In celebration of tonight’s premiere of Battlestar Galactica, I’ve compiled a list of the top ten episodes so far. It was an extremely touch decision and I had to rely on my fellow TV groupers (or is it groupies?) for suggestions, but I think I’ve created a pretty solid list. So without further adieu, here is the list, in chronological order, because the thought of putting them in an order based on their awesomeness makes my head explode:
This was the first episode of the series, after the miniseries aired. The Cylons have been attacking every 33 minutes for five days. The fleet jumps away, the Cylons find them 33 minutes later, over and over again. As the viewer, joining in after five days of this, you can just see how exhausted everyone is. It’s just such an interesting way to jump start the series and it totally works. Every time the 33 minutes are up, you’re just hoping that the Cylons don’t show up, but they do. Again and again and again. It’s painful to watch, but it works so well at reminding us who these characters are and demonstrating the struggle they have ahead of them. This episode also introduces us to Roslin’s white board survivor count, and already we feel her pain at having to reduce it by 3,000 when the Olympic Carrier is lost. But then at the very end Billy (oh Billy!) tells her she can add one more because there was a baby born within the fleet, and we see Laura’s pure joy as she adds the number. She’s crying, you’re crying, everybody’s crying crying, and you just know it’s going to be an awesome show.
Previously on Battlestar Galactica… Starbuck admitted to wrongly passing Zak Adama in his flight class, which later led him to crash to his death due to his lack of proper training. Commander Adama (and father of Zak) did not take too kindly to the news and told Starbuck she was dead to him, before she crashed on a heavily atmospheric desert moon. So in this episode we have both remaining Adama’s searching desperately for Starbuck, while everyone questions their thinking, saying that if they do not leave that space, the Cylons will find them. But the search continues anyway, because don’t you know it, both Adama’s love Starbuck, in their respective ways. Meanwhile, on the moon below, Starbuck repairs a downed Cylon raider and, just when the fleet is about to make a hyperspace jump, she appears, and both Adama’s and the audience are exceedingly happy. Lee and Starbuck make mental kissy faces, while Adama tells Starbuck by her hospital bedside that he loves her and forgives him for what happened with Zak, while that dang bagpipe music plays and everyone cries again.
Lets see, what happened this episode? Oh right. Everything! Adama is mad at Roslin for ignoring his orders and sending Starbuck to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo (I’d like to get my hands on the arrow of Apollo if you know what I mean). Adama tries to relieve Roslin of her presidency but fails, so he sends Tigh, Apollo and some marines to go arrest her. Once on Colonial One Apollo has a change of conscience and turns his gun on Tigh. I know! But just like everything else Apollo does, it’s useless, and him and Roslin are both arrested. On Caprica, Starbuck finds the arrow and has the girlfight to end all girlfights with Six proving that Starbuck is awesome, regardless of how obnoxious she is sometimes. And lastly, Adama sends Boomer on a mission to nuke a Cylon basestar where she learns that she’s a Cylon. Doink! We knew that already, but she didn’t. Sorry Boomer! After successfully destroying the basestar Boomer returns to the Galactica and shoots Adama twice in the chest. Oh no she didn’t. Oh yes she frakking did.
As you probably already know, I’m not a huge fan of standalone episodes. I much prefer the ones that build upon the mythology of those that come before it, but this is one of the best standalone episodes of the series. I’ve found that the best standalone episodes are those that deal with actual problems that would really occur in their situation, rather than a problem that is made up to fit the story they want to tell. This episode shows Chief building a new fighter jet out of scraps. They’re desperate people working to replace the ships that they’ve lost and it makes sense. It’s so incredibly touching to see the crew joining in on their time off and helping Chief build this new ship, the Laura. It also has one of my favorite laugh-out-loud moments when President Roslin pretends that she’s going to christen the ship by breaking a bottle of champagne on its hull before the Chief jumps in and stops her. Oh that Roslin! She can be such a joker when she isn’t busy taking off and putting back on her glasses.
