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Resurrection Ship (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
"Resurrection Ship" is a two-part episode of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica
television series. Part 1 aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel
on January 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006. It was the first episode broadcast after a hiatus
following the broadcast of the previous episode, "Pegasus
", on September 23, 2005.
In the episode, Admiral Helena Cain
and Commander William Adama
call a truce but plan to assassinate each other. The humans destroy a Cylon
fleet that includes a resurrection ship. Cain and Adama both cancel their plots, but Gina escapes from the Pegasus
brig
and kills Cain.
"Resurrection Ship" received positive critical review.
", Starbuck
promised Sam Anders she would return to Caprica to rescue him. In "Pegasus", Apollo
and Starbuck
plotted to steal the stealth
-capable Blackbird
to obtain reconnaissance photos of a mysterious ship escorted by a large Cylon fleet. Cain sentenced Helo
and Chief Galen Tyrol
to death for accidentally killing an officer to rescue Sharon. Adama ordered Galactica
's Vipers
launched toward Pegasus, and Cain ordered the Pegasus Vipers to intercept them.
mediates an uneasy truce: the resolution of Helo and Tyrol's fate will be delayed until after the attack on the Cylon fleet. Later, Roslin warns Adama privately that Cain will strike against Adama again and urges him to assassinate Cain first. Adama demurs.
Impressed by what she calls Starbuck's "guts and initiative", Cain promotes her to Captain and appoints her Pegasus CAG. Starbuck persuades Cain to reinstate Apollo's flight status. Cain also promises Starbuck she will lead the fleet back to Caprica, destroy the Cylons, and rescue the survivors.
Doctor Cottle says Sharon will be all right. Adama apologizes to Sharon and orders her returned to her cell.
In Gina's cell, Cain abuses the Cylon prisoner. Gina begs Gaius Baltar
to kill her. She tells him that the Cylon vessel is a "resurrection ship", where Cylons are downloaded into new bodies; if it is destroyed Gina can die permanently. Cain resolves to destroy the ship, believing mortality will deter the Cylon pursuit.
Colonel Jack Fisk
tells Colonel Saul Tigh
that Pegasus used to have a small civilian fleet. Cain ordered it stripped for parts, conscripted some civilian personnel, executed the families of any who resisted, and abandoned the rest in space. Realizing that Roslin is right about Cain, Adama orders Starbuck to assassinate Cain once the attack on the Cylon fleet concludes. Likewise, Cain directs Fisk to take a detachment of Marines to Galactica to kill Adama after the attack.
and ends it. Cain warns Starbuck not to let her conscience dictate how she behaves at difficult moments. Apollo agrees to help Starbuck with the assassination but expresses discomfort to his father. Adama invites Sharon to his quarters and asks why the Cylons hate humans; she replies that the Cylons don't hate humans but think them unworthy of life because of their tendency toward murder. As the battle nears, Starbuck and Fisk wish each other "good hunting".
The battle begins. Piloting the Blackbird, Apollo prevents the resurrection ship from escaping but is forced to eject after a damaged Colonial Raptor
collides with the Blackbird. His spacesuit leaks oxygen, but a search and rescue
Raptor locates him and revives him. The humans destroy the resurrection ship and the two Basestars
guarding it. Cain and Adama contact Fisk and Starbuck respectively, but neither gives the order to assassinate. Relieved, Fisk and Starbuck stand down.
Baltar signals his rejection of Head Six in favor of Gina by repeating to Gina a coquettish speech Head Six gave earlier. Baltar distracts the Marine guard so that Gina can kill him and take his side arm
. Gina asks Baltar to kill her, but he urges her to seek justice, not death, and promises to hide her. Cain returns to her quarters following the battle to find Gina lying in wait for her. Gina shoots Cain and disappears.
Fisk and Starbuck eulogize Cain at her funeral. Fisk becomes Commander of Pegasus. Apollo confesses to Starbuck that he wanted to die in space. Helo and Tyrol return to Galactica. Helo and Sharon are reunited as Tyrol looks on. Recognizing that Adama now commands two battlestars, Roslin promotes him to Admiral. Adama helps the ailing Roslin to her feet and kisses her.
commentaries on "Resurrection Ship", executive producer Ronald D. Moore
discussed his views of what the episode's events reveal about several of the characters.
