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Six of One (Battlestar Galactica)
Encyclopedia
"Six of One" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction
television series Battlestar Galactica
. The episode first aired on SCI FI
and Space in the United States
and Canada
respectively on April 11, 2008, and aired on Sky1 in the United Kingdom
on April 15, along with "He That Believeth in Me
". The episode's name appears to be a play off the idiom
"six of one, half a dozen of the other" meaning two presented choices are equal and it does not matter which is chosen. The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award
.
The episode begins directly after the cliffhanger of the previous episode, where Kara Thrace
holds Laura Roslin
at gunpoint to stop her from going to what she thinks is the wrong way to Earth
. Meanwhile, some of the Humanoid Cylon
models wish to lobotomise the Raiders to make them destroy the fleet, regardless if the final five are among the fleet. However, the other Cylon models, particularly Natalie (a Six model) wish to stop them by any means necessary. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,676.
holds President Laura Roslin
at gunpoint and reminds her that she once followed orders from Roslin to find Earth
. Now that Starbuck thinks she knows where Earth is, Roslin rejects it. Feeling betrayed, Starbuck tells Roslin to take the gun and shoot her if she can't trust her. Roslin does pick up the gun and just as security arrives she fires and misses. Starbuck is quickly taken to the brig but urges everyone to change course. She fears that she will lose her directions to Earth forever if they make one more jump. Admiral Adama
confronts her, telling her she has lost all hope of anyone helping her. After Starbuck accuses Adama of ignoring her on purpose, Adama furiously slams her to the deck then leaves in disgust. Later, the fleet makes another jump, and Starbuck loses her direction of Earth.
The Cylon models prepare to lobotomize the Raiders to forget about the Final Five as their identities are forbidden by their programming. They vote but it ends in a draw (Numbers One
, Four
and Five
votes for, and Numbers Two
, Six
and Eight voting against). Boomer
is the only Eight model to vote for the lobotomizing. To prevent this from happening, one of the Six models (known as Natalie) removes the higher brain inhibitors from the Centurions which gives them free will. They proceed to kill all of the One, Four and Five models in the room.
Lee Adama
leaves Galactica to start his new political career, but not before telling Starbuck that he believes her. The four Cylons (Colonel Tigh
, Tory Foster
, Samuel Anders
, and Galen Tyrol
) meet in secret to discuss who they think is the fifth Cylon. Since they believe Gaius Baltar
may know, Tory visits him. At first, Baltar believes she is spying on him. After having a vision of his virtual self, he and Tory talk, and later sleep together. Afterward Tory says that she could be a Cylon, but Baltar tells her not to be afraid and that he has learned from his time among them that Cylons have feelings. He says that humans may have created the Cylons, but it was the one true God that gave them souls. Adama and Roslin discuss what to do with Starbuck. Though Roslin has objections, Adama eventually decides to let Starbuck go. In the end, she is taken to a hangar, where to her surprise, she is given a ship, the Demetrius and a team including Helo
, Athena, Anders and Gaeta
to find Earth.
during the 2009 Comic Con in New York
, the writers originally did not create a backstory for her character, Tory Foster
besides her job, but after talking with Ronald D. Moore
, Sharma collaborated in creating the backstory. Michael Angeli
was responsible for the crying after the sex scene, where Angeli was apparently inspired by hearing someone he knew in a similar situation.
. The show received a 1.1 household rating and 2 percent share. In the critical 18-to-49-year-old demographic, viewership fell by even more—19 percent—to just 900,000 viewers (a 0.9 household rating and 3 percent share). It was estimated that fewer than 500,000 additional viewers watch the show on DVRs
, because the Nielsen rating estimates for DVR watching (calculated over the seven days following the episode's initial airing) do not count shows with fewer than 500,000 viewers.
Regardless, The SciFi Network selected "Six of One" as its official 2008 Emmy Award
s submission for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
and the episode was nominated in the category. "Six of One" was also chosen as the official entry screening for Katee Sackhoff (who plays Kara/Starbuck) as best supporting actress in a dramatic series. The SyFy Portal
received the episode well. The scenes involving the Centurions, Starbuck's scenes in the brig, and the departure of Lee Adama's from the military were raised, but the apparent lack of action and the scene with the two Baltars were somewhat criticised. IGN
gave the episode a "great" rating of 8.8 out of 10. The episode was praised for its return of Brother Cavil, stating "the veteran TV actor is always a welcome presence, and does a great job as the rather cynical Cylon." Other positive points also include the introduction of the Cylon rebellion and the conversation between Adama and Roslin.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Battlestar Galactica
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...
. The episode first aired on SCI FI
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
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...
and Space in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
respectively on April 11, 2008, and aired on Sky1 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on April 15, along with "He That Believeth in Me
He That Believeth in Me
"He That Believeth in Me" is the third episode in the fourth season of the reimagined science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica...
". The episode's name appears to be a play off the idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
"six of one, half a dozen of the other" meaning two presented choices are equal and it does not matter which is chosen. The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
.
The episode begins directly after the cliffhanger of the previous episode, where Kara Thrace
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...
holds 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...
at gunpoint to stop her from going to what she thinks is the wrong way to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Meanwhile, some of the Humanoid 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...
models wish to lobotomise the Raiders to make them destroy the fleet, regardless if the final five are among the fleet. However, the other Cylon models, particularly Natalie (a Six model) wish to stop them by any means necessary. The survivor count shown in the title sequence is 39,676.
