Battlestar Galactica: Season 1-10: Hand of God

by ernestborg9

Another powerful episode – if unfortunately contrived in some areas - that did much to further several plot lines and again draw together so of what has gone before in previous episodes.

The performances throughout were powerful, and it was in some ways good to see one or two of the characters falling back into their old ways – notably Starbuck sliding back towards her conceited, overly-confident “frak off, only I can do this” annoying in-yer-faceness, and Apollo with his “oh woe is me” routine. That both of these two – who have progressed so far in so many different ways in so short a time (36 days, to be exact) can be seen to still have the baggage of their formal lives kicking around their feet, ready to be tripped over, is again a point in BSG’s favour in portraying the reality of the human condition. No-one becomes an ideal role-model overnight – or over the course of a month.

It’s also interesting to see how Roslin’s doubts concerning Adama’s humanity (Flesh and Bone, Secrets and Lies) have now reaped their harvest: Adama doesn’t trust her sufficiently enough to reveal all the details of tactical and strategic operations to her. In many respects, this side of their relationship is back to how it was back in 33.

With the Helo / Valerii situation on Caprica, the procreation element appears to have come to the fore. Despite the time of day, Vallerii's vomiting smacked strongly of "morning sickness". If this is the case, the meaning behind her statement to Helo that she is the one the Cylons are after (Secrets and Lies is doubly clear: not only do they want her back – they want what they suspect she may be carrying inside her. And now he’s seen Six again, Helo can’t go on much longer before he starts stringing at least some of it together.

But of the entire episode, it is the opening of the Roslin and Baltar arcs that are the compelling.

Roslin is interesting on a number of levels. First off, there is the fact that she herself has some limited precognition, presumably as a result of the Kamala treatment she is taking. But if it has happened once (Flesh and Bone), will it happen again? What will happen as her cancer grows, and she comes to reply on Kamala and other medications to a greater degree. Oracles are not uncommon, it would appear from Colonial legend (Pythia) – could we see Roslin travel the road from purely political leader to a more pseudo-religious leader / Sybil; a possible counter-point to Baltar himself?

Then there is the reference to Pythia herself, and a further link to the ancient Greece of our own planet. In Greek mythology, the Pythia was the priestess at Apollo's oracle in Delphi. The name itself comes from Python, the dragon slain by Apollo.

The Pythia operated as a vehicle for Apollo's will to be known to those on earth. A believer would make a sacrifice and present a question to a priest. The priest would then present the question to the Pythia. The Pythia sat on a bronze tripod in the adytum, or inner chamber of Apollo's temple. In this sacred chamber the spirit of Apollo overcame the Pythia and inspired the prophecy.

Note the odd resonances here:

*In our mythology, Pythia was the servant of Apollo; in BSG, we see a woman foretold by the Colonial’s “Pythia” seeking the counsel of “Apollo” (Lee Adama), and using the knowledge he imparts to her to better understand the likes of Adama

*In our mythology, it is often inferred that Pythia’s trances were induced from chewing laurel leaves (hence depictions of her holding a sprig of laurel) – on BSG, Roslin’s “vision” are induced by her taking an herbal remedy known as Kamala extract.

A further interesting – possibly coincidental – resonance is that the Pythia in ancient Greece were the oracle of Delphi – and on Caprica, Helo and Valerii are making for the religious centre of Delphi.

On Baltar’s part, things are equally interesting – both in their religious context, and with the evolving situation with “his” Six.

Following his seeking God’s forgiveness (33) and his repentance of his sins (Six Degrees of Separation), Baltar finally becomes God’s “instrument”. He literally becomes the hand of God referenced in the episode title: he is the one that points out the target that will destroy the Cylon base.

This in itself is interesting. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen Baltar move through the five emotional states that tend to guide our reactions to a new “truth” we’d rather not face:

Denial (dismissing the “disappearance” of the ''Olympic Carrier'' after the call from Dr. Amorak as anything more than a serendipitous event - 33)

Anger (his outright hostility towards Six as she continues to "bore" him with talk of God - Six Degrees of Separation)

Bargaining (praying to God for his safety in return for his obedience - Six Degrees of Separation)

Depression (leaving the Situation Room without having “heard” God’s voice & facing up to the fact that he had to – again - lie)

Acceptance his messianic response to Six’s coaxing at the end of this episode.

