The 10 Happiest Moments in [New] Battlestar Galactica

[The Saltex Brujo]

The 10 Happiest Moments in Battlestar Galactica 
By James Helton in Daily Lists  , TV 
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 8:06 am
  Anyone who watched more than 10 minutes of a new Battlestar
Galactica episode when it was on -- or read this TR list  -- the show
is pretty frakking dark. In fact, some of the comments received last
time questioned the point of watching a show that was so depressing. In
looking back, particularly at the list, the show indeed did have some
very dark moments. Being that the show started off with the
extermination of 99% of all of the humans in the 12 Colonies, there
wasn't much room for sunshine, lollypops, obnoxiously cute kids and
their robot dogs. Instead, the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica
became a show about survival against insurmountable odds, a show that
was more a commentary on the early 21st century, war, and terrorism than
a space opera in the classic sense. That being said, the show was not
without its moments of happiness and levity, because quite frankly with
all of the bad shit that happens to the Rag Tag Fugitive Fleet, it's a
wonder that the majority of the survivors didn't pull a Dualla and spray
brain matter across the bulkheads. While the last list centered on the
most disturbing episodes of the series, this time we are focusing on the
moments of happiness experienced in the fleet. Note that these are only
moments, in my rewatching of pretty much the entire series for my lists,
I never quite found a single episode that I would consider a happy one.
These moments usually prefaced or followed some sort of tragedy, and
often the happiness was short lived, but for a short time, these
characters got to feel what it was like to feel alive, without all of
that whole pain and suffering thing. Note, if you haven't watched
Battlestar Galactica, I'm about to spoil just about every single
positive moment in the series... all 10 of 'em. 10) A Child is Born,
"33"
  After a long hiatus between the miniseries and the start of the
regular season, Battlestar Galactica started off with a bang, with its
Hugo Award-winning episode "33". While the miniseries ended on a
somewhat upbeat note, the Galactica and the remains of the human race
setting a course for Earth, the series started off on a pretty grim
note, with the Cylons relentlessly attacking the fleet every 33 minutes.
Exhaustion follows the fleet just as much as the Cylons do, and matters
get worse when a ship, the Olympic Carrier goes missing after a jump. It
becomes clear how high the stakes are in this new series when the
Carrier reappears, most likely a trap. Radiation alarms go off signaling
the presence of nukes aboard the ship, now on a collision course with
the fleet. Apollo and Starbuck have no choice but to open fire on their
own. Throughout the episode, new president Laura Roslin has been keeping
track of the number of souls aboard the fleet, a number that has been
steadily dwindling, particularly quickly after the destruction of the
Olympic Carrier. After receiving a report from her aide Billy, she goes
back to the board one final time, however instead of subtracting a large
amount from the number, she adds one. Apparently in all of the chaos and
combat, a small miracle has taken place: A baby boy was born in the
fleet, the first glimpse of hope for the exiled humans. 9) Galactica
Finds an Ancient Copy of Rand McNally, "Home"
  The second season begins in a very dark place, with Commander Adama
suffering from a pair of holes in his chest, the fleet torn apart due to
the conflict between President Roslin and the military, Lee Adama in the
brig, Kara Thrace and Helo on Caprica, and crew members marooned on a
Cylon-infested Kobol. Then things go from bad to worse: Kara gets shot;
riots ensue when the fleet is under Commander Tigh's rule, and the
people on Kobol are dying. But things change when Starbuck returns to
the fleet with the Arrow of Apollo. With most of their issues resolved
the crew of Galactica searches Kobol for answers in the quest for Earth.
