Battlestar Galactica Year II Timeline
Previously ...
Prologue: There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. They may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens ... Again and again, we launched our spacecrafts into the solar system, to probe and search for a planet having the same composition as our Earth. A planet with the air and water so essential to life, as well as the necessary geological processes. A planet from which extraterrestrial visitors to Earth might live, or might once have lived. But although it became apparent with each space exploration that such a planet could exist, it always eluded us. It was on one such routine expedition that an astronaut accidentally saw an object floating in space. Disregarding the space hazards, he retrieved the object, which upon examination, proved to be a log book from the Battlestar Galactica. It was the first documented proof that life as we know it, as well as other forms, exist or existed in the galaxy. But in the galaxy, as on Earth, wherever Mankind is present, life and warfare prevail, as well as Mankind’s dream of everlasting peace.
Galactica Log Book
In case we do not survive, this is a true record of the war between the Cylon Centurions and the human race in the star system.
Commander Adama
Battlestar Galactica
Somewhere, at some time in our galaxy, there evolved an intelligent race of serpents known as Cylons. First, they created machines of super intelligence: the Cylon Centurions. Then they created the ultimate in machinery and technology, a ruler known as the Imperious Leader. But, due to a slight error in their programming, the Imperious Leader turned against his creators, and ordered his subjects to exterminate all human lifeforms. Thus began a war with the Cylon Centurions that embraced all of the human race in the star system.
One of our greatest defeats was the Battle of Molecay. The Fifth Fleet, including its flagship, the Pegasus, under our great military genius Commander Cain, was destroyed. Now there remains only one fleet of warships, consisting of five flying battlestars, with the flagship Battlestar Galactica under my command, to protect our tired and weary twelve colonies. Unexpectedly, the Cylon Centurions sued for peace, asking for an armistice conference. They chose the ruthless and treacherous Baltar as their liaison and, unknown to our intelligence force, was Baltar’s bargain with the Cylons whereby he would rule over our colonies after we were conquered. Nor were we or Baltar aware of the Cylons’ real plans. And so we were taken by surprise as a thousand Cylon Centurions attacked and engaged our fleet in battle.
In order to protect our colonies, I left the fighter craft to protect the fleet and turned the Battlestar Galactica towards our planet home base, Caprica. Unfortunately, while our fleet was under attack, a greater force of Cylon Centurions attacked our home planets and completely destroyed all twelve colonies.
The problems at this time seem almost insurmountable. We are short of fuel, water and food. But worst of all, we no longer have a home planet. After much deliberation, I have decided to set course in search of the only remaining outpost and colony of humanity in the universe. Now, so that Mankind in our galaxy can survive, I shall some way, some how, seek out and find that thirteenth colony which lies far beyond our star system, a planet called Earth.
My immediate problem is to obtain food for the survivors and fuel for ships without endangering my people or my fleet … Carillon is the only logical answer. It is an old mining outpost, abandoned by the Cylons. But that too presents hazards. It is well known that the Cylons mined the only passageway to Carillon. I have no choice but to clear a channel.
2:1 Two for Twilly - The fleet nears a mega-star, which the Colonials hope to use to increase their speed. By using the slingshot effect, they hope this will save on fuel. Meanwhile, Cassiopea talks with her friend, Zeena, who is moving to Agro-Three to be with her husband, Twilly. He is working on the ship’s navigation systems, hoping to repair them so that it can travel with the rest of the fleet around the mega-star. However, the Chief Technician had something of a reputation for multiple girlfriends among his fellow warriors, although Starbuck and Apollo assume that this is in the past now. Demeter, the captain of the Agroship, allows the shuttle carrying Zeena and the warriors to land. However, Twilly is otherwise occupied on the ship with Gayla, to whom he promises be with once he gets around to putting in a transfer from the Galactica.
Meeting up with Starbuck and Apollo, Twilly runs into Zeena, who has not told him of her transfer. Twilly pleads with his old friends to help him with his problem, but they refuse. Meanwhile, Zeena is due to meet Gayla in one of the hydroponics pods very soon. On top of that, Tigh is demanding that he installs the diode so that the fleet can get underway. He does so, discussing with the two warriors about his predicament. Starbuck tells him to tell the two women, before they find out for themselves.
