“He That Believeth in Me” is episode one of the fourth and final season of the new Battlestar Galactica.
In the season three finale, “Crossroads: Part 2”, Tigh, Anders, Tory and Tyrol discovered they were Cylons. The fleet had jumped into the Ionian Nebula to discover a large Cylon fleet and it would take 20 minutes before they could jump out. And Apollo had come across a shiny new Viper. Piloted by Starbuck. Despite her dying in “Maelstrom”.
Apollo is telling Starbuck he saw her ship blow up. They can hear Starbuck in CIC and Adama wants an ID. Vipers and Raptors are heading out against the incoming Raiders. Roslin says Starbuck is a Cylon trick. Gaeta reports that the main Cylon thrust has been stopped but the reserves are through. Adama wants everything that can fly launched. He asks Colonel Tigh what’s wrong with him. Tigh says he’s never felt better in his life, then shoots the admiral in the head. Fortunately, that was just his imagination. Or fear. Adama wants everyone who ever held a stick launched.
Tyrol is getting ships launched. Anders talks to him quietly; he’s worried he might turn against his own. Who is he? Tyrol tells him he’s Samuel T. Anders and Athena asks who else would he be. Do what he’s trained to do. Anders comments to Tyrol after that she didn’t notice. Maybe other Cylons won’t. Tyrol tells him not to wait to find out. Shoot first.
Gaius Baltar is being taken away to an unused compartment. One of the fleet’s ships is destroyed when a Raider crashes into it. Roslin asks how the Cylons found them. Gaeta warns that 50 missiles are inbound, half at Galactica, half at the fleet. Adama says to concentrate on the ones aimed at the fleet; Galactica can handle them, they can’t. The spinning ship is clipped and Anders is unable to get his Viper to fire. A Raider spins around and, by all appearances, scans him. Then shuts up and leaves. Along with the rest of the Cylons. Tigh asks why the Cylons let them go. Tory suggests maybe something has changed. Roslin asks like what. Tigh states he has no idea.
Gaius enters the compartment, and two people watch him enter. Inside, he’s being treated like he’s holy. There’s even a shrine.
On the flight deck, Starbuck tells Tyrol she wants the gun camera developed. She notices everyone staring at her and asks what’s up. Apollo hugs her. Tigh asks Adama if he believes in miracles. He doesn’t. Anders finds Starbuck and says he told everyone she was too mean to kill. Starbuck asks why he’s in a flight suit. He completed Viper transition a week ago. Starbuck calls to the admiral. She found Earth. She’s surrounded by marines and Adama tells her Dr Cottle is going to do a complete physical. Starbuck says she was only off the ship a few hours. Anders tells her it was two months. Starbuck says that’s impossible; her ship clock has only logged six hours. She’s told everyone thought she was dead.
Gaius wants to get off Galactica. He’s told no other ship will have him. Six says that yesterday he faced execution; today’s he’s free/ Why the long face? Because he went from the President of the Colonies to the king of fools. It’s probably better to be hated by everyone than loved by this lot. One of the women thinks Gaius is praying. She always feels empty when she prays. Six tells Gaius to tell her the gods are false. He does.
Starbuck is in Adama’s quarters with Roslin, Tory and Apollo. She checked out in sickbay. Starbuck says she followed a Heavy Raider into the storm, took a few hits, passed out and came too orbiting a planet that matched Earth’s description. She even has pictures. The star patterns match those in the Tomb of Athena. She doesn’t know how she got back. Starbuck took photos, turned back and that’s it. She must have blacked out again. She remembers a gas giant with rings, a flashing triple star and a comet, then was back with the fleet. In six hours. She was there, she took photos, she didn’t imagine it.
Adama, Roslin, Tigh and Apollo look over Starbuck’s Viper with Tyrol. It has the same tail number as the one Starbuck flew out on. But Tyrol has been fixing it up from day one and the Viper looks like it rolled off a showroom floor. Her nav computer has no data. Roslin wants Starbuck in the brig. She thinks that Starbuck was sent by the Cylons to throw them off course. Apollo thinks she might be the clue they were supposed to find.
The four newly-revealed Cylons are worried about what they might do. Starbuck is sure the fleet is going the wrong way; it seems to be causing her physical pain. Roslin is convinced she’s a Cylon trap.
The story continues in the next episode, “Six of One”.