“Flight of the Phoenix” is episode nine of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Raiders and Heavy Raiders are heading somewhere. On Galactica, Chief Tyrol is looking over a damaged Viper. Starbuck is playing cards with the others when Helo joins them; only Starbuck greets him and he leaves. Starbuck says she doesn’t care who he’s with; he saved her back on Caprica. As to how anyone can fall in love with a toaster; the same way she hears they were all high-fiving their Sharon just before she put two in Adama. They mess with your head. The chief writes the Viper off as unserviceable scrap and leaves.
He arrives where Cally is being celebrated, having been released from the brig for killing the original Boomer in “Resistance”. Tyrol grabs a drink and leaves, finding Helo drinking in Boomer’s Raptor. Tyrol says she flew 47 missions but still couldn’t land worth a damn.
Racetrack folds her hand; the cards are so damaged she knows what Starbuck’s got. She’s tired and wants it to end. Starbuck is going to find Helo, Racetrack makes a crack and Starbuck responds as might be expected. Helo and the chief’s conversation goes downhill and they end up fighting until the chief collapses.
In CIC, Dee takes her headset off when a noise shrieks through it. Gaeta tells the commander and Colonel Tigh that something is triggering their comm and broadcasting a signal. Adama and Tigh are concerned the Cylons could track it when Dee’s console goes funny, then blows.
Adama checks on Dee. Gaeta says there’s been a system glitch ever since the Cylons got into the network in “Scattered”. Tigh tells Gaeta to fix it. Gaeta says it could take days; the colonel isn’t interested in excuses. Gaeta loses it, which is a first. Adama tells Tigh that they’ve been months on the run now and nothing to show for it. Tigh agrees the crew needs a rest. It’s finally hitting them that everything is gone and the only thing to look forward to is this.
Apollo asks Chief Tyrol about the Viper. Grounded permanently. Apollo needs the ship, but he tells Tyrol to do his best. Nobody is expecting miracles. The chief wonders if that’s the problem. Later, he’s working on something when the deck crew show. He says they’re going to build a new fighter. An off duty project. He’s not met by enthusiasm and tells the others to get back to work.
President Roslin is meeting with Dr Cottle, reading a report. Going by Cottle’s lack of cracks, sarcastic comments and similar behaviour, it’s not good. And it isn’t. She has weeks, a month at most.
Starbuck, Hot Dog and Apollo are on the firing range. Starbuck makes a comment about Apollo and Racetrack’s behaviour; Apollo thinks she’s the last person to lecture anyone about manners. Apollo also reminded the chief that regular maintenance takes precedence over his hobby project. Starbuck is willing to bet it will fly. Apollo asks who will fly it. Starbuck, of course. Outside the firing range, the oxygen monitors are dropping. When Hot Dog collapses, they realise something is wrong and they’re stuck. Starbuck manages to shoot out the door’s window.
Gaeta is explaining to Adama, Tigh and Apollo what happened. And they think they’ve found what caused it. A Cylon logic bomb according to Gaius. Capable of learning and left behind when the Cylons infiltrated the network. Getting rid of it will be difficult. Adama wants Helo to run it past Boomer.
The rest of the deck crew start joining in with the new fighter as the commander watches. Tigh thinks it should be shut down; it’s a waste of time. Adama says it may come to that, but the project has given them something and he won ‘t take it away until he has too. More crew join in and even Tigh provides some help. Meanwhile, a fleet of Raiders is incoming and the Cylon logic bomb will undermine Galactica and make them vulnerable to attack.