"Battlestar Galactica"
Bastille Day (2004)

Director:

Allan Kroeker

Writers:

Ronald D. Moore (developer)
Toni Graphia (written by)

TV Series:

"Battlestar Galactica" (2004)

Original Air Date:

1 November 2004 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Deciding to use the thousand prisoners on a prison transport ship to mine the ice on the planet they've found, Galactica's plans are upset when a political prisoner onboard leads an uprising, taking hostages. He questions the legitimacy of Roslin's government and demands free elections to be held in the fleet.

Plot Keywords:

Faster Than Light | Space Opera | Terminal Illness | Starfighter | Female Protagonist

Cast

Edward James Olmos	...	Commander William Adama
Mary McDonnell	...	President Laura Roslin
Katee Sackhoff	...	Lt. Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace
Jamie Bamber	...	Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama
James Callis	...	Dr. Gaius Baltar
Tricia Helfer	...	Number Six
Grace Park	...	Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii
Michael Hogan	...	Colonel Saul Tigh
Aaron Douglas	...	Chief Galen Tyrol
Tahmoh Penikett	...	Lt. Karl 'Helo' Agathon
Kandyse McClure	...	Officer Anastasia Dualla
Paul Campbell	...	Billy Keikeya
Alessandro Juliani	...	Lt. Felix Gaeta
Connor Widdows	...	Boxey
Richard Hatch	...	Tom Zarek

Trivia:

The character of Cally was supposed to be killed off in the original drafts of this script, but David Eick decided he wanted her to fight back during the rape scene rather than be killed off. Cally later became an important recurring character in the series.

Water shortage

Was watching this series with a wary eye and had already taken to several of the lead roles. This one introduced a new character, Tom Zarek played by the original Apollo, Richard Hatch who is one hell of a presence and a brilliant addition to the show. The crisis is real and Galactica just does not have the volume of workers to extract the water needed for the fleet, they have no choice but to recruit men from the prison barge. When the prison barge is later held under siege by Tom Zarek and his fellow inmates it turns into a real potent political story. I found it hard to believe the show could be this good at such an early stage. Tom Zarek has appeared in many episodes since this one but does not detract the limelight from the leads.