(DRAMATIC INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
NARRATOR: Previously on Battlestar Galactica.
The Raiders are going to send a signal to activate the virus.
On my mark, initiate the computer wipe.
l'm connecting to the network now.
Congratulations, Commander.
l'm leaving Galactica, not you.
l'm coming back.
l said it.
l meant it.
l understand what it's like
to lose someone that you care about deeply.
They're not lost. Not yet.
We have to go back to Caprica.
Given the current situation, l'm afraid that l have no alternative
but to announce that l am, as of now, a candidate for the Presidency.
(REPORTERS CHATTERlNG)
l'm gonna lose.
(MUTTERlNG)
(KNOCKlNG AT DOOR)
Yes, come in.
One minute, Madam President.
Thank you, Tory.
No one shouId be under any illusions about what we're gonna face here.
Our finaI jump wiII take us intra-atmosphere,
Iess than two cIicks above the surface.
We're also expecting to take heavy fire.
SimuIations indicate losses of up to 20% can be expected.
20% !
That's why this mission has been designated
as Two-Alpha by the command authority.
lt's volunteer only.
You want out,
now's the time.
l know it's hard to believe right now, but if you have faith,
everything will turn out exactly as it should.
l don't like to lose.
Have faith.
l'm about to face public humiliation,
and you are singing the same old song.
l'm a little tired of the melody.
Oh.
Sorry about the mess. lt's a bit of a ritual.
Superstition, really.
l used to do this before testifying at committee hearings.
This is what l do. l take. . .
Memorize the talking points, then tear the card,
let the pieces fall as they may. lt helps.
Yeah, my father used to break pencils before he went into court,
then borrow one from the clerk.
Break preconceptions. Work with what you have.
You know, l like that.
Let me see.
l like it.
(EXHALlNG)
That's good.
Feel better?
Yeah, but what happens if the moderator doesn't have a pencil?
Then you're pretty screwed.
Oh.
(GlGGLlNG)
Oh, no.
l used to get the giggles before debate team
in high school.
(KNOCKlNG AT DOOR)
Yes?
lt's time, Madam President.
Thank you, Tory.
(LAUGHlNG)
What many of you don't know is that the captured CyIon Heavy Raider
is capable of much longer jumps than our Raptors.
ln fact, we realized early on
that if we couId instaII the Heavy Raider navigational system
aboard one of our Raptors,
a strike team could make the entire trip back to Caprica
in less than 1 0 jumps.
Now, the limiting factor up until now
has been our inability to instaII the CyIon computer with our computer.
That obstacIe has now been overcome.
She's here to heIp us.
She's gonna Iay out our navigational markers
and update our jump coordinates.
Does anyone have a problem with that?
You've been chosen to lead these people by Almighty God.
lt will happen.
Like the baby happened?
The one l was destined to protect?
Don't let your anger drive you into blasphemy, Gaius.
The election's still two weeks away.
Get your act together.
You ready?
Yeah, l was just taking a little nap.
Chief?
(CLANGlNG)
This is our mission.
lt's our duty to the people we left behind.
And if we need to use a CyIon to get them back, then so be it.
This is about trying to get as many survivors off Caprica as we can.
Even so, it's still Two-Alpha.
Anyone want to eject?
Commander on deck!
Don't worry. l won't be long. l want to hear it, too.
You just have to really try to think about something serious.
That always helps. All right?
Like what?
Well, like. . .
Great.
No one has ever attempted a rescue mission from this distance,
much less behind enemy lines.
You'll be making history just by making the attempt.
But bring these people back from Caprica,
and you'll be making part of the future.
Questions?
lf you guys find Earth before we get back, will you save us a few seats?
Earth, hell, we find any rock with food and water, l'll build you guys a bar.
All right.
See? l told you l wouldn't be long.
Mr. Gaeta, turn on the wireless.
Let's give these people a chance to hear
what kind of fun they'll be missing for the next five days.
McMANUS: (ON RADlO) We're just minutes away
from the start of the first presidential debate between President Laura RosIin...
You okay?
...and her opponent, Vice President Gaius BaItar.
Can l go now?
All the questions...
Corporal Madsen.
...submitted by members of the civiIian fIeet here
cover a wide range of topics.
So, pIease, stay tuned as we get set now
for the first of two presidential debates.
