Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Home (2)

Home (2)
Season 2, Episode 7
Airdate	August 26, 2005
Written by	David Eick & Ronald D. Moore
Directed by	Jeff Woolnough
Nielsen Rating	2.1
Fleet Survivors	47,855
← 2x06 Home (1)	2x08 → Final Cut
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Two

Home (2) is the seventh episode of the second season of Battlestar Galactica, and is the twentieth episode overall.

Edward James Olmos (Commander William Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Katee Sackhoff (Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Jamie Bamber (Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Number Six), Grace Park (Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii)

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Paul Campbell (Billy Keikeya), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Gaeta), Kandyse McClure (PO Dualla)

Guest Star: Donnelly Rhodes (Dr. Cottle)

Special Guest Star: Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek)

Special Guest Star: James Remar (Meier)

Cast: Leah Cairns (Racetrack)

Plot Summary

Galactica

On Galactica, Tigh, Gaeta, and Adama pore over the Pythias texts, trying to find clues as to where the Tomb of Athena might be to aid in their search for the President's ground team. Finally deciding that it is most likely somewhere in the mountains west of the City, Adama takes a team including the President's aide Billy Keikeya and Chief Tyrol down to Kobol in a Raptor.

Baltar and Number Six have a confrontation, ending with Six telling Baltar that she is in reality not a chip in his head, and that he's crazy. Baltar has a brain scan done by Dr. Cottle, with Six interfering all the way. The scan turns out negative—there is no detectable chip. Upon conclusion of events of the episode, Baltar refuses to believe that Six is a mere hallucination because of things that have happened over the course of the run from the colonies, things that could not have happened if she was only a hallucination—and Six claims that she is an "angel", sent by the Cylon God to protect Baltar to the end of Mankind.

Kobol

Roslin's crew continue their search for the Tomb of Athena on Kobol. They find what Boomer believes to be the Gate of Hera, the location where Athena supposedly hurled herself down to her death in grief at the departure of the founding members of the Thirteen Colonies, and a nearby landmark to the Tomb. Tom Zarek and his friend Meier rework their plan to kill Apollo. Meier intends to try to get Boomer to do it for them, thus shifting any possible blame off of them. Adama and his team arrive, and there is a happy reunion until Boomer steps out. Adama tries to kill her, throwing her to the ground and choking her, although Boomer fights him off.

Realizing that his plans need to change as a result of Adama's return, Zarek orders Meier to hold off on the assassination. Meier takes matters into his own hands, plotting with Boomer. He tells her that there's no way that Adama will let her child live, and Boomer appears to agree. She tells Meier that he should kill Adama and she'll kill Apollo. However, Boomer double-crosses Meier, shooting and killing him, then turning the weapon over to Adama to gain his trust.

Starbuck spends a while trying to find a place to use the Arrow of Apollo, until Adama has the idea to try pushing on the wall. The wall swings open, revealing a tomb filled with icons of the Twelve Colonies and a statue holding a bow. Starbuck notches the Arrow of Apollo into the bow and the tomb slams shut, transporting them to a Stonehenge-like structure, apparently on Earth, composed of stones inset with lights in the shape of the constellations of the Twelve Colonies. A star map appears above them, indicating a series of constellations and a nebula known to the Colonials—a landmark to use in their journey.

Reunification

Upon returning to the Galactica, Adama reinstates Roslin as the President of the Twelve Colonies.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Kara brings up the resistance fighters on Caprica and her hopes of a rescue mission. However, Roslin is too absorbed by the quest to find the tomb.

• Adama, Tyrol, and Billy take a Raptor to the surface of Kobol and find Roslin and her people.

• While Zarek calls the hit off, Meier presses on, recruiting Sharon. However, she turns the tables, killing him and turning the gun he gave to her over.

• After finding the Tomb of Athena, the Arrow of Apollo manages to activate a projection of the surface of Earth. In it, they see 12 large pillars with lights on them that reflect 12 constellations, representing the Twelve Colonies, each standing underneath the respective constellations. They identify the Lagoon Nebula and plan to use that as course of direction toward Earth.

• After everyone returns to Galactica, Adama recognises Roslin as the President of the Twelve Colonies, officially reuniting the fleet.

• Sharon is put in the same cell that was originally meant for Boomer. Overhearing she and Helo, Baltar realises that their child is the child Number Six spoke of.

Characters

• Baltar discovers that the Number Six he sees is not a chip in communication with the Cylons. When asked who or what he is, she explains that she is an "angel of God" sent to protect and guide him to the end of the human race.

• Sharon has the memories Boomer had of her time in the fleet.

• Sharon learns about Cally shooting Boomer and feels no one will ever trust her.

• Adama shows forgiveness to Kara and Lee for their betrayals. However, he is still angry at Boomer, as evident by him strangling Sharon who shows no resistance, saved only his wounds acting up and is pulled off her.

• Tyrol approaches Sharon. To his confusion, she knows who he is and hugs him.

• Adama thanks Roslin for convincing him to abandon the initial fight against the Cylons and flee the Colonies.

Trivia

The Show

• Continuity: In the opening flashbacks, the dialog in the Zarek/Meier scene does not match the one seen in the previous episode.

• The opening recap uses an alternate take of Adama saying he's going to "our family back together." Not only is it from a different angle, but he adds and ends with the word "again", which did not punctuate the line in the previous episode.

Goofs

• At one point, Zarek tells Meier that "getting blood on your hands is a lot harder than washing it off." It's reasonable to assume that the intended line that is that it's "easier," but the flub in dialogue was not caught at any point in the episode's production.

• Lee points out the Lagoon Nebula in the constellation Scorpio (supported visually by one of the markers). However, the Lagoon Nebula is actually located in the Sagittarius constellation. This error has been acknowledged by the producers.

Quotes

• Adama: She thinks you'll be President one day.

Billy: Excuse me?

Adama: That's what she said to me once, that you reminded her of President Adar when he ran for his first office.

Billy: I don't really know how to respond to that, sir.

Adama: Don't let it go to your head. Adar was a moron.

• Lee: You know, we should keep an eye on him, too.

Kara: Helo's a friend of mine, all right? He's one of the good guys.

Lee: Yeah? Sharon was a friend of yours, too.

• Adama: We made a decision to leave the Colonies after the attack. We made the decision. It was the right one then, it's the right one now. So every moment of every day since then... is a gift.

Roslin: From the Gods?

Adama: No, from you. For convincing me that I should go. I would be dead. My son would be dead. Whatever else the cost... I won't second-guess that outcome.

• Billy: Uh, where the hell are we?

Roslin: I don't know. Tomb of Athena, I think.

Adama: I thought we were already in the tomb.

Kara: I think that was the lobby.

• Baltar: And who, or what, are you, exactly?

Number Six: I'm an angel of God sent here to protect you, to guide you, to love you.

Baltar: To what end?

Number Six: To the end of the human race.