Battlestar Galactica s02e08 Episode Script

Previously on Battlestar Galactica.
The refinery captain is still not cooperating.
And now, seven other container ships are refusing to release their supplies.
Frak this! I'm sending in the marines.
Tell them to get over there and bring back the supplies.
People, step back, all right? We're just here for the supplies.
All right? Stay out of our way, and no one gets hurt.
Cease fire! Cease fire! You shot people for throwing coffee.
The crowd was out of control.
Somebody took a shot.
I don't know who it was.
Then all hell broke loose.
It was an accident.
What do you want from me, Helo? She's a Cylon.
I'm not going to let you kill her.
Okay? She's carrying my child.
I'm okay, really.
Yeah.
It's just, I don't want a baby born in a cell.
People, just step back.
Stay back, all right? We just need some supplies.
Get them back.
Get them back.
Cease fire! Cease fire! Medic.
We need a medic in here, now.
Dad! Oh, my gods! Oh, my gods! This recently discovered footage from what's become known as the Gideon Massacre appears to show Galactica's marines firing indiscriminately into a crowd of unarmed civilians.
Four dead, 12 wounded.
And yet, as of today, not a single charge has been filed against any of the marines involved, nor their commanding officers.
This is D'Anna Biers, reporting.
That's gonna blow this thing wide open.
We need some stock footage of raging marines.
We can intercut that with the eyewitness statements.
You've no right to come in here like this.
Ma'am, you're to come with us.
What, am I under arrest? No, ma'am.
And what if I refuse to go? Hello, Miss Biers.
It's nice to see you.
Welcome to Colonial One.
Madam President, it's an honor.
Cmdr.
Adama.
Where did you get the tape? From an anonymous patriot.
So, is this a social call or are we on the verge of another coup? Funny.
Just something to break the ice.
I take it I'm here because you are unhappy with my story on the Gideon Massacre? What happened aboard the Gideon was a tragedy.
But it was not a massacre.
But the tape shows your men firing into a crowd of defenseless civilians.
My marines tell a different story.
Not to me.
I've submitted a dozen interview requests, all denied.
Well, that's about to change.
You've been lobbying to do a story on the Galactica for months.
Cmdr.
Adama has agreed to give you unlimited access to his crew and his ship.
That's right.
Unlimited access.
All access won't buy you a propaganda piece.
We don't want one.
Miss Biers, this tape of yours has put fuel on a fire that was about to die.
People are angry, they are distrustful of the military.
Yeah, with good reason, ma'am.
In some cases, with good reason.
But I want to show the people what life aboard the Galactica is really like.
I want to put a human face on the officers and the crew who protect us against Cylons and guard our freedoms every day.
You might not like that face when you see it.
What would that be? All we really want is a balanced story.
Show us what the men and women of Galactica are really like.
That's it? That's it.
And I need you to do it now before we tear each other apart.
The CAG had better start cracking some heads.
Half our supply runs are behind schedule.
Combat, Dualla.
Colonel, it's your wife.
Something's wrong.
Colonel.
Ellen, are you okay? Oh, Saul, gods.
Oh, I'm so scared.
"From the darkness, you must fall.
" What does it mean? Racetrack, where did you get these? Sorry, sir, they were left over from a civilian run.
I've been meaning to throw them out.
No.
Put them in a safe place.
Hold on to them.
Yes, sir.
You filming this? We've been rolling since Colonial One.
The President did say, "Total access.
" You'll have that.
But you start shooting anything that compromises the safety of the ship and it will be cut.
That hiss you hear is an oxygen recirc unit.
We have about a dozen CO2 scrubbers aboard Galactica.
They all work Get a close-up of that, would you, Bill? Yeah, sure.
We just finished a 15-hour rotation.
Yeah, well, you better get used to it.
We may be short on pilots till the rest of the fleet pulls the stick out of its collective fat ass.
More fall-out from Tigh's moment of glory? You heard about his death threat? Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
I just can't believe that I haven't been called in for questioning yet.
Oh, you were top of the list.
But don't worry.