The atmosphere in the auditorium is tense as we await the arrivaI
of the two candidates and their aides.
The real pressure will be on Vice President BaItar tonight...
Chief?
Bullseye. Here comes Vice President Gaius BaItar
into the room as we await Madam President.
Laura Roslin is very much ahead in the polls at this point.
I beIieve that
she's entering the room shortly, but still, of course, waiting for her.
He is capable of blindsiding her
as he did when he Iaunched his candidacy a month ago.
Dr. BaItar, of course, has long been admired
as one of the most briIIiant scientific minds of his generation
and played a critical role in saving the human race from the CyIon threat.
Yes, here comes the President now.
Laura RosIin, the President, has entered the room.
l'm going to wipe the floor with you, Gaius.
...shake hands, exchange a few words.
You must be losing your mind again.
lf that's the best you can come up with,
you really are in trouble. Good luck.
How you doing? You okay?
Sharon.
Don't shut me out, not now.
Something dark is coming, Helo.
l can feel it.
l can feel it lurking out there, waiting.
What do you mean? Back on Caprica?
No.
Not on a mission, not any specific thing.
lt's more like a dark time.
Chief?
(CALLY SCREAMlNG)
Help!
(THEME MUSIC)
Chief Tyrol,
l'm Brother Cavil. l understand you've asked for religious counseling.
l never really believed in psychotherapy. My father was a priest.
l see.
You thought you'd have an easier time with a priest than a real doctor. Okay.
l pray to the gods
every night,
but l don't think they listen to me.
Do you know how useless prayer is?
Chanting and singing
and mucking about with old half-remembered lines of bad poetry,
and you know what it gets you?
Exactly nothing.
Are you sure you're a priest?
l've been preaching longer than you've been sucking down oxygen.
And in that time, l've learned enough to know
that the gods don't answer prayers.
We're here on our own. That's the way they set things up.
We have to find our own answers, our own way out of the wilderness
without a nice little sunny path all laid out in front of us in advance.
That's what l'm trying to do.
l'm trying to find my way.
Now, it's not gonna get better
until you see what the problem is.
And the problem is you are screwed up, heart and mind.
You, not the gods or fate or the universe.
You.
Thanks for the pep talk.
Hey.
Hi.
l just wanted to say,
well,
good hunting.
Thank you, sir.
Yeah, it's a good plan.
lt's a good plan.
Sharon should be able to jump you into the atmosphere
a couple of clicks above the surface.
Down below the Cylon dradis. l know the plan.
Lee, l wrote it.
Yeah.
l gotta go.
l hope you find him, Kara.
l really do.
So do l.
From the Colonial dispatch,
"Last night's debate only solidified the perception. . ."
MAN: Madam President. l'll do that later.
". . .that Dr. Baltar, for all his charm, is essentially an empty suit
"when it comes to matters of substantive policy."
lt's nice to see the press is getting it right for a change.
Don't forget, the radical religious charge is dangerous.
lt may be a low blow from a desperate man,
but it's the only issue he's managed to get any traction on.
He will keep exploiting it.
He's gotta come up with something much, much bigger than that
if he wants to make it the central issue of his campaign.
lt's not gonna work.
(SlGHlNG)
You gotta keep hitting her on the religious thing.
Every time we go there,
you score points, and we move the polls in our direction.
Yes, l'm not sure if you're aware, Tom,
but the mob isn't usually in the habit of electing ungodly apostates
who denigrate people of faith.
Things are gonna turn around. You'll see.
He's right.
Listen to him.
Of course.
How blind l'm being. Thank you, yes.
"Things are gonna turn around. You'll see."
What is that? Advice?
Well, thank you. Thank you for your keen insight,
your astounding political acumen.
You know, l'm so assured right now, Tom,
l'm just gonna sit right back and wait for the hand of God
to reach down and change my political fortunes.
How about that?
Galactica, Starbuck.
SAR squadron confirms readiness check, and we are spun up out here
and ready for the first jump.
DUALLA: You are go for the jump, Starbuck.
Roger that.
Jump in ten minutes. Mark.
(BEEPlNG)
GaIactica, l'd like to speak with Actual.
Sir?
Actual. Go.
Did l ever say thank you?
No, but then again, that would be a first, wouldn't it?
Thank you.
Just come back in one piece. That'll be thank you enough.
Good hunting. Actual out.
