The Captain's Hand (17 Feb. 2006)

Two of Pegasus' raptors go missing after a suspicious distress call. President Roslin must make a decision on abortion that could hurt her political career.

Director:

Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Writers:

Ronald D. Moore (developed by), Jeff Vlaming,

Stars:

Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Edward James Olmos	...	Admiral William Adama
Mary McDonnell	...	President Laura Roslin
Katee Sackhoff	...	Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace
Jamie Bamber	...	Maj. Lee 'Apollo' Adama
James Callis	...	Dr. Gaius Baltar
Tricia Helfer	...	Number Six
Grace Park	...	Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii (credit only)
Michael Hogan	...	Colonel Saul Tigh
Aaron Douglas	...	Chief Galen Tyrol
Nicki Clyne	...	Crewman Specialist Cally Henderson
Alessandro Juliani	...	Lt. Felix Gaeta
Kandyse McClure	...	Officer Anastasia Dualla
Richard Hatch	...	Tom Zarek
Donnelly Rhodes	...	Dr. Cottle
John Heard	...	Commander Barry Garner

Storyline

Lee Adama is asked to take a look on Pegasus, where commander Garner and Starbuck don't seem to be getting along. On Pegasus two raptors went missing after following a mysterious distress call. Their oxygen is running out. Apollo and Starbuck think it might be a Cylon trap, but Garner seems determined to jump Pegasus to rescue them. Meanwhile President Roslin is preparing for the elections. Her only opponent so far is Tom Zarek. Little does she know he is talking with Dr. Baltar to support his candidacy. Then a young woman requests asylum on Galactica. She wants an abortion, but her Gemenon parents don't allow it. Roslin faces a tough decision. She wants to recognize the freedom of women, but agreeing with abortion will lose the support of the important religious leaders of Gemenon.

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Plot Keywords:

starfighter | space opera | faster than light | female protagonist | spacecraft | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver Film Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

R&D TV, NBC Universal Television, David Eick Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "previously in Battlestar Galactica..." scene in which Adama tells Tigh he's chosen Garner as the new Commander of Battlestar Pegasus hadn't actually appeared in an earlier show.

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Goofs

Both Garner and his chief engineer say that the breach is venting oxygen into space, but the crack is visibly venting into (not out from) the engine compartment.

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Quotes

Major Lee "Apollo" Adama: I know why I was mad at you, Kara.
Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace: A simple "thank you" would've been sufficient.
Major Lee "Apollo" Adama: 'Cause you are doing what you always did: Buck authority, and get away with it... I bucked authority once. I almost lost everything... So I guess, when I showed up on Pegasus - there you were, doing it all over again... I don't know... it pissed me off.
[pause]
Major Lee "Apollo" Adama: Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?
Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace: You should hear the way my brain works sometimes.
[pause]
Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace: Are we okay?
Major Lee "Apollo" Adama: [hesitating] You have a brain?

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Connections

Referenced in Battlestar Galactica: Razor (2007)

User Reviews

A new commander for the Pegasus

A month has passed since the events of the previous episode and there have been a few changes; President Roslin has a new assistant, Apollo and Dee are a couple and Pegasus is back with the fleet. The last of these provides the main story for this episode. After the deaths of Cain and then Frisk the Pegasus's senior engineering officer, Commander Garner, has taken command; the problem is he is used to working with machines rather than people. Not surprisingly it isn't long before he clashes with his new CAG: Starbuck. When two raptors disappear and a distress signal is heard Garner wants to go with the Pegasus to rescue them; Starbuck fears that the distress call might be a Cylon deception and Apollo is inclined to agree with her. Admiral Adama orders Garner to launch a reconnaissance patrol first but he takes the Pegasus anyway; right into a trap! As if this wasn't enough there is a secondary story concerning a young Geminon woman who has fled to Galactica to seek a termination. Roslin refuses to hand her back to the staunchly anti-abortion Geminese but the issue does remind her that the population is falling and if she wants to halt that she may have to give up her life long belief in a woman's right to choose.

This was a good episode with some good action; it was good to see a battlestar go up against the Cylons again. John Heard did a fine job as Commander Garner; portraying him as a good man who was out of his depth as a battlestar commander but had what it took to save his ship in the engine room. While the secondary story wasn't as thrilling it did deal with the issue of the falling population and lead to the emergence of a viable contender in the upcoming elections.