The fleet begins to accelerate around the mega-star. Twilly hatches a plan to tell Zeena while Starbuck keeps Gayla occupied elsewhere. However, she becomes tired of waiting and heads off to the lounge to get something to eat … where Apollo and Zeena are waiting for Twilly. He does not show, and the two women get talking. Zeena is about to talk about her husband, but Starbuck manages to “accidentally” dump some food in her lap. She goes off to get cleaned up and unpack.
Gayla leaves the two warriors and decides to drop in on her new friend. The truth comes out at last. They storm into the lounge to confront their husband. Gayla grabs Apollo’s laser and fires at Twilly, hitting anything but him. The ship’s gyros go down and the ship begins to drift towards the mega-star. Captain Demeter argues with Apollo over their next course of action, but they manage to temporarily stave off disaster.
While Twilly whines about his situation, Demeter contacts the Galactica. Sheba and Boomer volunteer to bring a new stabiliser over to the Agroship. Zeena and Gayla decide that Twilly is the cause of all of their problems and both decide to leave him. Meanwhile, Twilly’s mind is not on his work, despite the best efforts of his friends, but he does realise that the shuttle’s landing will throw the ship even further off course. Captain Demeter relays the warning to Boomer and Sheba, narrowly averting disaster.
While the shuttle tries to nudge the main ship back on course, Apollo and Starbuck use the stabiliser from their own shuttle, hoping Twilly will be able to modify it to work. Zeena and Gayla use some emotional blackmail to get him to at least try. He gets the stabiliser to work and the ship’s course is corrected, bringing it through to join the rest of the fleet.
Both women have their marriages to Twilly dissolved. Adama also forbids him from seeing either woman again. Afterwards, Twilly contacts his other wife, Vella, on the Rising Star …
2:2/2:3 The Return of the Pegasus* - Lt. Boomer rushes into the bridge with the alarming news that the Cylons are approaching the Galactica in force at such a dizzying rate of speed that there is little time to prepare for their defence. Adama barks orders to his crew and the bridge is alive with red glare; sirens are shrieking; the loud speakers boom commands to man the battle stations. Starbuck, Apollo and Sheba, dressed in battle gear, enter the launching pad, ready for the counter-offensive. But Starbuck doesn't feel Sheba should accompany them, even though she insists she wouldn't miss the experience for anything. It is Apollo who feels it is all right for her to go. She grins her thanks at him despite Starbuck's disapproval.
The battle is raging furiously when the three Vipers head directly for their attackers. Sheba succeeds in knocking out two of the attacking planes, which hurtle through space in flames. Apollo lifts his hand in a gesture of congratulations when he sees to his horror that Sheba has been hit and is careening through space in flames. Despite his grief, Apollo realizes that he and Starbuck and their squadron are in serious trouble. Suddenly they are rescued by Colonial Vipers. They can only be from one ship, the Battlestar Pegasus. After the fighting, they lead the Pegasus back to the Galactica. Their joy is shortlived. The bridge has been hit and Athena's entire body is engulfed in flames.
While Adama is attempting to put out the fire, his hands are badly burned. Starbuck helps Cassiopea carry Athena down to surgery. Adama is able to move without assistance. Cassiopea packs Athena's pain-wracked body in a polar-thermal unit, then treats Adama and whispers that medication and pain-killers will keep Athena alive, but it will take a miracle of plastic surgery to help her regain her former beauty. As far as her body is concerned -- skin grafts may remove part of her problem — she will doubtless be left with scars...
By now the danger from the attackers is over for the time being, but scars have also been left on the psyches of everyone on the Galactica crew. Apollo is consumed with guilt over the death of Sheba, who was just beginning to have more than a casual effect on him and he feels he can never forgive himself for Athena's injuries. Adama shares his guilt, and has already determined to step down as the executive of the entire fleet. Apollo refuses to take his place..there is a better alternative.
The Pegasus is headed by an officer whom the crew of the Galactica love and respect, Sheba's father, the legendary Commander Cain (Lloyd Bridges). The fleet is overjoyed at this solution and a true thanksgiving celebration is in order.
