Resistance (Battlestar Galactica)

Last updated
"Resistance"
Battlestar Galactica episode
BattlestarGalactica -- 2x04 - Resistance.jpg
Starbuck and Helo talk to Sam Anders.
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 4
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Written by Toni Graphia
Original air dateAugust 5, 2005 (2005-08-05)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Fragged"		Next →
"The Farm"
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

In the episode, Marines fire on civilians following Colonel Saul Tigh's declaration of martial law. President Laura Roslin and Lee "Apollo" Adama escape Galactica , Commander William Adama recovers, and Specialist Cally kills Galactica-Boomer. On Caprica, Starbuck and Helo join a human resistance group led by Sam Anders.

Plot

When civilian ships protest martial law, acting commander Tigh orders Marines to take withheld supplies by force. On the civilian ship Gideon, Marines open fire on a hostile but unarmed crowd of civilians, killing four. Fearing a split in the fleet, President Roslin and Apollo enlist help from Racetrack and Dualla to escape the brig, and go into hiding with Tom Zarek, Roslin's erstwhile political enemy. [1]

Tigh has Chief Galen Tyrol thrown in a cell with Boomer who has recently been found to be a Cylon. He then orders Baltar to determine whether he is also a Cylon. Instead, Baltar injects Tyrol with poison and demands that Boomer reveal the number of Cylon agents still secretly aboard the fleet. After Boomer guesses that there are eight agents, Baltar administers the antidote and later clears Tyrol of being a Cylon.

On Caprica, Starbuck and Helo encounter humans who survived the initial Cylon attacks and formed a resistance group. After a firefight and a Mexican standoff, the two groups persuade each other they are not Cylons by discussing sports.

Back on Galactica, a still-weak Commander Adama resumes command. Tigh confesses he has made mistakes, but Adama sympathizes with the pressures of command. An angry crowd gathers to witness Boomer's transfer to a specially-constructed holding cell. During the transfer, Specialist Cally shoots Boomer, who dies in Tyrol's arms declaring her love for him.

Characterization

In his podcast commentary on "Resistance", executive producer Ronald D. Moore discussed his views of what the episode's events reveal about several of the characters.

Analysis

Moore notes that Tigh's actions in "Resistance" make it easy to think badly of him despite Tigh's positive contributions; Moore cites examples in the miniseries that served as the series's backdoor pilot and the episodes "33", "Scattered", and "Valley of Darkness". Moore suggests this raises questions about "the nature of heroism". [7]

Moore compares the shooting aboard the Gideon to the Boston Massacre. A group of ill-prepared soldiers, faced with a hostile mob, hears a shot fired and panics. Moore is careful to point out that who fires the first shot on the Gideon is unknown. [2]

Questioned by Ellen why Tigh did not shoot down Roslin's Raptor, Tigh replies, "It was his son." However, Susan Tankersley of Television Without Pity argues Tigh would not have shot down Roslin's Raptor even if Apollo had not been aboard. In her analysis, Tigh is by now aware of the negative impacts of his bad decisions and unwilling to kill someone he knows is not truly his enemy. Tankersley also speculates things might have ended differently if Tigh were drunk, but in this scene he "seems sober." [8]

In "Scattered", in return for parole, Apollo agreed not to "make any attempt to free [Roslin] or sow insurrection among the crew" while on duty. [4] Moore is unsure whether Apollo's actions in "Resistance" constitute a parole violation, since he secures passage to the launching bay by telling his guards he is needed to help a Raptor Pilot. In Moore's view, the question is important for Apollo's character as "a point of honor". [2] Jason Davis of Mania calls Apollo "mutinous". [9]

Two shots with blood dropping on the floor appear in the episode: one after Tigh interrogates Tyrol, and one after Boomer dies. Davis says this "recurring visual motif... continues the philosophical debate on what it means to be human/Cylon". [9]