Another interesting aspect of Baltar’s acceptance that he is indeed an “instrument of God” is in the fact that – as with many fundamentalist Christian teachings here on Earth (which state that to truly become a Christian, one must undergo “death” and rebirth - hence the baptism) - Baltar experiences his own “death” as Six apparently breaks his neck while in his fantasy world, and he is “reborn” in the present, facing Tigh and Starbuck, and points out the tylium precursor tanks on the asteroid.

Given all this, is it any wonder we have a somewhat messianic Baltar at the end of the episode?

But what is the driving force behind Baltar’s “conversion”? The concept of a pseudo-Christian God is very much a Cylon concept, being repeatedly expressed by both Baltar’s Six and Leoben Conoy. It is also a concept alien to Colonial thinking. Taking it as read that Baltar is a human – one who prides himself on being a rational genius and “above” the need for religious “flim-flam” - why should he fixate on a Cylon religious concept?

Could it simply be a part of his mind playing on something Six said to him before Caprica was attacked? Or could it be the fact that “his” Six really is something more than a simple manifestation of his own psychosis? That she is an ideology / personality “downloaded” into him?

Again, this episode points towards Six being an ideology / personality downloaded into Baltar. To dismiss all that has happened around Baltar as a simple string of coincidences he has been able to knit together into his own personal version of reality is, on the basis of the events in this episode, becoming increasingly hard to accept.

And it is Six who brings the story circle – returning to the writings of Pythia and the two and ten serpents – only in this case, an alternative meaning is deduced (by Baltar): the 12 serpents are in fact the 12 Vipers lead by Apollo on the raid on the Cylon base. And again, notice the careful counterpoint: when Roslin reveals her hallucination to Elosha, the priestess reveals the writings of Pythia to her, essentially anointing Roslin as the leader Pythia once foretold. In the closing scene we have Six using the same writings to finally convince Baltar that he is also “anointed” – an instrument of God.

Is it mere coincidence that Six picks on the same passages as those identified by Elosha?

Away from these two threads, Adama further reconciles himself with his son – the scene played out in the Viper bay with the lighter is exceptionally well-handled, and fully in keeping with all that we’ve seen between Adama and Lee since the events of You Can’t Go Home Again. Indeed, in this, it is far more in keeping with the nature of both characters than the somewhat clumsy scene between Adama and Thrace that took place in Adama’s cabin during “Act of Contrition”.

Similarly, and as mentioned, the re-bubbling of animosity between Lee Adama and Kara Thrace is handled by the writers and the actors with the right level of intensity that makes the situation so believable: Lee Adama’s resurfacing self-doubt; Thrace’s returning arrogance (born no doubt of her inability to fly herself): a careful mix that fully reminds us that there is still a lot of history to these characters – to all our cast – and past attitudes and doubts are not easily put aside.

And weaknesses? Well, there are a few. Once again, the main thrust of the episode – the need of tylium and the attack on the Cylon base is a useful tool. In setting it up, the producers are making it clear that, as with the fall-out from the events of Water, they are not going to forget logistical matters. We’ve have a water shortage, now we’ve had a fuel shortage. However, they’ve also very cleverly made it clear that such problems are not going to become an easy fall-back for writers stuck for ideas to use: in Water it was made abundantly clear that, saving sabotage or serious damage, the Galactica can keep the majority of the fleet supplied with clean water (and it was intimated that other vessels in the fleet can take care of their own water needs). Here, it is fuel that is currently the issue of the day – providing the Cylon base is taken; we’re informed that fuel supplies needn’t be a problem for the fleet for another couple of years – again barring mishaps.

However, the execution of the attack itself is not without its bumps.

For a start, how do a seasoned tactical officer like Tigh and a senior Viper pilot like Lee Adama come up with a plan of attack on the Cylon base that is so fundamentally flawed in its concept from the outset: jumping the Galactica in “behind” the enemy, without considering the nature and extent of the enemy’s likely fighter patrols? One might forgive Lee Adama such a mistake – he’s hardly a veteran war planner. But Tigh? He of all people should know that this far outside of a friendly sphere of influence, when the enemy (the Colonials) have a warship capable of jumping in on them from any point in space, the Cylons are bound to have the most obvious hiding-places staked out with fighter patrols or automated scanning systems.