I told Tigh that you wouldn't know Caprican poetry if it was hot-soldered across your helmet.
"From the darkness, you must fall "failed and weak, to darkness all.
" Kataris.
Not one of his best.
Can I be a suspect again? Please.
Ship's galley is next on the itinerary.
Our vegetable stores and canned goods are kept in titanium lockers to ensure maximum freshness.
I didn't come all this way to interview the soup of the day.
Ma'am.
There comes Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
Guys, people are sleeping.
Keep it down.
Sorry.
Lighten up, Palladino.
Hey, is that on? Are you recording? Hi, Mom! Miss you, Mommy.
This is for my buddies on Freighter 2-12! Yeah, that's for you! Kat! Kat, you want to tell me what the hell you think you're doing? I was just saying hi to some of my buddies on the fleet, sir.
Right.
So you were literally talking out of your ass.
Kind of.
Go on, get dressed.
Yes, sir.
Castanza, get the hell out of here.
It's the last time you come into senior officers' quarters.
Go.
Move.
So, you must be the reporter we were expecting.
Well, you didn't have to dress for me.
D'Anna Biers, Fleet News Service.
Capt.
Lee Adama, Commander of the Air Group, that's pronounced "CAG.
" And I suggest you find yourselves an exit as soon as possible and that's pronounced, "ASAP.
" I think we've seen all we need to see here.
Whose brilliant idea was that? How did your family respond? My Dad went crazy when I enlisted.
He thought the military was a joke.
A refuge for emotional cripples and patriotic fools.
But you signed up anyway.
I guess I just wanted to believe in something.
You think it'll give it more memory? Yeah, it seems pretty simple.
Maybe just a basic adjustment.
It's a pretty good piece.
Yeah, it's kind of old.
Maybe I need a new one.
What the hell is going on? I don't know.
You don't know.
I'm the Vice President.
She's supposed to be interviewing me, isn't she? Well, of course she should.
Your title alone commands respect.
Of course it does.
It's a rare commodity around here.
I mean, I'm the Vice President.
I'm not going beg.
I'll tell you that much.
Miss Biers, our next stop Now, Gaius, you may have to beg.
You'll do whatever's necessary to protect our child.
Politics may not be your strong suit, but it serves us in the moment.
Trust me.
This one can help us.
Mr.
Vice President? Hello.
Hi.
D'Anna Biers, Fleet News Service.
Oh, you're the reporter.
That's right.
Cmdr.
Adama said the News Service might be joining us.
I suppose you're well, very busy doing a lot of interviews, I would imagine.
Well, I would love to speak to you.
If you've got a second, we can do it now.
No.
I'm afraid not.
I am very busy.
Really, really busy, at the moment.
Snowed under.
But if you get in touch with one of my aides, there might be a small window tomorrow.
I'm not promising anything, honestly.
But, I might be able to give you an interview then if that's what you would like.
Good.
Good.
Well, you just carry on.
What a strange little man.
Capt.
Adama I hardly recognized you with your clothes on.
Look, I'm sure you thought it was clever busting into the pilot's duty locker, but the area's off-limits for a reason.
It's the one place where my people can unwind, be themselves.
You seem to think that your pilots deserve special consideration.
Actually, I do.
Like everyone else my pilots have lost their families, their friends everyone they ever cared about.
But on top of that, they are asked to put their lives on the line every single day for a fleet that seems more interested in what they do wrong than in what they do right.
They're not asking for your pity, but they damn well deserve your respect.
Gods, Chief, we've already run this up twice.
Yeah, something doesn't feel right.
What? Something doesn't feel right.
Well, hurry up.
That's it.
Great.
Oh, that's fantastic.
That's just great.
I knew it.
How did I miss that? Maybe if your knuckle draggers spent more time on maintenance and less time frakking around This knuckle dragger just saved your ass, sir.
Why don't you say that a little louder, Chief? I don't think the camera heard you.
You know what? Frak the camera.
You've been riding my Don't even try defending for no frakking reason! Knock it off! Chief, fix the ship.