Moore, Tankersley, Davis, Jen Segrest of AOL's TV Squad, Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity, and Simon Brew of Den of Geek compare Cally's actions in this episode to those of Jack Ruby. [2] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Production

Writing

During development, "Resistance" was known as the "Kent State episode" because of how Tigh's heavy-handed tactics lead to civilian deaths. Moore later came to believe the incident bears greater resemblance to the Boston Massacre. [2]

Early plot outlines for "Resistance" included scenes in which Baltar would interrogate Boomer. The writers replaced these scenes with the Tyrol subplot after realizing that other characters would likely suspect Tyrol following his rescue from Kobol in the previous episode, "Fragged". Later the writers considered establishing a love triangle among Baltar, Boomer, and Six. [2]

In early drafts, Ellen was shown playing a direct role in running Galactica, giving orders and urging Saul to shoot down Roslin's Raptor in the CIC. The writers decided this was less believable than her indirect influence through manipulating Saul's emotions. [2]

Boomer's last words are, "I love you, Chief." Moore had her call him by his title rather than his first name because Moore thinks "Galen" sounds funny and feared it would interfere with the audience's experience of the moment. For comparison he cited George Costanza's reaction in Seinfeld to learning that Kramer's first name is Cosmo. [7]

The writers had Billy decline to go with Roslin because actor Paul Campbell would be unavailable to shoot the next episode. [2] Campbell was in Los Angeles filming a pilot for another series that was not picked up. [13]

Filming

Director Allan Kroeker shot the first scene set on Caprica, in which the resistance fighters spot Starbuck and Helo and decide to kill them, is filmed from the resistance's perspective. He did this to provide a different flavor to a situation in which protagonists mistakenly target other protagonists, which Moore called "a very traditional plot move." [2] The shootout and standoff were filmed in one day, but because of safety issues and the complexity of the choreography it took, in Moore's words, "an ungodly amount of time." [2]

The scenes in the launching bay before Roslin's escape were filmed in front of a green screen, as the crew did not have access to a large enough set. The blood drops in the shots at the beginning and end of "Resistance" are both CGI. [2]

Asked in a December 2005 interview what was the most difficult scene in the series to shoot, actor Aaron Douglas (Tyrol) said, "The scenes where someone dies in the Chief's arms are difficult to do because they take a really long time to shoot and you are constantly in a state of loss and sadness. They are very draining." [14]

Connections to other series elements

Reception

"Resistance" received favorable critical review. In a positive review, Segrest especially praised actor James Callis (Baltar). [10] Tankersley gave "Resistance" a B, praising Callis and the scenes between the Tighs, but criticizing the scenes on Caprica as alternately confusingly frantic and boring. [8] Davis praised the performances of actors Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh) and Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh), and the episode's treatment of "the dangers and moral uncertainty underlying any breaking of the chain of command". [9] Davis compared Battlestar Galactica favorably to Babylon 5 in this regard. [9] Brew also reviewed the episode favorably, expressing appreciation for the focus on conflicts among humans rather than between human and Cylon. [12]

Eric Goldman of IGN ranked Tigh taking command at #11 on his list of the top 20 storylines and moments in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. [18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Special guest star

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Agathon</span> Character in Battlestar Galactica

Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Tigh</span> Fictional character in Battlestar Galactica (2004)

Ellen Tigh is a fictional character from the 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot series, portrayed by Kate Vernon from 2004 to 2009. She is the manipulative wife of series regular Colonel Saul Tigh during the first three seasons of the series. In season four, she is revealed to be the last of the Final Five Cylons, synthetic humanoid machines who are the precursors to the Cylon antagonists who oppose the human race throughout much of the series.

"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.

"Scattered" is the first episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 15, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley of Darkness</span> 2nd episode of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"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.

Fragged (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 3rd episode of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"Fragged" is the third episode of the second season of the Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 29, 2005. It is the first episode in which Starbuck does not appear.