In his reviews of "Resurrection Ship", Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity discussed his own views on the characters.
Amanda Keith of Los Angeles Newspaper Group
disputes Starbuck's assertion in the eulogy that the fleet was safer with Cain in command; Keith attributes Starbuck's assessment to dissatisfaction with Adama and Roslin's leadership and ignorance of Cain's past misdeeds. Keith also believes Roslin is mistaken in her assessment of Cain as irredeemable; after all, Cain did back down from killing Adama.
Keith writes that Baltar believes he can reclaim his missing love by rescuing Gina, but Gina is too "broken" to reciprocate his feelings. Keith compares Baltar's fancy on this point to Cain's impossible dream of reclaiming the irradiated Twelve Colonies
from the Cylons. She regards Baltar's actions in the episode as irresponsible and driven by his exclusive focus on his immediate surroundings.
Jennifer Stoy cites Roslin's call for Cain's assassination to argue that Battlestar Galactica challenges gender stereotypes, at least in its early seasons.
Jason Davis of Mania writes that mortality is a central theme of "Resurrection Ship". He cites Adama and Cain's assassination plots and their regrets over them, Adama inspecting his surgical scar, Starbuck and Fisks's mutual wishes of "good hunting", and Apollo and Gina's death wishes.
Clifton argues that Cain's decision to execute Helo and Tyrol is correct given the position she is in. In his view, the audience's prejudices in favor of the two men do not apply to her character because she does not know them. Clifton argues further that Roslin pushes for Adama to assassinate Cain because she expects her cancer to kill her soon and considers Baltar, who as Vice President would succeed her, unfit to stand up to Cain.
Moore notes that Cain accomplished all her goals except for her own survival. Clifton compares her pursuit of the Cylons to Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby-Dick
.
In Moore's view, the audience is supposed to feel ambivalent about Gina. On one hand, she perpetrated genocide along with the rest of her kind. On the other hand, her situation inspires sympathy.
Clifton suggests a homoerotic undertone to the blanket party.
later in the second season to be scrapped. Part 2 opens with several shots of Apollo imagining floating in water as he drifts in space; this would have opened the single episode. Director Michael Rymer
came up with the specific imagery of Apollo floating on his back.
The writers decided on Cain's fate in early drafts of "Resurrection Ship". They also decided early on to allow Pegasus to remain in the fleet; Moore believed this would subvert the audience's expectation that the more powerful battlestar would be destroyed at the end of the episode. Originally the conflict between Cain and Adama was to center around Cain's failure to protect civilian decoys during the battle with the Cylons despite a promise to Roslin. At one point during writing, the script explained why Roslin does not promote Adama over Cain to defuse the situation: Roslin knows Cain does not accept her authority as President and would not obey Adama's orders.
Apollo's experience ejecting and witnessing the destruction of the enemy ships was based on the experience of George H. Gay, Jr., in the Battle of Midway
during World War II
. Plans to include footage of the wrecked Raptor and its dead personnel along with Apollo were scrapped due to the difficulty of creating the shots and the feeling that it would be too morbid. Plans for additional action in Apollo's swimming fantasy were abandoned as "too esoteric".
Gina was initially scripted to embrace and kiss Baltar. This was removed after actress Tricia Helfer
(Six/Gina) noted that Gina, a victim of serial rape, would not be willing to do this.
A scene in Part 1 in which Helo and Tyrol discuss Sharon and the blanket party scene in Part 2 used to be the same scene; the characters are in the same physical positions at the end of the first and the start of the second. The scenes were split when the episode was split. The blanket party was inspired by the films Full Metal Jacket
and The Grifters
. The writers referred to the Pegasus crewmen administering the beatings as the "Yee-Haw Boys"; in the episode Helo calls them "the Sunshine Boys". Their confrontation with Fisk was inspired by Moore's own experience in the U.S. Navy ROTC.
