Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Sometimes a Great Notion

Sometimes a Great Notion
Season 4, Episode 11
Airdate	January 16, 2009
Production Number	4A13
Written by	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson
Directed by	Michael Nankin
Fleet Survivors	39,651
← 4x10 Revelations	4x12 → A Disquiet Follows My Soul
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season Four

Sometimes a Great Notion is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, and the sixty-fourth 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 (Lieutenant Sharon "Athena" Agathon)

Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Captain Karl "Helo" Agathon), Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Felix Gaeta), Kandyse McClure (Lieutenant Anastasia "Dee" Dualla)

Guest Star: Lucy Lawless (D'Anna)

Guest Star: Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben)

Guest Star: Rekha Sharma (Tory Foster)

(end credits): Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh)

Cast: Brad Dryborough (Hoshi), Jennifer Halley (Seelix), Don Thompson (Sp3 Anthony Figurski), Alexandra Thomas (Hera), Sonja Bennett (Sp2 Marcie Brasko)

Plot Overview

Everyone comes to terms with the discovery of a devastated Earth. As despair begins to spread, unlocked secrets of the ruined planet bring forth horrific discoveries, as well as revelations for the Final Five.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• It's confirmed that Earth was nuked approximately 2000 years ago. In its current state, it's unsuitable for colonisation.

• Among the human remains are Cylon Centurions variants. However, a test of the bones reveals that the people of Earth, the Thirteenth Tribe, were themselves Cylon.

• Tyrol, Anders, and Tory realise that they had not been to Earth, but lived there. Despite some flashes of their lives, they still have no recollection as to why they came to be among the fleet and believe themselves human.

• The discovery of the state of Earth leads to a dramatic dip in morale.

• The fleet leaves Earth, requesting the nearest possible habitable star systems, and asks the Cylons if they want to come along.

• D'Anna gives up and decides to stay behind on Earth.

Characters

• Kara traces the signal and finds wreckage of a Viper bearing her numbers. When she and Leoben find the cockpit, a charred body with blonde hair is inside. She pulls off the necklace chain and finds her wedding band and a dog tag reading "K. Thrace". The revelation scares off Leoben and Kara later burns the body, not telling anyone of her discovery.

• Dee is overcome with sadness of Earth. She late composes herself by the time she runs into Lee who asks her out for drinks. After a happy evening, she returns to her quarters and tells Gaeta that she wants to hang onto the feeling for as long as possible. After he leaves, she pulls a gun out and shoots herself in the head.

• Roslin's faith is destroyed as Adama finds her burning her copy of the Book of Pythia. She tells him that when the Cylons attacked, he shouldn't have listened to her and stayed and fought.

• Coping with everything Adama gets drunk before weeping that he feels he let everyone down. He then turns to anger and directs it at Tigh, going into his quarters and tries to goad him into shooting him. Upon realising what he's going, Tigh assures him that neither of them can give up and everyone needs them to lead them to a new home.

• Tigh goes into the water and happens upon a post box hatch. There he gets flashes of himself on Earth, uncovering Ellen among the debris brought on by the Cylon attack. She assures him that everything is in place that they'll be reborn. Upon learning of this, he realises that Ellen is the fifth and final Cylon.

Referbacks

• Kara tells Leoben about the Hybrid's warning of her being the harbinger of death as she told her in "Faith".

Trivia

The Show

• This episode marks the final appearance of Dualla in the series.

• Aside from archive footage in The Plan, this is the last appearance of D'Anna/Three in the series.

Behind the Scenes

• This was the last episode produced before the 2007 WGA strike. Actress Katee Sackhoff said that if the strike had lasted long enough, the episode would have wound up serving as a series finale.

• Kara and even Leoben have visible lacerations on their faces and necks from something even Ron Moore is unaware of. For the scene of Kara talking to Lee on Colonial One the bandage was visibly red but whitened in post-production as it was felt that it would be distracting to audience as they try to figure out where the injury came from.

Quotes

• Roslin: It's perfect. We traded one nuked civilisation for another.

• Roslin: So the Thirteenth Tribe settled here and created their own Cylons.

Lee: Then the machines rose up and killed their masters.

Baltar: That's what we thought. Until we tested the bones.

Number Six: 250 skeletons so far, from four different sites on the planet. Using your protocols...

Baltar: The results are conclusive.

Adama: What's your point?

Tigh: They're not human. They're Cylon.

Adama: All of them?

Tigh: All of them.

Baltar: The Thirteenth Tribe was Cylon.

Tigh: The Thirteenth Tribe, the tribe of Cylons, came to this planet and called it Earth.

• Kara: If my Viper's splattered all over this planet, then who flew it here and what the hell did I fly back to Galactica?

Number Two: Maybe it's better off not knowing.

Kara: You're always telling me to face the truth and not run from it. Why the sudden change of heart?

Number Two: I've got a feeling. You might not like what you find.

• (after appearing to find her own dead body)

Kara: If you've got an explanation for this, now's the time.

Number Two: I - I don't have one. I was wrong... about Earth.

Kara: Your Hybrid told me something. Said that I was the harbinger of death, that I would lead us all to our end.

Number Two: She told you that?

(Leoben backs away and runs)

Kara: Is it true? Is it true? If that's me lying there, then what am I? What am I?! What am I?

• Adama: Ah, Ellen. Yeah, you know, Ellen was smarter than I gave her credit for.

Tigh: Don't go there, Bill.

Adama: Smarter than me. She knew from the beginning that there was something wrong with you.

Tigh: What?

Adama: That's why she went around frakking half the Colonial fleet.

Tigh: Shut your mouth!

Adama: Searchin' out, tryin' to find a man who had real blood in his main vein.

Tigh: Shut your frakking mouth!

Adama: She came on to me once. Like a dog in heat. I could smell. I could smell it. She smelled so good.

(Tigh puts a gun to Adama's head)

Adama: Go on, do it. Do it. Do it! (puts a gun to his own temple) Or I will. Go on! Go on! Do it. Go on.

Tigh: Oh my Gods. That's why you came here. To do this. You haven't got the frakking guts to do it yourself. (removes ammo from gun) I'm sorry, Bill. This is one time I can't help you.

• Adama: Men and women of the fleet, this is the Admiral. The discoveries of the past few days have been painful for all of us. As you know, we cannot stay on Earth. But this is not a new challenge. The Thirteen Tribes of Kobol stood exactly on the same spot that we are right now. They experienced dreadful losses. Their planet was a graveyard. They needed a home. So they set out in the void of deep space with nothing but their ships and their guts. And the Thirteen succeeded. They weren't supermen. They were ordinary people, like us. What they can accomplish, we can accomplish. We will find a new home. This is a promise I intend to keep.