Battlestar Galactica (2004)

With Commander Adama fighting for his life after being shot by the Cylon infiltrator Sharon, and President Roslin languishing in the Galactica's brig after losing the power struggle with Adama, Col. Tigh is thrust into the unfamiliar role of the sole leader in a time of crisis.

The Galactica has succeeded in reuniting with the fleet, but it has paid a terrible price: A Cylon computer virus has penetrated its computers, robbing the ship of power, and Cylon Centurions have boarded the Galactica and are battling their way to the ship's vulnerable centers.

As Doc Cottle (Donnelly Rhodes) works to save Commander Adama's (Edward James Olmos) life, Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) is beginning to realize that there's more to being a leader than giving orders. The press is clamoring for answers, everyone wants a decision now, and he feels himself being drawn to his old friend and enemy, the bottle. Worst of all, the Quorum of Twelve has arrived on the Galactica and is demanding to see President Roslin (Mary McDonnell). Tigh resists, but his wife Ellen (Kate Vernon) convinces him that the president has lost her mind and that letting her meet with the Quorum will only cement Tigh's power. Meanwhile, Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) leads a search and rescue mission to find the Raptor crew lost on Kobol, unaware that the Cylons have set up a missile battery in anticipation of such an effort.

Col. Tigh's (Michael Hogan) imposition of martial law threatens to split the crew and the fleet. He's thrown Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) into the brig on suspicion of being a Cylon and his dismissal of the Quorum has provoked the other ships to refuse to send fuel and other supplies to the Galactica. His judgment blurred by drink and the goading of his ambitious wife, Ellen (Kate Vernon), Tigh sends armed troops to one of the ships to take supplies by force, a move that ends in disaster when civilians are killed. Amid this chaos, Lee (Jamie Bamber) schemes to free President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to establish a democratic opposition. Meanwhile, Baltar uses Sharon's (Grace Park) love for Tyrol to intimidate her into revealing how many Cylons are lurking in the fleet. On Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara (Katee Sackhoff) and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) find themselves in a standoff against other humans. Cooler heads prevail, and the pilots meet their new allies: a group of 53 survivors, led by Anders (Michael Trucco) and Sue-Shaun (Tamara Lashley), members of a professional pyramid team that survived the nuclear holocaust because they were training in the mountains. Kara enlists their help in her mission to get off Caprica.

Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) returns to a hero's welcome and an unenviable task: In order to maintain control of the fleet, he must track down his son, Lee, and President Roslin, who have escaped with Tom Zarek's (Richard Hatch) help into hiding somewhere in the fleet. Adama orders all ships in the fleet searched. Meanwhile, Lee (Jamie Bamber) and Roslin (Mary McDonnell) prepare to send a message to the rest of the fleet seeking popular support. When the time comes, however, Lee can't bring himself to publicly condemn his father. With no other choice, Roslin plays "the religious card" to save the human race. Far away, on Cylon-occupied Caprica, Kara (Katee Sackhoff) goes on recon with the resistance fighters and is wounded in a firefight. She finds herself being nursed back to health by Simon, an attentive doctor who tells her that she can better serve the human race by having babies than by fighting Cylons. When Kara awakens with a new scar, though, she begins to suspect that neither Simon nor the hospital are what they seem.

Following the lead of President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch), more than one-third of the fleet has split from the Galactica and jumped into orbit around Kobol. Tensions arise within the rebel ranks on the Astral Queen as Zarek and his security Chief, Meier (James Remar), face off with Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber). Those tensions increase when Kara (Katee Sackhoff) and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett) return from Caprica with Sharon (Grace Park), who is now pregnant and a dead ringer for the Cylon who tried to assassinate Commander Adama. Following an uncomfortable meeting with Dualla, Adama is forced to admit that there is no substitute for the people the fleet has lost. He orders a Raptor be prepped to take him and a small team back to Kobol, so that he can find Roslin and Lee and put the fleet back together.

Following a firefight with Cylon Centurions and the death of her spiritual advisor Elosha, President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) treks onward with her confederates in search of the Tomb of Athena. Heavy rain and Kobol's rugged terrain make the journey difficult for all except the tireless Sharon (Grace Park). Tom Zarek (Richard Hatch) again butts heads with Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber), inspiring Zarek's henchman Meier (James Remar) to consider drastic measures that will clear the path to power for his old friend. Meanwhile, aboard the Galactica, Gaius Baltar (James Callis) questions his sanity as Number Six (Tricia Helfer) toys with him, and Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) mounts a rescue mission to Kobol.

