| "A Measure of Salvation" | |
|---|---|
| Battlestar Galactica episode | |
 One of Galactica's prisoners, a Leoben Conoy model, lies dead in his holding cell. | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Bill Eagles |
| Written by | Michael Angeli |
| Original air date | November 10, 2006 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"A Measure of Salvation" is the seventh episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica .
Major Apollo leads a boarding team inside the ship finding most of the Cylons are dead, however, a small group is found barely alive on the bridge. The landing team also finds the mysterious cylinder device. Sharon "Athena" Agathon tries to access the Basestar's computer system to no avail. She then speaks with a Cylon copy of herself who calls her a traitor. Apollo requests permission to finish off the Cylons. However, at Captain Helo's suggestion, Admiral Adama orders the prisoners to be brought back to Galactica for interrogation.
Gaius Baltar is confronted by Number Three and Number Six, who ask why he didn't reveal the existence of the device he found on the Basestar. Baltar feigns ignorance at first but then confesses that he did know about the device. Three and Six believe that he knows more about the device that he's letting on. They have two Centurions take him away for interrogation.
The Cylon prisoners, along with Apollo's boarding party, are placed under quarantine by Doctor Cottle. Later, he determines the virus to be a strain of Lymphocytic Encephalitis, one that has caused the Cylon's brains to swell and other symptoms like high fever, stupor, and disorientation.
Cottle reports to Adama and President Roslin that he can create a serum that will suppress the virus and keep the Cylons alive, without ever curing them; the Cylons will have to be given periodic injections to keep them alive. A Cylon copy of Simon is brought before Adama and Roslin. In exchange for the serum, Simon explains the Cylons' plans to find Earth. He reveals that Baltar is with the Cylon fleet and is showing them the way to Earth. Simon further explains about the probe, and how the contaminated Basestar was abandoned by the rest of the Cylon fleet.
Apollo realizes that the human race now has a way to exterminate the Cylons once and for all. All they need do is execute their Cylon prisoners within range of a Cylon Resurrection Ship. Captain Helo objects to this plan, arguing that exterminating an entire race would be a "crime against humanity" and make the humans no better than the Cylons. Apollo argues that the Cylons are not human and they should be wiped out. Helo retorts saying that Sharon ("Athena"), his wife and a Galactica officer, has proved her loyalty, risking her neck time and again to help the human survivors and believes there may be more Cylons that think as she does.
Adama meets with Roslin on Colonial One to discuss the proposal to wipe out the Cylons. Roslin is in favor of the plan, but Adama is uneasy, pointing out that he needs a Presidential Order to use biological weapons. Roslin sees through this as Adama's way of "passing the buck", a point that Adama readily concedes. Roslin takes the responsibility, and orders Adama to carry out the plan to destroy the Cylons with the virus.
Baltar continues to be tortured by Number Three who demands he tell her what he knows. Gaius's mind, however, drifts in and out between the torture room and the beach with Six, who begins to make love to him. In between intense pain and erotic pleasure, Baltar talks of religion and faith, a monologue that makes little sense to Three because Gaius is actually talking to the Six in his head. He tells Six he loves her but Three doesn't realize who he is talking to, and she ends the torture with a look of pity on her face.
Galactica jumps away from the Colonial fleet and appears in a location within the Cylons' detection range. A Cylon fleet, complete with Resurrection Ship, duly appears. Adama orders Apollo to execute the Cylon prisoners, but when Apollo arrives at their cell, he discovers that the Cylons are already dead. Adama immediately recalls Galactica's fighters and the Galactica jumps away.
The Cylons were in fact killed by Helo, who had secretly sabotaged the air handlers to remove the oxygen from their cell. Expecting to be arrested at any moment, Helo confesses his actions to Athena. He tells Athena that he believes he has made the right decision. However, the dreaded knock at the door of his quarters never comes.
Adama tells Roslin that the Cylons were killed before they had a chance to download to the Resurrection Ship, and that the plan to infect the Cylons with the virus has failed. Roslin believes there are only two possible suspects and asks what Adama is going to do about an investigation. Adama believes the device was a marker, and that they are definitely on the right track to finding Earth. Roslin agrees with this, but points out that if the humans are on the right track to Earth, then the Cylons must be too.
James Callis submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" on his behalf for the 2007 Emmy Awards. [1]
The Cylons are the main antagonists of the Battlestar Galactica franchise, making appearances in the original 1978 series, the 1980 series, the 2004–2009 reboot series, and the spin-off prequel series Caprica. In the 1978 series, Cylon is also the name of the reptilian race who created the robot Cylons.
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven". Like the others of the "Significant Seven", there are several versions of her, including Caprica-Six, Shelly Godfrey, Gina Inviere, Natalie Faust, Lida, and Sonja. She is the only model that does not use one particular human alias for all copies.
Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Lord Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series. He is one of the show's primary characters.
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series produced and aired by the SyFy cable network. He is one of the main characters in the series, and is portrayed by Edward James Olmos. The character is a reimagining of Commander Adama from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series, originally played by Lorne Greene.
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber, and is one of the main characters in the series. His first appearance was in the 2003 Battlestar Galactica miniseries.
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.
"Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the two-part first-season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Home" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 19, 2005, and Part 2 aired on August 26, 2005.
"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006.
"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006. It was the first episode broadcast after a hiatus following the broadcast of the previous episode, "Pegasus", on September 23, 2005.
"Epiphanies" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 20, 2006.
"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second-season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006, as a 90-minute special.
"Torn" is the sixth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode introduces the concept of the "hybrid in the Battlestar Galactica" fictional universe - a semi-organic computer which operates the Basestar. The episode discloses in the story that some Cylon believe hybrid to be speaking for the one true god.
"The Eye of Jupiter" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. It aired on December 15, 2006, and was filmed in Kamloops, BC, Canada.
"Rapture" is the twelfth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica. Aired on January 21, 2007, this episode marked the return of regular broadcasting after the Christmas mid-season hiatus.
"Faith" is the sixth episode in the fourth season of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on television on May 9, 2008. The episode guest starred actress Nana Visitor, best known for her role as Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,675.
"Sine Qua Non" is the eighth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It first aired on television on May 27, 2008. The episode name is a Latin term referring to something essential that cannot be done without. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,674.
"Islanded in a Stream of Stars" is the eighteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on March 6, 2009. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,521. The Region 1 DVD release of Season 4.5 includes an extended version of this episode.
"Daybreak" is the three-part series finale of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, and are the 74th and 75th episodes overall. The episodes aired on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel and SPACE in Canada respectively on March 13 and March 20, 2009. The second part is double-length. The episodes were written by Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Michael Rymer. The Season 4.5 DVD and Blu-ray releases for Region 1 feature an extended version of the finale, which not only combines all three parts as a single episode, but also integrates it with new scenes not seen in the aired versions of either part. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 1 is 39,516. The survivor count shown in the title sequence for Part 2 is 39,406. At the end of Part 2, Admiral Adama announces the survivor population at approximately 38,000.
