This is the eleventh in a series of “Battlestar Galactica” recaps. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the franchise. Read the last piece, “Revisiting Battlestar Galactica: ‘Fragged’ And ‘Resistance,’” here.
Spoilers ahead.
‘The Farm,” an unusual Caprica-centric episode, examines Starbuck’s psychology and the depth of her feelings for Sam Anders. More significantly, “Home” closes the schism between Cdr. Adama and Pres. Roslin that capped Season One.
Both stories are grounded in the various religious beliefs of Colonials and Cylons. The vital role faith plays in this series is unusual to television generally, and an example of how science fiction allows for subjects Hollywood might feel squeamish addressing in a more realistic setting.
‘The Farm’
On Caprica, Starbuck tries to sneak out on Anders after spending the night. He asks her to stay and advise the resistance. She recommends they retreat and await rescue after she returns to Galactica. Starbuck, Anders, Helo and other fighters plan to steal a Heavy Raider for Starbuck and Helo to escape. They are ambushed by Cylons. Starbuck is shot.
Starbuck awakens in a hospital, under treatment by a doctor named Simon for an abdominal wound. She suspects he is a Cylon; he notes he would deny it either way. Simon says Anders died of his injuries; Starbuck becomes distraught and gets sedated. Simon later mentions Starbuck may have an ovarian cyst. He suggests that on Caprica, she might be more valuable as a mother than a pilot.
Meanwhile, Anders and Helo search for Starbuck. The Boomer copy appears and says she knows where Starbuck is held. The next day, Starbuck has another abdominal scar, which Simon downplays before sedating her again. Starbuck blocks the sedative tube, sneaks down the hall and sees Simon with a Six.
When Simon returns, Starbuck kills him. She discovers a laboratory with unconscious pregnant women attached to Cylon equipment. Starbuck awakens a resistance fighter, who tells her to kill the power (and thereby kill the women). Starbuck destroys the lab and staggers outside. She is confronted by another Simon, who is shot by Anders, Helo and others. The Cylons’ counter-attack is thwarted by Boomer, piloting a Heavy Raider.
As Starbuck, Helo, and Boomer prepare to leave, Boomer says the Cylons have failed at God’s command to be fruitful and believe her pregnancy by Helo is testing the theory that God’s love is required. Starbuck promises Anders she will return and gives him her dog tags.
On Galactica, Adama makes an emotional return to command. He orders a search for the fugitive Roslin and Apollo, who are plotting with Tom Zarek and Priestess Elosha. Zarek advises Apollo to publicly denounce his father, but Apollo cannot bring himself to do it. Instead, Roslin transmits a religiously-themed message urging ships to follow her to Kobol upon a flare signal. Adama declares few will be moved by her “religious crap.”
Deck chief Tyrol asks Adama about Cally’s punishment for shooting Boomer (in “Resistance”). As Cylons are not human, Adama sentences Cally to 30 days for unlawful discharge of a weapon. Adama comforts (or warns) Tyrol by noting they will see a Boomer again. Adama later visits Boomer’s corpse in the morgue and cries, asking “Why?”
Roslin and her party board the Astral Queen, where they send the signal. To Adama’s shock, almost a third of the fleet follows Roslin to Kobol.
‘Home (Parts 1 and 2)’
Adama cares less about the loss of roughly 18,000 souls to Roslin than the resources and ships, including a mining ship. Orbiting Kobol, Roslin and her followers are debating their course of action when Starbuck returns with the Arrow of Athena.
As Boomer embarks, Apollo nearly kills her. A standoff is diffused by Roslin — but she then directs that Boomer be thrown out the airlock. Boomer convinces Roslin she can help them find the Tomb of Athena and the path to Earth. Roslin distrusts Boomer, but believes she wants to save her unborn child.
Zarek and his aide Meier (James Remar) plot to kill Apollo on Kobol, in order to position Zarek as the commander of Roslin’s fleet. On Kobol, Boomer directs the landing party to the high road mentioned in colonial scripture. Along the path, Elosha is killed by a mine, fulfilling a prophecy that landing on Kobol carries a cost in blood. The party is also attacked by Centurions, one of which is destroyed by Boomer.
After a heart-to-heart talk with CPO2 Dualla, Adama asks for the recon material on Kobol, concluding the human family cannot be divided. Adama and his crew deduce where Roslin would land. Adama says he will lead a search party (with Billy and Tyrol) because it is necessary that he reconcile with Roslin.
En route to the Tomb, Starbuck proposes the Caprica rescue mission, but Roslin is not ready to hear about it. Zarek tells Meier to delay killing Apollo until they reach the Tomb. But Meier tells Boomer about the other Boomer’s murder not being treated like one and suggests humans will never let her child live.
Adama’s search party meets Roslin’s group. There are happy reunions, until Adama sees Boomer and attacks her, stopped only by his post-surgery pain. Adama and Roslin talk out their differences. Zarek calls off the plot against Apollo, but Meier provides a pistol to Boomer. When everyone reaches the Tomb, Boomer kills Meier, declares she is not a sleeper agent, and surrenders the weapon to Adama.
Adama and Helo push open the Tomb. Adama, Roslin, Apollo, Starbuck, and Billy enter and find statues of the original icons of the Twelve Tribes of Kobol. When Starbuck places the Arrow of Athena in the empty bow of the archer Sagittaron, they experience a vision of standing in a field under a night sky with constellations representing each of the colonies. They realize they are virtually viewing the stars from Earth. In the constellation of Scorpio, Apollo and Adama recognize the Lagoon Nebula (or astral body M8), from which they can plot a course.
Returning to Galactica, Adama publicly reinstates and supports Roslin. Boomer is jailed. As she and Helo discuss their child, an eavesdropping Baltar is told by Six that this is their child. Six also says she will guide Baltar as an angel of God in the destruction of the human race.
