Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Islanded in a Stream of Stars

Islanded in a Stream of Stars
Season 4, Episode 18
Airdate	March 6, 2009
Production Number	4A20
Written by	Michael Taylor
Directed by	Edward James Olmos
Fleet Survivors	39,521
← 4x17 Someone to Watch Over Me	4x19 → Daybreak (1)
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Four

Islanded in a Stream of Stars is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, and the seventy-first episode overall.

Edward James Olmos (Admiral William Adama), Mary McDonnell (Laura Roslin), Katee Sackhoff (Kara "Starbuck" Thrace), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar), Tricia Helfer (Number Six), Grace Park (Sharon "Boomer" Valerii / Lieutenant Sharon "Athena" Agathon)

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol) (extended version), Tahmoh Penikett (Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon), Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders)

Guest Star: Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh)

Guest Stars: Donnelly Rhodes (Dr. Cottle), Rekha Sharma (Tory Foster)

and Dean Stockwell (John Cavil)

Co-Starring: Bodie Olmos (Lt. Brenden "Hotdog" Costanza), David Patrick Green (Captain Fenner)

Cast: Kerry Norton (Medic Layne Ishay), Iliana Gomez-Martinez (Hera), Lara Gilchrist (Paulla), Leela Savasta (Tracey Anne), Darcy Laurie (Dealino), Susan Hogan (Captain Franks), William Samples (Captain Greene)

Plot Overview

As Adama is faced with the heartbreaking possibility of abandoning his increasingly deteriorating battlestar, Kara's connection to the mysterious music that ties her with Hera and the Final Five drives her to find out what she really is.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Roslin and Caprica-Six resume sharing the dream concerning Hera.

• Ellen explains that Cavil has likely had Boomer take Hera to the Colony, where the Final Five and the Centurions went after the war. A recon finds it's been moved, but despite insistence from the Final Five and Kara of her importance to both their futures, Adama refuses to send efforts to find it. While it takes Boomer a long time due to the Raptor not featuring an upgraded FTL, she does finally deliver Hera to Cavil at the Colony.

• The new Quorum comprised of ship captains has been fully assembled and meet not on Colonial One but in Galactica's ready room.

• Baltar has built considerably more clout to the point where other ships are offering to take in he and his group when they abandon Galactica.

• It's revealed that the power fluctuations have been the result of Sam plugged into the stream. While not networked, he has linked to the organic resin that's been injected into Galactica's superstructure. They contain inductive elements, like nerve fibres, and through them, the electrical circuitry embedded in the ship's bulkheads.

• Adama decides to cease all repairs on Galactica and wants it stripped while civilians are shuttled off.

Characters

• Roslin is now in sickbay. Adama has resumed reading to her by her bedside.

• Tyrol has turns himself in and rests in the brig. Athena visits him and while she expresses sympathy for being deceived, she assures him that she will never forgive him for helping Boomer.

• Helo begs Adama let he and Athena take one Raptor to find their daughter. He refuses, telling him that he needs to let it go. Helo snipes back that Adama can't let go in regards to Galactica.

• Boomer tells Hera about her projection that she retreats to, the one she showed Tyrol. To her surprise, Hera can also project. After Cavil takes Hera away, Boomer appears to be now conflicted as she cries hearing Hera call out to her.

• Caprica-Six shows up in Baltar's compartment for supplies. He tries to reach out to her, but she flatly rejects what she sees as advances.

• Ellen tries to remind Tigh of their past and the proverbial children they have. However, it means nothing to him since he still remembers none of it.

• Kara is about to shoot Sam to put him of his misery when he suddenly grabs her and spouts nonsensically like the hybrids. She later sits by his side and plugs him back in an effort to break down the music.

• Hearing Baltar's broadcast about angels, Kara divulges to him about finding her body on Earth, begging him to study her dog tags for some answers to what she is. As a mass funeral ends, Baltar explains in front of everyone what she told him and that there was necrotic flesh found on the dog tags that matches her DNA. He is convinced that it's proof of eternal life. She later quietly puts her picture back in the memorial hallway.

Referbacks

• We see Dee's picture has been placed in the memorial hallway following her suicide in "Sometimes a Great Notion".

Trivia

The Show

• While not visible, examination of the props for the funeral scene show the Cylons utilisation of the infinity symbol, which was also used by the monotheistic Soldiers of the One in Caprica.

• The colony has at least three old school Raiders that were used in the Cylon War.

Extended Version

This episode is one of three that includes an extended version on the Season 4.5 DVD. Although a majority of the exclusive material consists of longer scenes with minimal or no dialogue, there are some notable inclusions:

• Tyrol, conspicuously absent in the television cut, is revealed to have turned himself in for helping Boomer escape. Athena confronts him in the brig and while she understands his ignorance and guilt, she will never forgive him.

• Helo and Kara drinking in Joe's Bar, discussing the meaning of the word "harbinger" before he sobers up over her "bitching and moaning" while he's helpless to save his daughter.

• The climax of the episode is also arranged differently. The scene with Adama and Tigh concerning leaving Galactica, which ends the aired version, is followed by Boomer's arrival at the Cylon colony, then a new scene of Adama and Tigh watching the civilians being transported off ship, and finally Kara reconnecting Anders to begin an attempt to breakdown the music.

Allusions and References

• The title of the episode derives from the book The Outermost House by Henry Beston. In the chapter "Night on the Great Beach" he write, "For a moment of night we have a glimpse of ourselves and of our world islanded in its stream of stars — pilgrims of mortality, voyaging between horizons across eternal seas of space and time."

Quotes

• Adama: In other words, it's our destiny to go after her, right? Wrong. I've had it up to here with destiny, prophesy, with God or the Gods. Look where it's left us. The ass end of nowhere; nearly half of our people are gone; Earth, a worthless cinder; and I can't even walk down the halls of my ship without wondering if I'm gonna catch a bullet for getting us into this mess.

• Number Eight: Thank you.

Tigh: Thank me? For what?

Number Eight: For the privilege of finally being able to meet my father before I die.

Tigh: You shouldn't be thanking me. I spent most of my life trying to kill your kind.

Number Eight: Too much confusion. (flatlines)

• Baltar: Who are you, by the way, again?

Kara: Me? I'm a dead chick, that's who.

Baltar: Oh, right. And I'm full of crap.

Kara: No, I mean it. I'm dead, as in six-feet under dead. Dead, as in crashed landed, burned to a crisp dead. Here. (takes out her dog tags) I took these off my body. What was left of it, anyway, on Earth. Take them. You used to be a scientist. Run some tests, pull out the ol' Cylon detector, do whatever you need to do because I have no idea. The only thing I know for sure, I'm not an angel.