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| "Bastille Day" | |
|---|---|
| Battlestar Galactica episode | |
 Political radical Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Allan Kroeker |
| Written by | Toni Graphia |
| Original air dates |
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| Guest appearance | |
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"Bastille Day" is the third episode of the first season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
Following the discovery of a new source of water, Chief Galen Tyrol and his teams determine that it is in the ice of a moon with an incredibly harsh climate. They determine that they will need a thousand men ideally to mine the water for usage in the fleet which is experiencing water riots due to the shortages.
Commander William Adama and Apollo suggest using the prisoners on the Astral Queen for the needed labor. The 1,500 men on the ship have been sentenced to hard labor and were on their way to parole hearings when the attacks occurred. Apollo suggests using incentives such as points towards their freedom to get the men to cooperate. Roslin agrees to use volunteers and assigns her Chief of Staff Billy Keikeya to help sort out which prisoners can be trusted and which cannot. At odds with Apollo, Adama decides to send someone he can trust to report to him on security matters. Due to his attraction to her, Billy suggests Petty Officer Anastasia "Dee" Dualla which is agreed to. Adama sends deck hand Cally along to make sure that the volunteers can actually use the needed equipment.
On the Astral Queen, Apollo makes his proposal, but no one steps forward. Finally, a man comes forward to reject Apollo's offer. Billy recognizes the man as Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) an infamous political terrorist from Sagittaron. Billy's admiration of Zarek creates conflict between him and Dee who, while from the same colony, doesn't approve of Zarek's methods.
Apollo attempts to negotiate with Zarek for his help, having admired and respected Zarek for a long time. During the negotiations, the prisoners escape and riot with the help of a guard and take over the Astral Queen, taking the crew, Cally, Billy, Apollo and Dee hostage. Zarek then makes a broadcast to the fleet, demanding that Roslin and her ministers step down and free and open elections be held to elect a new government. Zarek argues his views with Apollo, stating that he doesn't see Roslin's presidency as legitimate due to her not being elected.
As the situation continues, Adama contacts Zarek in an attempt to defuse the situation while sending the marines and Starbuck to regain control of the Astral Queen and put an end to the situation. After Zarek refuses to listen to Adama and eagerly awaits the arrival of the Marines, Apollo realizes that Zarek really wants a bloodbath and to go out in a blaze of glory. Zarek reveals that his intentions are to become a martyr that will inspire the fleet to overthrow Roslin and Adama.
While Apollo and Zarek talk, a prisoner named Mason notices Cally's utter defiance of him. When Cally refuses to show him respect, Mason takes Cally to rape her. When Mason tries, Cally bites off part of his ear and Mason shoots and seriously wounds Cally. Though the commotion draws Zarek and Apollo to the scene, Zarek refuses to intervene, claiming that Mason's imprisonment turned him into a monster and "you reap what you sow." As Mason prepares to kill Cally, Apollo is able to overpower one of Zarek's men and use his gun to kill Mason.
As Starbuck and the marines arrive, Apollo gets Zarek at gunpoint but chooses not to kill him. Instead, Apollo acknowledges that Zarek is right about the freedom of law. Apollo offers Zarek a deal: in exchange for Zarek and his men helping to mine the water, they will give them their freedom and the Astral Queen. Apollo also promises to hold elections within a year. Zarek agrees and orders his men to stand down. Though Starbuck still tries to kill Zarek, Apollo saves his life.
In the aftermath, Apollo reminds Roslin and Adama that Roslin is only supposed to finish out the last seven months of President Adar's term and then hold elections. Apollo has only obligated Roslin to what she is legally obligated to do. The prisoners have been disarmed and left the Astral Queen and are now mining the water for the fleet. After Adama leaves, Roslin privately admits to having been diagnosed with cancer to Apollo who agrees to keep it a secret.
While the crisis goes on, Doctor Gaius Baltar is approached by Adama about his Cylon detector. While Baltar starts to claim that he can't make one, his internal Six prompts Baltar to tell Adama that he needs a nuclear warhead to complete his detector. Despite Galactica only having five left, Adama reluctantly agrees.
Due to the water shortage, Starbuck and Colonel Tigh both compensate by drinking alcohol and being inebriated on the job. While Tigh chastises Starbuck's behavior towards the pilots, he also backs her up with Adama, causing Starbuck to attempt to reach out to him by sharing some of the newly mined water. Tigh rejects the gesture however.
Boomer continues to be nervous about the potential of her being a Cylon sleeper agent. Tyrol reassures Boomer that the master-at-arms investigation into the bombing has turned up no clues pointing towards Boomer as the bomber. Catching the two in an embrace, Colonel Tigh privately tells Boomer that the entire ship knows about their relationship which is against military regulations. However, while it was ignored while Galactica was in the process of being decommissioned, they are now in a combat situation and Tigh orders Boomer to put a stop to it. Boomer agrees to do so.
On Caprica 12 days after the Fall, Helo and the Boomer copy make their way through a deserted city with only two days of anti-radiation medication left to them. The two intend to locate a hospital to find more medication, but come across rats feasting on a corpse, disturbing Sharon. Helo reassures her that they will "make it all the way" and suggests that someone must be watching over them.
Unnoticed by Helo or Sharon, they are observed by a copy of Number Six and Aaron Doral. The two comment on Sharon's skill while the Six expresses sadness at the destruction surrounding them. While Six feels that humanity is their parents in a sense, Doral tells her that parents must die in order for children to come into their own.
Richard Hatch, who plays prisoner Tom Zarek in this and future episodes, was the actor who played Captain Apollo in the original 1978 series. [1]
The A.V. Club commented that some of the scenes were fantastic and it the episode was "interesting to examine". [2]
Den of Geek called it a weak episode. [3]
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.
"Litmus" is the sixth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. In the episode, an investigation into a Cylon infiltration comes to focus on the relationship between Chief Galen Tyrol and the Galactica copy of Boomer in order to weed out other sleeper agents.
"The Hand of God" is the tenth episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It shares its title with the last episode of the original series.
"Colonial Day" is the eleventh episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Kobol's Last Gleaming" is the two-part first-season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series.
"Valley of Darkness" is the second episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 22, 2005.
"Resistance" is the fourth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 5, 2005.
"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.
"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.
"Precipice" is the second part of the third season premiere and 35th episode of the re-imagined American science fiction drama television series Battlestar Galactica. The episode was written by re-imagined creator Ronald D. Moore, and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. It first aired on October 6, 2006 on the Sci-Fi Channel along with the preceding episode "Occupation". In "Precipice", the Cylons respond to the suicide attack in the previous episode by rounding up over 200 civilians believed to be affiliated with the resistance, and later decide to have them executed. Meanwhile, Galactica is to send a squadron to meet with the resistance on New Caprica. Unlike most episodes, it does not include a survivor count.
"Collaborators" is the fifth episode of the third season from the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.
"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.
"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. Neither episode begins with a survivor count.
"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.
