tim.

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Inre: Posted at 2:38AM on Feb 18th 2006 by Tim 0 stars...Tim, you are absolutly right about the military discipline question. First and foremost, let me address the Lee and Duella relationship. This happens in real life military circles but it is usually punished. At the very least, a Major (Lee Adama) would vnever get promoted should such a relationship come to light. Second, No way would an Aircraft Carrier Commander (Battlestar equivelent in todays world) just leave the fleet on his own mission should the Fleet Commander (Adm. Adama) set out specific parameters for a rescue/recon mission. This would be career suicide if not cause for a prison sentence. Still, it is television. As far as the battle scenario goes, no one, not one human being alive today, can say what would happen in a Carrier Group vs Carrier group battle engagement. Lets not forget the the cylons are basically SUPERCOMPUTERS and restricted to their programming where is the humans relay on the *X* factor, that is to say you cannot account for human reactions in a given situation, so I won't quibble over the Battle outcome. AN Engineer in Charge of a Carrier/Battlestar? It is, in theory, possible. AN absolute chain of command is established and refined everytime an officer reports, departs, dies etc. The only Corp's of officers specifically precluded from assuming command are Medical Officers and Chaplains. Other than that, a pyramid is established. If an Unrestriced line corps (U.R.L.) has been depleted down too, say the Lt. Level and their is a Commander from the engineer or restricted line, A battleforce commander might decide that the Commanders many years of experience trumps the value of an U.R.L. officer. Lets not forget a good leader seeks counsel from those that are lower in the chain of command. This is why a GOOD X.O. is probably the most important officer in any Fleet Command. Lee was the X.O. He was also meant to serve as ADM. Adamas eyes and ears aboard the Pegasus. However, once a C.O. has made a decision, all in the chain of command are duty bound to follow it with out question. Hope this helps.

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That makes a lot of sense and was my choice when Adm. Cain died, so naturally they didn’t go that route. Plus there main goal is to build the drama so we’ll probably see some more Father/son issues later on. Which is a shame cause they where getting along so much better now. Plus it’s all kinda mute cause I don’t count on the Pegasus sticking around for much longger.

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A commander in charge of engineering does not get his hands dirty. He may know the theory and perhaps even some of the detail but would not be the one doing the dirty work - specially when all that's needed is to turn a knob, give me a break! In that way this episode just shows the writer's lack of research or attention to detail the plagues this show. Also, if there was an issue of "lost" crew the rescue op would have been launched the minute they stopped communicating, there would not have been an "investigation."

If anyone is listening, could you hire a military consultant, please?

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I thought last night's episode was stellar (but again, remember, I liked the last several).

Chris: Moore was unable to record a podcast for this week.

Tim: How did you get through the episode with no real Boomer scenes? Oh, it must have been the previews for next week :)

SpinZone: The name of the show isn't Battlestar Pegasus ;) I agree with the other poster, I don't expect the Pegasus to make it out of this season intact.

Jimmy (and others): I see where most people are coming from re: hot dogging, ignoring orders, etc, but at the same time, its an issue addressed again and again and again on the show, starting in the Mini-Series. Adama had been letting stuff slide (i.e. Starbuck's attitude, Cheif/Boomer's relationship) because the ship was about to be shut down. Now, the end of the world happens, it would be incredibly hard to change away from that (especially when the Command... Admiral can be seen seting the same example as in Litmus Test). Cain called Adama on it in Pegasus. In a perfect world's military, it wouldn't exist, but the show lives in a world far from perfect.

Personally, I'm a bit iffy on Apollo being made the Commander of the Pegasus (damn he got promoted all the way up from Captian fast, but that does happen in wartime). Tyghe getting passed over was a bit of a surprise to me, but they had told that story already.

The Abortion thing seemed out of left field to me, but considering the possible greater picture (Boomer) I guess it will come back down to Earth.

Lee/Dee. Still don't like it :) But at least Lee/Starbuck made up. I would have liked to have seen Starbuck stay CAG on the Pegasus, but maybe that gives them a chance to introduce a new character.

I'm probably the only fan not really looking forward to next week's episode. What I love about Galatica is the story of the people surviving the end of the world (Probably why I liked Black Market and Scar). The Cylons, their mythology and religion, are a secondary story to my favorite parts (Sorry, Tim). I'm sure it will be interesting, but its not the story I I enjoy the most.

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Dorv: It was real REAL tough my friend. Tim.

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The Pegasus Commander repairing the valve at the cost of his life reeked of Wrath of Khan to me. Anyone else get that feeling?

The whole chain of command is in jeopardy of falling apart. Adamma was plotting the assasination of his superior. Apollo committed treason. Starbuck does something court martial worthy every show. The fleet could dissolve into civil war if Baltar wins the election. So much drama! Love this show!

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No Wrath of Kahn, just the Peter Principle correcting itself. The point made was that Garner was a thinking without regard to the people side of the equation, not just the physically possible - this type of thinking is Cylon thinking.

The Cylons, too, must look for supplies.

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Tim: All will be made up next week :)

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