“Sine Qua Non” is episode eight of season four of the new Battlestar Galactica.
In the previous episode, “Guess What’s Coming to Dinner”, Athena shot Natalie Faust, who is now being rushed to sickbay, and the Hybrid, when reactivated, jumped the Cylon base ship away with the president, Gaius Baltar and a host of others onboard. The Quorum wants to know what’s going on and Dualla tells the admiral that Zarek wants to talk. Colonel Tigh fills Adama in on the state of Vipers and pilots, given many were onboard the base ship.
Athena is being held by marines and Adama orders she be taken to his quarters. Zarek arrives at the Quorum; he’s tried to get the admiral to come and talk, but he’s not taking Zarek’s calls. Zarek explains what he knows about Roslin, Baltar, the base ship and Faust. He hopes that the president and others won’t be subject to reprisals over Faust. For now, he’s taking over as president. And Faust dies.
Apollo tries telling his father to reassure the fleet. Adama isn’t currently interested and has Athena there. He asks if she hates her own so much she can’t not kill them or whether she’s trying to sabotage the truce. Athena says that Faust was going to take Hera. Adama says there are too many witnesses who say the same thing. Hera was lost, the Cylon was kneeling and talking and Athena shot her. Athena explains her vision of Six and Baltar taking Hera away. She doesn’t seem to have considered that Caprica Six fits the description better. Adama is angry with her for murdering an unarmed woman, disobeying orders, putting the president and Athena’s own husband in danger and betraying her promise to him. Athena says she’ll accept an y punishment. Just don’t take Hera away. Adama tells her the brig is no place for a little girl.
At the Quorum, Apollo is asked if he thinks the admiral will hand over power to Zarek. He does not.
In CIC, Tigh tells Adama the recon Raptor returned. No sign of the resurrection ship or base ship. There’s another problem. Starbuck doesn’t have enough pilots to fly a standard CAP; she wants to bring the fleet in tighter, to make it easier to protect. Neither Tigh nor Adama like the idea, but the admiral gives the go ahead.
Apollo meets with Zarek, who says Roslin kept him on because he had something she didn’t. Zarek was legally elected; it helped legitimise her coup. Apollo explains that his father will never recognise Zarek as president. They need a candidate for interim president. No, eh doesn’t have anyone in mind.
Apollo heads to find Lampkin. They need to have someone his father won’t object and the Quorum will approve of. Lampkin thinks the case is a loser, but does agree to help.
Adama wants Tigh to use the relationship he’s developed with Caprica Six to see if she can tell them anything about the Hub. She tells Tigh only the Hybrids know where the Hub is, and only after it jumps. Why is a dying woman so important to him? Their conversation gets interrupted by an alarm.
One of the missing Raptors has jumped in. Racetrack takes a Raptor out. The other is shot to hell and not responding to hails. She leaves her Raptor and gets the other’s hatch slightly open. There’s a pilot inside, dead.
The Raptor is brough back and Adama is looking inside. He finds the book he gave the president; this was the Raptor she used. Tigh says they have the original jump point. And Zarek is waiting to be briefed. The admiral orders the CAP recalled and the FTL spooled. Lampkin and Apollo are in the Quorum meeting room and see Galactica jump out.
The base ship is missing, but lots of base ship debris is found. There’s some unusual news about Caprica Six, the problem about who to pick as an interim president – it’s not a surprise – and the admiral realises his judgement where Roslin is concerned is compromised.