Epiphanies (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
"Epiphanies" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica
television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel
on January 20, 2006.
In the episode, President Laura Roslin
orders Sharon's pregnancy terminated. The order is suspended after Gaius Baltar
discovers that the fetus's blood can cure Roslin's cancer, which it does. Baltar aligns himself with an underground group of Cylon sympathizers whose ranks include the troubled Number Six
copy Gina.
"Epiphanies" received lukewarm critical review.
s sickbay. Doctor Cottle reports abnormalities in Sharon's unborn child's blood. Believing the child a threat to the fleet, Roslin orders her pregnancy terminated over Baltar's objections. Head Six, who regards Sharon's child as hers with Baltar, appears to Baltar and insists he intervene. Roslin's decision outrages Sharon and Helo
, the child's father, who obstructs the entrance to sickbay. Baltar defuses the standoff by announcing that a transfusion
of the fetus's abnormal blood may save Roslin's life. The procedure cures Roslin's cancer within days.
In a sequence of delirious flashbacks
, Roslin recalls negotiating an end to a teachers' strike
on Caprica as Secretary of Education. Her conciliatory approach angered then-President Richard Adar
, with whom she was having an affair, but she refused to back down. She also recalls seeing Baltar with Number Six
shortly before the Cylon
attack on the Twelve Colonies
.
A civilian crew member sabotages some ammunition. An investigation reveals she is a member of Demand Peace, an underground group of Cylon sympathizers. Admiral William Adama
feigns negotiation with Demand Peace only to arrest its representative, Royan Jahee, when he arrives on Galactica
. Demand Peace bombs a fuel refinery ship. Roslin meets with Jahee, agrees to hear his group's case, and warns that further violence will lead to harsh measures.
Baltar meets secretly with Gina on Cloud Nine. Gina rejects his sexual advances but invites him to join Demand Peace; Baltar refuses. Head Six laments that saving Roslin's life prevented Baltar, who is Vice President, from becoming President. Baltar concludes from a letter Roslin wrote to him in the event of her death that she will never trust him. Jahee returns to Cloud Nine and presents Gina with a gift from Baltar: a nuclear warhead Adama provided Baltar for research purposes in an earlier episode.
commentary on "Epiphanies", executive producer Ronald D. Moore
discussed his views the episode's portrayal of several of the characters.
Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity notes that "Epiphanies" considers a number of "endings" for Roslin: of her cancer, her affair with Adar, her job as Secretary of Education (from which Adar asks her to resign), and the Twelve Colonies
. He muses that these are commingled because it can be difficult to separate the big "apocalypses" from the small ones. He compares Roslin's interaction with Jahee to her negotiation with the striking teachers: in both cases she has to protect a constituency (teachers or civilians) in the face of a zealous leader who will happily crush them for misbehavior (Adar or Adama).
Clifton argues that Roslin wants to abort Sharon's fetus not because of a security risk but because the doubts that Baltar could maintain the cover-up of Sharon's presence on Galactica if he became President. He further argues that Adama is ambivalent about carrying out Roslin's order but understands her motivation. Rose Wojnar of The San Diego Union-Tribune
notes that the conflict over Roslin's order "mirrors the abortion debate
in today's world".
Clifton compares the triad of Roslin, Sharon, and her unborn daughter with the Triple Goddess concept. In a review of a later episode, he says Demand Peace is "right about everything".
, but this was rejected as medically implausible and gimmicky.
Moore felt that the series had not paid enough attention to different points of view within the fleet. Demand Peace was developed to demonstrate dissenting opinions, which Moore regards as inevitable in any body politic. He also considered it "a healthy exercise" for him and the other Battlestar Galactica writers, whom he described as generally liberal
, to write an episode whose antagonists belong to the political left. He notes that Adama's harsh treatment of Jahee runs counter to actor Edward James Olmos
's politics, as well. However, Moore emphasized in his podcast commentary that the episode, like the rest of the series, is not intended to be polemical or allegorical to real-world events.
The writers considered waiting several episodes before re-introducing Head Six after her disappearance in "Resurrection Ship", but Moore felt that "Baltar was lest interesting without Six." Instead they inserted dialogue to indicate that several weeks had passed without Six appearing to Baltar.
The succession letter is based on a real-world tradition in which each outgoing President of the United States
leaves a letter for his successor in the Oval Office
. The letter that appears in the episode is less complimentary than letters that appeared in early drafts.
Moore confessed it was unrealistic that Demand Peace would not recognize Gina as a Number Six
copy despite her eyeglasses and different hairstyle.
called the episode's flaws "numerous". Clifton gave the episode a B-, praising the editing and several actors' performances but mocking the episode's technobabble
and "mangled logic". Wojnar gave the episode an A-, citing relief over Roslin's cure but noting "some bad acting and some uneven editing." Simon Brew of Den of Geek praised Mary McDonnell
(Roslin)'s performance.
