“Scattered” is episode one of season two of the new Battlestar Galactica.
At the end of the season one finale, “Kobol’s Last Gleaming: Part 2”, Boomer shot Commander Adama as he was congratulating her on destroying the Base Star. This episode opens with him bleeding on the table as medica arrive and Colonel Tigh is having memories of first meeting the commander. Boomer is asking what happened; she seems to have no memory of it. Gaeta tells Kelly (Ty Olsson) that Tigh is in command and Kelly is his second. Tigh orders Apollo be placed in the brig.
They’re wondering if this could be a prelude to a Cylon attack and how the Cylons would know where they are. Racetrack explains that Boomer wandered off whilst they were in the Base Star; she could have told them everything. Jumping to the emergency coordinates is recommended. Dr Cottle is not on the ship, though. There’s a Base Star incoming; Tigh briefly freezes, then orders the fleet to jump. Those on Kobol will have to wait. If they’re still alive. Apollo is put in the cell next to President Roslin and explains what happened. Galactica is the last to jump, but when they emerge, they’re all alone.
Tigh is getting changed and telling his wife what happened. New coordinates are supposed to be calculated to the rest of the fleet; Gaeta didn’t transmit them. Tigh says it wasn’t Gaeta’s fault and Tigh himself should have checked. Ellen tells him it’s his ship now. He disagrees, and in CIC says the same thing to the crew. It’s Adama’s ship and will be until he dies. And they aren’t going to let him die. Tigh asks Kelly and Gaeta how they can locate the fleet. They can jump back to where they were and recalculate. This will take 12 hours and there’s a Cylon Base Star there. Not great.
In the brig, Roslin wants them to jump back. Otherwise, Starbuck won’t find them when she returns with the arrow. She tells Apollo he has to do whatever he has to get back into CIC. Apollo doesn’t think Tigh is going to forget Apollo holding a gun to his head any time soon.
On Kobol, Gaius is having his vision of the baby with Number Six. She tells him the baby is their child. Does he want to hold her? Of course, but she isn’t real. None of this is. Number Six tells him it will be soon. Cally finds him sprawled on the ground muttering. They’re moving out and this time would he carry something? They’re going to head to the treeline where they can see the crash if Galactica sends rescue. A boom overhead announces that something has arrived. Crashdown orders them out. Chief Tyrol wants to check they have everything; Crashdown says there isn’t time.
Socinus is injured and the med kit is out of the drug he needs. And they don’t have the other med kit. Without the drugs, he will die. Crashdown blames Tarn for not getting it and orders him to go back. The chief tells Crashdown that Tarn can’t head back alone. He and Cally will go with. Crashdown, though the superior officer, is clearly not suited to lead in this case. Not surprising; his normal role is second seat on a Raptor. Not exactly a leadership position. The chief is more suited, but is outranked.
In the Delphi Museum on Caprica, Starbuck and Helo are looking at the dead Number Six. Caprica Boomer tells them that Number Six is downloading her consciousness into a new body and will tell the Cylons where they are when she wakes. Starbuck wants to kill Caprica Boomer, and tries to do so. She and Helo argue – Caprica Boomer told Helo she was pregnant with his child – and Caprica Boomer’s comments don’t help. As they argue. Caprica Boomer steals Starbuck’s Raider.
Those on Kobol are stuck with Cylons incoming. Those on Caprica now lack a ship. Commander Adama desperately needs a doctor, but the doctor is with the rest of the fleet, and they don’t know where that is.
The story continues in the next episode, “Valley of Darkness”.