Now that the fleet is reunited, old conflicts reignite. Criticism of the military reaches a fever pitch in the aftermath of the massacre on the Gideon. During the period of martial law, a team of Galactica's marines, led by pilot Lt. Palladino, had opened fire on civilian protestors aboard the civilian freighter. Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan), commanding officer during the incident which left four civilians dead and a dozen others wounded, receives a death threat. Shortly afterward, he very nearly falls victim to an act of sabotage. Intent on improving relations between the civilian fleet and the military, President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) offer Fleet News Service reporter D'Anna Biers (Lucy Lawless) unlimited access to the Galactica officers and crew. With her cameraman in tow, D'Anna interviews a series of stressed-out pilots, crew hands and officers.

Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) is keenly aware that morale is at a low point. Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), still haunted by his memories of the first Cylon Sharon, is in a bleak mood. He verbally spars with Capt. Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) and gets into a drunken punch-up with Helo (Tahmoh Penikett), who remains romantically committed to the current avatar of Sharon (Grace Park). After sending one more dilapidated Viper to the scrap heap, Tyrol vents his frustration by attempting to build a new plane from salvaged parts. His seemingly impossible mission generates cynicism at first, then growing respect and eventually a full team effort that pulls in even the skeptical Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan). Meanwhile, a Cylon virus penetrates the Galactica's computers.

The mood aboard the Galactica turns jubilant when the top-of-the-line battlestar Pegasus - long thought to have been annihilated with the rest of the colonial fleet - appears out of nowhere. The Galactica's relatively ragged crew meets their spit-and-polish counterparts from the Pegasus, among them Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes), her X.O. Col. Jack Fisk; (Graham Beckel) and the ship's CAG Capt. Cole "Stinger" Taylor. Cain warmly greets Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos), who chooses to yield command of the fleet to his superior officer. The Pegasus has been on the relentless search-and-destroy mission against the Cylons. Now each Battlestar holds a single Cylon prisoner.

Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) prevents a potentially deadly face-off between the Battlestars Galactica and Pegasus when she arrives at the last minute bearing stunning recon photos of the Cylon "Resurrection" ship. Unable to resist this tempting target, Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Admiral Helena Cain (Michelle Forbes) establish an uneasy truce as they agree to prioritize the destruction of the "Resurrection" ship, tabling their conflicts, for now. But Adama remains distrustful, as he learns that Cain's survive-at-all-costs attitude saw Pegasus abandon its civilian fleet months ago. As the power struggle continues with Cain, Adama must make an impossible decision, on the eve of a battle that could change the face of the Cylon war.

The Battlestars Pegasus and Galactica go head-to-head with Cylon baseships in a battle that will change the face of the war. But for Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), the real war is within as she wrestles with a desperate order from Commander William Adama (Edward James Olmos). When he hears of it, Lt. Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber) confronts his father, challenging the order - but Commander Adama holds firm. Meanwhile, in the Pegasus brig, Pegasus crewmembers show their ugly side as they violently attack Galactica prisoners Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and Lt. Karl Agathon (Tahmoh Penikett). As the battle for the Resurrection Ship intensifies, crewmembers are forced to decide how much of their humanity they are willing to sacrifice in order to survive. And the fight that begins with heroic self-sacrifice, ends in a white-knuckle test of two Commanders' courage and character.

Cancer-stricken President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell) lies near death in Galactica's emergency room. Still lucid and in command, she orders that the pregnancy of the Cylon Sharon (Grace Park) be terminated when unexplainable properties are discovered in a fetal blood sample. Gaius Baltar (James Callis), who, as vice-president, is poised to take over the presidency, argues that a half-human, half-Cylon child would make an ideal case study. And the child's father, Helo (Tahmoh Penikett), is stunned by the decision. Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) is determined to carry out Roslin's final decree until Baltar discovers that the hybrid blood cells may have fantastic healing abilities. Meanwhile, an underground group of Cylon sympathizers resort to sabotage to deliver their message: humanity must broker peace with the Cylons. An even more ominous threat emerges when Baltar once again connects with Gina (Tricia Helfer) - a flesh and blood version of the Cylon "Six" who lives in his head.

A thriving black market in food, medicine and luxury items has developed within the fleet, serving the rich and depriving the needy of essential goods. When Pegasus Commander Jack Fisk (Graham Beckel) is found brutally murdered in his private quarters amidst a cache of cigarettes, liquor and jewelry, Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) is appointed chief investigator. Lee discovers that Fisk was fronting a racketeering operation that seemingly involves other prominent authorities.

The colonial mining ship Majahual has been working round-the-clock for a month extracting essential metals from an asteroid. The fleet has moved on, leaving Galactica behind to guard the miners from persistent Cylon raids. Their deadliest foe is an enemy Raider nicknamed Scar, the combat-savvy reincarnation of countless Cylon warriors that boasts a growing list of human kills. Hiding out in the asteroid belt, Scar is a master of hit-and-run attacks that are decimating the war-weary Viper squadrons and forcing them to throw inexperienced replacement pilots into the fray. The shaken pilots, led by Capt. Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), cover their distress at the mounting casualties with a hardboiled demeanor. But neither booze nor a lustful encounter with Lee can vanquish the demons haunting Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff).