The kiss between Adama and Roslin was not scripted. Actor Edward James Olmos
(Adama) improvised it on set. Actress Mary McDonnell
(Roslin)'s surprise is genuine.
The Viper standoff was especially time-consuming to write and film. The writers considered having the Vipers open fire shortly before Starbuck appears, but they feared the consequences for morale and cohesion in the fleet.
Cain's code word for Fisk to kill Adama, "Case Orange", refers to War Plan Orange
, a contingency plan developed by the American military before World War II in case of a Japanese attack. Cain's specific directive to "terminate Adama's command, starting with Adama" is an homage to a line delivered by Harrison Ford
's character in Apocalypse Now
referring to Kurtz. Adama's code word for Starbuck to kill Cain, "Downfall", refers to the German film of that name
.
's score, and Adama and Roslin's final scene in Part 2. Clifton gave Part 1 and A, praising the moral ambiguity around Cain's actions, Olmos's performance, the editing of the final scene in which Cain and Adama give their assassination orders, and Starbuck, Adama, and Fisk's reluctance to participate in the assassination plots. He gave Part 2 an A+, calling actress Michelle Forbes
(Cain)'s performance "wonderful", the battle scenes "awesome", the battle music "[g]rand, wonderful, sad and angry and terrible", and the final scene between Adama and Roslin "candid and weird and perfect and sad." Davis gave Part 1 an A+ and Part 2 an A, praising Rymer's writing and Forbes's performance. Simon Brew of Den of Geek lauded the battle scene but said the rest of the episode was even better; he called it "all the more impressive for not doing what you'd expect it to do." Rose Wojnar of the The San Diego Union-Tribune
gave Part 1 an A- but Part 2 a B-, praising Forbes and Sackhoff's acting and the battle scene but calling Gina killing Cain "too good of a solution".
John Kubicek of BuddyTV
ranked "Resurrection Ship" as the series's 18th best episode. Eric Goldman of IGN
ranked "Admiral Cain's reign" in "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship" second on his list of the series's top "storylines and moments", praising Forbes's performance and calling the three episodes "riveting".
:
The "Sunshine Boys" were introduced in "Pegasus" bragging about raping Gina and plans to rape Sharon. They resurface in the fourth-season episode "The Oath
", in which they take Sharon, Helo, Tyrol, and others prisoner during a mutiny
.
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. Part 1 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 6, 2006, and Part 2 aired on January 13, 2006. It was the first episode broadcast after a hiatus
Hiatus (television)
In television scheduling, a hiatus refers to a break of at least several weeks in the normal schedule of a broadcast programming. It can occur during a season of a television program, or can be between television seasons .- Planned hiatus :Many times television stations will implement a hiatus...
following the broadcast of the previous episode, "Pegasus
Pegasus (Battlestar Galactica)
"Pegasus" is the tenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on September 23, 2005. Following "Pegasus", the series went on hiatus until January 2006....
", on September 23, 2005.
In the episode, Admiral Helena Cain
Helena Cain
Admiral Helena Cain is a fictional character in the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Michelle Forbes.-Youth:...
and Commander William Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
call a truce but plan to assassinate each other. The humans destroy a 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...
fleet that includes a resurrection ship. Cain and Adama both cancel their plots, but Gina escapes from the Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus
Battlestar Pegasus is a fictional spacecraft that appears in the both the original and the reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica.- Battlestar Galactica :...
brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
and kills Cain.
"Resurrection Ship" received positive critical review.
Plot
In "The FarmThe Farm (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Farm" is the fifth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on August 12, 2005...
", Starbuck
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
promised Sam Anders she would return to Caprica to rescue him. In "Pegasus", Apollo
Lee Adama
Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber. He is one of the main characters in the series.-Early life:...
and Starbuck
Kara Thrace
Kara Thrace is a fictional character in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica franchise. Played by Katee Sackhoff, she is a revised version of Lieutenant Starbuck from the 1978 Battlestar Galactica series...
plotted to steal the stealth
Stealth technology
Stealth technology also termed LO technology is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive electronic countermeasures, which cover a range of techniques used with personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles, to make them less visible to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection...