SAR Team, Starbuck. Set navcom inputs to coordinate re-check.
Standby for bounce-back and stabilization routines.
Let's do a final check, people.
Headcase. Check.
Swordsman. Check.
AnviI. Check. l still can't believe you talked me into this.
Chinstrap. Check.
lt's important.
GumbaII. Check.
And l'll be with you there and back.
lt's you and me from now on, no matter what.
Just like we agreed.
l know. l know. l really appreciate it, Helo. l really do.
Raw Meat. Check.
Toyon. Check.
Strakus. Check.
l just can't get her out of my head,
our little girl.
PIayboy. Check.
PoIo. Check.
Casey. Check.
Adonis. Check.
ls there a problem?
GuIIy Man. Check.
Star CIoud. Check.
Racetrack. Check.
CaIIan. Check.
Wireless check complete.
Board is green, and we are set.
Sharon, you're on.
Ready.
SAR Team, Starbuck.
Standby to jump on my mark.
Five.
Here we go. Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Commence the first jump.
This doesn't look right.
No other contacts on dradis.
What?
Oh, man. We're at the wrong jump coordinates.
Frak!
Helo, we've lost someone already.
lt's Racetrack.
Should we go back?
Mission rules say we keep going unless we lose three,
so we keep going.
Racetrack will just have to find her way back to base.
lt's a hell of a way to start, though.
Let's. . . Let's talk about what happened.
l can't really believe that Cally. . .
l don't understand how l could do that to Cally.
lt's like it's a nightmare.
(CALLY SCREAMlNG)
She said you were asleep when she found you.
Were you having a nightmare when she woke you up?
l don't remember.
Oh.
Been having any recurring dreams lately?
No.
Okay, that's what we in the pray trade call a lie.
And lies aren't gonna get you anywhere, my friend.
So skip over the denials and the deceptions,
and let's get right down to it, shall we?
You're having dreams.
What are they?
Tell me about your dream, Chief.
Every night. . . Every night it's the same.
For how long?
Couple of weeks.
And you were having the same dream
when Cally woke you up, weren't you?
l don't know. l don't remember. Maybe.
Maybe. lt doesn't matter, does it?
All l remember is Cally on the ground and the blood.
She stopped you.
By waking you up, she prevented you from carrying out
your secret desire to kill yourself.
l don't have a secret desire to kill myself.
Well, actually, you're right. lt's not a secret.
You obviously want to kill yourself. Question is, why?
Look, l think there was some kind of glitch in the navcom firmware.
Hey, bottom line, we're to hell and gone
from where we're supposed to be, Skipper.
Okay, any chance that we can still catch up with them?
Not a chance. Mission rules say we head back.
Frak me! lt was the first jump!
Hey, look, you gave me these coordinates.
Yeah. . .
(MUTTERlNG)
Back to the barn.
Hey, l'm picking up a large planetary body.
lt's frakking close.
Where did that come from?
Hell if l know.
There's so much dradis interference here, it didn't even register.
Let's check this out.
Atmosphere is nitrogen-oxygen.
Organic molecular spectra. Fresh water.
Hey, you know what this is? lt's habitable.
We may have just found a world that can support human life.
Maybe we're not just a bunch of frakups after all.
Now, the climate readings overall are within human norms.
Oh, there's some extremes at the poles that we couldn't withstand,
but that's not unusual.
Well done.
Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir.
We got a mottled area here at the river mouth, so it's probably a delta,
and chances are we've got significant plant and animal life,
so l want a lot of nice low passes across here.
l heard the Pegasus survey mission found wildlife.
Fruit trees, rivers of milk and honey.
Yeah, you forgot the lakes of ambrosia.
Most of the planet is actually pretty barren.
Plant and animal life located in a temperate belt around the equator.
But the best part is, with all the dradis interference from the nebula,
the Cylons will probably never find it.
BALTAR: Who cares about this stupid planet anyway?
All this song and dance over nothing.
Less than 20% of that place actually supports human life, so. . .
You're not seeing the big picture.
This is your new home,
the place where you will lead a new life.
This is the future, Gaius.
Now, there's a depressing thought.
What's that?
Oh, nothing, Tom.
Just. . .
Can you imagine if we actually had to live on that thing?
You are a genius.
And?
Pay attention. You're about to win the election.
l'm sorry. What were you saying, Tom?
