Ep 10 - Hand Of God

[MHall]

Here is a possible answer to the questions about how the noob pilots survive and why the Cylons didn't go for Galactica:

The Cylons didn't know where the Galactica was. However, once they saw some vipers, they knew it was somewhere close, and their top priority became to search-n-destroy Galactica. Take out the Galactica, and the vipers die slow deaths in the cold of space. These few vipers might simply be a delaying/screening force, so why not blow past them with only a few shots in passing, or maybe detaching just a squadron to keep those vipers occupied and off the tail of the main strike force?

But then why did the Cylons "bug out" when their base was destroyed and thus become easy targets for noob viper pilots? Why shouldn't the Cylons make a suicide run for the Galatica or whatever vipers (or freighters) they can find? If the vipers were faster than the Cylon raiders, then I could somewhat understand, because the vipers could run circles around the raiders until the Cylons ran out of fuel (and the Galactica could jump if need be.) But the vipers are slower, as I understand.

Finally, do all, some, or no Cylon raiders have FTL drive? I know we have seen some Cylon "raiders" with FTL, but maybe these were a distinct "scout" class of ship. If all the raiders in the episode had FTL, shouldn't they just jump away at the end rather than "bugging out"? Ah, perhaps they are rather stupid and need a commander on a base or basestar when they require coordinated behavior. (A commander cannot fit in a raider cockpit, after all, well, not without pulling out the brain!) With no one to coordinate an attack or sound the general retreat, they might indeed be easy to mop up.

[Code7]

Sound track: Did anybody else find the music very similar to music used in Black Hawk Down. In particular, I mean the song Minstrel Boy by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros.

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005UWHH/qid=1105218790/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-3187336-3851213

It was a good FX episode, but what I really liked about it is the continuing character development and the changing relationship between Apollo and Adama. The highlights for me have been the moments where Apollog and Adama work on reconciling their relationship. In "33" it was the moment when Adama says if it had been him on the planet, they never would have left. In "Hand of God" it's the moment when Adama gives him the lighter and tells him he has faith that he can get the mission done even though Lee feels that Starbuck would do it better.

The friction between Apollo and Starbuck was also particularly good. She didn't really have faith in Apollo's ability to carry out the mission. I'm almost sorry this was wrapped up so quickly. It might have been better if we had seen the friction build up over a few episodes and resolve itself with this episode... We're obviously going to seen Starbuck have to continue to deal with her injuries. Will she ever make it back into a cockpit? If Moore were predictable, I'd say she will make it back into the cockpit down the road with much celebration, but Moore isn't that predictable.

Overall, BSG continues to prove that it is an unconventional Sci-Fi show that may (in the long run) be one of the best Sci-Fi shows on TV.

[mattw65]

Code7 said:

The friction between Apollo and Starbuck was also particularly good. She didn't really have faith in Apollo's ability to carry out the mission. I'm almost sorry this was wrapped up so quickly. It might have been better if we had seen the friction build up over a few episodes and resolve itself with this episode... We're obviously going to seen Starbuck have to continue to deal with her injuries. Will she ever make it back into a cockpit? If Moore were predictable, I'd say she will make it back into the cockpit down the road with much celebration, but Moore isn't that predictable.

IMHO I think the scene with Cmdr. Adama and Starbuck cleared alot of the tension up. What he said about the first time that he was in command and wanting to be out there with the fighter pilots was understandable. He could see that it was this that was really bugging Starbuck.

[ladyrheena]

It's an interesting arc the way Adama and Starbuck's relationship is becoming closed to father-daughter than ever, yet he's still rather estranged from Apollo (although I think that's mainly Apollo's fault...).
I'd also like to see a little backstory, maybe some flashbacks or something, in a future episode expanding on Adama snr's past. I think his career paralleled Starbuck's more closely than Apollo's judging by his comments about transitions and stuff. It'd also be nice to learn more about his history with Tigh, who presumably at one point was also a fighter pilot. Did they fly together in the same squadron before they got their respective promotions?
Oh! So many questions. I love eps that provoke character interest. ;D Plus of course the ongoing antagonism between Tigh and Starbuck is just GREAT. How funny it could be if she meets Ellen at some point...roll on, Colonial Day!