-capable Blackbird
Colonial Blackbird
The Blackbird is a custom-built stealth-capable fighter from the fictional universe of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series...
to obtain reconnaissance photos of a mysterious ship escorted by a large Cylon fleet. Cain sentenced Helo
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
and Chief Galen Tyrol
Galen Tyrol
Galen Tyrol is a character on the television series Battlestar Galactica. Tyrol is responsible for the maintenance of the Vipers and Raptors aboard Battlestar Galactica...
to death for accidentally killing an officer to rescue Sharon. Adama ordered 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...
's Vipers
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
launched toward Pegasus, and Cain ordered the Pegasus Vipers to intercept them.
Part 1
Both Viper groups seek permission to fire, but neither Cain nor Adama grants it. The standoff is interrupted by Starbuck, who returns in the Blackbird with photos of the Cylon vessel. Cain and Adama call off their attacks and agree to meet on Colonial One as neutral ground. President Laura RoslinLaura 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...
mediates an uneasy truce: the resolution of Helo and Tyrol's fate will be delayed until after the attack on the Cylon fleet. Later, Roslin warns Adama privately that Cain will strike against Adama again and urges him to assassinate Cain first. Adama demurs.
Impressed by what she calls Starbuck's "guts and initiative", Cain promotes her to Captain and appoints her Pegasus CAG. Starbuck persuades Cain to reinstate Apollo's flight status. Cain also promises Starbuck she will lead the fleet back to Caprica, destroy the Cylons, and rescue the survivors.
Doctor Cottle says Sharon will be all right. Adama apologizes to Sharon and orders her returned to her cell.
In Gina's cell, Cain abuses the Cylon prisoner. Gina begs 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...
to kill her. She tells him that the Cylon vessel is a "resurrection ship", where Cylons are downloaded into new bodies; if it is destroyed Gina can die permanently. Cain resolves to destroy the ship, believing mortality will deter the Cylon pursuit.
Colonel Jack Fisk
Jack Fisk (Battlestar Galactica)
Jack Fisk is a fictional character from the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Graham Beckel.Jack Fisk, service number 245A-34DC, was originally a Lieutenant Colonel aboard the Battlestar Pegasus and was the Executive Officer of the vessel, serving under the command of Admiral...
tells Colonel Saul Tigh
Saul Tigh
Saul Tigh is a fictional character on Battlestar Galactica played by Michael Hogan. The character was named Paul Tigh in early scripts, and was renamed due to legal issues, according to producer Ronald D. Moore. He is one of the main characters of the show.-Overview and personality:Saul Tigh is a...
that Pegasus used to have a small civilian fleet. Cain ordered it stripped for parts, conscripted some civilian personnel, executed the families of any who resisted, and abandoned the rest in space. Realizing that Roslin is right about Cain, Adama orders Starbuck to assassinate Cain once the attack on the Cylon fleet concludes. Likewise, Cain directs Fisk to take a detachment of Marines to Galactica to kill Adama after the attack.
Part 2
Two Pegasus crewmen confront Helo and Tyrol in the Pegasus brig and beat them with soap bars wrapped in towels; Fisk discovers the blanket partyBlanket party
A blanket party is a means of corporal punishment or hazing conducted by a peer group. Blanket parties are most frequently conducted by groups within the military or military academies...
and ends it. Cain warns Starbuck not to let her conscience dictate how she behaves at difficult moments. Apollo agrees to help Starbuck with the assassination but expresses discomfort to his father. Adama invites Sharon to his quarters and asks why the Cylons hate humans; she replies that the Cylons don't hate humans but think them unworthy of life because of their tendency toward murder. As the battle nears, Starbuck and Fisk wish each other "good hunting".