Although Apollo accepts Cain as the true Commander of the Pegasus — there is something in his manner — a slightly different intonation in his voice; a subtle suggestion of change in his 'physical movements which cause Starbuck to wonder if this old warrior is still stable after his ordeals. Why doesn't he show more grief at the death of his beloved daughter? His doubts are quickly dispelled by Cain's executive officer, who is one of the loveliest women Apollo or Starbuck has ever seen. Renata's manner is warm, almost subserviant, and she knows how to make men feel important. In fact, Apollo begins to feel that his one mission in life is to shield her and protect her from any possible harm A sometimes heated, but more often playful rivalry breaks out between Starbuck and Apcllo over the beautiful girl...Starbuck appears to be losing the conflict and is accused by Apollo of being a poor sport when he begins to find more and more fault with Cain and his ship.
In an effort to assuage his suspicions, Starbuck wanders off into the bowels of the huge Battlestar Pegasus. There he discovers a labrynth of intrigue and strange 'goings on’ … as crewmen are mysteriously being transported in and out of a strange series of labs. There Starbuck discovers that his worst fears are true. Cain is not only not himself... He is undoubtedly not human, as countless androids, one by one, are being prepared to take the place of crewmen of the Pegasus here within her own walls. As Starbuck races back to warn Apollo, Apollo is inadvertently telling Renata of Starbuck's foolish defence mechanism, laying his own failure on the field of love off on weird circumstances aboard her ship..."Where is he now?" When Apollo tells her...the chase is on. Renata moves to an inter-com and warns the ship of a deadly intruder. With a mirthless laugh, she admits she is a new species of Cylon, an android, half human, half machine, one of the most deadly creatures in the galaxy. And she and the man they believe to be Commander Cain will conquer and destroy the entire fleet. Before he realizes it, she has a garrotte in her hand and has moved faster than the speed of light into a position behind him. With an equally abrupt karate chop, Apollo cuts the wire in two, injuring his hand, then disarms her of her laser gun. But she refuses to die. Apollo finally gets her into a position where she is temporarily immobilized. Starbuck arrives and decides that the only way they can get rid of her is to cast her out into space. Apollo for one brief instant considers this 'sour grapes'...and a terrible waste. Then several android crewmen show up and Starbuck and Apollo have to fight their way hand to hand to the landing bay where they can steal tighter craft and help the Galactica withstand the ultimate test; a battle between two Battlestars, one of them led by the subverted intelligence cells of the legendary Commander Cain.
2:4 A Woman’s Power* - Athena's beauty has been restored through long and painstaking hours of plastic surgery and skin grafts, done by Cassiopea, with the assistance of Lt. Boomer. She is perhaps prettier than before, but her looks are quite different. They have also done plastic surgery on her hands, but she is careful to keep the rest of her body covered with lone sleeves, high necks, etc....
While Adama is having a meeting with the men on the crew, assigning them to new duties and promoting Starbuck to the rank of Captain, the women of the Galactica are making plans elsewhere; they have gotten in touch with the women of the other spaceships by radio, and have reached a decision. They are sick of war and its terrible effects on everyone connected with it.... Athena is asked to conduct the meeting on board the Galactica. She is more than willing, since her present mutilated condition is the direct result of the brutality and senselessness of war.
All the women in the fleet decide they will withhold their favours and dispense with their domestic and fleet duties until peace is finally achieved. During this meeting, while the subject is being hotly debated, everything has come to a standstill on the Galactica. When Adama receives this information, he storms into the meeting room in a violent rage. They live in a militant society. Each individual has her own special role to play, and they might as well face it — and each one is important to the mission. If the women refuse to cooperate, then Adama will have to resort to military measures. But the women are stony and adamant. They want decent, peaceful lives. Adama is as good as his word. The leaders are thrown into the brig, still furious and still stubborn. Athena is jailed with them. One of the leaders of the insurrection succeeds in getting a bomb which she straps to her body and manages to get out of the brig, then runs up to the bridge. Athena begs her to stop. She is only fighting violence with more violence. She yells for her father. The girl with the bomb demands the release of all prisoners and ships and stores that will guarantee their safe conduct away from the fleet. No countermeasure Adama, Starbuck or Apollo can mount proves viable against this determined woman...