When I was making this list, I wanted to avoid picking a show based strictly on their amazing cliffhanger ending. For example, the Season 4 midseason finale cliffhanger is amazing, but does the rest of that episode warrant being on this list? I didn’t think so. But the Season 2 finale was so incredibly good through and through. It was the culmination of the previous episodes with Laura and Baltar competing for the presidency. With the discovery of New Caprica, and with all we knew about Baltar, there was just so much on the line. And then — oh my goodness — Laura was going to cheat her way to victory! It was such a nail-biter. Was she really going to go through with it? She was! Was she going to get away with it? Sadly, she did not, and Baltar was elected president. And then we jump forward a year, and Battlestar Galactica fans across the world shit their pants as we saw the conditions they were living in. And then the Cylons came and Baltar surrendered. It was amazing. But the whole episode was, not just the ending.
From the beginning scene with the haunting music, a broken Tigh locked away, Roslin meditating and reading the scrolls, and Cavil and Ellen Tigh going at it like your parents, you just know you stepped into an awesome story arc taking place on New Caprica. In fact, of the four episodes that take place on New Caprica, three of them are on this list. The forth (the third of four actually) didn’t make it on this list because it’s clearly a Part 1 of two parts and it just doesn’t work that well as a standalone episode. It’s a lot of build up, and the payoff doesn’t come until the next hour, so that one didn’t make the cut. There’s just so much going on in this episode you can hardly keep up and it is all awesome. Did I mention Starbuck is locked away with Leoben and she stabs him with a chopstick? Because that happens, and it’s amazing. We also get our first good look at Fatty Lee, who will continue to give us joy, week after week, including Adama calling him a fatass. And to top it off, the good guys are suicide bombers called insurgents and your entire world is thrown upside-down.
After the suicide bombing in the previous episode, the Cylons enforce stricter laws to keep the Humans on a tighter leash, which involves the Human police force (those treacherous bastards!) raiding the camps and kidnap Humans who are suspected insurgents. We watch the scene in night-vision and it is incredible. People are running, screaming, fighting, and then you see Cally being taken and you fight the urge to go “Yay!” until you hear her crying baby left alone in the tent after she’s taken. It’s a rough scene, but one that works amazingly to let you know what kind of situation the Humans are dealing with. We’re also introduced to Starbuck’s half-Cylon child Casey, who she ignores until the child falls and hits her head badly, and we the viewer are once again faced with tough moral dilemmas, because how do you care for a child that’s your’s, but also your mortal (kinda) enemy’s? We end with a group of Humans (including Roslin herself) being taken to a desolate area to be killed, and Jammer of the Human police force finally does something nice and lets Cally go, and she runs for her life as Cylons shoot after her. And while all the Cylons on New Caprica are busy being evil, Adama is back on the Galactica confiding in none other than Sharon (a Cylon!) and even lets her rejoin the squad. I told you this show was complicated!
This was by far one of the most amazing episodes of television ever. Let me tell you, I was home alone watching this episode and I cheered out loud during it. It’s the final episode of the New Caprica story arc and the Battlestar Galactica comes to the rescue. Not only do they come to the rescue, they jump out of hyperspace in the planet’s atmosphere, release all the Vipers, and jump back out all in a flash! Seriously, it was like a movie, the special effects were amazing. Anyway, everyone on New Caprica was running around getting to their ships, escaping the Cylons, while the fighting ensues above them. But all does not go well, several Cylon basestars jump into orbit and begin pummeling the Galactica and just when you think all hope is lost, the Battlestar Pegasus zooms in and destroys the basestars. By sacrificing herself the Pegasus allows the Galacitca and fleet to escape the Cylons,and I’m seriously tearing up while writing this, just thinking about it. The Humans are reunited and even though it’s a time for celebration, it’s also a time to remember everyone they’ve lost. And to make matters worse, Starbuck learns that Casey wasn’t really her child, but just a Cylon trick, everything is happy and devastating at the same time. I expect nothing less from this show.
This episode kicks things off with a scene between Roslin and Tory, and Roslin is completely bald. Of course we knew her character had cancer, and we got the impression that she was wearing a wig in previous episodes, but this time it smacked you in the face and you had to look at it. This is cancer. The main focus of the episode is Roslin in the medical ward getting radiation treatment, where she befriends a fellow cancer patient who listens to Baltar’s religious radio broadcasts, which deal primarily with the afterlife, and the “river” that connects our world with the world of the dead. In a wonderfully moving scene, Roslin accompanies her friend on the ferry to the other side of the river. She watches her friend run to the shore and greet her family in warm embraces, and sees the joy that they share. Then Roslin sees her own family (including her mom played by Barbara Bush) on the shore, waving to her, calling her towards them, but Roslin says she’s not ready yet, and wakes up alone back in the hospital ward.