When the series began, Commander Adama expressed that Earth was a myth,
something to keep the people moving forward. His beliefs change when he
recovers from his attempted murder, and joins Roslin, Zarek and others
down on the surface of Kobol. Once the pragmatist, he is at least
willing to go along with Roslin's quest, and keeps an open mind for the
most part. The expedition arrives at the legendary Temple of Athena, but
upon entering it, finds that most of it is crumbled ruins of statues
representing the original names of the colonies, which ironically are
the signs of the zodiac. When they find a mostly intact statue of
Sagittarius missing his trademark arrow, it becomes pretty obvious where
the Arrow of Apollo goes. When inserted, the Temple seals shut, locking
in Adama, Roslin, Starbuck and others, but when they look around, they
are no longer in ruins but are in a field of tall grass, with large
Stonehenge looking rocks surrounding them, each with a depiction of a
constellation that coincides with the names of the colonies. After
pondering for a few minutes they discover the truth, they are not
looking at a map to Earth; they are standing ON Earth, at least a
representation of it. Looking up in the night sky shows the planet's
position in relation to the constellations, essentially showing the
Galactica crew where it is, based on the stars around it. Looking for
clues to where in the universe these constellations all exist, they see
an object most of them easily recognize, what they refer to as the
Horsehead Nebula. Skepticism turns to determination, as prophecy aside,
everyone in that room seems pretty sure that Earth exists, and it is
where they are supposed to be going. The leave the temple with the first
real signpost towards a new home, and have direction for the first time
since leaving the ruins of the colonies. 8) Kat Finds Her Ship, "The
Passage"
  Kat had spent most of her time among the Colonial Fleet in constant
competition with Starbuck. The pressure to perform as one of the top
Viper pilots consumed Lieutenant Louanne Katraine, up to the point where
she started taking and eventually overdosed on stims to keep up. This
constant battle with Starbuck (whom Kat felt was a risk due to Starbucks
constant drinking and irresponsibility) came to a head when Kat's secret
was revealed: She's not Louanne Katraine. Apparently, Sasha (as she was
known on the Colonies) was a drug runner in her previous life. When she
escaped, she took the name of a dead person, stealing her identity and
her crime-free life, and then joined the Colonial military, leaving her
past behind. Of course, her secret was out when she ran into an old
flame/partner in crime from her clandestine days, who tried to blackmail
Kat for food. Of course, Starbuck happens to question Kat's old flame
and threatens to out her to the Admiral. While all of this interpersonal
drama is going on, the starving fleet is trying to make its way across a
radioactive expanse to reach a planet with copious amounts of edible
algae (yum). Each of the ships has to be guided by a Raptor, and thus
far the mission hasn't been going well, with multiple ships being lost,
including the Carina which was escorted by Kat. Her personal issues
drive Kat to vow not to lose another ship, and despite having a pretty
heavy dose of radiation thus far, she steals another pilot's radiation
badge and continues on mission. When she loses yet another ship, the
Faru Sadin, she is ordered with the rest of the fleet to jump due to
increased radiation and spacial instability. She defies orders and
continues to search for the Faru Sadin, eventually finding it while
receiving a fatal dose of radiation. At this point you might be asking,
"How is this happy?" When she arrives back at the fleet with the missing
ship, she exits her smoking ship to thunderous applause from everyone on
the flight deck, and in a final act of defiance and pride, thrusts her
hands in the air in triumph. While her act eventually did result in her
death, the joy and pride she showed when arriving home one last time
showed how much of a change she had made in her life, a change that was
worth dying for. 7) Tyrol Meets his Family, "Someone to Watch Over Me"
  Poor Galen Tyrol. This man... wait... machine... wait... man-like
machine goes through a good bit of hell throughout the series. First he
discovers that the woman he loves is a Cylon, which he finds out when
she busts a cap in Commander Adama. Eventually he hooks up with the ever
adorable, dental school destined Specialist Cally, who we learn later
was "the best of limited options." He finds out he himself is a Toaster,
then finds out his kid isn't his, this Cylon just doesn't get a break.