As the countdown to detonation approaches, Apollo can see only one way out... Convinced that the girl will destroy the Galactica's bridge before yielding in her convictions, Apollo approaches Athena and explains what's happened. It is Athena who is able to turn the tide by admitting that her own support was based on personal bitterness and anger. She persuades Adama to give the women more access to Fleet decisions affecting the lives of every man, woman and child, and convinces the women to give the system a chance to work.
2:5 Island in the Sky* - On a routine mission, Starbuck and Apollo, suddenly find their instruments tumbling in wild gyrations. All attempts to radio the Galactica fail and despite heroic efforts to turn their Vipers around, they find themselves irresistibly drawn towards a tiny barren planet with an incredibly strong gravitational pull.
They manage to land their Vipers intact, but it takes every ounce of energy they have to climb out of the cockpits. They both collapse in the sand under the oppressive gravitational weight and death appears to be only moments away.
It is then, that a small band of beautiful young men and women appear atop the sand dune. They have a protective aura about them, created by an instrument they hold. The young people move quickly forward and carry Starbuck and Apollo over the dune.
Our two warriors awake on litters as they are carried down into an incredible valley of rare beauty...green trees, brilliantly-colored flowers — and a sparkling blue river. No longer suffering from the gravitational weight, they try to communicate with their rescuers, only to be answered with smiles and strange, chanting songs.
They are eventually taken to a small village, dominated by a handsome alabaster palace, and there presented to Prince and Princess Ling. Princess Quoi-Ling is a breathtaking girl with oriental features and long dark hair. Her brother, Prince Choi-Ling is equally handsome. Both appear to be about nineteen.
The Princess warmly welcomes the two warriors, a greeting, we sense, not shared by her brother. The attraction between the young girl and Apollo is instantaneous and in the idyllic days that follow, develops into a deep love.
Apollo sees no hope of ever leaving this planet paradise and his growing love for Quoi-Ling doesn't leave him very inclined to try. Starbuck, however, finds that after a short time even Paradise can become boring. He also feels that as the Patrol leader, he is responsible for getting them back, so he begins to question everyone. He eventually learns that the natives are outcasts from the planet Earth and that the Prince and Princess both know the coordinates to Earth that the fleet so desperately needs.
Through his humor and guile,Starbuck gains enough trust to learn that these people have a way to counter-act the gravitational field, and that they also harbor a dark secret...one which even the most trusting will not reveal.
When he tells Apollo what he has learned, Apollo agrees that they must leave, but he is taking Quoi-Ling with him. She declines... revealing to Apollo that outside of this planet she is nearly a millineum old and would surely die. Apollo finds it hard to believe and Starbuck thinks it merely a trick to keep them there. Especially, when the Prince, learning of their plans, orders them imprisoned.
Quoi-Ling helps them escape, reach their Vipers and leave the planet. But she does so by forfeiting her life. For as they break free from the planet, she grows weaker and older, until she dies as she had predicted...a woman nearly a thousand years old.
2:6 The Bad and the Brave* - An all out battle to the end finds both friend and foe crippled by the brutal confrontation with both the Galactica and an enemy base ship crawling off to lick their wounds. Also foundered by the deadly skirmish is an orphan ship from the Galactica fleet which crashes onto a small but tropical planet. Locating the orphan ship Adama is appalled to find that the huge and menacing enemy base ship has also limped to this small planet for repairs. How to recover the children against a force so large...?
Starbuck volunteers to take three warriors equipped with a new turboscooter, the equivalent of a rocket motorcycle with armament capable of making hit and run attacks whenever the enemy tries to exit the big ship to make repairs. Hitting back proves fruitless for the overwhelming alien forces who at first cannot find the small band of human survivors who strike hard, then duck back into the dense foliage to continue repairs on the orphan ship.
However when Starbuck insists on carrying on sorties against the giant ship Athena bitterly accuses him of grandstand heroics jeopardizing the children. Despite closer and closer attacks from the enemy, Starbuck cannot back down. If the base ship is allowed to repair, it will quickly overtake the crippled Galactica who is herself desperately working to repair her engines in order to catch up with the fleet. To save the children or the fleet...it isn't a pleasant choice.