The battle begins. Piloting the Blackbird, Apollo prevents the resurrection ship from escaping but is forced to eject after a damaged Colonial Raptor
Colonial Raptor
The Raptor is a multipurpose military spacecraft featured in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. According to producer Ronald D. Moore, the Raptor is analogous to the U.S. Navy's EA-6B Prowler.-Description:...
collides with the Blackbird. His spacesuit leaks oxygen, but a search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
Raptor locates him and revives him. The humans destroy the resurrection ship and the two Basestars
Cylon Basestar
The Basestar is the capital ship of the Cylons in the 1978 science fiction television series and movie Battlestar Galactica along with its re-imagining in the 2003 miniseries and 2004 television series.- Battlestar Galactica :...
guarding it. Cain and Adama contact Fisk and Starbuck respectively, but neither gives the order to assassinate. Relieved, Fisk and Starbuck stand down.
Baltar signals his rejection of Head Six in favor of Gina by repeating to Gina a coquettish speech Head Six gave earlier. Baltar distracts the Marine guard so that Gina can kill him and take his side arm
Side arm
A side arm is a weapon, usually a pistol but can be a dagger, as used in pre-modern times, which is worn on the body in a holster to permit immediate access and use. A side arm is typically required equipment for military personnel and sometimes carried by law enforcement personnel...
. Gina asks Baltar to kill her, but he urges her to seek justice, not death, and promises to hide her. Cain returns to her quarters following the battle to find Gina lying in wait for her. Gina shoots Cain and disappears.
Fisk and Starbuck eulogize Cain at her funeral. Fisk becomes Commander of Pegasus. Apollo confesses to Starbuck that he wanted to die in space. Helo and Tyrol return to Galactica. Helo and Sharon are reunited as Tyrol looks on. Recognizing that Adama now commands two battlestars, Roslin promotes him to Admiral. Adama helps the ailing Roslin to her feet and kisses her.
Characterization
In his podcastPodcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
commentaries on "Resurrection Ship", 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 of what the episode's events reveal about several of the characters.
- Cain's decision not to kill Adama demonstrates that she is "human and... not a black-hatted villain."
- Baltar telling Head Six that he is bored of his fantasy house reflects his growing preference for Gina.
- Though Baltar has real feelings for Gina, his speech to her is "based on a lie, which is at the heart of a lot of things that Baltar’s about."
- Apollo's experience with hypoxiaHypoxia (medical)Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
affects his character strongly and influences him for the rest of the second season. - Adama's initial reaction to Roslin's assassination proposal reflects a reversal of what Moore considers the expected roles of a hawkish Adama and a dovish Roslin.
- Adama's promotion is a sort of parting gift from Roslin, as she expects she will die soon.
In his reviews of "Resurrection Ship", Jacob Clifton of Television Without Pity discussed his own views on the characters.
- Cain's actions in "Resurrection Ship" provide context for her actions in "Pegasus" and make her character "not sympathetic, but understandable" in the mold of Colonel KurtzWalter E. KurtzColonel Walter E. Kurtz is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now, portrayed by Marlon Brando. Colonel Kurtz is based on the character of a 19th century ivory trader, also called Kurtz, from the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.-Biography:Walter...
. However, the contrast between Cain's decision to pillage her civilian fleet and Adama's decision to protect his reflects "an issue of character rather than humanizing circumstance" (emphasis Clifton's). - Gina's ability to free Baltar from Head Six represents an opportunity to redeem him; Clifton compares Baltar and Gina's relationship with Angel and Darla's in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and AngelAngel (TV series)Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999...
. - Gina's desire to die represents a profound break from the Cylons' religiosity.
- Adama's relationship with Sharon is evolving. In "Resurrection Ship" he calls her "she" and "her"; in previous episodes he had called her "it".
- Starbuck is conflicted over her loyalty to Adama and Apollo and her hope that Cain will help her rescue Anders. Her improved "demeanor, behavior and even appearance" demonstrate her determination to perform well as CAG.
- Usually Head Six has control when Baltar speaks to her and a third party simultaneously, but the power dynamic is reversed when he talks to Gina.