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
on January 20, 2006.
In the episode, President Laura Roslin
Laura Roslin
Her first actions include organizing all FTL-capable ships together and convincing Commander William Adama to abandon a retaliatory attack on the Cylons. President Roslin and Billy Keikeya, her aide/press secretary/chief of staff, establish a working office space aboard her transport, renamed...
orders Sharon's pregnancy terminated. The order is suspended after Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar
Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series Battlestar Galactica played by James Callis, a reimagining of Count Baltar from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
discovers that the fetus's blood can cure Roslin's cancer, which it does. Baltar aligns himself with an underground group of Cylon sympathizers whose ranks include the troubled Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
copy Gina.
"Epiphanies" received lukewarm critical review.
Plot
Roslin lies near death in GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (ship)
The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
s sickbay. Doctor Cottle reports abnormalities in Sharon's unborn child's blood. Believing the child a threat to the fleet, Roslin orders her pregnancy terminated over Baltar's objections. Head Six, who regards Sharon's child as hers with Baltar, appears to Baltar and insists he intervene. Roslin's decision outrages Sharon and Helo
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
, the child's father, who obstructs the entrance to sickbay. Baltar defuses the standoff by announcing that a transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
of the fetus's abnormal blood may save Roslin's life. The procedure cures Roslin's cancer within days.
In a sequence of delirious flashbacks
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
, Roslin recalls negotiating an end to a teachers' strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
on Caprica as Secretary of Education. Her conciliatory approach angered then-President Richard Adar
Richard Adar
President Richard Adar is a fictional character in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Colm Feore. He was President of the Twelve Colonies before the Destruction of the Twelve Colonies by the Cylons...
, with whom she was having an affair, but she refused to back down. She also recalls seeing Baltar with Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
shortly before the Cylon
Cylon (reimagining)
Cylons are a race which appear in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series and its prequel Caprica. They have several forms, some of which resemble and even mimic the behavior of humans, while others are mechanical in appearance and function.In the first DVD, one of the show's creators...
attack on the Twelve Colonies
Twelve Colonies
The Twelve Colonies of Man are fictional locations that constitute the principal human civilization in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, the "reimagined" series of the same name in 2004, and in the prequel series, Caprica...
.
A civilian crew member sabotages some ammunition. An investigation reveals she is a member of Demand Peace, an underground group of Cylon sympathizers. Admiral William Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
feigns negotiation with Demand Peace only to arrest its representative, Royan Jahee, when he arrives on Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (ship)
The Battlestar Galactica is a space battleship in the original and re-imagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica.The Twelve Colonies of Man in the original television series built a number of Battlestars during their thousand-year war with the Cylons, whose battleships are...
. Demand Peace bombs a fuel refinery ship. Roslin meets with Jahee, agrees to hear his group's case, and warns that further violence will lead to harsh measures.
Baltar meets secretly with Gina on Cloud Nine. Gina rejects his sexual advances but invites him to join Demand Peace; Baltar refuses. Head Six laments that saving Roslin's life prevented Baltar, who is Vice President, from becoming President. Baltar concludes from a letter Roslin wrote to him in the event of her death that she will never trust him. Jahee returns to Cloud Nine and presents Gina with a gift from Baltar: a nuclear warhead Adama provided Baltar for research purposes in an earlier episode.
Analysis
In his podcastPodcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
commentary on "Epiphanies", executive producer Ronald D. Moore
Ronald D. Moore
Ronald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he won a Peabody Award for creative excellence in 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2008.-Early life and...
discussed his views the episode's portrayal of several of the characters.
- Before becoming President, Roslin would have been horrified by a presidential edict to terminate a pregnancy, but her circumstances have forced her to become gradually more comfortable making tough decisions.
- Gina rejects Baltar sexually because of the abuse she endured while a prisoner on Pegasus; actress Tricia HelferTricia HelferTricia Janine Helfer is a Canadian actress and former model, best known for her roles as Number Six in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, "Carla" on Burn Notice, and FBI Special Agent Alex Rice on Dark Blue, as well as for hosting the first season of Canada's...
(Gina/Six) came up with this notion. Gina's unavailability frustrates Baltar, who was motivated to help Gina partially by his desire to sleep with her. - Helo coming to attentionAt attentionThe position of At attention, or Standing at attention is a military posture which involves the following general postures:* Standing upright with an assertive and correct posture: famously "chin up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in"....
after Adama dismisses him is intended as a genuine gesture of respect. - Moore speculates that Baltar saves Roslin because he feels unready for the Presidency.
Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity notes that "Epiphanies" considers a number of "endings" for Roslin: of her cancer, her affair with Adar, her job as Secretary of Education (from which Adar asks her to resign), and the Twelve Colonies
Twelve Colonies
The Twelve Colonies of Man are fictional locations that constitute the principal human civilization in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, the "reimagined" series of the same name in 2004, and in the prequel series, Caprica...
