“Sacrifice” is episode sixteen of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
In a room full of crazy about Cylons a woman is working on a document about them whilst remembering a man on a photo on her desk being sucked out into space during a Cylon attack. She has a gun and a photo of someone believed to be Boomer after the original one was known to be dead.
Adama is in his quarters listening to the wireless with President Roslin and Billy. It says that Galactica is suspected of harbouring a Cylon agent. Billy turns it off. Adama asks how this got to the press. Roslin is surprised it didn’t happen sooner given that Adama is meeting with Boomer and she’s regularly interacting with members of the crew. Adama says she’s a military asset. If he thought she was a threat, he’d pull the trigger himself. Billy thinks the fleet needs to hear that. And needs to believe it.
Outside, the president agrees with Billy; someone needs to keep asking the hard questions. She suggests acknowledging Boomer’s existence and make a case for her to stay on Galactica. Billy says that won’t work. They need to trust people with the truth. That they don’t know much about Cylons and until they know more, they are not going to destroy the only source of info they have. Billy sees Dualla and mentions asking hard questions and asks to be excused. The question Billy wants to ask Dee involves a ring. She says no. Awkward.
In a bar on Cloud 9, Dee is talking to Apollo about the matter. Ellen Tigh enters and bumps into the woman from the beginning. The latter looks at some men in the bar. Who are armed. Apollo heads to the bar and Billy arrives and sees Dee. When Apollo returns from the bar it gets awkward. Apollo heads back to the bar whilst Billy is saying he should have been told.
At the bar, Ellen is blathering but Apollo is watching the woman. He asks Ellen, as a regular, if she’s seen the woman before. No. Apollo sees the woman’s gun and ells Ellen they need to go to the bathroom. She gets the wrong impression. Apollo watches the woman and men through the door. They do not look to be professionals; one at least is drinking for courage. Amateurs with guns are not reassuring. One of the men shuts the bar’s blast door, then they and the woman draw guns.
Adama is speaking to Boomer in his quarters again. She wants to know if the fleet knows she exists. They know. Afterwards, Tigh enters. He doesn’t like how the Cylon is getting under Adama’s skin.
In the bathroom, Apollo opens a hatch in the wall and wants Ellen’s drink for the CO2 it’s smoking. She heads out to speak to the people with the guns. The woman is telling everyone they aren’t criminals; they’re members of the fleet like the patrons. And Ellen announces who she is.
In Galactica CIC, Adama and Tigh are told they need to hear something. Ellen explains that she and others are hostages and the hostage takers are threatening to kill them. The woman comes on and says she’s Sesha Abinell. She controls the Cloud 9 lounge. The Colonial Fleet is Cylon-occupied territory. She wants Sharon Valerii in two hours. Or else.
After the call, Adama wants to know about Sesha Abinell. Gaeta says her husband was a casualty in a Cylon attack 10 weeks ago. As to who is on Cloud 9, there’s Apollo, half a squad of marines and Starbuck is on R&R.
Apollo is looking for the CO2 sensor to place the smoking drink next to it. In the bar, one man realises there was another man. One goes to search the bathroom; Apollo grabs him from behind.
Starbuck meets with three marines and fills them in on what’s happening. The gunnery sergeant asks if she has a plan. Lock and load; figure out the rest as they go along.
Apollo leaves the bathroom with a gun to the head of the hostage taker. However, the Abinell realises he was with Dee and threatens to kill her. Apollo lowers the gun.
A bunch of hostages in a bar with only one way in that’s blocked by a blast door, being held by amateurs with guns. This is not a good position to be in. And the fleet doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, or more will become one.