But he does have one moment of true beauty in season four, which quickly
turns to a moment of grand betrayal. The apparent love of his life,
Boomer, is in the brig aboard Galactica, after bringing Ellen Tigh back
from a Resurrection Ship. Looking for closure, he visits her in her
cell, trying to figure out if she ever did love him, or if he was just a
part of her mission as a sleeper Cylon. While he is initially resistant
to her explanations, his emotional defenses crumble when she introduces
him to the Cylon ability of "Projection." For those who haven't seen the
series, projection is the ability the humanoid Cylons have which lets
them view the world in a theme which is pleasing to their own individual
tastes. They essentially have an area of the brain that acts like a
blank canvas, where they can paint their own world for them to fantasize
about, to the point where it seems real. Think of it as a holodeck in
their head, which they can share with other Cylons. When they touch
hands and she shares her projection with him, any doubts of their
relationship are stripped away from Tyrol's mind. She shows him the
house she planned for them on Picon, where she expected them to go after
they left the military. As he explores his "home", he stops in his
tracks as he sees evidence of the evolution of their relationship, marks
on the wall to show the growth of a child. Boomer shows him to the door
of their fantasy daughter, and instantly you can see his heart melt,
tears forming in his real-world eyes. An interesting contrast to how he
seemed to be with Nicki, the child he thought was his for the last
season and a half, who seemed more of an annoyance to him than anything.
This single moment of peace he experiences is most likely the happiest
moment of the series for Tyrol, and it doesn't last long. It turns out
that this was all a setup for Boomer (who just so happens to be frakking
Brother Caval, the old ass Cylon played by Dean "Al" Stockwell), who
uses Tyrol to break out of the brig, steal Helo's mixed species
daughter, and make a run for it. 6) Roslin and Adama, Sitting in a Tree,
"The Hub"   iframe[ www.syfy.com ] When Bill Adama and Laura
Roslin meet for the first time, they immediately don't see eye to eye.
Roslin wants to install an educational computer network aboard the
Galactica, while Adama insists that it will never happen so long as he
is in command. The good news for Roslin is that he won't be in command
for long, with both the ship and her commander due to stand down. Plans
change however when the attack on the colonies begins, and the Galactica
is thought to be the only surviving Battlestar. Their relationship has
its fair share of ups and downs, such as when Adama had the president
arrested and sent to the brig, where she spent a good portion of the
second season of the show. Over time his stance toward her lightens, and
where once he thought of her as an adversary, he begins to develop a
level of respect and eventually friendship with her. As her health
deteriorates, it becomes apparent that Adama feels more for her than
just friendship, as he sits by her bed reading to her during cancer
treatments, but his feelings for her become completely obvious when he
opts to stay behind and wait for her after she was shanghaied on a Cylon
baseship, stating "I can't live without her." Upon their reuniting in
the episode "The Hub", it becomes apparent that her feelings for him are
the same. They embrace, and she whispers in his ear that she loves him,
and in true stoic Adama fashion, he simply replies "It's about time."
(Note: The video example is from the episode "The Oath" as no examples
from "The Hub" were available online.) 5) Oh Hai Pegasus, "Pegasus"
Once the Galactica was on the lam from the Cylons, things generally went
downhill. In the first season there were few moments to celebrate, and
the most miniscule of victory generally came with a price, sometimes a
pretty large one. When the Galactica saw a large ship jump in, they
immediately diverted the combat air patrol to intercept and investigate
the object. It was described as a dream by Apollo, who was the first to
spot the Battlestar Pegasus, long thought destroyed in the destruction
of the colonies. Despite contact via the wireless, skepticism remained
until at last a Raptor and escort Vipers landed on the Galactica,
carrying Admiral Helena Cain, welcoming the crew of the Galactica back
to the Colonial Fleet. Military discipline is for the most part thrown
out the airlock as the Galactica crew erupts into cheers and hugs,
welcoming this new batch of humans. Of course, over the course of the
episode, the relationship between the Galactica and Pegasus crews goes
to shit pretty quickly, and before the end of the episode, Vipers from
both ships are playing a game of interstellar chicken. For a time
though, the universe seems a lot less hopeless, and the Rag Tag Fugitive
Fleet is not as alone as they once though. 4) Apollo and Kara Hook Up,
"Unfinished Business"
  The sexual tension between Starbuck and Apollo is as constant a
force in the Battlestar universe as the "One True God." It's apparent
throughout the entire series that they secretly want to frak each other
silly, that is up until Starbuck returns from New Caprica. To say that
her experiences on New Caprica changed her would be an understatement.
