“Act of Contrition” is episode four of season one of the new Battlestar Galactica.
The episode briefly opens with Starbuck in a crashing Viper, something that it will come back to several times. The Starbuck and Apollo are getting something ready; she says he’s the worst CAG, ever. Flat-Top has just done 1,000 landings, which is celebrated. Chief Tyrol asks why no-one told him; now they look like idiots. He wants a wagon. Starbuck and Apollo are painting 1,000 on a helmet for Flat-Top when Commander Adama enters and asks if they are ready, just as Apollo drops the paint. Flat-Top is being punt into a wagon as Starbuck, Apollo and the commander are making their way to the hangar, Starbuck recounting what Adama did on his own 1,000th landing, as something falls from a rack on the flight deck, activates and flies straight at Flat-Top and the pilots around him. Apollo, Starbuck and Commander Adama hear an explosion.
An investigator is telling Tyrol that metal fatigue resulted in a broken strap which dropped a drone to the deck. killing thirteen pilots and landing seven more in sickbay. They are luck, if it can be called lucky, that it was a comm drone; a missile would have taken out the side of the ship. The chief says he’s never had a death on his hangar deck. Accidents, but never a death.
Apollo is briefing the remaining pilots on the services for the dead with Commander Adama at the back of the room. Adama asks if he can take over, and Starbuck has a memory of meeting him for the first time. In the present, Adama is telling the pilots this was a hard day. There have been plenty lately and more to come. They are the guardians of the fleet and people are watching. They need to know the pilots can be counted on, even at a time like this. In the flashback, Adama is telling Starbuck he is Zak’s father and was planning to come see her at the funeral. The funeral for the pilots in the presence is interspersed with the funeral for Zak in the past.
Starbuck sees the commander in his office. He wants to start training new pilots. Starbuck doesn’t know if he’s the right person. Adama tells her there are two other flight instructors in the fleet, both civilian. He needs someone to tach combat tactics. Adama assumes this is about Zak. He’s right. He tells her Zak’s death was an accident and not Starbuck’s fault; he passed basic flight. Except Starbuck told Apollo Zak failed basic flight, but she passed him anyway. Commander Adama says they need new pilots and wants Starbuck to train them. She agrees, but looks like she’s feeling rather guilty.
Gaius is playing cards again with the other pilots, and Gaeta. Starbuck is not in the game; she’s thinking about Zak. Eventually, she leaves.
Starbuck is not impressed with the new pilots, especially as there are no flight simulators; training will be done in an actual Viper Mark II. Her feelings of guilt over Zak make her unwilling to risk anyone else’s life who can’t definitely fly. And the best of the rest of the fleet is not that great. Worse, though Starbuck admitted the truth to Apollo, she hadn’t to Adama, and Apollo doesn’t know that. You can guess what happens.
Meanwhile, on Caprica, Helo and Caprica Boomer have traced a military signal to a restaurant. Coming from a bomb shelter in the basement. Well supplied, with a disaster beacon set to go off in the event of an attack, but unoccupied. Number Six is following them.
Events continue in the next episode, “You Can’t Go Home Again”.