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Written by: Michael Taylor
Directed by: Michael Rymer
The One Where: Baltar’s trial for treason begins. The defence soon skilfully discredits two prosecution witnesses. Lampkin manoeuvres a drunk Colonel Tigh into confessing to killing his own wife; Adama rages at his son’s “betrayal”, causing Lee to hand in his pips. Then Apollo gets President Roslin to admit that, once again, she’s taking chamalla extract (which causes her to hallucinate)... because her cancer has returned.
Verdict: Ronald D Moore took a big risk in choosing to round off the season with something as action-deficient as a courtroom drama, but it’s a gamble that pays off, because this show is blessed with an incredibly talented ensemble cast. The explosive confrontation between Adama and son is powerful stuff, and Michael Hogan’s performance as Tigh unravels on the witness stand is magnificent.
Highlight: Because Roslin’s cancer bombshell is gently underplayed, it’s the Adama/Apollo bust-up.
Nitpick: Alright, he may be a little hesitant at first, but still, the speed with which Lee turns into a hotshot lawyer is a little bit hard to swallow.
Did You Spot?: This episode didn’t have the usual opening titles. That’s cos it massively over-ran.
Influences: Ron Moore compares the women who idolise Baltar to the female followers of Charles Manson.
Trivia: In early drafts of the script, the tribunal was shown a video of Baltar ordering the execution of a group of Sagitarons who were refusing to share food.
Ian Berriman