Fleet-wide paranoia reaches a new peak when word leaks out that the Cylon Sharon (Grace Park) is secretly being kept alive aboard Galactica. After her husband's cruel death during a Cylon raid, Sesha Abinell (Dana Delaney) can't stomach the thought of a Cylon providing enemy intelligence to Galactica - she knows the Cylon is just manipulating Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos). Assisted by three sympathizers, Sesha pulls a weapon in a bar aboard Cloud Nine and holds its occupants hostage, among them Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) and the uneasy romantic triangle of Apollo (Jamie Bamber), Dualla (Kandyse McClure) and Billy (Paul Campbell). Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) makes a bold move to rescue the hostages that goes terribly wrong.

Two Vipers field a distress signal from an unknown source, then they suddenly vanish from the fleet's radar screens. A rescue mission is coordinated by Battlestar Pegasus, now commanded by former engine room chief Barry Garner (John Heard). Feuding with his training supervisor, Lt. Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), he ignores her theory that the emergency call is a Cylon trap. Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber) is Garner's temporary XO, but when Garner bucks a direct order from Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and sends the Pegasus in pursuit of his missing Vipers, Lee is forced to act against him. Back on Galactica, a pregnant teenage stowaway has become a focal point in the presidential election campaign. Rya Kibby (Amber Rothwell) wants to exercise her legal right to an abortion. The fleet's pro-life Gemenon faction objects, threatening to pull its support for President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell). Recognizing that every potential life counts in a shrinking human population, Roslin considers a move that could provide the wedge issue Gaius Baltar (James Callis) needs to launch his own surprise bid for the presidency.

On Caprica, the reincarnated Number Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park) are hailed as Heroes of the Cylon for the key roles they played in the near-destruction of the human race. But these are tortured heroes. Number Six's thoughts are haunted by Baltar (James Callis), just as she haunts his thoughts on Galactica. And Sharon has so fervently embraced her love for Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) and the fake human life the Cylons created for her undercover mission that D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) and Doral (Matthew Bennett) are thinking of "boxing" her. Meanwhile, the human resistance - under the leadership of Kara's lover, Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco) - is preparing to strike a savage blow, however futile, against the Cylon occupation. On Galactica, the captive Sharon gives premature birth to Hera, the child she conceived with Helo (Tahmoh Penikett). As the infant fights for life, she becomes the focus of intrigue, as President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and the Cylons hidden amongst the fleet fight to gain control of this newborn symbol of hope... or harbinger of human extinction.

Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) has devised a daring plan to save the humans trapped on Caprica by using Sharon's (Grace Park) knowledge of Cylon navigational technology to jump a rescue mission past the Cylon defenses. On the first jump, however, one ship goes missing. The stray ship ends up floating above a blue planet that shows every sign of being able to support life. When this news reaches Galactica, it has a profound effect on the presidential race, which Baltar (James Callis) is losing badly. In a debate with President Roslin (Mary McDonnell), he goes on the offensive, using the possibility of a new home planet other than earth to attack her as a fear-monger who relies too much on religious scriptures and doesn't care about people's need to have solid land under their feet. Meanwhile, on the flight deck, Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) is wracked with regret after he reflexively and brutally attacks Cally (Nicki Clyne) when she wakes him from a recurrent nightmare. He consults Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell), who divines the problem: Tyrol dreams of killing himself because he fears he is a Cylon. On Caprica, the rescue mission has found the last survivors. But even as Starbuck and Anders (Michael Trucco) embrace in a passionate reunion, the Cylons are closing in.

As the sun rises on Caprica, Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) and Anders (Michael Trucco) discover that the Cylons have vanished. Brother Cavil declares it a miracle. But when they return to Galactica, the real reason for their survival become clear. Brother Cavil is a Cylon - he double counseled Tyrol (Aaron Douglas) - and he's here to deliver a message: The Heroes of the Cylon - Number Six (Tricia Helfer) and Sharon (Grace Park) - have persuaded the leadership that trying to destroy the humans was an error. From now on they will live apart, in peace. At the same time, voting continues in the presidential election. Laura (Mary McDonnell) approaches Baltar (James Callis) and proposes that, whoever wins, they agree that colonization of the newly discovered planet will wait for further study. When Baltar spurns her offer, she confronts him about Number Six and, when he remains unmoved, she instructs her aide to take steps to steal the election. The plot, however, is discovered and Laura and Adama must choose between denying the will of the people and letting a man they suspect to be a Cylon collaborator take power.