. He muses that these are commingled because it can be difficult to separate the big "apocalypses" from the small ones. He compares Roslin's interaction with Jahee to her negotiation with the striking teachers: in both cases she has to protect a constituency (teachers or civilians) in the face of a zealous leader who will happily crush them for misbehavior (Adar or Adama).
Clifton argues that Roslin wants to abort Sharon's fetus not because of a security risk but because the doubts that Baltar could maintain the cover-up of Sharon's presence on Galactica if he became President. He further argues that Adama is ambivalent about carrying out Roslin's order but understands her motivation. Rose Wojnar of The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
notes that the conflict over Roslin's order "mirrors the abortion debate
Abortion debate
The abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the self-described "pro-choice" movement and the "pro-life" movement...
in today's world".
Clifton compares the triad of Roslin, Sharon, and her unborn daughter with the Triple Goddess concept. In a review of a later episode, he says Demand Peace is "right about everything".
Production
Moore described "Epiphanies" as "our biggest Laura Roslin show to date." The writers decided to introduce a cure for Roslin's cancer so they could include her in the rest of the series without progressively worsening her conditions. They also found attractive the idea of complicating Roslin's role as the prophesied leader of humanity, who is supposed to be dying. They considered basing the treatment on embryonic stem cells harvested from the fetus to connect the episode to real-world debates over stem cellsStem cell controversy
The stem cell controversy is the ethical debate primarily concerning the creation, treatment, and destruction of human embryos incident to research involving embryonic stem cells. Not all stem cell research involves the creation, use, or destruction of human embryos...
, but this was rejected as medically implausible and gimmicky.
Moore felt that the series had not paid enough attention to different points of view within the fleet. Demand Peace was developed to demonstrate dissenting opinions, which Moore regards as inevitable in any body politic. He also considered it "a healthy exercise" for him and the other Battlestar Galactica writers, whom he described as generally liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, to write an episode whose antagonists belong to the political left. He notes that Adama's harsh treatment of Jahee runs counter to actor Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
's politics, as well. However, Moore emphasized in his podcast commentary that the episode, like the rest of the series, is not intended to be polemical or allegorical to real-world events.
The writers considered waiting several episodes before re-introducing Head Six after her disappearance in "Resurrection Ship", but Moore felt that "Baltar was lest interesting without Six." Instead they inserted dialogue to indicate that several weeks had passed without Six appearing to Baltar.
The succession letter is based on a real-world tradition in which each outgoing President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
leaves a letter for his successor in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
. The letter that appears in the episode is less complimentary than letters that appeared in early drafts.
Moore confessed it was unrealistic that Demand Peace would not recognize Gina as a Number Six
Number Six (Battlestar Galactica)
Number Six is a family of fictional characters from the reimagined science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. She is portrayed by Canadian actress and model Tricia Helfer. Of the twelve known Cylon models, she is the sixth of the "Significant Seven"...
copy despite her eyeglasses and different hairstyle.
Reception
"Epiphanies" received lukewarm critical review. Keith McDuffee of TV Squad called Demand Peace "interesting" but wrote, "After an amazing double-part season premiere ["Resurrection Ship"], the show tones down a little." Amanda Keith of the Los Angeles Newspaper GroupLos Angeles Newspaper Group
The Los Angeles Newspaper Group is an umbrella group of local daily newspapers published in the greater Los Angeles area by MediaNews Group. The news coverage of the newspapers are mainly local stories. The newspapers contain some national and international news, often from the Associated Press...
called the episode's flaws "numerous". Clifton gave the episode a B-, praising the editing and several actors' performances but mocking the episode's technobabble
Technobabble
Technobabble , also called technospeak, is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords, esoteric language, specialized technical terms, or technical slang that is incomprehensible to the listener...
and "mangled logic". Wojnar gave the episode an A-, citing relief over Roslin's cure but noting "some bad acting and some uneven editing." Simon Brew of Den of Geek praised Mary McDonnell
Mary McDonnell
Mary Eileen McDonnell is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Stands With A Fist in Dances with Wolves, and she is also very well known for her performance as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, the President's wife...
(Roslin)'s performance.
Connection to other series elements
- Gina detonates the warhead in the second-season finale, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2Lay Down Your Burdens (Battlestar Galactica)"Lay Down Your Burdens" is the two-part second season finale of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on March 3, 2006; Part 2 aired on March 10, 2006 as a 90-minute special.- Part 1 :...
", destroying Cloud Nine and inadvertently signaling the human fleet's position to the other Cylons. - Roslin's cancer is only in remission; by the third-season finale, "Crossroads, Part 2Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)"Crossroads" are the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the third season and season finale from the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica...
", it has returned.
External links
- "Epiphanies" at the Battlestar Wiki
- "Epiphanies" at SyfySyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...