Previously on Battlestar Galactica: Gaeta and Zarek masterminded a mutiny that forced Admiral Adama out of power. Adama and Tigh stayed behind to fight off the revolutionaries, as did Tyrol, Lee and Starbuck. Baltar and Roslin fled to the Cylon Basestar for refuge.
Adama and Tigh are captured by the revolutionaries. Roslin’s Raptor is targeted, but Viper pilot and new dad Hot Dog refuses to fire on Gaeta’s order, but Narcho has no such problems, swooping in to fire, but Athena evades it allowing the Raptor to dock with the Cylon Basestar.
Aboard the Basestar, the Cylons are confused and their rage is furthered by Baltar’s statements that Roslin and Adama have lost all control of the fleet. Roslin (Mary McDonnell) orders the Cylons to stay and give Adama time to come up with a plan.
Tigh (Michael Hogan) is sent to the brig with the other Cylon prisoners while Adama (Edward James Olmos) is brought to the CIC where Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) tells him to call Roslin and order her to surrender. He refuses and takes off his admiral medals, giving them to Gaeta. That one-legged traitor would make the absolute worst admiral ever.
Proving what a colossal douche bag he is, Vice President Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) cracks jokes while boarding the Galactica. He;s there to oversee the trial that Gaeta wants Adama to have before executing him. Ar gunpoint, our favorite lawyer Romo Lampkin is brought in to defend Adama on the charge of treason, among other things. That’s not such a good idea, since Romo has a pretty good track record when it comes to defending treasonous leaders.
Making this a total farce, Gatea will prosecute and Zarek will be the judge. Even more hilariously, Gaeta is named the commander of the fleet. This is the final straw for the Quorum, who refuse to go along with letting a one-legged communications officer fun the military. So Zarek has them killed.
Seriously, he sends his men in to shoot the entire Quorum. Gaeta is highly disturbed by this murder and now he’s no longer on board with this plan. Zarek still thinks the only truth is told by those left standing, so they have no choice but to kill Adama.
The Cylons vote to jump away from this problem, but Roslin talks them out of it with an impassioned plea about how Adama will get through this. Speaking of Adama, he’s standing by his convictions, refusing to go along with this fraud of a trial.
Tyrol crawls through the airducts of Galactica but gets caught by a revolutionary. He’s able to talk his way out of the scary situation by bonding over the memories of what the ship used to be. Lee and Starbuck are also on the move and find the Cylon prisoners after taking out the guards.
On their way out, more guards show up and in the firefight, Sam Anders is shot in the neck. Starbuck makes everyone else run to find Adama while she takes her husband to Doc Cottle.
Gaeta questions Adama when Zarek is informed of the escape. However, he tells Adama Tigh was killed in the attack to play on his emotions. Adama refuses to answer any more questions so Zarek says he’s guilty. Romo objects, and Zarek has him escorted out. Roslin gets on the radio to tell the fleet what happened, and she convinces 10 more ships to join her side.
While being escorted, Romo and his guard come across Starbuck and Anders. Romo uses his mighty pen to kill the guard and, though he really, really doesn’t want to, he agrees to help Starbuck.
Gaeta orders an execution team to assemble in the airlock, and when Lee learns about this, he rushes off. Baltar also dreams about this execution which wakes him up to find Number Six seducing him in bed. He suddenly develops a conscience and says he must go back to be with his people.
Gaeta calls his men to tell them to carry out the execution, but thankfully Lee and Tigh have arrived to save the old man.
Roslin gets on the radio one more time to demand that control of the fleet be given back to Adama in five minute. Zarek calls her back to say Tigh and Adama are both dead so he asks for her to surrender. Her answer is so unbelievably amazing that I need to just transcribe it all:
“Not now, not ever. I will use every cannon, every bomb, every bullet, every weapon I have down to my own eyeteeth to end you. I swear it, I’m calling for all of you!”
Have I mentioned lately how much ass Laura Roslin kicks? Zarek and Gaeta decide to leave while the going is good and jump away. Tyrol has other plans, and after running around the airducts for the whole episode, he gets to the FTL drive and disables it.
With the Basestar’s weapons online, Zarek demands that Gaeta defend the ship, but Gaeta is still thinking about his day of reckoning, so he refuses the order. This gives Admiral Adama and his men a chance to enter the CIC, take back control, and call up Roslin to have her stop the attack.
In the aftermath, Tyrol is severely spooked by something he sees on the wall of the engine room and Roslin is in tears over finding out her beloved Bill is still alive.
Gaeta enjoys a cigarette while telling Baltar about how he wanted to be an architect when he was a kid. Baltar tries to speak, but Gaeta doesn’t want to hear anything about religion. Gaeta just hopes people will realize who he is, and Baltar assures him that he knows who Felix is.
And then we see Gaeta and Zarek in the airlock as Adama has them both executed by firing squad. Before Gaeta dies, he simply says, “It’s stopped.”
Wow, it wasn’t quite an airlocking, but it will have to do: Tom Zarek and Felix Gaeta are dead.
Next week on Battlestar Galactica: Ellen Tigh returns. And she knows everything.
(Image courtesy of the Sci Fi Channel)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