2:7 A Plague in Space* - Lt. Boomer brings a minor crew member into the ship's hospital. Cassiopea examines the man and discovers some puzzling symptoms. All the glands in his neck are swollen; he has a raging fever; he has severe cramps of the muscles in his arms and legs. None of the medical books in the hospital library list this syndrome, so Cassiopea decides to treat the symptoms. The man is obviously dehydrated, so Cassiopea begins injections of a saline solution into his veins, then applies icy compresses to reduce the temperature.
Lt. Boomer is so impressed with what he considers her instinctive knowledge of medicine that he knows the man will recover and that he is safe in Cassiopea's hands. But she continues to pore through her medical library until she finds a condition which once existed on the planet Kobol. The disease sounds very much like a combination of the black plague and cholera. Although the man seems to recover, Cassiopea keeps him in an isolation room to observe his progress. But the following morning another man is found dead in his bed, obviously suffering from the same disease.
Cassiopea decides to check everyone on the Galactica. Then Athena develops a severe case of the cholera-plague symptoms. Finally, Adama has had enough. He consults Boomer about the dangerous problem. Boomer takes blood samples from everyone on the ship and discovers that anyone who is affected has a common virus in his blood. There is enough medication on board to treat the sick — but Boomer comes up with some disquieting information. There must be a carrier on the Galactica. Investigation on his part leads to even more disturbing knowledge. The carrier is Cassiopea herself.
2:8 A Queen’s Ransom* - The Galactica must replace their solenium crystals which are critical for navigation. Apollo and Starbuck are assigned to investigate the planet, Sirenus, which their scanners indicate has rich deposits of the precious mineral.
Landing on the planet with a mining party of twenty restless men, Apollo and Starbuck find a thriving civilization, active with industry and trade. It is a cooperative and peaceful society, not unlike the Galactica's, except that the gender role structure is entirely reversed. The intelligent (and obviously) superior women rule the planet, leaving all the drudgery to their worker drones, the subservient males of this society.
Cooperative and peaceful that is, until the Galactica's mining party has had a chance to disrupt their matriarchal tranquility. Tired of being cooped up and eager to raise a little hell, they manage to enrage the females with their disrespectful and independent behavior, while inciting the oppressed males to demand equal rights and revolt.
The Galactica's men are ordered off the planet and their solenium crystals withheld by Sirenus' lovely leader, Areola, unless they are willing to pay a very high price. Areola has cast an appreciative eye on Starbuck and wants nothing less in exchange for the crystals than his personal services as one of her concubines.
(Art by Ralph McQuarrie)
2:9/2:10 The Beta Pirates – The Galactica comes across the Beta Triangle, an area of space which is dominated by a black hole. Pirates use the distortions in space to attack unsuspecting craft. The fleet has to leave a crippled Gemini Freighter, with Athena and Starbuck going back to carry out repairs, but Boxey and Muffit stow away on the shuttle.
The battlestar passes a small sentinel buoy, which contacts the Cylons. Baltar is summoned by the Imperious Leader, who has new information about the location of the Galactica. Baltar is surprised that the fleet has passed the outer boundary of the Beta Triangle, far from where he predicted them to be. Baltar is sent with an elite force of Centurions to attack the fleet: Baltar’s life will be spared if he succeeds, with a small colony of slaves to rule over.
The Gemini Freighter is attacked by Dragonid pirates and Athena and Boxey are captured. After a short time, Apollo and Boomer take a fighter bomber to investigate the ship, finding an unconscious Starbuck. They also find Aleph, who claims to be a stowaway on the pirate craft. Back on the Galactica, Alpeh claims he can guide the fleet through the area, if he can get his maps back from onboard the ship the pirates stole from him. He accompanies Starbuck and Apollo onboard a revamped fighter bomber to Cordugo Pit, a prominent asteroid in the area. The Ovions are among the most powerful races in this region and the group are forced to kill an Ovion police patrol. Aleph locates his ship, but the group finds that Athena and Boxey have been taken to the slave market.
Baltar’s forces have joined the resident forces in the area, but there is no sign of the fleet. The Imperious Leader orders his forces to sweep the entire area, which will take some time. Baltar decides to head for the local Ovion colony at Cordugo Pit instead: they will have detected the fleet in the vicinity if it is there.