Amanda Keith of Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Los 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...
disputes Starbuck's assertion in the eulogy that the fleet was safer with Cain in command; Keith attributes Starbuck's assessment to dissatisfaction with Adama and Roslin's leadership and ignorance of Cain's past misdeeds. Keith also believes Roslin is mistaken in her assessment of Cain as irredeemable; after all, Cain did back down from killing Adama.
Keith writes that Baltar believes he can reclaim his missing love by rescuing Gina, but Gina is too "broken" to reciprocate his feelings. Keith compares Baltar's fancy on this point to Cain's impossible dream of reclaiming the irradiated 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...
from the Cylons. She regards Baltar's actions in the episode as irresponsible and driven by his exclusive focus on his immediate surroundings.
Jennifer Stoy cites Roslin's call for Cain's assassination to argue that Battlestar Galactica challenges gender stereotypes, at least in its early seasons.
Analysis
Instead of giving Starbuck the order to kill Cain, Adama muses, "It's not enough to survive. One has to be worthy of surviving." In Moore's view, this reflects "one of the key tenets of the show." Clifton compares the conflict between Cain's urge to fight the Cylons and Roslin and Adama's commitment to maintaining civil society to the struggle between Adama and Roslin in the miniseries over whether to fight the Cylons or flee.Jason Davis of Mania writes that mortality is a central theme of "Resurrection Ship". He cites Adama and Cain's assassination plots and their regrets over them, Adama inspecting his surgical scar, Starbuck and Fisks's mutual wishes of "good hunting", and Apollo and Gina's death wishes.
Clifton argues that Cain's decision to execute Helo and Tyrol is correct given the position she is in. In his view, the audience's prejudices in favor of the two men do not apply to her character because she does not know them. Clifton argues further that Roslin pushes for Adama to assassinate Cain because she expects her cancer to kill her soon and considers Baltar, who as Vice President would succeed her, unfit to stand up to Cain.
Moore notes that Cain accomplished all her goals except for her own survival. Clifton compares her pursuit of the Cylons to Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
.
In Moore's view, the audience is supposed to feel ambivalent about Gina. On one hand, she perpetrated genocide along with the rest of her kind. On the other hand, her situation inspires sympathy.
Clifton suggests a homoerotic undertone to the blanket party.
Production
"Resurrection Ship" was originally written and shot as a single episode, with the assassination plots hatched at the end of the second act. After editing the episode was still about 20 minutes too long, so it was split. This allowed for more detail within each part and caused plans for a clip showClip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
later in the second season to be scrapped. Part 2 opens with several shots of Apollo imagining floating in water as he drifts in space; this would have opened the single episode. Director Michael Rymer
Michael Rymer
Michael Rymer is a television and film director, best known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, for which he directed the pilot miniseries and several episodes of the series...
came up with the specific imagery of Apollo floating on his back.
The writers decided on Cain's fate in early drafts of "Resurrection Ship". They also decided early on to allow Pegasus to remain in the fleet; Moore believed this would subvert the audience's expectation that the more powerful battlestar would be destroyed at the end of the episode. Originally the conflict between Cain and Adama was to center around Cain's failure to protect civilian decoys during the battle with the Cylons despite a promise to Roslin. At one point during writing, the script explained why Roslin does not promote Adama over Cain to defuse the situation: Roslin knows Cain does not accept her authority as President and would not obey Adama's orders.
Apollo's experience ejecting and witnessing the destruction of the enemy ships was based on the experience of George H. Gay, Jr., in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Plans to include footage of the wrecked Raptor and its dead personnel along with Apollo were scrapped due to the difficulty of creating the shots and the feeling that it would be too morbid. Plans for additional action in Apollo's swimming fantasy were abandoned as "too esoteric".
Gina was initially scripted to embrace and kiss Baltar. This was removed after actress Tricia Helfer
Tricia Helfer
Tricia 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...
(Six/Gina) noted that Gina, a victim of serial rape, would not be willing to do this.
A scene in Part 1 in which Helo and Tyrol discuss Sharon and the blanket party scene in Part 2 used to be the same scene; the characters are in the same physical positions at the end of the first and the start of the second. The scenes were split when the episode was split. The blanket party was inspired by the films Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
and The Grifters
The Grifters (film)
The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. It stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening and is based upon The Grifters, a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.-Plot:...