Yeah, fix the Hey! What? Hey, enough! Chief, fix your ship.
You get the hell out of here, now.
Get the camera out of my face.
She has been pissing me off all week.
What the hell's going on? I'm taking her off rotation until she gets her head rewired.
I mean Can't do it.
We need the pilots.
Besides, if I scratched everyone who popped off at the Chief the cooks would be flying the missions.
Son of a bitch.
Did you get all that? You happy? Come on.
Walk away.
We were never trained for crowd control.
First order of business when under attack is defend yourself and your squad.
But these were civilians.
I have 10 stitches that say we were under attack.
Truth is, it was a command frak-up the moment Tigh put us on that supply ship.
I'm not surprised someone's trying to take out that drunk son of a bitch.
All right.
Private.
Belay that.
Col.
Tigh's been threatened? No.
This interview's over.
Shut that off.
Commander.
Watch your step, please.
Okay, come on.
Sitrep.
Fleet's quiet, no enemy contact for the last 10 days.
No Cylon contact, anyway.
Well, they have their job to do.
We have ours.
Did you hear about the meeting on Cloud Nine? Reps flying in from every vessel in the fleet for a king-size bitch session? Yeah, I've heard.
Well, they sent us an invitation to send a delegation.
You're it.
Do you mind? No, no.
Go ahead.
We're in.
I'm not exactly the most popular guy in the fleet right now.
Well, it'll be good then, to let your cutters know that you're not afraid of them.
That what you think? I've been hiding? What the hell is going on here, Bill? You've been doing this too long.
We were worried about ulterior motives.
You're going because you're not afraid and people should see that.
Plus, it'll also give people a chance to vent their feelings instead of seething in private.
And finally, I think you need a little R&R.
So consider this mandatory shore leave.
Take a swim.
Get some sleep.
Sir.
And stay away from the bar.
Three.
There's three.
So, you got lots.
Good luck, Colonel.
Have fun on Cloud Nine.
You bet.
Initiating pre-flight.
What's going on? Abort launch! Everybody out, now! Everybody back.
Get back, now.
What's going on? The main bus is totaled.
Looks like somebody took a hammer to it.
If this had blown in transit, the cabin would have vented to space.
Someone's trying to kill you, Saul.
Comes with the stripes.
It's because of that damned Gideon incident.
Ellen, we don't know that.
Of course we do.
D'Anna Biers left two messages already.
She's giving you the chance to tell your side.
I don't have to explain myself, especially to her.
Roslin wants to placate the fleet put the great Bill Adama back on his pedestal.
The fastest way to do that is by hanging you out to dry.
Why do you think Adama wanted to send you to Cloud Nine? The Gideon happened on my watch.
Yes.
But you didn't order those jar-heads to open fire.
This is so like you, Saul.
Always the proud soldier, taking the heat because it's honorable.
When are you going to realize we're all alone out here? Are you afraid when you go into combat? First thing they tell you is to assume you're already dead.
Well, that sounds ghoulish.
Yeah, maybe.
But dead men don't get scared or freeze up under fire.
Me, I'm just worried that hell's going to be a lonely place and I'm gonna fill it up with every toaster son of a bitch I find.
What's been the hardest for you? They try to turn off the human part of you because that's what'll get you killed.
But when you're out in the field, it's not that easy.
Nothing's that easy.
You got five minutes.
Sharon? It's me.
Sharon! Give me your light.
What the hell are you talking about? Give me your light, now.
Something's wrong.
Oh, gods.
Call Dr.
Cottle.
Now! Does that help you cope with the stress? Not really.
Look, all that I ever wanted was to be an officer on a Battlestar.
Okay, I trained my whole life, trained harder than anyone in my unit basically, I put my life on hold until I was assigned to Galactica.
Then the Cylons hit and I realized that this is all that I know.
Tech manuals, commands, and tactics.
You know, I'm not saying that I'm unhappy.
Just wondering if there's something more.
And what have you discovered? I hate cigarettes.
Ambrosia's good with a chaser.