Apollo and the others locate Athena, Boxey and Muffit in a slave market, but fail to secure their release. The three are bought by a local gangster called Voyar. Meanwhile, the pirates are trailing Aleph and the others, but are caught by the Ovions. They then reveal details of Aleph’s rescue plans to the local Cylons, who then release them on orders from a higher authority.
Apollo, Starbuck and Aleph infiltrate the gangster’s fortress, but the Colonials are captured by the pirates instead. Boxey, Muffit and Aleph escape. Voyar interrogates the three warriors about the Galactica, but they deny all knowledge. Further interrogation and possible torture forces Apollo and the others to reveal their real identities, but they give Voyar false coordinates for the fleet. Freed by Boxey, they are confronted by Cylons, until Aleph arrives to rescue them. They escape from the planet just as Baltar arrives, and he follows them with a phalanx of Cylon fighters. Aleph is revealed to be Xanon, the leader of the pirates. He flies near the black hole, leading the Cylons into the grip of the gravity well. Only Baltar escapes in a life boat as the squadron is sucked into the hole.
Back on the Galactica, Xanon uses his knowledge of the area to guide the fleet through. He then leaves in his recovered ship, the Bluestreak.
(Art by Dan Gozee)
2:11 Showdown – A survey group investigates the asteroid Croy, but their shuttle malfunctions and Starbuck performs an emergency landing on the surface. They contact the Galactica about the state of the shuttle and Tigh leads an investigation into the three technicians responsible for maintenance on the ship. He confines Bule, Masi and Andor to their quarters.
On the asteroid, Starbuck and the others find the wreckage of an ancient spacecraft. Marking indicate it came may have from Kobol or even Earth. They explore the interior of the ship, then move on to explore the rest of the asteroid in case there are survivors.
Meanwhile, the three technicians have broken their curfew and gone to the Officer’s Club. They harass Rigel and start a fight with Omega. Escaping from security, they steal a shuttle and leave the battlestar. Before they go, though, they sabotage the launch bay doors so that no fighters can be sent in pursuit. The fleet has other problems, though, with a Cylon basestar being detected on long range scan.
On the asteroid, the technicians use their landprobes to explore the surface. They find a colony of humans and start to cause havoc with the local people. The colonists threaten them with incarceration if they do not leave, but Bule uses his laser to destroy the prison building. Athena, Dietra and the other warriors arrive soon after in their landram, witness to the destruction caused by their counterparts from the Galactica. They help to put out the fire, but receive a hostile reception from the colonists. Selmar, their leader, confirms that his people are the descendants of the original crew, but says no more. He demands that Apollo and the others leave. Unable to contact the Galactica due to the communication silence, the warriors suspect the worst; the Cylons have returned.
The basestar alters course towards the fleet. Adama informs Boomer of the situation, who discusses this with the rest of the group. Having seen landprobe tracks in the town, they know the technicians are around. Boomer, Starbuck and Apollo go after the renegades, while the others return to the fleet.
They find the technicians and confront them, informing them of the danger to the fleet. Unconcerned with the fate of the other humans, they try to break out on their landprobes, but are ensnared in a trap as they try to escape. After a short fight, they are hauled back to the Galactica, where the doors are opened just in time to launch the vipers. The Cylons are defeated for the moment and the fleet continues onwards.
2:12 The Mutiny – Now in the Swytar Galaxy, the fleet has not encountered the Cylons for some time. The Council of Twelve decide that they have been running for long enough and decide to settle on the planet of Zarta. The decision causes conflicts throughout the fleet, but the colonisation goes ahead.
Lucifer reports to Baltar of the Galactica’s situation. He calls on the other two Cylon basestars in the quadrant, but holds back from a full attack.
On Zarta, building begins but old rivalries rear their ugly heads once more, with lines being drawn along the lines of the old colonial boundaries. Athena obtains permission to take Boxey down to the surface as well, leaving only a skeleton staff on the battlestar.
Nearby, Baltar prepares to launch an attack on the new colony.
On the surface, the camp is attacked by a pack of daggits, led by a feral man. The warriors trace the pack back to an abandoned settlement. Skeletons and Cylon remains litter the streets. The warriors are forced to kill the wild animals as they attack, but the man is captured. He wears an amulet which bears the sign of the Lords of Kobol.