Starbuck went through an enormous battery of psychological torture,
including forced cohabitation with Leoben, a daughter that didn't really
belong to her and lots of fun involving steak knives. Needless to say,
once she was released, she was a little jaded, coming to a head during
the episode "Unfinished Business" and an event called the Dance, a ship
wide boxing competition. It's not long before Starbuck calls out Apollo
to settle some issues. The two of them go at it like Tasmanian Devils...
fighting that is, relentlessly pounding on each other without any
semblance of mercy. It's during the fight that we start to see
flashbacks of events on New Caprica prior to the invasion. Apparently on
a night of celebration on their new homeworld, Kara and Lee after a
fierce night of drinking, wander off from the settlement, and end up
making passionate love under the stars of New Caprica. Afterwards, they
ponder over what to do with their significant others, Cylon Sam Anders
for Kara, and Dualla for Lee. In a scene where Lee is as giddy as a
9-year-old girl, he screams it to the stars for all of New Caprica, the
universe and the gods to hear: "I'm Lee Adama, and I love Kara Thrace" "
With some coaxing, giggling all the way, Kara does the same. It's
arguably the cutest moment of the series, with both of them acting like
lovesick teenagers, and for a short time, the happiest people in the
universe. Of course, it wouldn't be Battlestar without some drama, so
when Lee wakes up alone and wanders back to the city, he discovered Kara
ran off and eloped with Sam first thing that morning. 3) Apollo Destroys
the Death Star, er... the Fuel Depot, "Hand of God"   iframe[
www.syfy.com ] Once the destruction of the colonies takes place, the
members of the fleet depend on a small number of Viper pilots to keep
them safe. The most decorated and combat hardened of these pilots is
Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, and Lee is always operating in her
shadow. When the Fleet runs out of fuel, there are very few options for
them if they want to survive. It seems the only viable one is to go on
the offensive, attacking a Cylon refinery. Of course said refinery is
under heavy guard, and to make matters worse, ace pilot Starbuck is
grounded due to injuries sustained a few episodes prior. That leaves Lee
leading the strike force, and the odds are certainly stacked against
him. It's pretty obvious that people have concerns about his ability.
Starbuck challenges him on it, and his still somewhat estranged father
comes by to offer a pep talk. Apollo has his doubts, but the mission
launches regardless. Immediately things go poorly, with the first
squadron of Vipers outnumbered greatly. It's when all seems lost that we
discover the real plan, a secret strike force hidden among some mining
vessels. Apollo leads the charge and ends up bravely navigating a tunnel
about the size of the Death Star trench, eventually reaching his target
and singlehandedly obliterating it. As much as this is a happy moment,
the real fun begins when the pilots return home and celebrate their
first real victory in the war. Ambrosia is flowing, Starbuck
congratulates Lee "The Magnificent Bastard" Adama with one of the last
cigars in the universe, and Apollo seems to have finally won the respect
of his father. Besides the celebration, the victory scene is the first
time we hear "Wander My Friends," the tune that eventually develops into
one of the major musical themes in the show, acting as the Adama family
theme for both Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. 2) Pegasus to the
Rescue, "Exodus"   iframe[ www.youtube.com ] While dynamic space
battles were not something seen on a weekly basis, but when they were
they were absolutely mind blowing. The scene that springs to mind as the
most memorable is when the Galactica jumps into the atmosphere of New
Caprica in a maneuver sometimes referred to as the "Bucket Drop,"
launching her fighters in a surprise attack and jumping out just in time
to prevent becoming a very large crater. While the rebellion on New
Caprica was in full effect, the Galactica goes toe-to-toe with four
Cylon Basestars and their complement of Raiders, two more than expected.
