“Resurrection Ship: Part 2” is episode twelve of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
Apollo is floating in a lake. Something bright is above him – then a Raider flies past. He’s actually drifting in space in his ejector seat whilst a battle rages around him.
The episode goes back 48 hours. Starbuck is telling Apollo that, in the previous episode, “Resurrection Ship: Part 1”, Commander Adama asked her to kill Admiral Cain. It’s fracked up, but they kill people for a living. She’s going to do it and wants some backup. She can understand if Apollo can’t. He tells her she knows better. People have to trust each other, or they’re no better than Cylons.
On Pegasus, Helo and the chief are in the brig when two of the crew arrive outside and start having a go at them. Tyrol suggests they come in and discuss it and they agree. However, the marines who open the cell kneel them on the floor with guns to their head so the crew can restrain them both. Chief Tyrol is being beaten in the stomach by a piece of soap wrapped in a towel when Fisk arrives. He tells the crewmen to come out of the cell and the marines to remove the restraints. Fisk checks that the crew agree that Helo and Tyrol are Colonial officers, and says it can’t be true, them assaulting a chief or a lieutenant under the colour of authority under time of war, because the penalty is quite severe. He doesn’t want Helo and Tyrol’s thanks, either.
Starbuck is with Cain, who offers her a drink. Cain talks, and says that sometimes terrible things have to be done. Everyone faces a moment when they have to commit a horrible act, when flinching or hesitating will cost the lives of more. Cain wants Starbuck – the person who has been asked to assassinate her, perhaps the definition of a terrible moment – to promise she won’t flinch when that moment comes.
Apollo delivers documents to his father on Galactica from Pegasus. He knows about the mission and wants to hear it from his father. Is assassination how the commander resolves differences with superior officers? Adama says it was a hard decision, but he thinks the president is right. Apollo didn’t realise that the president was involved. Adama says she’s made of sterner stuff than people give her credit for.
On Pegasus, Starbuck is getting ready for battle. As are the marines that Fisk is taking to Galactica under Cain’s orders for Cain’s own assassination attempt. They pass each other in the corridor. Fisk speaks to Tigh on the Galactica when they arrive. Cain isn’t comfortable about her marines under Galactica‘s command. Tigh just wants the marines to be briefed; if Cylons board, they don’t need Colonials shooting at each other. Fisk agrees. Though that is exactly what he’s there to do.
Boomer is brought to Adama’s quarters. He wants to know why Cylons hate them so much. Boomer isn’t sure how to answer; hate may not be the right word. Adama doesn’t want to fence; he just wants to know why. Boomer starts talking about the speech the other Boomer heard at Galactica‘s decommissioning ceremony in the first episode of the miniseries, just before the attack. It sounded like the commander didn’t give the speech he originally intended. Boomer says that Adama stated mankind was a flawed creation. People still kill each other for petty reasons. They never asked why they deserved to survive. Boomer says that perhaps they don’t.
Both battlestars are attacking a Cylon base ship. The Resurrection Ship, which the captured Cylon on Pegasus, Gina, told them about – the Cylons are too far from home for the uploading process to work if they’re killed – is preparing to jump. Apollo approaches in the Blackbird and takes out the engines. Then gets hit by a disabled Raider and ejects. Galactica detects the automatic distress beacon.
The battle against the Cylons is going well, but both Adama and Cain have plans in place to kill the other. Will either realise what the other might do? What will happen if one, or both, plans go ahead?