And if you have enough ambrosia they don't really hurt that much.
There you go.
We'll make this as painless as possible.
Drink? Is this an interview or a cocktail party? Are you kidding? This is how we keep it painless.
Just like to keep it casual, that's all.
Please.
Cheers, Colonel.
Cheers.
Before we begin I had heard rumors that, that you had death threats leveled against you.
Is that right? This is a military vessel.
We have rumors for every occasion.
Was it hard for you to take over your friend's command when he was shot? I didn't take anything.
Command fell to me and I did my duty.
But you were in full command of Galactica for more than a week and in that time there were a number of controversial actions taken.
You're talking about the Gideon.
I made a military decision.
Given the same circumstances, I'd do it again.
So you have no regrets, whatsoever? You're trying to set me up! Colonel, why do you think there was no official investigation into the Gideon Massacre? Please come.
Get out of my face! Did you get that? Got it.
Someone's a mean drunk.
Great.
I could use a sparring partner.
Sorry.
I didn't bring my gloves.
Too bad.
Capt.
Adama said that I could ask you about the new pilots.
Yeah, well, Capt.
Adama likes to push my buttons.
So, what do you look for in a new recruit? Coordination.
Good reflexes.
Total commitment.
Most of all, someone crazy enough to follow me into combat.
Colonel, why do you think there was no official investigation into the Gideon massacre? Please come.
Get out of my face.
I want to apologize for Col.
Tigh's behavior.
It was uncalled for.
Seems like a lot of people have been apologizing for him over the years, Commander.
So level with me.
Why is Col.
Tigh not being charged in the Gideon incident? We're at war against an enemy with a vastly superior force.
I will not sacrifice the few people we have left on the altar of public outrage.
So four civilians are dead and Tigh and the shooters take a walk.
Nobody takes a walk.
We all gotta live with it.
Viper five-niner-one Galactica you are cleared into the break.
Portside landing bay hands-on approach.
Checkers are green.
Call the ball.
Roger ball.
Wait a second, guys.
Damn it! Speed two-zero-five.
Keep your power up, Kat, you're dropping below glide slope.
Controls are messed up.
Come on, come on, come on.
Still too low.
Wave off, Kat.
Wave off! What the hell is going on? That is her third wave-off.
When we make a contact the squadron's got seconds to put it all together.
Pre-flight, weapons check, communications one mistake, we're a smear in the cockpit.
I don't understand, is she trying to Shut the frak up.
Kat.
We're gonna do this, okay? Leave the throttle alone down the middle, then chop it at the come-on in close and feel for the deck.
The controls are messed up.
I can't feel it.
I can't do it.
Kat, we did this all through training, okay? You're gonna stick this, just like before.
No.
Viper five-niner-one Galactica, you are cleared into the break.
Call the ball.
Too low, five-niner-one.
Wave off! No, she's putting down! Kat, full throttle now.
I can't feel it.
When you came back after a successful run Let me tell you, it is better than a great meal.
Better than hitting a jackpot.
It's better than sex.
I can't do it.
She missed the trap.
Damage control, medics, report to portside hangar bay.
Medics to portside hangar bay.
What the hell happened? Kat's made the trap 100 times.
Yeah, I guess 101 was a real bitch, huh? Let go of me.
Let me go.
Hey.
Kat! It's Starbuck.
You're okay.
You're home! Home? Home is dead.
We gotta get out of here, they're gonna kill us! What are these, stims? Please don't do this.
Let go.
No! Let go! Let go off me! We're gonna die! Get my pilot to sick bay now.
Stims.
By the look of it, she's been taking them by the handful.
Hey.
Don't you dare touch me.
Listen to me.
What are you doing? Listen to me.
I'm trying to save your baby.
Hold her still! This is a restricted area.
Commander, she's over here.
Cmdr.
Adama, that woman looks just like the late Lt.
Valerii.
The tape, please.
Why would Galactica be harboring a Cylon? The tape.
Did the baby survive? You understand that even a hint of this could be devastating to the morale in the fleet.
You are the master of understatement.
