“Resistance” is episode four of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Colonel Tigh is questioning Chief Tyrol, wanting to know how long he’s known that Boomer was planning to assassinate Commander Adama. The chief insists he didn’t know she was a Cylon and wants to exercise his Article 23 rights, to be told that Cylons don’t have rights. They get put out an airlock. The chief insists he isn’t a Cylon and starts insisting; Tigh says he isn’t a solider and hits him. Given that the colonel is swigging from his flask whilst doing this, it’s debatable whether Tigh is either. Outside the room, Tigh throws away his flask – then goes and picks it up again. Tyrol is put in the same cell as Boomer. He is not pleased to see her.
Cally finds Gaius and tells him to find a way to clear the chief; he isn’t a toaster. Number Six finds that term racist (wouldn’t that be speciesist?). The chief just showed bad judgement. Gaius claims the Cylon detector clearly doesn’t work – untrue. Number Six points out the child will be half Cylon. Cally reminds Gaius that she didn’t tell anyone he killed Crash in the previous episode, “Fragged”. Which Gaius did to save Cally. Blackmail? Pretty much.
Gaius speaks to Tigh in CIC and says he has a new set of protocols to eliminate anomalies. Let him test the chief’s blood. Tigh doesn’t want any more technobabble. Gaius reminds Tigh he’s the vice president and should take over from the president. The colonel has enacted martial law, though. That makes Gaius nobody. After Gaius leaves, Gaeta tells the colonel that the tylium refining ship is refusing to resupply Galactica until the government is restored. As are three other vessels.
Apollo briefs the other pilots and, on the way back to his cell, ‘bumps’ into Dualla. Possibly with the cooperation of Apollo’s guards. She tells Apollo about his father and there’s trouble brewing in the fleet. Apollo is shocked. Well, not really. Dualla would prefer Apollo be in charge; Tigh is hitting the bottle a lot.
Tigh speaks to his wife; he’s thinking about sitting down and talking to the captains to explain things. Ellen gets him to consider a more forceful approach, and the colonel contacts Gaeta to broadcast a message to the ships to resupply Galactica. Or else.
This doesn’t work. Tigh wants the marines sending in on Raptors with armed boarding parties. Gaeta doesn’t think they have enough marines. Tigh says to send pilots and deck officers in to command. This gets messy and civilians get shot. As bodies are wheeled into Galactica‘s sickbay, Tigh asks how this happened. Dr Cottle asks him what to expect, genius, putting pilots in charge of crowd control?
The situation in the fleet is deteriorating rapidly. Tigh knows he’s making a mess of things, but Adama is still unconscious. Tigh’s relationship with his wife is hardly healthy, either.
On Caprica, armed people are planning to kill two human toasters. The two are, however, Starbuck and Helo. Starbuck had picked her car up in “Valley of Darkness” and they’re stopped, looking at a map. Helo asks where they are. Starbuck reminds him he’s the navigator. Yes, but she was driving. They hear a noise from those planning to attack and Starbuck retrieves two machine pistols she keeps stored in her car. Just in case. The others open fire on them, and Starbuck and Helo assume they’re dealing with humaniform Cylons, too.
The attackers’ leader gets the drop on Helo. Starbuck gets the drop on him. The other attackers surround them. Everyone is pointing guns at each other. Both insist they aren’t Cylons. When it gets to names, though, the leader of the attackers calls himself Anders. Helo knows his full name, and the name of the other attackers. They’re the Caprica Buccaneers, a professional Pyramid team. Anders says they were on a high-altitude training mission when the attack happened. Starbuck quizzes Anders on sports trivia. This results in everyone lowering their weapons. And Starbuck making a sarcastic remark about the team’s skill. At least they now have more humans.