So Roslin, Baltar and gang have been jumped away inside a Cylon basestar, and in the previous episode we see Adama stay behind all alone as the fleet jumps away because he wants to wait for Roslin to come back because he’s all in love with her. Meanwhile, on the basestar, the Humans and the Cylons have made an uneasy truce so they can destroy the Cylon Resurrection Hub, while working together to get D’Anna and find out who the final five Cylons are. All episode, Roslin has been having visions of Elosha, her deceased spiritual leader, who questions her as to why she appears to have lost her humanity and empathy. You see, Roslin has been a major ball buster for the past 2 or 3 seasons and we’ve been seeing less and less of her caring nurturing side, because she’s become so desperate to find Earth, because if she can’t find Earth before she dies, it means that she’s not the dying leader proclaimed in the scriptures, and she thinks that if she isn’t, then her life is meaningless. I realize that last sentence is enormous and poorly written, but whatever. Anyway, during the battle to destroy the Resurrection Hub, Baltar is seriously injured, and while on pain drugs, admits to Roslin that he started the Cylon war. Left alone with him, Roslin removes his bandages and begins to let him bleed to death. But with a final vision of her own death, she regains her humanity and saves Baltar. It’s all incredibly moving, and we’re so happy to get that school teacher Roslin back because we love her. So the Resurrection Hub is destroyed, and the Basestar jumps back to where the fleet was and find Adama, floating in his Raptor waiting for Roslin. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, because they’re all kissy face. Minus the kiss, and plus a warm embrace. But whatever, I’ll take it!
Well there you have it. What do you guys think? Did I get the list right? What changes would you make?
I have to admit that my exposure to this awesome show has been limited. I had to drop off after Kobal’s Last Gleaming when either their schedule or my schedule changed and it was next to impossible to watch and try to keep up with it (pre-DVR days). But I completely agree with you on “33″ (Rolling Rock fan perhaps?) It was a masterful episode and still resonates with me. Great television.
Dave S: Great Rolling Rock reference, now I want a beer.
Craig: I wish I watched this show, I would understand what you are always talking about…
Tam: Cold enough for you? hahahahahahahaha
Eh, I got nothing. Don’t watch the show, not even enough to make pithy, witty, snide remarks about, so this is it for me today.
HUGS…
Starbuck had a Cylon baby? WTF?
This show is way too convoluted.
The Cylons kidnapped Starbuck and took one of her ovaries and (claimed to have) created a baby using her eggs.
Good points. I have to agree with you. My memory isn’t that great on the shows, but reading your descriptions gave me that excited feeling I remember from watching! Can’t wait for tonight!!!
Hayden: Oh, you are a funny boy.
Its only -22 with no wind this morning. Rather pleasant compared to the -39 with the wind of Wednesday.
Ummm, I got nothing either. Have fun watching tonight Craig.
Tam: It’s, like -9 here this morning with a wind chill that’s dipping to -30. Arrrgh!!! All the schools are closed because of the dangerous temperatures.
Dangerous like those nasty Cylons.
(hey, I had to segue back to the topic *some*how…)
Great list. Boomer finding out she was a Cylon was a great scene. Shooting Adama was an even better scene (I like Adama, but the shock of it was amazing)
Honestly, season 4 has been my least favorite season so far, and I’m hoping the second half will make up for it. The first half is all build up and hopefully the 2nd half is the action and the other good stuff.
And Faith and The Hub were def two of the better episodes.
But how’d you forget Crossroads Part 2? The build-up to the (amazing) ending is done so well. Even though as soon as you realize who hears the music it kind of gives away the surprise of who the cylons are. But still, it was so good.
Hell yeah you got it right. My two favourite moments: the Galactica jumping into the atmosphere (oh, the fire on the hull; I was beside myself), and the Hybrid getting plugged in and shouting “Juuummmp!”: best ending to an episode, ever. You did miss “Valley of Darkness”, which is, in my mind, one of the best sci-fi episdoes of all time. It’s like The Next Gen‘s “Disaster”, but without Troi in charge. Awesome.