The Galactica is able to hold them off long enough for the civilian
ships to get away, but Adama, always expecting the mission to be one
way, accepts that the end is near, something that seems to be a
guarantee when their DRADIS picks up another ship jumping into the
fight. The camera pulls back from the view of the Galactica getting
pounded by multiple Basestars to reveal exiting the nebula, the
Battlestar Pegasus, violating orders and coming to the rescue. As Adama
both curses and thanks his son, the Pegasus unleashes a massive volley
from her main cannon, literally bisecting one of the Cylon carriers in
almost an instant. Moving in the middle of the fight and blocking enemy
access to the Galactica, the Pegasus continues to duke it out with the
Cylon fleet, handing out a ton of damage while suffering greatly. Seeing
that the Pegasus has had her last day, Lee Adama orders his crew to
abandon ship before setting a collision course with a Basestar, ramming
the mighty Battlestar into her, destroying both the Pegasus and the
Basestar, and causing debris from Pegasus (namely a flight pod) to carom
into another Basestar, possibly destroying it as well. So while it had
its cost (I still doubt the validity of a strategy that involves using
your more modern and power starship as cannon fodder so your old
broke-ass ship can get away), Pegasus saves the Admiral's ass and the
show's namesake, looking completely badass in the process and preventing
a name change to the show, something that test audiences would have
hated just a little bit more than an eighteen-month hiatus. 1) Look,
Earth!, "Revelations"
Things in the fleet couldn't get much worse. The Cylons have taken
President Roslin and dozens of Colonial soldiers' hostage in a play for
the Fleet to give up the "Final Five". Of course, matters are
complicated due to the Fleet leadership not knowing who the Final Five
are. Admiral Adama hits an all-time low, as his lifelong friend Saul
Tigh reveals his true Cylon nature. The tension becomes violent when the
Cylons launch a meat satellite (one of their hostages), forcing acting
president Lee Adama to load Tigh into a launch tube. While this is going
on, Starbuck, investigating a hunch from her newly discovered robot
hubby, discovers a signal; one she thinks is the key to everything.
Running to the flight deck to stop the execution, Starbuck arrives just
in time to reveal her discovery: She really does know the way to Earth.
Putting their differences aside, human and Cylon forces decide to head
to Earth together. The tension is high as Lieutenant Gaeta counts down
the jump, and the combined human and Cylon fleet jumps into the unknown.
Where they end up is a beautiful blue and green world, the planet that
has been the stuff of legends made real. The scene of joy is
overwhelming, characters that had been emotionally stressed to limits no
one could ever fathom, finally having a triumphant release. Scenes of
people throughout the fleet cheering, weeping, mourning for those who
didn't make it, and anticipating starting their lives over on a brand
new world grace the screen. It is a moment of pure happiness, at least
until they land on a Earth that is extra crispy. Though the outcome is
nothing that the human/Cylon alliance expected, for just a few moments
people have something to rejoice about, even if it's to be short lived.
Tags: Battlestar Galactica  , Sci-Fi Channel 
More links from around the web!
  iframe[ scribol_218173 ]
 
   
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. 
Nerd news, humor and self-loathing.Edited by Rob Bricken 
  Send tips to Topless Robot 
  Follow Topless Robot on Twitter 
  Subscribe to our RSS feed 
Top 10 Tags
1. Star Wars 
2. Fan Videos 
3. Marvel 
4. DC 
5. Comic Movies 
6. Impressive Acts of Nerdery 
7. Insanity 
8. Batman 
9. Awesomeness 
10. Japan 
Most...
The 10 Happiest Moments in Battlestar Galactica...  WARNING: If you
haven't watched BSG, I'm about to spoil just about every single positive
moment in the series... all 10 of 'em....
Agent Coulson's 5 Favorite Agent Coulson Marvel Movie Scenes...  No
Avengers spoilers, but an incomprehensible amount of celeb nerdery
awesomeness....