. The writers referred to the Pegasus crewmen administering the beatings as the "Yee-Haw Boys"; in the episode Helo calls them "the Sunshine Boys". Their confrontation with Fisk was inspired by Moore's own experience in the U.S. Navy ROTC.
The kiss between Adama and Roslin was not scripted. 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...
(Adama) improvised it on set. Actress 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 surprise is genuine.
The Viper standoff was especially time-consuming to write and film. The writers considered having the Vipers open fire shortly before Starbuck appears, but they feared the consequences for morale and cohesion in the fleet.
Cain's code word for Fisk to kill Adama, "Case Orange", refers to War Plan Orange
War Plan Orange
War Plan Orange refers to a series of United States Joint Army and Navy Board war plans for dealing with a possible war with Japan during the years between the First and Second World Wars....
, a contingency plan developed by the American military before World War II in case of a Japanese attack. Cain's specific directive to "terminate Adama's command, starting with Adama" is an homage to a line delivered by Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
's character in Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
referring to Kurtz. Adama's code word for Starbuck to kill Cain, "Downfall", refers to the German film of that name
Downfall (film)
Downfall is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945....
.
Reception
"Resurrection Ship" received positive critical review. Keith McDuffee of TV Squad called the episode "amazing" and praised the scenes between Baltar and Gina, Apollo's swimming fantasy, and the special effects. Amanda Keith called Part 1 "a fantastic episode" and praised the battle, composer Bear McCrearyBear McCreary
Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:...
's score, and Adama and Roslin's final scene in Part 2. Clifton gave Part 1 and A, praising the moral ambiguity around Cain's actions, Olmos's performance, the editing of the final scene in which Cain and Adama give their assassination orders, and Starbuck, Adama, and Fisk's reluctance to participate in the assassination plots. He gave Part 2 an A+, calling actress Michelle Forbes
Michelle Forbes
Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo , known professionally as Michelle Forbes, is an American actress who has built a career of work in television and independent film and has acted in productions in both the United States and in the United Kingdom...
(Cain)'s performance "wonderful", the battle scenes "awesome", the battle music "[g]rand, wonderful, sad and angry and terrible", and the final scene between Adama and Roslin "candid and weird and perfect and sad." Davis gave Part 1 an A+ and Part 2 an A, praising Rymer's writing and Forbes's performance. Simon Brew of Den of Geek lauded the battle scene but said the rest of the episode was even better; he called it "all the more impressive for not doing what you'd expect it to do." Rose Wojnar of the 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:...
gave Part 1 an A- but Part 2 a B-, praising Forbes and Sackhoff's acting and the battle scene but calling Gina killing Cain "too good of a solution".
John Kubicek of BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
ranked "Resurrection Ship" as the series's 18th best episode. Eric Goldman of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
ranked "Admiral Cain's reign" in "Pegasus" and "Resurrection Ship" second on his list of the series's top "storylines and moments", praising Forbes's performance and calling the three episodes "riveting".
Connection to other series elements
More of Battlestar Pegasuss backstory is presented in the television movie Battlestar Galactica: RazorBattlestar Galactica: Razor
Battlestar Galactica: Razor is a television film of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It premiered in the United States on Sci Fi Channel, in Canada on the Space channel and in the United Kingdom on Sky One.-Production:...
:
- Cain and Gina were lovers until the Cylon attack on the Colonies.
- The raids on the civilian ships are shown exactly as Fisk describes them in "Resurrection Ship".
The "Sunshine Boys" were introduced in "Pegasus" bragging about raping Gina and plans to rape Sharon. They resurface in the fourth-season episode "The Oath
The Oath (Battlestar Galactica)
"The Oath" is the fifteenth episode in the fourth season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. It aired on television in the United States and Canada on January 30, 2009 and in the UK on Sky One on February 3, 2009....
", in which they take Sharon, Helo, Tyrol, and others prisoner during a mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
.