No, the flawed planning is designed to open the door to Starbuck’s “out –of-the-box” thinking & the planting of the decoy mission. Sadly, while it does this, the way the opening is played diminishes both Apollo and Tigh for their lack of foresight. Indeed, given his ability to think like the enemy, as already demonstrated, it is surprising Adama didn’t point out this initial flaw in their thinking as Tigh and Apollo walk him and Starbuck through their plan.

Then there is the question of why is Starbuck so upset that the first part of the plan - the attack by Viper Strike Force One is going “wrong”? It is her plan – as Adama states – and so she should be aware that it is the “Strike Force” that is in fact the decoy, not the freighters. As such, the decoys stand a good chance of “being cut to pieces” – yet her reaction, in facing Adama is accusatory, as if she had no idea this would happen.

Next up is the fact that - despite the loss of their base – the Cylons have a massive numerical superiority over the Colonial Vipers (some 18-20 Vipers (after losses), split into two small groups facing-off against 140-ish Raiders) – yet they failed to ram this advantage home. Part of the Cylon plan? Possibly, but the way it was handled in the episode (the Raiders simply “bugging out”) doesn’t really support this. Nor does the idea of those same 140-odd Raiders simply running away from a force of just 8 Vipers (the remaining ships of Strike Force One) without making some attempt at taking out several more Vipers.

Finally, there is Adama’s apparently reckless response to the news the Cylons are bugging out – ordering his fighters after them when a) the Cylons do have a massive numerical superiority that could quickly put his fighters at risk; b) the Cylons have FTL and so could easily evade the Vipers (after drawing them out) prior to jumping, re-grouping and then jumping back in (to, say, launch an attack directly on Galactica herself while she is still sans fighters.

While these are not major glitches in the story as a whole, they nevertheless prevent this episode from running as smoother as it otherwise should. The critique of the Tigh/Apollo is at best a heavy-handed means of bringing Kara Thrace more directly into the story, and, as stated does a certain amount of credibility damage to Lee Adama, Tigh and Adama in the process, while the hurried end to the battle, (“Yay! We’ve blown up their base, Oh, look – the Cylons are running away!”) suggests that having raised some major character development points (vis Baltar, Roslin and Valerii on Caprica), and got the core of their “message” for the week across the to audience, the producers opted for the “Star Trek solution formula”: wrap everything ASAP and get it out of the way, in order for them to roll out their big finish: Baltar’s messianic conversion.

The only major issue I really have with the episode is the bloody music. I had initial reservations about the theme music following “33”, but have been proven wrong. Both it and the incidental music have settled well into the BSG frame.

Not so the incidental music seen here, which was nothing short of intrusive and distracting to the point that by the time we have the victory scenes on the hanger deck, I was fully expecting William Wallace to turn up and congratulate Apollo. Not a good fit at all.

It’s because of these latter points that, despite finding myself enthralled and engaged throughout this episode, I can’t give it a perfect 5. “Hand of God” therefore gets 4.5 out of 5 from me.

What we learn in this episode:

Nine days have passed since the events of “Secrets and Lies”

Tylium ore is use to power FTL systems, but probably not through any fissionable reaction

Cylon technology is clearly a Colonial off-shoot, as one would expect: from the use of tylium down to the shape of doorways

William Adama’s father was Joseph Adama

Sharon Valerii on Capica may well be pregnant

There is an ancient text some 3,600 years old foretelling humanity’s flight – and apparently, Roslin’s leadership

Mark II Vipers can carry both missiles and munitions pods (bombs)

The Mark VII Vipers all appear to be out of commission - even Apollo is now regularly flying a Mk II

The religious overtones to the human / Cylon struggle are becoming more pronounced, with a now-promised confrontation due at the “home of the Gods”

The Colonial fleet has a tylium refinery ship among its number

With the capture of the tylium mining facilities on the asteroid, the Colonials should be able to gather enough tylium to keep them going for about 2 years – assuming they can shift that much tylium to their refinery ship before the Cylons return

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