Battlestar Galactica - Collaborators

I don’t know what kind of fracking deal is going on here, but we don’t allow no fracking collaborators on MY bridge!  Get that toaster-loving traitor out of CIC now, and prepare for spoilers in 3

2,

1,

Mark.

I know it’s a little late, but I got caught up in other stuff yesterday...so here’s this week’s BSG post!

We open this week with the execution of Jammer.  I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed they went forward so quickly with this.  I would like to have seen the issue drag out just a bit longer, but - that is a minor complaint because the execution of the executions was perfect.  For a while, we didn’t know this was a legally-formed jury.  We were left to assume it was the Resistance dispensing their own justice.

As the watchers, we know Jammer was torn up about his traitorous behavior.  We also know he let Cally go.  But then he admits to taking part in the temple massacre, where children died.  As I said with Gaius Baltar, at some point you simply have to say “No” and Jammer didn’t say “No” until it was too late.  By his own admission he bears some responsibility for the temple slaughter, and so...a horrible death by decompression.

Tyrol knew something was wrong with this, though.  Obviously Chief is a man ruled by emotion, but he always comes around to do the right and noble thing.  We all knew Gaeta was going to become an issue after the opening sequence…

I loved Gaius’ dream sequence - He imagines that they would forgive him because, after all, he had no choice, but even in his fantasy, he manages to imagine that the woman he loves treats him like dirt, and the woman who hates him the most in the universe is secretly hot for him.  I wonder if this means he’s secretly hot for Laura?

He wakes up on a base star, camped out with a few others near a resurrection ship.  Naked, for you ladies...lord knows we boys get our fill of Grace and Tricia flitting around in next-to-nothing, so ladies, I hope you enjoyed your glimpse of James Callis.  :) The Centurion animations have gotten much, much better this season, as we see one close up for some time guarding the former president.

I had completely forgotten about Tom as Vice President, though...it just slipped my mind, so I was shocked when I realized that of course, he’s currently the President.  The plotting behind the scenes to reinstate Laura was, while a bit duplicitous, probably best for the fleet in the long run.  Laura is a good leader, and she balances the needs of the civilians with the needs of the military well.  She’s compassionate when need be and utterly ruthless when called on to be as such.

So it looks like Tigh has completed his transformation into classic salty sea dog.  Seriously, give him a fisherman’s raincoat and a whaling ship and that guy’d be right at home barking orders about keelhauling and belaying the bolt rope and laying in a starboard tack and so forth.  His confrontation with Gaeta was so painful, I just wanted to climb into the TV and scream “HE SAVED YOUR ASSES, YOU UNGRATEFUL OLD BASTARD!” We know as the watchers that Gaeta is in fact a hero, and it sucked to see him treated like a traitor.  I wasn’t sure Tigh was drunk, but Adama’s reaction to him clearly implied that he was.  I suppose I’d drink my face off too if I were him.

Next we see the secret jury starting to decide Gaeta’s fate.  With no evidence, not everyone wants to sentence him to death.  Saul advances the “evidence” that everyone knows he’s guilty.  Saul is going to be a real problem soon.  Anders quits, leaving the jury one short.

A brief exchange with D’eanna and Gaius - the whole point was to let us know that the Sixes were on the fence if he should live or die.  Then we find out that the disappearing collaborators are starting to be noticed - and that Apollo is still pudge-tastic, but he’s working on it!  :)

Next is where the episode starts to pick up.  Starbuck accosts Gaeta in the mess hall.  She’s running so close to the edge, and it shows.  Aside - can we cut her hair already?  Those extensions are really, really bad.  She’s the obvious choice for the jury.

Caprica Six, looking a little weird in a black sun dress, basically tries to break up with Baltar.  Being classically stupid when it comes to women, he screams after her “You need me!” Then he thinks for a second and yells “And I need you!  I probably should have led with that second part.” Yeah...you should have.  If Caprica Six turns against humanity because of Gaius, the eventual necessary peace between humans and Cylons will fail.

Watching the jury convict Gaeta on nothing convinced me that they were in the wrong.  As much as I agree that collaborators need to pay, this was simply wrong.  And it is not good for Starbuck.  When they dragged Gaeta into the airlock, I again wanted to jump through the television and scream that they were absolutely wrong.  Of course, we all knew the dog bowl would get mentioned.  Score another one for Chief Tyrol.

Watching Starbuck stalk off reinforced my feeling that she is going to snap soon, and if there are no Cylons against whom she can direct it...someone is going to get hurt badly.  She as much as told Anders it would be him if he says too close.

After Laura and Adama found out about Zarek’s ordering the secret jury, I kept thinking ‘No way in hell is she going to let him be VP anymore.” The idea of not allowing these people lawyers, at the very least, goes against the ideals that separate Cylon from Human.  Sure, collaboration is a terrible crime against humanity.  I do not dispute that.  Try them in a military court if need be, but each person deserves the chance to tell their story about what they did and why they did it.  If that was done, Gaeta would never have been on his knees getting kicked by Starbuck in an airlock, facing imminent death.

I completely disagree with the total amnesty order from Roslyn, by the way.  The answer is not Tigh’s notion of killing them all without a trial, but neither is it in allowing everyone to walk free regardless of what they did.  I understand that during an occupation, you migt be forced to cooperate in some way with the enemy, but some people volunteered.  Some people pulled triggers against humans.  Those people deserve punishment.

I hope this issue is revisited.  The information about who was collaborating is obviously available.  I’m sure it will leak into the fleet.  I would want to know if the person living next door to me was the same person that pulled the trigger that killed my child.  Is all I’m saying.

I loved the scene at the end where Tyrol sits with Gaeta in silence, but companionship.  Score yet another one for the Chief.  He’s probably the only truly noble guy on the show save for Adama.  And, maybe Gaeta.  Gaeta kept his head up, told the truth about what he did and he was in fact working from the inside to try to destroy the Cylon occupational government.  He’s a gods-damned fracking hero.

So...is there more war coming?  Will the Cylons stay away?  Will they decide that trying to play nice with humanity is a futile gesture?  Will the humans burn with a need for revenge and start pursuing Cylons?  Maybe the fact that Caprica Sx left clothes for Gaius is evidence that she is in fact going to save him, and still harbors hope that humans and Cylons will live together.  And of course...there’s still Hera.  What will happen when Cylons realize that a hybrid can have the best of both?  What will happen when Lt. Sharon finds out that Adama lied to her?  Will Batman and Robin escape the evil clutches of the Penguin?  Tune in next week, same Colonial time, same Colonial channel.

As for the whole buzz about the Iraq/U.S. allegory...well, shut up already.  It’s all a mess.  Cylons and humans are both doing things that could be seen as allegorical to terrorists, the military, the U.S. government and regular folk in general.  Which is the real lesson of Battlestar Galactica, that we all - machine or human - have the gift of being able to commit atrocities against not only our enemies, but against ourselves.

Posted by JimK at 04:12 PM on October 29, 2006
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