Enrico: Believe me, I thought about it. The ending was amazing, and I loved Apollo’s speech at Baltar’s trial, but otherwise, the other 45 minutes were pretty standard (great stuff, but that’s standard for BSG). I also wanted to spread out the 10 episodes throughout the series and I already had 3 season 3 episodes. Besides, why do you like that episode? Your mortal enemy Starbuck came back from the dead!
Sven: Glad you like the list! Valley of Darkness was definitely a great episode. I loved the Cylon Centaurians invading the Galactica, but Tigh in charge kinda bugged me. I thought about it, but sadly there was so much other BSG awesomeness it didn’t make the cut.
I know… when that part happened all my friends looked at me immediately and watched me glare at the television screen.
Oh, and you forgot another episode: Sacrifice.
Meh, it’s your list. I’m just enjoying watching it from the beginning again with my sister and brother-in-law who are BSG-virgins. It’s like watching it for the first time. Tigh in charge was awesome, even if he was the worst thing to happen to the fleet since Leoben Conroy. It was like watching Helena Cain take charge, or looking in the back of an ambulance: you know you don’t want to see it, but you just can’t stop yourself looking.
Okay, Sven mentioned ST:TNG so now I got something: Disater WAS great, even with Troi in charge! It was awesome cause of the fish-out-of-water situations everyone was put in…like Troi in charge.
Tam, Dave…guess I won’t complain too much about the 5 degree weather I was driving to work in….
HUGS…
Polt: Every time Troi was in charge the Enterprise crashed. I’m not one to judge, but there’s an obvious pattern and it’s not about women drivers. Tigh is just as bad, but with a drink problem and a sylica relay for a brain. Frakkin toaster.
I hated Tigh seasons 1 and 2. But season 3-on I thought he was awesome. The pirate look suited him.
Craig, thank you so much for recapping all those episodes, every one of them was awesome. But I have to agree with Enrico, the build-up and reveal of 4 cylons in Crossroads 2 was my favorite part of BSG ever.
Americans and Canadians discussing the weather: Are you talking Fahrenheit or Celsius? We are having a couple of cold nights here in Florida right now, temps go down to the lower 40s and upper 30s F. Go ahead, rofl, I love the weather here.
Pirate Tigh and Peg-leg Gaeta. My brother-in-law guffawed at ‘Saul Tigh’ because it sounded too much like ‘salty’. Has BSG turned into Captain Pugwash?
Sven: I know EXACTLY What you mean! In the first NextGen movie, Riker says THE most ludicris thing ever said in Star Trek: With a bridge full of crew, he says, “Deanna, take the helm!” Like if MY starships gonna crashland on a planet, the person I want steering it is the counselor! And then, in the last movie, when Picard needs to ram the Romulan ship, who does he put at the helm: Deanna! CRAZY!
But let’s not forget, in ST:IV (the whale movie), that black female captain has her ship disabled by the huge freaking alien craft and ends up just drifting. And Captain Rachel Garrett of the Enterprise C had her ship destroyed by the Romulans at Kitomehr. And Captain Janeway ended up getting her ship lost in far reaches of the Delta Quadrant.
Now I’m not gonna comment on women drivers either, but…….
HUGS…
Pirate Tigh is awesome but I ALWAYS worry about the actor playing him. Every time I see him in his patch, I think “isn’t it bad to only use one eye when both function properly?”
Can’t that cause problems with the covered eye or something? Or strain the one he looks out?! I always get worried about that.
Bernd: I was talking F for the benefit of the American’s on the board. I think in C though.
Tam, those were F? shudder!. I knew why I invited our WestJet rep to visit me in FL next month.
I can’t wait!!!
Bernd: I LOVE WestJet. They are the best funniest airline ever. Wish they had better connections so I could use them more. If this weather keeps up I might be considering using my parents condo in Florida in March. Although maybe thawing out in Barcelona will help me.
Craig, just want to say thanks for getting me TOTALLY excited about BSG again. I’m a big fan, but I just hadn’t gottten that thrill rush yet. This post did it!
All that aside, read these spoilers without spoiling anything.
This is an excellent list, truly.
The only one I would have to add (maybe in place of “Faith”) is “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner.” That one had it all – Natalie the Six speaks in front of the quorum, Gaeta loses his leg and starts singing, Athena freaks out about Hera and shoots Natalie the Six, and at the end the hybrid makes that first “JUMP!” which was so awesome. Every time I watch that episode I get chills.
