Battlestar Galactica (2003)/Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down

Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
Season 1, Episode 9
Airdate	• December 13, 2004 (UK) • March 4, 2005 (USA)
Written by	Jeff Vlaming
Directed by	Edward James Olmos
Fleet Survivors	47,905
← 1x08 Flesh and Bone	1x10 → The Hand of God
Battlestar Galactica (2003) — Season One

Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down is the ninth episode of the first season of Battlestar Galactica.

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 Tyrol), Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Kandyse McClure (PO Dualla), Paul Campbell (Billy Keikeya), Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Gaeta)

Guest Star: Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh)

Guest Star: Matthew Bennett (Aaron Doral)

Cast: Alex Green (Deckhand)

Plot Summary

With Baltar's Cylon detector now operational, Roslin wants Adama to be the one to go first. Adama himself has been acting odd lately, due to his discovery of Tigh's wife, Ellen. The tackling of suspicion between the President, Commander, Colonel and his wife puts Baltar in the middle with the painstaking chore of the screening process.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• A Raider is caught jumping in a loop. Tigh has it scanned and it proves to provide information on its FTL drive.

• Sharon and Helo are on the run, which Helo notices is stronger in force than he's witnessed.

• Baltar's Cylon detector is now confirmed to work and is set up to begin screening.

Characters

• Roslin's suspicion of Adama is heightened by his strange behaviour. It turns out to be because he's trying to keep secret that he's been visiting Ellen Tigh.

• Tigh is reunited with his wife Ellen. It's stated he still loves her despite the rumours that she slept around behind his back.

• Adama kept Ellen secret because he feared her impact on Tigh. This is reinforced by him quickly taking up drinking again.

• Ellen claims to be rescued off Picon during the attacks. She remembers very little until a couple of days ago. She's been on the Rising Star, although no one recalls giving her medical assistance until about a week ago.

• Baltar screens Ellen's blood and claims it's negative. However, what no one else is aware of is that he has everyone pass for the sake of expediency and only he knows the actual results of her test.

Trivia

The Show

• Continuity: In the opening flashbacks, when Tigh burns a hole through a picture of his wife, actress Kate Vernon's picture has been substituted for that of the woman originally shown in the miniseries.

Behind the Scenes

• The script for this episode was originally titled "Secrets and Lies".

Quotes

• Roslin: If you're a Cylon, I'd like to know.

Adama: If I'm a Cylon, you're really screwed.

• Roslin: (about Ellen) You actually think that woman is a Cylon?

Lee: Well, if she's not, then we're all in a lot of trouble.

• Baltar: (trying to calm everyone down) Ladies and gentlemen, please. Please. We're in a laboratory. There are hazardous chemical compounds everywhere. That - that's a thermo-nuclear bomb, for frak's sake, so...

• Ellen: You don't want to frak with me, Bill. Try to remember that.

Adama: Don't frak with me either, Ellen.

• Number Six: If only they knew that everyone passes these days.

Baltar: Well, it's so much simpler that way. No muss, no fuss.

Number Six: So, what did her test really say?

Baltar: I'll never tell.