“Resurrection Ship: Part 1” is episode eleven of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
At the end of the previous episode, “Pegasus”, Commander Adama had launched Vipers and a Raptor to get Helo and Chief Tyrol back from Pegasus. Pegasus launches Vipers as well and things are starting to get messy. Meanwhile, Starbuck, in the Blackbird, is doing the recon mission of the Cylon fleet, snapping photos as she actually drifts through the strange ship.
There’s a mess of Vipers and Stinger gets a message to relieve Apollo of duty. Apollo relinquishes his weapon and heads to the Raptor’s rear. Galactica and Pegasus‘s Vipers are mixing it up, but no-one has fired a shot yet. Apollo is hoping for Starbuck to arrive when she jumps in; he sends her a message. She asks what’s happening. Both Galactica and Pegasus‘s CICs detect an unknown ship and assume it has to be a Raider. Both groups of Vipers form up and head towards Starbuck. Who tells them she’s a friendly, they’re all friendlies so let’s be friendly.
Stinger and Kat recognise the Blackbird and inform their ships; Gaeta says Starbuck launched a few hours ago, running flight tests for Cain. Adama doesn’t think that’s likely and Tigh is pleased, for once, with Starbuck’s stunt. Adama contacts Cain as Fisk tells her they’re getting downloads. Not from the recon mission, which was aborted, but the Blackbird. Cain appears to be impressed. Both ships stand down. Adama isn’t going to report to Pegasus, as he doesn’t want to be in the ship’s brig. Cain suggests Colonial One. As she zooms in on the photos and sees humaniform Cylons.
On Colonial One, President Roslin says this was a failure of leadership of everyone in the room. Cain says that Helo and the chief are guilty and she has complete authority to try, sentence and execute them. Roslin says they have two heavily armed ships and, though she’s sure Pegasus will win in a fight, it will take heavy damage. The options the president is giving is fight or compromise. Cain wants the Cylon fleet, and needs Galactica to get it, so she agrees to suspend the executions until after the attack. Afterwards, the president says they will meet back here and resolve the situation.
Starbuck reports to Cain on Pegasus. It seems Cain was impressed; she promotes Starbuck to captain and commander of the Pegasus air group. Cain needs a plan to attack the Cylons. She thought Stinger was her man, but he allowed Apollo to contact Starbuck under his nose. Cain couldn’t throw Apollo in the brig, as she’d have to charge Starbuck too, so he’s been relieved of flight duty. Starbuck wants Apollo on her team. Cain agrees to this. And, regarding the people on Caprica, Cain wants to head back to the Colonies and destroy the Cylons. Starbuck likes this idea. Though it’s likely overoptimistic.
President Roslin tells Commander Adama he has to kill Admiral Cain. She explains her reasoning; Cain will hit Adama the first chance she gets. And without Adama, the civilian fleet will be in trouble. Roslin does not trust Cain’s intentions towards it.
Dr Cottle is checking out Boomer; the baby will be fine. She asks about Helo and the chief; she heard they were to be executed. Adama won’t let that happen. The doctor is not impressed with what happened to Boomer and Adam apologises to her, as it happened on his ship.
Apollo finds Helo and Tyrol in Pegasus’s brig. Good news; they’re not dead yet. Bad news; it’s just a delay. The firing squad is on hold but they came really close to a shooting war with Pegasus. The chief thought the Cylons were the enemy.
Adama, and Colonel Tigh, start looking into Pegasus. It turns out that there was a civilian fleet with Pegasus. There clearly isn’t now. Roslin was right to be concerned about Cain. Which means Admiral Cain is a problem.
The story continues in “Resurrection Ship: Part 2”.