“Islanded in a Stream of Stars” is episode eighteen of season four of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Ellen is talking about Hera’s abduction by Boomer in the previous episode, “Someone to Watch Over Me”. She says Cavil will want to study her, to see why she’s a successful Cylon-human hybrid. He’ll take her to the Colony. You could call it home; it’s where they and the Centurions went after the first war after the Centurions were promised resurrection tech. With Caprica Six’s miscarriage, Hera may be the only hope for their people to avoid extinction.
Starbuck says it may be their only hope too. Hera wrote the notes for a song, one Starbuck’s father played as a child, the song that switched on the Four and led them to Earth. Something is happening that is greater than them, and Hera is at the centre of it. The admiral asks if it’s destiny. Because he’s sick of destiny and prophecy. It’s led them nowhere.
Tigh says that they’re alive, and four years ago he wouldn’t have bet on that. Send a recon bird. Adama agrees to send a Heavy Raider.
Caprica Six and Roslin are in sickbay. It looks like they’re sharing the same dream again. Adama is with Roslin. Then Galactica ruptures where they’re repairing the hull breach Boomer caused.
In sickbay, Dr Cottle says there are 61 dead and missing, including 25 Cylons. The man who was leading the repairs says this is the final straw. Five more jumps, then there’s a 90% chance the ship will be ripped in half when they jump. Tigh wants him to be 100% sure. The Cylons want to know if the admiral will transfer his flag. Not to the base ship, Adama tells him.
Apollo is at a meeting of the fleet captains. They aren’t happy about defence being transferred to the base ship. Sonja says that the Cylons agreed to accept Adama’s military authority for a seat on the council and they will abide by that. Then the captains start demanding they get bits of Galactica. Apollo says that no-one removes anything with the admiral’s say so. He’s asked what Gaius Baltar thinks.
Starbuck is listening to Gaius talk about angels on the wireless, and how they walk amongst them in familiar forms. He knows they do, as he’s seen them, meaning Six. He ends the broadcast on seeing Caprica Six and goes to speak to her. She tells him he hasn’t changed; she has.
Cottle tells Tigh one of the Eights want to talk to him before she dies. The Eight calls him father.
Boomer is going to tranq Hera to get her to stop crying. But doesn’t.
Ellen tells Tigh she wants more than a recon mission. It’s the only hope for their people. Tigh’s people are those on Galactica; the only family he wants. Ellen says that, whether or not he remembers being a Cylon, he needs to remember they did what they did to end the cycle of war between man and machine. Yes, they failed, but Hera is a second chance. Tigh says he had a child. He died. Ellen says he had millions of children.
Starbuck is wondering who, or what, she is, and speaks to Gaius. Possibly a mistake. Anders has been linked up like a Hybrid, but on Galactica. The ship itself is coming apart at the seams.