We needed an issue, something to set us apart from Roslin,
something to put her clearly on the wrong side of a major issue
our people care passionately about.
This is it.
(CHUCKLlNG)
Permanent settlement on this planet.
Permanent settlement, here?
Have you lost your marbles?
lt may look dreary. lt may be dreary.
But it's solid ground under your feet
and real sky over your head.
You'd be surprised what a powerful idea that is to people
cooped up in metal boxes for nine months.
You should listen to him, Gaius.
He's a smart, sexy man, just like you.
Oh, give up.
What?
Give up on Earth.
Yes.
So we'd settle here.
Yes.
(CHUCKLlNG)
You know, it's starting to look
like a lovely little planet after all.
This is a rest stop, a place to load up on food and water.
We're not settling here, obviously.
You've heard the captains' reports.
Every ship in the fleet has people begging, pleading,
demanding they get time down on the surface,
even if it's only for a few hours.
Well, a few hours is one thing,
but permanent settlement's quite another.
Suddenly, Baltar is holding out hope of breathing real air,
growing real food, sleeping in a bed instead of a bunk,
living in a house instead of a ship.
lt's a fantasy. Look at the mission reports.
All the data indicate that life on this planet would be hard.
lt would be a struggle to even eke a living out for a few years.
Today's polls show that he's also making headway with the idea
that because the planet is hidden in a nebula,
it will provide a refuge from the Cylons.
What, are we now assuming that Cylon technology
is not sufficient enough to find this planet? We just found it.
Madam President, in my opinion,
people vote their hopes, not their fears.
Baltar is offering them what they want to hear,
and you're offering them a bitter reality.
l'm offering them the truth.
They don't want to hear the truth. They're tired, exhausted.
The idea of stopping, laying down their burdens
and starting a new life right now
is what is resonating with the voters.
How well is it resonating?
lt could turn the entire election around.
Why are you running?
l'm not.
How long are you gonna do this?
How long are you gonna refuse to see
what's right in front of your face?
How. . . Forget it. l'm done.
What? You're leaving?
That's right. l'm done.
l'm done dancing around the truth with you.
You know what's going on,
but you can't or you won't face it, so. . .
l'm not a therapist.
l'm not gonna hold your hand and help you along.
l'm just trying to get you right with yourself and with your gods,
but you're not willing to do it.
But. . .
l don't even know what you're talking about.
Oh, for gods' sake, Chief, come on !
You think you're a Cylon.
l am not a Cylon.
Well, of course you're not,
but that's what you're afraid of, isn't it?
That you might be a Cylon and not even know it, just like Boomer, right?
Right?
That's the thought that's torturing your dreams and crippling your soul.
"l'm a Cylon, just like Sharon, and l deserve to die."
Sharon didn't know what she was.
She just kept thinking. . .
Feeling that she was gonna do this terrible thing,
but she knew that she had to stop herself before she did.
And you think that's what you're going to do, some terrible thing.
Well, the truth is, you might,
but not because you're a Cylon,
because you're a human being
and human beings do terrible things all the time.
Well, how do you know l'm human?
Oh, well, maybe because l'm a Cylon,
and l've never seen you at any of the meetings.
There's not much more l can do for you.
You're gonna have to go back to work
and try and leave all of this behind you.
No, l. . .
l can't.
l can't go back and face the deck people again. Are you. . .
And Cally!
Well, you better. That's the only family you've got.
Just know that that's your family and that they love you.
Even Cally. Especially Cally.
lf you doubt your humanity and your essential nature as a human being,
all you need to do is look to them
for the salvation you've been seeking from the gods.
The gods lift up those who lift each other, Chief.
SAR Team, Starbuck. We are set here.
Stand by for final jump to Caprica.
Remember, we are going very low to the surface.
Be prepared for wind shear, rain, storms, anything.
Roger that, Starbuck.
Ready?
Ready.
Here we go. Jump.
SAR Team, Starbuck. Form up on me.
Copy that, Skipper.
Any Cylons, Helo?
Nothing on dradis.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
We're missing a Raptor. l'm only reading 1 7 out there.
We're missing Raptor 61 2.
That's Toughguy and Carousel.
What, they jumped to the wrong coordinates?
No, no, no.
l'm picking up their transponder, so they made it.
Bearing 827 carom 443, about a half click from here.