[Daliden]

Anybody catch what Apollo said, right after he said to congratulate Dr. Baltar "he was right on the money, it's one hell of a firework show."?

"And this XXXXXX is back for the canyon when this place is history" or something like that?

I have a hunch is the same kind of rah-rah phrase as the "nothing but the rain" one was . . .

[redspine]

It was something along the lines of "there is load of ore back in the canyon now this place is history".

[Daliden]

redspine said:

It was something along the lines of "there is load of ore back in the canyon now this place is history".

"And there's plenty of ore for us back in the canyon..." yeah. Now that you pointed it out I can hear it.

Damn it's hard to make something out when you first think you're hearing something completely different.

Not to mention small stuff like non-native language, etc.

Thanks!

(Damn, wasn't even close to being a rah-rah phrase...)

[redspine]

Did you check the funny faces he was pulling when he was concentrating on things whilst in the canyon and tunnel!

[Daliden]

redspine said:

Did you check the funny faces he was pulling when he was concentrating on things whilst in the canyon and tunnel!

Weeell . . . I thought his funny faces and mumbling to himself added much realism and character, while one of the newbie pilots -- was his callsign Hotshot? -- seemed very stone-faced and calm.

[EstoniaKat]

I was sorry to see Fireball get wasted. He was cool under pressure. And it was nice, though, to see people die that we've gotten to know over several episodes.

The Scottish music didn't do much for me.

The 2-dimensional board, which I hated at first, added a lot of my understanding of how events were unfolding in hindsight.

Special effects, best since the mini.

"I am an instrument of God." Say no more. Baltar is crackers, and I love him.

[redspine]

And poor old chuckles! His wound seemed to be surrounded by a mercury coloured type metal was that the bullet/shrapnel?

[MattLee]

Ooooh that reminds me, one thing that annoyed me at the time was when the viper pilot got shot in the chest he should have been bucketing blood like nobodys business. Combining a shell of at least .50 caliber with a burst spacesuit & explosive decompression to hard vacuum should have equalled Gore-o-rama.

Then I, like, got over it.

[ladyrheena]

Glad you got over it, MattLee. Gore-o-ramas are for Tarantino movies, not good sci-fi. ;D

[Crashdown]

Right; sorry a bit of a late, rather stray thought on the episode. Sorry if anyone else has bought this up, but when Baltar was getting his massage in his head and it ended with Six giving his neck a short, sharp twist to the side, was anyone at all reminded of Jacob's Ladder? I'm sure there's a pretty similar scene between Tim Robbins and his chirpractor. And no, I'm not pointing fingers and suggesting it was ripped off, just that it seemed similar.

[MrNiceGaius]

Newb pilots winning against overwhelming odds... I think one can attribute that to Galactica closing on the fighters as the vipers began to engage the Raiders. It's not mentioned... but it's kind of logical. Remember that the vipers were not on a defensive action, but infact trying to draw the Raiders to Galactica. And the reason they probably buggered off at the end, is because Galactica, with it's ooodles of guns had probably closed enough range to scare the raiders off (couple that with the loss of the base)

EDIT: I've been watching old school galactica today,,, the nuggets weren't out numbered. In TOS, they state that Viper pilots have a 10:1 kill ratio. So the battle was pretty much even, on the fighter side of things. Throw Galactica in there, and we humans had an overwhelming advantage over the Cylon and the base.


My favorite episode so far. Although all the episodes have been totally fantastic, this is the episode that makes the whole first season pay off. Everything prior to this seems to be purely foundation because after this episode, things really seem to get moving.

Love the pipes the score. Although it's a little wierd. it works out quite well. Something traditional and warrior like about the pipes.

The tact. Table with the models. At first I was like "O god, is this whole sequence gonna be done by slowly pushing models around the table?"... then it takes off. Well used.