Battlestar Galactica (2003)/The Plan

The Plan
Release Date	October 27, 2009
Written by	Jane Espenson
Directed by	Edward James Olmos
Produced by	Harvey Frand
Distributor(s)	Universal Network Television
Running Time	111 minutes
Origin	USA
← Season Four	— N/A
Battlestar Galactica

The Plan is the second movie of Battlestar Galactica and the first to be released on home video before airing on TV. It chronicles the events of the miniseries and first two seasons from the Cylon's perspective revealing the reasons behind their sometimes mysterious actions during that time period.

Edward James Olmos (Commander/Admiral William Adama), Dean Stockwell (John Cavil) Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders), Grace Park (Lieutenant Sharon "Boomer" Valerii), Michael Hogan (Colonel Saul Tigh), Aaron Douglas (Chief Galen Tyrol), Callum Keith Rennie (Leoben), Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh), Rick Worthy (Simon), Lymari Nadal (Giana O'Niel), Matthew Bennett (Doral), Rekha Sharma (Tory Foster)

and Tricia Helfer (Number Six)

Co-Starring: Alisen Down (Jean Barolay), Tiffany Lyndall-Knight (Hybrid)

Cast: Alonso Oyarzun (Specialist Socinus), Colin Corrigan (Marine Alan Nowart), Diego Diablo Del Mar (Hillard), Bruce Dawson (Coach), Lawrence Haegert (Wheeler), Tommy Europe (Rally), Maya Washington (Sue-Shawn), Luvia Petersen (Kai), Richard Yearwood (Marine), Alex Ferris (Boy), Gina Vultaggio (Jemmy)

Note: The movie contains many reused scenes from earlier episodes in which other actors appear but since these scenes were not new footage they are not credited for the movie.

Plot Overview

Orchestrated by the spiteful Number One model, the Cylons carry out a devastating attack on the Twelve Colonies, but things don't go so well. Remnants of humanity survive among a small fleeing fleet of ships and a band of resistance fighters on Caprica. Determined to finish the end of humanity and strike back at their Cylon mothers and fathers, two copies set out to clean up the aftermath, but run into problematic factors they didn't calculate when they started.

In-Memoriam

• To Harvey, With Love.

Harvey Frand was the show's line producer who passed away July 23, 2009.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• It's suggested through editing that it was Baltar who planted the note in Adama's quarters about there being 12 Cylon models.

• It's revealed that Shelly Godfrey escaped thanks to a sister Six taking her place after turning a corner and Cavil grabbing her out of sight. She got off ship when he had her exit through an airlock.

• Number Two's obsession with Kara appears to have begun when he listened to wireless transmissions he intercepted and even paints the familiar mandala.

Characters

• One copy of Cavil was on Caprica to meet Six who had been sleeping with Baltar and was given access to the defence mainframe. He stays and eventually happens on the resistance fighters. He poses as a priest in order to get Sam's confession, holding off leading any attack to wipe them out. After Anders mourns the death of 98 people, Cavil asks him if he'll continue loving them after their dead. Sam shakes off the question, asserting that death doesn't change that. Cavil soon gets an opportunity to kill Kara and is even tempted to kill Anders, but doesn't. When he reunites with the other Cavil, he admits that the attacks were out of selfish interest and it would only make sure their parents love them even more. The other Cavil dismisses it and assures him that he's going to get boxed when they download.

• The other Cavil wanted to be with Ellen when the destruction began, but is disappointed to learn she hasn't learned anything. He keeps her safe to help ensure she sees her errors. He eventually makes his way onto Galactica where he helps to coordinate the Cylons into various other attacks, including Boomer. However, he becomes increasingly disappointed with the lacklustre efforts of the other Cylons.

• It's shown that Boomer was triggered by Cavil to turn off her human persona to receive orders. The side was entirely conscious and a willing agent. However, her cover has more pull on her than expected and she begins to have doubts about what they're doing.

• Tyrol's nightmares about jumping from the top hangar deck were due to talking to Gianna after she found out that her husband, like Boomer, was a Cylon.

Referbacks

• The film takes place and even depicts events from the miniseries, "33", "Water", "Litmus", "Six Degrees of Separation", "Flesh and Bone", "Kobol's Last Gleaming" part 1, "Kobol's Last Gleaming" part 2, "Scattered", "Resistance", "The Farm", "Lay Down Your Burdens" part 1, and "Lay Down Your Burdens" part 2.

• When Number Two grabs Kara, he gets flashes from future events, material taken from the Season 3 episodes "Occupation", "Precipice", and '"Maelstrom".

• When Cavil finds Ellen in the rubble, there are a couple of brief flashes to when her husband Saul found her among the rubble on the original Earth, as seen in "Sometimes a Great Notion" from Season 4 (seen only in the DVD version of the film).

• The final scene ends with a voice over by Number One taken from "No Exit".

• The elephant Number One uses to trigger Boomer is the same one seen on her apartment in "Downloaded".

Trivia

The Show

• Several actors from the series make appearances in this episode, but are not credited because they're culled exclusively from material from the series. Chiefly among them are series stars Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, and James Callis. Curiously, there is no visual or audio material of Mary McDonnell whatsoever.

• Lucy Lawless is the only actor to portray a Cylon who does not appear in this film in new material, making only one appearance in the form of reused footage.

• This film was originally scheduled to make its television premiere November 2009 before being pushed back to January 2010, presumably to coincide with the airing of the prequel series Caprica. The DVD and BluRay were released on October 27th, 2009.

• Unlike with Razor, The Plan DVD doesn't include the broadcast version. The two versions differ in that the television version removes the nudity, rearranges the sequences of some scenes, truncates others, and even excises some altogether (the biggest is the omission of all references to Kara being captured and subsequently rescued from the farm).

