“Colonial Day” is episode eleven of season one of the new Battlestar Galactica.
The episode opens on Cloud 9, a luxury liner that duplicates a planet inside its dome. Three reporters, calling themselves The Colonial Gang, are saying that the liner was damaged during the Cylon attack and had to be evacuated. Repairs are now complete and President Roslin has picked it for the location of the interim Council of Twelve, which will be held on Colonial Day, celebrating the signing of the Articles of Colonisation.
A man is listening to this whilst preparing a weapon and a briefcase, as is Roslin herself. She’s not too impressed with what they say and turns the radio off as a man arrives, Wallace Gray, who has just been described by one of the reporters as a ‘fatuous gas bag.’ Then Billy enters and turns the radio back on. Tom Zarek, seen in “Bastille Day”, is the representative of Sagittaron.
Billy answers a call. It’s Commander Adama, as the president expected. He says they can’t allow a terrorist to sit in the government. Roslin can’t do anything, though. The commander says Zarek is a danger to the entire fleet and Adama can prevent him from travelling to Cloud 9 as such. Roslin doesn’t want Adama to act like her personal goon squad. Zarek starts making a speech from the Astral Queen as the man finishes packing a gun in a briefcase.
Starbuck finds Gaius Baltar working in his lab. She tells him not to be late for their shuttle. Starbuck will be handling his security. For what? Hasn’t Gaius heard? He’s been selected as the Caprica delegate to the Quorum of Twelve. Gaius has managed to be elected to an office without even knowing it. He considers politics even more boring than blood samples. Until Number Six tells him that young women are drawn to positions of power.
Starbuck and Apollo are discussing security on Cloud 9. There are so many coming and Starbuck is concerned that any of them could be a Cylon. Doesn’t she pay any attention to politics? No, she does not. Apollo explains that there’s enough unrest that President Roslin want people to see how their government works. Starbuck thinks the president is running for re-election. Then attacks Apollo with a hosepipe.
The man with the briefcase gets it through security. Colonel Tigh and his wife are in the reception line. The colonel is not having fun. Starbuck and Apollo are watching Zarek; both want him if he gives them an opportunity. One man accuses Zarek of being a murderer and another steps into Zarek’s defence, saying he’s a freedom fighter. Apollo grabs the second, who says he has every right to be there. Yes, but not the right to roughing people up.
Zarek is now meeting Tigh and Ellen. She’s much nicer to Zarek than Tigh is. Afterwards, the colonel asks why she did it. To get their picture on the front of every newsletter in the fleet. Roslin is the past; Zarek the future. Zarek is now greeting the president. He asks if he holds out the hand of friendship, will she shake it? Try it. Not only does she shake his hand, she kisses him on the cheeks. Zarek congratulates her.
In the meeting, Gaius looks bored out of his skull. Or possibly even asleep. Until Number Six tells him a reporter is eying him up. He can have any woman he wants. Just remember, she has his heart and could rip it out of his chest. Roslin has announced the agenda, but Zarek wants an item adding. The election of a vice president. Gaius seconds the motion, at Number Six’s prompting, and it’s voted for. Zarek is nominated.
On Colonial One, Roslin presses Gray into being nominated for vice president. Zarek is giving an interview on the wireless and Apollo wants it turned off. The man he confronted earlier disagrees; Starbuck watches for trouble. The man with a gun in his briefcase is also there. The situation devolves into a fight and the man with the briefcase is leaving, when it gets knocked onto the floor and the gun falls out. Which Starbuck notices. She takes him down.
A man with an assassin’s gun is on Cloud 9 when Tom Zarek is attempting to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. Naturally, everyone thinks that’s suspicious. Meanwhile, Ellen is politicking for her husband with Zarek.
On Caprica, Caprica Boomer and Helo are planning to leave the planet. In the previous episode, “The Hand of God”, Helo saw a second Number Six. He’s wondering why any human would help the Cylons, and, if so, what’s the chance they are twins. He starts musing about Cylons messing with human DNA and is getting close to realising that there are humanform Cylons.