Dang! I haven’t seen any episodes since the season 2 finale, which means I had to stop reading at #5 to avoid spoilers (and consequently I am not reading any comments about this post either, sorry!) I am really excited to catch up on the series via NetFlix, but I think I will wait until the whole thing is on DVD. I am not good at waiting for months between new episodes and I have been known to give up on a series, even a good one, if I have to wait too long.
For those of you looking for some Apollo eye-candy to get you revved up, I came across this in my surfing tonight. BSG seems to be infiltrating my life in every way. Enjoy.
http://justbeautifulmen.blogspot.com/2009/01/other-apollo-beautiful-jamie-bamber.html
Wow. Anyone else kinda disappointed at the ending?
No way! I loved it! I’m thrilled it isn’t being dragged out. The show isn’t about who the fifth cylon is. It’s about the journey to Earth.
Yup, I agree. I’m not disappointed they didn’t drag it out, I’m disappointed about WHO it is. Grr. And btw, didn’t Baltar do a test on her mad long ago and kept the results to himself? So he knew all along and didn’t say anything? What?
First, I gotta say thanks to you Craig, I got addicted to this show. I read some of your entries about the show way back when, and always wondered if it was as good as you mentioned it, so I went on a whim and bought the first season. And then immediately fell in love with it. Then I told my boyfriend about it, and he thought it was kinda nerdy of me to watch the show, but I forced him to watch the miniseries and 33 one night, and then he apologized to me. Haha. Since then, he’s bought me every season on DVD and we just got done catching up to Revelations on Season 4. Again, thanks Craig for getting me addicted to this awesome, underrated, misunderstood show!
Anywho, I agree with your list of top 10 episodes, but I also think Pegasus, the Season 2 mid-season cliffhanger, was one of my top favorites. To be honest, I really forget what all happened in the episode, but just the introduction of possibly my favorite characters on the show, Helena Cain, and the cliffhanger ending of the episode, make it amazing for me.
I’m calling it from now: Everyone is a cylon. Everyone.
Bad commercial placement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW2_2ihIuzI
Big spoiler.
Ryan: LOL! That is incredible!
Definitely a big spoiler though in case anyone didn’t watch last night’s episode yet though!
Ryan: That is amazing. Especially with the song going “I just want to celebrate another day of living” in the background.
Antonio: My friend thinks that too…
Awesome list! Although this past week’s could very well be a bonus #11.
It’s a great list dude. I would probably drop everything from the New Caprica arc except for Exodus Pt 2. When it comes to episode arcs, I have to choose the best episode out of the arc, because I consider it like a whole episode that was broken down into 4 segments.
I am probably the only person that liked The Passage. It was a stand-alone, like Flight of the Phoenix. But I found the last 20 minutes riveting and had great character moments from Starbuck, Adama, and Kat.
I would also nominate Crossroads Pt II. Not for the cliffhanger, but for one of the only courtroom scenes that actually enthralled me. Lee’s speech was a major turning point for his character – and one that finally made me like him.
Donya: Definitely! It was a great episode!
Mr. Zebra: The Passage was very close to making it to the list and only got cut at the last minute. I thought it was another great standalone episode that had a purpose rather than acting as filler. And the last 20 minutes were great and definitely very moving.
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I agree with your list, but i think that Downloaded from Season 2.5 and No Exit from Season 4.5 should be added. 2 really interesting episodes and knowing what i do about the show, Downloaded is hilarious because Anders gets stuck with D’Anna, Caprica 6, and Boomer after he explodes a cafe and apartment building. For D’anna’s curiousity being the way it is, she almost killing one of the Final 5 is actually hilarious. and the beggining of the episode is original and a cool backstory idea and i love when they do that.
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Great stuff! I’m inquiring if you know of any forums that talk about these absorbing issues at all? Thanks
The Hub was fantastic. It’s so hard to pick 10 eps of this show but of course The Oath/Blood On The Scales would be on the list now. I was absolutely riveted during those eps. ‘I’m coming for all of you!’. And of course when Pegasus comes in to save Galactica I was practically screaming. The most visceral reaction to any TV ep ever… probably anything ever. I also really liked Sine Que Non? because it took a lead character (and a male no less) somewhere they rarely go and what made it great was that EJO crafted Adama so well you believed him in his actions and how he couldn’t live without her. Bloody fantastic!