Battlestar: Galactica 2.4: "Resistance"

Written by Toni Graphia
Directed by Allan Kroeker

In which Tigh’s declaration of martial law leads to a deadly riot, which prompts an underground movement to free the President, while the fates of Boomer and Starbuck take unexpected turns…


A lot of plot threads come to a head in this episode, which is exactly the way I like it. The first six or seven episodes are supposed to let the consequences of the first season finale take their natural and inexorable course, and this is an important step in that direction. The President is finally out of prison and able to move against the military dictatorship that Tigh has established (intentional or not), Adama is back to pick up the pieces, and one of the Boomers has met an untimely end. All in all, a rather momentous episode.

So Adama is willing to let Tigh off the hook, claiming that command has more pressures than anyone can understand, and mistakes happen. Adama really has a blind eye in that regard. While it fits his character, one wonders how happy he’ll be when facing down a religious resistance movement with ties to a former convicted terrorist. Nothing comes easy on this series, given the fragile nature of their lives, and this is another shining example.

Does Adama figure that Tigh will learn his lesson through the process of fixing his mistakes? It’s more likely that the mistakes will be overshadowed by other concerns. I’m wondering just how much the Cylons are getting away with while the Colonials are focused on their own internal strife. After all, look at how much Baltar is able to get away with, and he’s one of the least trusted people in the fleet, as far as Tigh is concerned.

Speaking of Baltar, he takes a wonderfully dark turn in this episode. His gambit with Tyrol was rather evil, and it’s not at all clear what he intends to do with the information he acquired from Boomer (who could have been lying, for all that he knows). Baltar still sees himself as God’s instrument among the humans, and if that thinking continues to drive his actions, it could be nasty when his agenda is finally revealed. After all, Roslyn is going to be looking to someone to give her guidance to Earth, and Baltar is in the perfect position to play Judas.

Based on Ron Moore’s podcast, I’m not sure about Ellen Tigh anymore. I was leaning towards the possibility that she’s a Cylon as well, given how similarly she manipulates Tigh as Six manipulates Baltar. But that similarity could be reflective of another goal of the writing staff. Six has a clear agenda with Baltar, but Ellen’s actions are haphazard. Ellen and Saul Tigh are not far from the kind of self-defeating animals that the Cylons believe the humans are.

I love how Tyrol is forced to admit to himself that he really did love Boomer. This adds to Helo’s comments about his own Sexy!Boomer 2.0 back on Caprica. The humaniform Cylons, especially the ones programmed to believe that they are human, are able to slip right past the emotional defenses of their intended prey. That quality was one of the things being explored by the Cylons themselves in the first season, so it must be key to their ultimate plans. It adds more fuel to the speculation that the Cylons are trying to bring perfection to their own (flawed) creators by becoming more human themselves.

So what’s the situation on Galactica? Adama is back in action and ready to support Tigh, but he’s got to be aware that there’s an unknown number of his own people supporting Roslyn. Whatever trust was between Tyrol and Kally is probably out the window. Baltar is running his own operation, and somewhere in the fleet, Adama’s son has joined a movement with Roslyn that threatens to boil over into a civil war between military and religious factions. These people don’t need the Cylons to fire a shot!

Of course, it gives the writers plenty of time for Starbuck and Helo to gather a small task force of survivors (and likely red-shirts) on Caprica. Even money says that this task force will get Starbuck into a Cylon facility where their plans will be partially revealed, thus justifying her presence on the planet for so long. Will Sexy!Boomer 2.0 be there to, ready to be trussed up and taken back to Galactica, baby on board? Wouldn’t that just mesh with the Baltar plot thread on Kobol!

Honestly, I feel like I’m just touching on all the things I love about this episode. There were some minor things that bugged me: the riot and the standoff didn’t quite work for me. Then again, from the podcast, I gather that Ron Moore agrees on that account. It wasn’t enough, however, to take away from all the things I did like. The series is maintaining its high standard of quality, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10