Continuing from last week, Starbuck is stranded on a planet and must find her way back to Galactica. On the other side, the Adamas go to extraordinary (and dangerous) lengths to find her. On Caprica, Helo and not-Boomer are attacked by Centurions, and not-Boomer is MIA.
A note to first time BSG watchers; these aren’t the reviews for you. I plan to write about the show with the ending in mind. If you haven’t seen the show, you will be spoiled on stuff that happens at the end. You’ve been warned.
Of the two parts here, this one is definitely the better one. On Starbuck’s side of the story, we get to see that her skills aren’t exaggerated. She’s quick thinking but cautious, and she’s able to take advantage of any opportunity, like coming upon a foreign, but flyable, ship such as a Cylon raider. Her personal life is generally a wreck, but get her in a pilot’s suit and no one’s better.
On the other side of the story, we get to see the cracks in the leadership that will cause them so much pain later on. Commander Adama can’t bear leaving her behind, even when by all logical thinking, she was dead. This extreme attachment to his crew, his family, is the core part of Adama, and it’s what makes him the great leader he is and what gets him in trouble (like during the coup at the end of the season).
Roslin has the same fault, in a different way. Of course she wants to rescue Starbuck, and she gives Adama all the support she can, but when it’s clear that the rescue mission is doing more harm than good (using up precious fuel, wrecking the planes, endangering the other ships in the fleet), she has no qualms in telling him the mission needs to stop. Later on, the impulse to sacrifice the few for the many takes her to scary places, but here, she’s right; one person, even Starbuck, is not worth the risk.
This episode is the only time I can remember where Col. Tigh not only goes against Adama, but he also enlists Roslin (a woman he has zero respect for) to help bring the Old Man to his senses. That’s how crazy Adama was acting; his own BFF couldn’t support his actions. Adama’s flip outs in “Sine Qua Non” have precedent, but at this point, I never would have thought he’d feel that way about Madame President.
Something I do love about the first season is the way the show tackles complex issues like this one and in the finale; Adama and Roslin are both right, just as they are both wrong in “Kobol’s Last Gleaming.” One person is important, but not so important that the fleet gives up everything to rescue her.
Next up: “Litmus”