Athena begins to have problems with Marduk, a Tauran who wants to them both to be sealed. He steals a landram and almost crashes, attracting the attention of Jolly and some other warriors. They confront him about the theft of supplies from the main colony.
Oresta, the woman who first proposed the settlement to the Council, contacts Adama in an attempt to appeal for help in maintaining order. Their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of Baltar and his forces. Adama is forced to surrender and travels in a viper to his enemy’s ship.
Starbuck retrieves a recorder from the captured feral man and learns that he is a descendant of an expedition from Kobol, who were searching for Earth. A number of the expedition decided to stay on Zarta, but their settlement eventually descended into anarchy. The colony came under attack from the Cylons and destroyed, leaving only a single survivor.
Adama starts to attack the basestar and he is pursued by Cylon Raiders. On the planet below, the warriors realise that something is wrong and launch. They arrive to rescue their commander, forcing the Cylons into retreat. The feral man, Bengum, is taken onboard the Galactica and given a new home, while the colony on Zarta is abandoned.
2.13 I Have Seen Earth – On patrol, Athena, Apollo and Starbuck encounter a Cylon squadron, which is pursuing an old shuttle called the Golden Queen. They save Jaspar and his feathered simian companion, Dobbsie before returning to the Galactica.
Lucifer and Baltar are on nearby Opelon, inspecting a gold mine. A centurion reports Jaspar’s escape to them, resulting in Baltar’s wrath. He is sure that Jaspar will alert the fleet to the Cylon presence in the system.
After a medical check, Jaspar is allowed to stay on the battlestar fro a short time. Dobbsie steals a ball from Boxey and returns to Jaspar. Boxey talks with the old prospector and decides to help him repair the Golden Queen. Jaspar relates various tales of his adventures, contradicting himself a couple of times in his telling of tall tales. However, he sees an opportunity when Boxey tells him that they are looking for Earth, but nobody seems to know where it is.
Adama sends for Jaspar in an attempt to learn where the Cylon fighters had come from. Jaspar does not know, but mentions that he has been to many places, including Carillon and Earth. The Colonials are aghast. The old man tells them that there is an Earth settlement on Opelon: the colonists there could take the fleet on to Earth. The warriors are sceptical, but cannot afford to let the opportunity go.
On Opelon, the Cylons are tracking the battlestar’s progress towards them, giving Baltar reason to be happy for once.
Jaspar joins Adama and his family for a meal. They discuss Earth, but Jaspar is caught out when he mentions the planet’s three moons.
The fleet arrives at the planet. The warriors celebrate in the Officer’s Club, which perturbs Jaspar. Athena speaks with her father about his apparent lack of faith in the old man, wondering if Adama’s attitude is more to do with his own failure to find such a link in the search for Earth.
Jaspar returns to the Golden Queen and says goodbye to Boxey. Tricking Rigel into giving him authorisation to leave, he launches from the Galactica’s bay and heads down to the planet’s surface.
The Cylons detect the ship and Baltar orders that the occupants be captured alive.
Athena is looking for Boxey and Muffit, only realising the truth when she finds Jaspar’s ship gone. The boy has indeed stowed away onboard the shuttle. On the planet surface, Jaspar heads into his mine, but emerges to find that Boxey has been taken prisoner. Adama sends a squadron down to Opelon to search for the missing ship.
The centurions bring Boxey to Baltar, who orders him to be put in a cell. Boxey tells Muffit to find Jaspar and the daggitt runs off, barely dodging the Cylon’s laser. Apollo and the others find the old shuttle but no crew. They do find something else: Cylon. A battle ensues and the warriors take cover on the hillside. They find Jaspar and confront him about his lies.
A Cylon basestar is enters the sector and the battlestar goes to red alert. Baltar is also less than impressed that one of his centurions alerted the local Cylon forces. He decides to turn the situation to his advantage and orders that Boxey is brought back before him.
Starbuck and the others move through the mine, encountering Cylon miners working in the tunnels. They move on, guided by Jaspar.
Adama receives a surprise transmission from Baltar. The Commander says he should have killed Baltar while he had the chance. The traitor brings Boxey into the range of the camera, using the boy as a bargaining chip. He proposes an alliance against the Cylon Empire. Adama asks for time to think about it.
