Battlestar Galactica 2.0

Season 2.0 of Battlestar Galactica begins with the aftermath of Boomer shooting Adama and Roslin & Apollo being accused of mutiny. Col. Tigh is in command of the fleet while Roslin escapes and Adama is recovering, he makes a series of unwise choices, declaring marshal law and at one point even losing the rest of the fleet with an ill timed FTL jump.

Roslin believes she is the prophet foretold by the gods who will lead the people to Earth and is waiting for Starbuck to return from Caprica with the arrow of Apollo so that they can use the arrow to find the way to Earth. When Adama awakens and takes back command of the fleet it soon becomes apparent that he needs to end the division in the fleet, find Roslin and make amends. Together they discover a heading for Earth and deal with their ever changing view of the Cylons as Starbuck uncovers one of Boomer’s copies who is pregnant.

I must admit that while I enjoyed the concept of BSG and season 1 I wasn’t hugely sold on the show; however, season 2.0 sealed the deal for me. I still have to finish the season with 2.5 and I have no idea what’s going to happen. The fleet is at a breaking point, Adama & Roslin are being challenged and any character is on the chopping block. This is a show that knows it is good enough to push the envelope and challenge it’s crew and viewers and does so consistently.

What was most interesting to me this season was the way the writers began to play with the idea of the Cylons and now that the officers and citizens all know the Cylons can look human what this means. Most of the people are incredibly conflicted, they still think of the Cylons as machines, toasters, but to know that any of them could be a Cylon and that one of their closest comrades was a Cylon has obviously shaken them all and made them react in very different ways. The two characters that this is most interesting to watch go through this are Helo and Tyrol.

Helo was alone on Caprica for months with the Cylon he thought was the original Sharon and they fell in love. When he found out she was a Cylon it was shocking to him, but he managed to start seeing her as a person instead of a Cylon and this continues onboard the Galactica amidst the jeers and slanders he and Sharon encounter from his shipmates.

For the Chief he has the torture of finding out the woman he loved is not only a Cylon but that she tried to kill Adama. While he was still wrestling with that he then has to watch her be murdered by one of his own crewmates. Tyrol goes through hell in season 2.0 and it’s not made any easier by the fact that Starbuck and Helo bring Sharon back to the Galactica. The Chief reaches his breaking point in 2.0 and Sharon has a great deal to do with that.

2.0 is a great season with episode after episode that deserved Emmy’s and recognition. However, my single favorite episode of 2.0 is Flight of the Phoenix. Everyone on Galactica seems to be at their breaking point & Tyrol is feeling it the worst because of Sharon so Tyrol decides to create a challenge – he wants to make a new fighter. Tyrol starts out on his own and no one wants to help him because they think it’s a fool project, but his faith in it and his effort start to galvanize and inspire the entire crew; first his deck hands pitch in, then pilots and technicians from around the ship and before long the entire crew is waiting with baited breath for Starbuck to pilot the Blackbird on its maiden run. It’s a fantastic episode; a testament to the human spirit and more than anything I’ve seen so far that episode is a touchstone for what BSG is all about.

I can’t wait to see how season 2.5 changes the show even more. If I don’t get lended the DVD’s soon Netflix will be involved so no one gets hurt!

Adama: Edward James Olmos
Roslin: Mary McDonnell
Apollo: Jamie Bamber
Baltar: James Callis
Six: Tricia Helfer
Boomer: Grace Park
Starbuck: Katee Sackhoff
Tigh: Michael Hogan
Tyrol: Aaron Douglas
Helo: Tahmoh Penikett

Adama: She was a Cylon, a machine. Is that what Boomer was, a machine? A thing?
Tyrol: That's what she turned out to be.
Adama: She was more than that to us. She was more than that to me. She was a vital, living person aboard my ship for almost two years. She couldn't have been just a machine. Could you love a machine?