- As Apollo and the team of convicted specialists brave the snowy mountain to blow up the Ravashol Pulsar, the criminals plan their escape. Starbuck is still determined to make a detour and rescue cadet Cree, but the Theta clones object to the destruction of their creator's weapon.—The TV Archaeologist
- Barely avoiding detection by a Cylon ground patrol, the Galactica's sabotage team is escorted by Theta clones to their underground village, where the leader, Ser 5-9, intends to shelter them while he takes Apollo to see The Father-Creator, Dr. Ravoshol. The Galactica warriors thus learn that the Thetas are more than just laboratory-created human clones - they are fertile, and have procreated very well, much to the consternation of the Cylons who decreed sterility the price to pay for being allowed to live; their children are hidden from the Cylons in the village.
Ser 5-9 escorts Apollo to Dr. Ravoshol's primary lab. The doctor, however, is repelled by Apollo for being a warrior, except his pacifism is completely insincere as Apollo immediately realizes; the two argue as Ravoshol makes clear he wants no accountability, but they are interrupted by Centurions who are searching the underground world; they seize Ser 5-9 and take him to be punished. Ravoshol self-servingly blames Apollo and his fleet for this trouble - but gets the shock of his life when Apollo reveals the existence of the Theta children.
While this is proceeding, on his base star Baltar (limping around, lingering evidence of his injuries from the battle of Kobol) learns from the Cylon sentient Lucifer of the survival of the ground probe from the Galactica; becoming more desperate he orders an attack on the Galactica to push the human fleet closer to Arcta, this despite Lucifer's protestation that their understrength raider phalanx may not have sufficient fuel to succeed. The phalanx thus closes on the fleet and is intercepted by a squadron of vipers; the battle is vicious and Baltar suddenly breaks it off (overcoming surprised protestation from Lucifer in the process), to make Adama believe the Cylons are closer than they are in fact.
On Arcta Ravoshol shows Apollo a schematic of the pulsar - it contains the primary weapon and a small Centurion garrison. The key is to blow up the energy exchange pump, which will overload the pulsar and obliterate it. Before Apollo can rendezvous with the others, the criminal environment specialist Thane tries to escape, but is captured by Cylons and publicly interrogated; Thane tells the Cylons of a recording machine he possesses; the Cylons find it and activate it - unaware it is in fact a powerful hand explosive that kills Thane and several Centurions.
Upon learning of Thane's death, Apollo assigns Starbuck to lead an inside attack on the Cylon garrison. As his end of the the Galactica team begins to climb the mountain toward the pulsar, Wolfe and Leda convince the reluctant Croft to go with them. Baltar meanwhile has learned of the approach of several reinforcing base stars, and he launches another attack on the Fleet; the Fleet fights off the attack but must now proceed directly toward Arcta - and with the Fleet beginning through the spatial corridor Baltar orders the pulsar to begin random firing. The weapon thus begins its bombardment toward the Fleet, destroying several ships; the firing dislodges large swaths of ice and creates a massive avalanche that nearly buries the Galactica sabotage team.
The team survives, and soon reaches a plateau; it is her that Wolfe and Leda hold Apollo at gunpoint to make their escape, but a blast from the pulsar rocks the plateau and Croft jumps Wolfe, disarms him, and the criminal escapes into the snow toward a Cylon launch field - with Apollo thinking he'll never make it. Croft angrilly makes clear to Leda that they're on a mission, and that the safety of the Fleet is more important than any grudge against Adama.
Leading his end of the sabotage team, Starbuck makes a detour when he learns of cold cells where the Cylons keep prisoners. He jumps the cell and shoots several Centurions, and thus finds Cadet Cree. Tenna, one of the female clones, hides Cree, then reveals to Starbuck that the Thetas will not allow the destruction of the pulsar. Starbuck confronts Ser 5-9, who explains the pulsar will be needed when the Cylons inevitably counterattack. It is then that Ravoshol appears; to the worshipful Thetas he tells them to allow the pulsar to be destroyed, and that he will protect them - he cryptically tells Starbuck he did not surrender all that he knows to the Cylons.
The attack is launched, and the teams wipe out the garrison (though they never come close to the master firing station) and plant explosives on the exchange pump - but not before a Centurion opens fire and Leda is shot dead. The survivors escape as the pulsar continues firing, and the Galactica closing ever more to killer range...............
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content