Jaspar leads the warriors to a dead end and tells them that the detention cells are right above, with only a few metres of soil and stone between them. The warriors dismiss this idea, leaving him to start to dig at the ceiling.
Adama decides to make a run for open space, but the Cylon commander on the baseship orders his fighters to launch. On the planet, Starbuck and Apollo find Muffit, who leads them to Boxey. They kill two centurions, but the third uses Boxey as a shield. Suddenly, the Cylon vanishes through the floor. Down below, they find Jaspar and one deactivated Cylon, courtesy of the old man’s axe.
Hearing of the escape, Baltar leaves the planet with Lucifer, hoping to prevent the destruction of the battlestar and his own scheme.
Jaspar says he will blow up the mine while the others escape. Before he goes, he gives Boxey a medallion as a present. The three colonials make it to the launch bay, where they steal a Cylon ship. Meanwhile, the prospector rigs up a box of solenite to destroy the mining operation. The explosion saves his life as falling rocks crush a Cylon that is trying to attack him. Dobbsie appears and the pair flees the mine.
In space, the basestar’s forces are held in check, but a second Cylon ship appears. Starbuck and Apollo fly their ship close to the basestar, knocking out its launch tubes. The two ships withdraw from battle. Lucifer scolds the Cylon Commander of the other basestar, promising that his actions will not go unpunished.
Starbuck contacts Athena and the Raider is escorted back to the Galactica. Jaspar decides to head for Volantis, although his simian friend has had enough of the old man’s wittering. Adama has also heard enough of the old man: he refuses to talk to Boxey when he tries to show him the medallion. However, the gold coin shows an image of Earth and its continents …
2:15 The Nari of Sentinel 27 - The fleet comes across a very remote Cylon outpost. The viper patrol is shot down and the warriors find a colony of humanoids called the Nari on the asteroid. These people have been enslaved by the Cylons due to their apparent immortality. A female scientist founded the colony a long time ago, the results of her experiments into the aging process. The Nari do not age or reproduce, but neither do they die. Weapons appear to have little effect on them. Their leader shows Starbuck a notebook written in Hebrew, but the language is unreadable to the Colonials. Mona 27, another Nari, also shows the warriors a room full of artwork from Earth, including copies of works by Warhol, Van Gogh and Renoir.
Disguised as Cylons, the warriors infiltrate the Command Centre and destroy the small garrison. As they leave, the Nari leader thanks them and give them their creator's notebook, relating tales of their homeworld about similar voyagers, including Christopher Columbus ...
2:16 Final Flight – During a long range patrol with Boomer, Starbuck is shot down by a Cylon Raider. He hopes to nurse the damaged viper to a nearby planet, but Boomer has to leave or he will not be able to get back to the Galactica. Starbuck crashes on the planet’s surface, using his escape pod at the last minute to escape the fate of his ship.
Stranded, he builds a shelter and settles down for the long haul. Wandering around the local area, he finds the wreckage of the Cylon fighter. Retrieving parts and equipment, he rebuilds one of the centurions. With this new companion, named Cyrus, Starbuck finds that life is not so bad. The Cylon learns to adapt to this new life with its sworn enemy.
Starbuck decides to use the wreckage of his escape pod and the engines of the Raider to build a lifeboat, much to Cyrus' consternation. However, other Cylons soon arrive. While Starbuck preps the lifeboat, Cyrus distracts its counterparts but is destroyed in the fight. Starbuck launches in the lifeboat and is finally rescued by Boomer, who has returned for his friend.
2:17 The Battle of Galactica - The Cylons continue to expand their Empire, subjugating more races. Their ships now carry personnel drawn from non-Cylon worlds, extending the trend seen in the Beta Triangle, where the Ovions took on a law enforcement role. The Colonials travel on towards Earth, still encountering solitary Cylon craft. One Cylon battleship, carrying the Imperious Leader and an elite force, pursues the Galactica's fleet. However, a group of travellers from Earth stumbles across this battle zone and are taken prisoner aboard the Cylon ship. The Imperious Leader orders them to be destroyed, but Apollo and other Colonial Warriors infiltrate the ship and, following a battle with the Cylon forces, helps the humans to escape. This is the first real contact with Earth ...