You know, after the Gideon, this could turn the entire fleet against you.
Then the real question is, whether or not it matters to you.
You know, I am sick to death of people like you questioning my patriotism.
We all want this fleet to survive.
I think you're doing very well.
Very well, under the circumstances.
I understand this has been a difficult job for you.
I mean, I hear that your reports haven't exactly ingratiated you with the Commander, have they? Or the rest of the crew, for that matter.
Still, luckily, as a member of the civilian government I'm here to assure you that I have no such reservations.
I think most of the crew understands I'm just doing my job.
As are we all.
All just doing our jobs, aren't we? I'm just doing my job.
You're just doing your job.
Okay.
Cut to the chase, Gaius.
Tell her why you deserve to lead this fleet.
As I myself discovered, when I was stranded stranded on Kobol I found that the stress of survival revealed leadership qualities that previously I didn't even know that I possessed.
Really.
Yeah? I understand your party took several casualties.
Yes.
That was very unfortunate.
They were heroes, every one You know what, I'm ready.
Shall we shoot this one? Oh, it's probably just a false alarm.
Ignore it.
You're okay.
Bill, you take the hangar deck.
I'm gonna take the CIC.
Go.
Please.
You're as safe as houses down here.
Really.
Incoming Cylon Raiders.
This is not a drill.
Repeat.
That's showbiz.
What have we got? Two Raiders, closing fast.
Sir, the Cylon Raiders are on CBDR with Galactica.
Speed two-two-point-seven-niner.
Dualla, what's CBDR? Constant bearing, decreasing range.
A collision course.
Where the hell's the CAP? Other side of the fleet, sir.
Scramble the alert fighters.
Set Condition 1 throughout the entire fleet.
Have them spool up their FTLs, just in case.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Let's go.
Move.
Move.
Clear this deck.
Get this out of here.
What's the sitrep? Two bandits, coming hard.
Just keep your eyes open and follow us.
All right, let's go.
Let's get the birds in the hole.
Let's go move them out.
Get this flyer out of here.
Let's go.
Move them fools out of here.
First team in the tubes.
Dee.
Pilots on speaker.
Did you ever come to terms with your dad? I wouldn't let him.
The last time we talked, it got heated.
I told him I never wanted to see him again.
Three weeks later, the Cylons attacked.
Okay, so I'm new at this.
Should I be scared? I am.
All right, people, that's it.
Last bird's away, let's clear the nest.
Get this deck ready for recovery.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go! Move.
Move.
Sir, Alert Vipers are away.
Gun Control reports weapons manned and ready.
Apollo, wireless check.
Starbuck, I'm hearing you.
Hotdog one-four-one, loud and clear.
Grayshirt, loud and clear.
Kingston, you're good.
Apollo.
Tally two Cylon Raiders, close formation.
This is Starbuck.
Roger that.
Roger formation.
Prepare engage.
Weapons hot.
Targets in view.
Repeat.
Targets in view.
Locked six-four-two-one.
Copy that.
Engaging Cylon Raiders.
Engaging Cylon Raiders.
They're breaking formation.
Hotdog, stick with me.
Roger that.
Come on, you I've got no joy, I lost visual! They're throwing me right on my stick.
Come on, Starbuck.
Hotdog, Raider's on your left eight.
I'm on him.
I got him.
Yeah! Splash one! Targeting second Raider.
Kingston, Bandit's taking off.
Take evasive action.
I've got him, Kingston, come on.
Come to papa.
Damn it, take the shot.
That's a kill.
Yes.
Outstanding.
Dradis shows clear, Commander.
This is the Commander.
Cylon Raiders have been intercepted and destroyed.
Good work, people.
Roger that, Galactica.
Let's head back to the bird farm.
Secure from Action Stations.
Set Condition 3.
Mr.
Gaeta, you have the deck.
Yes, sir.
Set Condition 3 throughout the ship.
Repeat.
Set Condition 3.
Does this ever get any easier? No, ma'am.
It gets harder.
Thank you.
Was 15 degrees? Sixteen.