Plot
Kara ThraceKara 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...
holds 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...
at gunpoint and reminds her that she once followed orders from Roslin to find Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Now that Starbuck thinks she knows where Earth is, Roslin rejects it. Feeling betrayed, Starbuck tells Roslin to take the gun and shoot her if she can't trust her. Roslin does pick up the gun and just as security arrives she fires and misses. Starbuck is quickly taken to the brig but urges everyone to change course. She fears that she will lose her directions to Earth forever if they make one more jump. Admiral Adama
William Adama
William "Bill" Adama is a fictional character portrayed by Edward James Olmos in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series...
confronts her, telling her she has lost all hope of anyone helping her. After Starbuck accuses Adama of ignoring her on purpose, Adama furiously slams her to the deck then leaves in disgust. Later, the fleet makes another jump, and Starbuck loses her direction of Earth.
The Cylon models prepare to lobotomize the Raiders to forget about the Final Five as their identities are forbidden by their programming. They vote but it ends in a draw (Numbers One
Brother Cavil
John Cavil is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series. In the fourth season episode "Six of One", Cavil's model number was revealed as Number One.- Background :...
, Four
Number Four (Battlestar Galactica)
Simon , is a fictional character, a Cylon from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series. He first appears in The Farm , an episode written by Carla Robinson and directed by Rod Hardy...
and Five
Aaron Doral
Aaron Doral is a fictional character from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series.Doral is a humanoid Cylon who first appeared as a civilian public relations specialist aboard Galactica just prior to the Cylon attack on the Colonies. Through conversation with the Cylon agent Number Six, Dr...
votes for, and Numbers Two
Leoben Conoy
Leoben Conoy is a fictional character portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie appearing in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series....
, 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"...
and Eight voting against). Boomer
Sharon Valerii
Number Eight is a female humanoid Cylon model on the television series Battlestar Galactica, a reimagining of the classic show of the same name. She is portrayed by Grace Park...
is the only Eight model to vote for the lobotomizing. To prevent this from happening, one of the Six models (known as Natalie) removes the higher brain inhibitors from the Centurions which gives them free will. They proceed to kill all of the One, Four and Five models in the room.
Lee Adama
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:...
leaves Galactica to start his new political career, but not before telling Starbuck that he believes her. The four Cylons (Colonel 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...
, Tory Foster
Tory Foster
Tory Foster is a fictional character from the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Rekha Sharma.-Character biography:Tory, like the other members of the Final Five, was originally from a planet called Earth...
, Samuel Anders
Samuel Anders
Samuel T. Anders is a fictional character from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series, played by Michael Trucco...
, and 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...
) meet in secret to discuss who they think is the fifth Cylon. Since they believe 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...
may know, Tory visits him. At first, Baltar believes she is spying on him. After having a vision of his virtual self, he and Tory talk, and later sleep together. Afterward Tory says that she could be a Cylon, but Baltar tells her not to be afraid and that he has learned from his time among them that Cylons have feelings. He says that humans may have created the Cylons, but it was the one true God that gave them souls. Adama and Roslin discuss what to do with Starbuck. Though Roslin has objections, Adama eventually decides to let Starbuck go. In the end, she is taken to a hangar, where to her surprise, she is given a ship, the Demetrius and a team including Helo
Karl Agathon
Karl C. Agathon is a fictional character on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, portrayed by Tahmoh Penikett.-Background:...
, Athena, Anders and Gaeta
Felix Gaeta
Lieutenant Junior Grade Felix Gaeta is a fictional character on Battlestar Galactica played by Alessandro Juliani.- Character overview in his early career :...
to find Earth.
Production
According to Rekha SharmaRekha Sharma
Rekha Shanti Sharma is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Tory Foster on Battlestar Galactica.Her ancestors are from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, which they left during the British period. Her family resettled in the Fiji Islands and her parents moved to Canada...
during the 2009 Comic Con in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the writers originally did not create a backstory for her character, Tory Foster
Tory Foster
Tory Foster is a fictional character from the 2004 TV series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by Rekha Sharma.-Character biography:Tory, like the other members of the Final Five, was originally from a planet called Earth...
besides her job, but after talking with 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...
, Sharma collaborated in creating the backstory. Michael Angeli
Michael Angeli
Michael Angeli is an American writer and television producer, best known for his award-nominated work on television series such as Monk and the remake of Battlestar Galactica, a show for which he was also a co-executive producer....
was responsible for the crying after the sex scene, where Angeli was apparently inspired by hearing someone he knew in a similar situation.
Reception
Total viewership for "Six of One" dropped 16 percent from the season premiere, falling to 1.8 million viewers from 2.1 million the week before, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The show received a 1.1 household rating and 2 percent share. In the critical 18-to-49-year-old demographic, viewership fell by even more—19 percent—to just 900,000 viewers (a 0.9 household rating and 3 percent share). It was estimated that fewer than 500,000 additional viewers watch the show on DVRs
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
, because the Nielsen rating estimates for DVR watching (calculated over the seven days following the episode's initial airing) do not count shows with fewer than 500,000 viewers.
Regardless, The SciFi Network selected "Six of One" as its official 2008 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s submission for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in...
and the episode was nominated in the category. "Six of One" was also chosen as the official entry screening for Katee Sackhoff (who plays Kara/Starbuck) as best supporting actress in a dramatic series. The SyFy Portal
SyFy Portal
Airlock Alpha, formerly SyFy Portal, is an entertainment news website focusing on science-fiction, fantasy and comic book television series and films.-History:...
received the episode well. The scenes involving the Centurions, Starbuck's scenes in the brig, and the departure of Lee Adama's from the military were raised, but the apparent lack of action and the scene with the two Baltars were somewhat criticised. 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...
gave the episode a "great" rating of 8.8 out of 10. The episode was praised for its return of Brother Cavil, stating "the veteran TV actor is always a welcome presence, and does a great job as the rather cynical Cylon." Other positive points also include the introduction of the Cylon rebellion and the conversation between Adama and Roslin.
External links
- "Six of One" at the Battlestar Wiki
- "Six of One" 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...