The Farm (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 5th episode of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"The Farm" is the fifth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 12, 2005. It is the first episode of the series in which the plot is set on Caprica.

Home (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 6th and 7th episodes of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"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 (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 10th episode of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resurrection Ship</span> 11th and 12th episodes of the 2nd season of Battlestar Galactica

"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.

"Occupation" is the third season premiere and 34th 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 following episode "Precipice". In the episode, the Cylons are in their fourth month of a military occupation on New Caprica, where the majority of the human population are residing. A resistance movement is trying to drive the Cylons away. Meanwhile, Admiral William Adama continues his plan to rescue everybody there. Unlike most episodes up to this point, it does not include a survivor count, leaving it unclear as to how many died when several ships were destroyed in the previous episode.

"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.

Exodus (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 3rd and 4th episodes of the 3rd season of Battlestar Galactica

"Exodus" are the third and fourth episodes of the third season from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. The episodes originally aired on the Sci Fi Channel on October 16 and 23, 2006.

"Deadlock" is the sixteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,556.

Daybreak (<i>Battlestar Galactica</i>) 19th, 20th and 21st episodes of the 4th season of Battlestar Galactica

"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.

References

  1. ↑ "Colonial Day". Battlestar Galactica. Season 1. Episode 11. 18 Mar 2005. Sci Fi.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Moore, Ron (5 Aug 2005). "Battlestar Galactica episode 204 commentary" (Podcast). Retrieved 20 Jul 2011.
  3. ↑ Moore, Ron (14 Jul 2005). "Battlestar Galactica episode 201 commentary" (Podcast). Retrieved 18 Jul 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Scattered". Battlestar Galactica. Season 2. Episode 1. 15 Jul 2005. Sci Fi.
  5. ↑ "Valley of Darkness". Battlestar Galactica. Season 2. Episode 2. 22 Jul 2005. Sci Fi.
  6. ↑ "Fragged". Battlestar Galactica. Season 2. Episode 3. 29 Jul 2005. Sci Fi.
  7. 1 2 Moore, Ron (23 Jul 2005). "Battlestar Blog: Yes, Virginia, there really is a blog". Sci Fi Network. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 15 Aug 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 Tankersley, Susan (Strega) (10 Aug 2005). "True chromance". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 21 Jul 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Davis, Jason (11 Aug 2005). "Battlestar Galactica - Resistance". Mania. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 21 Jul 2011.
  10. 1 2 Segrest, Jen (8 Aug 2005). "Battlestar Galcatica: Resistance". TV Squad. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 21 Jul 2011.
  11. ↑ Clifton, Jacob (20 Sep 2005). "Blackbird singing in the dead of night". Television Without Pity. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 25 Jul 2011.
  12. 1 2 Brew, Simon (2 Sep 2009). "Battlestar Galactica season 2 episode 4 review: Resistance". Den of Geek. Retrieved 21 Jul 2011.
  13. ↑ Campbell, Paul (12 Apr 2006). "Paul Campbell interview". The Scifi World (Interview). Retrieved 21 Aug 2011.
  14. ↑ Douglas, Aaron (19 Dec 2005). "Aaron Douglas interview". The Scifi World (Interview). Interviewed by Gilles Nuytens. Retrieved 21 Aug 2011.
  15. ↑ "Sacrifice". Battlestar Galactica. Season 2. Episode 16. 10 Feb 2006. Sci Fi.
  16. ↑ "Lay Down Your Burdens". Battlestar Galactica. Season 2. Episode 20. 10 Mar 2006. Sci Fi.
  17. ↑ Moore, Ron (23 Sep 2005). "Battlestar Galactica episode 209 commentary" (Podcast). Retrieved 23 Jul 2011.
  18. ↑ Goldman, Eric (26 Mar 2009). "Battlestar Galactica: 20 best storylines and moments". IGN. Retrieved 18 Jul 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.