So, how'd it go out there? Well, we didn't lose anyone.
That's a good day.
Ellen? I'm not sure I've found a story in all this yet.
Go back a bit.
Yeah.
There.
I know that book.
That's by Kataris.
What's wrong, Colonel? Need a drink? You can go to hell.
I've been there.
It was called Gideon.
I can't eat.
I can't sleep.
I see their faces.
Those weren't Cylons we attacked, those were real people.
They looked like my dad.
They looked like my little brother.
This isn't gonna change anything.
At least the people on the Gideon will have their justice.
If that's what this is about, then do it.
I will.
I'll do it.
Somebody has to pay for what happened on that ship.
I was in command, I sent you there, it's my fault.
Come on, son.
Do it.
Gideon was an accident.
This is a choice.
Colonel.
We're all right here.
Let's go, Lieutenant.
Would you get out of my face? What made you do it, Kat? I was tired.
Haven't gotten any sleep.
I felt like I was losing my edge.
I don't know what else to do.
Couldn't you talk to someone? Who am I gonna talk to? We're all in the same hole.
Okay, there are no replacements coming up.
There's no down time.
This is it.
So I started taking stims.
You made a mistake.
It happens.
Yeah, except now my flight's a pilot short.
Those guys, they're just as tired and they're just as messed up as I was, but they're still laying it on the line.
I've worked my ass off defending this fleet.
I've been frustrated.
I've been angry.
I've been everything that you can possibly think of.
But this is the first time that I've felt ashamed.
I've seen enough.
Kill it.
Look.
I understand this might be hard for you to watch It's a hatchet job.
The fleet already thinks we're a bunch of trigger-happy assassins, this just confirms it.
You show us with our pants down and our asses hanging out.
Don't you have anything to say? I think it's great.
I think she did exactly what we asked her to do.
She put a human face on the guardians of the fleet.
Warts and all.
I'm proud of it.
You can show it to the entire fleet.
Doesn't get better than that.
I'd like to see the end.
So would I.
Go ahead.
Yeah.
I came to Galactica to tell a story.
In all honesty, I thought I knew what that story was, before I ever set foot there.
How an arrogant military let their egos get in the way of doing their jobs.
Safeguarding the lives of the civilian population.
But I found out that the truth was more complex than that.
These people aren't Cylons.
They're not robots blindly following orders and polishing their boots.
They're people.
Deeply flawed, yes.
But deeply human, too.
And maybe that's saying the same thing.
What struck me most is that, despite it all the hardships, the stress, the ever-present danger of being killed.
Despite all that, they never give up.
They never lie down on the road and let the truck run them over.
They wake up in the morning, put on their uniforms and do their jobs.
Everyday.
No pay.
No rest.
No hope of ever laying down the burden and letting someone else do the job.
There are no relief troops coming.
No Colonial fleet training new recruits every day.
The people on Galactica are it.
They are the thin line of blue that separates us from the Cylons.
Lt.
Gaeta told me a remarkable statistic.
Not a single member of Galactica's crew has asked to resign.
Not one.
Think about that.
If you wore the uniform, wouldn't you want to quit? To step aside and say, "Enough.
Let someone else protect the fleet.
" I know I would.
But then, I don't wear a uniform.
Most of us don't, and most of us never will.
The story of Galactica isn't that people make bad decisions under pressure.
It's that those mistakes are the exception.
Most of the time, the men and women serving under Cmdr.
Adama get it right.
The proof is that our fleet survives.
And with Galactica at our side, we will endure.
This is D' Anna Biers.
Fleet News Service.
That was shown across their entire fleet.
Their resilience is remarkable.
Play the footage that was cut.
What are you doing? Stop it.
I'm trying to save your baby.
This is a restricted area! Get off of me.
I'm still alive.
She's still alive! I told you.
That's incredible.
And the baby? It was saved.
We lost two Raiders relaying the images back to the fleet but, I think the sacrifice was worth it.
We must proceed with caution.
The child's life must be protected at all costs.
Yeah.
It truly is a miracle from God.