“Blood on the Scales” is episode fourteen of season four of the new Battlestar Galactica.
At the end of the previous episode, “The Oath”, Tigh and Adama remained behind to allow Roslin’s Raptor to get away. They are captured after a stun grenade is thrown in. Gaeta orders the Raptor destroyed and Narcho tells Hot Dog to do it. Hot Dog tries to communicate with the Raptor first and the president gets on the wireless, saying she’s on the Raptor and Galactica has been taken over by mutineers before she’s jammed. Hot Dog still can’t shoot and the Raptor gets to the baseship before Narcho fires.
On the baseship, the Cylons ask what’s going on. President Roslin insists the government hasn’t lost control, but isn’t believed. Tory says they have to jump; Roslin says if they do, they will never see the others of the Final Five again. Put the baseship in the middle of the fleet and Gaeta won’t shoot.
In CIC, Gaeta wants the admiral to tell Roslin to come back. Adama tosses his rank pins down and tells Gaeta he’s the admiral now, he has to do it. Gaeta orders the baseship fired upon, but is told it’s moved into the fleet, and orders it quarantined instead. And to prep the FTL and get ready to welcome Zarek.
Starbuck and Apollo watch as Colonial One arrives and Zarek gets off. Roslin is trying to contact the fleet again. Adama is brought to his quarters, as is Lampkin. Zarek says that Adama has been charged with crimes whose penalty is death by firing squad, but he’s entitled to a court-martial. Lampkin will defend him. Neither Adama nor Lampkin are that impressed, especially as Zarek will be the only judge. The admiral doesn’t even bother holding in his contempt.
On the baseship, Roslin is still trying to contact the gleet. Vipers are trying to provoke the Cylons into doing something, and Tory says they need to talk.
On Colonial One, Zarek speaks to the Quorum delegates. He wants Gaeta to meet them. One tells Zarek he should leave. Mr Vice President. The others agree, showing they don’t consider Zarek’s position legitimate. Zarek leaves. And orders the marines to shoot the Quorum delegates.
Gaeta is brought to see the results of the massacre and is horrified. He says it’s murder. Zarek tells him no, it’s a coup. One Gaeta began. Gaeta says they had the truth on their side. Zarek tells him the truth is told by whoever is left standing. Adama has to go. There’s no turning back now.
The Cylons want to flee, but Roslin tries to convince them to stay. There’s fighting all over Galactica, and not everyone on Gaeta’s side is happy where things are going. Even Gaeta himself, as this was begun because he thought that the admiral was refusing to listen to the Quorum. And, when they didn’t go along with Zarek, Zarek had them killed. Which is worse than what Gaeta thought the admiral was going to do. It doesn’t help that the court-marital is clearly a sham.