Walt Disney World to Open Carbon Freezing Chamber...  Personalized
you-in-carbonite figures? That's the best idea Lucas has had in
forever....
There's Going to Be a Diablo III Cartoon Short, and -- Oh, Wait, Here It
Is...  That was fast....
Movie News Trifecta: Avengers, Judge Dredd, Beetlejuice 2...  More
footage, first look at Lena Headley's villainous, and Tim Burton stays
in his comfort zone....
Categories
Anime (614) 
Cartoons (936) 
Comics (2008) 
Daily Lists (1098) 
DVDs (394) 
Merchandise (643) 
Miscellaneous (1521) 
Movies (3547) 
Nerdery (2422) 
Tech (161) 
Toys (1255) 
TV (1332) 
Video Games (1825) 
Archive
Links
16bit.com 
Adult Swim 
Anime News Network 
AV Club 
Bam Kapow 
Comics Alliance 
FilmDrunk 
First Showing 
Fork Party 
GameTrailers 
Gamma Squad 
Geeks Are Sexy 
Geek Diaper 
Geek Girl Diva 
Geekologie 
Geeks of Doom 
Gorilla Mask 
Great White Snark 
Has Boobs, Reads Comics 
Holy Taco 
io9 
Japanator 
Kotaku 
Nerd Bastards 
Newsarama 
Obvious Winner 
Poe Ghostal 
Robot 6 
Super Punch 
Television Without Pity 
The Mary Sue 
ToyNewsI 
ToysREvil 
Twitch 
Unreality 
Warming Glow 
World of Ward Crap 
/Film 
TR National Blogs
The 10 Happiest Moments in Battlestar Galactica  Tue, May 8, 12:21 pm
on Topless Robot 
Alex Landau Refuses to Re-enact His Police Beating  Tue, May 8, 2:22
pm on True Crime Report 
Cooking Expert: 'Pot Tastes Awful.' Does It?  Tue, May 8, 4:21 pm on
Toke of the Town 
Five Great Alternative Video Game Weapons  Tue, May 8, 3:50 pm on
Joystick Division 
Toronto Film Festival: Moneyball  Thu, Sep 15, 2011, 2:42 pm on Voice
Film 
Watch full episodes and clips of Metalocalypse 
Cosplaying the Venture Bros. (video) 
7 More Obscure References from Looney Tunes 
Watch full episodes of Bleach, Venture Bros and Robot Chicken 
10 Best Topless Moments on Adult Swim 
 
New evidence indicates the Germans may have launched a crewed rocket
into space in 1933. Soar krauts [Interesting] 
The Man Who Declared War on Gravity. Gravity: 1 Guy you never heard of:
0 [Interesting] 
10 things you didn't know about Maurice Sendak. 11 if you slept in today
[Interesting] 
Astronomers look on as Galactus cooks his next meal [Cool] 
Princess Leia hoodie with sidebuns. THE FUTURE IS *HERE* [Silly] 
PBS Delves Into Fanfiction [VIDEO] 
Things We Saw Today: Paper Doll Batgirl 
Terrifying Driverless Cars Have Preceded Flying Cars, and I Am Not Happy
About It 
This Superhero Fan Made Her Own Comic Book Dress 
Meet Caitlin "Meathook" Kelley, A 9-Year-Old MMA Fighter Who Can Kick
You Into Next Week 
Privacy Policy  |
Problem With the Site?  |
RSS 
© 2012 Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.
mobileleaptop

                              _
                            /'_/)
                          ,/_  /
                         /    /
                   /'_'/'   '/'__'7,
                /'/    /    /    /" /_\
               ('(    ' Fuck     /'   ')  
            \      You'          /
                 '\'              _.7'
                   \             (
                     \            \
DON'T TAZE MY GRANNY!

BEWARE OF OL' JEEZL PETE.

MAY 2012: MONTH OF THE ROBBY.

INDY SAYS: "KISS MY BRICKS!"

[robert]

you sunk maxes' battleship!