That would put them. . .
Oh, my gods.
Where, Helo? Talk to me.
They jumped inside the mountain.
Damn.
SAR Team, Starbuck. We've lost Raptor 61 2.
We are proceeding without them.
Follow me.
Roger that, Starbuck.
BALTAR: So I wouId think that my position
and the position of my campaign is abundantly clear.
Thank you.
McMANUS: Madam President, you have 30 seconds to respond.
Well, my initial response is, there he goes again.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen,
Dr. Baltar is distorting the reaI issues before us.
The issue here, the real question, is not
allowing the scriptures to dictate the policy of this government.
The question is, do the scriptures contain reaI-worId reIevance?
Do they contain the information necessary to guide us to a safer home
than some completely unknown planet
that we've just now discovered?
ObviousIy, my answer to that question is yes.
l have always and wiII continue to feeI
the scriptures hold reaI-worId reIevance.
Mr. Vice President, the next question is for you.
How do you respond to the charges
that you've seized the idea of permanent settlement on this planet
as an opportunistic gamble?
Some wouId say it's to be construed as a desperate move
from a campaign that was falling behind in every poll.
Well, you know, that is...
That is an excellent question, in fact, Jim. Thank you.
And l am only too glad to have the opportunity to respond to it.
You see, l have long been a proponent in the search for Earth.
The promise of perhaps finding not only a new home
but also the prospect of discovering
our long lost brothers and sisters of the 1 3th CoIony is a powerful one,
and one I have beIieved in heart and souI,
but the troubIe is, the CyIons continue to foIIow us
as they have done every step of the way
since the destruction of the CoIonies.
And if we have a chance to change this dynamic, to stop this deadly chase,
shouIdn't we take it? My answer is yes.
MAN: Oh, yeah. Come on.
Thank you. Madam President, 30 seconds.
There's no assurance, none whatsoever,
that the CyIons don't already know about this planet,
that they don't make regular stops here looking for us,
and that, in fact, they aren't simply waiting for us
to settIe on the surface so they can attack us...
l have to respond to that. l simply have to respond to that.
l'll give you 1 5 seconds.
What you've seen right now, ladies and gentlemen,
is another example of the President using fear to drive her campaign.
Fear.
Fear of the gods.
Fear of the CyIon. Fear of fear itseIf.
Is it not time to stop being afraid?
l'm asking all of us
to stop running from our lives and start living them.
Thank you.
Thank you. That is all we have time for today.
I'd Iike to thank both the candidates for their frankness today.
A very exciting debate.
And this concIudes the cycle of the debates for the Presidency.
The polls will open in three days. Please vote.
Thank you and good night.
(WHlSPERlNG)
Not your night, l guess.
Why don't you go frak yourself?
MAN: (ON RADlO) With me now is campaign manager for Dr. BaItar, Mr. Tom Zarek.
Tom, weIcome. You were in there with us today.
What was your impression?
ZAREK: Well, l thought Dr. Baltar did exceptionally well.
Laid out his vision of the future
and offered the people a way to end the suffering and terror
that defines so many of their lives.
On the other hand, l found myself wondering
how Roslin's arguments against settlement could possibly win.
(WHlSPERlNG) Watch your footing over here. On me. Let's go.
Get up to that line, right there.
Got it?
All right, hold it.
Let's figure out where we are, Karl.
Resistance base camp was still another click ahead.
Movement. 1 1 :00.
(RUSTLlNG)
Friendlies?
You got a Samuel T. Anders there?
BAROLAY: ls there a Kara Thrace there?
lf there is, you tell her she took her good sweet time getting here.
Friendlies.
What took you so long?
We got Marines and Raptors.
We're gonna get you and your people out of here, okay?
As good as your word, huh?
Yeah, good as my frakking word.
What, did you think l was gonna leave you here?
Now you feel like a big frakking idiot, don't you?
All right, just shut up and save us already, okay?
Okay, people, this is nice, but we have toasters on our ass.
Where are the rest of your people?
This is it.
Toasters hit our base camp this morning.
l lost half my crew.
lncoming !
MARlNE: Pull back!
Back to the Raptors!
No!
The shell trajectories are between us and the Raptors!
We're cut off!
MARlNE: Men down !
(GUNS FlRlNG)
Stay right there! Stay right there!
(THEME MUSIC)