• The planet seen in the Universal logo, which is traditionally Earth, is actually Caprica.

• The Six talking to Boomer in one of the flashbacks is Gina Inviere. The scene itself is actually an outtake from "Daybreak".

• This film depicts the most of the colonies than previously seen in the series. Prior to this film, Caprica was seen numerous times throughout the show, nearly exclusively. Tauron was depicted in orbit in Razor while Aerilon was depicted in a photograph that can be seen a few times in Galactica's ready room. Caprica would obviously continue showing Caprica while also showing some more of Tauron and Gemenon.

• During the attacks, the hybrid can be heard saying "Apotheosis was the beginning before the beginning." Apotheosis is later shown to be a vital part of Caprica's storylines, as it involves monotheism and virtual resurrection - both of which are major parts of the Cylons' origins.

• The events surrounding the emergence of Pegasus and the subsequent ramifications are never brought up in the film. However, the battlestar does make a brief appearance during the attacks.

Behind the Scenes

• Although no human name is provided for the Six posing as a prostitute, she is referred to in the script as "Tough Six".

• The rubble on Picon was made from the destroyed sets of Galactica's hangar deck.

• The bodies seen being burned on Caprica weren't dummies but stuntmen.

• Casting for the part of the young boy John was for a boy resembling a young Dean Stockwell.

Allusions and References

• Hybrid: The centre holds. The falcon hears the falconer.

This bit from the Hybrid derives from a line from the poem "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats which reads:

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold

Goofs

• When Cavil kisses Boomer, his fingers change between shots.

• Giana says that the Chief had she and the other knuckledraggers running tests on Kara's Raider. However, this scene comes immediately after Adama recruits Boomer to nuke the basestar over Kobol, which didn't occur until after Chief Tyrol and others crash their Raptor on the planet's surface.

• When offered an apple by the boy, Cavil is seen closing the book he's reading just before it cuts to another shot where he is seen again closing the book, but the position of the book and Cavil's hands don't matches up.

Quotes

• (opening narration)

Tigh: The Cylons were created by man.

Number Two: They rebelled.

Number Four: They evolved.

Hybrid: They look and feel human.

Number Eight: Some are programmed to think they are human.

Number Six: There are many copies.

Number One: And they have... a plan.

• Hybrid: Counting down. All functions nominal. All functions optimal. Counting down. The centre holds. The falcon hears the falconer. Infrastructure, check. Wetware, check. Everyone hang on to the life bar, please.

• Hybrid: Accepting scan. Love outlasts death.

• Hybrid: Progress reports arriving. The farms of Aerolon are burning. The beaches of Canceron are burning. The plains of Leonis are burning. The jungles of Scorpia are burning. The pastures of Tauron are burning. The harbours of Picon are burning. The cities of Caprica are burning. The oceans of Aquaria are burning. The courthouses of Libran are burning. The forests of Virgon are burning. The temples of Gemenon are burning. The Colonies of Man lie trampled at our feet.

• Number Two: What's the plan?

Number One: The plan is, everything blows up a week ago. All the humans are dead and we Cylons all download, and the universe basks in justice. However...

Tough Six: It didn't frakkin' happen.

• Number One: Let's get this genocide started.

• Number One: I'm talking about the fact that you're walking around this fleet wearing that jacket and, more importantly, that face. You're recognisable.

Number Five: His jacket was burgundy. This is teal.

Number One: Well, I have something else for you to wear, Five. Yes.

(One takes something from a locker and lays it out on the table)

Number One: They call this a suicide vest, but I think that undersells all the homicide that goes along with it, don't you?

• Number Two: I'm telling you, she flew a Raider, learned how to control it from the inside. Nobody taught her how. Kara Thrace plucked that knowledge from the stream.

Number One: I don't care if she plucked puppies from God's ass!

• Number One: You shot him. But you didn't kill him. You didn't kill him. And things were finally going well.

Boomer: What do you want from me? I shot him twice in the chest.

Number One: How about once in the head?

• Tough Six: You want a progress report?

Number One: Huh?

Tough Six: I'll give you a frakking progress report.

Number One: Oh, no, please don't. Please don't.

Tough Six: Oh, come on, it is spectacular. Doral blew himself up, causing minor damage to a minor hallway. And Boomer jettisoned the water and then she personally found loads more water. And then - And then she shot Adama, but not very accurately, since she loved him. And then Leoben, he got obsessed with Kara Thrace and then was captured and airlocked. And my sister Six utterly failed to discredit Baltar and his dreamy hair and destroyed our frakking cover in the process. And now Simon - Simon killed himself, really killed himself, out of resurrection range, without blowing up the ship that he lived on, because he couldn't imagine life without his little human wife and his little human daughter because he loves them...

Number One: Stop. Stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop.

Tough Six: Guess I better.

Number One: Yes. They're all letting me down.

Tough Six: Why are they letting you down, One? What's the x-factor? Can't declare war on love.

Number One: I think I already did.

• Tigh: (reading Simon's suicide note) "Love outlasts death."

• (Kara and Anders can be heard moaning in another room)

Number One: What are they doing?

Number Four: You need a doctor to tell you that?

Number One: Oh, for God's sake, why?

Number Four: Why? He loves her.

Number One: He loves her.

Number Four: Vigorously.

Number One: She's beneath him.

Number Four: (pauses to listen) Not necessarily.

• Anders: You know, the day before I met Kara, I had 98 people. I loved those people.

Number One: But you didn't need them and they're dead. Do you mean to tell me that you'd go on loving them even when they're dead?

Anders: What are you talking about? Of course I love those people. Death doesn't change that. What's the matter with you?